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Guardian Angel
Michelle slowly awoke and became aware of her surroundings. She was in bed, and still wearing the gown she wore to the party last night.
Last night. She remembered all the horrible things that had happened: her secret coming out, Erik's fury, her own hatful words. But she also remembered the apology, falling asleep in Erik's arms, the flowers...
Where were those flowers, anyway? She saw them on the end of her bed. *Erik must have brought them in when he brought me,* she thought. She blushed at the thought of Erik putting her in bed. It was rather intimate in a way. She finally got up and dressed in one of her old gowns. It was rather drab compared with the sea-green outfit Erik had given her, but it was a ball gown. Not to mention horribly wrinkled. She didn't know how to get the wrinkles out, but her maid back home would. She sighed and hung it up next to her normal clothes. Perhaps she'd let her mother talk hr into buying a new, more fashionable wardrobe. Lord knew she'd been trying for years now.
She slipped out of her room and was going through the parlor to the kitchen. She stopped when she saw Erik, asleep in the large throne that dominated the wall. She felt a frown forming. Didn't he like the gift she had given him? She backtracked and peeked in his room to see why he didn't like it.
He didn't like it because it wasn't there.
Michelle let out an exasperated sigh. That idiot brother of hers. He was supposed to have delivered it when they were at the party. Oh, well. She could yell at him later.
She went to the kitchen and began making two omelettes: a three egg omelette with practically everything in the kitchen for Erik, and a two egg omelette with considerably less ingredients for herself. Just the way they like them.
As she cooked, her mind wandered to the angry words, the apology, the kiss under the mistletoe...
That kiss had been something special. She didn't have much experience with kisses, but she could tell. Probably because she was in love with him. A smile blossomed on her face. She perhaps she could get Erik to fall in love with her. Perhaps he already was and wanted her to stay. Surely the something she felt when they kissed wasn't one-sided. He liked her, at least. They were friends and he wouldn't want his best friend to leave. Assured by herself, Michelle folded the omelettes. One way or another, he would ask her to stay.
* * * * * * *
Erik had woken on the throne he spent the night on with a headache, part from the hangover he had and part from spending the night in a chair. Hearing Michelle in the kitchen, he went to his room to dress and shave and comb his hair. Erik smile wryly. Who knew he had a vain side?
Finally prepared to face the woman he loved, he stepped into the kitchen. She was putting the final touches on whatever eggs she had prepared this morning. He back was turned to him, and she was singing softly to herself. It reminded him so much of the first morning they had spent together when she had made breakfast as a surprise for him and had begun to chip away at the wall he had built around hi heart. He had never suspected that she would be so successful.
Michelle turned to put the plates of omlettes on the table and saw him watching her. Self consciously, she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled tentatively. "Good morning," she said softly.
"Good morning," he replied just as softly and continued staring at her.
She licked her lips nervously, though why she should be nervous, she didn't know. The action brought his eyes to her lips. He stared so intently it was like a new kind of caress. She cleared her throat. "Are you hungry?"
*That's a loaded question,* he thought. "Yes. Very." With his eyes still on her lips, the answer took on a very different meaning. She obviously thought so, too, because she blushed and turned away. Erik smiled to himself. That was just the reaction he had been hoping for. "It seems a little strange," he continued, "knowing... what you are, that you're still cooking."
Michelle glared at him as she took her seat. "You mean because I'm a Duke's stepdaughter, I shouldn't know how to cook, or do other basic housework?"
Erik took his seat and nodded.
"Well, it might interest you to know that I've only been a Duke's daughter for about seven years."
Erik was surprised. "Really? How did that happen?"
Michelle smiled and cut into her omlette. "Eat your breakfast and I'll tell you.
"My mother was Raoul's father's mistress, but she didn't know he was married. When she found out about me, she wanted to marry him. Unfortunately, he wanted neither of us. She traveled to England to get away."
"Get away from what?" Erik asked around a mouthful of egg.
"I don't know. Memories I guess.
"Anyway, she started working in an inn. One of the nice ones where she wasn't expected to do extra work upstairs." Erik choked on his omlette. "I was born there," she continued. "I started working when I was nine. Mostly by entertaining the guests' children to allow the adults to do their things. I started working as a waitress when I was thirteen.
"About that time, a widowed Duke had been coming to the inn a few times a year on his way to and from his country estate. He was the Duke of Winterbrook.
