The Phantom of the Opera
Part Thirteen
When the Peron family arrived at the house, Rosa answered the door with a smile. "Please, come in. They're out on the lawn."
They walked through the house to the back, where they saw Christine laughing as Dominique ran to a man dressed in black. The man caught her as she ran, swung her into the air, caught her again, and put her back down. She looked slightly dizzy, but was grinning happily.
Christine turned and saw the family. "You're here! Thomas, Emily, how are you?" After exchanging kisses, Christine smiled down at the boys. "You're both looking like adults now. I can barely believe how old you are!" She turned and called to them, "Erik, Dominique! The Perons are here."
"Uncle Thomas!" Dominique screamed excitedly, running to greet him. He smiled and lifted her into a hug.
"Hallo, Dominique. How are you?"
"Good." Dominique grinned. He set her down and she rushed back to Erik who lifted her into his arms. "Papa, Uncle Thomas!"
"So I see." Erik smiled, joining them on the patio.
He took Christine's hand and she smiled at him before turning to Thomas and his family. "Erik, this is Thomas Peron and his wife Emily. And these are their two sons, Andrew and Christopher."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Christine has told me a lot about you," Erik said, offering his hand. Thomas shook it briefly and Emily smiled.
"It's wonderful to meet you. We've been looking forward to it since the letter arrived."
"Well, let's sit down and have some tea," Christine said. Erik sat, with Dominique settled happily on his lap. Rosa came out with tea and cakes, putting them on the table. "Join us, Rosa," Christine smiled, and the girl accepted.
Once everyone was settled with tea or milk, Dominique reached for a biscuit. Erik was speaking with Christine, and Dominique stuffed the treat in his mouth. He spluttered slightly and Christine and Emily laughed. Andrew and Christopher grinned, and even Thomas couldn't help smirking. Erik swallowed the biscuit and looked down at the happy child. "Thank you for that, Dominique."
"Yes Papa. Nuver biscuit?"
"No, no, one is quite enough," Erik said firmly.
Christine smiled and asked Erik, "Shall I take her?"
"It's fine," Erik said. Dominique was drinking from her milk cup and looking perfectly innocent.
Thomas looked at him. "So, when did you first meet Christine, Monsieur Erik?"
"Just Erik, please. And I met her many years ago, when we were both living in the Opera Populaire."
"Erik was my tutor; he helped me with my singing," Christine said, pouring milk for the boys.
Emily looked at her sons. "Why don't you go and play?"
They needed no further prompting and rushed off. Christine smiled at Thomas, "Erik was my truest friend, all through my childhood. We were very close."
"How long did you live at the Opera Populaire, Erik?" Emily asked.
"Since I was a young boy," Erik began, and then looked at Christine.
She nodded and said to Dominique, "Go and play with Andrew and Christopher for a little while. Rosa, would you go with them?"
"Of course," Rosa said, taking Dominique's hand. When they were out of earshot Christine looked at Thomas and Emily.
"Do you remember the rumours of the Phantom of the Opera?"
"The Phantom? Yes, I remember… the strange man who haunted the Opera House," Emily said, trying to recall. Christine looked at Erik.
"Erik… was the Phantom."
Thomas and Emily gaped at Erik, who didn't speak. Christine carried on, "I know how that may sound, but in truth he wasn't as bad as the rumours said. Many of them were started by ballet girls and stagehands. Actually, Erik rarely bothered the inhabitants of the Opera House."
"The threats to the managers, and to the performers? I suppose that was all in good fun?" Thomas asked sharply.
Christine frowned but Erik stepped in, "I admit, Monsieur Peron, that I made many mistakes during my time at the Opera Populaire."
"So it would seem. And when did you and Christine begin a relationship?" Thomas said. Christine answered for him.
"I was having problems, with the Patron of the Opera House. The Viscount de Martinez, do you recall?"
"I read in the paper that his love was kidnapped from him," Thomas said, but Christine shook her head.
"No, Erik rescued me from him. We were to be married, Erik and I, but the Viscount tracked us down and destroyed our house. I thought that Erik was dead and he believed that I had died. I found out that I was with child."
Between them, they told the astonished pair of how they had searched for each other, how they had remained apart due to misunderstandings.
"And you did not know that Christine had had a child?" Emily asked Erik. He nodded and glanced over at the playing Dominique.
