Disclaimer: I tried to kidnap the Phantom, but failed. Therefore, I own nothing.

AN: Sorry about the late update; I was on vacation and as we all know, writing so soon after getting home from a relaxing trip can be hard. Here's the next chapter, though, and I hope everyone enjoys it. Oh, and sorry about the poor breaks in the chapter; this website is acting wonky again! Please review!

Chapter 16: Up North:

I was practically bouncing with excitement as my train pulled up to the tiny station, a broad smile on my lips. Penny sat beside me and rolled her eyes as she began to check and see if we had forgotten anything. This was a good thing, considering the fact that I couldn't focus on anything except the train pulling to a stop.

"Honestly, Miss Clara, you've been on pins and needles ever since your papa let you come up here on this here train!" Penny exclaimed, grinning as she began moving my bags so that they could be properly taken care of by the train's staff.

"I can't help it!" I said, clapping my gloved hands together. "I've been looking forward to this for days! I can't believe I'm actually here!"

Finally, after two weeks of packing, planning, and traveling, I was here at the lovely little coastal town of Manistee, Michigan, and I couldn't be happier. Obviously, my joy came in two parts: one was my chance to see my darling aunt and cousins, and the other was that Haleigh's plan was going along exactly as we had thought. Sighing, I absently watched as Penny started ordering the staff around, making sure that they handled my things gently and correctly as my thoughts turned elsewhere.

Not long after Papa had given me permission to visit Aunt Mary and her girls, and just when my visit to Haleigh was over, Jerry had returned from Erik's home with a note in his pocket for me. However, instead of the tenderness and affection I had expected to find in the letter, I read something that nearly broke my heart and my faith in the love I had for my family.

Apparently, the only reason my father was allowing me to go up North was because Erik had visited the house earlier that same day, the day Papa had granted my request. Erik had come to my home in the hopes of changing my father's mind about him, and had instead been thrown out, forbidden to ever return under the threat of arrest for trespassing! I had then thought back to dinner that evening, realizing that I had unknowingly given both my mother and my father exactly what they dreamed of: a chance to get me away from Erik. That was why Papa had agreed to my coming up here; it was a way to get me to 'forget' about Erik and the fact that he loved me.

I had been angry, to say the least, but I knew that if I said anything to either Mama or Papa about it, they would ruin my one chance to be happy and to make my dreams come true. Instead, I had summoned Haleigh and told her that the plan would go through as we had talked about, and that I would have no regrets about leaving my parents behind. I would go up North, stay there and pretend to be happy for a few weeks, and wait for Erik to come and get me so we could run away together. Before I returned home from my visit, Haleigh and Jerry had both given me their support, as well as had me promise to write them as soon as I was safely away from my aunt and father's influences. I swore to do as they asked while giving each of their little ones a kiss goodbye.

The ride home from the Winters' mansion had been one filled with thought. I busily planned out which dresses I would take with me up North, meaning the ones I couldn't leave behind when I left with Erik. I would take my jewelry, of course, so that we could sell it in the event of an emergency, as well as a few trinkets that were sure to fetch a good price if sold. I could always buy a new hat, but my favorites would go with me, as would the gifts that Erik had presented to me; there was no possible way I was going to leave behind the love-tokens that I so cherished, as I was sure my father would tear my room apart in an attempt to find any clue as to where I had gone with the man I loved.

By the time I arrived home, my head was spinning with plans that no one else (save Haleigh, Jerry, and Erik) would know about, and the fact that Mama wanted to help me prepare for my voyage did not ease my mind at all. The moment I stepped through the doorway, my mother swept me upstairs to help fill my trunks with more clothes than I could possibly need on my visit. I was puzzled as to why Mama was in such a hurry, but Penny told me that night that Papa wanted me on the next train going North, which would be leaving in three days, so I would be arriving at my aunt's in exactly ten days.

Those three days passed by in a blur for me, so much so that all I can truly remember is the fact that I ate my regular meals and fell asleep in my bed at a late hour. Miraculously, all of my favorite gowns had made it into one trunk or another, as had my jewelry, thanks to my sneaking out of bed late so that I could pack the precious stones and metals in hidden corners. Before I left, I had made sure to send Haleigh a message about my leaving so soon, and that I hoped that she would 'take care' of things after I was gone. She had replied with a note of her own, a promise to 'attend to certain parties' and to be sure that things turned out alright. Assured that my friends would take care of Erik and our plan, I left Rockford with only a tiny bit of nervousness fluttering about in my stomach.

