Chapter Seven

Christine wasn't sure if it were the bright sunlight that woke her or Aunt Margaret's voice yelling for her to rise and get ready for school.

Groaning, Christine rolled out of her warm, inviting bed and clambered about her room for her clothing. Aunt Margaret was yelling again so she put on the first thing she could find, a dull beige dress. she skipped putting on a corset this morning. Christine grabbed her books from her desk and, while pulling on her shoes and quite nearly breaking her neck, clopped down the stairs to the kitchen.

She met a very angry pudgy Aunt who merely thrusted a warm bread roll into her hand and pushed her out the door. She found Will waiting for her there.

The day after Angel came to their house demanding Christine escort him, her ever protective Aunt and Uncle had Will escort her everywhere she went, to school, the market, the docks and he was always waiting for her after school. Neither minded because, as they matured, their time together became limited due to the responsibilities that came with their maturity.

"A little late this morning, are we?" he asked, dark eyes teasing her.

Christine tried to shoot a response back at him, but it was lost in he bread filled mouth. Will burst out laughing, earning him a scathing glare from Christine which only caused him to laugh more.

After swallowing down her bread roll, Christine initiated a bickering banter that carried the pair all the way to the school.

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Erik trailed the young couple as ambled down the streets of Port Royal, seething with rage. He thought that little minx hated the boy that pursued her so, yet here she was arm in arm with him, acting so intimately it made Erik want to spew. He hadn't been following her enough to know that she too was seduced by great beauty, which the boy had plenty of.

How dare she! Christine was his and his alone. As they reached the school, Christine watched them bid adieu to each other, not knowing it would be the last time they ever saw each other. Yes, he had found the ship he needed to leave this godforsaken island and today, he would sail away, his maenad with him.

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Christine watched Will retreat, as did several other girls in the school courtyard. Her best friend, Meg Giry, was among them. She smiled at Meg and the two girls entered the cozy, stone building that was the school.

"Your so lucky, Christine, to have such a handsome cousin," Meg said wistfully. Christine knew very well that her friend fancied Will. Christine only hoped that Will would someday see it too as Meg was the only person she deemed worthy of him. Visually, Meg was very appealing, having lovely, long golden hair that shined like an angel's in the sun. Her round face held an innocent beauty that, while would not be prized by the glamour obsessed people of England and its colonies, would charm any man into a sweet lovesickness. Her honey brown eyes only heightened this affect.

But that's not why Christine deemed Meg worthy of him. Meg had the most beautiful soul of anyone she knew. She had endured much, having to deal with taunts and prejudices for being a daughter of a woman who ran away with a stranger, giving birth to Meg illegitimately. Instead of wallowing in her misfortune, Meg was jovial and innocent, partially thanks to her grandfather, Piangi. Meg never lost her innocent manner, even after being exposed to Christine's sharp tongue and Piangi's sailor friends. Yes, only sweet, brave, darling little Meg was worthy of Will.

Now if she could just find a way to bring them together.

"Silence everyone and take your seats" said the overbearing schoolmarm, Miss Sorelli. All the pupils in the terminal year took their seats, knowing not to disobey her orders, else one would wind up with either sore hands or an inflamed bottom.

Miss Sorelli took role but paused as she got to the S's.

"Where is Miss Swann?"

Everyone looked around for the governor's daughter, but she simply wasn't there. All the girls, with the exception of Carlotta's friends, let out sighs of relief, grateful she wasn't there. The few boys who fancied her seemed disappointed.

Carlotta's absence struck a dull murmur of gossip to begin, only to be sharply halted by Miss Sorelli's ruler crashing on her desk.

The lesson proceeded without any other interruptions, on of those lessons without anything remarkable happening, a lesson where time seemed to crawl like a slug.

But not for Christine.

This had to be the fastest lesson she ever experienced, due to, she thought, the ceremony at four that afternoon. Before, it was a dark cloud, looming off in the distance, but now so close that she was about to be drenched in its rain. Before she knew it, it was three o'clock, end of the school day.

Miss Sorelli dismissed them and the class filed out, happy it was at last the weekend.

Christine reached the courtyard, looking for Will who was nowhere to be found. That was odd, he was always here before school let out. Christine felt her spirits deflate even more as she wanted to try to get Meg and Will together.

Meg looked just as disappointed. She turned to Christine and said, "I must be going, Grandfather is expecting me back soon."

Christine watched her friend walk away, her drooping shoulders exposing her misery.

Christine decided to head home without Will and was walking out of the court yard when an arm yanked her into an alley.

Before she had time to react, the cold alley wall was against her back, two strong hands pinning her to it. She looked up to see Angel, the unmasked portion of his face painted with fury.

"What the bloody hell do you think your doing?" Christine hissed at him.

Erik glared at her, furious that she dared to speak to him like this. She was already struggling, making it difficult for him to hold her down. Erik took one hand off her arm and raised it high, bringing it crashing down upon her cheek.

"Shut up, lassie!"

Christine stilled all struggle when she felt the fire in her cheek. He hit her! No one in her life had ever hit her before, not ever her hardly ever sober mother. Christine looked at Angel, horrified that he had done this to her.

Erik took in the horror on her face, feeling a little guilty that he struck her. He didn't like hurting women, but he was desperate to get her to the Interceptor before she was missed.

"Now you would so kind as to stay quiet and follow me, you won't be hurt anymore than necessary," growled, his face inches from hers.

Christine spat in his face, obviously disgusted with him. Before Erik could react, something hit his head with a rather painful force. He was knocked to the ground, his hold on Christine relinquished.

"Don't you ever dare touch her again!" the man who had been escorting Christine hissed at him with barely controlled rage. "If you harm my cousin again I will personally see to it that you are hanged from the nearest tree!"

Cousin? Erik was left pondering this as Christine and the boy walked off, leaving him lying on the ground. Suddenly, an dozen anvils of guilt piled on to him. That boy wasn't her beau after all, but her cousin! He had harmed Christine and destroyed the relationship he was building with her all for nothing. She would never come with him now, at least not willingly.

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Christine was in her room, getting ready for the ceremony, hot tears pouring down her cheeks. He had hit her! The emotional hurt it invoked was far more painful than the sting of the blow.

When they returned home, Will took Christine straight up to her room, avoiding Aunt Margaret. As he bathed her cheek, Christine confessed everything to him. The alley, their nighttime rendezvous, even the feeling she thought she had. Will held her as she cried, making comforting shushing sounds in her ear.

Aunt Margaret had demanded to know what had happened when she came to help Christine lace her corset, but she remained silent.

Now, she stood before her mirror, washing her tear swollen eyes until there was no evidence she had ever been crying. Makeup covered up the bruise that had begun to form on her cheek. Smoothing out her good dress, sky blue with a pink rose pattern, Christine headed downstairs, albeit slowly, as her corset made it rather difficult to breathe.

Will was waiting for her, wearing his best suit. He looked rather dashing and Christine wished Meg could see him right now. He held under his arm a think package, the sword he made for Raoul.

Linking arms, the two headed off for the Governor's mansion and from there, the ceremony.