I have known him many years...he was not always like he was. Many years ago he saved my life...I do not wish to discuss how or what happened but I owed him...and you were his repayment for his good deed," he murmured. Christine shoved away from the man she had loved all of her life.
"I was payment for something I had nothing to do with? I am glad he saved your life, Papa, but why did he want me?" she asked, more questions running in her mind then when she had first come here.
"He knew of your beauty because he knew your mother...he was very close to her, and he has everything the world has to offer him except a wife. But it was not just the fact that he saved my life that I allowed you to marry him. The mask, Christine, I am the reason he wears it," he whispered. Her father knew the reason why he wore that?
"I do not understand," she whispered. Gustave sighed.
"It is no longer my place to tell you anything...if Erik wishes you to know then he will tell you," he said. Christine sighed. Erik would tell her nothing, she knew this.
"Papa...I am so confused," she whispered.
"There is more to this story then anyone can tell you, Christine. But for now I do not think you should be worrying about this. It seems you and Erik need to spend some time simply getting to know each other," he said. Christine said nothing. Getting to know Erik was like asking the devil to ask forgiveness from God, it was one of those things that was not going to happen.
Christine ignored the rumbling clouds overhead as she slowly made her way down the Paris streets. She had told the carriage driver who had brought her there to return to the manor, she needed to walk and clear her mind. Several things had changed some of her opinions of Erik that night. The first being that he could not be as bad as he seemed. He had saved her father's life years ago so he could not have been as heartless as he was now. Something must have happened to him in the years since then.
What had happened to her father that Erik had to save his life, and what was he hiding beneath the mask that had been caused from this rescue? God, so many questions and no one to answer them! She muttered her frustration under her breath and then cursed her bad luck when it began to rain. She had not noticed that it was getting late or the fact that most people had gone inside to get away from the storm. And storm it was. Within minutes she was soaked to the bone. Could things get any worse?
"What have I done?" she demanded when thunder illuminated the sky overhead. Perhaps it had not been such a good idea to let the carriage go home ahead of her. Of course she would not be thinking clearly when there were so many things on her mind! She began running, hoping she would get to the manor soon when she began shivering.
"I thought Christine was a smart woman!" Erik snapped. Susannah sighed and said nothing as she made the bed in the room her master and mistress shared. Erik was pacing back and forth and continued glancing out the window with the hope of seeing Christine. Susannah was worried as well; it had been hours since the young woman had gone to see her father and then the carriage she had come in had returned without her. Erik had been furious with the driver and several men had to restrain him before Erik choked the poor man to death.
"Perhaps she was taking a walk and got caught in the rain?" Susannah suggested. Erik said nothing but his pacing never ceased. If Susannah did not know better she would think that Erik was worried! But of course he did not look worried, only extremely angry.
"When I get my hands on her!" he growled under his breath. Susannah did not want to mention the fact that his temper might be what was detaining Christine from running home
Master! The mistress has arrived!" Douglas cried as he ran into the room. Susannah followed Erik as he fled the room and down the hall way before climbing the stairs with a pace the overweight woman would never be able to match.
When Erik saw Christine all thought of punishing her for her stupidity fled his mind because she looked so...pathetic. He could not think of any other way of putting her condition. She was sitting down on the cold marble at the bottom of the steps, a shivering mass of wet clothes and skin. Her hair was sopping and clung to her face in various places and she was very white. He would have laughed but he was too concerned that she might catch a fever or something worse from being in the cold so long.
She glanced up at him as he descended the stairs before looking away, trying to keep her teeth from chattering so much. Susannah gasped when she saw the young woman.
"Oh, Madam! We were so worried about you! Look at you!" she cried, near hysterics. Erik rolled his eyes.
"Susannah, go and have a bath brought to our room with hot water, immediately," he instructed. The woman nodded and went as quickly as she could to do as she was asked.
"I do not want your help," she whispered when he picked her up. Erik smiled sarcastically.
"I do not care," he replied. She sighed and said nothing as he carried her up the stairs and to their room.
"You know-"
"I know I had made a foolish mistake and it is not going to make it any better by your reminding me," she interrupted, too tired to argue with him. Erik hid his chuckle. Christine was a strong woman and he liked how she still managed to hold her own even when she had had a very bad day. He set her down on the bed when they reached the room. The tub had already been brought in and several of the male servants were filling it with buckets of steaming water.
"Do not move," he instructed.