Disclaimer: Raoul is a fop. And it isn't my fault!

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Meg, come with me, please!" Christine sat on the divan, clinging to Meg's delicate hands. "I can't go alone!"

"Why, Christine? Surely I would be out of place!" Meg shook her head vigorously, not wishing to observe any kind of tense interaction between Raoul and her best friend.

"No, Meg. I need you to be with me. Raoul can be…very insistent. I do not want to be alone with him again!"

Meg narrowed her blue eyes. "You are acting very strangely…did something happen to you yesterday when you left with him?"

Christine shifted her eyes around the room. "I…I would rather not speak of it, Meg."

"Oh, Christine! He didn't hurt you, did he?" Meg gasped in shock. "If Maman and I had thought that he would harm you, we never would have allowed him to escort you home!"

"Escort me home?" Christine questioned, confused. "Meg, he took me back to his estate straightaway! Didn't you know that?"

Meg's eyes grew wide. "No! He…he told Maman and I that he would take you to see a physician if you didn't wake immediately. Maman spoke to Madame Annette and told her that you might not return for a while."

"Meg! He lied to you…both of you!" Christine cried in disbelief. "He told me that you were aware of his plan to take me to his estate so that his personal physician could examine me! But…I never did see a doctor. And then, Raoul wasn't acting like himself, and I thought it best that I leave." She hated to hide the whole truth from her dearest friend and sister, but she knew that Meg would have been distressed by the very thought of Raoul's behavior.

"Why, I simply cannot understand why Rao—the Viscomte—would lie to us! What reason would he have, Christine?" Meg was innocent in so many ways, and Christine knew that she was smitten with Raoul. She understood all too well. I was also deceived by his gentlemanly demeanor, wasn't I? But now he has become a dishonest and desperate man…and I have driven him to this, she thought sadly.

Christine smiled sympathetically at Meg. "Sweet Meg, do you truly not know? He has been trying to win me back ever since I broke our engagement. He has gone to…great lengths…to let me know that he will not be easily ignored."

Meg expression suddenly became resolute. "Then I will go with you, Christine, if you truly feel that you must go. No one should have to be forced into marrying someone with whom they are not in love," she remarked, sounding much more mature than her years.

Christine heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, dearest Meg! You don't know how much this means to me!" she replied, gratefully embracing the petite blonde.

They wrapped their cloaks around them and headed out the door, both women dreading their meeting at the bakery. Christine silently prayed that somehow, this meeting would settle everything between she and Raoul at last.

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Raoul sat in La Boulangerie du Ciel and glanced at his pocket watch. Ten minutes past three. Perhaps she isn't coming. Just then, he saw Christine through the window, crossing the street toward the bakery. However, she wasn't alone, and he was surprised--not to mention angry--that Christine would feel the need to bring Meg Giry into a private matter. In keeping with his noble manners, however, he pasted on a smile, trying not to make a tense situation even worse. As the women entered the bakery, he stood and nodded to them, motioning for them to come and sit at his table.

Meg and Christine were both trying to conceal their anxiety when they entered the bakery. Raoul's table was in a far corner, which was more private than the rest of the seating area. However, the establishment was about half-full, and Christine felt as though prying eyes were upon her from the moment she stepped foot inside. Perhaps I am just being paranoid…or perhaps these people remember me from the Populaire. Either way, I just want this to be over with once and for all!

"Hello, little Meg," Raoul smiled and kissed her hand. "And good afternoon to you, Christine. Please, both of you, sit down. Can I order something for you?"

"Just tea, please," Christine responded coolly. She shifted her focus to the cloth napkin in front of her, studying the brocade pattern intently. Anything to take my mind off of what happened between us, she thought woefully.

Meg ordered a slice of crème cake and some tea, and Raoul ordered coffee for himself. They all sat in awkward silence for several minutes, with only Meg and Raoul making occasional eye contact. At last, he spoke. "I take it you received my flowers?" He looked at Christine hopefully and smiled. She raised her head to meet his gaze with an annoyed expression. "Obviously…or I wouldn't be here, now would I?"

Raoul was incensed. He tensed his jaw, and his face began to turn a light shade of red. "Meg, would you excuse us, please?" he asked her through clenched teeth.

"No, she is staying," Christine replied firmly. "Anything you wish to say to me, you can say in her presence, Raoul."

"Very well," he smirked. "I would like to discuss what happened between us yesterday afternoon." He gambled on Christine's modesty, believing that she would prefer for Meg to remain ignorant of such sensitive information.

She correctly surmised that he was trying to manipulate her again, and she steeled herself for whatever might result from her reaction. "Fine. Perhaps you would like to tell Meg all of the sordid details yourself?" She raised her eyebrows in a silent challenge and saw the color drain from his face. He was not expecting that. He still thinks that I am a wilting flower…and he has no idea of how being with Erik has empowered me, she thought to herself.

