Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the POTO characters. They belong to Leroux, Kay and ALW, from whom I have borrowed in order to write my story. However, the plot and the characters of Léandre, Gaspard, Etienne, Pierrick, The gendarme Captain, and Dr. J. Morel are mine.

Although Erik kept to the back roads they passed several villages along the way. Small cottages and farm land dotted the landscape. Christine enjoyed looking out the window but would have preferred to sit with Erik atop the carriage. He had said that a woman's presence would attract the wrong kind of attention as they traveled and she had deferred to his wisdom. They stopped in a clearance to have their first meal. Christine set out two stools and they sat quietly eating bread and cheese. They each had a glass of wine. She assumed he was tired and let him remain quiet although she had a hundred questions in her head about their destination. She knew better than to ask him anything about the recent ordeal.

She smiled up at him, "Erik, would you like a little more wine?"

"No" He stood turning away from her and climbed back on to his place at the front of the carriage. His eyes stared straight ahead toward on the road.

She felt annoyed by his curt reply but assumed that again it was due to a long rough day. Christine picked up everything from their meal and got back into her seat. Without another word exchanged he moved the carriage out. The Chagny carriage was comfortable, lined in plush velvet and leather. Six passengers could easily fit inside. This had been the same carriage Raoul had used to take Christine to and fro during their brief engagement. She would never let Erik know that on one of the trips Raoul had kissed her sitting right on this seat. As innocent as that kiss had been, she could imagine his reaction. Actually, she wouldn't put it past him to abandon the carriage and make them walk the rest of the way. Raoul had once explained to Christine that one of the side seats converted into a bed. He had then blushed fiercely and never mentioned this again. She wanted to use that side seat with Erik for the purpose that had made Raoul blush. Tonight would be their first time together in over a fortnight. She wondered if they would stay at an inn or if he would park them somewhere for the night. An inn would be more comfortable but exploring the carriage under the stars sounded exciting.

Just before the sun set Erik drove the carriage into a heavy copse of trees. Christine came down glad to be able to stretch her legs. The forested area just beyond them was pitch black and strange noises emanated from there. Christine's hopes of staying at an inn and washing in comfort were vanishing. The idea of staying in the carriage was more frightening than romantic now. She walked to his side. "Erik? Are we staying here tonight?"

"Yes"

With a side glance at the dark forest she asked, "Wouldn't we be safer in an inn?"

His body sprang into action and he turned to face her, his eyes flashing in anger. "So now I don't know how to protect you any more?"

"Erik that's not what I…" His tone frightened her.

"What did you mean then Christine? Are you wondering if I am capable of taking care of you?" He Laced the accusation in sarcasm but voiced his own fear all the same. Could he protect her? He had not been able to protect himself that dreadful morning when he was captured. What if brigands attacked them? Would he be able to defend her from a group of them or would he be overpowered again? This time he could be tied to a tree and forced to watch her being raped by them. The thought made him shudder. Obviously she did not trust him either and with good reason.

Tears burned her lids but she would not let them fall. He's been through a terrible ordeal and he is nervous. She reminded herself and fought the tears. Erik always apologized when he spoke roughly to her, so she decided to climb back in the carriage and wait for his apology. Christine loved Erik's romantic apologies.

Erik sat on his haunches trying to start a fire. He made a small fire that would not attract attention. He knew he was wrong, that she hadn't meant anything by the comment but he couldn't help his reaction.With a quick glance toward the carriage he saw her sitting inside. She looked miserable. His first instinct was to rush over and take her in his arms and apologize to her with a thousand kisses. I'm sorry Christine. He continued to tend to his fire until the embers were a deep red.

After a while he went up to the carriage window, "The fire is ready. Can you pass me the package with our provisions?" He tried to make her look at him so she would see how sorry he was but she wouldn't look at him.

She passed him the small bag by her feet without making eye contact. Their fingertips touched as he took the bag and he let his fingertips linger over hers in an apology. Christine let go the bag and sat back on her seat.

He lingered by the small window. "Is this the one with the dry meat?"

"Hmm", she shook her head.

"Do we have another package of this meat?" He knew the answer but hoped she would answer him.

"Hmm", she pointed to a corner of the carriage with packages.

He sighed and went back to start their meal. Erik felt weary and had he been alone he would have forgone the meal altogether. He cut up the dry meat and with an onion and a couple of vegetables Madame had given him proceeded to make them a stew. Thoughts of that morning's tribulation battled for his attention but he managed to push them away and concentrated on the task at hand.

Through the carriage window he saw her applying powder to her face. His lips upturned slightly. How unnecessary for an angel. Then, in horror he saw her bring a small mirror close to her face. Memories flooded before his eyes. Without realizing it the bile came up to his mouth and he had to drop the stew and run behind a tree to vomit. His hands were still shaking when he went back to continue stirring their dinner.

"Please come out and have your meal, dear" At first he thought she wouldn't leave her place but was pleased when the carriage door swung open and she descended.

