Hi everybody,

I am once again sooo sorry! These were really totally exhausting, long weeks, and I did not get around to writing a new chapter. I will *try* to post a bit more regularly, though!

Anyway, thank you all for your continued support despite my lousy updating, for reading, for putting on alert, for adding to favorites, and, most of all, for reviewing. You are the reason why I will never abandon a story and always try to bring it to a satisfactory ending.

Without further ado, here is the new chapter, and this time, sorry, no Erik, though he will be gravely affected by what is going on in this chapter. Now let's see what Raoulie-poo is up to, and how he is trying to manipulate Christine and Mme. Giry, but please keep in mind that I do not own those characters...

Chapter 14 – His Reign Will End

Raoul was looking forward to dinner. He had taken out Christine and her bothersome chaperone of a ballet mistress a few times already since the "Il Muto"-incident, but so far he had not had much success in either charming Christine or getting more information on his rival. But this time would be different. This time he had a few aces up his sleeve. This time he would make some serious progress.

He once again glanced at the report that he had gotten from the London detective he had asked to check a few details for him, once he had learned from reading Christine's and Mme. Giry's letters that the fiend had been employed by a certain Mr. Carl Stanton and was apparently quickly becoming a close friend of Stanton's family. What the detective had told him was useful information, indeed. If he used it right, it should not be difficult to drive a wedge between Christine and her so-called Angel. He would plant the seed of doubt and mistrust, and then all he would have to do was sit back and wait.

Soon Christine would be his. He lasciviously licked his lips at the thought of finally being able to rip off her clothes and devour her luscious body. But not today. Not yet. Today he would once again have to play the perfect gentleman. It would be difficult to restrain himself so much, but it would be worth it. Once she was his, he would make her pay for the pain caused by the wait and the restraint. Then she would have to completely submit to his lust in any way, shape and form.

Xxxx

Dinner at the prestigious restaurant "Chez Arnold" once again seemed to stretch endlessly. Christine hated those regular dinner dates with Raoul. She would much rather have spent her time rereading Erik's letters and writing long letters to him, telling him everything about her daily life, what was going on at the Opéra Populaire, asking him about his progress with Mr. Stanton's theater, and telling him over and over again how much she loved him.

Almost three months had passed now since Erik had left Paris, and she missed him so terribly! In fact, Christine thought that the longer their separation lasted, the harder it was for her. From Erik's letters she knew that he was on the best way of making enough money that he could ask her to follow him in maybe a year's time, but a year was so incredibly long without Erik!

"How would you like to get a starring part in our next production, Little Lotte?" Raoul's question brought Christine back from her reverie about Erik. She gave her so-called childhood sweetheart a bewildered look.

"A starring part? But Raoul, I told you,... I mean, I do not want you to..." Christine stammered. She was more convinced than ever that she would be labeled Raoul's mistress should he somehow promote her career. Even though she made sure never to be seen in public with him without a chaperone, she knew that gossip about her and the Vicomte was running wild already because of their frequent dinner dates. Now, if she suddenly got a starring part... She shuddered at how this fact might be interpreted by society's most notorious rumor-mongers.

"I know," Raoul told her in an avuncular manner, to make sure she did not read anything else into his efforts. "But this is not the way you seem to think it is. In fact, we have been told by theater critics over and over again that your performance, both, in "Hannibal" and also the night of the "Il Muto"-incident, has been stellar, that you are superior to Carlotta in every way, timbre of voice, technique, interpretation, acting, looks. That we are fools if we keep using her instead of you. We even have received several letters from audience members asking when they would be able to enjoy your singing again. Therefore, our esteemed managers have decided to give you a starring part in the next production." He smiled at Christine engagingly. "It was their decision, not mine," he added. "I only asked for the favor of being the one to give you the good news."

Christine stared at him, almost in shock. Such news had been the last thing she had expected. "But how, why?" she gasped. "I mean,Carlotta has a contract. She has the right to sing the leading lady's part..."

Raoul grinned. "That's why we chose a play that has two equally important soprano roles," he explained. "So we can give you a featured role, and employ Carlotta as well. That way, the critics and audience members will be happy, because they get to hear you, you will be happy, because you get another chance at a good role, and Carlotta should be happy as well, since she gets her starring part, too."

"And what," Christine stammered, "what would that play be?"

"Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart," Raoul informed her. "Carlotta will play the Countess – she will love that, since it will make her feel more important – and you will play her maid Susanna, Figaro's bride. Since this opera is about Susanna's and Figaro's wedding, you are actually in a way the more important character, though both have their chance to shine. And I know who will win the audience's favor," he added.

Christine nodded. She knew that Raoul was right about recent comments in the papers regarding the continued use of Carlotta when they had a talent like her at their disposal, and she had to admit that the idea of putting up a production that would use both her and the diva was a brilliant way of doing exactly what the audience and the critics wanted without slighting Carlotta or breaking their contract with her.

"When?" she only asked. If this was to be the next production, rehearsals would have to start soon.

