I am back and I brought a chapter with me! Studying has been eating away all of my time, sorry for the wait. I hope you will enjoy.

Erik's POV

I was leaning against the wall of my secret passageway, my breathing heavy. I felt a smile tugging at my mouth. I had been watching her trough the tiniest crack as she entered the room. I had planned to be far away from her at this point in time, but she had retired sooner than I had foreseen. I had just made it inside of my passageway, when I heard how she opened the door.

I had frozen. I had no longer been able to leave: the desire of seeing her reaction was too big. I positioned myself in front of the crack and took in her features. She was once more wearing my first present, the scarf. Together with Angélique's girl and the stablehand, she had gone for another walk this evening, as they seemed to have enjoyed it yesterday.

The time that it took before she opened my gift turned me into a nervous wreck. Would she like it? She had liked the scarf, hadn't she? Was I going too far? Of course not, it was my duty as the master of the house to look after my servants, was it not?

Just keep telling that to yourself and maybe you'll start to believe it. You've never done anything like this for the others… and don't start about the ones who left, that was compensation for the harm they had partly brought onto themselves.

I sighed.

The stream of my thoughts was interrupted by the sound of ripping paper. I looked through the crack and saw how she slowly revealed the insides of the package. Her mouth opened in awe and she took the gloves. She smiled heart-warmingly and pressed them to her chest.

I leaned back from the crack and released the breath I didn't know I had been holding. She liked it. I decided to leave before I could see anything that was even less meant for my eyes and returned to my library.

Once there I dropped myself unceremoniously in my back winged chair. The events of the previous night played through my mind. How she had gone outside with Meg and Alain and seemed to enjoy my first present so well. How her hands appeared to be cold. How she SAW me in the window.

I had not counted on such a thing occurring, had fled from my spot immediately and only dared to return to it after several minutes had passed.

I decided to do what I should have actually done today, instead of purchasing presents for innocent girls with cold hands. I looked at the letters on my desk with disdain. Most of them were business-related and could not be helped. I started with those to avoid having to open the ones from Him first as they would dispel any resolution of mine to read the others.

It was the usual thing: people asking for more time to pay their rent, quarrels between different families, the local church asking for a donation… After I had finished writing my answers and putting the aside, I took the first one of my brother's letters.

The first 2 ones were enough to make my blood boil, but it was the last one that almost had me shredding it to pieces.

I wrote before that I need more money for my stay in Paris. If you do not have it delivered to me in two weeks' time, I shall be forced to return to the manor. You know I will.

He had squandered all the money I had supplied him with on expensive clothes, parties, presents for his conquests and his expensive women of the night. I could not deny him though. I had enough reason to want him out of my way on a normal day, but now… Christine. I could and would not let the past repeat itself, especially not now.

I was pulled out of my reverie by a rather loud knock on the door.

"What!", I snapped.

Angélique silently entered and closed the door behind her.

"I wanted to let you know that I'll be retiring for the night and I wanted to ask if there was something you needed."

I sighed and put my face in my hands, feeling guilty for lashing out at her even though I knew she would not take it personally.

"No thank you, Angélique."

"Did he send more demanding letters again?", she asked me.

"Yes, and you know why I can't refuse, especially not now. I can't allow it to happen again."

"I know, but you need to stop blaming yourself. Those girls brought it upon themselves. They were warned, several times, that he was not to be trusted and that his motives were not pure. They went against the advice that I gave them more than once and they all came crying afterwards", Giry's voice was filled with disappointment.

"You could have just send them away and no house would have taken them in, but you gave them enough money to live off for the rest of their lives. You made sure that they had a place to go to and spend as much money as necessary to try and restore their name. You did all that even though they only had themselves to blame for it!"

I stood up abruptly and slammed my fist on the table.

"That does not change the fact that they did not consent to what eventually happened to them! You know how they looked, Angélique! That image is one that will not leave my mind's eye for as long as I breathe. They BLED, Angélique! The cuts, the bruises, the wounds. Giving them money and a place to seek refuge was the least I could do. Do you know how it feels to have your only family act like a true monster and yet it is you who is called one? Do you have any idea how it feels?!", I yelled.

I trembled with anger and another emotion that I refused to acknowledge. After taking a few calming breaths, I lowered myself back into the chair.

"No, I don't", she answered, "I remember very well how they looked and I also remember how it felt to see every single one of them make the same mistake and failing to keep them from delivering themselves into the hands of a devil. Each and every one of them."

I was still trembling, my heart contracting in my chest. I needed to think of something better, something that could alleviate the pain. My hands were gripping the armholds of my chair tightly. The colour of the wood used for the structure made me think of the violin that I had bought. The violin that had belonged to the one man that had ever been friendly to me. I thought of the music I had recently written and how beautiful it was. I thought of the girl it was written for. I thought of how she had smiled when I had seen her outside and how happy she had seemed with her newest present.

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"How is she adapting?"

I looked up at Angélique and saw how her face changed into an almost amused expression.

"I should think that you would know that better than I do, after all, you see everything that goes on in the house", she said with a smirk.

I glared at her.

"She is doing fine. My Meg is happy to finally have a friend and it seems that Christine feels the same way. She looks a lot healthier than she did when she first arrived. Lately, she has also been very happy because of a little mysterious present she was given. You do not happen to know anything about that, now do you?"

I knew better than to try and lie to her, so I decided to simply tell her the truth.

"She would have been cold otherwise, Angélique. She likes the winter and it will be a cold one this year. I could not let her get sick, now could I? I am supposed to take care of the people who live in my house."

"What you say is true, but a master is not supposed to buy cashmere scarfs for his servants."

I did not like what she said, even though it was said soothingly.

I looked at my hands when I answered het statement, refusing to look her in the eye.

"She deserved something beautiful."

"Aye, that she does. Knowing you, I think it is safe to assume that it will soon be followed by other gifts, no?", Angélique confirmed.

I nodded my head.

"Erik, she is a good girl and I am sincerely happy for you, but please be careful. Raoul will eventually come back here, like he always does, and I don't want to see you get hurt by history repeating itself. I'm off to my room now. Have a good night."

I stared at the door for a long time after she left. Several minutes later, I started to write the letter to my brother. When that was finished, I left the comfort of my library.

The light of the moon illuminated my bedroom and I could see everything clearly. It was too late to play any music now and the conversation I had had, had made sure that any longing for doing so had vanished.

I took of my mask and relished the cold air that caressed my overheated face. As I prepared myself for bed, I could not help but replay one of the last sentences in my head.

Raoul will eventually come back here, like he always does, and I don't want to see you get hurt by history repeating itself…

It made my blood boil just to think of it.

But Christine was a good girl. She would be smarter than the others, wouldn't she? She would not let herself be tricked by fake promises and empty looks, right? Raoul would not be able to taint her. He would not hurt her, like he had the other girls. He would not hurt my Christine when he returned.

I would not let him

So… What are your thoughts? They will be taken into account. I hope I made the wait worth it with this chapter.

Love,

LoreLorelei