This chapter is LOOOOOONG do not expect all chapters to be this length, I just had a lot to write. In addition, Erik is very unlike Erik for a little bit at the end of the chapter, but it is just him showing his most often hidden gentlemanly side.

Chapter 6 –

Elizabeth made her way home. Erik was beginning to be impossible for her to stand; she hoped he planned to move out soon, because she would not be able to take him for much longer. All day she had been thinking about the man, much her own dismay. Something about him worried her, and in truth, she had half visited the classroom today because she was a bit worried about him. He was completely different when he was around the students. He was rude and almost cruel when he was around only her, but he seemed to show this kindness when he was with her students, and that did ease her mind some.

She had been lost in her thoughts all the way home, and she found that she had gotten there much faster than she had guessed she would. She entered her home and was immediately greeted by one of her maids. "Good, you are home; your guest seems to be getting restless."

"Guest? Sorry Marie, but I did not know I was going to have guests today."

"Well, you have one anyway and Mr. Wilkinson is not a patient man."

"Oh no!" she outwardly groaned. "I can not stand that man at all; did he mention his reason for the visit?"

"No, he just said he wanted to see you. He is in the dining room." Elizabeth nodded and made her way to the dining room.

"Mr. Wilkinson what on earth are you doing here?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, I wanted to come visit you tonight."

"Why would that be?"

"I enjoy your company."

"Thank you." She smiled then sat down. "Why don't we eat our dinner?"

He nodded in agreement. They ate mostly in silence and Elizabeth did not even try to find conversation topics. She wanted nothing more than for this man to leave and never return to her home.

After a dinner that he decided he wanted to drag out as long as possible, Roger and Elizabeth moved to the parlor for an after-dinner drink that Elizabeth needed very much. It was nearing eight o'clock now and she secretly wished there would be a distraction coming up soon.

After getting the drinks, Elizabeth sat down on the couch and Roger moved to sit closer to her. She was now cornered between him and the edge of the seat. "I would really suggest you take up my offer to go to your little concert with me."

"I told you, I already have a guest for the concert and I can not possibly let him down. Besides, your wife…"

"I told you, my dear, that she is ill. She even told me she would much prefer I go with someone else."

"Sorry, but that someone else won't be me. My guest would be crushed."

"Yes, you keep mentioning this guest of yours but you never once mention who it actually is. I would much like to meet the person who you would choose over myself."

"Mr. Wilkinson, I must protest the things you suggest. You are a married man and I am a respectable young woman and your personal affairs should not in any way concern me. If you'd like to go to my concert so much, then I'd suggest you either convince your wife or go alone."

A moment passed in silence, and even after the statement, Roger still refused to move away from her. He strongly believed that she would change her mind once he was able to convince her to bed him. He thought very highly of himself in that nature and now the only problem was trying to get this lady to go to that point with him. During this moment of silence, Erik chose to walk into the room. He first did not notice the two on the couch, but when he did, he tried to exit the room as fast as possible. The last thing he wanted to deal with was seeing Elizabeth with a suitor of hers, or whoever he was.

"Hello, Erik, how are you tonight? I trust you got the organ working to your liking." Elizabeth jumped up at the chance to have someone else in the room when she was with Roger Wilkinson. In the time since she met Erik she had never been happier that he was there than she did at that moment. Roger, on the other hand, was positively fuming when this man in a strange mask appeared during his private moment. Who was he and why did he roam freely around Elizabeth's home? "Mr. Roger Wilkinson, I'd like to introduce you to my new voice teacher at the school, Erik."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Erik. May I inquire what you need with your employer at this hour?" He said with a forced smile.

"Nothing, I do not need Elizabeth at all right now. I was just taking the most direct route to my room."

"You live here?" Roger asked completely surprised, and not caring that he had blurted it out.

Erik grinned at the chance to make this man upset with Elizabeth. "Oh yes, Elizabeth offered me a room here for as long as I chose to teach at her school." He looked over to Elizabeth and saw that she looked positively overjoyed, which was not the reaction he had thought he would get.

