Madame Giry led Christine away. As they walked to the costume rack, silence preceded them. Everyone stared at Christine, she kept her head down.
"Go on ahead, I will come with the dresses and the seamstresses. Change out of your costume and into a robe." Madame Giry shooed Christine away.
Christine slowly walked to Carlotta's dressing room and opened the door. She gasped, there was a man in the room.
"Who are you!?" She accused.
"Ah Carlotta, where are the managers?" the man said.
"What?" Christine asked.
Was this man the new patron? She had heard whispers that a new patron was coming, but why was he in the dressing room? She didn't know whether to stare or to look at the floor. She could feel his eyes on her, but there was something else that she couldn't place.
"Here come sit with me, while we wait for the managers," he said, "my name is Raoul de Chagny."
He gestured to the plush settee he was lounging on.
Christine shook her head, "you are mistaken, Monsieur, I am not Carlotta. I will go find the managers for you."
She slowly shut the door against the man's protests and backed away. When she turned around Madame Giry was standing there.
"What are you doing? I told you to undress." Madame Giry scolded.
"There is a man in there, he is waiting for Carlotta and the managers." Christine said with a shaking voice.
Madame Giry frowned and gave the dresses to Christine to hold. She went inside and with restrain told Raoul de Chagny he needed to wait somewhere else. Raoul came out with a smirk and a wink as Madame Giry herded him off. Christine went inside her nose wrinkling at the smell of the cigar smoke. She carefully hung up the dresses, making sure they wouldn't wrinkle. She opened up Carlotta's wardrobe looking for a plain shift. Everything was covered in lace and ribbons. Christine fingered the material as she looked. She had not seen such finery up close. Her costumes in the ballet were always hand me downs. Madame Giry, despite the talent she said Christine had, never put Christine or Meg in the spotlight. She said it was for the best and Christine always obeyed. She pulled out one of the simpler ones, if that was possible and slipped out of her slave girl outfit. Christine shivered and searched for a match to light the small heater in the dressing room. As she knelt down, Christine lit the match and as she held it in the heater she gasped. There was someone watching her. She screamed and dropped the match. It went out as it dropped to the floor and Christine scooted back on the floor. The grate of the heater slammed shut as the doors opened. Christine could hear the laughter of the seamstresses from behind Madame Giry.
"What are you doing on the floor girl? Did the Opera Ghost scare you?" one of them called out as the rest cackled.
Christine blushed and stood up.
"Come, come let's get you in a corset," one of them said. She opened the wardrobe again and this time pulled out a drawer. She held up a white corset and approached Christine again. Christine held up her arms as the seamstress put the corset halves around her body and began lacing. The laces got tighter and tighter.
"Must they be so tight?" Christine asked.
She was panting and the room was beginning to spin.
"What, girl? Have you not worn one before?"
Christine shook her head. Madame Giry stood in front of her, "take deep breaths." Christine took deeper breaths as the lacing was finished.
"There she should be about the same size as Carlotta now." They pulled the first dress from the rack and begun tying the skirts around her body. Christinie was unsure if she'd be able to sing with the laces so tight. Madame Giry sensing her nervousness suggested she begin some scales as the women measured and took up the skirts. Christine nodded and began warming up. She felt some relief hearing herself not too affected by the corset. Madame Giry smilled and Christine smiled back.