Chapter Three
The Mangers and the Costumer
Maria awoke the next morning, feeling cold air blowing in from the window. The storm had erased the last warm days autumn and replaced it with the cruel coldness of winter. Maria wrapped her shawl around her arms and slipped into some old dancing slippers. She walked out into the corridor and noticed that most of the opera house was still slumbering. She crept down the hallway, feeling a shadow somewhere around her. She pulled her shawl closer.
"Good morning," came a half drunk-half sober voice.
Maria spun around. She was face to face with the chief scene shifter, Joseph Buquet. He was a big burly man that stood about six feet tall. His hair was white, thinning, and also unkempt. He smelled of rum and sweat all the time. He was older than most of the men and thought that earned him a lot of respect, however Maria had no use for him.
"Monsieur Buquet," Maria said, catching her breath. "You startled me."
Buquet smiled a little. Most of his teeth were black and rotted, which gave him a sinister look. His eyes were small, and they always seemed to be sizing the girls up. She felt a chill go down her spine, standing with the man.
"Forgive me, Mademoiselle," he paused. "I noticed you locked your door last night."
Maria felt the blood drain from her face. There was no way that Buquet had left her the rose and the letter. He probably couldn't write his own name. She took a step, and Buquet reached for her. She quickly sidestepped his grasp.
"With that Opera Ghost around yesterday I thought it would be safer," she stammered.
"You have nothing to fear from that Ghost."
Maria wanted to laugh. She knew the Ghost meant her no harm. He seemed to pick his fights with Carlotta and the managers. However she had seen him and knew the stories Buquet told were lies to scare the naïve dancing girls.
"It's always better to be safe," she said.
"Always," Buquet whispered.
Maria felt as if a snake had hissed, hearing those words spoken. She didn't like the situation she was in. She had not liked being with Buquet during a show with everyone around. But being alone with him was about to put her into shock.
"Do you know if Madame Giry is up yet?" Maria asked, hoping to draw his attention from her.
"I believe she is. She is down in the ballet dormitories."
Maria nodded her thanks and scurried away. She waited until Buquet was out of sight before she breathed. She walked into ballet dorms and heard a lot of girls yelling. She pushed opened the door and saw two of the veteran dancers arguing with Madame Giry.
"He was in here last night!" Paulette was screaming.
"I assure you, he was not," Madame Giry replied. "Paulette, it was only a dream."
"I shall speak to the managers about this!"
Paulette stomped her foot and then stormed out. Maria watched her go, wonder what was wrong with her. She walked in and over to Meg, who watching the scene play out.
"There you are," Meg said. "You missed some excitement last night."
"Oh really," Maria pretended to care. "Like what?"
"The Phantom of the Opera."
Maria felt her throat catch. She didn't trust herself to say anything. She nodded, looking at her friend. "What did this Phantom do?"
"Nothing really. Paulette swears that she saw him in the corridor last night."
Maria thought about this for a moment. Could the man in her room and Paulette seeing the mysterious Phantom be a coincidence? She swallowed before she answered. "Paulette was probably drinking."
Meg smiled. Maria smiled back and then began to cough. She knew that she would start sooner or later. Her lungs were very weak, and after last night, Maria was lucky that she hadn't started sooner. Her whole body heaved with each painful gasp for air. She felt herself become very dizzy.
"Mother!" Meg screamed.
Madame Giry looked over at Maria. She pushed past all the dancing girls and grabbed Maria by the shoulders. Maria held onto her for support. Madame Giry could tell that the cough was getting worse.
"Meg," she said, "get my smelling salts!"
Meg ran out of the dormitory quickly. She ran to her mother's room and searched the room. Her eyes fell on the small blue bottle that sat on her nightstand. She grabbed it and ran back to the room. As she ran back, not paying any attention, she ran into the two mangers.
"Beg your pardon, Sirs," Meg said, brushing past them quickly.
She started running again, leaving Andre and Firmin to look at each other.
"We should probably go check on what is going on," Andre said.
"Why?" Firmin replied sharply. "M. De Changy will be here shortly and we need to discuss some business with him."
"Richard," Andre sighed. "That girl came in rambling about that Opera Ghost again. What if this has something to do with him?"
Firmin tapped his foot angrily. He had been here a day, and nothing was going right. This 'Opera Ghost' was starting to agitate him. He took his cane and made an after you motion to Andre. Andre smiled politely and headed fro the ballet dorm.
Maria was sitting on the bed, wheezing a little. The smelling salts had helped to clear her breathing passage and stop the cough. One of the girls handed her a warm glass of tea. She nodded her thanks.
