| ~Chapter 8~ Even before Satine and Christian had walked into the brownstone mansion they both heard the beautiful music coming from the house. Satine looked up at Christian in question to find a huge grin spread across his face. He noticed her stare "That�s Em, isn�t she wonderful?" he said with obvious pride in his voice. Satine nodded, she was very talented, although you could never expect less from anyone related to Christian. The two left their packages in the foyer for one of the servants to take care of, then went in search of the music. Inside the library, Emily stood playing a fast paced tune and the smile on her face was one of excitement and pure happiness. Across the room an old woman sat with her back rigidly straight. Not a graying hair was out of the tight but atop her head. The head itself sat atop a surprisingly small body. Only the detailed stitching on her clothing gave hint of their high cost, they were so plain that from a distance one could easily mistake them for the simple clothes of a peasant. Emily finished her piece and before Christian or Satine could clap to congratulate her on the perfect performance Mrs. Wilesly stood up in a huff. "Honestly, Emily! If I were you I would not have played such a difficult piece. Obviously you�re just not up to the challenge." She said with snobbish superiority. The young girl�s eyes narrowed considerably and her head lowered to the old woman�s height. Mrs. Wilesly apparently did not notice the venom in the girl�s stare or she would have stopped dead in her tracks. As it was she continued with her tirade. "A lady does not try to show off but rather gracefully admits when something is above her talents, as this piece obviously is." Emily�s eyes were still glaring at the old woman and she had yet to take her eyes away. Raising one eyebrow and gritting her teeth Emily said, "I did not realize you were such an expert on music, Mrs. Wilesly." "Oh, I don�t know a thing, really!" the woman laughed gaily, "I simply know what I like and what sounds like�well, like your flute playing." Christian noticed that his sister�s temper would not be contained anymore and just as she began to open her mouth to tell the old hag just where she could stick her uneducated opinions he stepped into the room. "Mrs. Wilesly! How wonderful it is to see you again!" The old woman turned on her heel and tried to hide a glare, as if angry at him for stopping her tirade on his sister. "Christian, your father said you had returned home." She stated with a greasy tone to her voice. "Yes, Mrs. Wilesly, as you can se you were informed correctly." The woman nodded and set her disapproving gaze on Satine. She looked from the fiery head of curls to her perfect waist and beautifully tailored gown without a hint of wrinkle to it. The woman seemed greatly impressed and honestly approving. Moving her gaze once again to Christian she asked "Aren�t you going to introduce us?" "Oh, how rude of me. Mrs. Wilesly, I�d like you to meet my fianc�e, Satine." He turned so only Satine could see his face. "Satine darling," he began making ridiculous facial expressions as he continued to introduce the old hag with a calm voice, "this is Mrs. Wilesly." Satine held her giggles and stepped up to the woman. "Charmed, I�m sure." The woman nodded happily, "I�m pleased to see Christian found a respectable woman. We were all so worried with his going off to France." She shook her head in disgust. "I shudder to think what sort of trouble he could have gotten himself into over in such a country!" Christian�s father then entered with a butler close behind. "Oh, Christian, Satine, you�re back. Good." Walking across the room he allowed the butler to set down a silver tray and excepted a glass of wine as it was poured, handing a glass to each in the library. "The cook has just informed me that dinner should be ready shortly." Everyone nodded and held polite conversation until Sarah entered reporting that dinner was to be served. Everyone quickly filed out of the room and Christian took Satine�s arm leading her out the door after everyone. "So, what are your impressions of Mrs. Wilesly?" Christian whispered. "She�s a fraud. Did you see how she completely changed attitudes after your father came into the room? She�s trying to land him. You can�t let him marry her. I don�t want to think about Em with an evil-step mother." He nodded, "Em was telling me last night that she�s trying to convince my father to send her to Switzerland for boarding school. Don�t worry, darling. We�ll think of someway to make her show her real colors." Satine smiled, "what is she, two, maybe three inches taller than Toulouse? I think they�d make a nice couple, don�t you Christian?" "What in the world makes you think that old, uptight hag has anything in common with Toulouse Lautrec?" "Oh, just give her a bottle or two of Absinthe and she�ll be fine." Satine laughed. ************ Dinner went by rather smoothly. It seemed whenever The Father was in the room Mrs. Wilesly was quite polite to everyone. What no one could explain was the woman�s intense fondness for Satine, but Christian tried not to question it. Everyone had not been seated long when The Father