Christine stared in horror as she watched Raoul climb into the carriage. He
left me, she thought. After all that, he gave up on me. Did he doubt that I
wouldn't be here when he returned? Christine's hurt turned to hate and then
back again. What now? She pondered that question, as she wondered over to
her quarters. There she found Emma, sitting on her bed. Emma glanced up,
and seeing Christine, quickly raised herself.
"Beg your pardon, Madam, I--" She started, but seeing Christine's, face, she stopped. "He's gone, isn't he?" Christine couldn't suppress her tears as she nodded. "I-I don't know what to say. I'm really sorry. Are you. are you really going to leave?" Christine stared at her for a moment.
"I don't know. I can't let him think that he could do something like this." She began.
"Because he can't. He has no right to treat you like he does." Emma concluded. "So why did you say 'I don't know"?" Christine thought about this for a moment.
"Where would I go? How would I get there? I have nothing. No money, no food." Emma thought about this. A sly grin appeared across the servant girl's face.
"Well," She began "you are engaged. Practically married." Christine looked at her strangely, and, not knowing where Emma was leading her, she nodded.
"So, raiding his private stash wouldn't be too awful, would it?" She concluded.
"No. I can't do that. I'm leaving him. It would be stealing. Worse. No." Christine started.
"Then I'll do it. I'll take the blame, if he even notices." Emma stated. Christine looked at her in horror. But the features of Emma's face portrayed stubbornness, and seeing her like that made Christine smile. Emma gestured for Christine to sit, and left the room. A few minutes later, she came back with 2 thousand franc notes. Christine was shocked. Am I really doing this? She asked herself. No, she wasn't. She couldn't.
"No" She said as Emma put the money in her hands. "Too much. I can't take this. He wasn't that cruel. I don't even want to leave any more. I'm not going to."
"Yes he was that cruel, and yes you are leaving. I'll pack your bags for you." Emma walked to Christine's closet, pulled out Christine's suitcase, and tossed it, open, on Christine's bed. Then she returned to Christine's closet and pulled out a load of clothes. She began to place them one by one into the suitcase, and Christine got up to help her, but Emma wouldn't allow her to. She simply stated that it was her job, and she revisited the closet, pulling out a few more things. Then she brought out a suitcase from the Victome's room and placed it next to the other, which she closed. She looked at Christine, who was stupefied by Emma's audacity. Emma smiled.
"Well, you might as well. You already took 2000 francs." Seeing the hurt expression on the young girls face, she added quickly. "He won't miss it. He doesn't even know he has it probably. Besides, you're leaving, not him. You should get it as a- I don't know- a grievance package." Christine had to laugh in spite of herself. But she silenced herself as she watched Emma take a jewelry box from her dresser. An overwhelming amount of guilt fell upon her, and she rushed over to stop Emma.
"No! Not that. Don't you know what that is?" She asked. The surprise on the servant girl's face answered her, and she explained. "This was a gift that his brother gave him for a wedding present. I can't take it." Emma shrugged, and opened the box, spilling the contents into the suitcase. Seeing that the jewelry was the last of Christine's belongings, she shut the suitcase.
"Well, that's all of it. I'll send for a cab." Emma motioned for Christine to sit down, and then she left the room. Christine was left alone with her thoughts. What had gone wrong? How could she have made Raoul stop loving her? She remembered how fun life had been not more than a year before. After Erik had released her, Raoul and Christine had left Paris. They moved to Rouen, where the Vicomte bought a huge estate. They were almost inseparable for a long time. But over a period of four months, Raoul became different somehow. More defensive, more protective of his belongings. And, even worse, he began to treat Christine as that-his property. Christine's mind told her that it wasn't right for him to do that, and reminded her that he hadn't even managed to find a sticking wedding date. But something inside her kept her from leaving.
Christine began to sob as she remembered all of the fun that she had in the beginning. It was in this condition that Emma found her, when she returned with the cab. She sat down beside Christine on the bed, and put her arm around the former diva. She couldn't think of anything to say to her, so she kept silent. But soon she realized that it was getting late, and she stood up. "Christine, someone outside is waiting for you. I already paid him enough to get you to Paris, with a big tip. But you have to leave now, if you don't want to confront Raoul again. Christine let out a sob after hearing that name, but she stood up and grabbed a suitcase. It was almost too heavy for her, and she stood in amazement as she saw Emma effortlessly pick up the remaining one. They slowly made their way to the cab, where Christine had to say goodbye to her friend forever.
