Author's Notes: Hello again, another chapter done. I dont know how long the story is going to be or how many more chapters there are to come, but i do know that it is winding its way up, ever so slowly seeing as i am snail writing, i have gotten so lazy.

Once again thank you to everyone who reviewed. apparently we aren't suppost to reply to review? i read that somewhere... but i still will. This is making up for the last chapter as well.

mistyqueen: That is coming up soon, plus the reasonChristine doesn't want to say anything is because she was forbidden by her mother not to and on some level Christine is afraid of what it would mean if she admitted to who she was.

Crazy Girl: More as requested ;)

Gabi Web: Derek does like melanie as a friend, so dont worry. im glad you like the story so much. i am in your debt for betaing.

QueenTatooine: I'm glad you are liking all the chapter and everythink that is happening so far. and Gabi said i might be able to convice you to beta some phantom of the opera i am going to be writing once this story is finished? please let me know.

magicmunkin: Im glad you love my story :)

Tychobrahe: Thank you for finally reviewing ;) took you long enough. thank you for your kind words :)

hoolihoopqrl131: Yeah i am a huge phantom of the opera fan, as anyone who knows me can testify. they just seemed to fit in so i couldnt resist.

Katerina: Her mother was jealous of the relationship that Christine had with her father and Lady Datson's husband. After she lost the last child she was carrying she felt as if her husband didnt love her anymore so she pushed him away and pulled melanie closer. Christine loved her father she wouldnt turn against him unlike melanie started to do. So really that is how it all happened. hope it makes sense.

la la la: you are a person of many words.

Nightsoul: Yeah phantom lover right here :) and i couldnt resist using them.

youknowmenot: I write the way i feel and yeah i do use words over. I am not the best writer in the world and I'm not trying to be i do this purely for enjoyment and having a beta checking it for me is great.

I also forgot in my last chapter to mention that the song was from Phantom of the Opera, my other love.

Also thanks to Gabi Webfor beta reading this chapter, i would be lost without you.

I dont own anything so lets not sue me, ok? on with the chapter

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Someone throwing water on her woke Christine up.

"Chris, Chris can you hear me?" It was Derek.

"Hi," Christine replied opening her eyes weakly. "What happened?" She looked around slightly confused, she was on the ground and Derek was standing over her.

"You fainted, what happened, where have you been the past week?"

"I was locked up, for what I said to Lady Melanie."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm hungry, tired and dirty. Yes, Derek I'm fine," Christine replied sarcastically.

"Why did you say those things to her?"

"You wouldn't understand." Christine shakily got to her feet and walked over to her horse. "I have to get back; I just came to tell you I'm ok."

"Chris, please you need to sit and rest, you just fainted!" Derek got up and followed her, turning her to face him. Suddenly they couldn't keep their eyes off each other, and before either of them knew what was happening they were kissing.

Christine wasn't sure how long it lasted; it could have been seconds, minutes, hours or days but when she pulled back she knew it hadn't been enough time.

Then she came to her senses.

'I have to go." She quickly pulled out of Derek's embrace, mounted her horse and took off before Derek even had time to register what had really happened.

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Once Christine had eaten something and cleaned herself up and got some rest she told Mandy what had happened.

"Lady Chris, that is great!"

"No, it isn't, what am I to do? Melanie says he is going to marry her and if she finds out about any of this, I'll be back in lock up!"

"She won't find out." Mandy sighed, "Well you have feelings for him, correct?"

"Well yes, but-"

"And you're sure, now, that he may feel something for you?"

"I don't know it all happened so fast!" Christine then admitted, "Well it is possible..."

"Then I don't see what you're worried about."

"I'm a servant Mandy."

"No, Lady Chris, you're not, and you know it." Mandy took Christine's hand. "I think if you told him the truth he would help you."

"I would be killed first by Mother and Melanie."

"What they don't know won't hurt them." Mandy stood up and walked out the door leaving Christine to her thoughts.

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After Christine left so abruptly Derek thought about what had just happened. He spent all afternoon thinking about it, then, after he went home, he was still thinking about it. He was in a really good mood; if it was any indication. But he knew Chris was hiding something, no matter how much she pushed the subject off. Things weren't adding up. Derek made a decision to ask her about it.

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Over the next few days Christine remained at the Manor not wanting to run into Derek. She stayed out of sight even when he came and visited Melanie; she made sure that Katherine served them.