And now I was here, right where I needed to be. Erik was probably plotting how to come up here and make sure that his butler, Marcus, and his family members were all taken care of after he left. At present, I had no idea what excuse Erik would make for leaving his house; he could easily tell people he was leaving for a little vacation to another part of the country, or that he was quite literally moving away from Rockford because of the heartache he had experienced there from not being able to marry me. Either way, I had full confidence in my fiancée's ability to lie and make it look truthful.

Penny's voice broke my thoughts.

"Hurry up, Miss Clara! I'm sure your aunt's waiting for us on the platform!" my maid cried as she shook my shoulder. "Snap out of it, Miss, we've got to get off so they can load the passengers for the next leg of the journey!"

Taking a deep breath, I smiled at her before following her out of the cabin and into the crowded station.

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At first glance, no one would guess Aunt Mary was my father's little sister. While my father had red hair and blue eyes, Aunt Mary had brown hair that was between curly and wavy and had gray eyes. Both were tall, however, and my aunt was a lovely, cheerful person that did everything in her power to make her friends, relatives, and guests feel comfortable in her presence. I loved to visit her, and when I was young, my parents would bring Philip and I to visit her every year. Once we were older, though, and it was time to start showing our faces in society, our visits grew fewer and fewer until we went once every few years. In fact, a visit was long overdue, since I had last been here four years ago.

'I wonder if the girls still remember me,' I couldn't help thinking as I stepped onto the platform, placing myself beside the three trunks and one suitcase that I'd brought with me.

"Clara, Clara, Clara!" cried a young girl's voice.

Craning my neck, I saw a little blonde head race towards me, and before I knew it, there was a pretty little girl with blond locks attached to my waist. I couldn't hold back my laughter as Kari clung to me, her gray eyes gazing up at me with adoration; I had always been her favorite cousin for some reason.

"Well, hello to you, too," I said, putting a hand on her cheek. "My goodness, look at how you've grown! You're likely to be as big as I am before long!" My little cousin merely gave me a bright, excited smile.

"Gracious, Kari, you know better than to run off like that." I bit back a chuckle upon hearing my aunt's voice. "Besides, it's not very dignified for 10-year-old girls to behave that way in public!"

This time I did laugh. "Well, I think it's a good thing that she's getting it done while she still can," I joked, smiling as my Aunt Mary walked over, her 8-year-old daughter, Andrea, at her side.

"Now don't you dare start encouraging her, Clara," Aunt Mary gently chided me, even though she smiled as she did so. "Otherwise I'll end up with a wild child on my hands."

"Did you miss me?" Kari asked as she gazed up at me, her arms still around my waist.

"Of course I did!" I exclaimed, pretending to be shocked at the question. "Why, I even brought you and your sister a present because I missed you so much!"

Opening the satchel-like purse I had around my wrist, I pulled out two little fans that I had purchased at a shop during a long rest-stop, knowing how much little girls longed to act like grown ladies. I bought a blue fan for Kari and a pink fan for Andrea, since they were their favorite colors, and was rewarded for my efforts by little cries of delight from the girls, who immediately flicked them open and began using them. I laughed as they attempted to imitate the women around them.

"Well, thank goodness for that," Aunt Mary said, sighing in relief. "Now I get to take three pretty young ladies home, instead of one young woman and two little girls."

The next thing I knew, my things were being loaded onto a carriage and we were on our way to her house. It was a coastal town, set near Lake Michigan, so there was always a cool breeze, even on the hottest of summer days. My aunt's house was large and airy, and as it was so welcoming to anyone who stepped inside of it, it was one of my favorite places to visit. Truth be told, I would much rather spend the summer near water than in the South…it's always so dreadfully hot down there!

Upon our arrival, Penny and I were ordered to go upstairs and rest before supper, which I was only too glad to do. I was eager to nap on a bed that wasn't swaying back and forth, and to go through my trunks for something other than a traveling dress. Penny, however, refused to allow me anywhere near my trunks, so I was forced to take a nap without laying a hand on my clothes. I woke just in time to dress and to join my aunt, uncle, and cousins for dinner. Uncle Geoffrey was thrilled to have me there, and welcomed me with his usual broad, friendly smile while the servants bustled about. I was shown to my spot, right across from Aunt Mary, and eagerly tucked into my roasted chicken breast and vegetables, although the frosted cake at the end was by far the best part.

Once the meal was over and Kari and Andrea were shown upstairs by their nursemaid, I was escorted to the parlor so I could talk with my aunt and uncle. Uncle Geoff took a seat on a black leather chair while Aunt Mary and I sat at a small table with a tea tray between us. I happily accepted a cup of mint tea, and the three of us made small-talk about what had happened since the last time I had visited. I was halfway through my second cup before a tremendous shock was thrown at me.