asked Emily to share what she had been learning in her lessons lately. "I just finished a research project on how Kings� wives and mistresses effected how they governed England." Mrs. Wilesly gasped, feigning shock that Emily�s teacher would discuss a royal's private affairs. "It was very interesting. I had to write a play where I acted out the women in different leaders� lives. It ended up being a musical, actually." Emily raised a humored eyebrow and cast a glance Christian�s way. He smiled at his little sister; she was a true bohemian to the core. Although, then again so was Jack, her tutor. "How are your music lessons going, Emmy?" Christian asked. "Fine. Sam-er um�Samantha is making me write music for flute choir, now." "A lady sits straighter than that, Emily." Mrs. Wilesly said not even glancing at her. "Look at myself or Satine if you need a visual aid." Emily, not quite sure how it would even be possible for her not to sit straight with her corset laced as tight as it was, simply ignored the old woman. "What is flute choir?" Satine asked curiously. Thankful for the distraction Emily answered happily, "Every Thursday Samantha, my flute teacher, has all of her students, in my age group, play as an ensemble. It just gives us a chance to play in a large group." Satine nodded, picking up her salad fork. "What about your etiquette classes?" This question came from Mrs. Wilesly, slightly blue from holing in her biting remarks on Emily�s ridiculous interest in an instrument she could barely even play. Boring as ever, Emily wanted to say, but instead she said, flatly, "Splendid". Christian feigned intense interest in his salad to hide his smile, remembering how before he left for Paris, Emily had been quickly catching up to the record he had set for being thrown our of etiquette classes. Mrs. Wilesly nodded agreeably then picked up her wineglass, "A lady keeps her elbows off the table, Emily." ************ As dessert was served Mrs. Wilesly brought up the subject Emily had been expecting. "Emily�s manners need�tweaking. I know this lovely finishing school if you�re interested." The Father looked up from his bread pudding, "Of course, she�ll need further training after she finishes her present lessons. What school did you have in mind?" "Well, it�s in Switzerland." Emily looked up from the ice cream Sarah had hidden under a thin layer of the disgusting bread pudding her father insisted on eating. The Father was a hard man, and rarely showed love toward his two youngest children but he adored Emily. She had him wrapped around her little finger even if he hid the fact quite well. She was so much like her mother, he could not imagine sending her to a foreign country where she would not have her various teachers or friends. She had taken over the role of lady of the house gracefully, after her mother�s death. How would he ever run a household? "I don�t know Mrs. Wilesly-" "At least consider it. She needs training if she has hope of catching a husband. She needs to know how to run a home." Christian interjected, planning to keep his promise to his little sister about talking his father out of sending her away. "I think she has run this home very smoothly without any training, Mrs. Wilesly. Father, you must agree. I don�t see the need for Emmy to be sent out of the country simply for finishing school. There are numerous, respectable schools right her in London." He could see he had his father almost convinced. "And, you would be able to monitor whom she courts. If you send her to a boarding school you would have no say in whom she may marry." That had done it. "Christian�s right. Mrs. Wilesly, since you are so interested in Emily�s continuation of her studies would you mind looking into some of the finishing schools right her in London? We should probably get her on a waiting list soon. Mrs. Wilesly nodded dully to The Father and glared at Christian before returning to the sour bread pudding before her. When The Father had finished his pudding and the maids had cleared the table the spoke, "I�m afraid I must excuse myself for the night. I have to wake early tomorrow and go to the bank. Christian, we will leave at eight thirty sharp tomorrow morning." "We, sir?" Christian choked, dreading the response. "Yes, you will be joining me. You chose to go to France last time I told you it was time you took over part of the family business, now it is time for you to take on some responsibilities. You�re engaged and will soon have a family to take care of. You need to think of your future. I refuse to allow you to simply live off your inheritance." Christian tried not to look like a disappointed child, failing miserably he nodded his head, "Yes, sir." The Father excused himself and Emily led the remaining dinner attendants to the library. After dinner, everyone sat in the library Everyone muddled through small talk until Mrs. Wilesly took it upon herself to bring up a topic. "Christian, I don�t believe you�ve told me of how Satine and you met." The quick glance between Satine and Christian did not escape Emily�s notice. She made a note to ask Satine tomorrow what really happened in Paris. Christian stumbled over his words for a moment before