Christine awoke late in the morning. Her nap the previous day combined with the tumultuous evening finally caught up with her in the early hours of the morning. As she washed her face she saw Erik's gift winking back at her. How very fitting he would choose such a charm to adorn her with; a literal representation of himself in the gold mask. The almond shaped diamonds caught the light from her window sending a double refracted rainbow across the wall. She fingered it delicately, grasping it into her fist as she took in what it meant. Today was the first day of her courtship with Erik. This was the first day she was officially claimed by her enigmatic teacher as his sweetheart. She blushed for the thousandth time and rang the bell for the maid, anxious to meet Erik and see what surprises awaited her today.
She later found Erik standing in the great room alone, facing out the window. He was dressed in the same clothing she had seen him in the previous night and she wondered if he had gone to bed at all. She cleared her throat to announce her presence and he turned to face her, his hands still clasped behind his back lightly.
"Good morning, Mademoiselle Daae," Erik said softly with a small bow.
Christine smirked at the formality, "Good morning, Monsieur Le Fantome," she replied playfully.
Erik's eyes hardened slightly at the address but quickly returned to their previous softened stare.
"I trust you slept well," he continued and motioned for her to sit down in the chair next to him.
"Yes, very well, thank you," she said, slightly puzzled at this reversion to the formality that had once supported their tenuous connection between student and teacher. She wondered if there was anything wrong or if she had done something to change his mind. She continued to stand, not taking the chair he offered and commented, "I see you have not yet changed from last evening. Did you sleep at all?"
"I fear I am at a loss for fresh clothing this morning and I wondered if you would feel like accompanying me into town to remedy that," he said with a gesture up and down his person.
Christine felt a pang of regret at her remark on his dressed state, and remembered that most of his wardrobe for this trip had been ruined in one way or another, including several items of her own. Perhaps his stiff attitude this morning was because his comfort had been compromised. "I would love to accompany you into town," she said.
"Good. I have already broken my fast this morning but please do so yourself while I send for a carriage to take us there," he said and with a little bow dismissing her, left her standing in the room alone and confused.
As Christine nibbled on her pastry, she wished Marie were there to defer to but the maid mentioned that she had gone out to order supplies from the butcher and would not return until noon at least. Christine was not sure what to make of Erik's strange and curt behavior. He had not acted that way since she was just beginning her lessons from him and he had just revealed himself to be a man of flesh and blood and not her Angel of Music. Perhaps, she thought, this is just the way courting is supposed to be. It seemed a little unnecessary to her since she was already comfortable with Erik having spent so much time together. She stared at her half finished breakfast and realized she had only eaten a few bites, crumbling the rest into a useless pile of crumbs on her plate. She covered it with her napkin and left the dining table to find Erik waiting by the front door.
Erik helped her into the carriage, hardly touching her gloved hand; a gesture she had come to be familiar with after his continual courageous attempts at contact. He sat across from her instead of joining her side as she hoped he might. Weren't couple's supposed to sit closely and hold hands and that sort of thing, she wondered? They rode in near silence to the tailor's shop halfway through town, only having an occasional inconsequential comment on what they saw out the windows.
Erik helped her step down from the carriage, this time Christine firmly gripped his hand and did not relinquish it upon touching down to the ground. His eyes looked at her from under his hood questioningly. He seemed to think something over very quickly, and then he removed her hand from his own and after a moment's hesitation, offered her his arm, which she took. He told the driver to return for them in four hours in front of the shop.
"Four hours? You really think it will take us that long?" she asked.
"Christine," he began, she, relieved to hear her first name being used once again. "I am not the only one in need of better clothing."
Christine almost bristled at the remark, and was about to defend her wardrobe as the best one she could afford, but she bit her tongue as she remembered the several dresses she managed to totally ruin on this trip. She knew he would never insult her that way, and wrote off the comment flippantly.
They entered the shop and a middle aged man with spectacles and a short curled mustache greeted them.
"Good morning my lady, and you too sir," he said.
Erik kept his hood drawn and replied, "Good morning monsieur. We are in need of quite a lot of clothing today and we would be most gracious if you would accommodate us."
"Certainly sir," he replied, "What will you need exactly?"
Erik quickly removed at piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him. The man tried to peek underneath the hood to get a better look at his face, but Erik quickly turned away and said, "That is everything I will require. My measurements are written at the bottom."
The shopkeeper looked over the list, glancing through it for the details, "Sir, are you certain you don't want me to measure you myself to assure a good fit?"
"If my measurements are not accurate enough for you to follow then perhaps we might find another competent tailor in this town," Erik replied curtly.
The man flustered a bit and not wanting to lose business, quickly replied, "No, sir. Everything here will be made to your specifications, I assure you."
"Good," Erik said. "We will also need a new wardrobe for the Mademoiselle. I trust there is a woman here to do the measurements?" Erik added suspiciously.
"Sir, I am perfectly capable…"
Erik cut him off, "Is there a woman about or not? I will not have Mademoiselle Daae measured by a man, capable or not." He emphasized 'capable' in an accusatory manner.
"Er, yes there is my wife. But she is finishing another customers order in the back and won't be available for several hours."
Erik took out his purse and produced a large bundle of notes which he lay on the cutting table beside him. "This should be enough for the clothing and your wife's time, as well as the inconvenience to her other customer."
Christine stood, dumbfounded, both at Erik's behavior and at the sum of money he had given. The man's eyes bulged out of his head, his hand twitched toward the money but not wanting to seem greedy, he continued to ask Erik, "Will this be a basic wardrobe or is it to be a trousseau?"
