Chapter Twelve

Days of Splendor

In the parlor Crystal darted daggers at Madame Giry for having dragged her unceremoniously from Erik's side. If that young soprano hurt Erik again there may well be blood spilled. She wanted to drag Erik to safety until he had time to adjust to seeing that young woman again.

With her hands on her hips she stood in front of Antoinette telling her exactly that. A few choice words were also said that shocked Meg. Antoinette had not thought to hear such words outside of the opera house or some dark alley where the drunken men hung out waiting to pick up a woman for the evening.

Trying for a calm demeanor she asked Crystal to tell the how she met Erik. At first Crystal stood stubbornly silent but with a huff she threw her hands up in the air as Antoinette had not been willing to engage in a physical altercation or even a swapping of angry words. She had hoped to dispel some of her anger toward Christine and de Chagny without coming to blows.

Catching de Chagny eyeing her with a concentrated stare she shrugged her shoulders trying to dislodge the feeling he had touched her rather than looked at her. He disturbed her in a way no one ever had. Her skin felt all itchy and twitchy. Had she developed an allergic reaction to him? If anyone could accomplish that it would be de Chagny.

When Antoinette learned Crystal had worked as a cleaning lady at L'Opéra Populaire, she relaxed her attitude toward Crystal enough to ask her several questions. They had a few acquaintances in common. Crystal glared at de Chagny when his brows rose up into his hairline when he learned of her past employment. She swore if he said one derogatory remark he'd be picking up a few teeth from this fine Persian carpet.

Spying Meg looking goggle-eyed at Demetri Crystal wanted to warn her of the type of man he was. Meg for all of having been raised and working within the walls of the theatrical community had not adapted their jaded worldly behavior. At least it did not seem as if she had. Christine had a similar look of innocence about her, much to Crystal's disgust. Crystal did not want to find anything redeemable about the woman who had caused Erik so much pain.

It would be so much easier to dislike them if they were loose moraled women. Erik would be helpless among these types of women. As threatening as he could be at times, Crystal had found him to hold women in high esteem whether a lowly prostitute or a working mother. Women who had children they supported could have asked him for the shirt off his back had they but known it. She had lost count of the times he had sent her around to some widow's mailbox to leave an envelope containing an undisclosed amount of cash.

Many times he had given her envelopes to send to those who had been injured during the fire caused by his hand. His conscience ate at him all the time. Judging him by his past most people would conclude Erik had no finer feelings at all. They would assume him to be a very cruel and selfish man. Perhaps at one time he had been.

Erik had done many horrible things in his life but for all the time she had known him he had been nothing but kind once he had recovered from his injuries. Neither of them ever referred to the condition Erik had been in when she found him. He had nearly bled to death from two bullets some wild-eyed citizens had put in his shoulder and leg.

It had not even been the gendarmes who had taken him down. All of Paris had been on the alert. If Crystal had not left her temporary shelter of the one wall of the stable that had not fallen she might not have come across Erik. She did not like to think what would have become of him if she had not found him in time. She liked to think it had been fate that had her literally stumbling over Erik in that alley.

She couldn't say if she would have done anything if she had come across those looking for him. At that time she had been still reeling from the loss of employment and her home. Concluding she could not let him die she had done her best to find adequate shelter. The damn looters coming back to sift through the rubble of the burned out opera house had made it necessary to seek other accommodations.

She had found the warehouse within a short time. Her arms and back had burned from the strain of tugging and pulling him over the rough stones that paved the Paris streets. Her mind had bid her to leave him to his fate but her heart would not leave him to die alone. No one should leave the world without someone to give them comfort at their time of passing. In the beginning she had believed her patient's time on earth would be limited to a few hours at best. He had fooled her as every day his strength began to return.

Her ears still rang from all his curses once he had enough energy to take note of his surroundings as well as his state of undress. During that time she had learned more cursing in French and several foreign languages. He had been fit to be tied she had found out in due course. His clothes had been ruined as well as very dirty. To put them back on would invite infection. All of her hard work would have been for naught.

An angry Erik would never be a pleasant experience for the person earning his wrath. She shuddered as she recalled several close calls where she thought he might dismiss his credo to never harm a woman or child. He had almost made an exception in her case. To his credit Erik had only slipped for a few seconds. But darned if she did not think she earned a few grey hairs until he reclaimed his sanity.

Becoming worried when neither Erik nor Christine came into the parlor, after some minutes, she went to the closed doors to press her ear against the wood. She could hear the hum of voices but could make no words. Damn thick doors. Leave it to a nobleman to think everyone spied on him. Perhaps he had a guilty conscience.

"Mademoiselle Creighton! I must insist you not try to intrude on private matters." Antoinette scolded Crystal as she had her ballerinas when they misbehaved. She would not admit she had her own inclination to listen at the door, for Christine's safety of course.

"Well I for one am extremely curious to know what is going on. Are not any of you concerned he may sling her over his shoulder then leave without our even knowing about it until he is gone? He does have his own carriage I might remind you," Crystal taunted.

