Dreams of a Wounded Heart©
Chapter Twelve: Potential Disaster
By: Genevieve Lee
Lady Wen: She will tell him soon. I promise. I've already written it. Hehe.
Hot4Gerry: Aww…I liked the way you said that. Made it sound like a fairy tale! (:
xLissyx: (: Thanks. Erik wouldn't let anything happen to her!
Rose1234579: Well, I am allowed on my dad's laptop to type sometimes, which is good.
Markey Square Heroes: Although I am all for taking care of yourself, I love "damsel in distress" moments sometimes.
Trickstersthiefgirl: Oh, me too. Do not worry!
Thank you to all my reviewers (:
This chapter is dedicated to my brother. Without him not noticing me when I looked over his shoulder to find out his password, and using his laptop when he was not home, I would never have been able to get this chapter up in time. Thanks for being oblivious Josh (:
-----
I smiled as I pulled through the final loop and tied the end of the yarn so it would not unravel. I held up the baby blue blanket in front of me and exclaimed with pride in my voice, "Finished!" The excited tone and overall loudness of it caused Erik to look up at me curiously from his place at the other side of the library. I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry." I said as I began folding up the blanket. "I just finished my younger cousin's blanket I promised her."
He nodded. "Is that the one you were working on when you were first here?"
"Yes!" I replied as I set it aside.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "It took you a while to finish."
"It's a long process." I defended stubbornly.
"I was not saying it wasn't." He said as he glanced back down at his book, though I did not miss the sarcasm in his voice.
I narrowed my eyes and quickly looked around for something to hit him with. My eyes landed on the chess set a few feet in front of me. I reached out and grabbed one of the individual pieces and brought my hand back behind my head, preparing to throw it at him.
"Do not even think of hitting me with that." Erik said, not looking up.
I pouted as I let my hand go back down. "I hate that."
"What?"
"You always know what I am going to do without looking up."
"Well, perhaps, my dear, it is because I know you so well."
I set the piece back in place and mumbled, "Yes, but it always ruins the fun."
"Pardon?" He said looking up.
I smiled politely. "I did not say anything." I said as I grabbed a book and opened it on my lap.
We both sat in respectable silence for a while, both of us absorbed in our own books. It was Sunday morning, and since I did not have rehearsals, I had decided to spend the day with Erik. I wanted to smooth over what had happened the night before. But Erik had a strange way of acting like some things did not happen, mostly things he did not care to remember. And last night's frightening event had been no different.
I guess I did not mind too much, but I was so confused. I did not have the courage to ask him what he planned to do to the stagehand.
I bit my lip as I switched subjects entirely and tried to think of a way to tell him about Jason, but casually. Even though I cared for him, it did not mean he cared for me that way. He may even be happy about me being engaged to a man as wealthy and known as Jason. The thought made me positively sick.
"I will return in a moment." I heard Erik say and I nodded silently. My eyes wandered up from my book that I was not even reading, and casually looked at the clock on the mantle. I wanted to jump from my skin when I saw what time it was.
"Oh, no!" I practically yelled as I leapt up, my book toppling to the floor.
"What?" Erik looked back at me, startled.
"I am supposed to meet my mother and Brenda in the lounge in fifteen minutes!" I said as I hastily began grabbing my things and shoving them in the bag I had brought.
"For what?"
"The summer ball at Monsieur and Madame Leflore's manor is coming soon, and we need to get a suitable gown for the occasion!"
I saw Erik give a light roll of his eyes. I ignored him as I shoved my cousin's blanket in my bag. I rushed over to the doorway, in which Erik was blocking as he stared at me with light amusement.
"Move!" I said, gesturing for him to do just that.
I saw something flash across his eyes.
"Move?" He questioned.
"Yes! Move!" I said more sternly.
"Wow, we are quite demanding today, are we not?" I could hear the teasing in his voice, and I decided to retaliate.
"Oh, no! Now I am going to be late. My mother is going to kill me!" I turned from him and put my face into my hands.
"Madeleine, I'm sorry." I heard the tone of his voice change in a moment as I he stepped towards me. "If we hurry--"
He did not finish because at that moment, I lifted my smiling face from my palms as I tried to dash past him into the hallway. I made it about three feet before I felt his arms snake around my waist and pull me back, his deep laugh filling the silence. I even began laughing, forgetting about where I should have been at that moment.
We both laughed for a while and I maneuvered myself so that I was facing him. When his hands did not leave my waist, my laughing quickly subsided, as did his. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment and he lifted his hand to brush a stray strand of hair away from my eyes. I do not know if it was my imagination, or if I really did draw closer to him. I did not have time to find out if I really was going to kiss him, because at that moment I saw someone turn the corner of the hallway.
The man looked at us shocked as he stumbled backwards. I furrowed my eyebrows as I prepared to alert Erik, but Erik had already noticed my displaced attention. His arms quickly dropped from my waist as he turned to face the man.
"Daroga." Erik practically growled the title.
