Chapter Ten

Notorious Notes

Christine felt a cold breeze on her cheek and opened her eyes slowly. The snow was increasing outside and she shivered in distaste. She really hated winter.

Erik was still asleep and though his fever had broken two days prior he had yet to waken. Before she reached the bed a maid knocked on the door and entered when Christine had given permission.

"A letter, mademoiselle, for you," she said. Christine frowned in surprise.

A letter for her? She knew no one and no one knew she was here so how on earth did she have a letter for her? With slightly nervous hands she opened the envelope and extracted the letter.

Mademoiselle Daaé,

Your presence at the manor came as quite a shock to me. You see you must be very brave to be acquaintances with a man such as Erik. We both know what lies beneath the mask…You should know that you interest me greatly and I have made it my business to find out everything I was able to about you. Poor girl, you have been through much in your short life.

What with the death of your father and the incident with young Jacque it must leave you feeling extremely lonely. I could change all that. I could make you the most powerful woman in France without much effort on my part. But I get ahead of myself. There are some things you should know about Erik. His face is not the only horrors he has in his life.

He murdered people I loved without a thought just like the cruel bastard he is. He would only use a beautiful woman like you for one thing; pleasure. He has done it before, tossed woman away after he had his way with them. And you are a woman without family or anyone who would miss you, think of the possibilities. You will find quickly that he is nothing but a monster.

How he managed to keep you in his home I can only speculate but I am sure it was by no wish of yours. My men's failure to kill him prove to be a great disappointment to me, but that disappointment could be short lived if you would consider joining me at my home in Paris. I promise I could make it worth your while and I would answer any questions you might have about our dear masked friend. You are in no obligation to answer immediately, take your time and decide for yourself.

Philippe Francois

The letter drifted from Christine's suddenly lifeless hands as she began to tremble. How had this man known about Jacque and her father's death? This man was Erik's enemy and he was promising her things she had never thought about before. Could what he have said about Erik be true? Was he capable of murder?

She glanced at his still form on the bed and swallowed. Yes, he was capable of murder. Is that why these two men were enemies, because Erik had killed someone Philippe loved? It was too horrible to think about and she sat down in a chair before she collapsed.

In the back of her mind she knew that this could very well be a trap. A way to get Erik out so Philippe could finish the job and kill him. She could not be the cause of this mans death. She did not care that he was forcing her to stay here like a captive concubine; she would not be the end of anyone's life. This was not her battle and she refused to get involved with it.

She had come to Boscherville with the hopes of living peacefully and quietly. Erik had changed all that and she wondered if she would ever be the same again after meeting him. It was not only his face that she would always remember, it was the man himself. He was so different from anyone she had ever met; he had a sort of allure about him that drew her closer when she desperately wanted to pull away.

"C-Christine…" Erik voice was hoarse and strained. Christine snatched the letter from the floor guiltily and hid it in the folds of her dress before walking over to him. There were white lines of strain around his mouth and eyes and she got him a cup of water to drink. He coughed and sputtered but managed to swallow some of it.

"You need to rest," she whispered, stroking his brow. He coughed.

"S-so do you…" he replied, noticing the black circles around her eyes. Christine smiled gently and shrugged.

"I am fine, but you cannot move around to much," she said. He tried to smile but winced in pain as he jostled his body.

"Easy, just relax, you are going to be fine," she assured him. It was quiet for a few moments.

"I hope this will teach you lesson," she said after a moment. He opened his eyes to look at her questioningly.

"W-what?" he wondered. She smiled.

"Let the foxes get foxed, you should stay away from liquor," she said. Erik laughed and ended up going into a fit of coughing and Christine immediately felt guilty. She bathed his brow and held tightly to his hand.

"Erik, there is something I want to tell you…I am truly sorry about removing your mask," she whispered, looking down at their entwined hands. She waited and when Erik did not reply looked up to see that he had fallen back to sleep. She smiled with a sigh and got him comfortable before slipping out of the room, the contents of the letter still fresh in her mind.