Chapter 6: In the Dining Car
Raoul stood in the middle of the dressing room for a moment before gathering up the remaining possessions of the girls. He set them in a neat pile by the vanity, making sure the records Christine had mentioned were safely packaged. Then he left, making sure to shut the door securely behind him. He was met in the hall by Erik, the managers, the sherif, and a young lady with flaming red hair and lipstick to match.
"Mr. Chagny," André started. "This is Miss Charlotte Gresham."
"Pleasure," she sniffed with a heavy drawl. Raoul nodded in return.
"The Grant sister's landlady," André continued, causing Raoul to pale. "She has generously offered to let the sister's go, if she is allowed to join your show."
At this, Erik laughed out loud. "I'm sorry miss we don't just-"
Raoul elbowed him in the ribs and forced a smile. "We can offer you an audition, but we can't just promise you a spot. We aren't just any old variety vaudeville act, no offense. I'm sure you're very talented. We can listen to you sing something-"
"Well all right," she sighed, clearly unpleased with this decision.
"Why don't we go out front," Raoul suggested. "We'll see how you do in front of crowds."
Charlotte seemed to fluff up at this and led the small group out to the main restaurant. It was packed now, and Raoul and Erik stood near the back.
Raoul had to stop himself from audibly gasping when she began to sing.
"Dear God above," he muttered and almost crossed himself. Whatever came out of that woman's mouth was straight from hell. Erik was tight a freshly stung bow, standing with his arms crossed. Raoul saw him flinch whenever she hit a particularly unsavory note, and swore he almost gagged at one point when she attempted a trill. For whatever reason, Raoul couldn't tear his eyes away from the train wreck in front of him until he felt a sharp tug on his sleeve that he noticed Erik slipping towards the door. He hurried behind, careful not to jostle the crowd or cause any noise.
Erik was already sitting in the car they had arrived in.
"We need to go around back," Raoul said as he climbed in. "I left something in the dressing room."
Erik rolled his eyes but didn't argue.
"Be quick or we'll miss our train. We're already cutting it close. And we still have to go back to the hotel and pick up our bags."
Raoul nodded and jumped out of the car as soon as started to slow down around the back of the building. Climbing onto the bench, he managed to pull himself through the window. He locked the door first as a precaution, but he could still hear Charlotte's caterwauling and figured he had a couple minutes. Grabbing whatever he could, he carefully lowered it out the window.
"A couple things!" Erik hissed from the limo. "That's a whole set of luggage!"
"I know," Raoul whispered, lowering the last few things out. Behind him the door rattled.
"Open up!" A man's voice, the sheriff's he though, called. Erik climbed out of the car when he heard this and helped Raoul load the things into the back. They sped off just as the door burst dressing room door burst open, revealing only what had been there when the sister's had arrived.
Erik opened his mouth, but Raoul cut him off before he could say anything.
"We're doing it for a pal in the army."
When they arrived at the train station, Erik would have strangled Raoul, but he was too busy running with him to jump on the already moving locomotive, luggage in hand. The conductor's head popped out of a door and he reached out, helping to pull them aboard.
"Made it just in time," he said. "Do you boys have tickets?"
"Yes," Erik sniffed, looking at Raoul, who smiled in a funny way. Erik squinted at him, which only made Raoul smile harder.
"Yes, we do. I have them right here, just let me find them," he said, depositing his coats and bags into Erik's arms. "Hold these."
Erik grunted but held them so Raoul could show the conductor their tickets. He rummaged through every pocket while the conductor, a stout man with white hair tapped his foot impatiently. He had been eyeing Erik carefully since the second they were hauled up onto the train. Erik stiffened and adjusted, trying to turn his face away from the conductor.
"Show. Him. The. Tickets," Erik hissed through clenched teeth.
"I'm trying!" he protested. "Are you sure you don't have them?"
"Yes I'm sure!" Erik snapped. "I watched you put them in your pocket!"
"They're gone," Raoul whispered, shrinking away from Erik, who was throwing him his angriest glare.
