Chapter 14: Homecoming

To travel the world is a pleasure sublime
when the treasure of homecoming is certain in time.

A Fool's Book of Wisdom

Helen opened her mouth to begin her confession, but a knock on the compartment's sliding door interrupted her. Before anyone could respond to the rap, the door slid open and a tall, rather effeminate man with a thin, black mustache stuck his head through the opening.

"Next stop, Paris! Ten minutes!" He announced succinctly and without another word or waiting for a response, he withdrew and slid the door closed with a soft thud.

"Damn it! I guess the fates wish to draw this out for as long as possible. Hmmm ... Christine, do you intend to accept my invitation and stay in my home?"

Helen bit back a smirk as she saw the young woman's grip on Erik's hand tighten and her eyes locked onto his. He cocked his head and gave her a hopeful nod, which caused a relieved smile to settle across her lips.

"If you are still willing to have me and it will not cause you any inconvenience, I would very much like to stay with Erik and you."

Helen surrendered to her overwhelming urge and smirked at the young woman.

"Christine, please, rest assured that your presence in my home is not inconvenient. Erik and I are pleased to have you as a guest for as long as you wish. Is that not true, Erik?"

Erik's face turned a deep crimson and he nodded his assent, while at the same time he maintained a grip on her hand that looked almost painful. Christine, however, did not seem to mind his touch, but rather, leaned into him and smiled demurely.

"Oh! This should prove most interesting. These two will make me wish that chastity belts were still readily available. Perhaps, they still have such things in Persia. I should ask Nadir to get one for Christine and he can bring it with him along with Edgar. No, that will take too long and by the time he arrives, we will be christening their babe. Well, it seems that I must pay the apothecary a visit and purchase some Monk's Pepper. Hopefully, that will cool the boy down long enough for me to impress upon the two of them the dangers of passing certain boundaries. Ah, hell! The two of them are almost past the point of no return right now! How can I demand that they wait? Neither of them has ever known real love ... well, ever. I wish it did not matter, but..."

For the first time in their long relationship, Helen heard Diamanté's voice sound quietly and gently within her head.

"The girl cannot hear us, so do not protest. Do not worry for the children, old one. We will watch over both of them. Nothing untoward shall happen to either the girl or her mate. Do not meddle with the boy. Together we shall make a trip to the apothecary unnecessary. They may be young, but they are not stupid. You just need to tell them why they must wait. I am certain the boy cares enough for the girl that he will reign in his desires for a time. Perhaps, I have been wrong about you. It seems that you are not entirely worthless. Perhaps, it is I, who forgot that where there is life, there is hope. At our parting of the ways, I may owe you an apology. I just may ... Hmmm ... Interesting ... It is not often that I am surprised, but I find it a welcome change, Helen."

Helen's mind reeled as a wave of pleasant shock rolled through her tired, old body.

"She called me by my name. She has never done that before. Christine, my child, it seems that you transform all those around you for the better. You bring love to Erik, peace to Diamanté and to me you give me hope again."

Helen smiled broadly and snatched her brilliantly colored carpet bag from the overhead luggage storage. She turned to her two dazed and besotted companions.

"So, it is settled. Come! Let us begin the final leg of our journey home."

◊ ○ ◊ ○ ◊

The companions made the trek from the train station to Helen's cottage in a comfortable silence. Erik and Christine murmured quietly to one another. Occasionally, Helen caught the two of them stealing a kiss or one-armed embrace, but for the most part, the only sounds came from the gentle swaying of the trees in the breeze, the birds scolding the humans for being too near their nests or the small woodland creatures scampering to hide from the thundering feet of the giants invading their domain.

The day had been bright and warm for an early spring day, but as the sun began to set, the breeze became chilly and the three found it necessary to don their cloaks. Soon, the hoods on their cloaks became an indispensible part of their attire. The formal layout of the woods soon thickened into a true forest and the path narrowed. Christine paused for a moment and lifted her head, a look of intense concentration on her lovely face.

"I hear music. Do I not? How can I hear music here ... in the middle of nowhere?"

She bit her lip and her eyes narrowed as if she worried over the state of her sanity.

Erik chuckled softly and pulled her against him. He nuzzled his lips against the side of her neck and whispered.

"Indeed, my dear. You hear the music of the night."

As he caught her look of confused skepticism, he smirked.

"Very well ... I will not tease you. There is a brook, which runs nearby. Tomorrow I shall show you how it creates the music. Helen and I find that it keeps the more superstitious of our neighbors away from our home. And, we enjoy hearing its ever-changing melody. I believe that our adaptation of Water Music is much nicer than George Frideric Handel's version. What do you think, my love?"

She returned his teasing tone with her own witty response.

"Actually, Erik, I believe that the music you and I make in the night would be the sweetest rendition of all."

Shock and desire raced through Erik's tall form and he choked on his indrawn breath. Christine blushed furiously as she patted him on his back and Helen roared with laughter.

"I do believe the two of you shall prove more entertaining to live with than any romantic comedy I could ever hope to see on the stage in Paris. I only hope we all survive the experience. Really, Christine, if you want the boy, you should try not to kill him before you are ready to wed and bed him." Helen teased unmercifully. "Well, Erik, if you can catch your breath and walk without choking again, we should be home in less than five minutes as the cottage is just around the next bend."