"And that little fool of a girl has decided that since Raoul is staying in the city apartment, she and he can't be living under the same roof now that they're engaged. I don't understand it at all, since Philip and Emelie are living there as well. But I suppose I'm not one to comment on propriety. I just can't believe she's insisting on moving back into the opera house until their wedding." Cecily shook her head and laughed lightly.

Sophie laughed too, but the laughter degraded into a ragged hacking. Sophie's small frame shuddered with the fit of coughing, and Cecily looked concernedly at her across the table. "You will go to the doctor, won't you? This doesn't sound like a passing chill."

Sophie nodded distractedly, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "Yes, yes of course. It rather should have passed by now, shouldn't it? I have an acquaintance who is quite talented at improving such things. I'll pay a visit to her tonight. Perhaps then, if I must, I will go to the doctor."

"Sophie."

"Oh, don't give me that look. I can't stand it when you do." She sipped her tea and suppressed another cough. "I'll be fine!"

Cecily shot her a disbelievingly look and finished he last of her tea. "Just take care of yourself."

Sophie gave her sister a mollifying smile over her tea cup. "Don't you have a masquerade to be getting ready for?"

"It's not as important as making sure you're all right."

"Oh do stop with that! It's getting rather dull. I will be fine. I will be here tomorrow and the next day and the next, if you catch it. But your knight in shining armor, Nicholai. He won't wait forever. Tonight you have to be ready for him. Although I do suppose that ring you've been playing with the entire meal might indicate he'll wait a bit longer."

Cecily grinned. "Yes, well, I've already told you about that. He gave it to me after he returned from London. Called it a 'Promise Ring,' but what it promises remains to be seen."

Sophie shook her head and glanced at the clock in the corner. "You really must get going! You can't keep the man waiting forever tonight!"

Cecily smiled girlishly at the thought of meeting Nicholai at the masque. "Well, if you're quite sure you don't want to come back with me…"

"I have already told you! I have to work tonight!"

"Yes, of course. Isn't it rather strange to be working that late? Do you have orders to catch up on?"

"Of a sort. There's a special bit that needs to be done. And that's that. I'll be caught up for awhile after tonight."

"Well, that's good." She sighed. "I suppose I really must go. Next week, the same?"

"Of course! Have a lovely evening!" Cecily kissed her younger sister's cheeks, then hurriedly left. It was dreadfully late to begin preparing. It was already 4 o'clock! She was sure that Christine and Meg would already be nearly finished. The entire opera house was preparing for tonight. The decorations had been completed that morning, and they were exquisite. M. Firmin hadn't even bawked at the price, so perfect had they been. Black and white were the theme colors, and they played well against each other, serving also to set off the colorful costumes.

Rushing up the back stairs to her room, Cecily met several half-made devils, clowns, jesters, and soldiers. The alcohol had already made an appearance, and a china doll was draped lethargically over several stairs. Cecily and Meg had been allowed to use her room to prepare, and that was where she found them. Meg was in her costume, with the wings laid on the bed so as to not be ruffled overly much before her appearance tonight.

Christine was lounging about in her underskirt and corset, waiting until the last minute to put on her dress. As she was attending with Raoul, not as a member of the opera house, her costume was simpler, a court dress. Raoul would arrive to collect her beforehand for dinner.

"Where have you been? You should have been here hours ago!" Christine opened the armoire and began to search for Cecily's costume. Suddenly she stopped. "This is a fine dress! I haven't seen you wear it in ages! You really should pull it out more often." She pulled out a corner of the gown to admire it. "Perfect color, the blue-gray, I think. Do you still fit into it after all? If you don't, I would be more than happy to relieve you of it."

Cecily crossed the room and took the dress from Christine's hands. "Yes, it still fits." She pulled out her Lady of the Lake costume and locked the armoire. Christine shrugged and moved over to help Meg with her hair. Cecily stepped behind the dressing curtain and struggled to put on her corset. "Could one of you come help me with this?"

"Just a moment!" Meg set down her brush and hurried over. Several quick tugs and short breaths later, Cecily was ready to slide into her costume. Lengths of blue fabric cascaded around her, and Cecily smiled.

Christine regarded her from a chair. "You need your hair braided. It's such a pretty color in the candle light. And a little egg-white wouldn't hurt to pale your face."

Cecily smiled patronizingly at the girl. "A braid would be nice, thank you." Christine stood up, allowing Cecily to take her place. A few minutes of endless chatter and quick-moving hands later, Cecily's hair was done. "And now, I must ask for a few minutes alone to finish up. Don't forget your wings, Meg!" The two girls left, giggling and conspiring over something or another.

Reaching into her drawer, Cecily removed a book of poetry. Setting it in her lap, the pages fluttered open, revealing a pressed flower. The ribbon trailed down the page, and Cecily's lips silently pledged the words of the poem. "Heart, we will forget him. You and I, tonight! You will forget the warmth he gave; I will forget the light. When you are done, pray, tell me, that I may straight begin. Haste! Lest while you're lacking, I may remember him."

Removing the rose and black ribbon from the book, she bit her lip before opening the passage and placing it inside. "Goodbye Erik. I lost you a long time ago, but now I'm giving you up." She swallowed her tears before locking the hidden door, extinguishing her candle and showing her face to the world. Showing herself to Nicholai.