The next day, they accompined Lady Bowler to the village to make last minute arrangements for the masque that night. But Andre, Firmin and Erik sought out Constable Bowers and asked,
"Sir, all we are asking is but a moment to speak with the prisoner! To tie up the loose ends..." Taking his napkin from his lap, Bowers wiped his lunch from his mustache and said,
"I'm sorry M. Firmin, but the case is closed! There are no loose ends! And unless you can prove otherwise, I can't help you!"
"Prehaps if you made a deal with Grady, to ease his sentence if he tells us the truth!" suggested Andre. Bowers laughed,
"Truth? Mousiers, you ARE new to the detective business! Criminals don't have a shread of honesty in them or they wouldn't be criminals!" From across the table, Erik said darkly, his fingers steepled in front of his nose as he glared at Bowers,
"Yes, the Constable is quite right Mousiers. Criminals aren't human beings...they're monsters...that need to be destroyed. After all he knows all about the inner workings of the criminal mind. Between leisurely luncheons and lazy afternoon naps and not more than the occasional chicken theif, the Constable is more than capable of taking on a mastermind who plots his dark deed for maybe years at a time, can manipulate the masses and strike terror into even the bravest of men. Unless of course, he is being too comfortable in his position to lift a finger to help the innocent by streching what few brain cells he has and open up his mind to the possibility that another person could have killed Lord Bowler."
"Erik!" warned Andre. Firmin held his forehead in his hand,
"Andre, this is doing nothing for my nerves!" Bowers glared at the younger man and said,
"Gentlemen, your assistant M. DuL'Soir is rude, overzealous and stubborn as a mule! Which is why I'm letting you speak to Grady first thing tomorrow morning." Firmin looked up with confusion and Andre asked,
"Beg your pardon?" Bowers stood and doffed his cap,
"I served in the 5th regeiment to tour India. Served under a lot of fine officers just like your M. DuL'Soir. They were the bravest of men who took nothing from nobody and strove us to achieve excellence and victory! He has earned my respect. See you fellows bright and early tomorrow!" As he walked off, Firmin looked astounded at Erik who sipped his tea causually,
"Who'd have thought being the Opera Ghost could earn you respect!"
"Englishmen!" huffed Andre taking up his hat and leading them out of the cafe. They met Lady Bowler and Antoinette in the street as Antoinette asked,
"Well? Do we get to speak to Grady?"
"What? You are speaking to that foul man again?" asked her Ladyship. Andre took her by the arm and escorted her back to the carriage saying,
"Just seeking some clarity in a few matters, Milady." Firmin said to Erik who took Antoinette by the arm,
"You realize Grady may never tell us the truth?"
"No, but he will tell us something, I'm sure." said Erik. Firmin pointed to the box under Antoinette's other side,
"Not to change the subject, but what have you got there Mam'selle?" Antoinette grinned slyly aside to Erik and said the Firmin,
"It will have to wait till tonight Mousier. I wish this to be a surprise!" Firmin went on ahead of their leisurly pace,
"Must be some kind of costume!"
"I thought you recieved your costume yesterday?" asked Erik.
"No, those packages were filled with items I plan to wear after the Masque." replied Antoinette.
"To do what? The party ends early in the morning." said Erik.
"Let's just say if you get inspired tonight, they'll be plenty of sandwiches waiting!" she said watching his jaw drop to his shoes.
"Toni, we spoke of this! I wish our relationship to progress slowly!" he said stopping her and whispering to her. She pulled some lint off his shoulder, and mock pouted,
"Well I'm impatient!"
"Toni..."
"Erik, I've known you little over a week but I feel so close to you! Can't we rush things a bit every once in a while?" she asked.
"No!"
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because I care for you too much to see you get hurt!" he said without thinking. As it dawned to him what he had just revealed, she smiled sweetly at him,
"And this is the point my cousin told me to tell my gentleman friend that I had no such wicked intentions to seduce him. That I merely wanted to see if his feelings ran beyond friendship for me. Which at this point I ask his forgiveness for teasing him so, and ask like a lady to continue our slow moving courtship now knowing his intentions towards me so I wouldn't have to go through sleepness nights wondering if he would respect me enough to wait for me." Erik smiled at her and said,
"And is this the point where she warned you your suitor might strangle that lovely little neck of yours for driving him crazy?"
"No, she said my suitor would forgive me and escort me back to the carriage, promising me the first dance at the ball tonight!" she told him with a impish grin. He took her by the arm and said,
"My mistake!"