"Oh, in maybe two or three weeks," Raoul said vaguely. "André and Firmin will probably announce it to the theater company within the next few days. Why do you ask?"

"I...," Christine looked into her plate. She did not want to discuss this with Raoul. "I need to prepare for the part," she whispered.

"Of course," Raoul smiled at her. "That is why I have given you a head-start right now. I am sure you will want to study the role with your tutor."

Christine blushed. Erik! Oh, how she wished he would be there right now! He would be able to help her with every nuance of the character, he would be able to make sure every single note she sang would sound perfect. But Erik was not here. She would have to prepare for this challenge on her own, and that made her slightly nervous.

"Ah... yes,..." she mumbled.

Raoul frowned at her. "Is something the matter, Little Lotte?" he asked, seemingly concerned.

"No, no," Christine was fast to reply, but the tone of her voice and the uncertain look in her eyes gave a totally different message.

"Something is troubling you," Raoul said, his voice oozing concern. "And I think it has something to do with this upcoming production. Do not worry, you will have time enough to prepare for the role, and with a teacher as good as yours..."

He interrupted himself as he noticed Christine's growing discomfort. "Oh, did I say something wrong?" Raoul quickly asked. "Your teacher,... is that the problem? Is he not teaching you anymore?"

Christine was squirming now. She did not like the way this conversation was going,at all.

Mme. Giry thought it was time to jump in. "Christine's teacher is currently not in Paris," she told Raoul. "Of course this is an unfortunate coincidence, but he could not foresee that he would be needed here right now."

"I am sorry," Raoul replied politely. "I did not know that. How unfortunate! A vacation? Maybe he can come back sooner than planned and take a longer break after opening night of our new production?"

"That is not possible," Christine blurted out, wishing she had kept her mouth shut the moment those words had escaped her.

"Whyever not?" Raoul inquired, feigning interest.

"He has obligations elsewhere," Mme. Giry tried to explain away Christine's blunder.

"I see," Raoul continued. "Family?"

"He is with a friend," Mme. Giry replied vaguely.

"A friend?" Raoul grinned. "A lady friend perhaps? Is the gentleman on a honey-moon?"

"Of course not!" Christine was feeling really angry now. Raoul had no business talking about Erik! And where did this sudden interest of his for her teacher come from anyway?

"A male friend, then?" Raoul asked,his voice insinuating all sorts of things two male bachelors might enjoy on a trip, drinking, whoring, etc.

"He is nothing like that!" Christine blurted out again.

"Well, it is none of my business anyway," Raoul relented. "I am sure your teacher is a true gentleman, I did not want to make it sound like I had any doubts about his character. I just noticed that you are a bit concerned how you will be able to prepare for the role without him. If you ask me, I am convinced that you will do great, even without his help. You have reached such a level of excellence already, that you do not really need a teacher anymore. It is time for you to cut your ties with him and stand on your own two feet. You will be absolutely fantastic, you will see!"

For a while they talked about the upcoming production. When dessert was served, Raoul finally brought up another topic. "By the way," he told the two ladies, "André, Firmin and I have thought long and hard about ways of reducing costs so that we can maybe have a few more productions per year, and we have been thinking about entering some kind of partnership with other theaters."

When he saw the baffled looks the two ladies gave him, he elaborated. "The concept is simple," he explained, "we would not have to build our own sets and have our own costumes made, but we would exchange them with another theater. See, our sets for "Il Muto" are still in pretty good shape. We will not be using them anymore and could therefore ship them off to another theater instead of trashing them. The same goes for the costumes. This other theater might have sets and costumes for another play that they are not using anymore and could ship to us in return. Thus, we would both save money and would be able to put on a new, cost-effective production after only a few weeks of rehearsal."

"But everybody here in Paris has seen our production of "Il Muto", Mme. Giry objected. "And people from the surrounding areas that are interested in opera have seen it here. Which theater anywhere near would therefore want our sets?"

"I was not talking about a theater nearby," Raoul retorted. "Maybe not even in France, though I suppose Marseille or Nice might be a possibility. I was thinking more along the lines of a theater, or several theaters, abroad. London, for instance. There are several theaters there that put up first class productions. We could probably find more than one theater there with which we could start such a production exchange."

Christine blushed at the mentioning of London, and Mme. Giry, too, was getting the impression that the Vicomte had some ulterior motive in telling them all that. Surely he could not know that Erik was in London, or could he?

"That is indeed an interesting idea," Mme. Giry therefore said cautiously. "But it is also a very new concept. Not every theater might be interested. Some might fear, for instance, that either we only send them well-used sets and threadbare costumes, or that maybe the sets and costumes might suffer during transport and will not be usable once they arrive."

"Naturally," Raoul agreed. "But of course, we would share that risk, for the sets and costumes they send us might be in poor condition as well. That is why we have to chose our partners carefully."

Mme. Giry nodded. "That is a wise decision," she admitted. "But, if I may ask, how are you and Messieurs André and Firmin planning to go about looking for such a partner theater?"

