Chapter 5: A friendly and informative dinner
Raoul's POV
It had been a mere twenty- four hours since the incident with the Phantom and I could already sense the change that it brought in Christine. She seemed much more nervous and uptight, and she jumped at hearing footsteps in the hallway. But it was strange you see, for she only acted in this manner during the nighttime hours. During the day she was all aglow, clearly very happy about returning to Paris and to her music. When the sun shone she was herself; the Christine that had found her love of life again; the real Christine. But as the sky darkened she became much more quiet. In fact, she had awoken from a nightmare just the evening before. Her face had been white as a sheet as she had sat straight up in bed. I had just begun to doze off when she had awakened, silently and carefully watching her as she slept. She had jumped out of bed, tears streaming down her face. At first she seemed afraid of my touch, and her eyes were wide, as though she couldn't even recognize me. Eventually however, I coaxed her to me, and managed to calm her down, convincing her to tell me of her dream. As the minutes passed and as she began to speak about her dream, I saw the panicked expression leave her eyes, to be replaced with one of contentedness as her eyes met mine. After a short while, I found that she had fallen asleep in my arms, a smile on her angelic features.
I now sat in the white whicker rocking chair that was placed next to the large bay window in our bedroom, reading the last few chapters of a novel that I had recently begun reading. But as I did this I listened to Christine humming as she finished getting ready, and I contemplated these changes in her during the hours of the sun and moon. Just as I began to turn the page I heard a soft voice behind me.
"Raoul, how do I look?" I turned to see Christine standing there, looking so beautiful that I almost dropped my book. She wore a lovely yellow dress that was decorated with lace and brought out her chocolate eyes. She had pulled half of her curls up with tortiseshell combs, leaving the rest to fall down her back.
"Christine," I said, standing up. "You look radiant."
Her eyes sparkled at me, as a smile overtook her face. " I hoped you would think so. I'm so excited , we have quite a crowd coming for dinner tonight." She said as she straightened my black tie, and the collar of my white shirt.
"Indeed," I said as I offered her my arm and we walked down the spiraling staircase. "It will be good to catch up with the friends that we have missed while we were away."
She nodded as we reached the dining room, which was had been so finely decorated by our butler Jacque that we both gasped at seeing it. The long glass table was covered in a fine white table cloth with sliver and gold embroidery, and the mahogany chairs had been polished until they shone. There were several candles placed on the table, which cast a soft and pleasant light through the room. It looked so inviting and warm that I hoped it made Christine feel more at home as the sun began to set.
"It looks lovely dosen't it Raoul?" she asked softly. "Jacque has really outdone himself this time."
"Yes he has. I'm glad that you like it my love." I replied as I heard the doorbell ring. I noticed that Christine jumped a little at the sudden noise, but she seemed to calm after just a minute. We walked to the front door and opened it to see my older brother Phillipe standing there, a grand smile on his face.
"Raoul, Christine!" he exclaimed jovially. "How good to see you!" He enveloped me in a brotherly hug and then kissed Christine's cheek as he took off his navy overcoat.
I smiled at my brother as he began to chat with Christine. He had practically raised me himself after our parents deaths and had managed the family finances almost completely by himself. He had always been a father figure to me, for he was twenty years my senior. He had always liked Christine, but it had taken a bit of convincing at first when I had announced that I was going to marry her. He had been worried what the aristocratic society's reaction might be to our marriage, afraid that they might shun both Christine and myself. But after seeing how in love Christine and I were he put away his objections, and now Christine and he were like brother and sister. We made our way into the living room to wait for the others to arrive, and took a seat on the maroon colored loveseat.
"I'm so thrilled that the two of you are back in Paris," said Phillipe sincerely. "I trust that things are going well at the opera?"
I nodded." It looks as though the fire never happened Phillipe, you should really come and see it."
"And I shall, I would never miss Christine's astounding singing." he said as he winked at Christine who laughed at his comical expression. " I'm just relieved that that Phantom fellow hasn't shown back up, I don't want anything happening to the two of you."
It was a good thing that the doorbell rang at precisely that moment, so that niether Christine or I would have to reply to that statement. We would of course tell Phillipe later, but tonight was supposed to be fun and relaxing, and bringing up the subject of the Phantom was the oppossite of that. We had given Jacque and our maid Caroline the night off, so Christine went and answered the door, obviously wanting to get away from any mention of Erik. She came back in just moments later with Meg and Madame Giry following behind. I rose to greet them, giving them each a kiss on the cheek.
"Phillipe, I'm sure that you remember Antionette Giry and her daughter Meg?" asked Christine.
"Of course," said Phillipe bowing. "It is a pleasure to see the both of you again."
I looked down at my watch, reading that it was seven o'clock sharp. We were expecting one more guest; my best friend Lucien. But knowing him as I did, I knew he would be late.
"Christine, why don't you take everyone into the dining room while I wait in here for Lucien to arrive? He shouldn't be too much longer."
She chuckled as my words." He is always late for everything isn't he? He was almost late for our wedding and he was the best man!" She bent down to give me a quick kiss, and then ushered Meg, Madame Giry, and Phillipe into the dining room.
I sat down in my favorite armchair, smiling widely. Christine seemed much better tonight than she had the night before, and I knew that seeing our friends was helping that along. I wanted this return to Paris to be perfect for her. I waited a few more minutes, and was beginning to feel quite impatient when I heard the doorbell ring once again. I shook my head and laughed as I went to open the door, wondering what far-fetched excuse Lucien would come up with this time. As the door swung open, I found a grinning, but slightly out of breath Lucien in front of me.