"When I was sixteen, I heard my mother crying in her room one night. As it turns out, She and the Duke had been... er..." She blushed. "Well, the point is, Mother was going to have his baby."
Erik suppressed a grin to her maidenly blush. "So, what happened?"
"Well, I told her she had to tell him. She said she was going to that night. He had just arrived that afternoon. So, when she went to tell him, I followed.
"It was rather surprising. He demanded that she marry him immediately. He had been trying to get her to the altar for years, actually." She smiled wistfully. "Unfortunately, she refused. Again, I suppose. They began to argue, so I left.
"I was so upset. Mother deserved some happiness, and I was certainly old enough to take care of myself.
"The next morning, Mother asked me to wait her tables, one of which was the Duke's. He was scowling, but seemed really hurt. Mother was positively miserable."
Erik smiled. "I'm sure you put a stop to that," he said, thinking of how she had dragged him out of his misery.
"Oh, of course. So later that day, I climbed to the roof of the inn. It was two stories high."
Erik frowned, not liking the thought of her being up that high. "How did you get there?"
"I used a ladder, and then brought it up with me." She grinned mischievously. "Mother was frantic. Everyone was outside begging me to come down. Actually, I think these two society matrons wanted me to jump. It would have made wonderful gossip."
Erik nodded, still frowning. "What did you do?"
"I told my mother I would only come down if she married the Duke. I knew she wanted to. She said yes, but I didn't really trust her to keep her promise. Luckily, the vicar was there, so he married them, after the Duke gave him a large purse to say he had read the banns.
"Once it was done and I came down, my mother seemed to realize exactly what had happened." Michelle shrugged. "I guess she had been too worried to really think about anything other than my safety.
"The Duke was grinning like a fool, he was so happy. He ordered his servants to pack her things, and mine. I told him he had no responsibility to me, but he said he had always wanted a daughter just like me. And besides, my mother would skin him alive if they left me."
Michelle blinked back the tears that always appeared when she thought about her stepfather. "To me, it was amazing. My real father didn't want me, but this man who had no connection to me except through my mother wanted me to be his daughter. He even legally adopted me." She brushed at her eyes and cleared her throat. "Anyway, Mother had a boy, Bryan, and two years later had the twins, Marie and Jonathan. The upper crust of London society accepted us simply because no on e wanted to cross the Duke." Michelle took a final sip of her tea. "And that is how I became a Duke's daughter."
Erik pondered this a moment as he brought another piece of his egg to his mouth. Then he noticed that both the utensil and the plate were empty. Michelle chuckled and began clearing the table. Erik smiled a little. "That explains a lot, like why you can cook, but there are still a few things I don't understand."
Michelle looked at him over her shoulder from the sink where she was washing the dishes. "Like what?"
"Like why you're not married."
Michelle paused her cleaning, then began again, slower this time. She didn't answer for so long that Erik thought she wasn't going to at all, but she finally spoke. "The men of the ton only wanted me because I have a dowry or because of my connections or both. They never wanted me for me. I want ore than that."
Erik stood and silently went behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. He was about to speak when they heard something in the front room.
"Where do you want this?" an unfamiliar male voice rang out. As one, Michelle and Erik went to the door. Michelle arrived first and peeked out.
"In that room, will do nicely." Raoul motioned toward Erik's room. Michelle bit back a word didn't usually use. Raoul was delivering her gift to Erik now? Raoul looked around, probably for the occupants of the house, and saw Michelle. He motioned for her to stay in the kitchen. She indicated that Erik was with her, and Raoul nodded back. "Be careful where you go," he said to the workers. "Some of this place is dangerous."
One of the men walked toward the kitchen. Michelle ducked inside before he saw her and motioned for Erik to keep quiet. "What's in here?" the man said as he pushed open the kitchen door.
Instinctively Erik pushed himself flat against the wall and pulled Michelle flush against his chest. She made herself as small as she could. Before the man could come in, Raoul pulled him out and explained that this area was not finished, and might be dangerous. Neither Erik nor Michelle really noticed because they were too focused on each other.
Erik swallowed hard. When he had grabbed Michelle, his only thought had been to keep her out of harm's way. Now that she was pressed rather intimately against him, his only thought was of how sweet her lips had been, how soft they were under his, and how much he wanted another taste. And the look in her eyes told him she was thinking the same things.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Erik dipped his head to Michelle's and claimed her mouth. This time there was no shy exploring; he devoured her with deep sensual strokes of his tongue, challenging hers into a duel. She gratefully complied by thrusting out her tongue to dance with his. With a feral growl, Erik twisted her head the other way to give himself greater access. Michelle wound her arms around his neck and tangled her hands in his hair.