Satine took over quickly. "Christian was living in an apartment bellow a very good friend painter of mine. He introduced us. Right darling?" Christian nodded, grateful for Satine�s cool head. "That�s right. Satine�s um�father commissioned Toulouse to do a portrait of Satine." Despite all of his brilliance Christian was the worst liar, and couldn�t come up with a good excuse to save his life but Mrs. Wilesly seemed to believe his story. Mrs. Wilesly smiled then asked out of the blue, "Perhaps you would be kind enough to show me one of the dances you have learned in etiquette classes." Emily said to Christian under her breath, "How about the can-can? Maybe then I could put my foot up her-" Clearing his throat quickly Christian stood and bowed to his sister then genteelly said, "Mademoiselle Emily, may I have this dance?" Smiling at the cute picture her brother made, Emily stood, taking his hand and curtsied gracefully then said, "Bien s�r, monsieur, mais nous voudrais musique." Satine stood from her seat on the couch quickly, "I�ll play. I�m not that good, but I�m sure I can come up with something" She stood up and walked past Christian and Emily, "Beautiful accent, Em." Satine walked over to the baby grand piano and sat down. Then she began to play. She knew just the song to describe Christian�s admiration for his little sister. Christian took Emily�s hand into his and put his other on the small of her back. Satine began to play and sing and Christian and Emily began to glide around the room. Can this be true? Tell me, can this be real? How can I put into words what I feel? My life was complete, I thought I was whole. Why do I feel like I'm losing control? How can it be, that right here with me, There�s an angel? It's a miracle. Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep. Your soul is like a secret, that I never could keep. When I look into your eyes I know that it's true, God must have spent a little more time on you. In all of creation, all things great and small, you are the one that surpasses them all. More precious then any diamond or pearl, they broke the mold when you came in this world. And I'm trying hard to figure out just how I ever did without, The warmth of your smile, the heart of a child, That's deep inside, Leave me purified. Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep. Your soul is like a secret, that I never could keep. When I look into your eyes, I know that it's true, God must have spent a little more time on you. How can it be, that right here with me, There�s an angel? It's a miracle. Your love is like a river, peaceful and deep. Your soul is like a secret, that I never could keep. When I look into your eyes I know that it's true, God must have spent a little more time on you. God must have spent a little more time on you. A little more time on you... Satine looked on at the couple with the thought that everything Christian and Emily did was with grace and perfection. The two hadn�t missed a step and even having been a professional dancer, she didn�t think she could have done any better. Mrs. Wilesly did not move from her chair. "I see I�ll need to find a finishing school that has great emphasis on dance. I find it hard to believe that your etiquette teacher didn�t taught you better than that. It looked as if your bother was dancing with some sort of monkey." With that she stood up, "Really must be going. Satine, it was a pleasure to meet you. Christian, I�m glad to see that found a true lady amongst all of those bohemians and can-can dancers in Paris. And Emily, I will begin looking for a strict finishing school right away. The sooner you are enrolled the better. Please tell your father that I had a lovely evening and thank him for inviting me." She was out the door before anyone could say his or her own good bye. "I hate that old hag!" Emily said kicking her heels off letting them fly half way across the room. She plopped down, unladylike, in a chair. Satine and Christian sat down on the sofa and snuggled up close to each other. "Where does she get off saying all of those terrible things?" Satine asked, resting her head on Christian�s shoulder Christian put his arms around her and said, "She�s always been like that. She kind of weaseled her way into our lives. Mother always kept us as far away from her as. Even before mother died Mrs. Wilesly was hounding after father like a bohemian chases the green fairy. "Speaking of bohemians, I was planning on going to the bar tomorrow. I was wondering if the two of you wanted to go. It would make it a lot easier to get out of the house and I could be there much earlier," Emily suggested. "I would love to go to the bar again." Satine said, looking behind her at Christian. Christian smiled, "I think that sounds like the perfect way to end a day that is bound to be a very long one. Father will, of course, spend a late night at the bank. I�ll just tell him that I�m taking the two of you out to a late dinner." Emily nodded in agreement, "Cool. I think I�m going to go to bed. Holding in those rebukes I had in mind for Mrs. Wilesly is very exhausting. Good night Chris, Satine." "Night Emmy." Said Christian. "Bon soir Em." Satine said. Emily