"How nice of you to show up my friend," I said sarcastically as we gave each other a bear hug. "What took you so long?"
"You wouldn't believe it Raoul, the wheel on my carriage broke and I had to walk the rest of the way here." he said as he stepped inside, shaking his shaggy auburn hair out of his eyes.
I gave him a skeptical, nonbelieving look to which he gave a deep laugh. "Alright you got me. I just let the time get away from me. I don't think I've ever been on time for anything in my life, and thats not about to change." he said, his green eyes sparkling with mirth.
"You're certainly right about that. Come on, everyone else is already in the dining room. We've got a lot to catch up on."
"That sure is true. Raoul, don't ever leave Paris for such long period of time again, its been terribly boring without you, my friend." said Lucien with a grin.
I looked over at Lucien with a chuckle. The two of us had been best friends since before I even met Christine at the tender age of seven. The three of us had played together, and even then Lucien had said that Christine and I would get married someday. The funny thing was, is that he had been right. After Christine left, Lucien had been there for me, always making me laugh. We went to school together, and then to college. He was there when I was reunited with Christine, and was the best man at our wedding. There had never been and experience that we hadn't shared with each other. We talked until we reached the dining room, where everyone was looking most anxious to begin the meal.
"Bonjour everyone," said Lucien as he took a seat next to Phillipe, not showing the slightest bit of embarrasment at being late.
"Lucien, is it possible for you to be on time to anything?" asked Christine with mock irritation, as she supressed a laugh.
"Christine my dear, you know me better than that, I shall never be on time; it is simply not in my nature."
Phillipe nodded and shook his head, a half smile on his face. "Lucien you have not changed at all since you were a child."
"Ah, Phillipe it is best to grow old without growing up." said Lucien matter of factly.
This drew a laugh from all as we said the blessing and began to eat our meal of filet mingon and potatoes. The conversation went in many directions, but it finally rested on a subject that both Christine and I were glad to discuss.
"So have the two of you given any thought to children yet?" asked Madame Giry curiously. "I should like to know if there are any grandchildren from you two in my future, for any children of yours I would consider to be my grandchildren."
I noticed Christine blush slightly as she placed her hand in mine under the table. "I should like to start a family soon. I can't wait to have children."
"I second that." I replied as I squeezed her hand.
"Speaking of such things," said Phillipe. "Lucien, have you met anyone you've thought of marrying?"
Lucien sighed. "Alas I have not. Sometimes I wonder if I am doomed to be a bachelor forever."
"Don't be silly monsieur," said Meg suddenly. "There's someone out there for everyone."
As she said this, I noticed the two of them lock eyes for a moment, then both turned away, blushing. I raised an eyebrow. It would be incredibly nifty if Meg and Lucien took an interest in each other. My best friend and Christine's best friend? I made a mental note to ask Lucien about it later, and noticed that Christine seemed to have caught the moment between them as well. Dinner continued on for a little while longer, after which we retired to the living room for coffee. Though it was March, there was a cold snap going on in Paris, so we got a fire going in the hearth. We all enjoyed the hot coffee and each other's company, glad to be reunited. All was peaceful until Phillipe, who had been thumbing through the evening paper, ran a hand over his dark blonde, greying hair, and let out a rather loud "Oh my!"
"What is it Phillipe?" I asked in a curious tone. It took a lot to ruffle my brother's feathers that much.
"It says here that there has been a string of robberies by a band of gypsies over the past few nights. Apparently, they have already robbed three prominent families in Paris." he said, sounding worried. "It says here that they even killed one man."
My eyes widened. How horrible that was! But something also clicked in my mind at this. I remembered the story that Madame Giry had told me. Could it be those same gypsies? I would have to look into it. And as I caught both Christine's and Madame Giry's eyes, I knew they were thinking the same thing.
" I heard about that." said Lucien. "That man that was killed was a friend of my father's."
Meg too, glanced over at the paper. "Some of these families have become patrons of the Opera Populaire. This is awfully curious." Her green eyes became filled with an expression of worry. "All of you might want to be careful."
"It says here that they seem to rob someone of greater wealth each time." said Christine, as she read along on the article, and seemed to unconsciously move a bit closer to me.
I looked over at Phillipe, who seemed to be quite worried about this. It was no small secret that our family had been one of the most wealthy and influential families in Paris for decades. He caught my eye, knowing that I was tuned in to how he was feeling about all of this. But he didn't say anything more about it, and I knew he was trying not to worry me; it was one of those things that elder brothers always tried to do. The conversation eventually turned in different directions, such as the next opera production, the opera grand opening, and Phillipe's law firm with whom I would soon be joining ranks. And as was the norm, Lucien cracked constant jokes throughout. The evening passed most pleasantly, and as I watched Christine chat talk with the others, I was almost positive that our return to Paris had been a good idea. Little did I know what that newspaper article held in store for us.
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A/N: Hey everyone, hows it goin! Thanks so much for all of the response that you've given me, it really inspires me to write. Sorry its taken me so long to update, school is crazy, and I've been busy finishing up my college applications. Also a I have a cool piece of news; my friend and I are singing 'Angel of Music' (the Meg and Christine one) for drama club at my school, so that will be exciting. I hope that you guys like this chapter, and please read and review! Thanks to all my reviewers: Guitarprincess, Glitter Queen of the Ice Show, jtbwriter, Ameythst, and Lindaleriel. I'm in a rush, so I don't have time to answer reviews, but I will next time, I promise! RC forever!