Adult situations in this chapter...be warned! Thanks for readingand enjoy...
"Who dear brother is that?" Twenty-three year old Brett Reynolds asked his nineteen year old brother in reference to the blonde beauty accompanying Andrew Westcliff about town. Garrett squinted to see her.
"I don't know…she's pretty though. Like a little doll." He said looking down at his sweetheart Alana. "Do you know who she is dear?" He asked and she nodded.
"That's Christine's sister, Marguerite Giry!" She said and both men made a face.
"Marguerite?" Brett said giving his brother a look.
"She goes by Meg." Alana said softly, frowning when she saw her with Andrew. "Didn't you two get the invitation to Andrew's ball this weekend?" She asked and Brett nodded.
"Ah yes! Of course…that's so odd though. Andrew only ever showed interest in one other woman...and he's never tried to announce his courtship of someone before, which means he intends to marry this girl, doesn't it? Especially since Andrew is a womanizer." Brett said and Garrett nodded. Alana shot him a look.
"It would have been nice if someone had clued us in that he was a womanizer before he took up with my sister for that short time!" She mumbled and Garrett kissed her cheek.
"It wasn't as if your brother would have allowed it to go beyond courtship…he's a smart man." She sighed.
"That's true." She said and Brett sighed as Meg and Andrew left their sight.
"Well, I think I am going to turn in. I have to see how things are going on building my new house." He said and disappeared down the street.
Garrett nervously adjusted Alana's arm in his. She smirked.
"Are you alright dearest?" She asked and he nodded his throat tight. He was about to do something that their relationship had been leading up to since they were nearly babies. He'd asked the Comte de Chagny for his permission to which he'd immediately said no, but when Garrett showed him the ring and told him his plans for where they would live, the Comte saw he had everything in order and decided to allow it.
"I um…we need to talk Lane." He said, motioning for her to sit on the park bench. He could tell she knew, which made him all the more nervous because now he had expectations to live up to.
"What is it?" She asked innocently and he cleared his throat.
"Well you know…I…we've been friends for a long time now…" He began. She nodded.
"A long time." She agreed as he sighed, taking her hands in his.
"And you should know that I care for you deeply. I…love you." He managed to spit out. She grinned. He'd finally said it. Inside, she jumped for joy but she remained cool on the outside.
"And what do you intend to do about it?" She challenged and he reached into his pocket as she smiled knowingly, pretending to be surprised. "Why Garrett, what is this?" She asked as he opened it.
Her eyes widened in real shock when she saw the ring he'd bought her. "Oh my God!" She cried, looking at the impressive ring. It wasn't huge, but it was definitely a noticeable emerald with diamonds surrounding it. All around the ring band were small diamonds as well.
"Garrett…you didn't have to…" She said and he took her hand and placed the ring on her slim finger.
"Look Alana, here's the point. I've been in love with you since the first time you gave me a fat lip, and I want you to marry me." He said and she laughed.
"So I can give you more fat lips?" She asked and he shrugged.
"If it makes you happy then yes!" He said and she giggled throwing her arms around him.
"So is that a yes?" He asked, grinning into her light hair. She pulled back and looked at him.
"What do you think?" She asked and he touched her cheek.
"I want to hear it from you." He said and she sighed, pretending to be annoyed.
"Yes." She said and then grinned again. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"
"That's better." He said, embracing her again and this time pulling back only enough to brush his lips against hers.
"Did you hear? One of the Chagny girls is engaged!" Roxana said that night at dinner. Erik looked up from the paper.
"Really? The middle one?" He asked and she nodded. "Good, only two more to go." He quipped and she laughed, throwing a roll at him.
"You're terrible." She said and he shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm just honest." He said and eyed her. She'd obviously forgotten their conversation from the day before or she was pretending she had which didn't bother him a bit. Facing feelings only ended in despair. She turned to Jamie and buttered his dinner roll for him, brushing his black hair from his eyes.
"Mmm!" He cried, clapping his hands."
"I just can't believe how much he's changed these past couple of months…what are you Erik, some kind of miracle worker?" She asked and he shook his head.
"I don't even think he needs my help really. I think Andrew's hold on this house had him scared to death." He said as Roxana darkened.
"Now, his hold is on an innocent young girl." She said, not wanting to think about it. Erik shook his head in disgust.
"That woman you met is not Antoinette. That's not my friend. I don't know who that is, but my friend is gone." He said softly, taking a bite of his food.
"It's so sad." Roxana said, gently wiping Jamie's face.
"Do you want to go to that ball?" Erik asked her and she thought a moment.
"It depends." She said and he sighed.
"On?"
"Whether you want to go…whether Christine and Raoul go. I really don't care to see anyone else there. Although, my former father-in-law will be disappointed if I don't bring Jamie to see him. He is his grandfather after all." Erik set his jaw.
"Yes, he is." He said, getting up. "Well, I am finished. I think I'll play for a while." He said, heading for the salon where the piano sat. Roxana cleaned up Jamie as Ana and Carolina cleaned up the kitchen and put him to bed. He was half asleep at the table.