The question caught Erik off guard and Christine saw his stony manner waver momentarily at the thought of her in a bridal gown.
"No," Erik said after a moment, "She will need garments suitable for travel, as well as morning and evening dresses, along with the necessary undergarments and accessories."
"Right then, I'll just call my wife to join us," he said. He left Erik and Christine standing alone in the front of the shop amongst bolts of cloth and trim.
"I must leave you here for awhile, I have a few other errands to run," Erik said to her. "Please feel free to request anything you desire. I will return shortly."
The tailor returned with a small woman with frizzy ginger hair coming out of her cap and freckles crossing her rosy cheeks. She smiled at Christine, but was taken aback at Erik's presence. Erik stood behind Christine and surprised her when he placed a hand possessively on her shoulder as he told the man to make sure she was not disappointed. With that, he left. Christine felt the warmth on her shoulder dissipate and cool faster than Erik's demeanor had since last night.
Several hours later Christine stood in a new blouse and skirt made of the finest material. The tailor, Roger, was furiously cutting and sewing the specifications listed on Erik's note. Amazingly he had already finished two suits and was now working on a pair of tan trousers. His wife Adelia, was incredible. After choosing cloth and styles and rushing through the measurements which made Christine's head spin, she was ordered into a chair to wait while Adelia went to work pumping the foot pedal on the sewing machine with a well worn boot, all the time chattering about like a typical gossip. She attempted to ask many questions about Erik, but upon realizing that her tongue was looser than an unlaced shoe, Christine dodged most questions and was as vague as possible on the details. The last thing she needed was to have people around town paying more attention to Erik than was necessary. She realized that if they were to be together, she would have to become an accomplice of sorts. She dreaded bringing up the subject to Erik, but she realized she really did need to hash out the details with him of what she aught to say to strangers. Christine also wanted to find out more details of his past, and now she felt in a privileged position to do so. She was not sure today would be the best day to do it though.
Christine knew Erik hated dealing with strangers because of the reactions he got from them. His protectiveness was hardly needed in this situation, but his display had been bordering on threatening. She prayed his mood would lighten to the ease he displayed in the previous week.
Erik returned later as promised. The carriage had returned as well and waited for them outside the shop. Christine saw Erik deposit several items in the cab before entering the shop to meet Christine who was being fitted in another dress. Adelia kneeled in front of Christine, pinning the hem of the dress to the proper length before ordering Christine to step down and return to the curtained room behind her to change out of the garment. She then began stitching the hem with her sewing machine, giving Erik a nod in acknowledgement and called for her husband. Roger entered the front room, carrying a garment bag draped over one arm, which he hung on a hook and opened, displaying the new clothing inside.
"Would you like to try these on?" he asked.
"Yes," Erik took the foremost suit and made his way into the changing room that Christine had just exited. He could not help but look her up and down and admire the new dress she wore. It hugged her body in all the right ways without being obviously provocative. She brushed past him, smiling a little as though she could read his thoughts. Her perfume still lingered in the dressing room like an intoxicating drug. He inhaled it deeply as he changed into the new trousers and shirt. He left his old clothing in a heap on the floor, not caring if he took it with him when he left. He had to admit it, for having so little time to work with the clothing was of excellent quality and craftsmanship.
He reentered the room and stood in front of a full length mirror. He spied Roger's eyes widen as he caught a glimpse of his mask uncovered by his cloak's hood. He had the decency to close his mouth by the time Erik turned around.
"My compliments monsieur," Erik remarked as he shrugged out of his jacket.
"Oh just wait until you see what I've created," Adelia piped in. "If you're any judge of fine taste, you're going to really appreciate what I've done for the young lady."
"I'm sure they are beautiful. If what she is wearing now is anything to judge by," Erik continued.
"Oh, that's just a basic everyday dress. The real beauty is the evening gown you requested. Luckily for you both it was already completed and only needed a few minor adjustments to the length for it to fit properly," she said between a few pins in her mouth, then added to Christine, "I sure hope your gentleman here has plans to take you someplace nice tonight so you can show it off." She winked at her and threw Erik a glance as though she were hinting that he should do just that.
"I'm sure it's lovely and I cannot wait to see it," Erik replied politely. "Do you need more time?"
"No, I'm just finishing up this last item, and then I can package these all up for you. Would you like to take them with you or shall I have them sent somewhere by courier?" Adelia asked.
"Please send them up to the Inn of the Setting Sun. I'm afraid we will not be returning until later this evening," Erik said.
Christine wondered where they would 'not be returning' from for the duration of the afternoon. She figured she would go along with things and see what Erik had planned, rather than ask questions.
They both thanked Roger and Adelia once more, then Erik led Christine out to the carriage and helped her inside, again hardly touching the tips of her fingers in his own. She sat back against the bench seat as the swaying of the carriage made its way down the cobbled street. Erik sat across from her as he did before. Then she noticed some parcels lying next to her feet.
"New boots for the both of us, as well as a few other items I ordered previously the week," Erik said as he noticed her looking at them.
"Erik," she began, "I wondered if we could go somewhere to talk. I have some questions."
Erik did not seem surprised, "I had the very same idea. I have a few questions I would like to ask you ask well," he said softly, looking down at his gloved hands.
Christine wondered if he would explain himself and why he was acting as if their friendship had regressed back to its earliest stiff formality. It had been less than a day and she already felt missed the old Erik. This Erik felt coldly restrained, rather than the fiery burning restraint she found herself so drawn to.