The Next Generation

Five pairs of eyes – two of hazel, one gold and two of blue – look up as Erik and Christine enter the conservatory. Each filled with a combination of curiosity, fear and relief. So many questions none of the other adults in the household can or want to answer.

"Gustave? I am surprised you are here. I cannot remember the last time you shared breakfast with us. Where is Julia?" Christine asks Gustave, walking to the parson's table to prepare a breakfast plate for herself – a tablespoon of scrambled eggs, toast, butter and raspberry jam. Nibbling on a piece of baked ham, she takes a seat next to him.

"Nadir called – asked her to go into the office…it would seem Madame is unwell." His hazel eyes question his father. "Then Mr. Squelch telephoned said he was concerned about Dr. Gangle, asked if I knew anything. My curiosity was piqued, so I offered to drive here so we could discover some answers from you."

"Where are they?" Erik asks, smiling down at the playpen occupied with Angelique and Louisa playing happily with a new set of blocks, enjoying chewing on them to ease their teething gums more than building anything.

"Papa!" Angelique squeals, holding out her arms.

"Papa!" Louisa joins her, pulling herself up with the help of the wooden slats.

"Not now, darlings," Erik laughs, stroking each toddler on the cheek. "How about a biscuit instead?"

Margaret jumps up from her chair, bringing a Zweiback cracker for each of the girls. "There you go."

"What do you say?" Erik asks.

"Tank oo."

The little ones settled, Margaret returns to the table and her watch with the others as to what Erik and Christine are going to tell them.

For his part, Erik avoids the buffet, awaiting the answer to his question.

Miss Fleck said they would eat in gazebo, we should serve ourselves," Henry says and signs for Joshie.

"What that?" Joshie asks.

"The summer house," Emilie says. "Joshie does not always understand some words, Henry, you should be more considerate."

"Love Henny," Joshie says, frowning at his sister. "Henny what word you say?"

"Like Emilie – the summer house. In my architecture book they call it a gazebo." He spells it out.

"It is pronounced gah-zee-bow, not gaze-bow, but Henry is correct," Gustave says. "We should teach Joshie new words just like Henry. He is building his vocabulary. I imagine 'to the gazebo' is where Miss Fleck said they were going," he continues. "You are the writer in the family, I should think you would appreciate his efforts."

"Why must you always be such a fuss budget?" Margaret asks. "Henry is the nicest person in this house, and you are always picking on him."

"It is alright," Henry says.

"No, it is not," Christine interjects. "Emilie, apologize, please."

With a deep sigh, the dark-haired girl, rolls her eyes and slides down in her chair. "I am sorry."

Henry shrugs. "They were all so sad."

"Miss Fleck found him in the kitchen crying. He was standing by the sink holding a cup of coffee and staring out the window. Then Mr. Squelch came, and they all hugged each other," Emilie explains. "She told us to serve ourselves, eat breakfast and wait for you and Maman."

"Louisa was here in the playpen, I put Angelique in with her so she would not be alone. He did not even call Kathleen to help with her," Margaret adds. "Why is everyone here? Why was Doctor G crying? Is Meg all right?"

"I told you Meg had an accident and that was why Gregory and Louisa were staying with us," Gustave replies.

"Why is Mr. Squelch here?" Emilie asks, pouring more syrup on her hotcake, pushing the pieces around her plate. "He never comes here in the morning."

"I think something else is wrong," Margaret says, her round face puckering, about to cry. "All you grown-ups are acting like something really bad happened."

"Papa? Meg will be alright, will she not? She was fine when I left the infirmary." Gustave says, his words tentative. "That is what I told everyone when I came this morning. Then I saw Gregory."

Erik pours himself a cup of tea taking a long sip before addressing the children. "Meg had an accident as Gustave told you. A large mirror in her dressing room fell off the wall and the glass broke and cut her quite badly. We did surgery and when the work was done, we believed she would be fine and came home."

"Then the phone rang," Emilie chimes in. "You called Maman to the study and left without even saying good-bye."

"Then Doctor G came back with Louisa and Maman," Margaret says. "He said something to Maman and took Louisa into the birthing room."

"Where were all of you?" Christine asks. "I never saw you. Had you made your presence known instead of snooping, you might have learned something about what happened."

"We were supposed to be in bed," Henry says. "We did not want you to be angry."

"Indeed," says Erik.

"Anyway, everyone was coming and going, and we were scared," Emilie responds with a sharp nod, closing that subject. "Is she dead?"

"No!" Margaret cries, throwing her napkin on the table. "Do not say that. Why are you always so mean?"

"Just stop it," Emilie says, rolling her eyes. "You are probably the only person in the whole world who likes her." Turning to her father, she cocks her head, quirking an eyebrow. "Well, is she? Dead?"

"Yes," he answers, walking over to Margaret's chair, taking her in his arms as she stumbles to her feet, holding her close. "I am sorry, I know you loved her very much."

"What happened?" Gustave asks. "She was a mess, but not dying. We would not have left. Doctor G would not have left."

"Yasmine called us back," Erik says, gazing at his eldest son. The son he almost lost at the hands of the woman they were discussing. Meg Giry seemed to enjoy torturing the boy even after she begged forgiveness for threatening to kill him. His presence here now was unsettling, unexpected. Christine and he discussed how much to tell him and could not decide. For all his maturity, the boy was still fragile when it came to discussing Meg.

Alexander's presence only added to the problem.

The Trio. They, Meg and Adele and he were family for ten years – an oddly matched group with a strong bond some might call love, he was not sure if that was the correct term. Phantasma was theirs. When Christine and Gustave…and Nadir joined them it was unsettling at first. They were used to carnival life – the presence of his beloved, their child and his old friend represented a normalcy none of them was accustomed to. Gustave, in particular, grounded them – he was their child.

The decision then to keep the "incident at the pier," as they came to call it, to themselves and not have Meg face any consequences other than what each member of their family decided for themselves, was now at issue again. As a pariah, she played the role well and never acted in such a way to be welcome. Even Raoul was more a part of them now.

And yet, despite the general mistrust and, in many cases, like Nadir, outright hatred despite their personal relationship, how would they react to the news that Adele was, in fact, responsible for her daughter's death?

He must speak with them. Now.

Much like his entrance to the conservatory less half an hour earlier, Erik now faces three more sets of eyes – the men's pale blue, Gloria's a warm coffee brown. Sadder and older, if not entirely wiser than those of his children, except he did not have to announce the death of the woman the men first met on the ship to America – Miss Fleck when they arrived.

Kind eyes, all of them. Eyes that knew rejection and cruelty, but never lost their goodness. His thoughts flash back to Emilie. The almost callous response to Meg's death still finds him shocked at both her wisdom and cruelty – like his mother. Christine says she looks like him and he supposes she is correct, acknowledging that he might be…might have been a handsome man is impossible. However, if he looks like his mother, the fading photograph in the family Bible suggests as much, Emile may be a reincarnation of her. If that were the case, he then muses on why the girl is so vehemently attached to him – jealous of any attention he shows to the other children – and often to her mother as well. Perhaps working with Nadir will break her of some of the bad behavior.

Nadir. The thought of his old friend brings him back to the present and the Trio waiting to hear what he has to tell them. Head of the family. Meg's death changes everything. Particularly as regards Adele. Forcing a crooked smile, he greets each of them, his friends, his partners, the people who loved him when he believed his life was over and helped him begin again. They deserve the truth of the matter. Adele was one of them, he was certain she would want them to know the truth.

"Alexander, Gregory and my dear Grace. I expect you want to know what happened with Meg."