"When Monsieur Reyer told me… I came at once. I arrived and saw Dominique but I felt that I could not intrude on Christine's life. So I returned to Paris immediately."
"But Dominique told me that she had seen a man with a mask. I knew it had to be Erik and took Dominique to Paris with me. I found Erik, and we talked for some time about what had happened," Christine said.
Erik's hand found hers and she looked at him lovingly. Emily saw and smiled. Thomas on the other hand was fuming. But he remained calm and said, "And now you are to be married?"
"As soon as possible. We have been apart for too long," Erik said firmly. Christine nodded.
"You always wanted me to get married, Thomas. I hope now I can put your mind at rest."
"Walk with me, Christine," Thomas said, getting to his feet. Emily looked at him warningly.
"Thomas…"
"It's alright, Emily," Christine said, rising. She released Erik's hand and walked with Thomas, around the edge of the large lawn. When they were some way away from Emily and Erik, Thomas turned to her.
"Christine, I'm not convinced that this is a good idea. This man… he will upset everything that you have made here. He will disrupt your life, as he did before. Don't you think it would be a better idea to marry someone of… of a higher standard?" he said, his moustache twitching. Christine looked at him calmly.
"No. I don't think it would be a better idea. I can tell that you don't approve, Thomas but I love Erik. I've always loved Erik. That's why I could never marry. I swore to myself that I would never marry anyone except Erik. I expected to remain alone for the rest of my life, but now I have the chance at the happiness we had for a short while so long ago."
Thomas groaned and massaged his head with one hand. Christine sighed. "Thomas, you are one of my closest friends and your opinion is extremely valuable to me. But on this matter, I refuse to be swayed. Erik and I will be married. Of course, I want you and your family to remain close to myself and Dominique, and maybe, in time, Erik as well. So please… for my sake, get to know Erik. He's a wonderful man and he adores Dominique."
He stared down at her resolved face and sighed. "Fine… fine. I will try, for your sake, Christine."
"Thank you, Thomas. This means so much to me." Christine smiled, kissing his cheek. He didn't seem at all happy about the situation but as they sat down with Emily and Erik, who were talking amiably, he gave his wife a nod. She smiled at him gratefully.
Dominique came over and drank from her cup before looking at Christine. "Sing, please?"
"Not now, darling. Later."
"Sing, please?" Dominique said, turning to Erik.
Christine sighed. "No, Dominique."
"Sing, Papa?"
"Your mother said no," Erik pointed out. Dominique didn't seem to have quite grasped the concept that her parents could confer and stuck out her lip.
Emily smiled. "Oh, do sing for us, Christine. It's been so long since we heard you."
Erik and Christine looked at each other and then nodded. They all made their way to the music room and Erik sat at the piano.
"What song would you care for?" he asked Christine. She smiled.
"You choose." He considered and then began to play All I Ask Of You. Christine smiled widely and stood behind him, a hand on his shoulder. Rosa held Dominique who was looking happy at having got her own way. Andrew and Christopher looked vaguely interested, but would clearly prefer to be outside still. Emily and Thomas stood by the piano, watching carefully.
Erik sang his verse, his eyes fixed on the keys. But as Christine started her part, his eyes rose to meet hers. She sang with a tiny smile on her lips.
"…Promise me that all you say is true
That's all I ask of you…"
Erik began again and Dominique let out a happy sigh. Emily leant her cheek against Thomas shoulder as she watched the pair sing.
Let me be your shelter
Let me be your light
You're safe
No one will find you
Your fears are far behind you…
All I want is freedom
A world with no more night
And you always beside me
To hold me and to hide me.
Christine's luxurious voice wafted over them. She and Erik kept their eyes on each other. Thomas watched, a slight frown on his brow but unable to bring himself to say anything.
…Anywhere you go let me go to
Christine
That's all I ask of you...
Erik sang, his hands flying over the keys beautifully. Christine sang as well, her smile widening as she did so. As they began to sing together, Emily looked up at Thomas. He was watching them, no longer with a frown, but with an air of puzzlement.
"Say you love me." Christine sang quietly.
Erik smiled gently. "You know I do…"
"Love me
That's all I ask of you…"
The song ended on a perfect note, but no one moved. Christine and Erik were still watching each other closely, as though afraid the other would disappear. Eventually Emily said quietly, "That was beautiful."
"Thank you, Emily," Christine replied, smiling. Erik frowned, flexing his right hand. Christine touched the glove. "Is everything alright?"
