It took over an hour for the five companions to leave the city and arrive at the doors of the De Chaney Château, a grand building with two main floors, a basement that housed the kitchen and a wine cellar and the attic space was used as the servant's quarters. The exterior walls were made of creamed Angouleme stone, the window frames were a dark grey colour, the doors were made of solid oak with windows covered in a floral iron work, the roof was at an angle on all four sides with a flat top with light grey tiles and on each corner of the roof was a turret with a coned roof. Phillippe brought the carriage to an immediate halt by the entrance, where they were greeted by a butler. He was a tall, middle aged man with grey hair and a receding hairline at the top, a thin grey moustache and was wearing a smart black jacket, a white shirt with a stiff collar, a white bow tie, smart black trousers, and shiny black shoes.
"Good evening Monsieur, La Count. We weren't expecting you home this evening; Lucy saw your carriage approaching from one of the upstairs bedrooms" he said in a polite manner as he stood in front of the double doors.
Whilst he greeted Phillippe, everyone else climbed down from the carriage. Christine was assisted by Phillippe whilst Erik helped Catherine.
Phillippe turned to address the old butler.
"I apologies for the unexpected arrival Pierre. But things were getting hectic in Paris and my friends and I wanted to get away from it all abruptly" he said.
"Of course sir" said Pierre.
His eyes passed over each of the young Count's companions and when his eyes fell on Erik he had to do a double take when he saw he wore a mask. He did feel slightly suspicious about Erik but said nothing because it wasn't his place to comment so offered them all a polite smile.
"Is the kitchen fully stocked?" asked Phillippe as he led everyone towards the entrance to the Chateau.
"Yes Monsieur" said Pierre as he stepped to the side to let them pass.
"Have five settings placed at the table and have cook prepare a simple dinner please, some soup will do us just fine. We will be in the Parlor until it's ready" said Phillipe as he and the others passed through the threshold.
Pierre followed behind them and closed the doors as he came in.
The entryway to the Chateau was a big open room with a wooden staircase leading to the second floor with white spindles and a dark wooden rail, the steps themselves were covered by a dark red carpet with a golden pattern on both sides, the floor was wooden and had a shine to it, the walls were a mustard colour, there was two white doors on either side of the staircase and an archway on each side leading in to two different rooms.
"Very good, Monsieur" said Pierre as he walked pass the group.
He made his way towards the door on the right side of the stairs, opened it, walked through the threshold, and closed it behind him.
Phillippe led everyone to the archway on the right side of the room which led into a beautiful parlor. The walls were a cream colour with white coving around the edges of the ceiling, a white marble fireplace on the left with a roaring fire, two couches with a dark wooden frame with light blue cushions and in between them was a white antique coffee table, there was another table at the far end of the room with a vase of flowers and two candelabras sitting on top of it.
"Let us all sit down and talk" suggested Phillippe.
He and Christine made their way towards the couch further in the room while Catherine and the Erik sat on the one closest to the door and Carriere stayed standing beside the sofa Christine and Phillippe were sitting on.
"Now that it' just us and no one will interrupt us for a while, please explain everything" said Phillippe, addressing Catherine.
Catherine explained everything, starting from what happened on the night Catherine's debut went terribly wrong up until their arrival at Phillippe's home, Erik never stepped in to add more detail and everyone else listened intently.
"I still don't understand how my voice could have failed. Yes, I was nervous, but I was ready to sing but the moment I opened my mouth I was mortified nothing would come out. After all the lessons and the rehearsals I feel so guilty, especially for failing Erik because he had spent all this time teaching me to sing only for that disaster to happen" concluded Catherine, lowering her head in shame.
Erik was taken aback by what she said and immediately took a hold of her hand with one and with the other he raised it to her chin and gently raised her head, so she looked at him. Catherine's eyes gleamed with tears.
"Do not blame yourself Catherine. What happened wasn't your fault" he said, reassuring the woman he loved.
"He is right Catherine. Your voice didn't fail from nerves, Madame Carlotta poisoned you" said Phillippe.
Catherine jerked her head around to look at him, with shock and disbelief.
"What!?" she exclaimed.
"Did Madame Carlotta offer you anything to drink before you went on stage?" asked Phillippe.
