All Rose Have Thorns
Thanks to all that reviewed. Here is the next chapter.
As night faded, the sun began to rise. Yet, Caroline was still lying in her bed thinking about Raymond. She longed to be in his arms and hear his voice. Caorline sat up in her bed as her head fell into her hand. It had only been a week since he left, but to Caorline it felt like ages.
There was a knock at her door "Come in" Said Caroline softly. Anne, the maid, walked in with a vase filled with hot water. "Your father is waiting for you. You are to go with him to the Opera House." said Anne as she pour the water into a large bowl.
Caroline got up and walked over to where Anne was. She leaned over the bowl and washed her face. Anne handed her a towel to dry her face. Caroline then sat at her vanity and powdered her face. Anne stood behind her and pulled her hair up in a half ponytail.
Caroline looked down at her left hand. She saw on her finger, a heart shaped dimond ring, her engagment ring. She slowly slipped it off her slender finger. She held it up and remembered how Raymond proposed to her.
It was early in the summer, Raymond picked Caroline in a open carrige (no roff). He took her for a ride in countryside. The smell of spring was in the air. They stop at a near by lake and had a picknic on the shore of the lake. After they ate, Raymond leanedd against a tree and Caroline sat on his lap resting her head on his chest. He kissed the side of her neck and whispered in her ear "Will you marry me?" Caroline turned her head towards him. Then she smiled and leaned in a gave him a kiss. They stayed there till the sun had set behind the lake.
Caroline closed her eyes to stop the tears, she placed the ring back on her finger. Then She got up and dressed for the day.
On the way into Paris, Benoit held his daughter's hand. "I know it has been a rough week without Raymond, but these things are going to happen. He is going to go away for business, that is how he is going to support you." Caroline just looked out the window. "Just look at your mother and I. I was gone for months at a time. Now we are closer then ever." Caroline looked at her father and smiled. Then she rest her head on his shoulder, like she was ten again.
When they arrived at the Opera Populair, Caroline walked up the stairs and in the buliding. She took a deep breath and smelt the new paint. He father was right behind her. "Lets get started. Today we have interviews with ballet mistresses and conducters." Caroline smiled "I can't hardly wait until this place is filled with music again."
Benoit was in the room doing a interview with someone. Caroline was tired a seeing people, so her father let he take a break.
Caroline walked up to the dormitory rooms. She walked down the dark hallway and she noticed that at the end there was a door that was boarded up, so no could get through. She walked up to it. Looking around to see if there was anyone around, she then began to pull on one board. She wanted to know what was behind the door.
"What are you doing?" said a loud voice from behind her. Caroline jumped and turnned around. She saw before her a short man with grey hair. "You don't want to go in there." Caroline looked down at the man. "My father owns this place, I can go in her if I want." The man glared at her. "Trust me, you don't want to go in there. It was the dressing room for the Prima Donna, before this place burned. We keep it boarded up so that He doesn't come here. They say that there is a serect enterance in that room." Caroline raised her left eyebrow. "He?" The old man looked around "The Phantom of the Opera." Caroline covered her mouth, so the man couldn't see her laugh. "If there was ever a Phantom, he would have more then one enterance." the grey haired man nodded his head "Yes, that is true. But this way we have one way he will not be entering again."
Caroline looked at the man with amusement "There is no Phantom of the Opera." The old man throw up his hands and walked away "Don't say that I didn't warn you." then he went back down the stairs.
Caroline looked around for something she could pry the boards with. She walked around in the hallways going into each room. In one of the rooms there was a hammer that one of the workers forgot. Caroline picked it up and walked back to the boarded door. She started to hit the boards until they started to break. She dropped the hammer on the floor then pulled the broken peices of wood. One of the boards scraped her arm and it started to bleed alittle. Caroline winced and looked at her arm, it was nothing but a little cut.
She looked up at the door and saw that she was free to go in. She reached out for the door nob and was about to turn it. "Caroline, is everything alright. I heard banging." Benoit came running down the hallway. Caroline started walking towards her father "Everything is fine." He looked at her with relief. "Alright. We have two more inerviews to do. But I think we will bring back the old Ballet Mistress, Madme Giry." Caroline smiled, glancing back at the door. "Thats good, Father." They walked back downstairs.