Chapter 10 –

The Band was to open up the concert, and the singers were to join them after their first number. All the students were very anxious. Erik stood with them. He had only once ever helped to perform, and that experience went less than amazingly. Here, he wasn't able to contain his excitement. Everything was going to be all right. He was going to be able to stay.

He was still in shock over his confrontation with Christine. He had spent years loving her and now he could have had her. He had spent the last six years wanting to have her again, to take her away from the boy, and he felt the same now as he did that night in the opera house. He did not want to force her to be his; she had chosen the boy and now he, Erik, had to live with it.

Christine and her husband sat in the audience, Raoul was outraged that they were staying. He could not believe his wife when she said that Erik was not going to plan an attack. Raoul sat in between his wife and son and refused to take his arms off Christine. He had almost lost her once and it wouldn't happen again.

Elizabeth appeared on stage and the audience hushed. "Good evening, Guests! I am sorry for the delay tonight. We were having some difficulties with our performers. I now would like to thank you all for coming and buying tickets. Our school is kept up to the high standards we have because of all the help we have from our guests and supporters like you. I don't plan to keep you away from our talented performers any longer, so I would like to introduce our Instrumental conductors, Mr. Colvin and Mr. Jacobs." The audience clapped and the two men appeared on stage.

Elizabeth walked toward the right wing of the stage she got to the back and she found the vocal students standing ready to go on. "Good luck." She said to them all. "You'll do great… all of you." She winked at Erik. She always knew how to make him nervous; annoying him seemed to be a big joke to her. Instead, he just smiled.

The band finished and Erik lead his students on stage. The first song they were to sing was Hark the Herald Angels Sing and Erik was so proud of them. He did, however, feel the loss of Caroline. She had begun to sing more quietly and to fit in better with the group. She still thought of herself as better than everyone else, but she had begun to be humble about it.

At the end of the night, the entire school ended the program with Silent Night. The band played it, the vocal students sang it, and Meg's students had a dance to go along with it. The audience applauded and the students bowed in awe of the attention they were getting. Erik couldn't help but smile.

Once backstage, the students all went to their dressing rooms and hurried to get ready for the party afterwards. Erik didn't need to change; he was still wearing what he would normally wear if he had been attending the show. Elizabeth was the same; she stood watching as the guests got up and headed for the main foyer of the school. He saw her curse under her breath as he approached her. "You shouldn't swear, it's not proper for a woman. What's wrong?"

She jumped but then sighed knowing it was Erik. "My good friend Roger Wilkinson is here." she replied, annoyed.

"He's what? I told him not to come near you or your school ever again."

"Erik, it's fine, don't make a scene in public."

"I will be civil if he is."

"He's never civil, but he did bring his wife so he should be better than usual."

"He better be."

She shook her head at him. "Don't worry Erik, I've been dealing with him for a while now. It will be fine." He clenched his teeth but was ready to deal with it.

"I guess I can just never win, can I? Now I'm stuck with that man all evening and I have to act as your escort."

"Sorry for being an obligation for you." she replied quickly, half smiling.

Half an hour later, the two entered the party. The de Changy's were going to make an appearance because some of the upper class British families had heard they were here. Christine was surprised to see Erik walk in, arm in arm with Elizabeth, and for a split second, she was angered about it. She didn't know what was going on. Erik had confessed his love for her and now he was with another woman. It didn't make sense to her, but she kept quiet. She was not stupid enough to make such a comment in front of her husband.

The students, one by one, came to introduce their parents to Erik. The parents gave him a second look but he ignored it as best he could. Elizabeth smiled and talked nicely to everyone, and Erik stood by her side. He was definitely not a fan of the social gatherings Elizabeth held at her school, but it was a small price to pay because he would be able to keep his job.

He soon was visited by Caroline, who gave him a big hug. "You guys were great, everyone loved it!" She screamed happily. "Of course if I was there it would be better." Erik didn't comment. "So are you staying for sure, now?"

"Yes, I'm staying for sure. But you should calm down and go back to the ballet classroom. You should rest for the evening until you have someone come to pick you up."

"My parents didn't come?"

"I'm sure they had somewhere to be, Caroline." Elizabeth cut in. "They wouldn't want to miss you sing."

She just nodded. "Well I'm going to go congratulate everyone else." she said, and ran off.

Elizabeth and Erik exchanged glances. They felt sorry for her.

Soon, all the parents had given their congratulations to Elizabeth and her school. Then the members of the town gave theirs. Mr. Wilkinson, without his wife, approached them and Erik immediately tensed up. Elizabeth squeezed Erik's arm which she was politely holding. He gave her an angry look, but she gave him an equally stern gaze.