Catherine thought back to their night, trying to remember every detail of that night. Then, as though as she'd been hit by lightning, she remembered Carlotta came to see her before she went on and offered her a drink from a metal cut she brought with her.
"Yes, she said it was some special herbs that helped Opera singers get over nerves before going on stage" she said.
"She lied to you, Cathy. It was a poison that temporary stunned your vocal cords so you would be embarrassed on stage" said Christine in a sad tone.
The news made tears spill from Catherine's eyes.
"That explains it all! But why would she do such a thing?" she asked as she tried wiping the tears from her eyes, but they just kept coming.
"Jealousy, pure jealously. You have beauty as well as talent which Madame Carlotta envied, and she was willing to do anything to embarrass you" said Carriere, pitying the young woman.
"Well she has. I have never been so mortified in all my life" exclaimed Catherine as she cried even more.
She covered her face with her hands and instinctively leaned towards Erik for comfort, which he gave by placing his arms and around her and held her close, rubbing her back to sooth her.
"Do not be too upset Catherine, karma seems to have struck Madame Carlotta with a vengeance. Someone released rats into her private suite. The trauma from it all has now sent her raving mad" said Phillippe with a smug smile on his face.
Christine gave a smug smile too, Carriere's face remained expressionless.
Erik's eyes gleamed with mischief after hearing that.
Catherine raised her head to look at Phillippe and pulled away a little from Erik.
"Who would do that?" she asked.
Phillippe pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it out to Catherine for her to dry her eyes. Catherine took it and started dabbing her eyes dry.
"The police have a suspicion who did it. We, on the other hand, know exactly who did" said Phillippe.
He, Christine and Carriere all turned to look at Erik suspiciously.
Catherine's eyes widened as she, too, turned to look at Erik
"Erik? Did you do that?" asked Catherine in a tone of shock.
Erik lowered his head in shame at first and didn't say a word. He then sighed and raised his head again and turned to look at Catherine.
"Yes Catherine. After I left you to rest in my home I returned to the surface to find out why it all happened to you and I found the cup on your dressing table. I recognized the scent that was coming from it and knew then and there who was responsible. I collected the rats from the catacombs and released them in Carlotta's room for revenge on your behalf" admitted Erik.
He lowered his head again, not wishing to see the disappointment in Catherine's eyes because of his actions.
Catherine didn't know what to say after hearing all of this. Part of her was a little disappointed in Erik for what he did to Carlotta but at the same time she was grateful for trying to protect her from further harm, even though he went to extreme measures to do it. She gently took him by the hand. Erik jerked his head up to look at her and saw she was smiling at him.
"Even though what you did was wrong Erik. I understand you were protecting me from further harm, and I am grateful to you for that" she said.
Erik couldn't believe what he was hearing, he expected her to be angry with him not as understanding as she was, but he didn't dwell on this for long he for he was soon overcome with happiness. He gave her a loving smile, raised her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss
Phillippe, Christine and Carriere watched their exchange and their happiness radiated in the room and made everyone smile at them, admiring the love between them.
"You really do love each other, don't you?" asked Phillippe.
Catherine and Erik turned to look at everyone, their hands still clasped together.
"Yes we do, very much and we want to be together which is why is our main reason for coming to you. With the police trying to pursue Erik it'll be hard for us to live in peace in Paris or anywhere in France for that matter. Please Phillippe, is there anything you can do to help us?" said Catherine, begging desperately.
Phillippe sat back further on the couch and thought for a moment. He agreed with Catherine that it wasn't safe for the lovers to stay in Paris or France anymore. And then a solution occurred to him
"I do own an estate in England. I will gladly allow you to live out there for the rest of your lives" he said without hesitation.
Erik and Catherine were surprised by his offer and also relieved he agreed to help them.
"Thank you Phillippe, you really are risking a lot to help us, and we'll be eternally grateful to you" said Catherine.
Phillippe smiled fondly at her.
"You have always been a sister to me Catherine and I love you and want nothing more than to see you and Christine happy , no matter what it takes" he said.
He turns to look at Erik with a serious expression.
"I may not completely trust you yet, but I can see you love Catherine and clearly make her happy. But hurt her and you and I will have problems" he said.
