"When do I leave?" I asked.

Erik turned to me from the piano, "After lunch."

"And when is that?"

"When we have lunch, Christine."

"But how long have I to wait?" I prodded.

He pressed down a key repeatedly, in irritation, "Until lunch."

I crossed my arms, "Yes, but at what time?"

"Lunchtime."

I huffed childishly, "But when is that?! We have lunch every day at different times. What time exactly? Noon? One o'clock? When?"

"Do not be upset with Erik." He said sadly, ceasing the key-pressing.

"That's difficult at the moment."

"Why do you want to leave so badly? You keep asking and asking when you will leave Erik to sing... like you don't love him..."

That's because I don't.

"Oh, Erik, why would you think that?" I replied irritably, barely daring sarcasm. "I merely wish to sing and be with people. Does that mean I do not love you now?"

"Will you tell Erik you love him?"

"No. You are not being kind enough to me for that; in fact, I'm very cross at the moment."

He started to cry and went to my feet, "Don't be upset with Erik!"

"Then tell me the time!"

"Ten o'clock."

"That's the time right now!" I groaned.

"You want to leave me alone..." he whined.

"That's not what-"

"You want to sing and never see Erik again!"

"Yes!" I cried, then clapped my hands over my mouth, horrified. "No... No, I didn't mean that, I'm just... I'm just excited."

He looked up at me, his dark eye sockets softening. Then he caressed the hem of my dress.

"Too excited..." he said. "But who could replace you? I cannot keep you here... At one o'clock we shall leave here, and you will prepare yourself for tonight. Then tomorrow we shall be married!"

I nodded, relieved that he would not deny me my role in the opera, as I had secretly feared.

"And what about the house, Erik?" I prodded softly. "Have you picked out a house yet?"

He fidgeted, standing up and pacing about for a moment. Then he pleaded, "Forgive Erik, for he has not decided yet. He finished his Don Juan Triumphant and had no time for anything else... You will have to remain here after the wedding, then we will move into the house. It takes a long time to make ready a house, but I have already decided upon what style. And the furnishings will be all modern, as you prefer."

"And you promised me a garden?" I added.

"Yes, it shall have a lovely garden that you may spend hours tending to, with whatever flowers and foliage you desire..." He fidgeted again, as if ashamed. "Tomorrow, for the wedding... will you allow Erik to kiss you? The ceremony will not be like other weddings, for we will have no guests, but... will you let Erik kiss you after it?"

"On my forehead, yes. And I will kiss you as well."

He gave a cry of sheer delight, and I felt inclined to weep. What a despicable being I was! He would not receive any kisses...

He went into his room, and I curled up on the sofa, my knees to my chest, pondering everything that could possibly go wrong for the performance. After a moment, however, he returned to the drawing room with his violin on his shoulder. It was curiously made, with the pegs a light color and the body a deep red. Besides the color, the make was good, as I had noticed before on the rare occasion he played it for me.

"What type of violin is yours?" I asked kindly. "You never told me."

"I cannot say. I played instrument after instrument many years ago until I found the clearest, richest sound, and then I kept this one. It was rather expensive, but I would have paid in gold for it... Let me play for you while you wait in anticipation."

And he did play, all until lunchtime. My worries left me and my soul was filled with the sweet sound only a violin can produce. There is a certain color to each note of the violin. Indeed, one can play the same note in many different colors. By shifting up the string, the color of the note, which was, on paper, identical to the adjacent string, could be bright or dark. Erik was so skilled in his craft that he could paint colors, landscapes, in my head, more fine than a master artist. Indeed, he was a master artist, in a different respect. I could hear the sound of a forest a dawn, feel the dewy air, and even breathe in the sweet scent of morning. I felt the very sun rise and set in my soul, all the while listening, breathless, as Erik's bow flowed over the violin's strings.

Had he been handsome, he would have had the entire world at his feet...

Oh, there is a music that no one has heard but Erik and I!

I was almost disappointed for lunch because of it, but I quickly remembered my hope, my joy. I would have one last triumph, one last gift to Erik, and then be free at last!

And I knew how to save Ginger, too.

"Erik?" I asked as we prepared to leave. "Could I take my rabbit up to the dressing room with me? I'm rather nervous, and you know how she comforts me."

He blinked, "Rabbits do not belong in dressing rooms."

My face fell.

"But perhaps," he said hastily, "perhaps tonight one shall be, but take care not to let her hop into the lake. The siren would devour her."

I scooped her up in my arms, and Erik helped me into the boat. We pushed off upon the inky waters, but it seemed no time at all when we reached the other side. We flew up to my dressing room, and I set Ginger on a few pillows, and there she remained, docile and lazy thing that she was.

Erik hid behind the mirror as I headed to last-minute rehearsals, giddy with excitement.

I heard a few ballet girls chattering in front of me, oblivious:

"Do you really think it's true?"

"La Sorelli won't admit it. Of course it's not true-"

"Then where has she been?"

"But of course, she's been with the Comte! And she's pregnant, too, that's why she's been gone so often."

"Poor Sorelli..."

"But how has she been allowed to perform? She has hardly been at rehearsals!"

"I heard she is only performing tonight."

"The Comte forced them to. She's his new mistress."

"But La Sorelli-"

"I don't pity La Sorelli. I pity Christine Daaé when she finds herself in a dark corner after the performance, with La Sorelli's dagger at her throat."

They turned, and upon seeing me all their eyes instantly averted and they hurried off.

I would show them all tonight. I would make them forget all those horrible rumors with a performance only Erik's teaching and my soul could inspire!