Suddenly the two managers walked in. Everyone started to rush around and make themselves look busy.
"What's going on in here?" Firmin asked.
Madame Giry stepped forward. She didn't like the two men, and she let it show by holding herself tall and trying to make herself taller than they were.
"One of the girls had a coughing fit. It was taken care of, gentlemen." She said haughtily.
"Who was it?" Andre asked.
Maria stood up, pulling her shawl onto her shoulders for warmth and appearance. "It was me."
Madame Giry turned to Maria. She still looked very pale and tired. Meg stood to add a little support to her friend.
"Are you catching?" Firmin snapped.
"No," Maria replied very firmly. "I just have a bit of a chest cold."
Maria did not wait for the men to reprimand her. She quickly walked to her room and changed into a loose blue dress. She pulled her hair into a tight French style bun. She then started to make her bed. It was then that she noticed the rose. She picked it up and smelled its sweet fragrance. She then turned her attention to the note. She sat the rose aside and read the letter once again. No one but Meg had heard her. Then she remembered seeing the man in the rafters. It had been him, the Phantom of the Opera. She looked at the note one last time. He had sent it to her; it had been him in the rafters and her bedroom last night.
"This is silly," Maria reminded herself out loud. "If he heard me, he would have to been in the chapel, and there was no one there."
Maria sighed. She was so confused. The Patron wanting to dine with her, the Phantom wanting to give her singing lessons. It was too much for her to bear. She stood up and grabbed an empty vase from her window sill and put the rose in it.
Unexpectedly there was a knock at her door. Maria turned, wondering if she should hide the gift. She slowly put the vase down on the window and pulled the curtain aside to conceal it.
"Come in," Maria said.
The door slowly opened, and Raoul De Changy poked his head in. Maria held back her gasp of surprise.
"Raoul," she stuttered.
"Hello Maria," he said kindly.
Suddenly he pulled out a bouquet of flowers. Maria felt her head spin. She gently took the mixture of wildflowers and daisies.
"That's very kind of you," she said with a slight blush.
"I wanted to see that I was sincere."
Maria gave him a funny look. She didn't know what he was talking about. She quickly looked around, hoping to find another vase. Raoul watched her and then moved toward the bed to sit down. Maria turned back to him and saw the letter laying there on the nightstand. She quickly reached over and grabbed it, sliding it into her pocket.
"What are you hiding?" Raoul asked. "A secret lover?"
"Now, Monsieur De Changy, it is not polite to ask such things."
Raoul smiled and stood up. Maria felt her heart race as he stepped nearer to her. She let him run his hand up her arm and pull her close. She knew she shouldn't be doing this. Raoul leaned into her, and the door all of a sudden flew open. They both looked over and saw Madame Giry standing in the doorway. Maria pushed herself away from Raoul and tossed the flowers on the bed.
Madame Giry's air of anger faded a little. Maria, however, could still see it in her eyes. She walked in taking Maria by the arm.
"Viscount," she said politely. "The managers are waiting for you in their office."
Raoul smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Madame Giry."
Maria smiled faintly. She watched as the young man walked out. She then turned to the older woman who was still holding her arm. Slowly the elder let go and landed a firm pop on Maria's cheek.
"What are you thinking?" She asked. "He is the patron, Maria."
"I know that!" Maria yelled rubbing her now red and sordid cheek. "As long as he thinks that I like him then it will be okay."
"No, Maria, it won't."
Madame Giry sighed. She knew Maria and knew that she was not a silly fool that fell for boyish romance. She was too grown up for that.
"The managers would like to see you, too," Madame Giry said, picking up the flowers.
"Me? Why?" Maria asked. "This isn't about my coughing fit this morning is it?"
"No, it has to do with the next show. They want to discuss costumes."
Maria bit down on her lower lip. It was dry and hard. She then nodded. "Are they waiting for me now?"
"Not really. They wanted to speak to the Viscount first."
Maria nodded. She then turned to Madame Giry. She felt the note down in her pocket and wondered if her old friend could help her. She sighed, making her decision.
"Who is the Angel of Music?" Maria asked.
Madame Giry swung around with a shocked expression on her face. She swallowed roughly as if she might choke.
"How do you know of him?" she asked.
Maria fingered the note. If she produced it, she exposed herself. She quickly pulled her fingers out of her pocket. She turned away, thinking of how to answer. Finally she just sighed.
"I heard it from someone," she shrugged.
"Don't lie to me, Maria," Madame Giry warned.
"He gave me this letter," she slowly pulled the letter out of her pocket.