Erik looked at him with a stone-cold expression.
"I would never hurt Catherine, you can be sure of that" he said, giving Catherine's hand a gentle squeeze to prove his point.
Catherine rubbed her thumb against Erik's hand to help calm him down a little then turned to face her sister. Her expression turned to sadness.
"I know you and I have only just reunited Chrissie and I'd hate to be separated from you again but..." said Catherine,
Before she could say more Christine interrupted
"Don't worry Cathy, no matter how far apart we are we will always be in each other's hearts and all I want is for you to be happy with the man you love" said Christine, reassuringly.
Catherine's face lit up with joy. She rose from her chair, made her way around the table, and pulled her sister into a hug, which Christine gladly returned.
Everyone smiled as they watched the sister's exchange.
The two held each other for a while until the sound of footsteps and light clattering was heard coming from out in the hall, Catherine and Christine let go of one another and everyone turned to see where the sound was coming from and saw Pierre and a young maid with blonde hair in a grey dress, a white apron and white cap were setting up the dining room across the hall and when they were done Pierre came towards the parlour and stopped in the threshold, standing with his hands behind his back and his head held high.
"Dinner is served, Monsieur Count" he said.
The young maid left the dining room abruptly and disappeared through the doorway from whence she and Pierre appeared from a few moments ago.
"Thank you, Pierre" said Phillippe.
He along with Erik and Christine rose from their seats. Phillippe then moves towards Pierre and everyone else follows behind into the dining room.
The dining room was of a moderate size with light grey walls with a golden wall ornament on one and a candelabra mounted on the other with a huge mirror with a golden frame next to it, there were two big windows with cream and blue curtains, the floor was covered in carpet with a pale blue floral pattern, below the mirror was a mahogany cabinet with a china set sitting on top of it and two bronze vases on either side, the dining table was also mahogany with a cream table cloth with a golden pattern, there were five table settings along with a silver soup tureen and a small vase of flowers behind it, the chairs had a soft pink fabric on them with a floral pattern and the chair at the head of the table was the only one with arm rests. Phillippe sat the head of the table, Christine sat on his right along with Carriere and Catherine and Erik sat on the left side of the table. Once everyone was seated Pierre stepped forward and removed the lid from the turret, releasing a heavenly smell of freshly made soup. Pierre then picks up the ladle from the inside and scoops up some of the soup into everyone's bowl and then leaves the dining room to return to the kitchen, leaving the five companions to enjoy their meal. Everyone started digging into their soup.
Through most of the meal it was an awkward affair for two of the companions, Erik and Carriere. While the other three were having a pleasant conversation, Erik was giving Carriere a blank expression and his eyes were fixated on the older gentleman which made Carriere very uncomfortable, is for you to marry, but he hid it well and continued to eat.
"...I think the best way to avoid suspicion is for you to marry, and as soon as possible before you leave for England" said Phillippe.
"I do love the idea of marry Erik but isn't doing it now moving a little too fast?" said Catherine.
Erik jerked his head around when he caught this part of the conversation.
"I know but an unmarried couple travelling together would draw attention to you which is the last thing either of you want" explained Phillippe.
Catherine turned to Erik.
"What do you think, my love?" she asked
Erik thought for a moment then placed his hand over hers that was resting on the table.
"I know things are moving faster than we wanted them to be, my angel. But I feel in the end being married is where we want to be, and I think we should start our lives together this way. That is if you'll really have me?" he asked, humbly.
Catherine looked at their hands touching then looked up at him and smiled.
"Of course I will have you Erik as long as you'll have me. So I guess this means we're getting married?" she asked, excitedly.
"I can arrange for the vicar from the nearby village to perform a small ceremony tomorrow and then we'll arrange the travel details" said Phillippe.
The plan was now set in motion.
Everyone finished their soup, rose from their seats, and followed Phillippe back out into the entryway then up the stairs to the second floor.
Everyone stood at the top of the stairs.
"Choose any room you wish for the night. Except the first one on the right which is my room. Goodnight everyone, see you in the morning"
Everyone else bid each other goodnight and split off into a room of their choice and went straight to bed the minute they all closed the doors behind them.