"Yes, Erik is very talented; I found him only yesterday and fell completely in love with his talents. The students have never had a better teacher." She was very pleased to see the miserable expression on Roger's face. This was something Erik noticed and found himself very intrigued by the situation, as he did not know why Elizabeth would be so pleased to see this man angry at her.

Finally, the mystery became too much for Erik and he decided he wanted to know the truth. " Elizabeth, would you please accompany me to the other room for a minute? I just thought of a very important matter that can not wait until later. You don't mind do you, sir?" He turned to the other man still sitting on the couch.

"Of course not, sir," Roger replied coldly.

Elizabeth happily left the room with Erik. "What is it?" she asked when Roger was out of earshot.

"I was just wondering a little more about the situation unfolding before me. Who is this Roger Wilkinson and why do you get so much pleasure from his obvious pain?"

"He is a married man who wants to sleep with me. He wishes for me to be his mistress, and at the present time he wants to take me to the concert at the school, instead of his wife."

"Rich men have mistresses all the time, and they take them out to social events often more than they take their own wives." Erik replied matter-of-factly.

"Could you really see me as a mistress to that man? In fact, any man? I positively despise him. Would you please keep me company until he leaves? I do not trust him alone with me. In fact, I don't trust myself not to scream at him at any moment I am alone with him."

"All right, I shall do you this favor." he replied, feeling sorry for the woman he was beginning to hate. He was disgusted when he saw other men force themselves upon young women. That was the main reason why he hated his actions with Christine.

The two returned to the parlor. Roger had not seemed to move from his seat, but Elizabeth noticed he had refilled his drink, so he must have moved after all.

"Anyway, I did not realize the time was so late, my dear, but I still must ask one more time if you will please accept my invitation to attend the concert."

"I've told you three times I am bringing a different guest."

"Who is it? Why won't you tell me who your guest is?" Roger exclaimed annoyed.

Elizabeth did not know what to say. She truly had no guest and she wanted to avoid going with Roger Wilkinson as much as possible.

Erik soon noticed the dilemma going on in Elizabeth's head and he sighed and replied for her. "She has not told you? Well, I asked her to go with me as my guest since I do not know many people in town. I am to be her escort for the night." Elizabeth looked at him in a mix of pleasure and horror; in fact, her expression was one that was very hard to read. She had now escaped going with a man she loathed, to going with a man she nearly hated.

Roger could not control his anger. "You are going with him?" He exclaimed he smashed his drink to the floor in front of Elizabeth, the red wine oozing all over the floor at her feet. "You would choose this man over me? This ugly masked man who looks to be barely above the poverty level? His outfit is nearly rags, for goodness sake! It must be that you prefer men like this. You prefer the kind of man to whom you must give a job so he has employment, the kind of man who you invite to live at your house because he has no other home. You are no more than a common whore aren't you? You could have a proper man like myself, but instead you choose poor men off the streets who you can control, don't you?"

Elizabeth was near tears at the accusations this man was making. Erik was furious. "I think, Mr. Wilkinson; it is time you leave this property."

"No I'd prefer to stay." he replied coldly at the man he believed inferior to him.

The angry was building up inside Erik. No man had ever spoken like this to his face. If he did not have Elizabeth standing next to him he probably would have grabbed the man by the head and broken his neck without feeling any remorse. He had killed for less than this before and he was not afraid to do it again. "That was not a request, sir, leave this house now." he commanded.

The man did not move, and it was too much for Erik. "GO THIS INSTANT!" he screamed. His voice was stronger and more commanding than any either of the other two occupants of the room had ever heard. Roger, who was now trembling, still would not move because of his pride. He was not going to be bossed around by some poor commoner. Erik grabbed the man and roughly forced him out of the house. "Do not get caught anywhere near Elizabeth, her school, or myself ever again!" Erik screamed at the man as he tried to regain his composure and get to his feet.

After calming himself down, Erik made his way back to the parlor. Elizabeth stood exactly where she was, the tears falling freely now. Erik's presence alerted her and she began to regain her composure and looked to the floor. "Oh, this will never come out, but I better get the glass cleaned up."

Erik just stood there. Why was she so afraid to show any other emotion other than anger in front of him? He wished they were close enough for him to just come up and wrap his arms around her and comfort her, make her feel better like a lost child, but he did not have the will to do that.