"I knocked it. Something's out of place," he said.
Emily moved forward. "I might be able to help. The boys are always hurting themselves."
"I don't think you'll be able to help with this," Erik said, smiling wryly. Christine sat down on the bench and pulled the glove off carefully.
Thomas gasped and Emily drew back. "My god! What happened to your hand?" Thomas asked, shocked. Andrew and Christopher had run forward in fascination.
"I had an accident. Christine, is there a pin in the glove?" Erik said, examining the hand. Christine tipped the glove up and a small metal pin fell into her hand.
The Perons watched in a sort of morbid fascination as Erik carefully placed the pin back into position. He flexed the hand into a fist and unfurled it again. "That's better," he said, reaching for the glove.
Christopher piped up, "Monsieur le Phantome? How does it work?"
Erik looked surprised and briefly explained about the pressure points in the arm that would move each part of the hand. Andrew and Christopher looked fascinated but Emily frowned at them. "Don't be so rude, boys."
"It's quite alright, Emily," Christine assured her as the boys questioned him.
Andrew, the younger son, asked curiously, "Why do you have a mask?"
Christine turned sharply and Erik looked at her. She cleared her throat. "Let's go outside. It's a lovely day, we really shouldn't waste it." They all began to move outside.
Erik caught Christine's hand. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. You don't need to answer any questions if you don't want to," she assured him. They went outside where Emily and Thomas were talking quietly.
"Ah, there you are! We were just saying you should come to dinner next week. We've been planning a dinner party and now seems as good a time as any. On Friday," Emily said cheerfully. Erik and Christine exchanged a glance.
"That sounds lovely, Emily. We'd be delighted to come," Christine replied graciously. Thomas clapped his hands together.
"Excellent. It would be a good chance to introduce you to some friends, start socializing," he said, sounding efficient. Christine smiled.
"It's a wonderful idea. Would any of you like some more tea?"
"How did you like Thomas?" Christine asked that night, as she and Erik sat in the living room. Erik sighed.
"I don't think he warmed to me."
"He's a difficult man to get on with. I… he's a little protective."
"So I gathered. He doesn't want us to marry, does he?" Erik said quietly.
Christine didn't look at him. "No. He doesn't."
Erik didn't speak so Christine pushed on. "When I was pregnant, with Dominique, he invited me to a dinner party in the hope that I would meet someone. Of course, as soon as they found out I was pregnant, every eligible man vanished. But I refused to marry."
"Why?"
The question surprised her and she looked at him plainly. "Because I only ever would have married you. I'd have thought that were obvious."
Erik sighed deeply. "I'm not… your life is very different."
"I know. There's much less privacy, and if you don't go to dinner parties and balls you end up insulting someone or other. It's not easy," Christine said. She looked at him. "It's not the life you want."
"What I want is to be with you. And there is no price too high for that," Erik said, pulling her towards him.
She smiled and said quietly, "I love Thomas dearly, but nothing would ever make me give you up. Not again."
"Never again," Erik murmured, kissing her.
The following Friday, Christine was dressing when Erik put Dominique to bed. "Papa?"
"Yes Dominique?"
"Where going?"
"Your mother and I are going to have dinner with Uncle Thomas."
"Want to come."
"Maybe next time. You'd be bored," Erik told her.
Dominique frowned but then sighed. "Sing, please." Erik hummed her a lullaby as Christine came in. Dominique sighed. "Pretty, Mama!"
Erik turned and smiled at the sight of her. She was dressed in a pale blue evening gown, and had piled her hair on top of her head, allowing curls to tumble down. She kissed Dominique's head. "Go to sleep, Little One. Rosa will be here if you wake up," she told her. Dominique nodded and reached for her doll. Christine tucked it in under the blankets with her and looked at Erik. "Ready to go?"
"Yes. You look beautiful." She flushed slightly, her cheeks turning a charming pink. Erik smiled and looked down at the little girl who was watching them in interest. "Goodnight, Dominique."
"Night, Papa. Night Mama."
As they sat in the carriage on the way to Thomas's, Christine sighed. "I don't like leaving her, even now."
"I know. I've known her for a little over a week and I already worry about her."
"That's parenting for you. She adores you."
"I love her. I didn't think it was possible to love two people so much," Erik said quietly. Christine smiled gently.
"That's because your life was so hard. I doubt you were able to love anyone because nobody loved you. That's changed now."