Crystal watched with good humor as they exchanged glances. She could almost say to the second when they all came to the same conclusion. They all wanted to listen just as badly as she did but good manners prevented them from doing so.

Raoul picked up a tray of glasses from the sideboard. He offered them to everyone. When they looked at him as if he were not quite right in the head he sighed in disgust. He hadn't been offering them the glasses for drinking. He knew very well they were empty. That was the whole point.

"I don't mean to offer you a drink. If you put them to the door like this you may be able to hear what is being said outside this room." He put the tray down and demonstrated how to use them as a listening device. As a child he had learned about many presents in just such a manner.

Crystal snatched up a glass without bothering to see if anyone else did the same. Soon though, she had to scrunch up to accommodate the others. Why de Chagny ended up behind her with his front nestled firmly against her backside she considered one of fates aggravating ways to get at her. It was damn distracting to say the least. She could not help but wonder if he could feel every inch of her as well as she could feel him. She imagined he could which did not set well with her.

Being this close did strange things to her the least of which was feeling as if she couldn't breathe properly. She noticed the short rapid inhalations and quick exhales as her chest moved. Surely that was not drops of perspiration on her upper lip. She did not perspire. Perhaps she had developed an allergy to the man as she had surmised earlier. That would explain the tight itchy feeling to her skin as well as the other symptoms.

Soon she gave up trying to concentrate on trying to hear the conversation beyond the doors. It did not take much effort to have her mind delving into areas she probably should not even consider. He being an aristocrat and Erik's enemy placed him outside her reach. Abruptly she halted that line of thinking. Why would she care if she could play patty cake with him or not? He was nothing to her. Nope, she cared nothing for the man at all. The allergic reaction must have traveled to her brain.

In disgust with herself as well as him she said angrily, "Would you mind not breathing down my neck? It is quite irritating. Did no one ever teach you about personal space?"

Crystal's words had everyone jumping away from the door as if suddenly it had caught fire. Guilt could plainly be detected on everyone's faces, well except for de Chagny. He had a well pleased look about him. Oh how she would love to wipe that smile from his face. If he would only give her an excuse to do so she would be ever so grateful.

Other than being an adversary to Erik, Crystal could think of nothing the man had done to irritate her personally. The fact that he had a title may influence her a bit but she hoped she had gotten past that stumbling block. One could not walk through life disliking a person simply because of their status in life. Although the aristocracy did tend to lean toward that very judgmental attitude as she had found out once her family had lost their standing in society.

Crystal thankfully heard the door opening behind them. Erik had saved her from making a complete fool of herself. What more she might have said was open to conjecture. She did tend to have an acidic tongue when her ire had been awakened. De Chagny had the uncanny ability to set her off without even trying.

Erik and Christine stepped into the room to face four people who looked extremely guilty with no obvious cause. Erik directed his questioning gaze to Crystal. She shrugged her shoulders dismissively in a gesture that did not fool Erik one bit. When she turned from his piercing gaze he knew something was amiss. Crystal never backed down from one of his challenging looks. She would more than likely outstare him on any given day. Why now did she seem all flustered and riddled with guilt?

He would find out. All he need to is fasten his eyes on her without saying a word a few times and she would eventually cave. That had been his only advantage when dealing with her. He could outlast her in the silence game. She may be able to hold out longer at first but if he continued to wear away at her like water on a rock she eventually told him what he wanted to know.

Blushing to the roots of her hair Crystal turned so Erik could not see her face, she then had to face the smiling face of de Chagny as well as the curious looks of the others. For next to nothing Crystal felt she would smack that smile from de Chagny's face into the middle of next week. He looked as if he knew exactly how he affected her. The others probably wondered if she were coming down with some malady.

When no one seemed willing to open the conversation Demitri, bless him took the focus off of Crystal's flushed face by addressing the group at large.

"Raoul, how remise of you. You have yet to offer anyone any refreshments or even a seat to rest upon. I can't say I am impressed dear cousin with how your manners have relaxed." Demitri completely ignored Raoul's huff of annoyance just as he forgot his own participation in the eavesdropping escapade.

"Oh by all means ladies and gentlemen please take a seat. You Demitri will take a seat on the nearest…"

"Ah,ah, ah dear cousin. We are in mixed company. I really must speak to Aunt Caroline. I am sure she will be appalled to hear how vulgar you have become."

Erik felt a little stab of jealousy to watch the two men trade friendly insults. He had never had anyone he could have done anything like that with or anyone to tease him good-naturedly. Any remarks ever made to him were of an unkind nature and meant to wound.

He felt Christine's fingers searching for his hand. When she held his much larger hand in hers he lost sight of everyone and everything around him. Everything within him seemed focused on where their fingers were entwined. Looking downward he saw her looking upward searching his face for something. She must have been satisfied by what she saw for she smiled that breathtaking smile which she had directed toward him.

Much more of her smiles and he would forget his plan to show her how normal he could be. He'd be whisking her off to faraway places where no one could intrude upon them. The more he thought about that the more appealing it seemed.