As somber as the funeral had made them the day before, the guests were now quite merry in their costumes and drinking many toasts in memory of his Lordship. The widows all gathered around Lady Bowler, saying Charles would have loved this, all of them in matching black satin gowns and black Domino masks. Firmin, dressed as a knight, said to Andre dressed as King Henri the Eighth as they came down to join the festivities,
"Seems sort of morbid to have a Masque after a funeral doesn't it?"
"Yes. But have you ever been to a Irish wake?" asked Andre.
"No, I haven't." said Firmin.
"Well, it's quite a good time...you see they..." When Andre had stopped, Firmin looked up the foyer stairs to see what had caused him to go so pale. There stood the Phantom of the Opera. Dressed as Red Death once more. His doublet clinging beautifully, his high boots polished to reflect anything, his sword hanging off his side. The long red cape fell behind him, as the white skeleton mask stared down at them. As he came down the stairs, Firmin choaked back his stomach and said,
"You just had to wear THAT didn't you?" Erik smirked from under the mask,
"It is the only costume I own."
"Andre..."
"I know. This is doing nothing for your nerves!" Andre said cutting Firmin off as Erik sensed someone's eyes in his back. He looked up the stairs and caught his breath. There stood a Queen of Hearts. Dressed in a silk red gown with a tiered bustle and train behind her, sparkling red beads and gold embroidered hearts shimmering in the light. She stopped a few steps above Erik and removed the gold mask she held to her face layered with curls falling down from the top of her head. Realizing it was the Queen of his heart, Erik breathed out her name,
"Antoinette!" She smiled,
"Bon Soir Mousier DuL'Soir. You still wish the first dance don't you?" He took her by the arm and escorted her into the ballroom,
"Providing it lasts all night!" Firmin said dryly to Andre as they followed,
"Make you wonder if he even remembers Christine Daae anymore!"
The night went smoothly. Everyone laughed, drank and sampled more than enought sweets. And Antoinette found herself constantly in Erik's arms. She did have to show him the most basic of dance steps, since he obviously never danced himself before, but by the end of the night, he was quite the master. She couldn't take her eyes off him, not since she had first seen him dressed in that stunning red velvet suit. It looked so dashing on him! But as usual, he deniened her claim that every female in the room were having obscene thoughts and fanning themselves a little more than usual by his appearance, every male seething with jealousy. But she never let it bother her. All that mattered that she was with him. When midnight was drawing near, Lady Bowler clapped her hands and told everyone,
"Ten minutes till the unmasking, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Everyone applauded, but Antoinette turned back to find Erik growing as pale as his mask.
"Erik? What's..."
"They can't see my face! NO ONE must see!" he whispered half to himself in fear. She sighed and rolled her eyes, pulling him out to the terrace overlooking the gardens near the stables saying,
"Come on Cinderella! I promise you won't become a pumpkin when the clock strikes twelve!" They found themselves alone, the lights and music soft in the distance, but the moonlight glowing so brightly it might as well be day.
"Thank you. I wouldn't want to cause any unnessecary upset tonight!" he said as she sat on a bench.
"Erik, you must be the most vain man I've ever met!" sighed Antoinette with a shake of her head. He turned to her,
"Vain?"
"Yes, for only a vain person obssesses about their looks and what people think of their looks. To be honest it gets quiet annoying!" she said. A smile played across his lips,
"And I suppose you don't think I find anything annoying about you?"
"What could you possibly find annoying about someone as wonderful as me?" she said out of jest. Erik propped one leg aganist the bench and leaned on it,
"You are a nosy, pushy, opiniated woman whose attempts at her own twisted sense of humor and flattery are maddening!" She smiled,
"Yes, but I'm cute!" Laughing at her batting her eyes, he pulled her to her feet and held on to both of her hands,
"Why do you make me laugh so much? I've never laughed so much before!"
"It sounds like to me you haven't done a lot of things before. Haven't shaved yourself, haven't traveled, haven't danced. I'm betting...you've never kissed a girl before..." she said cocking her head to the side. He held her chin and said,
"No, I did that once. But I never fully enjoyed it!"
"Pity!" she said. He leaned down to her,
"Not for long!" But they both jumped when they heard a twig snap and a rustle of fabric.
