Ch.6: "What is she doing here?"
As quickly as humanely possible, Erik raced back to his lair and gently put Delight in her cot before he sped off again to find the shocking visitors. His mind was awash with questions, and they were coming too quickly to be spoken properly.What is she doing here? Why is she not with Raoul at his charity dinner? Some of the answers were too difficult to conjure up at the moment, so he was fully intent on asking Madame Giry, For he knew she would never allow him to see Christine in such a sorry state.
After slipping past several lumbering drunks, usually a waste of time within itself, he found himself concealed in the shadowy area next to Madame Giry's room. Erik paused for a moment, then knocked softly on the door. Although he would never admit it to anyone while alive, he was somewhat afraid of Cecile.
The door cracked, and two gray eyes peered out at his dark silhouette. They narrowed, and before he could utter a word, the door slammed in his face. " Who was that, Mama?" He heard Meg's voice and then something like a muffled sobbing sound. Christine was in there.
" I'm not going to go away, you can be sure of that." The masked man smiled devilishly when he distinctly heard the sound of an abrupt movement upsetting a large piece of furniture. Madame Giry slipped quicker than a cat out the door, quickly shutting the door so the girls wouldn't see him. He bowed mockingly. " At your service, Madame."
She looked prepared to slap him, and then stopped herself. Erik tapped his foot impatiently, awaiting an explanation. " What are you doing here?" Giry hissed like an angry goose. Her companion sputtered in indignation. " I should be asking you the same thing. Why is she here?" Madame Giry then turned a bright shade of scarlet, filling her lungs like a bullfrog. Erik was here for an explanation, and an explanation he got.
After Madame Giry slipped out the door, Meg continued to stroke Christine's head like one soothing a disconcerted kitten. The troubled girl was currently sobbing into a tear-stained pillow, but abruptly stopped when she heard the man's voice, a deep, velvety baritone, on the opposite side of the door. AS much as she wanted to see him, it was certainly nothing short of hilarious when her stand-in mother began to scream at him. She could only imagine the look on his face, for she knew for a fact that he didn't like being yelled at by anybody, but respected Madame Giry, so he was probably torn between ego and morale.
" You vile creature. I might as well strangle you with my bare hands! Have you any idea what you've done?" Christine had to fight from letting out a laugh when the thud of two heavy boots move away from the apoplectic woman.
" Tell me, monsieur," Giry muttered venomously, " what did you do last time you saw her?" Meg fidgeted with the corner of a blanket as the silence between the pair opposite the door grew. " If you must know, I saved her life. The silly girl was about to roll right off the catwalks." Meg saw Christine balk visibly. Another faint tapping noise arose from Madame Giry's tiny slipper. " Anything else worth telling? I see you are missing you cloak." At this, Christine put her hand over her open mouth, shocked to silence.
" And I gave her my cloak for a pillow. Is that so implausible?" Now the anger in his voice was rising steadily. " You damn well better believe it is. She wore it home and now there are rumors and a gigantic scandal about an illicit affair outside her marriage. She is distraught because she can't go back to Raoul."
Thud. The masked man plopped heavily onto the floor. " I do seem to have a knack for starting these things, now do I? Ruining her life seems to be my specialty. First Delli, now this…" A loud smacking noise sounded, along with an indignant groan. Madame Giry had indeed slapped him.
" What the hell was that for?" He moaned, rubbing the exposed, red side of his face. The girls could practically see Madame Giry puffing herself up like a peacock. " That, old bean, was for everything. It's your fault she's here in the first place."
This clearly touched a nerve. " Yes, I suppose I am the one to blame for this whole…ordeal. I'll be going, for I know I'm not wanted. Delight needs me, anyhow." Meg and Christine had their ears pressed up against the door, listening until his footsteps died away. When Cecile came back into the room, she was still flushed with victory.
She cradled Christine's head in her hands, murmuring nonsensical comforts. Before they fell asleep, she heard Madame Giry say," Don't fret, child. We'll have no more of that troublesome Erik around here." She remembered responding, bur forgot what had been said. For the rest of the night, she was left hoping that she had complied with Madame Giry instead of saying what she really felt.