The sound of soothing piano music made it easy for her to relax as she changed into her nightclothes. It was almost a lullaby, surrounding her, entrancing her. She shook her head quickly. Roxana, stop it. It's just music! Still, she followed the sound down to where she knew it was coming from. The salon. He played as if the music owned him and he owned the music all at once. He didn't even look up when he heard her come in.
"What are you doing?" He asked solemnly, not turning his head to look at her. She breathed a moment.
"That song you were playing. I've never heard anything like it. It was like, I don't know…it was like I was under a spell!" She said, disgusted with herself and her ridiculous display of lunacy. He turned to look at her finally.
"A spell?" He asked. Her head nodded. He tilted his head, looking at her a moment. She felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. "I have never seen your hair down and soft all the way around your shoulders." He said.
"I took it down." She said stupidly, silently berating herself. He chuckled.
"Apparently." He said, standing. She felt herself back away in fear, not of him but of the feelings he evoked in her. "Why are you afraid?" He asked, keeping his voice a low murmur. It seemed to echo in her ears.
"I-I'm not." She said, hitting the wall as he quickly advanced on her.
"Where are you going to run Lady Destler?" He asked as she concentrated on the buttons of his vest, because if she looked into those green eyes, she wasn't sure what she would do. Instead, he grabbed her chin and tilted her head up, forcing her to face her feelings. Thankfully, James let out a cry from upstairs and she darted from his arms, as he followed her.
"Jamie…" She said, walking to his crib and taking him out for a moment. He was feverish and cranky which meant he was sick. Panic rose in her as Erik came into the room.
"He's sick Erik…" She said and laid the little boy's head on her shoulder, swaying easily with him.
"Mama." Jamie sobbed, as she cradled his head. Erik walked up and looked into the boy's face, feeling his head.
"Just a little bug. He'll be fine…" He said as Jamie cried softly against her shoulder.
"Shh…" She said, "Mama's here…" She grabbed his bear and blanket and left the room walking into her own room and laying him gently on her bed.
When she turned back to Erik, he could see she was crying.
"It's so much harder without Justin. He would have been a good father! I can't do it alone!" She cried and he calmly pulled her to him.
"Relax Roxana. You have support. You know that." He said and she shook her head.
"He's never been sick before…what if…what if it just seems like a bug and he doesn't wake up? What if my baby never wakes up?" She cried, nearing hysteria. Erik almost chuckled.
"Roxana, believe me. He would be much worse. He is fine."
"Oh you must think I am so stupid." She said and he shook his head.
"No. I don't. I think you should get some sleep." He said beginning to pull away. She held his wrists.
"Wait…" She said and he turned back.
"Yes?" He asked, and something flickered in her eyes.
"I…"
"Yes Roxana? What is it?" He asked. She stopped. She couldn't do it. Justin's blue eyes flashed in her mind and her head spun. She felt like she was falling forever.
"Roxana!" He cried, bringing the room into focus.
"What?" She mumbled and opened her eyes to find she was lying on the floor.
"You fainted." He said, lifting her easily and laying her beside her son.
"Oh." She said softly.
"Goodnight." He said barely kissing her cheek and stopping to look at her.
Before she knew what she was doing, as he pulled away she turned her face and brushed his lips against his. He stood straight up, looking at her for a moment. She looked horrified at her actions but before she could apologize his lips came down on hers lingering, deepening. Her arms snaked around his neck and held tightly to him. Suddenly she was back up in his arms and they were messily trying to make their way across the hall into his room, both of them falling onto his bed a mess of arms and legs. She tore the buttons from their holes on his vest and shirt as he discarded her dressing gown, leaving her billowy cotton nightgown. Not that it covered much, everything was visible through it. She ripped it over her head as he lay down beside her.
"Oh my God…Roxana…" His voice was husky as he touched her the way she'd longed to be touched since Justin had gone.
"Touch me Roxana…" He said, bringing her hands to his stomach, while thin, flat and taut with muscle. She let out a small sigh, lowering them to the clasp of his trousers.
"Yes Roxana…I want to feel your hands on me." He moaned, as she pulled them down and discarded them.
"Erik…" She breathed as he brought her face to his again, settling her atop him.
"Don't think, just feel…" He purred sending her into complete madness. It had been so long, so long…she let herself emit a whimper just as he thrust into her.
"Oh Erik!" She cried, arching her back and closing her eyes.
"What?" He asked, irked. Her eyes opened. The room was dark. She was still in her nightclothes. He was lying on the other side of Jamie on her bed. A dream. Nothing but a dream. She cleared her throat.
"Uh…nothing." She said and he looked at her impatiently, his mask having been placed on the night table.
"Go to sleep Roxana." He said, reaching over to pat her hand affectionately. That's all they were, affectionate friends. He could never see her past the illusion of Christine and she could never let go of Justin. They were perfect together and wrong for each other all at once.
"Yes…sleep." She said, grateful there was no light for him to see how flushed she was.