Christine awoke, the next morning, alone in her bed. Although, this was not the bed she had slept on during her time in the opera house, this bed was soft and plush, and located in Erik's townhouse. She thought back to what had happened the night before, Erik loved her, she knew this now. He had enchanted her in song, then had professed his love in words. She had been taken aback at his mention of marriage and soon put the thought to rest in his mind.
"Erik, my love. Please, for a short while, think not of marriage, think of being with me, our two souls together for a while until we stand before God." She had not wanted to hurt his feelings, but they had known each other for such a short amount of time, that she thought entering an engagement could be very risky indeed. She loved him, that was for sure. But she wanted to savour this time she had with him before they would be man and wife.
Erik sat with Daroga in his living room.
"What do you think she means of it?" Erik asked him, wanting a second opinion.
"Erik, the girl is young. She wants flowers and courting, not talks of eternity and marriage." Erik thought to himself, was Daroga right? Was Christine just in need of a little enjoyment on his part to agree to be his wife?
"She loves you." Daroga soothed Erik, knowing that this anxiety would be at the forefront of his mind.
"Just have fun, Lord knows you deserve it more than anyone." He jested Erik and he nodded, understanding that Christine might be his angel, but she was in fact a mortal girl, and a little wooing might be needed to warm her up to the idea of marriage.
Christine sat at breakfast and began to miss the opera house, where the atmosphere was humming and there were always people around. Here, she was alone, save for two servants and she began to feel rather alone.
In this moment, Erik entered, carrying a bunch of cream roses. He thought perhaps that a lighter shade might not go amiss. Christine beamed at him, glad for his company and bound over to him, retrieving the flowers.
"These are so beautiful Erik!" She reassured him. He was relieved to find her quite as in love as she had been the night before. Part of him feared that without the gentle persuasion of music, she would quite lose her interest in him. But, here she stood, so close that he could move millimeters and touch her, smiling up at him, with adoration in her eyes.
"What would you say to going to the market today, with Meg and Daroga?" Christine's mouth fell agape as she heard Erik's unexpected and uncharacteristic question.
"Of course! If you would like it, my love. It feels an eternity since I have seen Meg and you would like to be with your friend." He saw such a childlike innocence as she looked up at him, joy and excitement filling her gaze. She may have been a mortal, but Christine Daaé was no normal girl.
Christine and Meg embraced when they saw each other. The day would be filled with looking at dresses and flowers for Meg's special day. Christine could not have been happier when she found out the news. Meg and Daroga appeared to be made to complete one another. He was darkness as she was light. But, they both had one thing in common: they loved each other more than anything in the world.
Erik and Daroga walked behind the chatting girls. Erik was stiff, nervous about being out in the town. Many people stopped and looked, not to cower at his mask, but to recognise who he was.
"Look, it is the opera writer everyone is talking about." One woman whispered to her companion and this made Erik's nerves subside ever so slightly.
"Are we not two of the luckiest men in the world?" Daroga interrupted Erik's thoughts. He looked upon Christine, in her lilac dress, curls cascading down her back and Meg, in her light green dress, sprightly and youthful.
"I daresay we are. You more so than I, in this present moment." Erik replied. He was not insinuating that Meg was more exquisite than Christine, as she would always be the pinnacle of beauty to Erik. But Meg had agreed to marry Daroga, he had her for his own, to show to the world in a bond that was respected. He sighed, wishing he could walk with Christine for a while, to feel her soft hand on his arm and see her wide eyes glancing up at him from time to time.
"Do not fret, Erik. I did not realise how in love with you she was. She will be yours in no time at all, provided you keep your temper." Daroga shot him a warning gaze and he thought he might have even seen Erik's mouth shift into a smile for a brief moment, before it disappeared.
As if Christine had heard Erik's wishes, she and Meg stopped, to allow the men to catch up and wrapped her arm around Erik's when he reached her side. Of course, people looked. They had heard about the performance, the heart wrenching, sensual Don Juan and to see the actors together, arm in arm, strolling through the market was too much for the ladies of Paris to bear. Christine was more alive this morning than Erik had ever seen her before. She was showing him different foods, pointing out flowers she liked. He kept those catalogued for later use. He bought her anything she wanted, although she complained and pouted about it. He would spoil her, as she deserved. He found this new side of Christine exciting and energetic, he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She was so bright and talented and beautiful, that he could barely comprehend why she was on his arm.