left the room so Satine and Christian were left alone. "Maybe we should go to bed too, Christian. You have a long day at the bank tomorrow and Em and I are spending the entire day together." Christian stood from his seat then offered his hands to help his fianc�e stand. "Where are the two of you planning on going?" "I�m not sure. I have a few errands to run but I think I�m just going to leave it up to Em to show me around town." When the couple reached the end of the hall they stopped in front of Satine�s bedroom door. Satine smiled up at Christian "Whose room will it be tonight? Yours or mine?" "Yours. I�ll have to leave early tomorrow and if we�re in your room then you can stay asleep and I�ll leave." Satine stood on her toes to kiss Christian quickly before going into her room and leaving him in the hall. "He�s so sweet." She thought as she moved to her dressing room to change. ************ When Satine woke up the next morning Christian had already left. After dressing she went downstairs and found Emily had just sat down for breakfast. "Good morning Em." Satine said, sitting down across from her. "Morning Satine. My tutor should be here in about 40 minuets. You can sit in on my lesson if you want. I don�t know if there�s anything else you wanted to do this morning." "I�d love to." Satine said excitedly. "Great! Is there anywhere you need to go today? I have an errand or two that I need to do, myself." "Well, I was thinking that we could stop by this jewelry store that Christian took me to yesterday. He saw a watch he liked and I wanted to get it for him for Christmas." Satine�s eyes simply glowed with the thought of giving something to Christian. "Then I�ll need you to take me to a dress maker that can alter a dress for me � one that does very good work and will do just what I tell them to. I believe that is it." "Let�s see. Christian would have taken you to Cantoff�s right?" Satine nodded her head remembering the jeweler�s name. "And as for a good dress maker, that would have to be Vinway�s. I�m due for a fitting there myself for the dress I ordered for New Years! Oh! Wait, you don�t even know! Every year mother would hold a huge New Year�s ball. It was always the most fashionable place to be. Well, it was like pulling teeth but I finally managed to get permission from father to host the ball this year! You�ll have to order a dress today as well, if you don�t already have one. New Years is only a month away!" Satine giggled at Emily�s happiness. "I always loved having an excuse for a new dress. And you�re sure this Vinny�s-" "Vinway�s," Emily corrected. "Vinway�s, will do a good job? I have a very important dress that needs to be made a little more� how do you say? Modest." Emily nodded, taking a bite out of her English muffin. "Oh yes, Mother was an old friend of Nikki�s." "It seems you and Christian know everyone and everything about this town!" Satine said in amazement. "No, just everyone and everything worth knowing. I guess that�s what happens when you grow up in one place. No matter how big that place is, it�s always home." Emily smiled sweetly at her soon to be sister-in-law before gulping down her remaining orange juice. ************ Emily led Satine up a flight of back stairs onto the third floor of the brownstone. When she opened the door a gush of warm air breezed across Satine�s face. The room was bright, painted a pale shade of yellow. There was a giant window in the center of the far wall with a comfortable looking sofa in front of it. Several other smaller windows were also scattered about. A small wooden table sat in the center of the room and a black board had been nailed to the wall between two enormous bookcases. One was over flowing with books, the other had microscopes, diagrams, projects and science experiments haphazardly placed on odd shelves. The room was very pleasant with a reading chair beside a large fireplace. "I love this room. It�s so much different than all the other dark rooms in the rest of the house." Satine said, openly admiring the room. "It was my mother�s office when she was alive. It was always my favorite room in the house. I used to take lessons in what was my playroom growing up, but after Mother�s death I kind of took over in here. One of my first memories is sitting with Christian in front of the fireplace with mother reading to us." Satine began to walk around the room admiring the cozy atmosphere. She noted the potted plants sitting on one of the windowsills with different sticks coming out of the dirt, labeling their relevance to some experiment or another. Satine smiled as she plopped down in the soft chair, beside the fireplace. "How long will your lesson be?" "Tomorrow I�m spending all day on a field trip so Jack will probably cut today short. We should be done in time to get as late lunch in town." Emily said opening some of the windows. "Jack�s your tutor?" Satine asked. Emily nodded, walking over to the fireplace and standing in front of Satine. "He�s a sweetie. A little dorky but he�s really smart." ************ Christian sat at a large oak desk in a dark office with pen in hand. He had been trying to write for almost an hour now, but every time he put words down