Erik returned from Nadir's place and out of a change he took a passage that bypassed the lake. As he walked he saw the crumpled fabric of a cape lying on the stone floor.
"So one of the looters took it and got lost and decided to drop it." He said and reached down to pick it up. Pulling he felt weight and then looked more closely.
Even with the mask a person could have seen his eyes widen with surprise as he looked at a woman dressed in black. He knelt down next to her and looked at her. "I will no doubt regret this." He moved to pick her up. Once she was in his arms he carried her to his home.
He walked in and glanced around. He had no idea were to put her. She certainly would not do well to wake up in the coffin he slept in. Shaking his head he walked into the room he had made for Christine. He laid her down gently and pulled the covers up. When he looked at her face he was surprised again.
The right side of her face was scarred, the entire cheek and part of her neck was one twisted and mangled scar. "You poor girl." He whispered. "You were no doubt beautiful once, any man would look at you and dream." He said and then left.
"So our lady vampire has left. I wonder when miss Christine will again try to explore her chambers?" One of the cooks commented.
"I will be happy if she never returns. Yelling all the time, hiding away, she's not right in the head." A maid replied
"Be careful if Count Philip heard you speak of her that way you would be fired immediately." Colover
"It would almost be worth it to tell that woman off. You all heard her yelling and poor Miss Christine. That poor girl's been through enough and Lady Vampire has to make it worse." The maid snapped back.
"Maybe she could live with the Phantom of the Opera?" another maid commented.
"Even he would be afraid of her. Have you ever seen what she hides with that scarf?" The maid asked.
"You've seen her without the scarf?" A young kitchen servant said immediately interested.
"Yes." She said and paused. "They could be a matched pair."
"How would you know have you seen the Phantom without the mask?" Colover asked.
"No, but my cousin's mistress did and she gave my cousin a good description and I say they were a match made in Hell."
One young girl quickly crossed herself.
"Her right cheek is twisted and mangled as if it was inside out. Her neck the skin is so thin it might as well not be there. You can see the veins in it. And her hair is no doubt a wig as the mutilation goes all the way up her face." She explained drawing her hand up her cheek and temple.
Christine who had walked into the kitchen to check on things started going pale at the conversation.
"You have no idea what you are talking about. Now get to your work and stop this gossip." Colover told them.