*Michelle, Michelle, Michelle.* Erik's mind chanted her name like a song. *Michelle. So sweet, so soft, so right.*
Michelle felt Erik's arms tighten around her. Somewhere far away, someone moaned. Then she dizzily realized it was her. She put everything she had into her kiss, trying to say to Erik what words and pride wouldn't let her. She knew she couldn't speak of her love until he did. If he did.
Forcefully, she thrust the thought from her mind. He had to love her, at least a bit. There was no way a kiss could be this powerful without both people feeling it. And contributing to it. Comforted, she continued to kiss Erik for all she was worth. Even more.
"AHEM!"
They flew apart like the other was on fire. Raoul stood in front of them, eyes sparkling with humor. Michelle's face became very red. Erik face felt hot as well.
"The movers are gone," Raoul stated, failing to suppress a small, knowing grin. Michelle glared at him and swiftly went to the sink, where she loudly continued to clean the dishes. "I'll just go show Erik," he continued.
"Do that," Michelle answered curtly.
Erik stood and stared at her back. Why was she acting like this? She was embarrasses, obviously, but was she more so because she had been caught kissing HIM in particular? Not a pleasant thought.
Raoul took his arm and steered him out of the kitchen towards his bedroom, still grinning. He noticed Erik's frown and said, "Don't worry about her. She thinks kissing is a private thing and shouldn't be interrupted." He grinned mischievously, showing a striking resemblance to Michelle. "Of course if I didn't interrupt, I may have had to demand retribution."
Erik tried to scowl at him, but was so relieved by the revelation that he just smiled back. "Shouldn't you hit me or something for finding me with your sister anyway?"
"Normally I would, but I'd rather not cause anymore problems with my future brother-in-law. It would make family gatherings quite uncomfortable."
Erik frowned again. They both knew that Michelle would never want to stay with him, so why was Raoul hinting at a future for them? He was about to respond when Raoul led him into the room. Then he couldn't speak at all.
Instead of his lonely coffin, there was a grand four-poster bed. Its rich mahogany wood gleamed even in the dim light. The linens were a deep burgundy, as were the curtains hanging from the posts.
"She got this for me?" he said incredulously.
"I thought the coffin was bad for your mind."
Erik turned at Michelle's soft spoken words. Raoul had retreated to the front room when she came in. She was watching him carefully.
"It also seemed a bit uncomfortable." She tried to force a humorous grin, but something about the way Erik was looking at her made it impossible.
After a long moment, he took a step toward her. "No one has ever done anything for me," he said, looking deep into her eyes.
Compelled, she took a step forward as well. "You mean 'nothing like this', don't you?"
He took the final step that closed the gap between them. "No, I don't."
He lowered his head and brushed a soft fleeting kiss across her lips. He retreated before she could respond, much to her disappointment. "W-what was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
"That was to shut you up," he said, a smile playing about his lips. Then he leaned down and kissed her again, a bit longer this time.
Michelle tried to still her pounding heart. "And that?"
"That was to thank you."
Michelle nodded solemnly, then stood on her toes and kissed him back. When she ended the kiss, Erik stared at her, stunned. She smiled tremulously. "That was 'You're welcome'."
* * * * *
Raoul bent down so Michelle could kiss his cheek. "I'll be back soon to check on you," he promised.
"I'm sure you will," she replied. "Oh, wait here a moment. I have to give you your Christmas gift." She glanced meaningfully at Erik and back again. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."
When she disappeared into her bedroom, Erik looked at Raoul. "Is it really only the day after Christmas? It seems to be so much later."
Raoul nodded in agreement. Then he smiled and extended his hand. "Take good care of her."
Erik shook his hand. "I will, for as long as I have her."
Raoul was about to respond, but Michelle came back with a small wrapped package. "Merry Christmas."
He accepted the gift and kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you, dear. I must go now. I believe Meg is expecting me." Erik gave him a look that said, "Not likely". Raoul just shrugged and left through the passageway. He grinned to himself. *When Christine gets back, I'll tell her that we can't get married, and then I'll propose to Meg.* His grin widened. *And in the meantime, perhaps those two will admit that they're in love with each other.*
Guardian Angel
Michelle slowly awoke and became aware of her surroundings. She was in bed, and still wearing the gown she wore to the party last night.