they just didn�t seem right. He couldn�t decide whether his lack of creativity was due to the drab atmosphere or his missing muse, although he was pretty sure the latter was the case. Trying once again, he began to write something down. Ballerina. Ya� must have seen her, Dancin� in the dancehall. Now she�s in me, Always with me. Tinny dancer in my head. Christian scratched out the verse he had written. Something just wasn�t right. He could hear the tune in his head and could think of a few other lines to the song, but no matter how hard he tried he just could not get the first verse to go right. Suddenly, a knock came at the office door and startled Christian. He shoved his notebook under a stack of files. Opening the first folder he came to he called out "Come in," and attempted to look emerged in the figures written before him. A woman walked in Christian recognized as his father�s secretary. "Sir, your father desires a word." He nodded and followed her out the door and down the long, bleak hallway. "Great, I�m in trouble. How could I have done anything wrong? I haven�t done a single thing all morning, how could I have done something wrong?" He thought as he knocked on his father�s office door. After hearing an invitation to enter, which sounded strangely like a grunt, Christian walked into the office. The walls were all painted the same deep brown, almost a black that made the office seem menacing and terribly cold. If it was even possible for this room to be darker than the others Christian had been in that morning, it was. "Ah, you�re here. Good. I wanted to talk to you about your fianc�e." He said looking coldly into his son�s gentle, gray eyes. Christian�s hands began to sweat immediately, "What does he know? How could he have found out about Satine�s past?" he thought nervously. "I like her very much. I think she will make an excellent wife, and mother. That is why I have decided to show my approval of this union in the best way I know how." He pulled out one of his desk drawers and took out a small, dark blue box. He slid it across the table to Christian who took no hesitation in opening it. Inside on a small pillow of velvet lay a large emerald surrounded in three layers of small, round diamonds, placed on a silver band. "Mother�s engagement ring." He stated, unable to take his eyes away from the ring. His father nodded, "She wanted you�re wife to someday wear it. But you were to have it only if the woman you gave it to would wear it for all of the rest of her life. Christian nodded smiling, "You can trust that Satine will wear it until her dying day." ************ Jack Diles stood in front of the blackboard in Emily�s �classroom� waiting for Emily to tell him what to write. Instead of answering his question she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, "This book is stupid. I don�t see why I have to read it. No one reads Dickens anymore. And what was with Biddy marrying Joe? I thought she was in love with Pip. " Jack put down the chalk and leaned against the wall. "All right, so the book is stupid, but your father wants me to have you read it. He wasn�t very happy when he found out I was teaching you Greek mythology. And Biddy married Joe because he needed her and Pip told her he didn�t love her and she didn�t see him for years. She wanted to marry and wasn�t going to wait around for a spoiled brat of a child to come crawling back to her." "Obviously what they have isn�t true love." Emily stated, "I think Estella was Pip�s true love." Jack sighed, "Em, he loved her because she was beautiful!" She shook her head, "He wouldn�t have loved her for that long if it wasn�t true love. He would have out grown his infatuation, but he waited for her! The book never even says anything about him courting anyone else. Maybe she didn�t realize what they had was love until the end, but better late than never." Jack cleared his throat, "I think that�s enough "Great Expectations" for now. Why don�t we move on to French? He smiled stupidly at Satine who still sat in the armchair by the fire. "I�m sure Mademoiselle Satine would enjoy hearing you speak a little French." Emily rolled her eyes. Jack had been goggly eyed over Satine all morning. He�d even managed to become clumsier than usual. Jack began reading Poetry in French and Emily tried not to giggle when he looked up from the page every few words to see if his serenading had any effect on Satine. Emily looked at Satine who rolled her eyes herself and seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open. ************ After Jack had left, Satine went to her room to retrieve something while Emily asked the butler to have a carriage brought around front. When Satine came running down the stairs with a parcel under her arm, they were off. Their first stop was a little caf�. After both had ordered, Emily decided to bring up the topic of what actually happened in Paris. �Satine, I want to ask you something- and if you don�t want to answer I completely understand but, well, how did you and Christian really meet?" "What do you mean?" she asked nervously. "Satine, my brother has to be one of the worst liars I know. The two of you weren�t introduced by a painter." "You�re