"Oh wait!" Antoinette said stomping her foot. But when Erik saw the cloaked rider in black taking a horse, he yelled out,
"Hey!" The rider took out a pistol and fired it. Erik pulled Antoinette and himself behind a tree as the bullet richocied off the bark. Then Erik hissed at her,
"Stay here!" He ran off into the barn and took a horse, galloping out after the stranger a second later. Firmin and Andre followed by a crowd of guests came out as Antoinette shouted,
"Erik!"
"What's going on?" asked Andre.
"What was that shot?" asked Firmin. On the darkened trail, Erik's cape flew behind him in the passing current of air, his eyes focused on the intruder as he rode the horse hard. Just as he was catching up, the rider aimed and shot back towards Erik twice. The first missed, but the second grazed his left arm deeply. He fell off his horse with a grunt clutching his wound, his mask fluttering off and landing to the ground five feet away.
"ERRIKK!" screamed Antoinette picking up her skirts and running ahead of Andre and Firmin and a few of the other male guests. She reached him first, as he was trying to sit up, kneeling on his knees as he clutched his wound, the blood flowing freely. She kneeled and touched his shoulder. He looked up, to which she gasped at his bare face. If was red and twisted like burned flesh, streched across from his nose in one place while sunken in around the eye and cheekbone in another. His wig was falling off, and she could see his receding hairline covered with some bumps of skin. His eyes began to water in dispair as he whispered,
"Antoinette!" Firmin and Andre came then and helped Erik to his feet. While Firmin pulled Erik's good arm over his own shoulders, Andre draped Erik's face from view with his cape, covering his arm as well saying,
"Here Erik! No one can see you with this!" Antoinette saw Erik give her one fleeting glance and then hung his head away as he let the partners take him back to the house, reassurring the other's that followed that Erik would be alright. While guests rushed past her to form a search party for the intruder, Antoinette reached over in the grass and picked up Erik's fallen mask, holding it in her lap. With tears in her eyes, she looked up to the stars of the nightsky and whispered,
"Thank you...for letting me not think he was ugly when I first saw him. Thank you." Bowing her head to close her prayer of thanksgiving, she got up and slowly walked back towards the house. The house was quiet when she returned. The men were on the hunt and the women had retired to their rooms. She went up the stairs and passed Mrs. Bradley and Thompkins coming out of Erik's bedroom with strained red velvet and bowls full of red tinted water. She stopped Thompkins who held his suit,
"Can the suit be spared?"
"Yes Miss. M. DuL'Soir told me of a way to get blood out of velvet. And the hole from the bullet can be easily mended to where it looks like it never was ripped, thanks to Mrs. Thomas in the village." he said. She smiled,
"I am well aquainted with Mrs. Thomas' work. She crafted this for me tonight." she said gesturing to her dress.
"And the man who wears the suit and looks good in it can be easily mended too Miss." said Mrs. Bradley knowing what Antoinette was really asking about." Antoinette gave her a tired smile and touched her arm, then she went to Erik's door and went inside. She saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, his shirt off, but his arm in a bandage and a sling. His back was to her, and his shoulders were slumped as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. His wig was off, but she saw he wore his eyepatch. Obviously for the servants not to see what she had just seen moments before.
"Erik?" she softly called. Without turning to her, he said,
"Do you always smell of jasmine?"
"It's my favorite fragrance." she told him starting to come around to face him. On her way, she saw the candlelight cast shadows on his broad back. That's when she saw the welts and scarring on his back. Remembering the gyspsies who were so cruel to him, she shivered. Finally, she stood in front of him, but his gaze remained to the floor. The boy in him had returned, and was expecting her to hurt him like everyone else in his life had. She saw him bracing himself and wondered if he did that out of habit from when he was back with the gyspsies and knowing he would be getting a beating soon. She showed him his mask and said,
"I found this outside." He looked up at it in her hands and began to lean forward to get it, when she leaned over, feeling him tense, but instantly relax when her lips brushed his softly in a sweet, long kiss. When she pulled back, she looked into his confused eyes and whispered sternly,
"Don't ever scare me like that again." She gave him his mask, caressing his left cheek a moment, before taking her leave. Erik looked down at the porceline mask in his grasp. Another woman had just willingly kissed him, but this time, he had enjoyed it fully. This time, there was no pity in her eyes. Just fear...that she might lose him. Christine had fear in her eyes...but fear she might lose the Vicompt and not Erik. And there had been mostly pity. But in Antoinette's eyes he saw what had been scaring and thrilling him for the past week.
Desire.