Madame Giry took it and read it to herself. She then handed it back to her. There was silence all through the room. It worried Maria. This much quiet always meant anger.
"Where is the rose?" Madame Giry asked abruptly.
Maria looked flabbergasted. She slowly walked over to the window and pulled the curtain aside, revealing the beautiful rose. Madame Giry bent down and picked up the vase. The rose was in almost full bloom and the ribbon looked as if it hadn't been touched.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
Maria wasn't sure what to say or to do. She shrugged and sat down on a pile of fabric.
"I don't even know who he is," she paused. "Or if I could trust him."
"You know who he is," Madame Giry said with a small smile.
"I do?"
"He's your father. He is sending you an angel so that you may sing again and make him proud."
Maria smiled. She had loved singing as her father played piano. He had always said that one day she would be a great singer and light up the stage. It was almost impossible now, since that day when everything changed. She thought of how much she missed her father and singing. If this Angel was sent by her father, what harm could he really be? She stood up and reached for the door.
"I better get to the manager's office," she said softly.
Maria walked down the corridor and out to the stage. She stopped, noticing that it was empty. She stared at the empty seats. She longed to stand here with everyone hearing her sing. Slowly her eyes turned to Box Five, and she had to stifle her cry. He was there in the box!
"Don't scream," his voice echoed through the empty opera house.
Maria only managed to nod. She was scared to death. She kept her eyes on him in the box just as she had done when she'd seen him in the rafters. She could only make out part of his face in the shadows of the box, but she could see that he was handsome with light eyes and dark hair. He was dressed in fine, fashionable clothes. She took a step forward, hoping for a better look. She strained her eyes and noticed the curtain moving. He was gone!
Maria exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She was tired of this man playing with her. She took one last look at the empty opera house and walked to the office.
The Phantom stepped from behind the curtain. He had not meant for her to see him in the box. He watched as she walked away. She was so beautiful. He slowly reached up and touched the white mask that covered his true face. He quickly pulled his hand away in disgust. He shook his head and walked into the shadows.
Maria felt something go through her as she thought about the Phantom. She had yet to see his whole face, but she felt so drawn to him. She shook her head for her foolishness. She stopped at the end of another corridor where a huge oak door was ajar. She knocked softly as she pushed the door open. She looked around the door and smiled.
"Ahh." M. Firmin said with great surprise. "Miss Maria, we have been waiting for you."
Maria smiled a little. She walked in as the men stood up. She shook hands with the two managers and turned to the third man. Maria felt her whole body flush and limbs go numb.
"Maria, I believe you already met Monsieur De Changy," Andre said.
Maria could only manage a weak nod as she stared at the young man. He smiled sweetly at her and kissed her hand. Maria took a seat, trying not to show her obvious uneasiness. She turned to the managers. She didn't want to draw Raoul's attention to her.
"You gentlemen wanted to see me?" She asked.
"We did," Andre spoke up. Firmin moved forward, cutting Andre off.
"Can you make costumes form scratch?" he asked.
Maria felt offended at the question. She could do almost anything with costumes. She nodded quickly.
"Wonderful!" Andre exclaimed.
Maria felt like she had been left out of some joke between all of them. She cast a small glance at Raoul but quickly looked away.
"Monsieurs, I'm just curious about what show you are planning to perform?" Maria asked, trying not to bite her fingernails.
"Il Muto," Firmin said proudly.
Maria dropped her hand away from her mouth. She had seen this show performed once, and it had been wonderful. However the costumes were very elaborate. She wished now that she had not admitted how good she was with fabric.
"We know that there are costumes for the time period backstage," Andre said. "But we would like to make new and fresh ones."
Maria only nodded. This had not been what she had in mind for a meeting. She sighed, thinking how she might miss her chance to meet the Angel.
"Well, Gentlemen, I guess I better go and get started," she said, standing.
"That's a fantastic idea," Firmin said.
Maria bowed to the men and gave Raoul a shy smile. She walked out quickly, hoping for fresh air. She started back toward her room when she heard the door of the managers' office close. She didn't turn; she knew it was Raoul, and that he would be looking for her.
"Maria," he called in an almost musical tone. "Maria, wait."
Maria stopped with her teeth grinding against each other. She turned with a pleasant smile. She had felt something for the young man until he had refused to look at her. She knew that she was of lower station than he was, but he didn't have to show it.
"Please," he painted. "I'm sorry about my behavior in there, but I didn't want you to get into trouble."
Slowly Maria's anger started to slip away. She smiled at Raoul as he offered her his arm. She took it, forgetting the arduous task ahead and never noticing the figure staring at her from above.
