An English Rose

The Truth

After that first uneasy lesson, the following days settled into a routine for all three. At exactly ten in the morning, Katherine would bring the nine year old out of hiding from her family's stable, escort him to the Opera Populaire, and then lead the way down into the lower areas of the Phantom's domain. Erik was always waiting, and the lesson would begin immediately.

Entirely caught up with music, master and student would soon forget the young lady's presence as they worked. Around one o'clock, it would take all of Katherine's ingenuity to find a way to get their attention for a meal, which she always brought. Pip devoured everything set before him, though the Phantom was much reserved. Whatever was left over, Katherine discreetly left for Erik to find once they had gone.

He never mentioned it or thanked her, but it was always gone when they came the next day.

As they ate, Katherine made the decision to learn more and began to ask about the opera house as it used to be. The first week their conversations turned to the different operas and styles they enjoyed and stretched for nearly an hour at a time.

"How is it that you came to live in the opera house?" Katherine asked cautiously one day in the second week.

Freezing, Erik stared into the distance. "Madame Giry brought me here after I murdered the gypsy who kept me locked in a cage," he answered in a low voice. He spun around, his eyes glittering with an indescribable emotion behind his mask. "You are shocked, are you not, mademoiselle? I was a boy, but I killed for my freedom!"

He turned away sharply.

Stranger than you dreamt it -

Can you even dare to look

Or bear to think of me:

This loathsome gargoyle,

Who burns in hell,

But secretly

Yearns for heaven,

Secretly . . .

Secretly . . .

His manner challenging, he turned back around. Steadily, Katherine gazed at him, shaking her head. "No, I am not shocked," she answered, choosing her words carefully. "I am very sorry for the childhood you must have had. So you grew up listening to the opera's music? Is that why you have such talent for it?"

Her acceptance seemed to take him aback for a moment. "Music was the only thing that kept me going when I was caged like an animal," he finally responded in a bitter tone. He looked over to where Pip was patting Caesar, the horse. "I was younger than Pip when I realized I had a talent like no one else, but I did not have anyone to shape my skill."

"Would you like to read the newspaper?" Katherine asked abruptly, deciding the conversation could do with a change to a lighter topic. "I should have asked earlier. You must not hear of the outside world very much."

"I do not, but the outside world does not affect me," Erik answered dismissively.

With a frown on her face, Katherine considered him thoughtfully. "What about books, then?" she asked. "I and my friends love to read. I would be happy to bring you some volumes from my library. You can't have much to read down here, and I can't imagine any of the performers having a vast library."

"You are determined to put me in your debt, aren't you?" Erik asked wryly. Patiently, Katherine waited. After a moment, he nodded. "I would like that."