Chapter 26 –

Erik watched Daniel hurry up the stairs before he turned to enter the sitting area where he figured there would still be the remains of the evening sitting around. It was easily cleaned up. Sometimes he wondered what the maids in this household really did.

He went up to his room early. The show was in twelve days and he found that even he, the phantom of the opera, who hardly slept his entire time under the opera house, was exhausted.

Elizabeth woke comfortable in her room a little late the next morning, in fact, she had slept in past the beginning of the school day. Sitting up quickly she noticed the note that had been set with a rose on her pillow.

Elizabeth

I couldn't wake you, you were so peaceful. Please do not bother coming to the school until you are well rested, you deserve it. Daniel and Amelia came to the school today but I'll put them to work, and they won't be able to watch the rehearsals, I want it to be a surprise for them. Your brother and his wife decided to visit the town for the morning, so you are the only one home. See you in a few hours.

Erik

Her first instinct was to storm down to the school and yell at him for making this decision for her, but the comfort of her bed was so inviting and she figured it would be nice to stay in it for a few minutes longer.

She fell back again and rested for a minute before she planned to get up, that was when she realized what Erik was really doing. He was going to make sure there was no damage to her image in society by talking to the children before Elizabeth had arrived.

She was right, Erik had a long talk with his class, who knew the whole story, and were very happy about it, as soon as class began that day. Caroline had told them everything she knew, and Erik assumed, everything that Daniel knew as well.

"Sir, we think you and Miss Bennet are very sweet together, why would we cause any problems for you?"

"I hope you don't expect me to answer that, now we have only ten class days left, we need to rehearse, let's hurry onto the stage, we are running all of Snow white before ten." Erik boomed and they were up in a flash.

"Sir?" Emily asked.

"Yes?"

"Are you and Miss Bennet going to get married?"

"Take your place backstage Emily." He replied in a powerful, but not threatening voice. The girl practically skipped behind the curtain.

Elizabeth arrived as soon as they finished the last number of the run through and walked straight up to Erik. "How did your morning go? Was it eventful?" He could tell she was mad.

"Nothing worth speaking of that I can think of." He replied and turned his attention to the students. "Do you think we can run The Frog Prince before our midday meal?"

"Of course Mr. Erik, what do you take us for amateurs?" Andrew Billings said with a grin.

"Andrew." Elizabeth warned.

"What did I do?" Asked Andrew de Changy.

"Not you dear, the other Andrew."

"I as only stating my opinion" the older Andrew stated.

"What did you say?" Andrew de Changy asked.

"Just go to wherever you need to be boys." Erik commanded and Elizabeth mouthed a thank you. It had become an interesting situation to have two boys with the same name. "And you," he directed Elizabeth to a seat in the front. "Sit."

During the meal, Elizabeth went to visit her niece and nephew who had been recruited to sew last minute costume touch ups, and paint any props respectively. They were having fun and she left them to their work.

The next eleven days flew by and Elizabeth was awoken by Erik early on the performance day. "Good morning."

"Hello dear, why are you in my room."

"I haven't slept all night, and at about four o'clock this morning I realized that you and I have not had any time alone in these past weeks." He sat down next to her as she sat up. "So for the last two hours I have been pacing my room wishing time would go by faster."

"You could have visited earlier."

"I didn't want to wake you too early. I can survive on very little sleep, you need your rest. Once it reached six o'clock though, I couldn't stay away."

"Well I am happy that you have very little self control."

"I have a great deal of self control. If I want to hold back I will."

"But unfortunately you never want to." He shook his head. She smiled and moved closer to him until she was sitting right behind him. "Why don't you lie down with me and we can get another hour of sleep so that I don't look too horrible tonight."

"You never look horrible. But if you insist." She laid down again and this time he followed. She curled up next to him and draped her arm around his upper torso. She could tell he was tense. "It's alright Erik, just calm down. We've been this close before." He didn't reply but after a few minutes he seemed to loosen a bit and she fell asleep until he woke her up at seven. "Did you sleep at all?" She asked.

"No, you know that I don't need too much sleep."

"Do we really need to get up now?"

"Yes, the entire school, students and faculty, would panic if you didn't go, and if I don't go I'll have eleven very disappointed students." He replied with a sigh. "You get ready and I will go get us something to eat."

"Stay?"

"You know I can't, it isn't…"

"You can, you just won't. Erik I'm not a silly teenager. I have thought about this deeply and I am ready. I and not implying that we just into bed right this second, I just mean that I don't take this lightly, you must know that when I say I am ready I am ready."

"Yes, but we will wait until the right time, for now, you get dressed and I shall get us a nice breakfast. Would you like to eat downstairs or in your study?"

