Dark Memories (The Phantom Diaries, #2) (20 page)

Tears suddenly filled my eyes at the sound of Eric’s name. Hearing him referred to as a ghost was horrendous, but I knew Aaron was partially right.

“The present is here and now, Annette.
With me.
I am a real man with blood pounding from my heart and a love for you that has not ceased to grow.” He slipped the ring on my finger. “I’d give my life to protect you from Kristine and the torturous games she enjoys playing.”

He pulled me into his arms, and I could feel the weight of his emotions. Deep in my heart I knew he was a good man and I knew he would indeed do everything he could to keep me from harm.

But love?

Though he held me tightly and brushed warm kisses on my temple, there remained a cool tension in his arms. The passion he showed for me was restrained and held in check in a way that left me uneasy.

And the sudden proposal.

What was he expecting an eighteen year old girl to do?

Chapter 17

Returning to the great mansion left me in a somber mood. While Aaron smiled and seemed content with the outcome of our stroll, I felt more perplexed than ever. Why couldn’t he have allowed me a few days of peace and tranquility before throwing such a huge decision my way?

“Aaron,” Francoise greeted as we approached the terrace. She nodded at me.
 
“Annette, I do hope you enjoyed your visit of the grounds.” Before I could say anything she turned to Aaron.
 
“You’ve only been here a few hours and you already have a visitor.”

A frown came to his forehead and he instantly showed his displeasure. “No one knows I’m here.”

“Well, word apparently got out. He’s waiting for you in the parlor. Jean Paul is keeping him company.”

I had trouble keeping up with Aaron’s long and determined strides as he held a firm grip on my hand and headed inside the house. His footsteps echoed and resonated in the hall, each step becoming angrier. By the time he reached the parlor, his face was red and his fist tight.

Jean Paul had a polite smile on his crinkled face while he sat watching the visitor. Tea and treats had been served and the visitor seemed quite at ease as he sipped from the fine china cup. The delicate clink of cup hitting saucer as he set his cup down was incongruous with the massive size of the man, his hands and his fingers. His broad shoulders hunched over as he perused the yellowed pages of an old book sitting on his lap.

The moment I saw the tousle of dark curls I knew. Though turned away, I saw the strength of that chin I’d come to know so well. I thought I would never see him again. My heart immediately jumped out to him and it was all I could do to keep from running to him. He was incredibly handsome in a fine suit and his face cleanly shaven.

How had he known I was here? How had he found me?
 

I was elated to see him again.

Oblivious to the heavy footsteps that had announced our arrival, the visitor remained intent on the pages of that book.

“Aaron,” Jean Paul said as we entered.
 
“Look who we have visiting us today.”

Eric turned to us with a smile in his dark eyes, while Aaron visibly blanched then quickly turned crimson. His eyes took on a murderous gloom and his breathing was all we could hear for those first few seconds.

When Eric turned his charismatic yet guarded smile to me, I felt the tension mount in Aaron’s hold of me. His hatred for Eric was palpable, though Jean Paul seemed oblivious and continued to smile happily.

“What,” Aaron let out through gritted teeth, “are you doing here?”

Eric’s smile didn’t falter.

“Aaron.” Jean Paul rose on shaky limbs and came to Aaron’s side. “We’ve just been going over the family tree and Eric here appears to be a long lost member of the Aragon family.”

“That’s impossible,” Aaron let out.

Jean Paul chuckled. “My boy, as you grow older, you come to accept that few things in life are impossible. It’s not really that uncommon for family relatives to come out of nowhere.
Aragon
men didn’t always show the restraint they should.” He nudged Aaron with his elbow, but Aaron was far from amused.

“What are you trying to prove?” Aaron spat at Eric.

“Eric even brought a seal, showing his consanguinity to our family. This is indeed a long-lost cousin of yours, Aaron.”

Eric set the book down and rose to his impressive and imposing height. The breadth of his shoulders made the room seem suddenly small, while the charm in his smile battled with Aaron’s cool stance.

“Liar.”
 
Aaron stood his ground and looked straight into Eric’s eyes.

“My relation is to Rupert’s mother, Veronique,” Eric said. He eyed me intently, though his emotions were nearly impossible to read. His gaze held a blend of pleasure and surprise at seeing me. When his eyes dipped down to my hand still clasped in Aaron’s
,
he showed only a hint of a frown and quickly resumed his grin.

“Veronique became involved with a man, Martin, and had an illegitimate boy a few years before she married Philippe, Rupert’s father.”

Aaron let out an indignant huff. “If I understand you correctly, Veronique was not an
Aragon
. How can you claim to have our blood running through your veins? You are just the bastard son of…”

“Of Philippe’s cousin,” Jean Paul said. “Martin Aragon.”

“Raising him herself was apparently out of the question, so she simply left him stranded at the steps of the Paris Opera House. Allowed to run around and play, the Opera House became his home.
 