"Good evening Elizabeth." he said properly. He would not acknowledge Erik. Erik knew the man was trying to look tougher than he was.

"Good evening." she replied, her face remaining unreadable.

"You put on a very enjoyable show tonight."

"I always do, sir. I see you brought your wife tonight; she was feeling up to it, I see."

"Yes, we probably won't stay long though. I'm sure she's pretty tired."

"I'm sure." Elizabeth put on her best smirk. "Well, I've got other guests I need to see. Good-bye."

She turned away immediately, and Erik smirked at the man, then turned around and followed Elizabeth. He was sick of the crowds and people, but he decided that he owed this to Elizabeth and her school.

After hours of talking to numerous people from everywhere, Erik finally had enough. "Can we go now?" He asked like a child.

"After everyone leaves, Erik, but you can go and hide out in your classroom if you'd like."

"Good," he replied and silently slipped away.

After she had escorted the last guests to the door Elizabeth headed to Erik's room, she heard music playing behind the door and she stood outside the door listening to it. The melody was one she had not heard before, but she decided that as a composer, Erik might want to play his own music occasionally. The music stopped abruptly, but Elizabeth decided not to go inside just yet.

Erik seemed though, to want her inside. "It is impolite to linger behind the doors of people's rooms." he called to her.

She shook her head and entered the room. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"I was ready long before the party started."

"I know, you want to do the fun part, and then skip out on the part you despise. That's human nature, Erik." He just looked at her, shook his head, and followed.

When they got home, Elizabeth wasn't tired. She wanted to stay up, and she was very excited about how great the evening had been. Erik, who never was tired, agreed to stay up with her for a while.

After sitting in silence Elizabeth finally spoke up about what was on both their minds. "Erik, I think we need to talk about everything from whatever happened with Christine up until to now. I think I need to understand this better, because even though I'm still going to let you teach, I just need to know."

"It is probably one of the longest most confusing stories ever. My entire life was always that way…long and confusing. Do you know the tales of the so-called Opera Ghost?"

"Mrs. Hartford, Meg, told me a bunch. I think you terrified her."

"Yes, the ballet rats were always afraid of me, but I'll continue. I met Christine as a child and taught her to sing. Over the years she became more than just my student. She was a friend. Then I realized she was more than that, and I fell in love, I couldn't help it.

"Then came the whole affair at the opera house. I let her go. It was one of the hardest things ever, but I let her go. The last six years I have been through many stages of depression. At first, I believed she would come back. Then, after that, I knew she wouldn't, and I hated myself. Later, I tried hard to find any news of her in Paris, to take her back, and I just gave up. I knew she was gone forever. Then I came here. Madame Giry, Meg's mother told me she was in America. I considered going, but I knew I could not do that forever. I had to continue with some kind of life. So here I am. I ended up here and that is where I plan to stay as long as you'll have me."

He paused for a minute. "There is one thing I ask though, I know that after everything I should not be asking for favors, but if the de Chagnys decide to send their son to your academy, please say no."

Elizabeth was surprised by this, and her first instinct was that he was right, but then she thought that the little boy deserved the best education. "Erik, that's not fair to the child. He wants to continue his vocal lessons. It should be about him, not you and your past."

He looked in her eyes and pleaded with her. "I don't think I could handle it. If he attends the academy, I shall have to leave."

"I thought that's what you say." She was silent for a moment. "All right, Erik, if they decide to send Andrew to the school, I will find them another academy as well suited as mine."

"Thank you," was his only reply and Elizabeth knew he meant it now more than ever. She could deal with one less student, because losing Erik would be a much bigger loss for the school.

This was followed by another long pause. Finally Erik spoke. "Elizabeth, why is the school called the 'Christopher Bennet' School of Fine Arts? Who was he, your father? A brother?"

"He was my nephew. He was one of the most talented children I ever met. I was going to open the school for him to learn here, but weeks before the opening, he drowned in a local pond. I loved him very much. He was the closest thing I had to my own child. I still miss him and there isn't a day that goes by that I didn't wish I had been there to save him. But he was always bright for his age and I know he'd want me to be happy and fulfill his dreams and mine.

"So I opened the school and named it after him." She was beginning to cry. "My brother and his wife were never the same. Neither was his sister Amelia, she was also talented but she refused to go to the school. It hurt her to be here."

Erik didn't know what to say. He had expected her to say that Christopher Bennet was her father, who taught her to play, or something of that sort. He never did understand how people loved. His mother had hated him, and yet there were women in the world like Elizabeth Bennet, who loved a child who wasn't even hers, more than anyone else on earth. He envied that love.

"You see Erik; we all have our tragic pasts. Now we all just need to get past them, and on with our lives. Now it's your turn for it."