Erik sat there, his golden eyes staring into mine, showing a passage into his thoughts. His eyes were so soft and sweet. He suddenly looked away then and said,
"I never stopped loving you,"
I was surprised. I did not know what to say. Say that is was the same for me, that I was a young naïve girl that did not deserve him? I opened my mouth to tell him what I felt, when there was a knock on the door downstairs. Erik looked so surprised, I guess that no one had ever knocked on his door here before. He took me by the hand and led me downstairs. He opened the door.
Standing there on the porch was Raoul.
And He had Jaclyn with him.

Chapter 6

Jaclyn's POV
My wrists bound tight by a length of rope, he dragged me along like a slave. He had gone mad. He had forced out of me the secret that Erik had trusted me with, by threatening to kill my best friend. I was so scared that he would actually slit Naiomi's throat if I did not tell him where Christine had gone. He actually would have, no doubt, slit her throat if I had not. Timidly, I told him the location of Erik's estate. He then bound my wrists and dragged me with him to go and get his wife.

Christine's POV

I saw the tears in Jaclyn's eyes and knew that she was forced to tell him something. Before I knew what was happening, Raoul once again made my face sting with the lash of his palm, but that was not all. No. He knocked me down and beat me. He hit, punched and kicked every part of my body that he could get at. Then everything went dark. Really dark.

Jaclyn's POV

I watched the Vicomte beat his wife unconsious. After she was out, he still kept hitting her, no matter how hard Erik beat him. I must do something for her. She will die if he goes on like that. I saw a metal dustpan in the corner, and yelled,
"Erik, get out of the way!"
he did not need telling twice. I charged and struck the Viscomte hard on the head, and he fell, unconsious. I knew my blow could not have killed him, but it probibly leave him unconsious for a few hours, maybe he might even loose a little memory. Erik dragged him outside and made sure that he was far enough away that if he decided to come back, he would have to walk a little.
When he came back, he esily slid Christine into his arms, and carried her up the steps of the house, and I followed. He brought her to a magnifecent bed and laid her down as gently as a young girl tending to her baby doll. I looked at her and Erik said,
"She looks so bad. Stupid fop. If he ever comes near here again, he will be SO sorry. Jaclyn, can you stay here to help her along? She might find it conforting to have another female around the house," I sighed but shook my head.
"The only reason I am here is because he threatened to slit my best friend's throat if I did not tell him where she was. I need to go back to Naiomi,"
"That is not a problem. I can have Naiomi come here and live with Christine and you. As long as Raoul stays away, you will all be safe,"
I nodded and said,
"That would be great. What work am I to do?"
"Work? I don't want you as servants, dear god no! I want you two to come and live with me, kind of like Christine's sisters, best friends, whatever you want to call it, I have a fairly large salary from the fools who run the theatre and I think I can support three women," he told me. I knew that this would be a great place to live. My two best friends, Naiomi and Christine, and me, would be living together as equals...It was too good to be true.