Ch. 25

Aurelie awoke the following morning to the sound of Caesar rustling around in his stall. She quickly sat up and rubbed the back of her neck, noticing how stiff and sore it had become from sleeping on a bed of hay that she had arranged. A headache promptly followed. Still, she had to admit that it was better than having nowhere safe to sleep, at all.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a bundle of items leaning against the wall to her right. On top of the pile was a letter, and she could see that included were two woven blankets, a pillow, and a cloth sack. She quickly grabbed the envelope and noticed the red rose seal before she ripped it open. A small brass key fell to the floor, which she picked up and turned in her hands with curiosity.

"Dear Ms. Daniels,

I apologize for not making these provisions available to you sooner. I do hope that you shall be able to sleep a bit more comfortably tonight.

If you so wish, you may use my facilities in order to freshen up-there is a bath located at the top of the staircase, in the first door to the left. All that I ask of you is that you respect my privacy and only peruse the aforementioned room. Make no mistake that I will take notice if my request is disobeyed, but I trust that we can confide in one another on amicable terms.

I also took the liberty of purchasing two new gowns for you, and more salve for your injury, among other useful items. Mr. Adams just delivered these items to me this very morning. Consider it a deduction of your wages, if you feel so inclined, but I will not have you refuse the offer, as these are basic necessities for a working employee.

Your Humble Servant,

Erik."

Aurelie smiled to herself as she looked at the key again and thought of how kind he was. She grabbed the sack, eager to wash herself as soon as she could.

She blushed in embarrassment when she looked down at herself. She was certain that there was straw in her hair, and her dress hardly had a spot that had remained unsoiled. She also noticed that she did not smell like a lady.

Once she stood up, she brushed off the small pieces of straw that clung to her dress. She turned the corner to see Caesar waiting patiently in the stall beside her, and he reached his long neck over the gate in order to sniff her.

"Sorry, Caesar, but I do not have any food to offer you," she smiled. She rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Another time, perhaps?"

She rubbed the horse one last time before she decided that she could not wait to clean herself up a moment longer, all the while hoping that she would not cross paths with Erik in her dirty state.

Aurelie placed the key into the lock of the front door to Erik's estate, and she held her breath. It almost felt wrong as she turned it and heard the click! when it had become unlocked. The idea that Erik was welcoming her into his home, even if it was only into one room, was still foreign to her. It was a great honor to have such a priviledge, as she knew how he had made such a strong effort to hide himself from others.

Though she had already seen the hallway and staircase, she could not help but to gawk at her surroundings again. She slowly climbed the stairs, feeling how smooth the golden rails were with her hand as she ascended each step.

At the top she had two choices; a hallway to her left or right. On each end were two large doors that screamed to be opened to reveal what was inside, but she decided that she would not risk the danger of angering the owner. After all, it must have been difficult enough for him to allow her inside of his home.

She promptly opened the first door on her left and felt relieved to see the bath.

Aurelie almost felt as if she were an entirely different person once she had taken a long bath and dressed in a fresh, clean light pink gown. The hot water had felt wonderful on her skin, so wonderful in fact, that she had spent the good length of an hour submerged in the bathtub until her fingers and toes had turned to prunes.

Upon looking in the mirror, she was delighted by the fact that her bruise was hardly noticeable any more, as one would have to look very closely in order to see it, at all.

Among the two dresses in which Erik had so generously bestowed upon her, she also found a comb that she used to carefully detangle her hair, after which she neatly braided.

She almost did not wish to leave the room, and as she reluctantly grasped the doorknob, she took one last look around her. She would be welcomed by the bathtub once again, soon, and she looked forward to the small amount of relaxation that she would be alotted.

Once she had opened the door and entered the hallway, she found herself gazing at a painting that hung on the wall beside the bathroom. She had been so eager to wash herself that she had not noticed it before.

She marveled at the large, grand building that had been so intricantly painted, its wide steps and Romanesque columns drew her attention. Her eyes traveled over the cobblestone street and the carriages that sat before the entrance, releasing elegantly-dressed people into the scene. She squinted her eyes in order to absorb every detail, when she was startled by, none other than, the owner himself.

"Good morning," he announced somewhat cheerfully, and she was surprised by the lightness of his mood.

She took a step back from the painting, feeling as if she was a child caught in the act of doing something forbidden, and she curtsied politely in greeting.

"I see that you have made use of the bath," he commented, noticing the glow to her complexion and the darkness of her damp hair. He could not help but to stare at her beauty, as it had been days since her face and clothes had been free of dirt. He determined that he very much liked the idea of her using his bath more often.

"Yes, thank you very much. Words cannot express how grateful I am for your generous hospitality," she blushed when thinking of it.

Erik noticed the rouge to her cheeks, and he wondered what the reason behind it was.