Meg blushed, feeling very much out of place. "Per-perhaps I should leave you two alone," she stammered, beginning to rise from her chair. Christine reached out and grasped her arm. "No! Meg, it would be better if you stayed…please."

Raoul suddenly felt a rush of sadness and regret. She fears me so much that she feels the need for a chaperone. Dear God, what have I done? I was only trying to make her see…. He gently reached out to touch her hand. "Christine, forgive me. If I must speak of personal matters in front of Meg, then so be it. I still love you, Lotte, and the position I put you in yesterday was…regrettable. I was simply trying to make you feel for me the way you claim that you did before." He stared awkwardly at his coffee, which had arrived along with the other orders as Meg had attempted to leave. "I can be a good and loving husband to you, and a friend as well…and the father of your children," He glanced uneasily at Meg, who blushed profusely and looked away.

Christine also blushed. "Raoul, I have already told you that I simply cannot go back to the way things were. I know my own heart now, though you seem to think I do not. I know it is difficult to fathom how these changes have occurred within a mere month, but they are real! I…we…have just been through so much, and it has forced me to examine myself, and my life. And what I see, Raoul, is a young, selfish girl who made the wrong decision, simply because it was the safer choice…a young girl who chose her best childhood friend over the man whom she was meant to spend the rest of her life….the man who truly gave everything he had to give." She met his gaze and saw that whatever hope had been present in his eyes before was now gone. "I'm so sorry."

"I see. Well, then I suppose that I have wasted my time, haven't I? No matter what I have tried to show you about that…that man whom you love, you blindly accept him!" He raised his voice and noticed that people were beginning to stare. He leaned forward in his chair and whispered hoarsely. "Perhaps one day you will see, Christine. I just hope for your sake that it isn't too late when you do." He glanced toward the bakery window and his gaze locked on a familiar sight, even as Christine responded.

"I'm…I'm not sure what you mean about it being 'too late', Raoul. If you mean that it could be too late for me to change my mind about marrying you, then…I care deeply for you, Raoul, but that's not going to happen. And I want you to know that I have not blindly accepted Erik! I know about his past and I choose to forgive him. It is as simple as that. He is a changed man, whether you believe it or not. You do not know him…you have never known him." Christine paused, noticing that he was distracted. She turned toward the window and realized the reason for his curiosity. The Laurents' carriage had parked across the street, but no one had exited.

"Excuse me, Christine. It seems that some of my friends may be outside, and I'd like to speak with them again. Good day to you," he nodded formally and kissed her knuckles. "Meg, it was a pleasure, as always." He strode to the door and stepped out to the sidewalk, intending to speak with whomever was in the carriage. I wonder if they've heard the news yet, he questioned. I hope they won't feel as if their hospitality was abused once they learn of our broken engagement.

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Father Michel entered through the side door of the church, whistling as he walked. When he entered, he didn't see Erik anywhere. He circled around the back of the pews and toward the kitchen. No Erik. Where could he have gone? Come to think of it…the carriage isn't parked out front.

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Erik had been waiting for a short while when he got the nagging feeling that something was amiss. He had been praying for Christine and for God's direction in his life, but he couldn't rid himself of the sensation that he needed to get out of the church. He left through the side door, leaving the front doors locked, and entered the Laurent carriage by the front curb.

The carriage traveled in slow traffic, and Erik's senses were heightened. He felt like he had when prowling the Opera, and it made him uncomfortable. A few blocks from the church, he directed the driver to turn left down a fairly busy street. There was a bakery on the corner, and for some reason, he was drawn to it. "Pull over across the street," he called to the driver. The carriage came to a halt and Erik waited. Looking to his right out the window, he peered into the bakery, his keen eyes taking in the faces of the patrons. Suddenly, he knew she was there. He could almost feel her presence. His eyes searched each table until they settled on one in the back corner. "Little Giry…" he mumbled to himself. "Christine," he murmured breathily, as he saw her auburn waves from behind. Just then, she turned to look out the window in his direction, and Erik saw him. "That boy," he growled. "What is she doing here with little Giry and that boy? He tried to ravage her, for God's sake!" He nearly flung open the carriage door and stormed toward the bakery in broad daylight, but his judgment returned to him before such foolishness could occur. He took a few deep breaths through his nostrils to calm himself. Think rationally! The last thing I need is to go charging about in downtown Paris!

Erik closed his eyes for a moment before focusing on the bakery again. He drew in a breath and stared at the storefront in disbelief. Is that the Viscomte himself walking toward my carriage?

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A/N: Thank you so much to my reviewers. I am curious…it seems that there are still many of you reading, but you haven't given feedback in quite some time. Are you still enjoying it? Hating it now? Wishing you could write it yourself so it would get done faster? Those of you that have reviewed lately have really said some encouraging things regarding the character development. Thank you! I'd send LOTS of Erik smooches your way if Leanne would just find Erik's mask and send him HERE already! LOL!