"A definite change for the better," Erik agreed.
Christine smiled and said, "Let's get through tonight though. We're going to have to put up with a lot of gossiping."
"I'm sure we can manage a little gossip. But let's not draw attention to ourselves," he said.
Emily greeted them warmly as they entered the dining room. "How are you both?"
"We're well, thank you Emily," Christine smiled and looked around. There were about twenty other people present.
"We're expecting a couple more. Please, go and talk," Emily said, waving them on.
Erik's hand found Christine's and she smiled at him. "Nervous?"
"No. Are you?"
"A little. I don't know why, but I am," she admitted.
Thomas caught sight of them and waved them over. He was talking with another couple, older than them. "Lord and Lady Maurier, may I introduce you to Erik and Christine Le Phantome? The Maurier's come from Nice and are visiting family," Thomas told them.
Christine smiled. "It is an honour to meet you."
"And you. I'm sorry, what were the names?" Lady Maurier asked politely. Thomas moved away to speak with Emily, leaving the four of them to talk.
"Erik le Phantome and Christine le Phantome." Christine smiled.
Lord Maurier asked, "I expect you will be the youngest here. Have you been married long?"
Christine glanced at Erik who replied for her. "We are not yet married. Engaged."
"Oh, how lovely. Do you live nearby?" Lady Maurier asked, sipping her wine.
"Near the town, in the large house," Christine replied.
"Oh, I think I know it. Do you have many servants?"
"Just one maid. There are only three of us to look after, we manage quite well," Christine said serenely.
Lady Maurier frowned. "Three?"
"Our daughter, Dominique le Phantome."
"So… you have a child but are not yet married?" Lord Maurier asked incredulously.
Erik nodded. "That is correct."
"And how old is… Dominique, did you say?"
"Yes. She is a little over two years of age," Christine replied.
The Maurier's exchanged a glance. Christine said, "Erik and I were engaged to be married before Dominique's birth but there were… unforeseen circumstances. As a result Erik and I did not see each other for several years. We reunited a couple of weeks ago."
"I see. That's very unusual," Lady Maurier said delicately.
Lord Maurier said, in confusion, "I heard that the owner of the house also saw over the surrounding lands."
"That is me. I run the estate, through the tenants," Christine said calmly.
"You run the lands?"
"Yes. I manage well enough."
Lady Maurier touched her husband's sleeve. "Come, we should talk to the Gralisers. It's a pleasure," she said to Erik and Christine. They moved off and Christine looked up at Erik, with one eyebrow raised.
"And so it begins. In approximately five minutes, everyone in the room will know that we are unmarried, have a child and that a woman runs the estate."
"So I see. Wine?" Erik said, unconcernedly.
By the time they sat down to dinner, the word had indeed spread and they were receiving some odd glances. Erik pulled out Christine's chair for her and she sat down. He sat next to her. On Christine's other side was Emily and directly opposite were the Maurier's.
As they ate the starter, Emily quietly inquired after Dominique.
"She's quite well. She wanted to come tonight, but Erik assured her that she would be quite bored."
Emily laughed and said, "You must bring her some time. I know you don't like to take her away from your home, but she'd be quite safe here."
"I know. I suppose I'm rather overprotective," Christine admitted. Erik smirked and she smiled. "Don't look like that! You're just as bad. Dominique won't go to bed anymore unless Erik sings her a lullaby," she told Emily.
"Really? Oh, that's so sweet," Emily laughed.
Erik smirked again and said, "She has a musician's temper."
"From your side," Christine added. Erik eyed her.
"Now, Christine, you've been known to have your own artistic tantrums in your time."
"Not as much as you," Christine shot back instantly. Erik shrugged.
"I'm not going to deny it, but neither am I going to take full responsibility for Dominique's attitude."
Emily laughed at them. "Come, don't argue. Dominique's a lovely child. And I would quite like to hear more about Christine's artistic tantrums."
"I hardly ever had them. Not as much as Carlotta."
"No one could ever claim to outshine Carlotta in that field," Erik said, sipping his drink. Christine laughed and, seeing Emily's bemused look, explained.
"Carlotta was the leading Soprano at the Opera Populaire. She loathed me and I doubt there was a single rehearsal when she didn't make an enormous fuss over something or other."
"Excuse me… I'm sorry to interrupt, but did you mention the Opera Populaire?" said a friendly looking woman a little further down the table. Christine nodded.
"Yes, I did."