"Erik…I was--"
"Save your excuses." I could hear he was about to say something more, but his eyes shifted over to me, as if remembering I was there. "I need to escort Mademoiselle Taylor back and then I will return." He said as he grabbed my forearm and led me away, leaving no more time for exchanged words.
"Erik, who was that?"
He sighed. "He is just a pesky acquaintance of mine."
I hesitated before I asked my next question. "Is he the one that was at your home the night I was eavesdropping?"
Erik simply nodded, and was painfully quiet the rest of the journey back. I sighed as I realized that he had drawn into himself once again. After he had brought me to the scene shop cellar, he turned to leave without as much as a good-bye.
"Erik! Wait!" I said as I reached out and clutched his hand just before he completely disappeared into the darkness. "May I see you tonight?"
I saw him hesitate. "I do not know if that is wise. Visiting that late at night will surely affect your sleep and--"
"Please?" I asked quietly, suddenly sounding very vulnerable. Jason was accompanying us today and I knew I was going to want to see Erik tonight. At my desperate sounding voice, Erik gave in.
"If you wish, then I will meet you tonight."
I smiled and nodded before letting his hand go, and we went our separate ways.
-----
"Where have you been?" Brenda hissed at me as I burst into the room we now shared.
"With Erik!" I said as I grabbed a brush and worked it quickly through my curls. As I began applying a little rouge on my cheeks, Brenda continued scolding me.
"I am happy to know you are getting along with your former kidnapper, but we were supposed to be there five minutes ago!"
"I know!" I yelled as I grabbed a new pair of shoes and slipped them on. I quickly twisted my hair and pinned it back. As a few wavy strands escaped into my face, Brenda began to fix them. "It will have to do!" I said as I grabbed her hand and tugged her down the hallway behind me. We both flew down the corridor, bumping into other passing people, and if they did not move quickly enough, we would resort to pushing them out of the way. As we came closer to the lounge, we began slowing down.
We stopped at a corner and I peaked around to see my mother, Jason, and Brenda's escort for the day, Daniel. We mechanically faced each other, tugging at one another's hair and gown, adjusting to perfection. Once we were sure we looked presentable, we strode slowly over to the trio who was waiting for us.
"You are late." My mother said sternly. "A lady is never late."
Though I doubted that, I looked at mother apologetically. "I am truly sorry. The fault is all mine."
"Let us not waste anymore time than we already have." Jason responded.
I bit back my snide comment and instead introduced Daniel and Brenda. "Brenda, this is my neighbor and a great friend, Monsieur Daniel Smith. Daniel," I usually called him Danny, but now was not the proper time. "May I introduce my dearest friend, Brenda?"
I watched as Danny gave his charming smile. "Pleased to meet you, mademoiselle." He bent down and gave a chaste kiss on her hand.
Brenda smiled. "Please, call me Brenda."
"Then you must call me Daniel. Or, Danny if you prefer."
I shook my head at their behavior in front of my mother. I knew if it were under any other circumstances, they would be acting completely different. After a few moments, Danny offered Brenda his arm and Jason offered me his, which I reluctantly took.
About a half hour later, we were in one of the finest dress shops in Paris, as Jason had offered to buy my gown. Brenda was sent a monthly allowance from her parents, and she had saved practically all of it for that month to be able to afford a beautiful gown as well. In short, we were both very excited.
I separated myself from Jason to begin browsing the shops.
"Hello ladies, is there anything I can help you with?" I looked over at the saleswoman and smiled.
"No thank you, we are just browsing for now."
She nodded then looked over at Jason and Danny. "Would you like to take a seat?" She asked, motioning towards some chairs meant for men to wait at. Both men complied and took a seat.
I sighed with relief, glad Jason would not be peeking over my shoulder at every moment. Brenda and I immediately attacked the racks, browsing through dresses at an incredible rate. After a few minutes of unsuccessful shopping, I slowed down a little so I would not overlook anything.
"Madeleine!"
I turned to see Jason at one of the racks. I walked over to him when he motioned for me to come closer. He held up a dress.
"What about this one. Don't you think it would look lovely?"
I bit my lip as I observed it. The skirt was striped in so many different colors I began to get dizzy when I stared it at. The bodice was bright orange and had bright yellow buttons going up it. All in all, it looked like someone threw up on it. I glanced up at him to see if he was joking. He had a light grin on his face, and I realized that he knew it was hideous.
"I'm not sure…"
"Oh, I insist you try it on!"
I opened my mouth to protest but I saw the look my mother was giving me behind Jason and I knew I was trapped. I stifled the comment I wanted to say to him as I draped the gown over my arm and went to the dressing room, where one of the salesladies followed to help me change.
As I shimmied into it and she laced it up, I could already tell it was going to look horrible. It did not take long to get it on, and I emerged outside to look at myself in the mirror. I walked up to it with my eyes closed, and after taking a deep breath, I opened them to stare at my reflection.
I wanted to cry.
First off, it did not even fit correctly. The bodice was obviously too low, and my pale breasts poked out from the top, almost so much that it would be considered immodest. There was something in the material that was making the skin on my chest turn red with the beginning of a rash. I heard Jason and my mother come into the small room and I turned around, praying they would see how horrible it was.
