Perhaps being friends with Elise was going to more interesting than I had anticipated. It was kind of awkward discussing personal topics with Elise, but I could tell she was relaxed about it and wasn't going to judge me. After she had me practice kissing on my own hand, she made me do some pushups, because she said "girls like a man with strong biceps". By the time we were through for the evening, I had polished off my entire flask of brandy.
I awoke the next morning with a start when someone knocked loudly on my door.
"Who is it?" I asked, trying to sound as awake as possible. I rubbed my eyes and then propped myself up on my elbow as I tried to focus on the clock across the room.
"It's Elise, may I come in?"
"Oh, yes," I answered, sitting up in bed.
"Raoul!" she exclaimed, as she marched into the room and put her hands on her hips. "You're not even dressed yet! I thought you were going to accompany me to the opera for moral support."
My eyes finally focused in and I saw that the clock read 10:45, the time I had agreed to meet Elise downstairs to take her to her audition.
"Oh Elise, I am sorry," I replied as I climbed out of bed. I was only wearing pajama bottoms, and Elise whistled at my half-naked appearance.
"Well, well, Monsieur de Chagny, you've been holding out on me! I had no idea you were in such good shape," she said as she circled me like a hawk. "A few more pushups and I think you're going have excellent results once we find you a lady."
I had made a habit of jogging and doing sit-ups every morning and every evening since I had gotten home from Erik's, and they had already significantly improved my physique.
I rolled my eyes at her and went into my bathroom to get dressed. When I returned a few minutes later I found that my bed was made and Elise had straightened up my desk.
"I'm afraid I can't help myself," she shrugged. "I have an uncontrollable urge to keep things neat. That's probably why mother encouraged me to be a maid."
I smiled at her as I opened the door to leave. Even if Madame Giry didn't think she was talented enough to be a dancer, she would certainly be a valuable assistant due to her obsessive need to organize things. Dorice had been wrong to call Elise flighty. She was just cheerful, which was a pleasant change from the usual stuffy attitude held by most of the maids I have come across. I knew that today was probably going to be Elise's last day as a maid in my home, and I was certainly going to miss her.
During the carriage ride, Elise chattered excitedly about the audition while she twisted her golden hair into a neat bun. I watched in amazement as she inserted the long black bobby pins into her hair. Had she asked me to help her I most certainly would have stabbed her scalp many times and the bun probably would have fallen out. I was grateful for my own short hair that did not require much effort or upkeep.
As we arrived at the opera, Elise suddenly got quiet. She seemed intimidated by the grandness off the building, and I told her that she had Erik to thank for its beautiful design.
"Really, he designed it?"
"Off the record, yes. You just have to remember not to say anything to anyone about Erik. I'm sure you'll hear talk of the Phantom from the other ballet girls, but you don't know anything, all right?"
"I know, I won't say anything, I promise. Do you think he'll be watching my audition?" she asked nervously, staring up at the Grand Escalier.
"I don't know, perhaps. He has been known to watch rehearsals," I replied, thinking of the time he dropped a piece of scenery on La Carlotta.
She didn't respond to my last statement. Instead, she looked around in amazement at the opulent décor as I lead her toward the backstage area. Elise gripped the ballet shoes and practice skirt she had brought until her knuckles turned white as I knocked on the door to Madame Giry's office.
"Good morning, Monsieur de Chagny," Madame Giry greeted me.
"Good morning, Madame," I said, bowing politely.
"You must be Mademoiselle Verlinden," the ballet mistress said, walking past me. She studied Elise for a moment before inviting us into the office.
I did not blame Elise for being nervous; Madame Giry certainly had an intimidating appearance. Her high cheek bones, stiff posture, and black dress made her look very harsh.
"Now, Mademoiselle Verlinden, I have a few question to ask you before we begin your audition. Where did you receive your prior training?"
"At the Royal Ballet of Belgium, Madame. I began dancing at their school for children when I was three years old, and became an apprentice with the company when I was seventeen."