"I was there last week, watching their performance of Il Muto. It was a good performance. I believe Madame Carlotta was playing the countess."
"She would be," Erik muttered and Christine tutted at him before smiling at the woman.
"Carlotta has a strong stage presence."
"She certainly does. Have you been to the Opera often?" the woman's husband asked. Christine hesitated and then nodded.
"Yes. I used to perform at the Opera Populaire."
There was a stunned silence and the woman said, in disbelief, "You were? But I thought that you were of noble blood?"
"Not particularly. My father was a violinist. When he died I went to live at the Opera Populaire."
"What did you do there?" Lady Maurier asked. Erik could see that everyone was interested. They would be, he thought dryly, this was probably the most excitement they were going to have for the next month.
"I started as a dancer, and then I sang for a period of time," Christine said. Thomas cleared his throat and Christine glanced over at him.
Emily frowned at her husband and then said, "Yes, Christine is a wonderful singer."
"Of course, I haven't sung properly for years. A little practice occasionally, but nothing taxing."
"Wait a moment… you aren't the girl who performed when that strange man got onto the stage, were you?" someone further down the table asked. Everyone glanced down at the woman who was frowning, trying to remember. A moment later she smiled. "All I Ask Of You! That was the song! Everyone was evacuated from the theatre afterwards, we were told that there was an intruder. Do you remember?" she asked. Christine smiled slightly.
"I remember. And yes, I was the girl who performed the song."
"It was so extraordinary! We heard that it was the Phantom of the Opera who performed with you," the woman said, looking to her husband for confirmation. He nodded and then laughed.
"All nonsense, of course. Who would believe in that?"
Everyone laughed and Christine glanced at Erik. He was smirking slightly and Christine laughed quietly. The man finished laughing and asked, "But I do remember that performance. It was very good, very convincing."
"What did the 'phantom' look like?" somebody asked, and he screwed his face up.
"You know, I can't remember too well. The only thing I noticed was that he wore a…"
"A mask?" Christine asked quietly.
Everyone's eyes fell on Erik who sipped his wine calmly. He looked down at Christine and smirked.
"Let me assure you, there is no Phantom of the Opera. It was simply a publicity stunt cooked up by the managers."
"Were you the man who performed that night?"
"I was. All part of the publicity, I assure you. I was hired by the managers to create a fuss. It brings business in, you see," Erik said. Christine bit her lip in an effort not to laugh.
"And your name? Le Phantome?" Lord Maurier asked.
"Pure coincidence, Monsieur," Christine smiled.
Everyone looked dubious and Erik said smoothly, "You do not believe in the story of the Phantom of the Opera? Absolute myth and I doubt company such as this would be drawn in by such a stunt."
There was a chorus of 'of course not' and 'not for a moment'. Erik winked quickly at Christine who couldn't help smiling at the way he had handled the situation. Lady Maurier said sweetly, "Perhaps, after dinner, you would give us a taste of song? I can't say I care much for opera, but maybe you can change my mind."
Erik and Christine looked at each other quickly but Thomas said, "Of course you must. There is a piano in the parlour. We shall adjourn there later."
The conversation soon turned away from the subject and Christine said quietly to Erik, "Is this alright?"
"It's fine. We should have expected a fuss."
"Hmm. You handled it beautifully."
"A little improvisation can go far, my darling," he murmured. Christine laughed and turned to speak with Emily.
After dinner, Erik and Christine were reluctantly moved towards the parlour. The woman who had seen the performance was talking brightly to Christine. "It was lovely performance. But you don't sing anymore?"
"Not really. I have the estate to take care of, but I love music," Christine said.
Emily pulled a sheet off a piano and opened the lid. "Here. I don't know how well tuned it is, we haven't used it in so long," she said. Erik ran his hands over the keys in an impossibly fast tune.
"It sounds fine," he assured her. Christine stood by the piano as Erik looked up at her. The rest of the guests sat down or stood in a semicircle around the piano. "What song?" Erik inquired. Christine smiled.
"I really don't mind. You choose, Erik."
"Oh, sing that one you did for us one time, Christine. What was it… Thinking of me?" Emily said.
"Oh, Think of Me," Christine smiled.
Thomas interrupted, "No, do All I Ask Of You. So we can hear Monsieur Le Phantome sing."
Erik looked at Christine who nodded. "All I Ask Of You then."
"As my angel commands," Erik murmured. Christine smiled as he began to play.
