The door closed behind him... And here was danger; Mike knew it, by the way he'd seen his employer (and why was it more natural to think of Erik as a 'master'? he was no servant) look at Christine. This was a fine line she asked him to walk. Fortunately for them both, he knew exactly how to walk it.
"Of course," he said smoothly, and with the tips of his fingers, worked out the knot she was referring to -- and nothing more. As soon as she took a step forward, he turned his back to her and stared at the door he'd just closed.
"He's sent for you," Mike said at length, as the sound of rustling fabric made its way to him. "Actually, he sent me to fetch you."
By the look of the man, Michael wondered if he shouldn't also have gone for a doctor. For all his commanding presence, there was no denying the new lines in Erik's face, the bloodless lips, the sallowness of his skin. Standing in front of him, Mike hadn't questioned him at all -- but upon reflection... No, the man was not well.
"I think it may have been an effort for him to have waited for the curtain to fall to send for you," Mike speculated. "He seemed to want you urgently."
And then, knowing when he was on the cusp of saying too much, Mike fell quiet and waited.