He thought back to the previous night with fondness. It felt only right that he should repay her, somehow, for not only listening to him describe a bit of his past, but also to have reacted with such compassion. He had never experienced a moment such as he had with her, while gazing at the stars and confessing of a memory that had haunted him for the majority of his life. And she had not been terrified by his monstrous recollection, which had surprised him.

Erik glanced at the painting, himself.

"Have you ever attended an Opera before?" he asked, gesturing toward the painted building.

"No, I have not had the pleasure," she replied humbly. Then, the realization hit her and her eyes lit up. "Was this the Grand Opera Populaire of Paris?"

"Yes, or about as much of it that I could recall to mind," he responded.

Aurelie's eyes widened in shock.

"Did you paint this?"

Erik nodded his head, slightly embarrassed by her enthusiasm. He humbly thanked her for the compliments that had ensued, not certain as to whether or not he had deserved them. There were multiple mistakes that he could find in it by simply looking at it.

"If I had such a talent, I would wish to capture the essence of so many different things!"

When she could see that he was reluctant to agree with her, she apologized. She knew him to be too modest and self-conscious to accept her praises with pride, and so she decided to change the subject of conversation to a more light-hearted one.

Even as it was, a small part of Erik felt greedy of her small compliments, almost wishing to hear more.

Aurelie glanced back at the Opera Populaire, wishing that she had been able to visit it in its time of fame and glory. How extravagant the interior must have been! Certainly that is where Erik had developed his luxurious tastes.

Then she thought of all of the events that had transpired in such an innocent-looking building. Had he really stalked Mrs. DeChagny? Had he been so obsessed as to be at war with her suitor, Raoul? Had he really been driven to the point of insanity so as to kidnap her and to hold her hostage? Or even to murder?

She could not imagine that the kind-natured man before her had behaved this way. Then she recounted something in which she had heard, and she asked,

"You once performed in an Opera, yourself, did you not? What was it like?"

She had read the article that had described, in great detail, the night in which the famous Opera House had been burned to the ground.

She knew that it had begun as an ordinary performance, only that Erik had disguised himself as the lead character, replacing his white half-mask for a black one. It had been an outstanding performance, some would even call it passionate, as he had sung a duet with the beautiful Christine Daae.

Then she had ripped off his mask to violently expose his face to the audience, which had elicited gasps and shrieks of horror. It angered Aurelie to even think of anyone, let alone the woman whom Erik had loved, subdue him to such humiliation. Even though she found herself curious by what lay beneath it, she would never expose him to the public in such a degrading manner.

Then, in a fit of rage, he had taken the lead soprano hostage and released the grand chandelier in the auditorium to come crashing down on the unsuspecting audience. The Opera Populaire had not survived the destruction.

Erik also thought of these events, and he turned his gaze away from her with a dark expression on his features. Having to recall that night stirred painful emotions within himself.

Though he had so often dreamed of and watched Christine, he now found that he could hardly recall her face to memory. He knew that she had brown hair-much lighter-colored than Aurelie's-and brown eyes, but he could not see the image of her clearly in his mind.

Not that he had wished to, anyway. He had tried his best to forget her, even leaving behind every item that reminded him of her. He had not taken with him any of his Operas or compositions, instead starting a life anew, elsewhere.

Aurelie saw the grim expression on his face and it saddened her. She figured that a painful memory had been recalled to his mind, and she mentally chided herself for causing it. She had simply been thinking of how she wished that she could see what he was like on stage (excluding the part where he was exposed and took Christine with him).

She would have loved to have witnessed his performance, seemingly as a normal actor, and heard what his voice was like while singing. She had read that he had the power to almost entrance anyone who listened, and the thought made the curiosity within herself grow into an unsatiable desire to know more about who he really was.

"I am truly sorry for inquiring of your personal life. I did not wish to upset you; I simply imagined that it was a spectacular performance," she explained. Then, when realizing what she had said, she was quick to defend herself, "I did not mean what had happened that night. I meant that I am certain that you would have been very talented on the stage."

Erik could see that she was genuine, and so he did not get upset about the matter.

"I did not mean to take up your time, as I am sure that you are a very busy man," she said quickly as she inched her way closer to the stairs. "If you are in need of anything, I am feeling much better and can be employed."

She was eager to excuse herself from the situation, feeling as if she had been mindless to inflict any sort of suffering on him. She was thoroughly embarrassed by her lack of common sense, and she expected him to lash out at her for her stupidity at any moment.

Erik stopped her as her foot dangled above the first step.

"I am certain that you are famished, and there is a tray of breakfast waiting for you in the foyer. Once you are finished, I have some chores that I would like for you to accomplish."

As if on cue, her stomach rumbled with a painful growl.

She gave a faint smile, relieved that his temper had not reared its ugly head, and she responded, "Thank you."