Last night. She remembered all the horrible things that had happened: her secret coming out, Erik's fury, her own hatful words. But she also remembered the apology, falling asleep in Erik's arms, the flowers...
Where were those flowers, anyway? She saw them on the end of her bed. *Erik must have brought them in when he brought me,* she thought. She blushed at the thought of Erik putting her in bed. It was rather intimate in a way. She finally got up and dressed in one of her old gowns. It was rather drab compared with the sea-green outfit Erik had given her, but it was a ball gown. Not to mention horribly wrinkled. She didn't know how to get the wrinkles out, but her maid back home would. She sighed and hung it up next to her normal clothes. Perhaps she'd let her mother talk hr into buying a new, more fashionable wardrobe. Lord knew she'd been trying for years now.
She slipped out of her room and was going through the parlor to the kitchen. She stopped when she saw Erik, asleep in the large throne that dominated the wall. She felt a frown forming. Didn't he like the gift she had given him? She backtracked and peeked in his room to see why he didn't like it.
He didn't like it because it wasn't there.
Michelle let out an exasperated sigh. That idiot brother of hers. He was supposed to have delivered it when they were at the party. Oh, well. She could yell at him later.
She went to the kitchen and began making two omelettes: a three egg omelette with practically everything in the kitchen for Erik, and a two egg omelette with considerably less ingredients for herself. Just the way they like them.
As she cooked, her mind wandered to the angry words, the apology, the kiss under the mistletoe...
That kiss had been something special. She didn't have much experience with kisses, but she could tell. Probably because she was in love with him. A smile blossomed on her face. She perhaps she could get Erik to fall in love with her. Perhaps he already was and wanted her to stay. Surely the something she felt when they kissed wasn't one-sided. He liked her, at least. They were friends and he wouldn't want his best friend to leave. Assured by herself, Michelle folded the omelettes. One way or another, he would ask her to stay.
* * * * * * *
Erik had woken on the throne he spent the night on with a headache, part from the hangover he had and part from spending the night in a chair. Hearing Michelle in the kitchen, he went to his room to dress and shave and comb his hair. Erik smile wryly. Who knew he had a vain side?
Finally prepared to face the woman he loved, he stepped into the kitchen. She was putting the final touches on whatever eggs she had prepared this morning. He back was turned to him, and she was singing softly to herself. It reminded him so much of the first morning they had spent together when she had made breakfast as a surprise for him and had begun to chip away at the wall he had built around hi heart. He had never suspected that she would be so successful.
Michelle turned to put the plates of omlettes on the table and saw him watching her. Self consciously, she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled tentatively. "Good morning," she said softly.
"Good morning," he replied just as softly and continued staring at her.
She licked her lips nervously, though why she should be nervous, she didn't know. The action brought his eyes to her lips. He stared so intently it was like a new kind of caress. She cleared her throat. "Are you hungry?"
*That's a loaded question,* he thought. "Yes. Very." With his eyes still on her lips, the answer took on a very different meaning. She obviously thought so, too, because she blushed and turned away. Erik smiled to himself. That was just the reaction he had been hoping for. "It seems a little strange," he continued, "knowing... what you are, that you're still cooking."
Michelle glared at him as she took her seat. "You mean because I'm a Duke's stepdaughter, I shouldn't know how to cook, or do other basic housework?"
Erik took his seat and nodded.
"Well, it might interest you to know that I've only been a Duke's daughter for about seven years."
Erik was surprised. "Really? How did that happen?"
Michelle smiled and cut into her omlette. "Eat your breakfast and I'll tell you.
"My mother was Raoul's father's mistress, but she didn't know he was married. When she found out about me, she wanted to marry him. Unfortunately, he wanted neither of us. She traveled to England to get away."
"Get away from what?" Erik asked around a mouthful of egg.
"I don't know. Memories I guess.
"Anyway, she started working in an inn. One of the nice ones where she wasn't expected to do extra work upstairs." Erik choked on his omlette. "I was born there," she continued. "I started working when I was nine. Mostly by entertaining the guests' children to allow the adults to do their things. I started working as a waitress when I was thirteen.
"About that time, a widowed Duke had been coming to the inn a few times a year on his way to and from his country estate. He was the Duke of Winterbrook.
