Chapter 7
Christine
Every little girl, at one time or another, dreams about their wedding day. Christine was certainly not the exception. She had spent countless hours daydreaming about the precise details; her dress, the flowers, the guest list…her husband. But when the time came to actually plan her wedding, all she had wanted was a small, quiet ceremony.
Erik had allowed her to plan most of the wedding. He had put up a small fight about being married in a church, but in the end, she had gotten her way. The only thing that he had not allowed her to choose was her dress.
She had to admit that when he told her that she would not see the dress until the day of, she had been slightly peeved. Honestly, who would willingly trust a man to pick out their wedding gown? She had been quite anxious to see it.
That morning Erik had almost dragged her to her dressing room, as eager as a little boy to see her reaction to the gown. As he reached for the door handle though, she playfully slapped his hand away, letting him know that he was not coming in. This was to be her revenge.
She replaced his hand with hers and opened the door just enough so she could slide in. She stuck her head out of the door to give him a peck on the lips before he left to go to his own room.
He bent down as if to kiss her, but then only brushed his nose against hers playfully. A sly smile crept across his face at the look of pure irritation on her face.
"Touché, my dear" was all he said before he turned on his heel and walked into the dressing room next to hers.
She was quite aggravated that he had not granted her a kiss, and she stomped around the room, banging and slamming anything she could get her hands on to let him know it.
She strode over to the armoire and flung the doors open. Her tantrum left as quickly as it had come.
At the sight of her dress, she was reduced to speechlessness. All she could do was cover her mouth to prevent the shrill squeal that surely would have escaped otherwise.
It was perfect. It was simple yet elegant, just like her. It was made of ivory colored silk. Small crystals adorned the hem and neckline.
She giggled at the sight of the neckline. It was cut deep, deeper than she would have cared for. Obviously Erik had decided on that little detail.
Behind the dress were all new undergarments, including a new corset and stockings. Obviously, Erik had picked these out as well. They were a bit fancier than Christine ever would have picked out for herself.
Meg came in a few minutes later to help her get dressed and gasped at the sight of the dress. "Oh Christine! It's gorgeous! Why didn't you show me before!" she cried.
"Because Erik wouldn't even let me see it until today. Isn't it absolutely enchanting!" asked Christine. She had a magnificent grin plastered on her face and Meg rushed to hug her.
"I'm so happy for you Christine! You have found the kind of love that I could only wish for.", she said as she gripped Christine's shoulders. Christine could only smile and hug her back. It seemed that all should could do was smile, she was so full of joy.
Meg helped her into the dress and then sat her down at the small vanity to fix her hair. She pinned her long, unruly curls up into an elaborate hairstyle and then proceeded to affix the veil onto the top of her head.
Before she lowered the veil down over her face, she gave Christine a quick peck on the cheek and wished her all the happiness in the world.
She lowered the veil into place and looked Christine up and down. Satisfied with her work, she left to join her mother at the front of the chapel.
When she was sure she was alone, Christine said a small prayer. She had shed many tears knowing that her father would never be able to walk her down the aisle, but she was determined to shed no more on the matter.
As she turned to leave, she stopped and whispered into the air, "I love you father. Thank you for sending me my angel of music."
With that, she walked out into the chapel. She inhaled sharply when she saw him. He could not have looked handsomer. He was dressed impeccably, all in black except for the collar of his shirt and his waistcoat. It was quite a contrast to her ivory gown.
She took her time walking down the aisle. She could see Erik wringing his hands in front of him. She almost giggled at his impatience.
When she finally reached him and the old priest, he reached out his hand and she gladly took it, entwining their fingers together.
They recited the traditional vows and slipped the wedding bands on each others fingers. Christine couldn't help but grin as the priest told Erik to kiss his bride.
He lifted her veil to reveal her beaming face. He took her chin in his hand and placed his lips to hers. Before they had arrived at the church, Christine had instructed Erik that the kiss was to be a simple one, and nothing else; that, she teased him, was for later. But Erik, being the mischievous man that he was, deepened the kiss, gently pushing at her lower lip until she opened her mouth.
She became so swept up with his kiss that she forgot where they were until the priest coughed loudly, bringing them back.
Erik chuckled at the sight of Christine's flushed cheeks. He looped her arm through his and led her out of the church, his head held high. He was as proud as a peacock.
The priest followed them out of the church, with Madame Giry and Meg in tow. There was a carriage waiting to take them back to the Opera house, or so Christine thought.
Christine detached herself from Erik for a moment to kiss Madame Giry and Meg on the cheek and thank them for being there. Erik shook hands with the priest and Madame Giry.
After he had helped her into the carriage, they were off. Christine moved close to Erik, resting her head against his chest. He kissed her lightly on the head and stroked her hair.
It was only when she happened to glance out the window of the carriage did she notice that they were going the wrong way. "Erik, where are we going?" she questioned. His lips curled into one of his rare smiles as he answered cryptically, "It's a surprise."