"Come here my love, sit"

He had made a small pallet by the fire for their comfort. Erik helped her sit down and handed her a bowl of stew and bread. He took a bowl for himself and sat next to her. They didn't touch but sitting next to each other afforded them reassure and a certain level of contentment. The food tasted good and the small fire gave their area a soft glow.

Golden shadows from the fire licked the unmasked side of his face. Christine could not remain upset with him and when she finished she leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen. Doesn't he want us to be close?

Erik wanted to put his arm around her but instead he sprang up, took both bowls and began to clean up.

"I'll help you Erik" She began to get up when he motioned for her to stay where she was

"I can do it".

Christine tried not to feel hurt by his brusqueness but she felt her patience wearing thin.

"It's a lovely moon tonight. Will we sleep outside?"

"Have you ever slept outside Christine?" From the tone of his voice she could tell that he was still tense.

"No, but…"

"Then why do you think I would make you sleep outside? There are spiders, beetles, grasshoppers, and perhaps snakes out here. There are horrible nasty things out here Christine!" He almost pointed to himself as being the worst one of all the things she might encounter.

She shuddered at the thought of any of those creatures touching her. "Erik, I don't know. You made a pallet I just thought…"

"That my dear may just be your downfall…thinking. Thinking about nothing at all"

"I beg your pardon?" She could not believe he was saying this to her. One of the things she had always loved about him was that he never made derogatory remarks about women. Just like her father he had always said he wanted to hear her opinions. She remembered his leaving her books to read and then questioning her on them.

"As I understand it, from others of course, being a woman is incompatible with thinking"

"Erik! My God, you sound like…" She bit her tongue just in time and turned her face away from him.

"Were you about to compare me with your elegant vicomte? Or were you thinking of the Marquis?"

"What?" He was going too far now. His jealousy of Raoul was understandable but now he had to implicate her with that scallywag of Léandre. She had been polite to Léandre, kind even, but had never really liked Raoul's uppity cousin.

"When you had those long conversations with the Marquis during your tea just how much did you tell him about us? About me?"

His eyes narrowed like a viper and she could see an engorged vein in his left temple. "Let us not argue, please"

"Can't you just answer my question?"

"No! This is silly"

"Answer me" he yelled.

"Erik, I will ignore your rude behavior and assume that it is due to your time in that awful place"

He frowned but did not say another word to her.

"And now I think I am going to prepare myself for sleep" She was growing tired of his sharp tongue and bad moods. Christine understood he had been imprisoned and had a rough time but that was no reason to be so mean to her, who had been desperately waiting for him. She left him outside to put the rest of their things away and readied herself for sleep. The seat did turn into a narrow but serviceable bed. She lay down in a corner leaving enough space for him.

Erik lay on the pallet by the fire. Fearful of being overpowered by brigands his heightened senses kept him awake in the noisy dark. His thoughts turned to her. He felt terrible guilt at the way he was treating her, but had she betrayed him? Did she share her intimate feelings with Léandre like that man had claimed?

Just after dawn he went to wake her up. His breath caught when he saw her on the bed. Her mouth was slightly open and her hair spread out on the pillow. It was a sight that during the dark days in his cell, he had come to believe he would never see again. Erik wanted to wake her up with a kiss but after his behavior of the previous night was unable to muster up the courage to do so. Her response would probably be to push him away. He shook her gently awake. Silently they had a light breakfast. When they finished she helped him put away their things and then attended to her toilet.

After their midday meal on the second day, he lay down and fell asleep on blanket. Léandre's face came to him in vivid clarity. The Marquis held something behind his back, Erik couldn't tell what it was but it made him nervous anyway. Leandre smiled showing a white set of teeth. "Come closer Beast. let me show you what I have for you"

Erik did not want to go but his feet took him closer to Leandre. Without more ceremony he brought his arm from behind his back…

It pleased Christine when she saw Erik's eyes fluttering shut. He looked tense but at least he was able to relax enough to dose off. She went to a nearby stream to clean up. On her return she saw him grabbing the blanket with both hands and thrashing. Realizing he was having a nightmare she tried to wake him. She shook him and as he woke his hand went to her throat. She was so shocked that she fell back and slipped out of his hand. "Erik!"

He saw what he had almost done and felt an unfamiliar heat rise to his face. In embarrassment stormed off with a stream of curses slipping from his lips. He would never hurt his little angel and yet he had almost done so. He couldn't blame the morphine now. Why was he acting this way? Maybe he was going mad and needed to stay away from her.

When he returned she confronted him. "Damn it Erik. What is wrong?" She gripped his arm.

Her language surprised him but he remembered that she would speak like that to him if really provoked.

"I'm not sure", he said hanging his head. "Let us just continue our trip" Erik slipped from her hold and climbed to his place behind the horses. He rubbed his eyes as he waited for her to climb into the carriage. For their sake he hoped he would show more restraint in his actions with his beloved Christine the rest of the day.

Christine sighed and returned to her place in the carriage. She wondered if she had done the right thing in following Erik. He was not acting like her knight anymore and she wasn't sure what she could do about that.

A/N: After a member of my family read this chapter they said Erik's reaction, reminded them of reminds me of me during PMS. I guess we do write from experience. Ouch!

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