right Em, and you deserve to know the truth. Do you know what the Moulin Rouge is?" Satine asked. "Of course, it�s a brothel in Paris." Satine nodded, "That�s where we met. I was a courtesan there." She paused, "I was the courtesan, actually. The Sparkling Diamond. The star of the show. The Moulin was going bankrupt. To save it, I had to seduce a Duke and convince him to turn the Moulin into a theater. Well, fate intervened and I mistook Christian for the Duke. He was there to try and get a job as the Moulin�s play write. He was sent up to one of the rooms and I proceeded to seduce him. He fell in love with me and made me fall for him. We had to keep our relationship a secret because I still had to lead the Duke to believe I was in love with him. Eventually the Duke found out about our affair and I had to go to him and try to convince him otherwise. I was supposed to sleep with him but could not go through with it. Christian and I left Paris that night." Emily sat on the edge of her seat, her mouth hanging open in wonder. "I knew Christian was a romantic but-" she giggled and let a charming smile cross her lips, "I never would have thought he had it in him!" Satine, who had not taken her eyes off her water glass through the entire story, now looked up, "You don�t hate me? Because of what I was?" Emily waved the thought off, "Of course not. My brother loves you, nothing else matters." During lunch, the two made small talk, never staying on one topic long before excitedly bring up a different one. When both were just finishing their lunches, Satine asked, "Em, do you think you could do me a favor?" "Sure, just name it." She said without hesitation. "Well, like I said, I want to give Christian a watch for Christmas but I also want to give him something more personal. Do you think if I wrote a song for him, maybe you could write the music?" Emily�s face lit up excitedly, "I�d love to Satine! That is such a wonderful idea. I know Christian will just love it." ************ Satine held the large box close to her chest as she and Emily stepped out of the carriage and onto the sidewalk outside Vinway�s Dressmakers. The two walked into the warm store and quickly shed their coats. "Emily, how wonderful to see you!" a middle aged woman said walking up to the pair. "I was wondering when you would come in so I could make the hem of your dress." Emily smiled sweetly a the old woman before replying, "Actually Nikki, I have a more pressing matter that needs discussing. Not only does my soon to be sister-in-law have a dress that needs great altering, but she is also in need of a dress for New Years Eve, herself." The old woman took the glasses hanging from around her neck and balanced them on the bridge of her nose. Squinting, she looked Satine up and down. "Something red, defiantly. Bold, with attention focused the slim waist and long figure." She nodded in approval of herself, "I�m sure we can come up with something. Now than, what was the other matter? A dress you need altered?" "Yes," Satine lay per precious parcel on a nearby chair and pulled off the lid. Pulling a white gown out of the box she held it up for the Emily and Mrs. Vinway to admire. Both women were struck speechless. The bone white gown was not only the most exquisite looking gown either had ever seen, but also the most dazzling. Satine looked down at the gown she held, remembering its original purpose. Although meant as a wedding gown, per say, it was mostly for show but Satine had loved it from the first fitting and standing on that pedestal in the dusty, backstage dressing rooms of the Moulin Rouge, she had envisioned wearing it to her wedding. She had day dreamed of Christian�s reaction as she walked down the aisle and his reaction when she took it off. "I love this gown, but as you can see, it�s a bit-inappropriate for a wedding. I was wondering if there was anything you could do to bring it up in the neck line?" Nikki Vinway took the gown gently in her hands and examined the beadwork. "It will be difficult, but not impossible. I hope you don�t need this too soon. I should be able to have it done by early January." Satine nodded her head, "We haven�t set a date yet, so that should be fine." "Why don�t you come into one of the fitting rooms and we�ll take your measurements." Nikki said gently folding the wedding gown and replacing it in its box. Satine and Emily were shuffled into back rooms and poked and measured for what seemed like an eternity. When Satine�s measurements were finished she was told to sit and Mrs. Vinway would have several dresses brought out for her to look at. While she was waiting, Emily came strutting out of another dressing room. She was dressed in an elegant gown that made her look like nothing Satine had ever seen. She was seductive without any of the flashy colors or low necklines that the Diamond Dogs had always used to get a man�s attention. The dress was in no way inappropriate but Satine wondered if Emily�s father would allow her to wear it. "Em, you look amazing! You aren�t trying to catch your self a husband already are you?" Satine asked smiling at the young girl. "Really? You like it?" She spun around letting the skirt twirl around her. "I don�t even want to think about what father�s reaction will be! I�m done with my fitting. How much longer do you think you will be?" "Not that much longer, I just need to pick out what dress I want." ************ The girl�s next stop was Cantoff�s Jewelry. Mrs. Cantoff stood in the same spot she had the day before and was thrilled to see Satine. "Did you bring more jewelry for me to buy? My husband was thrilled when I showed him what you brought yesterday." "No, I wish to buy something today." Satine said. "Of course, ma�am. What would you like?" Satine walked over to the same counter Christian had been so interested in the day before and pointed to the watch he had been admiring. "I want to purchase this watch." The woman seemed to stand even straighter than before. Reaching for the watch Satine had pointed out she said, "This watch was crafted right here in London. The shell is made of 24 carat gold, as are many of the inside parts." Her tone then changed and she almost whispered, "It is 280 pounds." Emily made a coughing noise that sounded strangely like a choke. Satine did not even flinch, "All right, and could you have it engraved also, please?" "Of course ma�am." Mrs. Cantoff reached behind the counter and took out a notebook and pen. Could you write it down please?" Satine took the notebook and wrote something quickly. Emily looked over her shoulder, "Quoi qu'il arrive? Come what may?" Satine nodded, "Christian will understand what it means." Satine paid for the watch and Emily asked, "Is there anywhere else you need to go?" "No, that is everything, I believe." The two walked out of the store and Emily led Satine back to where the valet was waiting with their carriage. "I have a few more stops I need to make." ************ The two rode in the carriage for only a few minuets before it came to a halt. Emily swung open the door and jumped from the carriage, planting her feet firmly on the ground. Satine stepped out of the carriage and took in the sight around her. In front of the two, towered a whitewash townhouse. Navy blue shutters hung by each of the many windows and flower boxes hung below them. Everything looked spotless and bright. Emily picked up her skirts slightly and walked up the brick steps to the front door. Satine followed her continuing to look around her curiously. "Em, where are we?" Satine asked. "My brother Philip�s house. We�re here to call on Madeline." She answered just before the heavy, black iron door swung open. In the doorway stood a middle-aged man, presumably the butler. "Miss Emily, welcome. Please come in." The butler said snobbishly. "I�ll inform Mrs. Madeline that you are here." "Thank you. We�ll wait in the parlor." Emily raised her chin while talking and walked, without hesitation across the hall. Satine followed her into the parlor and Emily closed the door behind them. "I hate that guy. Philip personally hires everyone that works for him so the house is always filled with mean spirits and plenty of servants watching Maddy�s every move." Satine sat in a comfortable looking, over stuffed chair just as the door opened. Satine held her breath as she waited to see the woman Christian, Emily and all of their friends seemed to be so fond of. Madeline was a bit shorter than Satine but not much, she had curly deep red hair that was pulled off her back with a ribbon. Her features here rounded and her curls were slightly frizzed, drawing the light to them and framing her face with a gentle glow. She smiled broadly and ran long, slim fingers over the skirt of her light blue dress. She raised an eyebrow and smirked before saying, "Emily Victoria! I am appalled by your behavior! Not only do you show up unannounced but when you should be taking your lessons! Why, I might just have to go to your father and tell him of your horrid behavior! What would he say?" She sounded a great deal like Mrs. Wilesly and it was not until she continued that Satine realized her words were in jest. In Madeline�s best impersonation of Emily�s father she said, "Did I raise my daughter to go around knocking on doors during a lady�s napping hour, unannounced no less? Why you�re acting like one of those-those bohemians!" Satine giggled along with Emily and Madeline sank into a chair across from Satine and kicked her shoes off before pulling her feet up under her dress. "Satine, I�d like you to meet Madeline, my sister-in-law. Maddy, I�d like you to meet my soon to be sister-in-law, Satine." Madeline sat up a bit straighter and glanced at Emily as she sat herself on the sofa between the two chairs. "You don�t mean-Christian�s home?" She asked excitedly. Emily nodded, a bright smile lighting her face. "I don�t believe it! Our bohemian poet returns after only a few months! And here I thought I might never see him again." She turned to Satine, "It�s really wonderful to meet you, Satine. I know you�re a special one if Christian�s fallen in love with you. I�ve never meet anyone else that could fulfill his expectations of true love. The two of you must have something very special." Satine smiled, not knowing exactly what to say. "Maddy, Christian is taking Satine and I to the bar tonight. Is there anyway you can