In My Darkness: La Chatte Noire

Chapter Forty: Far Too Long

Chapter Forty: Far Too Long

Four Months, and One Day, Mireval

Camillé listened as best she could from her bedridden state to the Beaumonts saying goodbye. Katherine had been much more mature than she remembered, and much more… pregnant. That had been a shock. She should have been expecting it, as the two were a married couple and he was a Marquis, but the fact that they had already had their first child three years prior and were now expecting a second had rather rattled Camillé. It also made her long for Erik. Just as soon as she was out of this bed, she would be heading up to Paris even if she had to unceremoniously dump this business in Daniel's hands to do so.

She missed her beloved Erik. It had been too long since she had seen him. Far too long.

_____/~~\_____

Four Months, Two Weeks and One Day, Mireval

"Finally!" Camillé exclaimed, and Daniel chuckled beside her as he helped her to her feet – something he always did, whether she reminded him that she didn't need it or not.

"I agree, you've been on bed rest far too long," he told her as he helped her into a robe and out into the foyer.

She took a deep breath. The foyer smelled as it always had, of wood and stone and home. It was a good place. He led her downstairs and into the music room, the one place she had been dying to go. The physician had said that she would be fine to play so long as she took it easy. Too much exertion and she would be back on strict bed rest for another week. Camillé cringed at the thought of more time locked in that bedroom. There were only so many books one could read and so many chess games one could play before they begin to go insane. She was beginning to reach that point of insanity.

Daniel helped her onto the piano bench. She sat there, popping and stretching her fingers before she began to play. The notes came easily and they were now familiar to her, she had played them so many times. When she finished playing the song, her companion to her right clapped for her and he kissed her cheek.

"That was marvelous, Camillé, where is it from?" he asked.

She sighed. "It was written for me by someone."

"Who?"

"Erik," she replied softly, "He wrote it for me and proposed to me with it."

Daniel went quiet. "Oh."

They both knew that Erik was a touchy subject for them. Camillé was deeply missing him and Daniel… well, Daniel still wasn't fond of the man. The way they had left Paris hadn't helped. He knew that she loved him and that he loved her just as passionately, but he still longed for her to love him again. It had been far too long since he had been the subject of her affections and he missed it. Still, he knew that Erik made her happy, at least most of the time. Obviously he was adequately romantic if the man was writing songs for her and proposing with them. Daniel had simply asked her, without a ring in the middle of supper one night, to be his bride. It was a miracle that she had accepted. By her standards now, he would never have done.

Camillé knew that he didn't like hearing about Erik. Even if he denied it, he was jealous of her fiancé and always would be. After all, Erik had the love he wanted from her and Daniel did not. She had tried to lighten the subject, but nothing seemed to work, so they simply avoided it. Anytime something reminded her of him, it was like he instantly became the elephant in the room. They needed to talk about it, she knew that much, but there was little chance of that happening.

"Daniel, I think I would like to be alone for a little while," she told him gently, and he simply nodded before leaving the room.

Camillé watched him leave and sighed. She wished that didn't come between them.