Walking aimlessly and near blinded by the fierce storm, I felt as I were watching myself in a dream. A well appeared before me. Sinking down against it, I rested my cheek against the hard stone. Everything steadily seemed to recede into a sort of twilight world.

Suddenly I was grabbed by the shoulders and pulled onto my feet.

"Good God, Angelica, what am I going to do with you?"

At the sight of the masked man before me, my tears began to fall like rain.

With a pained look in his eyes, Erik shook his head in disbelief before gripping my face in both hands. He kissed me as desperately as a dying man clinging to life. I returned his kiss with just as much raw emotion. So lost were we in each other's arms that we were impervious to the onslaught of the storm that raged about us.

Eventually sanity returned.

"What a silly stupid thing to do…!" he chided as he whisked me close to him and sheltered me with his cape. Together we made our way back to the shelter of the inn.

The innkeeper's wife could not hold back a gasp of shock as we returned to our alcove looking like a pair of drowned rats.

Once we had entered the privacy of our room, I could no longer hold back all of the words I should have said before. "I'm so sorry I hit you, Erik," I sobbed. "The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you."

He quieted my lips with his fingertips.

"Hush, love. I deserved that slap and more for making such a reprehensible remark."

"And I'm sorry I have such a jealous and possessive nature…"

"Please, dear heart, what about my foul temper? Neither of us was in the right, it seems." He kissed my forehead. "But, my dear, what were you thinking, running off like that in the storm? You might have made yourself ill…"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I was just so miserable…but why did you come back, Erik?"

"I never left. I wanted to make sure you were safely escorted back to Paris. Imagine my surprise when I saw you wandering in the rain like that…" He took me in his arms. "I see I shall have to keep you out of trouble."

"We can't seem to stay away from each other, can we?" I smiled as I nestled in his embrace and felt like I had come home after a long journey.

"Oh, Angelica...this is so wrong in so many ways," Erik murmured as he held me against his chest and stroked my hair. "You could never be happy with me. Once this wild attraction for each other has cooled, you will see what a mistake you're making."

"I know I shall never be happy without you," I answered.

"Don't you see what a life with me means?" he asked me, turning my chin up to him. "You'll always be sheltered up in that house all of the time living with a criminal. And I will constantly be hurting you, whether by intention or accident. The sort of argument that we had will probably be commonplace. And you'll always have to bear my horrid face."

"I don't care about your face."

"Blast, Angelica, you've never even seen it!"

"Yes, I did," I argued. "That night at the opera."

The memory of that night caused him to scowl. "How could any woman want such a monster?" He averted his eyes and pulled away from me, consumed with shame.

"Stop it! You're not a monster!" I cried, hurrying to his side. "You're a man…a very special man who has turned my life upside down…" Although his back was turned to me, I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my cheek against his shoulder. "And I do want you so much….perhaps ever since we met…and no aphrodisiac is responsible for that."

I ran my hands up and down his waistcoat and along the breadth of his shoulders. Erik let out a deep moan of pleasure, allowing me to embrace him.

"I am such a flawed man, my dear. I don't understand why you want to be with me." He turned and held my hands to his heart. "But I am so grateful that you do."

Then he kissed me with such tenderness that I felt my senses sharpen with desire.

"Since I cannot make you see reason, there is only one course of action left to take. I shall have to make you my wife."

My heart stopped.

"You want to marry me?"

"Yes, at once. I have already compromised your honor countless times by having you live with me," he smiled wryly. "And considering our regard for each other, it seems to be the only thing to do."

"Erik, I would give you my love freely," I offered. "You need not make any sacrifices for me."

Erik laughed with amusement. "It is no sacrifice, my dear, but the utmost selfishness of my part. You see, now that I have found you, I intend to keep you by my side for the rest of my days. I believe we would have a most compatible marriage, Angelica. We can continue to write together and read plays and have wine by the fire. And who knows? Perhaps you may persuade me to go outdoors after all. We could have picnics together if that would please you. Or even better, we could travel! Perhaps we could go to your home in New Orleans."

"Tennessee," I corrected him.

"Oh, yes, of course. And you would never need to worry about money as I have enough wealth stored up to last us for the rest of our lives."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh, but I have hardly proposed to you in the way that a young girl would wish for. Shall I try again?" Then he kneeled before me, kissing my hands. "Mademoiselle DuBois, will you do me the honor of taking my hand in marriage?"

I could no longer contain my grief and broke down in tears of misery.

"I am at a loss, Angelica!" Erik exclaimed. "Although I know little about the fairer sex, I thought that my offer of marriage would please you!"

"It does please me…so much. And I would be honored to accept your proposal," I admitted through my tears. "If only I could…"

"Angelica, please explain yourself. You are making no sense."

"I cannot marry you, Erik…" I choked back a sob. "Because I am married already."