The audience listened in amazement as Erik sang his first verse. Christine could have laughed at the looks on their faces but didn't of course. Instead she waited for her cue and then began to sing, her eyes fixed on Erik's. A collective sigh went around the guests as they began to sing together. Christine's favourite part was when she sang,
Say you love me
And Erik would look at her, that tiny smile on his face as he replied,
You know I do
Love me
That's all I ask of you
As the song faded away, Christine couldn't tear her eyes away from Erik's. After a few moments of silence the guests applauded generously.
"That was simply wonderful."
"You sounded so lovely."
"You're both so very talented."
Erik kissed Christine's hand. "You sounded perfect."
"I had a good teacher," she smiled, teasingly. There was a knock on the door and one of the servants entered. Thomas turned to him.
"Yes?"
"There's a messenger here, for the Le Phantomes."
"Show him in."
Christine frowned as a boy from the village entered, clutching his hat in his hands.
"Yes?" she asked. Erik stood beside her and the boy trembled.
"There's… There's been a burglary."
"What?" Christine said in disbelief.
The boy licked his dry lips and said, "At the house. The police are there now."
"My god!" Emily gasped and Christine's heart almost stopped.
She whirled and stared at Erik. "Dominique!"
Erik looked at the boy. "What about our daughter? Is she…?"
"I don't know, monsieur. I was told to tell you to come as quickly as possible."
"Very well. Go," Erik said as Christine cried aloud, clasping her hands over her mouth. The boy slipped out and Erik turned to Christine, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Christine, stay calm."
"Dominique! What if she's hurt? My god, Erik, how could we have left her?" Christine cried, tears falling down her face.
"Dominique will be fine. I promise you," Erik said, taking her into his arms and holding her tightly.
She wept into his chest and then pulled away. "We have to go. We have to go to her!"
"Emily, Thomas, my apologies," Erik said quickly.
"Of course, hurry! We'll follow, to make sure everything is alright," Emily said. Erik took Christine's hand and pulled her towards the door.
The guests looked at each other and got up to follow.
Erik took two horses from the stables.
"We will get there faster on horseback. Can you ride?"
"I'll be fine," Christine said, climbing onto one of the horses. They set off quickly, forcing the horses to gallop.
It took them about twenty minutes. When they got to the house, the police were already there. An officer stopped them. "Names?"
"We live here," Erik told him. Christine ran forwards.
"Where is she? Where is Dominique?" She saw Rosa, who was shaking and in tears, talking to a policeman. She darted towards the maid and took her arm. "What happened Rosa?"
"I was sitting upstairs and I heard men downstairs. They were looking through all the rooms for something, I don't know what. I hid Dominique, but they found me when I went downstairs to see if we could escape. They saw me and chased me upstairs, but I hid in the wardrobe in one of the spare bedrooms," Rosa explained in a hysterical voice. Christine shook her arm.
"Where is Dominique?"
"I hid her in the cupboard in her bedroom! But when I went there to fetch her, she was gone!" Rosa cried, collapsing into a fit of tears.
Christine turned to Erik, who had heard. "What do we do?"
"She might still be in the house. We'll search for her," Erik said. They ran to the house and started to call her name.
"Dominique! Dominique, please, where are you? Answer me!"
"Dominique, it's Mama and Papa."
They searched upstairs and the police joined them in searching. It was nearly an hour later when the police insisted they go outside to calm down.
"If you carry on like this, you could become too distressed. Please, go outside and get some fresh air."
So they waited outside. Erik held Christine tightly. "We will find her. I promise you that we will find her."
"She'll be so scared, Erik," Christine whispered. They looked up as a series of carriages arrived, carrying the guests from the dinner party. Thomas and Emily ran to them.
"What's happened?"
"Dominique has gone," Erik whispered. Christine bit her lip to stop it trembling and buried her face in Erik's chest. The guests starting to talk loudly but Erik ignored them. "We will find her."
"What if they took her? What if the men took her away?" Christine cried. Erik couldn't answer. He didn't know what to say. The door to the house opened and they both looked up. A policeman came out, carrying a struggling bundle in his arms.
"Mama! Want Mama and Papa!"
"Dominique!" Christine screamed. The policeman set the struggling child down and she ran to her parents. Christine and Erik ran forward, scooping her up. Christine's cries were mingled with the relief-filled voices of the guests and the policemen.