Although various stage people there took care of him, he was left to fend for himself.

“His love of the opera grew as did his knowledge of every corner of that old House. The intense love of music would become his life and he would go on to compose some of the most unforgettable music of the century. Though his music was revered and loved by all, few could tolerate to see the face of the great composer.”

“No,” Aaron let out in disbelief.

“Before long Parisians took to calling him the Phantom.”

“No!”
 
Aaron released my hand and for a moment I thought he would reach out to choke Eric. “That’s impossible.”

Eric turned cool eyes to Aaron’s hostile glare. “The man they called the Phantom of the Opera was really Rupert’s half-brother.”

Fascinated by the increasing complexities of Eric’s life, I watched him as he took in Aaron’s shock.

Kristine had tried to convince Eric to kill Rupert. Perhaps this family connection was what had kept him from going through with it. It was perhaps what also drove Kristine so raving mad; after all, Eric was an Aragon as well.

“What do you make of this, Jean Paul? Is this some ruse to try to get at the
Aragon
fortune?” He glared at Eric.

“As far as I can tell, this man is indeed an
Aragon
,” Jean Paul said as he reached up to set a reassuring pat on Eric’s shoulder.

Eric’s brow cocked in defiance, waiting for Aaron to argue further. When Aaron turned to stare out the window, Eric gazed sidelong at me a brief moment, a moment filled with questions and speculation.

He’d told me he was seeking his heritage.
 
Never could I have imagined it would lead him here. What must he be thinking to see me in Aaron’s home?

“I’d like to have my lawyers go through all this more thoroughly,” Aaron said.

“But I’ve already given them a good once over,” Jean Paul said in a voice shaken with age, but firm in its belief. “I do remember what our family seal looks like and the documents are all in order.”

In a heated moment that left the room silent, Aaron turned and swept his arm across the coffee table, sending tea cups and saucers to the floor.

“Aaron, stop.” Rushing to him, I pressed my hand to his heaving chest, willing him to calm himself, willing him to accept Eric.
 
“Please, let’s simply talk this through.”

My hand was yanked off Aaron’s chest and held in a vice grip. I turned to Eric; turned to see why his first real acknowledgment of my presence was so violent.

His eyes were on the ring on my finger. His lips tried to form words while his eyes continued to stare as though looking for an explanation.

Aaron turned angry eyes to stare at Eric, while his voice reverberated in the room.
 
“Surprised, brother?”

Chapter 18

Disbelief clouded Eric’s eyes as his gaze remained on the ring. A wealth of pain and anguish lay bare, and I felt an overwhelming need to protect him.

“This ring,” he muttered.

Aaron tore my hand free of Eric’s hold leaving me feeling like a marionette. Control over my strings was being fought over without my consent or approval.

“Recognize this ring?” Aaron coldly asked.

“Rupert’s ring.”

“What?” I gasped.

“Did it adorn Kristine’s finger as beautifully as it does Annette’s?”

Eric’s brow glistened with perspiration. His heart was out and vulnerable as the betrayal of a century ago slapped him in the face once more. What must he be thinking to see me with a ring Kristine had once worn?

“Aaron,” I said. “Had I known
…
I wouldn’t…”

“Tell me Eric, did Kristine have the decency to take off this
Aragon
heirloom as she rolled in your bed? Or did these gems sparkle along with the lust in her eyes?”

I didn’t want to hear anymore. “Please, Aaron…”

“Did you enjoy taking a woman who was betrothed to another? One would have to assume this is all you’re capable of; taking what is not yours.” Aaron was livid. I’ve never seen him like this before. “You seduced Kristine away from Rupert, ruined their lives. Are you
back
to do the same with Annette and I?” He stepped forward. “Because of you, Annette nearly lost her life!”

Eric’s gaze met mine, filled with questions. When the pain faded, accusations took their place.

“I didn’t tell him,” I started. “He already knew…”

“Yes, Eric.” Aaron pushed me back, as though the visual connection between Eric and me was too much for him to bear. “I know all about Rupert. I’ve poured over enough of his journals to know all about the lovely, yet deceitful Kristine. I’ve read about this famed Phantom and I know of the pain Rupert lived through… this Phantom who is now claiming to be an Aragon… this Eric.”

Aaron’s eyes glittered as he held back from saying more. While his lips remained parted, I could see the battle being waged as he guarded his words. “You,” he finally said. “What are you, and what do you want with Annette?”

Jean Paul entered with Francoise on his arm. I’d not even noticed Jean Paul’s departure, but his entrance seemed to cool Aaron’s temper.

“I see you boys are becoming acquainted,” Francoise said. Her chipper tone could have led one to believe she was oblivious to the quarrel, but a knowing gleam in her eye indicated just how wise this frail-looking woman truly was.

Aaron backed away.

“Isn’t it wonderful to have found an Aragon we knew nothing about?” Francoise approached Eric and reached out for a hug.