"We can eat downstairs." She watched him walk away and sighed trying to figure out what to do about him. He knew she loved him, he loved her back but he didn't want her, maybe he just wasn't attracted to her. She cursed herself for even thinking it, Erik loved her and he was just protecting her, she would just have to show him she didn't need protecting.

When they arrived at the school everything was in an uproar, they traditionally did the dress rehearsal during the school day of the show, so the hallways were full of students and costumes.

"Mr. Erik! You're finally here." Emily came and wrapped her arms around his legs. "It's so horrible, Caroline lost her voice!"

"What!" Erik boomed causing almost the entire hallway to go silent.

"Erik, quiet, we will deal with this." Elizabeth said calmly, she put her arm on his shoulder and the two hurried after Emily who lead them to the music room.

Caroline was crying the rest of the class was standing not knowing what to do. Elizabeth went to the girl. "What happened dear, you weren't sick yesterday?"

"It's my fault…we didn't…we wanted to celebrate…what are we going to do?"

"Quiet Caroline, slow down, you need to talk slower, who is we?" She was pretty sure who the girl meant, but she needed to hear it herself. Caroline didn't answer. "Daniel?"

The girl nodded. "We went out, but we got caught in the rain and had to wait until it ended which wasn't until nearly two in the morning. I'm sorry."

"Hattie!" Called Elizabeth, "you need to do the understudy for the dress rehearsal, Caroline is going back to bed and we will get her as well as we can for tonight."

"I don't know the songs."

"We just need you to do the blocking; it won't be hard, just read her lines from the script and stand at her place on stage." Elizabeth looked to Erik who was furious, but he just nodded in agreement. "Okay, Jennifer can you bring her back to her room and I'll get the kitchen staff to get her some tea."

The two stepped into the hallway. "I should kill him." Elizabeth stated. "He knows how important this is, he knows that, why would he do this? Why would she?" She was ready to cry. He pulled her next to his chest and she felt comforted in the action.

"Elizabeth I…" It was Meg. "…I uh, never mind. I'll ask later." She turned and hurried the other way.

"The rest of the world won't let us have a moment to ourselves will they?" Elizabeth mumbled into Erik's chest.

"No, but they have a point, after this week we are done. After the show they will finish up their academic studies and I am out of a job."

"Only until next school term right?" Elizabeth asked alarmed.

He saw the concern and fear on her face. "Of course." He pulled her closer and felt her loosen. "I am not going to leave you Elizabeth."

"Good." She replied sounding childish. He ran his fingers up her back comforting and soon he pulled back and they both had to get back to the real world. Elizabeth sent word to the kitchen that

They hurried down to the auditorium and Elizabeth went to sit in the front row while Erik headed to the organ. The show started. After they finished Cinderella things went much better, Hattie didn't know the part well enough and Elizabeth prayed that Caroline would feel better in a few hours. The rest of the shows went by without any problems. If Cinderella went well that night everything else would work out.

During the lunch period Erik approached Elizabeth. "You should talk to your brother and your nephew, I have something I need to do, I'll see you afterward in the classroom and we'll see if Caroline is any better."

"Alright, where are you going?"

"I'll be back don't worry."

"I'm not worried I want to know."

"You cannot know yet, I will tell you later." She just nodded. He hurried off and she decided to head home and speak to Daniel. When she arrived, Amelia was in the sitting room playing a game of cards Erik had taught her.

"He knows a lot of games to play by yourself!" The girl said happily, that saddened her aunt, but Elizabeth said nothing.

"Where's your brother?" Elizabeth asked.

"Upstairs, mom says he is ill and needs his rest. I think he's faking, because he says he'll be better enough to go see Caroline's show."

"I don't care if he is well enough to see her show; she needs to be ready enough to be in her show. Do you know what happened last night?"

"All I know is that Daniel left around ten last night and he made me promise not to tell, then I woke up this morning and mum said he was ill. I didn't want to lie to mum or you, but he made me promise."

"That's fine, go back to your game, you're not in trouble."

Elizabeth headed upstairs and met her sister in law. Jane wasn't very happy either but she left Elizabeth to talk to him. "Daniel?"

"Amelia told you didn't she?" Daniel asked in a scratchy voice as soon as she walked in.

"No, Caroline did and she is as sick as you are and thanks to your midnight 'celebration' last night, she may not be able to perform tonight."

"I didn't mean for that to happen, I didn't think it would rain."

"No Daniel, you didn't think at all. Your mother knows and she will deal with your punishment, I need to get back to school and check on Caroline."

"Will you tell her I'm sorry?"

"Maybe," Elizabeth replied. She nodded to Jane as she left and then headed back to school. It had been a crazy morning and the day had only just begun.