Chapter 3
Once again, Odette found herself on the Place de l'Opera wondering what to do. She really didn't know anymore now than she had before. Erik was at the Opera, she had seen that last night, and he had a new pupil, a girl who had never seen him. Odette grimaced, she was sure this girl could sing as she had never been able to. Erik used to get so frustrated that she couldn't sing an Opera, and yet he had loved her, and she him! There must be someway to prove how much I still care!
Odette wondered the streets, there must be some servants around, they always know the goings-on, and are always willing to gossip! With a wicked smile, she hailed a hansom back to her hotel. Half an hour later, Odette observed herself in the mirror, she had pulled her stunning red hair back into a sloppy bun, pulled on a plain grey dress, and using dark make-up, she had given herself a swarthy complexion that helped hide her freckles. Satisfied with her new appearance Odette hurried back to the Opera. She walked confidently through the courtyard entrance, again caressing the horseshoe on her way in. Once inside Odette realized that she had no idea where to find anything in this huge Opera house.
"Are you the new maid?" A woman asked.
"Oh, thank the Gods in Heaven!" Odette muttered under her breath. "Yes, I've never worked anywhere this intimidating!" Odette replied, pretending to look nervously at this new woman, while in reality she quickly examined her; she was medium height, a tad on the plump side, but looked vaguely cunning, with masses of gorgeous dark hair, and a pair of green eyes to kill for.
"Names Carla, come on then, we'll get supplies, you're needed "Names Carla, come on then, we'll get supplies, you're needed in the manager's office now." Carla turned and swept down the chamber.
"Thank you!" Odette cried, rushing after Carla and gratefully thanked whoever had mounted the lucky horseshoe at the Opera's entrance. "Are all of the rumors true? Is there an Opera ghost?" Odette asked, feigning ignorance.
"Yes," the woman replied simply, and quickened her pace. A minute later, she added, sadly "He killed a man name Joseph Bouquet at last nights Gala." Something about the immense sadness in her voice made Odette curious.
"Did you know this man very well?"
"Oh yes," her face was momentarily lit up, then looking sheepish she quickly added, "Joseph was well liked." Inwardly, Odette grinned, while she had no doubt the man was well liked but she also had no doubt that this woman had been Bouquet's lover. "We… um, lived together," Carla added, flipping her magnificent hair and having the decency to blush, slightly. Soon the woman opened the biggest 'broom closet' Odette hade ever seen, shelves upon shelves of cleaning supplies lined a room that, judging by its size could have once housed one of the Opera's divas. "Here are your things," the woman pushed a horde of supplies into Odette's arms. "Go up those stairs over there" the woman nodded off in some vague direction, "go up two flights, you'll find yourself in a large lobby, the managers office is at the far end of that lobby," with that she bustled off, giving her brilliant hair one last shake.
After a moments confused wandering Odette found the right set of stairs and entered the manager's office. She was particularly disappointed to find the room empty, she was stuck cleaning with out even getting some more gossip out of the gig. Less than twenty minutes later, assuring herself that the room was clean enough, Odette wandered the Opera house excitedly watching all of the bustling activity. She wandered through a massive door and found herself in another courtyard, this one housing twelve matching white horses. Odette beamed, and walked towards the biggest of the horses, which was being saddled by an equally giant man. She had no idea that once again Erik was watching her from the shadows. Erik beamed, she's in the Opera for half an hour and she has already found the stables, it took me two week to realize they were out here!
"I'm Lachenel, and this 'ere's César" said the man saddling the horse as he watched Odette reverently stroke the horses thick white neck.
"He's absolutely gorgeous! Can he be ridden?" She couldn't resist asking.
"Do you ride?" The giant asked in doubtfully.
"Of course I do." Odette replied indignantly, from his shadow Erik laughed.
The man smirked and said, "I'd like to see you ride 'im then…over those jumps." With that, he nodded to a ring with several jumps nearly four feet high spaced around it.
If there was one thing Odette loved it was a dare, especially one that involved a good horse! "I can handle those jumps, long as this horse of yours can!" She replied sassily.
The stud-groom snorted and cupped his hands to offer Odette a leg-up. With a sly smile, Odette leapt to the horses back, without anyone's help. She always was a stubborn show-off Erik remembered, a trifle resentfully. Odette lead César gracefully to the ring and circled at a flawless canter. The stud-groom watched her with obvious disbelief. Seeing his shock Odette spun César into the jumps, leaping each as if she and the massive horse were one. She then calmly slowed him to a walk and dismounted elegantly handing the reins to the awed stud-groom. She smiled, but had the grace not to say, "I told you so" as she sauntered back inside the Opera; the stud-groom stood slack jawed watching her depart.
Two days later César would disappear, stolen by the Phantom, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone but himself and perhaps Odette.