"Why did you not join the company?"
"My family moved to Paris," Elise replied, looking down at her hands. "My mother never encouraged me to dance and did not allow me to continue my lessons."
"I see. Well, I suppose I shall find out what kind of students the Royal Ballet of Belgium produces," Madame Giry said, standing up. "Come, I will show you to the dressing room."
We both followed Madame Giry to large common dressing room.
"I see you have brought your own ballet slippers," Madame Giry observed. "Do you still have a pair of pointe shoes?"
"Yes Madame, but seeing as though I have not danced in several years I did not think you would want me to wear them right away and risk injury."
"A wise idea, Mademoiselle," Madame Giry replied with a hint of a smile. "That was a very intelligent choice; often times many girls such as yourself will audition in their pointe shoes and end up injuring themselves. I can see that you at least understand that you may not be able to pick up exactly where you left off."
"Oh yes, I do understand that."
"Very good. The top drawer in that bureau contains clean leotards and you will find tights in the second drawer," Madame Giry said, pointing at a worn out dresser.
"Thank you, Madame," Elise said with a small smile.
"Your young lady shows promise," Madame Giry told me as we left Elise to change.
"I was hoping you would agree," I answered.
A moment later Elise returned wearing a white leotard, matching white tights, and her light pink skirt that her father had given to her as a gift several years ago.
"Come," Madame Giry said, taking Elise by the hand. "Practice will start momentarily. Monsieur de Chagny, you are more than welcome to observe but you must stay out of the way."
"Of course, Madame," I said.
The practice room smelled of sweat masked by the various perfumes worn by the ballet girls. The room was long and narrow, with a long white barre lining the back wall and a series of mirrors lining the front wall. I sat down in a small chair near the door to observe. To my right, near the mirror, was a baby grand piano, where the pianist was warming up. On the far end of the room, the wall was lined with chairs, where a group dancers were talking and laughing while they laced up their pointe shoes. Some of the girls were checking their reflections in the mirror, while others were coating their shoes in resin. The one dancer warming up alone at the barre was Meg Giry, the most dedicated ballerina at the opera. The fact that she was Madame Giry's daughter had nothing to do with Meg becoming the lead soloist. She had true talent and was not at all pompous about it.
Madame Giry banged her long black cane sharply on the floor, causing the room to fall into complete silence as the girls turned their attention to the stern ballet mistress.
"Ladies, I would like to introduce you to Elise Verlinden. She will be joining us for practice this afternoon, and I expect you to treat her with respect and make her feel welcome. Now please take your places at the barre so we can begin."
Meg took her place at the head of the barre, and the other girls formed a line behind her. Madame Giry placed Elise in the center of the line between a short brunette girl and a lanky redhead.
"Mademoiselle Verlinden, our warm-up consists of two demi plies, followed by a grande plié, then a relevé and balance. The exercise will be repeated on both sides in first, second, and fifth position," Madame Giry informed Elise. She cued the pianist to begin playing, and the dancers began their warm-up.
I watched as Elise moved in perfect synchronization with the other dancers. Madame Giry would nod approvingly at her every so often, and I felt extremely proud of my friend. Elise looked so happy; her eyes were almost closed and she had a small hint of a smile on her face.
Once the exhausting barre exercises were complete, Madame Giry instructed the girls to get into groups of three so they could practice turns and other combinations across the dance floor. As the soloist, Meg demonstrated the combination by going first, moving effortlessly across the floor. Elise had gotten into a group with the redhead she had been next to at the barre, and a timid-looking girl with jet black hair. Elise didn't do quite as well as she had done at the barre, for she was off a beat and her fouttés left something to be desired.
"The next combination for the afternoon will be: tombeé, pas de bourrée, glissade, grand jeté. Meg, if you will."