"I can clean it up, I have techniques for spilled wine, and you should just go and relax for a while." Erik offered.

"I can handle it, or one of my staff can do it…"

"Don't worry about it." He ushered her out of the room and they ran into Marie. The young maid was unsure of what had happened. She had heard the screaming but she did not know what had happened. Now all she knew was that the other guest was gone, her lady was in tears, and the man who now lived at the estate was positively furious. "Marie, please take her upstairs, she needs to relax, and she should get an early rest tonight, she had a horrible sleep last night." Marie nodded. She wondered about the man who just all of a sudden lived at the house, but she also feared him, not really knowing the reason why. She took Elizabeth upstairs and he watched as she went into her study rather than the bedroom. It was a little early for sleep.

The other maid employed there, Diana, was quick to send Erik out of the room so she could clean the mess up. He protested, but the old woman took pride in her job, and she told him firmly she could handle it.

Erik decided it was best to go up to his room, but he found no relaxation there. All he could do was pace and think about that man and Elizabeth. He hated Roger Wilkinson more than he hated most men on earth. He could only think of one other he hated more, and it was obvious who that was. Then he thought about Elizabeth. The proud, young, beautiful woman, who seemed to love life, being reduced to tears at the actions. He had to see if she was all right.

He hurried around the corridors of the second floor until he came to Elizabeth's study; he had been instructed not to intrude on her rooms, so he knocked first.

"Marie, not now, I just need some time alone. I'll get cleaned up later I promise."

"It is not Marie, and I do not care if you get cleaned up or not." Erik replied jokingly, trying to lighten the mood of the evening.

"Always the gentleman, right, Erik?" Elizabeth said as she reached the door. Her eyes were red and puffed; he knew she had been crying.

"Are you all right Elizabeth? It was a horrible ordeal…"

"He said horrible things about you, too." She argued.

"Yes, but I have heard worse said about myself, not directly though, but all the same, I recover from these things nicely." He smiled at her. "He had no right to say those things to you; you deserved none of it, and you were nothing more than generous to help a strange man who appeared in your life all of a sudden."

"Thank you, Erik. Sometimes you are actually worth the time I spend with you."

"Likewise Elizabeth, sometimes I am able to tolerate being around you, also." She shook her head and laughed lightly. "Now I insist you get some sleep; that man won't bother you anymore, and to be kind, I promise to be a little nicer to you when you deserve it." He took her hand and gave her a soft kiss on her hand, then turned to head back to his room.

"Erik?" Elizabeth called back to him. He looked back to her. "Thank you, for everything."

"No need to thank me, I did what was right and nothing more." She smiled and he turned to walk away again.

He got only two steps farther when Elizabeth called him again. "Erik?"

He turned to her and smiled. "Yes?"

"I know it's not proper, but would you mind staying in the bedroom next to mine tonight, just in case anything happens?"

"Nothing will happen, I promise." Her eyes were begging him. "But if you wish…" He turned around and headed for the bedroom that joined onto the master bedroom Elizabeth slept in.

When Elizabeth finally did decide to go to bed for the night, which was not for at least forty-five minutes later, she found the light under the door to Erik's room still on. She went over and almost opened it, but chose not to, in case he was doing something private. She knocked instead.

Erik was at the door instantly. "Is everything alright?" She just nodded.

"I was just wondering why you were still awake; you were very keen on me getting to sleep."

"I hardly ever sleep; it is not in my nature."

"No, that would only be normal." Elizabeth replied, annoyed, "and none of the things you do seem to be normal."

"Going by your judgments of normal, I assume?" He was a little annoyed. He had just promised the girl he would be nicer to her and she turned around and insulted his lifestyle. For this reason he added, "because the judgments of a thirty year old woman who owns a school, runs a household and seems to have absolutely no desire to marry, are completely normal."

"I guess I deserved that." Elizabeth stated.

"Yes, you did. Good night." Erik replied, and then closed the door in her face.

Elizabeth turned back to her bedroom and as she climbed into bed, she whispered to herself. "So comes and goes the brief break in our war." She blew out her candle and went to sleep.