"Oh, we are in no hurry," Raoul explained. "We already have the remaining two productions for this season funded, and the exchange would begin in fall at the earliest. That gives us a little bit of time. I have started reading British newspapers, in the hope of getting a good idea of what their cultural scene is like. That should help me narrow our search down to two or three likely choices for such a cooperation."

"That does sound like a reasonable approach," Mme. Giry agreed. She did not feel too comfortable, carrying on this conversation, but one glance at Christine had told her that the girl was in no condition of uttering even one word. Christine was literally falling apart next to her, nervously ringing her hands and biting her lips. If she did not want the Vicomte to pay too close attention to her charge, Mme. Giry therefore had to keep him occupied, turn his attention to the topic at hand and away from Christine.

"Indeed, it is, isn't it?" Raoul gloated. "At a later point one of us, that is, André, Firmin or myself, might have to go to London and talk to the theater owners and managers in person. But of course, first we have to decide which companies we would like to approach. There are a lot of factors that we need to consider, such as quality of their production, plays they are actually doing and might have sets for to trade for ours, etc."

"Of course size of the theater matters as well," he added, almost as an afterthought. "Which is a pity. Some of the smaller houses might put on really decent productions. But..."

He made a big show of frowning as if deep in thought. "Maybe there is a way of adapting sets that were originally built for a smaller stage. I will have to think about it. Maybe by using some sort of frame to make our stage appear smaller... If we had a regular exchange with a smaller theater, the investment into such a frame construction might pay off soon, I must discuss this with André and Firmin. If we could take smaller theaters into consideration as well, we might have more and better choices."

"I am sure that is the case," Mme. Giry once again replied stiffly.

"Yes, certainly," Raoul was eager to agree. "I am not exactly thinking about Covent Garden, but houses like the Queen's or Your Majesty's, or The Music House, though the latter recently changed owner and is closed for the moment due to renovations, but from what I have heard they do have an artistic director now who supposedly is amazing. They are currently preparing their opening production, I have heard, and that new person there is apparently overseeing construction work, while at the same time studying the parts with choir and soloists, rehearsing with the orchestra, designing sets and costumes. All of London is looking forward to opening night, everybody is eager to see if this genius is really as marvelous as his reputation."

Raoul paused for effect. He tried to keep his features as neutral as possible, while he enjoyed the looks of utter shock and fear on both his dinner partners' faces. He knew he had landed a coup. The thought that he might go to London and contact their precious monster in order to discuss potential cooperation had shaken both ladies.

"Come to think of it," he then added, almost as an afterthought, "he may not be all that special, after all. Maybe it's just a case of favoritism, for I have heard that the theater owner, a Mr. Starleton or Stanton or something like that, has a pretty daughter, and there is some speculation that something is going on between the young lady and that new artistic director. I mean," Raoul continued, "he came out of nowhere. Nobody had ever heard of him before. He has not worked at any other theater. And now he is in charge of everything? Renovation, rehearsals, set design, costume design, choice of plays to be performed? I am sure something other than his supposed talent has caused this sudden promotion, and most people in London seem to think it's the young lady. Some even say that she is the real owner of the theater, not her father. I hear she is about your age, Christine, though some think she looks younger. Be that as it may, if she fancies that man, that would explain things."

"I guess this question will be solved, once the theater reopens with its first new production," Mme. Giry managed to say, then she turned to Christine. She had a feeling they had to leave at once or something terrible would happen.

"My dear, you look awful, why did you not say that you are drop-dead tired?" she asked, then turned to Raoul again. "Monsieur le Vicomte," she said, "thank you very much for a nice evening and an interesting conversation, but you must excuse us now. Christine is exhausted, and she has to get up early tomorrow morning, for rehearsals. Also, if she is to learn the part of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro in addition to her other duties, the next few weeks will be taxing for her."

"Of course, of course," Raoul agreed, "how inconsiderate of me to keep you so long! You may use my carriage. I am sorry, Little Lotte, I got carried away talking about this new project.." He politely offered Christine his arm and lead the two ladies out of the restaurant towards his waiting carriage.

Once the two ladies were comfortably seated, he told the coachman to bring them to the Opéra Populaire and then come back for him.

Raoul returned to the table, ordered a cognac and sat down. He was very satisfied with the progress he had made this evening. Surely, Christine now would start to wonder about how the fiend had gotten this job. Come to think of it, Raoul was not even sure if what he had said had really been a lie. That Stanton girl was seventeen years old just like Christine, and the detective had told him that there was speculation about her and that reclusive new star manager that had come out of nowhere, since that man spent every Sunday with the Stantons. Was it therefore really too far-fetched to imagine that the freak could play a double game, flirting with this Miss Stanton, while keeping Christine on the back-burner, just in case he would not be able to convince the rich heiress to marry him?

"Christine can't get letters from him any longer," Raoul decided. "Let her doubt grow... Nor should he get letters from her. Maybe that will drive him into that Stanton-wench's arms."