"Oh, Madeleine! You look simply stunning!" Jason smiled, but I could still see the evil glare in his eyes. "I insist you wear it to the ball!" I looked at my mother for help, but she had the same smile on her face. I knew she would do anything to please Jason.
I nodded and began going back to the dressing room. I quickly put on the dress I had worn here and emerged with the other one. I handed it to the saleswoman and told her we would like to purchase it. She looked thrilled that we were buying such an expensive gown. As I stood nearby while Jason paid for the dress, I heard Brenda whisper my name.
I followed the sound to the dressing room as she emerged in a pretty black and navy blue dress. I sighed as I looked at her. "You look beautiful in it, Brenda!" I said, meaning it. It fitted perfectly to her body and the navy blue in the dress brought out the color of her eyes, and the black matched her raven hair.
"You really think so?" She asked as she turned to look at herself in the mirror.
I nodded. "You must buy it!"
She smiled and eagerly ran to change, as to purchase her dream dress that much faster.
-----
A few hours later, Brenda and I emerged from Jason's carriage and began walking up the steps of the opera house, Jason in tow. He had to talk to the managers. After he left us, Brenda and I began walking towards our room.
"Oh, no. I left something in the carriage." I said. "I'll go fetch it, go on and go to the room. I'll be there in a moment."
I left Brenda and went to the carriage where my mother was waiting for Jason to return. I grabbed one of my hair clips I had left on the seat before returning inside. As I passed the manager's office, I stood for a moment, wondering what Jason had to say to them.
"I am sorry, Monsieur De'lorme. We are having a sort of mini-crisis. The Opera Ghost wants us to fire one of our stagehands, but he did not give us any reason why."
My heart skipped a beat as I stepped closer to listen.
"Why do you gentlemen do everything this so called 'ghost' asks?" I heard my fiancée's voice.
"It is complicated, Monsieur. But when we do not obey his orders, something terrible always goes wrong. We just lost a patron, and the stagehand in question works for very cheap, so we cannot let him go." I heard a paper crumble as they dismissed the matter and began talking about something else. I sighed as I left my post and walked in the direction of my room. I was relieved that all Erik was trying to do was get him fired, but now that they were not doing it, who knew what could happen?
As I walked down the hall, I passed my old dormitory where the other girls were.
"Oh, there she is! Madeleine!" I turned at hearing my name being called to see Avril and Madame Giry. I smiled and gave a small curtsy to the ballet mistress.
"Thank you Avril." She nodded and scurried away, and Madame Giry looked at me. "May I speak with you a moment, Madeleine?"
My heart stopped for a moment, I had a feeling it had something to do with Erik. But what could I say? I nodded and she led me to her separate room.
As I walked in, I immediately felt another presence and I looked to the corner where I saw the shape of a man standing.
I looked over at Madame Giry. "What is going on?"
The man stepped from the shadows and I recognized him as the man that was at Erik's home this morning. I now knew it had something to do with Erik.
"Have a seat, Madeleine."
I gulped and complied, fiddling with the clip I still had in my hand.
Both sat across from me and Madame folded her hands in front of her, before calmly saying, "Monsieur Khan," She motioned to the man next to her, "told me you were at Erik's home this morning."
I glared at the stranger, angry at him for betraying my secret when I did not even know him.
The man looked guiltily away, and feeling accomplished, I looked back at Madame Giry. "Yes, I was paying him a visit." I said, daring this man to repeat anything he saw.
"Yes, well I do not believe continuing your relationship with Erik is wise."
I bit my lip. "Why do you say this?"
"He is a dangerous man, mademoiselle." Monsieur Khan said, looking at me with pleading eyes.
"Yes, so I have gathered."
The two adults exchanged looks before eyeing me. "Madeleine, did he ever hurt you?" Madame asked, looking serious.
I was starting to become angry. Why did these two people think my relationship with Erik was any of their business? They had no right to interrogate me. So I decided to draw into myself. "No." I responded quietly.
"Madeleine!" Madame Giry sounded exasperated. "You cannot continue to see him. Did you forget you have a fiancée?"
My eyes narrowed. "I am not doing anything wrong."
"Seeing a man whom you are not engaged to when your fiancée does not know, is not proper, or right."
"We are simply friends."
"I do want to have to go to Monsieur De'lorme with this, but I will."
My mouth snapped shut as I looked at the two people in front of me. What was so horrible with Erik that they did not want me to see him? Forgetting my manners, I stood. "Thank you for the warning Madame Giry and Monsieur Khan, but I do believe I am old enough to make my own decisions." And without another word, I left, ignoring their calls for me to come back.
-----
Genny's Note: Good news! As you saw on the dedication above, I was sneaky and got my brother's password and used his laptop while he was at work. I have been on such a writing spree, I have written chapters 12, 13, and 14 in the span of a few days. We also got a new monitor today, so updates are normal again for sure now. (: Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Added a little fluff in there. There will be some major plot additions in the next two chapters, so look forward to that! Please review (: