twist6

~ Chapter 6 ~

Raoul de Chagny lounged comfortably in his guilded coach, enjoying the sight before him. Christine sat across from him, her hands folded tightly in her lap. He could tell that she was fighting the urge to tear the blindfold from her eyes, and her distress was almost delicious. The line of her jaw was tense and her breast strained against the fabric of her dress as she took in nervous breaths.

�We�re almost there,� he said, reaching out to take one of her gloved hands in his. How it thrilled him the way she clutched his hand!

Christine tried to smile and tried to slow the frantic beat of her heart. She could tell from the sounds outside of the carriage that they had entered a city, and that gave her some comfort and hope.

Raoul was delighted to see her smile, and he impulsively moved to sit beside her. It was fascinating to watch her, to know that he could devour her with his eyes and she would never know it. He wondered idly if this was what the Phantom had felt when he observed Christine for all of those months from behind her mirror.

Raoul shook his head. How could he be comparing himself to the Phantom? Oh, it was too ghastly an idea!

He suddenly felt a nagging doubt tug at him. Was he being too hasty to bring Christine back to the Opera? Would it bring up memories of him?

Raoul dismissed the notion and concentrated on Christine�s lovely face. The Vicomte hoped that their visit to Paris would rekindle the spark of romance that had burned between them during Christine�s early days at the Opera Populaire. Plus, he could not resist the urge to declare their love to the world. Before, their whole engagement had been treated as a secret, something Christine had begged Raoul to do, so that the Phantom would not be displeased.

Raoul could not help but sneer. Now, there would be no one to interfere with his plans.

When the coach pulled up in front of the Palais Garnier, Raoul reached behind Christine to undo her blindfold. As he was caught in the cascade of her lustrous curls, he did not catch the look of ecstatic disbelief that flooded her face.

Christine feared she might choke on her tears of joy, and she quickly caught her breath, forcing her features to take on the serene look she had been trying to adopt for the past few weeks.

�Are you pleased, my love?� Raoul whispered in her ear.

�More than words can say,� she admitted truthfully.

Raoul kissed her cheek and waited for the coachman to open the door for them. When the carriage door swung open, Raoul bounded down the steps then turned to offer his hand to Christine. The look of rapture on her face was stunning and felt his heart flood with joy as he helped her descend from the coach.

Christine moved as if she were in the most marvelous dream. She was overcome with joy to be back at the Opera, and yet she could not imagine why Raoul had brought her there. She looked to Raoul�s smiling, confident face, and her gut wrenched with fear. Did Raoul know something about Erik that he had not told her? Could something have happened to her Angel in her absence?

Christine tried to stifle her fear and reminded herself that Erik was incredibly clever. Perhaps he was merely hiding, assuming the role of the Phantom once again. She had to bide her time, to play the part Raoul had assigned to her until she could learn more and find the means to escape.

                                            *     *     *     *     *     *

Erik watched Christine and Raoul enter the Opera House, and he shadowed their movements throughout the magnificent building. It was disconcerting to see her behave so calmly beside the Vicomte, and it hurt Erik to no end to watch her take the young man�s arm as they moved about the place. Had she truly been kidnapped, as her note had implied, or had that simply been a device she had used to break off her romance with him?

The Phantom cursed under his breath and tried to shake the doubts from his mind. He would have to observe her further, to dissect each movement and glance until he could discern the truth from his young protegee.

A bell chimed throughout the foyer and the patrons began to move up the Grand Escalier. They talked and chatted idly until they reached their seats. Of course, most people came to the Opera not for the music, but for the social gathering, to see who was escorting whom, and so forth. The music was merely an accompaniment to their gossip and knowing looks.

Needless to say, Christine and Raoul garnered many whispers and stares as the entered their box. Raoul was used to such attention and he drank it in like a fine wine. He pulled Christine�s chair out for her and gave a dramatic bow, enjoying the feel of so many eyes upon them both.

Yes, let them see that I have won the hand of the girl I choose to marry, he thought.

From the darkness of Box Five, Erik watched the young man�s display with unbridled disgust. He knew what Raoul was doing. The boy was showing Christine off to the public like some prized racehorse or unearthed treasure. Not that Erik could blame him � he knew what Christine was worth.

But Miss Daae did not seem to enjoy the attention. She bowed her head, and Erik could see her brow furrow in frustration. The Phantom leaned forward, trying to discern the nature of her upset, but Christine quickly painted a serene expression on her face when she saw the Vicomte glance her way. Raoul smiled at her, and then turned to greet the patrons in the box next to them.

Thinking herself unobserved, Christine stole a glance at Box Five. It was empty as usual; too many patrons were still convinced that it was haunted. But to Christine, the shadows seemed alive. They were deep and rich, full of velvety possibilities. She strained to see into the darkness, hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved. Could that be a hint of white, shining like a star in the black depths of Box Five?

�He�s not there,� Raoul said, startling her out of her daze.

�What?� Christine stammered. She turned to look at him, trying to mask the tumultuous feelings that coursed through her.

�I said, he�s not there,� Raoul remarked irritably. "There's no need to keep looking into shadows. He's gone.�

Christine gulped. She looked down at her hands in her lap, her mind racing wildly. What did Raoul know about Erik that she did not?

�I don�t know what you mean,� she said quietly.

�I mean, the Opera Ghost is dead!� Raoul hissed.

�What?� Christine gasped, her heart in her throat.

Raoul sat back in his chair and looked out to Box Five. Hatred and jealousy flared in his eyes as he sneered at his unseen rival.

�The Phantom of the Opera is no more,� he repeated smugly.

Christine looked frantically towards the Phantom�s box, her face white with terror.

�How?� she asked in a small voice. How could he be gone?

�I don�t know,� Raoul answered flatly. �L�Epoque had a notice in the paper that mentioned his death.�

For a moment, time stood still as Christine tried to register his words.

�I don�t believe you,� she said finally. Her hands involuntarily curled into fists, and she began to tremble slightly.

�Christine, there�s nothing to disbelieve,� Raoul said matter-of-factly. �I will show you the paper when we get home.�

�I�m not going home with you!� she whispered defiantly.

�Oh, yes, you are,� he said, leaning towards her. �You belong to me.�

�No!� Christine cried, trying to rise from her seat.

�Christine, think!� Raoul said, holding her down in her chair. �You have nothing but me now. No career, no father, no friends. No Phantom. Where will go and what will you do? I hardly think the street is an inviting place for such a girl as you.�

Christine looked at him aghast, but her protest died in her throat. He was right. With Erik gone, she had nothing.

Christine raised tearful eyes to Box Five and searched the shadows one last time for her beloved Phantom. The darkness seemed to taunt her this time, appearing bleak and empty. Christine stifled a sob and slumped back against her chair in defeat.

Erik beheld this scene with frustrated fascination. He had no doubt about the nature of Christine and Raoul�s conversation, and his eagle eyes caught the words as they spilled from their lips.

How he wanted to throttle the boy for his treatment of Christine! And he longed to leap from his box to take his beloved in his arms, to wipe her tears away with his gloved fingertips.

In desperation, he looked about, trying to form a plan of distraction. He raised his eyes to the restored chandelier. Should he drop it again and unleash the chaos? Erik smiled at such a notion and nearly bounded from his seat to set the plan into action. But his gaze happened to fall upon the hapless victim seated below the chandelier, and Erik froze before he could take another step. The willful Daroga was sitting directly beneath the massive structure, gazing up at Box Five with fearful concern.

�Nadir!� Erik moaned. �You fool!�

He looked out to the Vicomte�s box once again, his heart and mind filled with torment. Christine�s pale face stared blankly across from the other side of the theatre. Her loss of hope nearly tore him apart.

�Don�t fear, my love,� he whispered fervently. �I will find a way.�

                                              *     *     *     *     *

Christine watched the opera in a daze. None of it mattered if he was no longer there. She felt dead, and she longed to join him in his tomb.

�That�s it,� Christine said to herself. When the opera was over, she would find a way to free herself from Raoul. Then she would wind her way down into Erik�s lair.

She almost smiled through her tears when the final act of �Faust� played itself out. The cast took their bows and the audience applauded mightily. Christine rose unsteadily to her feet and looked out to Box Five.

�Fate links thee to me�� she whispered.

�Are you ready, darling?� Raoul asked, offering her his arm.

Christine fought the urge to leap out of the box right then and there. She cast her eyes to the floor and tried to hold back the tears.

�Yes,� she murmured.

She let Raoul lead her from his box into the throng of patrons. The crush of the crowd left her dizzy and she wondered vaguely if she would have the strength to break away. Oddly enough, it seemed as if Raoul was guiding her towards the stage itself, and she puzzled over his intentions. She gave him a quizzical look to which he merely smiled as he continued to urge her onward. Perhaps it would not be so difficult to escape after all, she thought.

When they reached the stage, the opera folk gathered about them, the ballerinas admiring the engagement ring that Raoul had forced onto her finger. The Vicomte strutted about like a peacock and showed Christine off to the managers. Both Monsieurs Firmin and Andre gave her a cautious bow, as if fearful that her mere presence might bring back the Opera Ghost.

�A pleasure to see you again,� Firmin lied through his teeth as he bent to kiss her hand. Christine gave a courteous nod, and was relieved when he turned his attention to Raoul.

�Congratulations, dear boy!� Monseiur Andre was saying as he clapped the Victome heartily on the back.

�Merci,� Raoul replied suavely, offering both of the managers a cigar.

�Christine!� a girl�s voice cut through the pleasantries, and Meg Giry pushed her way through the crowd to give the former diva a hug.

�Meg!� Christine nearly sobbed. She held tight to her friend and whispered into her ear, �Can you get me out of here?�

Meg held Christine at arm�s length and surveyed her friend with a curious stare. It was only then that she noticed how strained Christine�s smile was and how ill at ease the young singer seemed to be.

�Of course,� Meg breathed. She looked about and struck a dramatic pose. �I can�t believe you didn�t inform me of your nuptials sooner!� she said loudly. �Come! You must tell me all about it!�

As the pretty ballerina attempted to lead Christine away, a cry arose from the center of the stage. A huge piece of the scenery had come undone and was falling quickly toward Raoul, Firmin, and Andre. The three gentlemen leapt from the path of destruction and tried to avoid being trampled on by the frantic cast members.

�The Phantom of the Opera!� the chorus girls screamed. �He�s back! He�s here!�

�We�re undone!� Andre whimpered, hiding his face in his hands.

�I knew that obituary notice was too good to be true!� Firmin bellowed.

Raoul pushed past the hysterical chorus girls and looked wildly about for Christine. He called out her name and thought he saw her running backstage with Meg Giry.

In the ensuing chaos, Meg was able to get Christine near the long hallway that housed their dressing rooms. But Christine�s feet became tangled in her long gown, and she fell to the floor in a heap. As Meg reached out to grab her friend, she saw the Vicomte hurrying towards them. On impulse, Meg rushed over to Raoul and embraced him boldly.

�Oh, Raoul!� she cried. �I am so happy for you! Congratulations!�

She planted a big kiss on the startled Vicomte and held tightly to him despite his attempts to disengage himself from her grasp. When they finally parted, Meg saw the young man�s face turn as white as a sheet.

�What is it?� she asked, already aware of the answer.

�It�s Christine!� he gasped. �She�s gone!�

                                               ~ Chapter 7 ~

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