"Roxana! You…aren't wearing black!" Erik exclaimed one morning in early April when she emerged from her room with her hair done up and wearing a lovely pale yellow satin gown.
"Observant you are dear husband…I have a wedding to attend today…" She said, referring to the Chagny issue she had been skirting around for weeks. Erik had continued to make progress with her son and had found that Andrew had somehow lost about a third of Roxana's money gambling and another bit he'd used for his own purposes. They'd taken him off of all the accounts and managed to bring her funds back up a bit. Erik's face darkened at the memory that today was the wedding.
"I'd forgotten…" He said and she nodded.
"Obviously, you won't be accompanying me." She said seriously and he nodded.
"Obviously." He said, waving her off. "Have a good time." He said, disappearing into the salon. She kissed Jamie goodbye and left him with Ana and Carolina.
Her driver took her to the church where the wedding would take place and she was announced walking in alone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Andrew's glaring blue eyes as he stood beside Rosaline, who was grinning from ear to ear. Roxana pretended not to notice him. As she took her seat and everyone began to sit down, Raoul came down the aisle with his parents and his best man Henry Ames. Another of Roxana's good friends. The ceremony began and as the doors opened for the bride to emerge they all were shocked to find no bride there. With a heavy sigh, Roxana got up and walked calmly through the doors as people began to whisper. She walked to the back room where the brides usually got ready and found Christine on her knees on the ground. She looked up to see Roxana standing there.
"Everyone is waiting for you Christine…" She said softly and Christine nodded.
"I can't do it…it's too much. I didn't ask for this…I don't want…I just wanted to marry Raoul! I didn't want a circus!" She cried, tears sliding from her eyes. Roxana sank down beside her.
"Christine…you have to calm down…please." She begged the girl, as Rosaline followed by Andrew barged into the room.
"Christine! What are you doing? It's time!" Rosie cried and Christine looked up to see Andrew looming there as he grabbed Roxana's arm roughly.
"Who the hell do you think you are Roxana? Where is your husband to control you? This is not your place." He barked and raised his hand to hit her.
"What the devil would you know about places you filth?" A male voice came from the doorway. Rosaline and Andrew parted to reveal Erik standing an inch taller than Andrew and angry enough for ten men.
"Step away from the girls…now." He said and Andrew snorted.
"Or what?" He asked and Erik pulled a coil of rope from his cloak.
"Or you will regret it. Of this I promise you…" He said and Andrew scowled,
"This isn't over Destler." He said, storming out of the room. Rosaline looked around a moment, confused before running after him. Christine was now standing beside Roxana and looking from Erik to Roxana back to Erik again.
"Christine…I…" Erik began but before he could say another word she collapsed, unconscious and Roxana caught her by the arms.
"Jesus Erik! What in the name of God are you doing here?" She asked and he glared.
"About five minutes after you left, I realized Andrew would be here." He said and she sighed.
"You think two months is enough time for people to forget everything?" She asked him and he held his hand up for her to be quiet. "No I will not quiet! Look at this child! She's fainted in shock!"
The young viscount's voice was heard coming down the hall.
"Christine? Christine!" Roxana pointed to the closet near the door.
"Hide." She instructed and Erik folded his arms stubbornly.
"I will not." He said and she pointed harder.
"Hide God damn you!" She cried and he growled at her before going into the small closet and watching through the slits as Raoul ran into the room, nearly crying out in shock at the sight of his fiancée unconscious.
"Christine!" He cried, taking her from Roxana and laying her gently on the ground.
"Poor dear was so worked up she fainted. Nerves…" She said and Raoul looked up at her.
"I thought I heard a man's voice in here." He said and she looked at him as if he were crazy, using all of her acting skills.
"No silly boy…unless I am a man…" She said, stealing a glance at the closet. She began to fan the girl with her hand as Christine's eyes began to flutter.
"What…?" She said softly and Roxana sighed.
"You fainted Christine…" She said and Christine looked around confused.
"But I saw…there was someone…" She began and Roxana shook her head.
"No darling…there wasn't." She said and helped the girl sit up. Raoul watched worried as Christine shakily leaned on Roxana.
"Come on Christine…let's get you married." She said sadly, looking back at the closet. She didn't know for sure, but she thought she heard a muffled sob. She handed the girl over to her fiancé and watched them leave the room.
"She could have loved me." Erik said, emerging after they'd gone. Roxana looked up at him sadly.
"You can't force someone to love you." She said softly and he turned away.
"She could have loved me on her own!" He protested and Roxana sighed.
"Erik…she's a baby…a child! Let her go…for your own sake." She said quietly and stood up, moving to leave the room. He grabbed her arm.
"Roxana…" He said but she pulled away.
"Leave me be Erik…I'm tired. Let's go home." She said and walked away from him. He looked around one last time before moving to catch up with Roxana.