Meg led the group by performing the combination Madame Giry barked out. She looked as though she was flying through the air like a bird as she leapt into a beautiful grand jeté, and she barely made a sound upon returning to the floor. Elise's group was next. Elise confidently took her place between the two girls and did the combination. Her grande jeté had the perfect height and extension which obviously pleased Madame Giry.
After several more combinations and a series of turns that made me dizzy, the girls were allowed a brief water break, and then Madame Giry called them back to the floor.
"All right ladies, it is time to rehearse for tonight's performance. Elise, I do not expect you to participate since you do not know the choreography, however you may follow along in the back if you wish."
Elise looked absolutely exhausted. She nodded her head in agreement, and went to the back of the room. The pianist began to play a haunting melody that sounded suspiciously like something Erik would have written. Elise mimicked the steps of the corps de ballet, while Meg performed her own separate choreography in the front of the group.
Until now, I had never stopped to appreciate the beauty of Meg's talent. I had been so focused on Christine that I had not realized what talented individuals surrounded me. Meg was probably still close friends with Christine, which explained her lack of eye contact. She had acknowledged me briefly with a small nod when I entered the room, but made no effort to speak to me. I decided to make amends with Meg as soon as possible.
An hour and a half later, Madame Giry announced that the practice was over, and took Elise aside to speak to her in private. Judging by the look on Elise's face, she was clearly pleased with Madame Giry's decision, and she greeting me with a large smile once she had been excused.
"Oh Raoul!" she exclaimed as she pulled me out the door and into the hall. "Madame Giry has decided to give me a chance! Of course I will not be a part of the company right away, but she is going to permit me to keep attending practice so I can get stronger and start doing pointe again and then she will make a formal decision. She is even going to let me stay in the dormitories so I can focus on my dance and become accustomed to this kind of life again."
"Elise, that is wonderful!"
"Thank you so much, Raoul! Oh, and Madame Giry invited me to see tonight's performance and she said that you should accompany me. You will come, won't you?"
"Of course," I said, somewhat taken aback. Faust, the last opera I had attended, had come to a screeching halt when Erik sent the chandelier crashing to Christine's feet.
"What's wrong? Is it because of you-know-who?" Elise whispered, looking around suspiciously.
"Yes," I replied quietly. "I am sure things will go well. We should be on our way so we can go home and get changed."
"Yes, you're right," she said excitedly. She ran off toward the dressing room, and left me standing alone in the hall.
As I waited, the ballet girls began trickling out of the rehearsal room, and I caught Meg's attention as she was on her way out.
"Hello Meg," I said warmly.
"Hello," Meg replied, casting her eyes downward.
"Meg, I want you to know that I am not here to cause any trouble. I know that Christine and I will never be together and I want to apologize for any disrespect I may have shown you in my pursuit of Christine."
"Thank you," she said quietly. "Christine is very happy now. She would want the same for you."
There was an awkward silence. Meg shifted her weight from foot to foot as she tried to think of something else to say.
"Your friend did well today," Meg said finally. "How did you meet her?"
"She is a maid in my home. We've become good friends lately and I am just trying to help her accomplish her dreams."
"She is good for you, I can tell," Meg said, smiling for the first time in our conversation.
"Meg, will you help me with my hair?" a tall blonde girl interrupted. She was holding a handful of bobby pins and a hair brush, and her long hair fell loosely down her back.
"Of course Brigitte," Meg said, turning to the girl. "I will see you later Raoul."
Meg and Brigitte walked down the narrow hall toward the same dressing room Elise had gone into.
Elise appeared a few minutes later, with a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Meg Giry is positively delightful," she exclaimed. "She said she had a good feeling about me and offered to help me with anything I need."
The entire way home Elise continued to prattle on about Meg and several of the other girls she had met. It felt really good to know that it was because of me that Elise was so happy. For once I had done a completely unselfish thing by convincing Madame Giry to give Elise a chance. I was confident that there was still hope for me to overcome my reputation as the pathetic Vicomte de Chagny.