Disclaimer: The characters of The Phantom of the Opera belong to Gaston Leroux and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The plot and all new characters are the product of my over-active imagination.
A/N: Warning for violence. Christine has been kidnapped by Robert, right from under the noses of Erik and the police. Please read and review—thanks to all of you who have been so supportive of my little story.
NO ONE BUT HER
Chapter Thirteen—Turn Around and Face Your Fate
Throughout all the next day they received no word from either Robert or the police. Erik paced in the library like a caged animal, until Marie ran him out, ordering him not to return until he had calmed down.
He found himself in the stables and after checking on Thunder's injuries, he began to curry the big gray horse, talking softly to him, thinking aloud. "How in God's name are we going to find her? And Filbert! I'd sooner put my trust in you to find her than him. God, I hate feeling this helpless!"
"Monsieur?" Jacques, the stable master, spoke quietly from behind him. "This lad says he knows you and that he needs to speak with you."
"Yes, Philippe works at the livery stable just on the edge of the city. What do you need to tell me?" Erik put down the brush he'd been using and came to stand in front of the gangly youth.
"Monsieur Erik, I heard about what happened, about the vicomtesse and . . . I think I might know where she is." He scuffed the toe of his boot in the dirt of the stable floor, twisting his cloth cap between his hands.
Grabbing the boy's upper arms, Erik forced him to look up. "Tell us everything that you know."
"Well, M. Robert has come in and rented horses from time to time, so I recognized him when he came in a few days ago. He told M. Duchesne that he needed to rent a buggy and that he would pick it up the day before yesterday. He also told Monsieur that he needed a 'good' horse, since he would be driving back and forth between the city and Chouteau."
"Chouteau is just a small village—we should be able to find her fairly easily." Erik released the lad and gave him a slap on the shoulder. "Thank you, Philippe," he said. "When this is all over, come and see me. I might have a job for you."
Glancing at Jacques, Erik made a quick decision. "Jacques, pick two men that you trust, to go with us. You, Philippe, they and I will go to Chouteau and find the vicomtesse. We leave in thirty minutes."
He returned to Thunder's stall and saddled him quickly. Noticing that Philippe was hanging back, he jerked his chin toward the next stall. "Saddle the gelding, Philippe. You can ride him when you go with us."
In less than thirty minutes the five departed quietly, singly and in pairs, taking extra care to draw no undue attention to themselves. Within the hour they arrived in Chouteau and split into two groups to search the village for Christine, agreeing to meet again in an hour to regroup if necessary.
Erik and Philippe found her in a small house on the northern edge of town. Her hands were tied together, and she was tied to a bed with a length of rope that allowed her to take several steps in either direction. Erik hissed out a breath when she turned toward the window and he saw a bruise on her right cheek and dried blood on the corner of her mouth.
Philippe nudged him, pointing to a hugely overweight man who sat in a chair at the small table, his head back as he snored loudly. Erik whispered, "Skirt around the house and make certain this is the only guard." In a short while the youth returned and nodded—only one guard.
Squeezing him on the arm, Erik eased away from the house in the direction they had come, back to the rendezvous point to wait for the others. When they arrived, he spoke in a low voice. "We found the vicomtesse. There is only one guard." He held up a hand for quiet as Jacques and the other men insisted on rescuing Christine right away. "As much as I want to burst in and take her back immediately, I want that murdering bastard Robert even more."
Reluctantly the others nodded in agreement. "So," continued Erik, "Marcel, you and Philippe will remain here and watch for Robert's arrival. One of you come to me when he has arrived and we will rescue the vicomtesse and catch him at the same time."
Immediately Marcel and Philippe led their horses quietly back toward the house. Erik, Jacques, and Francois walked their horses a short distance away then mounted and rode back to the city in silence.
Leaving Jacques to care for Thunder, Erik entered the house to find Marie, Meg and Madame Germont in the library. They all looked up expectantly when he came in, and quickly he told them, "We found her."
Marie and the cook both crossed themselves and Meg bounded up from her chair to give him a quick hug. "But where is she? Is she all right? Why didn't you bring her home with you?"
"She's in Chouteau—Robert's holding her in a small house there." Erik explained how Philippe had come to them with the information, and that he had left Marcel and Philippe to watch and wait for Robert's arrival. "One of them will come and let us know as soon as the bastard arrives," he added. "Once that happens, Jacques and I will go back, rescue Christine and capture Robert."
Arching an eyebrow at him, Marie asked, "And what of Inspecteur Filbert?"
"After we have left to rescue Christine, send Francois to him, to tell him where she is. But only after we have left, Marie."
She nodded, and Madame Germont spoke. "Come into the kitchen, Monsieur Erik, and let me fix you something to eat."
Realizing suddenly that he was famished, he gave her a lopsided grin. "Thank you, madame. Do you have any roasted chicken?"
She patted his shoulder as she went to the door. "As if I would not have your favorite," she chided him gently, wringing a soft chuckle from him.
After he had eaten, Erik went out to the garden, to the section that contained the small waterfall and pool, which reminded him a little of the grotto beneath the opera house where he had lived for so many years. Sinking down on one of the benches, he concentrated on Christine. Be brave, Angel, he thought, but don't be foolish. We will rescue you soon and capture Robert and make certain he pays for his crimes.
