As we drove up to the building where the party was going to take place, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was in the Opera Populaire! I turned to Erik, and the surprise was apparently evident in my face.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that it was at the Populaire?" Erik asked in a seemingly innocent way, but the joking showed clearly on his face.
"Hm, more like decided not to mention," I told him. He just smiled.
"Here we are," I heard Tony call from the front seat, "If you three would like to park the car I will be in shortly."
"Don't you mean if we three wished to go inside, you would be in shortly after parking the car?" Erik asked, trying not to laugh.
"Oh, isn't that what I said? Woops," Tony answered without the slightest tint of embarrassment in his voice.
"You know," Meg said, "I think I'll walk with Tony in, after all, it wouldn't proper for Erik to be seen with two beautiful women in his arms. I think I'll leave Kris to him. He's a little to masculine for my tastes."
I smiled at Meg, silently thanking her. She seemed to get the message, and grinned back at me.
"Well Mlle. Kristina, what do you say we head on in?" Erik asked while gently wrapping his arm around my forearm.
"I would be delighted." I answered, barely able to keep my excitement bottled up.
As we walked into the Populaire, I kept staring all around me, it was different than it had been just the day before. It was bright and cheerful, and it almost felt as though we'd gone back in time.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Erik asked me. I could only nod in response. Right before we got to the door where the masquerade was being held, Erik lightly pulled me to the side of the hallway, and suddenly looked very serious. "When we go in there Kristina, it might be, well, a little shocking. There will be a lot of people in there, and to be honest, they some of the most important people in all of France, so do not be surprised, ok? Oh, and just be yourself. They'll probably try to intimidate you, but pay no attention. They are all just a bunch of bores. With that out of the way, are you ready to head in?"
It seemed to be an awful lot to take in, but then I noticed that Erik was still holding my arm, and I knew that so long as I was with him, I would be ok. "Yes Erik, I think I can handle it. I'm used to be around high ranking officials in the US, so hopefully it won't be too different," I said while smiling at him.
This seemed to lift a huge weight off of Erik's shoulder, and he gently kissed my hand while smiling, "I knew you'd be fine," he said as he once again started to walk to the door, while gently placing my hand back on his arm. Once we got to the door, a doorman opened it for us, and we stepped inside.
I was absolutely stunned. There were so many people there, I'd only ever been to small get-togethers, but this was entirely different. It was like walking through the streets of New York, except for much more elegant, of course.
But I quickly covered my shock, and concentrated on not looking incredibly stupid in front of Erik. It seemed like we had arrived fashionably late (I'd already come to expect no less from Erik) and that everyone was staring, which had to be my imagination. I was glad to be on Erik's left side, because when I looked up, I could see his face. Not the unfeeling piece of porcelain I was already accustomed to. He looked down and smiled, and went to introduce me to some of the people we were closest to.
I was more nervous than I let on for Kris. Sure, she said she was used to these things. But she had no idea. These people were, for lack of a better word, vicious. If they so much as thought that someone didn't belong in their little group (in other words, didn't have a ridiculous amount of money) they would poke fun at every little thing, until that person could barely even show their face in front of them. Oh how I hated everything I'd been born into. But I bore it all with a smile, for that damned family honor. So once we were inside, I put on my best look-at-how-nice-of-a-man-I-am smile.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn't look at Kris. They would take it as a sign of weakness. As though I felt she had to be protected. And the last thing I wanted was for her to look vulnerable. So I quickly headed to the Colville's, who were the nicest people here.
"Madame et Monsieur Colville! How good it is to see you again! May I present to you, Mlle. Kristina Cadogan."
AN: Yay for another short chapter! I haven't been in a very romantic mood lately, and I doubt I will be for a while. And seeing as that's what the story is, this could be a bit of a problem. But it's not my fault. Blame it on all men who fell it necessary to cheat. Anway, That mistake Toni "made" was actually a typo on my part, but I didn't feel like correcting it. So I just made it part of the story! Lol. Totally random, I know. Hopefully it won't be too long before I update again. But even if it takes me a while, you know you still love me (or at least the story!).