Melanie didn't want Christine to be her personal servant anymore, so Christine was relieved of that duty. What Melanie really wanted was Christine out of the house which she was determined to get. Duchess Datson made a point of saying that if Christine caused any more trouble she was gone.

Christine knew she was hanging on by a thread.

She wasn't confused about her feelings for Derek; she knew what she wanted. She thought about it often enough. But, the more she thought about it, the more she knew that she could never tell him. Part of her was scared. She had been a servant for so long. If you put her in a nice dress and in the middle of a ballroom Christine didn't think she would be able to cope. She loved her life and Mandy. The only bad thing, was having to pretend that she wasn't Christine Datson.

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Derek spent the next day in the company Lady Melanie. He did really enjoy talking to her, she was easy to have a conversation with as well as the fact that she didn't hang off him because of this title. She was a sweet, charming person.

Besides that interesting reaction after Chris told her off.

Today Melanie took Derek up to the roof of Datson Manor. You could see out onto the grounds as well as into town where the palace was; it was kind of like surveying what was hers.

Melanie was talking about how much she loved the countryside, even though she was looking at the palace when she said it. Derek couldn't concentrate on what she was saying; he couldn't stop thinking about Chris and how much he missed spending time with her. She seemed to be avoiding him. Maybe that was an indication of how she felt? Derek prayed it wasn't.

He made an excuse to leave Melanie and invited her for lunch at the Palace in two days time, as his parents asked him to do, and took his leave.

Before he departed he left a message with Mandy, a servant in the household, that he wanted to see Chris tomorrow in the usual place. The Mandy promised to deliver it.

Then he left, not knowing that Christine had heard the message, being behind the curtain hiding at the time, or that she ran to the library to watch him leave.

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The next day came around fast and Christine found herself riding towards the clearing to meet Derek for a little training, or so she thought. She arrived early and dismounted and began warming up. When Derek arrived he wasn't dressed for training.

"I thought we would do something different today," Derek said "Lets go for a ride instead." Christine considered for a moment.

"Why not? I should probably change though," she said gesturing to her un-feminine clothes and sword

"Don't worry about it; come on let's go." They mounted and Derek rode ahead signalling for Christine to follow him

They rode off Datson land and up a near-by hill that Christine had visited a few times before. One can see all the way to the palace, the sea and into town from this one hill. Once they reached the top Christine dismounted quickly and walked over to take in the view. The first time she visited here she was with her father and she had only visited a few times after. Once was just after her father had died.

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Christine's lungs were burning, and her legs felt like they were going to fall off, but she kept running, trying to outrun the tears and anger and pain that seemed to be following her everywhere.

Christine reached the top and looked out at the view. Everything reminded her of her father, who was never going to be there for her anymore. Not to see her sword fight or complete her lessons, or grow up… none of it.

"Why?" she screamed at the top of her lungs and collapsed crying.

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"Chris?" Derek brought her back to the present. "Are you all right?" Her eyes were clouded over and he could see that she was deep in thought. She shook her head and her eyes cleared.

"Just remembering one of the last times I was on this hill; it was after my father died." Christine was talking in a bland voice as though she wasn't completely sure of what she was saying.

"Your father?"

"Yes, he died a few years ago. He was a great man, so many people were there to pay their respects to him, and I miss him so much, no matter how much time goes by."

Derek was silently piecing it together: her father was dead, she has a sister and it sounded like her mother was alive.

"There is something you can do: go and visit my sister so she will stop destroying everything, while waiting for you to come and meet her"

"So many people were there to pay their respects to him"

"Maybe you should learn yours, because you have been occupying mine for the past few years"

"You wouldn't understand"

Then it suddenly clicked: Melanie was her sister and her father was dead. No wait how could that be, Chris is a servant! He suddenly remembered: The former Duke of Datson did have red hair and had looked rather a lot like Chris... The more he thought about it... If she was who he thought she was then she stood to inherit the title of Duchess not Melanie. Lady Christine Datson. He had wondered what had happened to her. His parents had said she passed on when he asked. But here she was, very much alive, if he was correct.

"Christine?" he asked quietly holding his breath to see if he was correct.

"Yes?" She turned to face him, then it hit her: no one called her Christine, her mother had forbidden it. She instantly turned pale.

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Hope you all enjoyed that, everyone knows how much i love cliff hangers, but only when i write them ;)

so R&R i love hearing your thoughts.

E J Riddle