He heard someone behind him and whirled around. Philippe stood there, breathing hard as if he had run the entire way from Chouteau. "Monsieur Erik," he gasped, "M. Robert has arrived—I left immediately to come to you. I—I heard him tell the vicomtesse that she would come to regret how badly she and the vicomte had treated him over the years."
Erik clapped the lad on the back. "Thank you, Philippe, for coming to me right away. Go into the kitchen now and let Madame Germont get you something to eat."
Within minutes Erik and Jacques were ready to leave, and Philippe came running out of the kitchen, half a roasted chicken clutched in one hand. "Please, monsieur, let me come with you," he begged. He jerked off the napkin he had tucked in his collar and tossed it and the chicken aside.
"You'd better pick that up," said Erik softly. "Madame Germont doesn't take it kindly when people waste her food." As the youth complied, he continued, "Saddle the roan and meet us at the turn to Chouteau. If you're not there in fifteen minutes, we'll go on without you."
Philippe joined them with time to spare and the three rode in silence. As they reached Chouteau, Erik pulled up and outlined his plan for the rescue and capture. "We will approach the house cautiously. Philippe, you find Marcel and inform him of our plans. Then—Jacques, you and Philippe will create a diversion behind the house and draw the other man outside, where you will bind and gag him. I will go through the front door, and Marcel will stand guard there."
When they arrived at the house, Philippe disappeared to find Marcel. Erik and Jacques crept up to the window and carefully Erik rose up and looked inside. The fat man they had seen before was seated at the table, attempting to clean a very rusty sword. Robert sat in the other chair, eating and watching as Christine paced to the end of the length of rope.
"Bastard!" growled Erik furiously when he saw the lascivious gleam in Robert's eyes. Jacques touched his arm in warning.
At that moment Christine looked toward the window. Hesitating for just an instant, unable to believe what she had just seen, she resumed her pacing, cursing Robert silently with every step she took. When she turned again, she quickly glanced at the window and saw Erik motioning for her to remain quiet. Heart thudding, she dipped her chin briefly to acknowledge his request.
Suddenly a loud noise came from outside the house to the rear. Without taking his eyes off Christine, Robert ordered, "Go out there and make those stupid horses be quiet! Did you forget to feed them, again?" When the man didn't get up right away, Robert reached over and cuffed him on the ear. "I said, get out there and take care of whatever is making the horses sound like that!" With a loud groan the man heaved himself up and went out the back door.
The noise from the rear of the house grew louder and Robert got up from the table in disgust. Seconds later Erik burst in the front door, sword drawn, startling a gasp from Christine and a shout from Robert. "I knew you would come to fetch her, you worthless cur!" he growled, reaching for his own sword. "Let's see how quickly you learn who your master is!"
Smiling coldly, Erik made no verbal reply. His sword seemingly held loosely in his hand, he merely sidestepped as Robert made several clumsy lunging moves at him. After a few minutes Robert was breathing heavily, but Erik had not broken a sweat. Suddenly his sword began to flash and move and Robert found himself cut deeply on the forearm, shoulder, and thigh. Blood began to seep into his clothing and sweat beaded his forehead, dripping into his eyes and mouth. He staggered, dropping his sword and tried to reach Christine.
"No man is my master," Erik said fiercely, "least of all you!" He made a final thrust, and felt his blade slide easily into the other man's body. "That was for Raoul," he said roughly, grabbing Robert's jacket and holding him upright. Jerking the blade upward through several vital organs, he continued, "And that is for Christine." He released Robert, and he fell to the floor in a pool of blood.
Immediately Erik went to the bed and untied Christine, pulling her into his arms. "I have never been more frightened in my life!" he told her, running his hands up and down her back. "Are you all right, mon ange?"
Holding him tightly, she sobbed out her fear, soaking his shirt, heard him croon to her comfortingly. Finally she pulled back and gave him a tiny smile. "Yes, I'm fine—now. How did you find me?"
Carefully he picked her up and carried her outside, away from the sight of Robert. "Philippe, the lad who works at Duchesne's, overheard Robert ordering a horse and buggy, and that he would be driving back and forth from here to Paris. He had also heard about your kidnapping, and came to me with the information. Jacques, Marcel, Philippe, Francois and I came looking for you." Gently he touched the bloodied corner of her mouth. "I should kill him all over again for striking you," he muttered harshly.
"He didn't." At Erik's raised eyebrow, Christine sighed. "Collette showed up, rather unexpectedly, I gathered, and the two of them had words. Then she turned her attention to me, and called you a pitiful beast and half a man. I lunged at her and she slapped me."
"Putain!" growled Erik and Christine smiled, as much as her cut lip would allow. "Robert shoved her, saying if anyone was going to mark me, it would be he, and she fell, striking her head against the stones of the fireplace. She didn't get up."
"Vicomtesse!" Both Erik and Christine groaned at the sound of Inspecteur Filbert's voice. He fixed a stern look on Erik, which fazed him not in the least. "I thought I told you, monsieur, to leave the rescue to us.
Erik merely shrugged.