"He's going to destroy us Erik…" She said as they rode home together and Erik nodded.
"It was stupid of me to come today Roxana…I am sorry." He said and she shrugged.
"Forget it…" She said as they got out and walked into the house together.
"You're home so soon!" Carolina cried as they walked in the door. Roxana nodded.
"Carrie, I want you to draw the master a bath. He's had a trying day." She said and Carolina nodded, moving to do her mistress's bidding.
"Mama!" Jamie cried, running into the room excitedly. His words were improving with each day and although he was becoming attached to his tutor, he didn't know exactly what to call him. She pulled him up into her waiting arms and carried him into the parlor as Erik went upstairs for his bath.
Roxana read Jamie a story and put him to bed before turning to go into her own room. As she stood at her vanity, a voice behind her said,
"You should wear color more often…you look divine." She turned to see Erik standing there, fully dressed.
"Erik, you should get some sleep…I can only imagine how hard today must have been for you." She said and he came closer, the scent of his clean body near. She kept her eyes on herself in the mirror as she struggled to pull the pins from her hair. She felt his hands come up to help her and met his eyes in the mirror.
"Erik…" She said and he shushed her.
"Thank you Roxana…for caring, alright? Just…thank you." He said and she relaxed.
"You're welcome Erik…" She said for the first time, feeling a bit drunk on his scent.
"You really do like her, don't you?" He asked and she looked confused, sobering a bit.
"Who?" She asked and he smiled tightly.
"Christine." He replied. She nodded.
"Yes…I really do. She's fun. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Chagny girls and my other friends, but Christine is much more real. I do admit, she's a very confused girl, but she just needs to learn to hold her own." Erik sighed, pulling the last pin from her hair.
"I won't let Andrew hurt you or James." He said, changing the subject and she turned to face him as her black hair spilled down her back.
"I know Erik…I trust you."
"Are you alright Christine?" Raoul asked as they sat together at their reception. She nodded dumbly, feeling stupid.
"Just a few moments of insanity dear…where is Roxana though? I haven't seen her since we left her in that room." She said and Raoul scanned his guests.
"I don't know…she must be here somewhere…" He said, standing. Christine too, stood and he took her hand.
"Let us not worry tonight…it is our night dearest Lotte…let's dance!" He said, pulling her onto the dance floor. They began to dance, laughing and talking about their days by the sea when Christine noticed Andrew Westcliff, fuming on the side as Rosaline stood near him, blissfully ignorant. Raoul's middle sister, Alana and her beau Garrett were dancing near them as well.
"Dear…poor Andrew looks positively miserable." Alana said and Garrett nodded.
"I'm afraid so…" He agreed and smiled at Raoul and Christine. "Having fun, you two?" He asked and Christine nodded politely, still unsure of herself around Raoul's friends. She waved to Madame Giry and Meg who were sitting near the Count and Countess. Meg waved back before going back into a conversation with a young honey blonde girl and a very dark haired beauty.
"Raoul, who are those two?" She asked and he sighed.
"That is Jacqueline Marquet and Sissy Avenant…oh no…it looks like they're trying to get their claws into poor Meg." He said, pulling her toward them.
"Yes Meg, you must come to my debutante ball this summer!" Sissy was saying as Raoul folded his arms looking sternly at the girls.
"What are you two doing to my poor friend here?" He asked, glaring down at Jacqueline. She smiled sweetly.
"Oh Raoul dear…we were just making friends! Being sociable…you know, something you don't know how to do anymore since you went and fell in love…?" She said innocently, eyeing Christine who suddenly felt like she wanted to crawl underneath the chairs they were sitting on.
"Jacqueline…leave Meg alone." He warned, pulling Meg and Christine along with him.
"Raoul…it's fine, they weren't…" Meg began but he shook his head.
"Those girls are no good…stay away from them Meg, please for your own sake…" He said and Christine nodded.
"Roxana warned me about those two." She said and Meg laughed.
"Oh you two are such worry warts! They can't be that bad, now if you'll excuse me…" She said pulling away and rolling her eyes. Christine began to stop her but Raoul held her waist.
"Let her go…she has to find out the hard way I suppose."
Rosaline and Andrew joined them back at the head table where Andrew was still scowling.
"What is wrong dear?" Rosie asked him and he took another drink of his champagne.
"Rosie…don't press me right now alright? I am in no mood." He said and Christine looked at Rosie uncomfortably smiling at her new sister-in-law and clinging to Raoul's hand.
"Oh come off it Westcliff, Roxana can't have made you that mad…" He said, seeing Christine's fear and trying to lighten the mood a bit. Andrew looked at him his bright blue eyes blazing.
"Oh, she didn't but that Goddamned masked lover of hers is enough to make me spit nails!"