Odette drifted back into the opera towards a buzz of female voices. Ah-ha, the ballet dormitories! Odette wanted to speak to Christine again, and find what she knew about Erik and the Daroga. Odette slipped into a nearby dressing room and removed most of the dark makeup, returning her skin to its normal freckled pallor, and freed her hair from its bun. Changed back into her normal self (with the exception of the ugly grey dress she had been wearing) Odette strode confidently into the dormitories. She was immediately stopped by a formidable lady with a long graying braid who must be the house mother, Madame Giry. Odette once again lied about knowing the new managers, and was admitted into the dormitories without further question. Odette began asking around for Christine and was told, in no uncertain terms by Mme Giry, that the singer's whereabouts were none of her concern. A lithe blond girl whispered that Christine had been ill and was resting away from the Opera. Mme Giry came over, enraged, telling the dancers not to engage in idle gossip with strangers. Under Mme Giry's threatening glare Odette fled the dormitories, still unsure of where to find Christine, the Daroga, or Erik. Odette began to explore again, nearly running into a young man who was knocking franticly on a dressing room door.
"Can I help you monsieur?"
"I'm looking for Mademoiselle Daaé. Have you seen her?" The man sounded frenzied.
"I hear that she's ill, but she was here this morning. I'm Odette." She added, holding her hand out to him.
"Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny" he replied taking her hand and giving it a polite kiss, "the pleasure's all mine." Odette smiled, charmed by his good looks and polite manner.
"You saw Christine this morning?" Christine, eh? So, this man knows her fairly well, good for Mademoiselle Daaé, a chorus girl doesn't often catch a Vicomte!
"Oui, but the ballerinas say she went home ill. Why do you need her?"
"I need to talk to her…about a voice." For some reason the Vicomte trusted this stranger.
"Really? I was going to ask her about an 'Angel' that she hears every day, from this dressing room. Have you heard it too?" Odette was surprised; Erik must not have known about this man, he would never purposely let himself be heard by someone else.
"You know what I heard? What do you mean Angel? What is he doing with Christine?" This man not only knows her, he loves her! A Vicomte loves the chorus girl Erik is training, that won't make him happy! This man had better watch himself.
"She thinks she hears an angel," Odette sighed wondering how much to tell this man, "but I suspect a man named Erik. I knew him once; he's teaching her how to sing."
"She can already sing! She's been singing since she was three years old!"
"You heard her last night; she never sang like that before, did she?" The Vicomte nodded gently.
"She told…this Erik…that she sang only for him. He asked for her love, she told him that she had given him her soul. She must know that it is a man she speaks too!" Odette raised an eyebrow, how had he heard all that? Was the Vicomte listening at doors, how delightfully improper. She smiled but decided to keep her suspicions to herself.
"Can we go somewhere…else to discuss this?" She asked instead, Odette didn't feel comfortable telling Erik's story in his Opera house. The Vicomte nodded.
Twenty minutes later Raoul lead Odette into the library at the Chagny mansion, a maid brought them tea, (hmm…how very English considering this is Paris, oh well) and Raoul closed the door after her. "Tell me about this man." He demanding turning on Odette and watching her intently.
"He is a musical genius; I met him many years ago in Persia. He taught me how to sing, but he believes now that I betrayed him. He was driven from Persia for murders he never committed, now he's here, and I believe he's training Mademoiselle Daaé. He won't let himself be seen, so he let her think she's hearing an Angel. The angel of her father, I believe." The Vicomte sunk into a large red leather armchair.
"Why won't he let her see him?" Odette pointedly ignored the Vicomte's question.
"I told her about him this morning, I'm afraid he may try to kidnap her, to keep her with him. Vicomte, we must keep her away from him!"
"Raoul" he corrected her, "How?"
"Raoul," she amended "have you ever seen a man, a Persian, in the Opera?"
"The dancers talk about him, no one knows why he is there, but I have never seen him."
"He was the chief of police, a Daroga, back in Persia, I'm sure he's here to keep an eye on Erik. I need to find him; he should be able to lead me to Erik."
"Then we will find the Persian!" He's so dramatic Odette thought with a laugh. "Where are you staying?" He asked unexpectedly, Odette raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"I'm at the Hôtel Lumière, why?" Odette asked, knowing exactly what the Vicomte would say.
"I just thought it might be easier to keep track of each other if you stayed in the guest room here." Odette looked at Raoul critically he had seemed so honest and naive.
"Would that be proper? I'm not a Comtess."
"I can let anyone sleep in my guest room, Comtess or not." He countered vehemently. "I just thought that if you were here it would be easier to keep Christine safe." He sounded offended, rightfully so Odette thought, embarrassedly wondering why she always assumed the worst in people.
"I would be honored to stay here." She answered demurely.
"Let us find the Persian!" Raoul cried, leaping from his chair. Again, Odette was tempted to laugh at his dramatization.