Chapter eleven

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Christine

***

The ride to my new home was unsettling for more than one reason other than the post-wedding nerves. Not the least of which was the man sitting beside me dressed all in red...red, what a strange color to wear at one's wedding, but then wasn't he peculiar? He had not said two words to me since I saw him at the altar, not even a simple 'I do,' when the priest asked for the confirmation that he intended to take me as his wife, and what a strange way to kiss the bride... such a peculiar wedding. The strangest thing was the reception, oh yes it had gone on in the traditional way with all the things that married couples do, it was just his attitude. The air in which he carried himself. It almost seemed rehearsed, as though he were telling a well-practiced lie that fooled everyone, an elaborate falsehood as he hid something behind his smile some sort of secret that he made every effort to conceal.

Then there was the carriage which he had led me too after the festivities had ended. Black. Everything was black, from the walls of the coach to the six horses which pulled it along, and there was the crest carved on the door, a red skull with the letters E.D. cut in its eyes. When he had opened the door to velvets as crimson as his garb and helped me in I noticed that only the chauffeur was the only one wearing all white, from his top-hat down to the shoes which were black as well as the buttons of his waistcoat. It made me shiver. At this point with all the strange things that were happening and whatnot I would not have been at all surprised if we were headed to the gates of hell itself. It was not merely the strange happenings alone which caused these thoughts to spring up, but also the atmosphere. There was such a feeling of fear in the air, that it made me cringe, in fact it was almost spooky.

We reached the house soon after sunset had begun and a man in the same white uniform which the driver wore. He opened the door and helped me out of the coach and then went to help his master. As He stepped out, I looked at the house for the first time at the house and found it strangely out of place considering the almost all black scenery that I had become accustomed to. In truth I half expected to find large black wrought-iron gates towering to the top of the place and a crypt in the back yard with Dracula's coffin inside and lightning to match as it hit two top towers where I would be locked inside forever and turn into Rapunzel and have my master climbing my hair to feed and clothe me. Oh I know I have a vivid imagination, but can you honestly blame me after everything that had happened today? My thoughts were broken as three young boys came and unharnessed the horses each taking two by the reigns and leading them to the stables which I thought would be littered with fire grass and they would then turn into the grim reaper's coach team and fly around the world killing people... my imagination again--- damn it!

But as much as I expected these horrible things to manifest themselves and for the house to turn into a mortuary none of these things happened. In fact the house was the just the opposite, it was a grand manor, clean and bright the fading orange glow of sunset making the glint of the white paint almost blinding. I shielded my eyes with one hand as my arm was taken by the strange gentleman who my father had given me to. He led me up the path where the butler was awaiting them with the door open and a formal bow to his master and a light brush on the hand for me once he was told who I was. The only thing I could offer him was a timid smile--- I was still too shocked to speak--- as the gentleman led me further into the sitting room and motioned for me to sit down. I did. He left.

The next thing I knew I was being shaken awake by an elderly woman in a maid's garb with mussed gray hair piled chaotically on her head and even thinning in places. She had kind brown eyes and a motherly smile as she whispered to me to wake up, I slowly opened my eyes and even then found that they were too heavy to open all the way. The woman clucked her tongue three times and called me a, 'poor dear' and took me up to my chamber to "freshen up" and took me for a hot bath and to change out of my wedding gown. She changed me into a soft nightgown and untied my hair running her fingers through my hair to loosen it before laying me down. When I tried to protest she shushed me and told me that my husband could wait till tomorrow to "celebrate" the marriage and covered me up gently. I was so tired that the moment I felt the covers brush my chin I fell asleep.

When I woke the next morning I was given a hot meal and dressed by the kindly woman from the night before and taken on a tour of the grounds by one of the other servants. I asked after my spouse but the servant said that he was not home, nor had he come home all night and was there anything else I needed. I declined and asked to be left alone and was left in the garden. I wondered where my suitor had gotten off too, not that it really mattered to me for I did not know the man to begin with but it just seemed strange to me that he would be gone on his wedding night and not return the following morning. But what could I expect from the man who wore a red cape and a skull mask to his wedding that covered his whole face save for his mouth and not to mention the words: DO NOT TOUCH ME, I AM RED DEATH STALKING ABROAD embroidered in silver calligraphy on the hem of the cape trailing out behind him all the while sporting a feathered crimson dress-hat and red shoes to match.

