Chap38 A flicker of hope

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Erik heard the cold thud as her body hit the ground. A cold grin spread across his features as her life fell literally from his fingertips. He relished in the sense of power that it gave him. His uncanny knack of killing people at ease gave him the piece of control that was fundamental to his very existence.

The sound of an attempted to be muffled sob caught his attention pulling him from his moment of glory. He whipped round in Christine's general direction. "You can go now. You have served your purpose to me I am no longer in need of your services. I trust you are of course aware by now of how unwise it would be of you to contact the police. You were the one who led me here Christine and given your less then friendly relationship with Antoinette as of late it will not make you look to good now will it?" he asked keeping his tone late he didn't want Antoinette or the children to wake up jus yet.

Christine bit her lip her eyes flirting between Erik and the dead body by his feet. He was right she had played a part in this. Although part of her had followed out his orders in fear of her life she knew part of her had done it to have another dig at Antoinette. "I wont tell the police you have my word on that," she said matching his quiet tone.

She took a moment to look at him before she left. "Goodbye…Erik…my Angel of Music," she added quietly as she headed out once again into the streets of Paris. She looked around her she knew this city no longer had anything to offer her. She had taken all she could from it, it was time to move on.

Although she knew she could never be with Erik she had wrecked several lives before she finally was forced to accept this he had still given her a great gift that would allow her to survive and earn her place in the world. Erik had given her the gift of music and now it was her key to survival.

She would leave Paris and start a fresh in a new Opera House in a new country. She knew she would have to do this on her own without her Angel of Music and worst of all it was all her own fault.

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Erik sat on the couch calmly as he waited for Antoinette to wake. He knew it was her he had killed and not her by her very walking. Although Margaret walked with the grace and dignity of a woman Antoinette moved with a certain grace and dignity that could only by achieved through the many years of dance experience she had along with the natural grace she possessed that allowed her dancing career to progress as far as it had.

He also knew it was not her by the very fact that he had killed her. He knew Antoinette knew how he thought and so would have expected the noose and so would have been able to escape it with ease. He smiled slightly when he knew this was one of the times he would have out smarted her. He knew she would in time expect his arrival but he knew she would not expect him to arrive in the dead of night and murder her sister then sit on the couch waiting for her to waken.

Antoinette woke as the first rays of dawn streamed into her room. She felt a lot calmer and rested than she had the night before. She even allowed herself the first small smile in days. She stretched slightly before rising.

She put on one of the simple gowns she had taken with her when she fled from the lair. It was a simple black gown with a delicately plunging neckline that highlighted her trim figure. She sat on the end of her bed and brushed her long auburn hair so it flowed down her back it looked stunning against the back gown. There was no denying the fact that Antoinette Giry was a stunning woman.

She hummed slightly to herself as she applied a little make up that highlighted her beautiful features. She never took this much time on her appearance but she felt she owed herself a treat. She was proud of herself. She had cut herself from Erik's grasp. She was now a free woman. She decided she was going to give up being a ballet mistress. It was true her talent was known throughout Paris but it no longer held the same passion for her as it once had. She still loved dance and she knew she always would bit her true passion in life now was looking after her children.

She would still encourage Meg to continue dancing. She would need to find a new theatre where she could dance. She had most undoubtedly inherited her mother's talents. Meg was an amazingly talented dancer whose power and passion showed through each graceful step she made. It was a gift and pleasure that she could not allow her daughter to give up or loose out on.

She could not wait to get to know Benjamin better and watch a bond grow between him and Meg. In an ideal world she would have loved for them to have their father but she knew that was not possible she would allow no further hurt to enter her family.

She was thinking about suggesting they all went out for the day so they could all get to know each other better and forget about the awful ordeal they had just experienced.

She was still smiling as she opened her door finally she could start again she had endured the years of suffering and this was her reward and she intended to enjoy every second of it.

"Good morning Antoinette," a voice drawled in the dim light.

Antoinette froze it couldn't be. Then she looked down, this couldn't be happening. All her hopes shattered and fell around her as she sank to the ground next to the body with Erik's cold cruel laughter echoing in her ears.