"Clara, dear, your father sent me a telegraph before you came," Aunt Mary said, gazing at me from over her tea cup and saucer. "I've decided to follow his advice and introduce you to the society here to let you meet the young women and men of the town."

I nearly choked on my tea. Papa had asked Aunt Mary to take me socializing while I was up here? Dear Lord, he must want me in love or engaged to someone else so I would forget about Erik! It would work to Papa's advantage if I married someone from my aunt's neighborhood, as many of the men here came from extremely wealthy families. I can only imagine Mother's joy at seeing me married off to a rich Northerner!

Slowly, I swallowed the tea in my mouth and calmed myself down. I did not want to play along with this, but if I didn't, they would suspect something. If my aunt and uncle felt as though I were acting rebellious or strange, they would write to my father and I would instantly be sent home…or worse, I would be put under a constant guard with either my aunt or Penny keeping an eye on me. If that happened, I would not be able to run away with Erik, and all hopes of a happy future were lost.

I would have to pretend to be interested in finding another love, whether I liked it or not.

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"Jerry," Haleigh nearly screamed when she read Clara's first letter to her. Her husband instantly raced into the room, expecting some sort of disaster to have happened with the children.

"What, sweetheart, what is it?" he asked, looking around the room.

"It's Clara!" she said, staring at the note in her hand. "Clara's father is trying to get her married off to some Northerner! He actually asked his sister to find Clara a man while she was visiting so she would forget all about Erik!"

Jerry nearly collapsed into a chair, pure shock written all over his face. "He did what?" he said, rubbing a hand over his face. "I can't believe the man would do something like this to his own daughter, especially when she's so madly in love with a man already!"

His wife merely shook her head. "This really puts a kink in things, doesn't it?" Haleigh muttered, glaring at the note. "It means that we'll have to have Erik move quickly if he's going to get Clara out of there before she's forced into an arranged marriage or something equally terrible!"

"Right," Jerry said, getting up from his seat and heading for the door.

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In the days since Clara had left, Erik had managed to pass the time getting his affairs in order for when he fled town to be with her. His accounts had been shifted into another country, for he did not believe America to be a safe place if Mr. Savoy was after them. Marcus, his wife, Jill, and their daughter, Laura, had been given a good sum of money to go start a new life wherever they wished after he was gone. Although they didn't like the fact he was leaving them so soon after arriving in Rockford, they accepted the money they needed for their newfound lives. Erik had offered them the house, as they had lived there so long, but both Marcus and Jill wanted to live someplace new with their daughter, and they would be heading up North or West to live after Erik had gone.

To Erik's relief, none of his servants spoke a word about his leaving Rockford for good, as he had asked them to keep it a secret. He did not want it widely known that he was vanishing so soon after Clara had left, and since he hadn't appeared at any social events since the Savoy's had forbidden his relationship with Clara, it was doubtful that anyone would truly miss his absence until it was too late.

'Which is all the good,' he thought to himself as he composed a new piece of music, one that was inspired by his beloved fiancée. 'At least it will keep the Savoy's off of the scent until Clara is safe in my arms and we are far away from both her parents and her aunt.'

Best of all was the way Erik had managed to purchase a train ticket for himself, going northwards. Five years ago, Marcus had become friends with a traveling salesman, a jolly, old, white fellow who passed through the town once or twice a season. After being introduced to the man a few days ago, Erik had hired him to go and purchase his train ticket to Michigan instead of doing the task himself. That way, if anyone asked around to see if a masked man had purchased a train ticket, the man in the ticket booth could honestly say he hadn't.

Smiling, Erik scribbled down another note on his sheet of paper. In less than a month, he would be in Michigan, wrapping his arms around Clara and staring into her wonderful brown eyes. He could hardly wait to kiss her and tell her how much he loved her for doing this for him!

"Mister Erik, Mr. Jerry Winters is here to see you," Marcus' voice called through the closed door of the music room. "He says it's urgent."

Erik's smile turned into a frown; he hated being disturbed when his muse was calling! "Tell him I'm busy," he declared, turning his attention back towards the sheet of music paper in front of him.

"But he says that it's bad news about Miss Clara!"

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Never in his life had Jerry Winters see a man run to answer a summons. Erik Rousseau nearly broke through the doors of his music room and parlor to get to his visitor, and if the situation hadn't been so serious, Jerry would have burst out laughing. When Erik finally managed to compose himself a little, he approached his guest, trying to appear cool and collected.

"Jerry, what brings you here?" the masked man asked, his hands clenching at his sides. "What's all this about bad news and Clara?"