Christine had taken his hand out of an impulse to offer him some sort of reassurance. She could not read the look she had seen come over him when he watched Raoul and Demitri. All she had seen had been the unhappiness within the deep green of his eyes. Anything which would cause him hurt would also hurt her.

She had forgotten how fragile he could be. His fierceness when pretending to be the Opera Ghost and Phantom would lead one to think him invincible. That had only been a façade to cover just how vulnerable he had been and still was. So easily he could be hurt, by her especially. She had not known that before but she did now and would take special care of his feelings and welfare.

If the look in his eyes could be believed she had done something which pleased him very much. He confirmed this by gently squeezing her hand. Before anyone could notice their impropriety Erik released his hand from Christine's soft clasp. When she continued to smile at him he knew she understood his action.

Never in recent memory had he experienced anything so perfectly normal yet highly sensuous. All these years he had gone without the sensation of skin on skin. All too briefly he had felt her skin against his when they were on stage. He could vividly recall every second her lips had touched his even if he had been an emotional wreck and did not think to savor them so he might recall them when his heart bled over the loss of her.

If she would honor him with her lips ever again this time he would be sure to return the salutation, not that he had any experience in such matters but he felt himself to be a fast study in most things. From the reaction the mere press of her lips at the corner of his mouth had caused he did not think he would have too much trouble finding an appropriate response if ever she should kiss him properly.

Considering his age and still being a virgin, he thought a few sessions with a few books may lend him some much needed knowledge. He no longer could claim total virginity as Christine had kissed him, passionately if he remembered correctly. Yes they had chemistry between them, chemistry that could easily be set off into a blazing inferno.

Just thinking of kissing her had his body heating uncomfortably. How had he managed all those years not dragging some hapless female off into the shadows? Considering what his mind so easily showed him concerning Christine, Erik concluded there must be some saintly blood in his veins he had been unaware of all these years.

Everyone took a seat then silence reigned. They fidgeted in their seats, played with their fingers, cleared their throats a number of times as they looked from one to another expectantly. Now that the moment for conversation had arrived no one wanted to be the first to speak. It could be that no one knew quite where to start.

They all jumped when the maid opened the door which seemed to screech over loudly in the quiet. Erik had been going to stand when the young woman entered but noted the other men remained sitting. Not standing in the presence of servants would be duly noted in his mental list of things a gentleman of some standing did and did not do when in company.

Crystal had taught him much but he knew there was much more he needed to learn. The few social occasions he had deemed to attend under pressure from Crystal he considered learning tools as he had not interacted with anyone on any grand scale. Polite greetings in passing did not count. He had tended to observe more than participate, much in the same way he had at the opera house.

Raoul graciously asked Antoinette to do the honors of pouring. Christine felt glad not to have that foisted on her still being technically engaged to Raoul. She covered the ring on her left hand self-consciously. It felt as if it weighed as heavy as a boulder. She had not formally disengaged herself from Raoul. The first moment she could do so she would hand him back his ring with many thanks for remaining her friend.

She and Raoul must settle this last bit before she could move on as she wished. It would not be seemly to wear one man's engagement ring while lusting after another. Christine could not help thinking this seemed almost the exact position she had been in when last she and Erik had been together. The difference now being she and Raoul knew they did not love one another and planned to break off the engagement formally as soon as Raoul's parents returned to France, at least that had been the initial plan. With Erik hear she felt an urgent need to be completely free of entanglements.

Watching Erik as he cautiously responded to questions posed to him she found him fascinating. In the dark shadows of the opera house he had seemed darkly seductive. Now he appeared to be no less entrancing in the light. Although he spoke hesitantly his voice still managed to entrance her. She could feel the vibrations of it over her skin as well as thrumming through her veins.

He had a natural grace not many men would have living as he had. True he did not do everything as a gentleman would but everything he did he did fluidly. Over time he would acquire the skills of what to say and how to present himself. To her he had never been more perfect than the moment his eyes locked with hers. The rest of the world receded just as it had before.

With him, Christine had a feeling every day would be magic. His raw sensuality came naturally. He did not force anything as most men did. His attraction for the opposite sex was not something he had learned, he had been born with it.

Only Crystal seemed to be immune to his charm. It pleased Christine that Erik had this ability to bring women under his spell. Perhaps if it occurred often enough he might come to realize his face did not matter when his voice alone could send shivers down her spine. She would not want him to take notice of other women in that way but it would not hurt for him to know he had the power to attract them. If she won his heart then others would not matter. They may try to win him but if she had her way none would have him other than herself.

Crystal's association with him did cause her to wonder just how far things had gone between them She tried unsuccessfully to push back the jealousy she felt whenever Crystal and Erik exchanged secret glances toward one another. An urge to dump the tea kettle in the woman's lap Christine repressed although she did replay just such a scene over and over in her mind.

If this had been what Erik felt when he saw her and Raoul together she now could understand how his mind had let him go to such extremes. It did not excuse them but it did shed some light on what had driven him at that time. She would just have to make certain she took great pains to keep Erik focused on her until she and Erik came to some sort of understanding. If they could all keep reminding themselves to act like civilized beings just maybe everyone would walk away without any permanent scars.