"We had a drawing room!" he protested.
"Every able space is taken. You either have tickets or you don't. You may purchase some with me now and sit in the dining car," the conductor offered, even though he looked like he would rather push them off the train.
"Fine," Erik said. "How much for two tickets to New York?"
The conductor checked his notepad, "$95.23, sir."
"How much more is it to Maine?" Raoul asked.
"Maine? We're going to New York," Erik said. He was convinced Raoul had gone crazy at this point. The poor boy had probably forgotten his rights from and his lefts and at this rate he was going to forget his own name.
"But it'll so beautiful this time of year, all that snow, and the cold air, and the pine trees.," Raoul said.
"What does it matter?" Erik snapped. "We're going to New York! Who's going to Maine?"
"We are!" Raoul said. "Or we could! We need a vacation. It'll do us a load of good!"
"We're booked with Nadir," Erik said and turned back to the conductor. "Two tickets to New York, please."
"It'll still be $95.23," he said.
"Pay up," Erik sighed and Raoul looked up at him guiltily.
"I don't seem to have any cash."
Erik rolled his eyes and handed the conductor the money.
"Very good, gentlemen," he said stiffly. "The dining car is straight ahead."
As they walked away, Erik heard him whisper to a bell boy, "Keep an eye on the one in the mask."
As they walked down the hall towards the car, the bell boy following not so secretly behind, a wave of annoyance crashed down on Erik.
"I don't understand," he muttered, walking beside Raoul. "We had space in our names they couldn't have given it away to somebody else."
"I don't know, maybe with the holiday rush and all they thought we weren't coming and gave our space away. We were late after all," Raoul said with a shrug.
"And who's fault was that?" Erik snapped.
Several small children ran past, followed by a set of parents in hot pursuit, who pushed Raoul backwards into a door. Erik didn't notice the door open, but Raoul did and he saw two familiar faces. His eyes widened and he quickly straightened himself up and hurried Erik along, before he could yell at the parents of the children or notice who was behind the door.
"This is just great," Erik grumbled when they finally reached the dining car.
"It's not so bad," Raoul said, setting his bag down and taking a seat in one of the booths.
"We could have had a drawing room!" Erik protested, sitting down across from him. "Now we're sitting up all night."
"We would have been sitting up all night if we took a plane," Raoul pointed out, but he wasn't helping his case.
"Yes, but we didn't book tickets for a plane, we booked tickets for a train! A train with two warm, soft, comfortable beds where at this moment two silly girls-" he had meant it a broad statement, but the look on Raoul's face told him he had discovered the truth. "No. You wouldn't do this to me. Not after trying to set me up with that airhead Carrie-"
"-Carolyn," Raoul interjected softly.
"And then making me listen to that terrible woman sing, all before making me late to the train, you wouldn't do that. After all that you wouldn't make me sit up all night in a public space with no leg room," Erik said, laying it on thick in the most innocent and guilt inducing tone he could muster.
"I don't know what you mean," Raoul whispered. Erik stood up so fast the napkin holder fell over.
"I'm going down to Drawing Room 5. If I open the door and find those two girls sitting there, I'm going to-"
He never got a chance to finish his threat, because from the other end of the dining car they heard, "We thought we heard you two."
Erik turned and saw Meg, now wearing a pale green, tea length dress, that covered her neck and arms. Erik wasn't focused on her, but rather Christine who was following her, looking slightly nervous. She stood beside Meg, only glancing up at Erik. Erik kept looking at her even as Meg gave him a quick hug. She looked smaller now, wearing a tight black skirt that came to just below her knees and a periwinkle sweater that complimented her eyes wonderfully.
"Thank you so much for the tickets," Meg said enthusiastically. "It was so generous of you."
He looked back at Christine who flushed and allowed the corner of her mouth to quirk up into a smile. "It was so good of you to give us the tickets. Raoul told us you insisted on us taking them."
"Wasn't there something you wanted to tell the girls?" Raoul asked, giving Erik an innocent look that he was rather sick of seeing.