come?" Emily asked. Madeline�s eyes light up with excitement and she jumped up from her chair. "I wouldn�t miss it for the world! I haven�t been able to go for ages! She lowered her voice but it kept its excited tone. "Philip�s had his manservant stalking me! I only today earned enough of Philip�s trust that he took the beast back with him to the bank. I�m not going to miss this opportunity for the world!" ************ Satine walked out the black iron door and was about to step into the waiting carriage when Emily stopped her. "We wont be needing the carriage, I think Miss Satine and I would like to enjoy the fresh air a little and walk home." Emily called to the driver. Satine had to hurry to catch up to Emily who was already halfway past the next house. "Em, it�s freezing out! Why are we walking?" "Because if we don�t walk, then the driver, most certainly, will tell father where we have been." She answered, as if it was obvious. "But we haven�t been anywhere inappropriate. Have we?" Satine asked. "Not yet." ************ Satine recognized the area Emily was leading her into. They were in the crowded ghettos of London and Satine knew most certainly where they were headed. She was not disappointed when Emily opened the door to the bar. The bar was deserted, its patrons no doubt asleep waiting for the evening when they would rule the night once again. Emily walked up to the bar, where a short man with a scraggly white beard and white puffs of hair atop his head, smiled at her. "Emmy, what can I do for ya� love? I�ve been expecting to see you in here sometime since your brother was in here the other day." "I�m going to be here tonight and was wondering if I could have a few minuets?" She asked. "Of course! "Take as many as you like. I�d be happy to see you stay up there all night." The man said kindly. "Well, I don�t know if I can do that but I�ll definitely be here tonight." ************ The moment Christian walked through the door that evening he was greeted by Satine and Emily hurrying him out again. Both were eager to get to the bar. The three walked down the deserted upper-class London streets for a few minuets before Christian hailed a carriage and shuffled the two inside. When they arrived at the bar the nightly festivities were already in full swing. They pushed their way through the crowds and seated themselves at a table next to their friends. Clark and Claire were already showing off their talents on the dance floor and Alex sat nervously, on the edge of his seat. Greeting went around the table and the three newcomers were introduced to Noah�s flavor of the week, Simony. Emily quickly excused herself claiming she wanted to go find someone to dance with. Satine felt at home here with Christian�s friends they were so much like everyone she had left behind in France. "I hope it doesn�t take all night to fill me in on all of the groundbreaking discussions I�ve missed." A voice said from behind Satine. All conversation stopped. Alex jumped up from his seat and walked over to Maddy with a huge smile spread across his face. She laughed happily and jumped into his arms. The English bohos each hugged the young girl excitedly. When Christian stood in front of her she couldn�t help but brake into giddy laughter. Everyone had just sat down for a long discussion when the band stuck up and everyone turned to the stage. From behind the makeshift curtain stepped out Emily ready to express her feelings to everyone in the bar. Take this pink ribbon off my eyes I'm exposed And it's no big surprise Don't you think I know Exactly where I stand This world is forcing me To hold your hand 'Cause I'm just a girl, little ol' me Don't let me out of your sight I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite So don't let me have any rights Oh... I've had it up to here! The moment that I step outside So many reasons For me to run and hide I can't do the little things I hold so dear 'Cause it's all those little things That I fear 'Cause I'm just a girl, I'd rather not be 'Cause they won't let me out Late at night I'm just a girl, Guess I'm some kind of freak 'Cause they all sit and stare With their eyes I'm just a girl, Take a good look at me Just your typical prototype Oh... I've had it up to here! Oh... am I making myself clear? I'm just a girl I'm just a girl in the world... That's all that you'll let me be! I'm just a girl, living in captivity Your rule of thumb Makes me worry some I'm just a girl, what's my destiny? What I've succumbed to Is making me numb I'm just a girl, my apologies What I've become is so burdensome I'm just a girl, lucky me Twiddle-dum there's no comparison Oh... I've had it up to! Oh... I've had it up to! Oh... I've had it up to here Applause rang out and Emily took a bow, exaggerating every move. Hopping off the stage she walked over to where her friends still stood, clapping wildly. "I guess I don�t have to ask what you thought." *�God Must have Spent a Little More Time On You� by NSYNC* * "Tiny Dancer" is performed by Elton John but was changed slightly for this story.* * "Just a Girl" is performed by No Doubt and "dive late at night" was changed to "out late at night" due to the time period of the story.* |