"Erik, you're a good man and obviously a good friend, so I won't beat about the bush on the matter," Jerry said, sighing as he went to stand before the other man, looking up several inches into Erik's face. "The truth is…Mr. Savoy wrote to his sister, Clara's aunt, and asked her to find Clara a new beau while she's up North. Haleigh and I both think that this is an attempt to get her to forget about you and what you two had (or should I say, have) together. This is also a likely effort to get Clara to marry a rich Northern man so she can bring some sort of wealth to the family."

Jerry looked up and saw the blank stare on his friend's face. "Erik, are you alright?"

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Erik had gone cold the minute the words had left Jerry's lips. Clara's father was attempting to make her forget him? He had actually plotted behind his daughter's back and asked Clara's beloved aunt to play matchmaker, to try and force a relationship on her? Would her aunt actually do as Mr. Savoy asked her to? Knowing how much the woman cared about Clara, she most likely would, thinking that she was helping the situation and not hurting it.

Blinking his eyes, Erik tried to claw his way back into his body and to think rationally, even though the Phantom was stirring within him. Violence was not the answer to this problem, though he would not hesitate to use it if necessary. First, they had to find a way to see Haleigh's plan through, to try and get both him and Clara away from her hard-hearted, prideful, vain family, and into a new life. If anything interfered, then Erik would be forced to improvise and do whatever it took to get him and Clara safely away to their destination. The entire plot was already underway; they merely had to see it through to either the end or as far as it would take them, whichever came first.

Taking a deep breath, Erik managed to call a bit of feeling back into his body, though his blood was both boiling and ice cold with rage. "Should I move more swiftly with my plans?" he asked Jerry.

The young man shook his head, brown hair flopping into his brown eyes. "No, that would look suspicious," he said, clapping a hand on Erik's shoulder in a gesture of sympathy. "Besides, I highly doubt that Clara is going to forget all about you in a week or ten days. She loves you and is willing to run away and marry you against her parents' wishes, which totally goes against everything Haleigh and I have ever known about her." Jerry gave him a huge, warm, friendly grin. "She loves you and there is no possible way that she will forget you that easily."

Nodding, Erik smiled back. "Merci, my friend," he said, clapping a strong hand on Jerry's shoulder, which caused the other man to stager a bit. "You are right about Clara; she will not forget the one who loves her so quickly. I will go as planned, but I'm afraid that I will be whisking Clara away sooner than later."

Jerry laughed. "Of that, I have no doubt!" he said. "And I have a feeling that Clara will be able to handle things herself until you get there. She's quite capable, you know."

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'If I have to spend another moment with this man, I swear I will go mad!' I thought to myself, pasting on another false smile as the gentleman beside me began to talk more about himself and his business.

I had sent my message to Haleigh a week ago, and had only gotten a short note back saying 'patience is a virtue, and good things come to those who wait.' However, by now, my patience was wearing thin, and there was nothing I wanted to do more than slap this man in the face and run upstairs to my room. However, Aunt Mary was watching me like a hawk, determined to have me paired with Mr. Charles Kirkland, no matter what the cost. Unfortunately, the cost was my sanity, and the price I had to pay was boredom at everything the man said.

Starting two days after I had arrived, Aunt Mary had dragged me out to every single card game, social gathering, dance, ball, or party that she received an invitation to. So far, I had been to at least one of each, and my head was beginning to hurt from all of the new names and faces I was seeing and meeting. Also, I had been forced to dance with several men who were interested in the 'new girl' in town, but mousy Charles Kirkland was the worst, primarily because he was the most persistent and dullest of the men who were fluttering around me.

The man was rich, no doubt, but his light brown hair was limp, his eyes a blue so pale they were almost clear, and he had the thinnest lips I had ever seen. And for some reason, he was focused on me. I had seen a few other girls interested in him, but Mr. Kirkland was, for some reason, determined to make me his wife (though I suppose it must have been my Southern accent that did it). I couldn't stand listening to him talk or looking at him for very long. His voice was soft and timid, not squeaky as I thought it would be, but his topics of conversation tended to leave me both sleepy and ready to run away screaming. However, a look from my aunt told me that I was forbidden to leave, even though we were at home and having guests over for tea and cards.

Instead, I let my thoughts drift to thoughts of Erik. I swear I could feel his strong arms around me and hear his voice in my ear, just like when we were walking together in the gardens back home. I needed him here to save me from this nightmare that my father and aunt were putting me through, and I knew that he couldn't possibly get here fast enough to take me away. Instead of crying as I wanted to, though, I bit back my tears and listened absently to Charles talk about his wheat shipping business.

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AN: Wow, poor Clara! Erik will be arriving soon, though, so don't worry! Please review!