Chapter 7: The Deal with The Devil

The rehearsals kept going and we rehearsed the song that Christian wrote for us. And then out of the corner of my eye I saw Nini talking to the duke. What was she telling him? She's always been jealous of Satine and I and now was she doing something about it? When we finished rehearsing the duke spoke up.

"I don't like this ending." He said.

"Don't like the ending?" father asked.

"Why would any courtesan choose a penniless sitar player over a maharajah... who is offering a lifetime of security and a title? That's real love. Once the sitar player has satisfied his lust he will leave her with nothing. I suggest that in the end, both Courtesans choose the maharajah." He said and then Toulouse walked towards him in the rough form of his costume.

But, but... Sorry. That ending does not uphold the Bohemian ideals of truth, beauty, freedom..." That was when I got mad because he cut off Toulouse.

"I don't care about your ridiculous dogma! Why shouldn't the other courtesan choose the maharajah as well?" The duke asked.

"Because she doesn't love you!" Christian shouted and then everyone looked at him including myself. I was frightened. "Him. Him. She doesn't love, she doesn't love him." He stammered trying to cover it up.

"Now I see. Monsieur Zidler." The Duke said standing up. This ending will be rewritten...with both of the courtesan's choosing the maharajah... and without the lovers' secret song. It will be rehearsed in the morning, ready for the opening tomorrow night."

"My dear Duke, that will be quite impossible." Father said and I saw Satine stood up.

"Harold. The poor Duke is being treated appallingly. These silly writers let their imaginations run away with them." Satine said walking towards him. "Why don't you, Rosalie, and I have a little supper?" She suggested. "Then afterwards...we can all let Monsieur Zidler know how we would prefer the story to end. Isn't that right Rosalie?" She asked me.

"Of course, I can't wait." I lied through my teeth.

"Wonderful."The Duke said and he smiled kissing my hand. I could've squirmed under his touch.

"Excuse me I must go." I said and the crowd seperated. I went backstage almost breathless. I didn't want to do this but I had to. I snuck into a hidden corridor that I had shown Christian and he met me.

"I don't want you to go to him." He said.

"He could destroy everything. It's for us." I replied placing my hand on his cheek. "You promised. You promised me you wouldn't be jealous. It will be all right." I said.

"Yes, it will."

"He's waiting."

"No." He said and held me close. I pulled the chain out from under my dress. Holding it close to him.

'Come What May'

I said to him and he nodded.

"Come what may." He replied and I went to my dressing room to prepare. I put on a cream colored dress and did my makeup demurely. I walked over to the tower with Satine. We sat down.

"The boy has an obsession with me, with the both of us." Satine said and then we sat down to supper. We sat and ate and I was nervous. I could almost feel his eyes boring into me. I wondered what Christian was doing. I worried for him as well. He walked over towards us.

"When this production succeeds you will both no longer be cancan dancers but actresses. I will make you both stars. He handed us both velvet boxes. Satine's held a magnificent necklace. Mine held a ring with a diamond the size of a pigeon's egg. "Accept it as gifts from this maharajah to his courtesans." He said and I slipped the ring on. I walked out to the balcony while Satine kept him busy. I looked down to see Christian and he looked at me.

Come what may

I will love you

until my dying day

I sang to myself and then I looked around to feel the duke touching me.

"No." I growled taking the ring off. He looked down to see Christian.

"No? I see. It's our own penniless Sitar player."He replied.

"My dear Duke..." I begged but he cut me off. I saw Satine knocked out.

"Silence! You both made me believe that you loved me!" He said and slapped me. I ran away from him but he got me down and began to rip away my dress. I was left in my white corset. I was pushed onto the bed and that was when everything went dark. When my eyes opened I saw Chocolat he had Satine in his arms.

"Petit Rose, we must go." He said.

"Wait." I said and crawled to the floor finding the ring Christian had given me and slipping it back around my neck. "Now we can go." I said and we ran towards the apartments. The door burst open. I ran into his arms.

"I couldn't. I couldn't go through with it. I saw you there, and I felt differently and I couldn't pretend. And the Duke, he saw! He saw and he...he tried to." I couldn't even say it. "Christian, I love you." I said.

"It's okay." He replied holding me close.

"I couldn't do it. I didn't want to pretend anymore. I didn't want to lie. I don't. And he knows. He knows and he hurt Satine."

"You don't have to pretend anymore. We'll leave. We'll leave tonight."

"Leave? But the show..."

"I don't care. I don't care about the show. We have each other. That's all that matters." He was right, as long as we had each other we were unstoppable.

"Yes. As long as we have each other." I said smiling.

"We have each other. Chocolat, take Rose to her dressing room to pack. No one must see you." He told the dancer.

"I understand." Chocolat replied.

"Darling, you go and pack. I'll be waiting." Christian said to me and we went back to my dressing room. He brought Satine back to her room. I quickly started too pack my things.

"Forgive the intrusion darling." I turned to see my father. He had caught me.