He stared in disbelief, as if someone was playing a cruel trick on him. He looked directly into his daughter's eyes, so determined they were. He wasn't looking for that. He searched deeper, and there it was. Love. Love was in his daughter's eyes.
His daughter was in love with a servant, a black. This was impossible. They wouldn't be accepted.
He took a deep breath. His Gigi would hate him for what he was about to do. "You will leave tomorrow. Go to your cabin and pack your things-"
"What?" Giselle cried. She had a look of horror written all over her face. She collapsed and Joshua's arms enveloped her. "You can't Papa, you just can't!" She was sobbing into Joshua's arms, not his, her father's.
He continued. "You will come to the back door at the crack of dawn, the maid will give you your final pay. Leave now, please."
The couple sat unmoving on the floor, Giselle silent sobs.
"NOW!" He shouted.
Joshua pulled away, preparing to leave.
"No, Joshua." Giselle begged as her lover stood up. "He doesn't mean it, Papa will let you stay." She hung on to his arm for dear life, looking at her father with a look of pure despair. "Please Papa, say you don't mean it."
"Joshua!" A sharp voice echoed in the huge hall. Giselle turned and saw her mother walk slowly, carefully and gracefully down the steps. "My husband does not mean what he is saying." She walked on, coming to a stop only when she was eye to eye with Christian. "Do you?"
"Of course I mean it." Satine's smile fell.
"I won't let you." She said squarely. She felt no fear. "Look at them." She waved her hand in their direction. "Do you not see it?" Christian looked to them and then back to his wife. "They're what we used to be." Christian's face fell, it was true, and memories came flooding back to him. He and Satine had clutched together many times, all because they loved each other, and weren't supposed to.
Satine continued. "Can you not see it in their eyes? You can't split them up."
Silence. Everything depended on him.
"Go and pack Joshua." He whispered.
It just couldn't happen.
Giselle let out a scream and threw her arms around Joshua. He kissed away every tear on her hot face and then, left, out the door and to his cabin.
Giselle stared at her father. Oh how she hated him. She burst into tears and ran upstairs.
Satine watched this, her eyes filled with tears. She turned and retreated to her room.
Christian was left alone and hated.
***********
Dawn.
A should-be fresh new start.
A ruined relationship.
Joshua knocked on the door sharply.
The maid opened it, and let him in.
"Hello Marrianne." He and the maid had always been on friendly terms. "Is the master about?"
"Not that I can see." She said, and with that shoved a bundle into his arms. "There's something for you and something for Giselle in there."
Christian nearly dropped the dirty glass in his hand. Giselle was going with him? Christian sighed, of course she was. They were in love, lovers couldn't be pulled apart, just look at him and Satine.
"Where are you going?" Christian said, appearing from the shadows.
Joshua yipped. He was surprised. He looked up into his master's eyes. He was scared, scared but brave.
"Giselle and I are going away from you." He took a deep breath and added, "We're going away from you, Mistress Satine and away from the Moulin Rouge. Goodbye Master."
Christian had no way of knowing that those words were twisted into the mirror of what Satine had said so many years ago.
"I know." Christian glared at him. This man was taking away his only daughter. He would never see them again. He pulled money out of the secret compartment under the cabinet, only Satine and Christian knew about it and for good reason, it had 5,000 dollars in it. "Go to France." He said, shoving the notes into black hands.
Joshua was confused. "Excuse me?"
"France. Montmarte. You'll be safe there. You'll be accepted. Anyone's accepted there." Josh nodded.
"Thank you." He said. He embraced Christian in an awkward hug. "Thank you so much!" And he ran out of the manor, glowing from head to toe.
That was the last glimpse of Joshua… ever.
Christian had given them all of his and Satine's savings. It was ok they would get more soon. Joshua and Giselle wouldn't. It would be a long and hard road for the two of them.
Christian sighed a long sigh.
His daughter was gone forever away from him.
He was alone.
Not, he had Satine.
Satine! She didn't know.
He ran up the stairs to her room. How could he break it to her? Giselle was her reason for living.
He knocked on the door, his heart racing. Hearing no answer, he opened it.
Satine was sitting up in her bed, clutching the comforter to her chest, waiting expectantly.
"Giselle's gone. She went with Joshua." He said.
Satine nodded, her red hair straying ever so slightly from her braid. She already knew.
"Yes, well that's all I wanted." And he backed out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
He collapsed against the back of the door.
Her reaction had been different than he'd pictured. He had seen her come crying into his arms, telling him to forgive her and that they had to get Giselle back. But she didn't. She had bundled herself up in her own emotions, handling them her own way. She didn't need him.
He wiped away the tears he didn't know he'd cried, and walked emotionless down the dark hall towards his empty room.
He blankly tugged his pajamas over his head, suddenly passive. He crawled into his bed, which was cold and uninviting. Tossing and turning, he tried to let sleep take him. After what seemed an eternity of trying, he finally gave up. It wouldn't come tonight. He snapped on the light and picked up the latest copy of 'Love at the Moulin Rouge' ready to edit it. But he didn't so much as open the first page when there was a knock at the door.
Satine opened it.
"Christian?" She asked shakily, as if she was treading on unstable ground and was unsure of his reaction. "Do you think it'd… Do you think it'd be all right, if I just stayed here tonight?" Christian felt a wave of relief wash over him. He'd never been so happy to hear those words. "It's just…" She stumbled and looked him with tears shining in her eyes. "I don't want to be alone."
Christian nodded and scooted to the side of his bed. Satine walked uncertainly to the bed and pulled back the covers, her foot brushing his leg as she crawled in. It was a comforting touch, but it happened so quickly. Too quickly.
Satine rolled over to look him in the eye.
"Thank you Christian." She said, her eyes spilling out tears. He rolled over, unable to look at her. It hurt him. Too much.
Satine sighed a sad sigh, she wanted what they had had.
But they were sleeping in the same bed.
And that… was a start.