"When I was sixteen, I heard my mother crying in her room one night. As it turns out, She and the Duke had been... er..." She blushed. "Well, the point is, Mother was going to have his baby."
Erik suppressed a grin to her maidenly blush. "So, what happened?"
"Well, I told her she had to tell him. She said she was going to that night. He had just arrived that afternoon. So, when she went to tell him, I followed.
"It was rather surprising. He demanded that she marry him immediately. He had been trying to get her to the altar for years, actually." She smiled wistfully. "Unfortunately, she refused. Again, I suppose. They began to argue, so I left.
"I was so upset. Mother deserved some happiness, and I was certainly old enough to take care of myself.
"The next morning, Mother asked me to wait her tables, one of which was the Duke's. He was scowling, but seemed really hurt. Mother was positively miserable."
Erik smiled. "I'm sure you put a stop to that," he said, thinking of how she had dragged him out of his misery.
"Oh, of course. So later that day, I climbed to the roof of the inn. It was two stories high."
Erik frowned, not liking the thought of her being up that high. "How did you get there?"
"I used a ladder, and then brought it up with me." She grinned mischievously. "Mother was frantic. Everyone was outside begging me to come down. Actually, I think these two society matrons wanted me to jump. It would have made wonderful gossip."
Erik nodded, still frowning. "What did you do?"
"I told my mother I would only come down if she married the Duke. I knew she wanted to. She said yes, but I didn't really trust her to keep her promise. Luckily, the vicar was there, so he married them, after the Duke gave him a large purse to say he had read the banns.
"Once it was done and I came down, my mother seemed to realize exactly what had happened." Michelle shrugged. "I guess she had been too worried to really think about anything other than my safety.
"The Duke was grinning like a fool, he was so happy. He ordered his servants to pack her things, and mine. I told him he had no responsibility to me, but he said he had always wanted a daughter just like me. And besides, my mother would skin him alive if they left me."
Michelle blinked back the tears that always appeared when she thought about her stepfather. "To me, it was amazing. My real father didn't want me, but this man who had no connection to me except through my mother wanted me to be his daughter. He even legally adopted me." She brushed at her eyes and cleared her throat. "Anyway, Mother had a boy, Bryan, and two years later had the twins, Marie and Jonathan. The upper crust of London society accepted us simply because no on e wanted to cross the Duke." Michelle took a final sip of her tea. "And that is how I became a Duke's daughter."
Erik pondered this a moment as he brought another piece of his egg to his mouth. Then he noticed that both the utensil and the plate were empty. Michelle chuckled and began clearing the table. Erik smiled a little. "That explains a lot, like why you can cook, but there are still a few things I don't understand."
Michelle looked at him over her shoulder from the sink where she was washing the dishes. "Like what?"
"Like why you're not married."
Michelle paused her cleaning, then began again, slower this time. She didn't answer for so long that Erik thought she wasn't going to at all, but she finally spoke. "The men of the ton only wanted me because I have a dowry or because of my connections or both. They never wanted me for me. I want ore than that."
Erik stood and silently went behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. He was about to speak when they heard something in the front room.
"Where do you want this?" an unfamiliar male voice rang out. As one, Michelle and Erik went to the door. Michelle arrived first and peeked out.
"In that room, will do nicely." Raoul motioned toward Erik's room. Michelle bit back a word didn't usually use. Raoul was delivering her gift to Erik now? Raoul looked around, probably for the occupants of the house, and saw Michelle. He motioned for her to stay in the kitchen. She indicated that Erik was with her, and Raoul nodded back. "Be careful where you go," he said to the workers. "Some of this place is dangerous."
One of the men walked toward the kitchen. Michelle ducked inside before he saw her and motioned for Erik to keep quiet. "What's in here?" the man said as he pushed open the kitchen door.
Instinctively Erik pushed himself flat against the wall and pulled Michelle flush against his chest. She made herself as small as she could. Before the man could come in, Raoul pulled him out and explained that this area was not finished, and might be dangerous. Neither Erik nor Michelle really noticed because they were too focused on each other.
Erik swallowed hard. When he had grabbed Michelle, his only thought had been to keep her out of harm's way. Now that she was pressed rather intimately against him, his only thought was of how sweet her lips had been, how soft they were under his, and how much he wanted another taste. And the look in her eyes told him she was thinking the same things.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Erik dipped his head to Michelle's and claimed her mouth. This time there was no shy exploring; he devoured her with deep sensual strokes of his tongue, challenging hers into a duel. She gratefully complied by thrusting out her tongue to dance with his. With a feral growl, Erik twisted her head the other way to give himself greater access. Michelle wound her arms around his neck and tangled her hands in his hair.