"Just that we hoped you would sit down with us," Erik sighed with a well practiced forced smile.
"Let's have some drinks and sandwiches," Raoul said to the boy working at the bar. "What would you ladies like?"
"I'll have some tea please, with extra sugar on the side," Christine said to the bar tender.
"I'll have some lemonade," Meg said.
"Hot chocolate, please," Raoul said. "What do you want, Erik?"
"Whiskey, please," he muttered, but to the bar tender just asked for a cup of tea, black with lemon.
Christine went to sit on the inside of the booth next to Meg, but Raoul grabbed Meg's arm and gently pulled her so she was sitting next to him and he was across from Christine.
Erik groaned internally and wanted to punch Raoul in the nose, not for the first time in his life, let along that day. He sat down beside Christine, who looked like she wanted to say something. She gave him a wavering smile.
Unsure how to respond he just ignored her back and contented himself with picking at the vinyl sticker that covered the table top. Raoul kicked him under the table and gave him a pointed look.
"Where are you staying in New York?" Erik asked.
"We're not going to New York, actually," Christine said. "We're booked for the holidays and visiting my family.
"Where?" Erik asked, sipping his tea.
"In Maine," she asked, adding an obscene amount of sugar to her beverage. Erik turned to look at Raoul.
"Maine, you say?" he sniffed. Raoul conveniently looked away, becoming incredibly interested with the pattern on the ceiling.
"Yes the Garnier Inn. My father and one of his friends bought an old costal victorian home and turned it into an inn," Christine explained.
"Maine must be wonderful this time of year, all that snow, and the cold air, and the pine trees," Erik said, continuing to stare at Raoul.
"Would do us a load of good," Raoul said, fiddling with his hot chocolate
"You should come up for a few days!" Meg said brightly. She said it to Erik, but she was looking at Raoul. Raoul smiled and looked pleadingly at Erik, casually massaging where his arm had been broken. Erik remained unswayed, until he felt a light pressure on his arm.
"I wish you could, it would lovely to have you there," Christine said. He opened his mouth to protest and she flushed and quickly tried to amend her statement. "You wouldn't have to stay for the holidays if you have fam-"
"We'd love to." Erik cut her off. He covered her hand with his, giving her the tiniest smile. The one she gave him back made him shiver.
"Oh good," Christine murmured.
He felt like someone was possessing him. Why on earth would he agree to visit with them? They had business to do in the city, not to mention the fact that they had been at each other's throats an hour or two before. Then he touched her hand and she smiled at him. Maybe he wasn't possessed, but she was. After all, she had been the one to offer, and the one to smile up at him. No, it must be him. Surely a demonic spirit was the thinking causing his heart to flutter a little every time she looked at him. Even at the Palais and she looked ready to kill him, he found her… what? Beautiful, endearing, utterly charming? No, she was shallow and argumentative and he regretted ever having made her acquaintance. But he had to admit, the dark blue of her dress complimented her complexion well, and the way her lips had puckered when she frowned was, some might say, adorable and from his stand point, entirely kissable if necessary. The idea of kissing her hadn't occurred to him before and his heart leapt in a rather uncomfortable manner at the thought.
He was saved from his distressing thoughts by something even more problematic. His eyes widened as Christine shifted closer so she was tucked up against his side, pulling her cardigan closer around her shoulders.
"It's drafty in here. Are you sure you'll be comfortable sleeping?"
"Yes, my dear, we gave you the tickets for a reason," Erik reassured her. The four of them spent the evening continued to chat with one another, steadily becoming more comfortable with one another.
At one point they split off into separate conversation, Erik and Christine speaking about vocal technique. Raoul and Meg exchanged a glance and casually clinked their glasses together while the other two talked.
"To family," Raoul whispered, when he noticed Erik showing Christine a magic trick. It was the one where the magician pulls the coin from behind an audience member's ear. He noticed that Erik took the opportunity to push a stray curl behind Christine's ear before presenting her with the coin.
"I'll toast to that," Meg murmured.