"Dominique… thank God, you're safe." Christine wept, holding the child close to her chest. Erik put his arms around them both, relief filling him.
"Bad men," Dominique sniffled.
Christine stroked her hair and said, "It's alright. The bad men have gone."
Erik took Dominique in his arms and asked, "Are you hurt, Dominique? Did the men hurt you?" She shook her head, clutching her doll to her chest. Erik closed his eyes and hugged her tightly. "Thank God… thank God…" he whispered. And he sank to his knees, still holding Dominique tightly to him. Christine fell too and the three of them sat on the ground, completely unaware of the commotion around them as they held each other closely.
Eventually Dominique said, "Bad men gone?"
"Yes, they're gone. Where did you go?" Christine asked.
"Bed. Went to bed."
"Mama and Papa's bed?"
"Yes. Bad men came, but gone now," Dominique mumbled. She looked up at Erik. "Bad men wanted Papa."
Erik and Christine looked at each other and then at their daughter. "How do you know, Little One?" Christine asked quietly. Dominique sniffed.
"Said so. Wanted mask."
"They wanted the man with the mask?" Erik asked. She nodded and Erik said, "What did they say, Dominique? What did they say about the Papa?"
"Said Papa took…"
"Took what?" Christine asked. Dominique screwed up her face, trying to remember. Christine and Erik waited patiently. "Took… took Mama. Said took Mama."
Christine looked at Erik in confusion. He looked as bewildered as she did. Dominique said, "Bad men took box."
"What box?"
"Mama's box," Dominique said, as though it were obvious which box. Christine frowned and Erik looked at her.
"There was nothing valuable in it. Just a few old trinkets and bits from the Opera House."
"Like what?"
"Well… some costume jewellery. Programmes from the shows. A couple of little pictures of the chorus girls. A piece of your old mask, after it was broken. Nothing of value. Why on earth…?"
"Monsieur?" a policeman said.
They all looked up at him and Erik replied, "Yes?"
"We found this pinned to a door." They looked at the object in his hands.
Christine stared in disbelief and Erik frowned. Dominique had become bored with the whole thing and was playing with her doll. Erik looked at Christine. "Isn't that…?"
She reached out and took the pink mask. She turned it over in her hands. "The mask I wore to the Masquerade Ball. But… I thought I left it at the Opera House."
"There was also this." The policeman said. He handed her a note labelled Christine Daae.
Christine took the note and stared at it.
"What sort of burglar breaks in, takes a box of worthless trinkets and leaves a note?" Erik said, bewildered. Christine silently tore open the note. Her eyes scanned it. Erik was watching her and she went deathly pale.
"No… it isn't possible…" she whispered. Erik took the note and read it.
You are still mine, Christine Daae.
"The mask. He must have taken it," Christine whispered. Erik shook his head.
"No, Christine. This is… someone is playing tricks on you. He is dead. The dead don't write notes."
"Then how do you explain this, Erik?" Christine shouted.
Dominique looked up at her mother, surprised to hear her harsh tone. Emily and Thomas came forward.
"What's happened?"
"Nothing. I think we need to get some sleep. We'll sort this out in the morning," Erik said quietly. Christine nodded and bent to pick up Dominique.
It took them some time to clear everyone out of the grounds. Rosa returned to the village to sleep, still shaken by her ordeal. Dominique climbed into her parent's bed and went to sleep almost instantly. Christine set the mask down on the desk. Erik put his arms around her waist.
"He is dead, Christine. This isn't him."
"Who could it be though? Who could possibly have gotten hold of that mask? It disappeared that night. He must have taken it with him when he left. I didn't see," Christine whispered.
"Someone is trying to scare you. We will find out who it is. But it is not the Viscount de Martinez. He is dead."
She turned and looked up at him. "Erik, it's working. I am scared. He nearly killed you. I can't lose you."
"You won't. Whoever is doing this to us will not go unpunished. I promise you that," he said, kissing her.
She kissed him back and then said, "We should sleep…"
"I know," he whispered. They lay down on either side of Dominique, being careful not to wake her. But it was sometime before either of them slept.
A/N: Well, that's it! You've finally caught up with me! I haven't finished chapter 14 yet because school is keeping me down. In fact I'm supposed to be doing my Health and Social Care Coursework right now, but instead I'm posting this and reading all the lovely reviews you left! Lol, OK, gonna work now… starts daydreaming about Erik and Christine.