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. So it s settled then, assuming M.Tallisagrees.I hope he likes children. I think that will be the best solution, forKaveh to move in with us.Assuming he ac-cepts the offer, that is; he may wish to be freeof me after so long. Erik gave a self-deprecating shrug. It will be nice to offer himmy hospitality for a change, after having ac-cepted his for so many years.As for childrenI assume he has nothing against them.He oncehad a family of his own, in Persia. Erik sgolden eyes twinkled. We could always puthim in the nursery with Erik-Daaé. Christine laughed. Erik-Daaé would be pet-rified of him for at least a month.It s probablybetter that he gets his own grown-up room aswell. Speaking of which& Yes? Erik hesitated, not knowing quite how tobring it up.He remembered her distressed let-ter, from early in her marriage, when she dis-covered that noblemen did not share a bed withtheir wives.He would be a nobleman himselfby the time they married; what were her expec-~ 242 ~ - Letters to Erik -tations of him on that front? He hoped desper-ately that she would welcome him as a husbandin every sense, but looking as he did, he darednot presume. Erik? He cleared his throat again. How many&uh, how many rooms shall you have to preparehere? he asked.Her answer would tell himwhether she expected him to share her room orhave one of his own. Two, I would imagine, Christine said, asM.Tallis would no doubt be bringing his man-servant with him.Erik s heart sank.Two rooms: one forKaveh and one for him.She didn t want him inher room with her, then. I see, he replied,sounding hollow.He looked away, preferringnot to let her see the pain in his eyes.His voicehardened. No doubt I shall require privacy! Christine saw his reaction and her shouldersslumped. Forgive me, Erik, she whispered. Ishould not have presumed& that you wouldshare my room, she thought but did not say.She sighed.Three rooms, then, instead of two:one each for M.Tallis and his servant, and onefor Erik.He was going to be the Count deChagny; why should he not wish for all the~ 243 ~ - An Wallace -trappings that accompanied the title includinghis own private bedroom?She gestured helplessly, not knowing whatto say. Sometimes I forget my station. Herparents had shared a room and a bed quite hap-pily until her mother had died; it was hard toremember that she was a countess now, and hadto behave according to the customs of noblefamilies including the master and mistresskeeping separate bedrooms. No, no, he snapped, holding up one handin a protective gesture. The presumption wason my part. Voice heavy with sarcasm, hestood up and said, I would certainly neverwish to intrude on you without being invited. He left her there on the divan and headed backto the piano.He started to play somethingChristine recognized from long, long ago.In-stead of a long wail of agony, though, thissounded more like bitter and furious mutter-ings perhaps a different portion of his DonJuan Triumphant than she had heard before, butshe knew with a flash of insight that it wasfrom that opera.Christine was left sitting alone on the divan,feeling bereft.Why was he so angry? Even ifshe had made the unwarranted assumption that~ 244 ~ - Letters to Erik -he would share her room with her, there was noneed for him to be angry.It was quite plain thathe was, though, when she darted a quick look athim at the piano.His posture looked forbid-ding; he was extremely annoyed with her.With a pang, she envisioned another mar-riage like her first with Raoul would Erik,too, visit her in her room only when he wantedto have relations, and then abandon her directlyafterwards? Would she see him only at dinner-time and when he was feeling amorous? Herheart sank at the thought.She had been solonely! If the very thought of sharing her roomwas enough to make Erik lose his temper,though, how could she expect anything else?A single tear slid down her face and sheturned away from where Erik was playing thepiano.It wouldn t do for him to see her cryingover her shattered illusions, a silly girl s fanta-sies.Even though she d been married, wid-owed, and had a child, she suddenly realizedthat she was still very young.She was halfErik s age; why would a man as capable, intel-ligent, and powerful as Erik even want to bemarried to such a child as she?The tears kept coming, but she ruthlessly sti-fled the sob that sat there at the back of her~ 245 ~ - An Wallace -throat, threatening to escape.Erik deserved bet-ter than having to always pick up the wreckedpieces of her dreams.Maybe she could get her-self back under control while he was distractedwith the music.She wiped the tears away with her palm andstood up to ring for Anneke. Tea, please, Anneke, she requested whenthe maid made her appearance.Erik went onplaying, refusing to even look in her direction.When Anneke returned with the tea, Chris-tine poured out for them, and then straightenedup and took a deep, calming breath beforebringing Erik s tea to him at the piano.Shehoped he wouldn t notice her slightly reddenedeyes.He fixed her with a golden glare
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