"Beg your pardon, Madam, I--" She started, but seeing Christine's, face, she stopped. "He's gone, isn't he?" Christine couldn't suppress her tears as she nodded. "I-I don't know what to say. I'm really sorry. Are you. are you really going to leave?" Christine stared at her for a moment.
"I don't know. I can't let him think that he could do something like this." She began.
"Because he can't. He has no right to treat you like he does." Emma concluded. "So why did you say 'I don't know"?" Christine thought about this for a moment.
"Where would I go? How would I get there? I have nothing. No money, no food." Emma thought about this. A sly grin appeared across the servant girl's face.
"Well," She began "you are engaged. Practically married." Christine looked at her strangely, and, not knowing where Emma was leading her, she nodded.
"So, raiding his private stash wouldn't be too awful, would it?" She concluded.
"No. I can't do that. I'm leaving him. It would be stealing. Worse. No." Christine started.
"Then I'll do it. I'll take the blame, if he even notices." Emma stated. Christine looked at her in horror. But the features of Emma's face portrayed stubbornness, and seeing her like that made Christine smile. Emma gestured for Christine to sit, and left the room. A few minutes later, she came back with 2 thousand franc notes. Christine was shocked. Am I really doing this? She asked herself. No, she wasn't. She couldn't.
"No" She said as Emma put the money in her hands. "Too much. I can't take this. He wasn't that cruel. I don't even want to leave any more. I'm not going to."
"Yes he was that cruel, and yes you are leaving. I'll pack your bags for you." Emma walked to Christine's closet, pulled out Christine's suitcase, and tossed it, open, on Christine's bed. Then she returned to Christine's closet and pulled out a load of clothes. She began to place them one by one into the suitcase, and Christine got up to help her, but Emma wouldn't allow her to. She simply stated that it was her job, and she revisited the closet, pulling out a few more things. Then she brought out a suitcase from the Victome's room and placed it next to the other, which she closed. She looked at Christine, who was stupefied by Emma's audacity. Emma smiled.
"Well, you might as well. You already took 2000 francs." Seeing the hurt expression on the young girls face, she added quickly. "He won't miss it. He doesn't even know he has it probably. Besides, you're leaving, not him. You should get it as a- I don't know- a grievance package." Christine had to laugh in spite of herself. But she silenced herself as she watched Emma take a jewelry box from her dresser. An overwhelming amount of guilt fell upon her, and she rushed over to stop Emma.
"No! Not that. Don't you know what that is?" She asked. The surprise on the servant girl's face answered her, and she explained. "This was a gift that his brother gave him for a wedding present. I can't take it." Emma shrugged, and opened the box, spilling the contents into the suitcase. Seeing that the jewelry was the last of Christine's belongings, she shut the suitcase.
"Well, that's all of it. I'll send for a cab." Emma motioned for Christine to sit down, and then she left the room. Christine was left alone with her thoughts. What had gone wrong? How could she have made Raoul stop loving her? She remembered how fun life had been not more than a year before. After Erik had released her, Raoul and Christine had left Paris. They moved to Rouen, where the Vicomte bought a huge estate. They were almost inseparable for a long time. But over a period of four months, Raoul became different somehow. More defensive, more protective of his belongings. And, even worse, he began to treat Christine as that-his property. Christine's mind told her that it wasn't right for him to do that, and reminded her that he hadn't even managed to find a sticking wedding date. But something inside her kept her from leaving.
Christine began to sob as she remembered all of the fun that she had in the beginning. It was in this condition that Emma found her, when she returned with the cab. She sat down beside Christine on the bed, and put her arm around the former diva. She couldn't think of anything to say to her, so she kept silent. But soon she realized that it was getting late, and she stood up. "Christine, someone outside is waiting for you. I already paid him enough to get you to Paris, with a big tip. But you have to leave now, if you don't want to confront Raoul again. Christine let out a sob after hearing that name, but she stood up and grabbed a suitcase. It was almost too heavy for her, and she stood in amazement as she saw Emma effortlessly pick up the remaining one. They slowly made their way to the cab, where Christine had to say goodbye to her friend forever.