*Michelle, Michelle, Michelle.* Erik's mind chanted her name like a song. *Michelle. So sweet, so soft, so right.*
Michelle felt Erik's arms tighten around her. Somewhere far away, someone moaned. Then she dizzily realized it was her. She put everything she had into her kiss, trying to say to Erik what words and pride wouldn't let her. She knew she couldn't speak of her love until he did. If he did.
Forcefully, she thrust the thought from her mind. He had to love her, at least a bit. There was no way a kiss could be this powerful without both people feeling it. And contributing to it. Comforted, she continued to kiss Erik for all she was worth. Even more.
"AHEM!"
They flew apart like the other was on fire. Raoul stood in front of them, eyes sparkling with humor. Michelle's face became very red. Erik face felt hot as well.
"The movers are gone," Raoul stated, failing to suppress a small, knowing grin. Michelle glared at him and swiftly went to the sink, where she loudly continued to clean the dishes. "I'll just go show Erik," he continued.
"Do that," Michelle answered curtly.
Erik stood and stared at her back. Why was she acting like this? She was embarrasses, obviously, but was she more so because she had been caught kissing HIM in particular? Not a pleasant thought.
Raoul took his arm and steered him out of the kitchen towards his bedroom, still grinning. He noticed Erik's frown and said, "Don't worry about her. She thinks kissing is a private thing and shouldn't be interrupted." He grinned mischievously, showing a striking resemblance to Michelle. "Of course if I didn't interrupt, I may have had to demand retribution."
Erik tried to scowl at him, but was so relieved by the revelation that he just smiled back. "Shouldn't you hit me or something for finding me with your sister anyway?"
"Normally I would, but I'd rather not cause anymore problems with my future brother-in-law. It would make family gatherings quite uncomfortable."
Erik frowned again. They both knew that Michelle would never want to stay with him, so why was Raoul hinting at a future for them? He was about to respond when Raoul led him into the room. Then he couldn't speak at all.
Instead of his lonely coffin, there was a grand four-poster bed. Its rich mahogany wood gleamed even in the dim light. The linens were a deep burgundy, as were the curtains hanging from the posts.
"She got this for me?" he said incredulously.
"I thought the coffin was bad for your mind."
Erik turned at Michelle's soft spoken words. Raoul had retreated to the front room when she came in. She was watching him carefully.
"It also seemed a bit uncomfortable." She tried to force a humorous grin, but something about the way Erik was looking at her made it impossible.
After a long moment, he took a step toward her. "No one has ever done anything for me," he said, looking deep into her eyes.
Compelled, she took a step forward as well. "You mean 'nothing like this', don't you?"
He took the final step that closed the gap between them. "No, I don't."
He lowered his head and brushed a soft fleeting kiss across her lips. He retreated before she could respond, much to her disappointment. "W-what was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
"That was to shut you up," he said, a smile playing about his lips. Then he leaned down and kissed her again, a bit longer this time.
Michelle tried to still her pounding heart. "And that?"
"That was to thank you."
Michelle nodded solemnly, then stood on her toes and kissed him back. When she ended the kiss, Erik stared at her, stunned. She smiled tremulously. "That was 'You're welcome'."
* * * * *
Raoul bent down so Michelle could kiss his cheek. "I'll be back soon to check on you," he promised.
"I'm sure you will," she replied. "Oh, wait here a moment. I have to give you your Christmas gift." She glanced meaningfully at Erik and back again. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."
When she disappeared into her bedroom, Erik looked at Raoul. "Is it really only the day after Christmas? It seems to be so much later."
Raoul nodded in agreement. Then he smiled and extended his hand. "Take good care of her."
Erik shook his hand. "I will, for as long as I have her."
Raoul was about to respond, but Michelle came back with a small wrapped package. "Merry Christmas."
He accepted the gift and kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you, dear. I must go now. I believe Meg is expecting me." Erik gave him a look that said, "Not likely". Raoul just shrugged and left through the passageway. He grinned to himself. *When Christine gets back, I'll tell her that we can't get married, and then I'll propose to Meg.* His grin widened. *And in the meantime, perhaps those two will admit that they're in love with each other.*