I sighed and covered my face, I knew in my heart where he had been all night and though I was relieved that he had not invoked his rights as a husband last night, it still hurt me that he had left on our wedding night. Just one day into our marriage and he had already been unfaithful to me and while I did not love him it was a matter of principal and morality. It was also a matter of judgement, this did not do well to impress me if the only thing that I had seen of him was his over eccentric wedding outfit, the silent treatment, and now being unfaithful on our wedding night. What kind of man had my father put me with?

I knew the answer to that question. He had put me with a smooth-talking rapscallion of a cad. The man was as silver-tongued as a male Delilah and had used his abilities to cause my father marry me off to him. I know I should not feel resentment towards my father, but I cannot help it. Oh I know he is only doing this because he was near death and wants to see me well provided for, but could he at least let me choose the man that I was to spend the rest of my life with... he knows how much love means to me and yet he auctioned me off to the highest bidder. It saddens me that hr would do such a thing, but I know he did this because he loved me. Or at least he said he did... I am beginning to wonder if that is just another ruse to get me to cooperate with him. Moreover I think he has lost his mind, that he is not my father anymore, my father would never do a thing like this.

My real father is a romantic, a dreamer even who believes wholeheartedly in the concepts of happy-ever-after. He is the man who lived with me in a seaside cottage and loved me and my mother so much, he is the one who held me through long painful nights after my mother died of a bad influenza with a wasting fever that ended her life. The man who would just give me off to be married on a whim for whatever reason whether he be dying or no is not my father. That man died on April 3rd of this year when he had given me up . The real Gaston Daaë, the fiddler, the romantic story-teller who I had loved so dearly was dead and in his place was this creature of a man who was merely a shell and was inclined to break my heart.

I had gone along with it for his sake but in my heart I hated him for it and now I doubt if I could ever forgive him. The least he could have done was to tell me the name of my intended, but when I had asked him, he merely stated that he did not know his first name but that his last name was D'Aubert. I had been more than shocked to learn that I was marrying a nameless man as well as a stranger, my father had patted my shoulder and told me that everything was going to be all right and that my husband had a great admiration for me. That I would learn to love each other in time just as much as he and mother had loved one another. When I'd pointed out the fact that he and mother had actually gotten the chance to fall in love, he had merely told me again that I would love the man in time.

Well, I doubted that very much, after all how could I possibly fall in love with a man who I knew absolutely about and refused to speak to me. And if he had such a great admiration for me, then why on earth was he not here when I woke up and why had he been gone on his wedding night? I looked around the garden, which was filled with every type of rose, the ones I found the most fitting were the midnight roses, so red they were nearly black. So typical of the man to have black flowers un nearly all-black setting. There was a fountain with two angel lovers holding each other, I might have found this sight very pretty had I not expected them to come to life and shoot me at their master's command.

The maid from the night before — whose name I had learned was Marguerite— came out to get me saying that I had best get changed and lead me inside. As she was dressing me I asked her what she knew of her employer.

"Very little ma'am I only know that he plays the piano very well." she answered. Great. He plays the piano well, that tells me a lot about him... not. It did not surprise me that the help knew nothing about him either, from what I had seen of him I was not all that sure that I wanted to know him. He had done nothing to impress me as of yet and consequently I was nervous as to what he would next, if he did anything at all. I was going to ask her if she knew anyone else who may know more, but I did not get the chance.

As the door opened and the little messenger boy came in and told me that the coach was ready. I thanked him and when the good woman asked me where I was going, I simply told her I was going to a chapel to pray and thanking her for her quick work I went to the coach and told the driver to take me to the opera where I was able to slip inside unnoticed (the managers were arguing with Carlotta again over something or other) and go down to the chapel. I had to see my angel one last time... had to say goodbye.