Christine felt so proud to be on Erik's arm and as she and Meg discussed fabrics for her wedding dress and flowers for her ceremony, Christine saw how excited Daroga was, and more so, how miserable Erik was. She loved him, she truly did and seeing him in such anguish was not pleasing to her at all. She beckoned Erik down to her height and whispered in his ear:
"Which flowers would you like for our day, my love?" It was as if she had lit a candle under his skin, he glowed as he smiled down at her, more glad than ever before to be thinking about his wedding day with Christine. He led her around the flower stand until he spotted the darkest, blood red roses and pointed them out to her.
"I think these are for you, my love. You know how I have always loved to give you roses." Christine blushed, remembering the day that Erik had brought her roses and had seen her in her under clothes.
"Then that is what I shall have, my love." She cooed to him, willing to do anything to make him happy.
Daroga and Meg soon announced that they had to leave to go to tea with Madame Giry. Christine had hugged Meg and the men had shaken hands and the couples parted ways.
"How would you like to visit your Father?" Erik asked. Christine had never seen him this way before, so attentive to what she wanted and needed. She had not seen her Father in days and this loss was felt by Christine massively.
"I would like that very much." Erik smiled and led her to the house that her Father was staying in.
Gustav Daaé was loving the Parisian life more than anyone. He was dining with fine men, meeting their wives and writing music like it was pouring out of him. He wished he could see his daughter more, but he understood that she was the prima donna at the opera now and her days were incredibly busy. He had been there the night of Don Juan, he had never seen anything like it before and he was certain he would never write such a masterpiece. Monsieur Giry was a true genius, of this he was sure.
As he was thinking about his daughter, she and Monsieur Giry entered his home and declared that they were stopping for tea. Gustav was delighted, filled with questions that he couldn't wait to be answered.
"How long is it until you are performing again, my dear?" He asked Christine, aware that after the opening night of Don Juan, there was to be a hiatus before the opera commenced, to get the tickets sold and to allow the actors voices to relax.
"A month, Father. Then I shall be back on the stage." He noticed how Christine looked to Monsieur Giry and couldn't mistake her expression for anything but love. He needed to know, after the performance he had witnessed, he needed to know if Monsieur Giry would sing.
"And shall you reprise the role of Don Juan, Monsieur?" He watched as Erik's mouth curved in a devious smile.
"I shall, Monsieur, for the entirety of the season." Christine looked up to him in shock. She had not heard about this until now. Her heart fluttered as she thought of performing with Erik every night. She also felt a tight knotting sensation in her stomach when she thought about performing "Point of No Return" with Erik again.
Before she could react, Erik had turned his attentions to Gustav Daaé.
"Could I, Monsieur, perhaps have a few moments alone with you, in private?" Christine was sure that she knew what this was about. Her cheeks glowed red as her Father led Erik into his new study.
Gustav sat in his plush chair whilst Erik stood before him. He had never seen the man nervous, but he was sure that Erik was fighting a fierce storm of anxiety in this moment.
"Monsieur Daaé," He began. Gustav could not have him using such formalities, he was in love with his daughter for christ's sake!
"Please, call me Gustav." He noticed Erik's posture soften ever so slightly at this comment. He nodded and continued.
"Your daughter and I have known each other for a long while now, Gustav and I find myself quite in rapture of her. She surpasses anything I have thought to call beautiful and she is all things good and kind. Of course, I do not need to explain her good nature to you." Erik was clamming up now. Gustav felt a strange excitement in having power over this all powerful man.
"She loves you." He stated, wanting to ensure Erik that he had noticed that she had reciprocated his affections. His face broke into a glorious smile that Gustav had never seen on Erik.
"And I love her, most ardently." He said, almost breathless in his proclamation.
"I have no objections to your marrying my daughter, Monsieur Giry. You are a man of the highest calibre and I can see that she has already made her choice. I wish you all the happiness in the world, and I know you shall give it to her, wherever it is possible." Both men stood. Erik thought he might cry and Gustav was relieved that Christine had found herself such an amiable match. They shook hands and met eyes, understanding that they both shared love for Christine.
Christine looked up from her tea when the two men entered the room again. The sun was now setting and Christine was rather tired after the events of the past few days. Erik looked upon her in wonder, her lips pouted and her eyes softly drooping in a sleepy haze. She was alert enough to see her Father nod to her. She beamed, knowing that this meant, when the time came, Erik and Christine could be wed with the consent of her Father. Christine was so delighted that Erik had asked his blessing, feeling more assured of her want to marry him. Christine bid her Father goodnight and he had never seen her quite as content as in that moment. He then watched, as Christine and Erik left the house, arm in arm.