Chapter 16: Rivalry Spans an Ocean

[featuring "Madame Opera Ghost Awaits Her Lover" and "Meg's Evil Side"]

~ Spring, 1909 ~

A Parisian spring was in full bloom by the time the divorce had been finalised. Christine wrote Erik another letter informing him of the news and forwarding him the address of the flat she shared with Gustave. Christine nearly backed out of the divorce when the court tried to give Raoul custody of her son, but Raoul stepped in to prevent that from happening. He didn't want the boy just as much as Christine didn't want to be separated from her child, but Gustave's illegitimacy was publicly exposed in the process. Tabloid headlines swam in the forefront of Christine's mind.

Scandal follows her wherever she goes… one author reminded the public of the decade old affair with the Phantom of the Opera.

Madame Opera Ghost, the article called her. The name stuck.

Christine doubted the old rumours had resurfaced on their own accord, but Raoul wouldn't admit whether he'd told anyone who Gustave's father was. She'd wasted an entire morning scouring every tabloid she could find, but not one of them mentioned Raoul's drinking or gambling habits, despite his vices and debts being well known to the public. The media was only interested in painting her as the promiscuous wife and Raoul as the sainted husband who'd been duped by an opera wench.

Christine had officially disgraced herself, her son, and her ex-husband in front of Paris. Her greatest wish was for Erik to whisk her away to America, away from the jeering media and the mocking public, away from the aristocratic society she detested so much. Christine hated playing damsel in distress, staying locked in her flat like a princess in a tower, but she rarely desired to go out anymore. She hid her face behind a veiled hat every time she left her flat, but she felt the burning stares of people she passed on the street. She felt the jeweler laughing every time she brought jewelry to sell so she could pay rent. Her diamond engagement ring had been the first to go, and her supply was dwindling. Most of the jewelry Raoul gifted her had been pilfered years ago to pay debts. For the time being, Christine and Gustave lived comfortably, but what would happen when they ran out of money? Her skills were limited to opera singing and being lady of the house...and promiscuity if the tabloids were to be believed. There was money to be made in that, but she'd rather not follow that career.

Christine's only consolation was that she no longer had to deal with an attention starved husband, but even that pastime had had its merits. Now, Christine spent her lonely days waiting for Gustave to return from school and wallowing in self apathy. She was always agitated and threatened to fire the maid everyday. It'd intimidated the old woman at first, but once the maid realized Christine's threats were empty, she did whatever she wanted because Christine was desperate for company. Slacking off, however, made Christine's threats come more heavily. One day Christine did fire the maid in a fit of rage, but the old woman came back the next day as if nothing happened, and Christine didn't complain.

"Did any letters arrive for me today?" Christine asked during their afternoon tea. She had no other company, so the maid was always invited to tea.

"No, I'm afraid not," the maid replied as she sipped her tea. She didn't understand why her mistress was so anxious to receive letters, or why she always watched the window as if she was expecting company to walk up the street at any moment.

Christine bit her trembling lip and sighed. The longer she waited for Erik's letter, the more she realized it wasn't going to arrive. Erik had probably laughed when he read the first letting informing him of the divorce, and he'd likely cackled when she sent him a second letter after the divorce had been finalised. He and Meg were happily in love, and Meg was smug because Christine was miserable on the other side of the Atlantic. Why'd she have to be so stupid and suggest Erik marry Meg Giry?

Because Christine wanted Erik to be happy even if she was miserable in her marriage. Because she was willing to help Raoul "keep up appearances" even if it tore her apart, but it tore both of them apart.

Ever since Meg had burned Christine's letter, she'd spent her nights tossing and turning. When she did manage to fall asleep, it was not long before she awoke in panic from another vivid nightmare where the rageful Erik discovered that she'd betrayed his trust. Now that Meg knew Christine was getting divorced, she had to be extra careful in rifling through Erik's mail before she delivered it to his study. What if there was another letter from Christine? What if Christine referenced a first letter, the one that never reached Erik because Meg had burned it? Meg could always blame the American postal service for the missing letter, but Erik wasn't an idiot. It wouldn't take him long to figure out Meg had been tampering with his mail, and when did, Meg would be lucky if she lived to see another day.

No! Under no circumstances could Erik find out.

When Meg groggily walked into the foyer that morning, her heart stopped. The mail was already gone.

Meg whipped her head around and saw a maid bustling towards Erik's study with a stack of papers in her hand.

"Here let me have those," said Meg as she took the mail from the maid's hand. "Don't worry I'll bring it to him."

The maid rolled her eyes. Everyone in the household knew of Mademoiselle Giry's affections for the master, and the help snickered at Meg behind her back because nothing was going to come of her obvious advances.

Meg waited until the maid was out of sight before she flipped through the mail, but when she looked down, her eyes widened immediately. To think what could've been if she hadn't stopped the maid in time! On the very top of the stack was another letter from Christine. Meg slipped the letter to the bottom of the stack and held it tightly. She didn't want to risk setting it down lest someone snatch it.

"Here's your mail, Erik," said Meg as she entered his study.

"Thank you. Is that for me also?" Erik inquired of the letter remaining in Meg's hand. She was gripping it rather rightly and trying to hide it behind her skirts.

"No this one's mine. A fellow dancer from Phantasma."

Meg didn't wait for Erik's inquisitive reply before she scurried out of the study and dashed up to her bedroom to tear into the letter in private.

...The divorce has been finalised… providing my new address in case you wish to write to me or Gustave...I understand if your feelings towards me have changed, but I still love you…

Christine's written sentiments were not as openly passionate as her previous letter, but nonetheless, the fondness of the words brought Meg's heart to a seething broil. She was about to toss the letter in the fire, just as she did the first one, but Meg stopped herself. She had an even more devious plan.

She was going to stop the letters once and for all.

Meg ran down to the library and waited for Erik to exit his study. He always practiced in the music room after he worked for a few hours. He greeted Meg as he passed her reading in an armchair, and when he was gone, Meg quietly snuck into his study. She sifted through his papers and stole one that looked unimportant.

Erik's unique handwriting was difficult to emulate as it was always sporadic, but when Meg felt she'd mastered the art in the privacy of her bedroom, she put pen to paper. Hopefully, Christine had never seen Erik's handwriting or at least didn't have any samples for comparison, but just in case, Meg kept the note brief.

Dear Madame de Changy...

After finishing the letter, Meg copied Christine's new address onto a blank envelope. She threw Christine's letter into the fire and watched the message turn to ash. When the fire had done its job, she took the forged letter downstairs and handed it to the first servant she found.

"Will you mail this immediately?" Meg demanded. She wouldn't have to worry about Christine any longer.