"What are you doing in here, Mademoiselle?" Christine asked, pulling Erik's coat more tightly around herself, trying to ignore the fact that she had a gun in her hands. Natasha said nothing but the look in her eyes was pure hatred. Christine very suddenly wished Erik was with her. He would protect her. Tonight had been so special to her, spending time with Erik had been wonderful and she knew that she was growing closer to him. Could nothing ever end happily? They had been opposites, still were, but somehow they were making things work. She knew that there would be times in the future where they had arguments like the ones they had had when they were first married but Christine looked forward to them.
Natasha shook her head and her gorgeous eyes roamed over Christine. "I just do not know what he sees in you."
Christine stared at the woman in front of her a long time.
"What?"
"Your husband."
The word was hissed through clenched teeth. Christine could not believe that this was the reason Natasha had a gun in her hands. She was jealous that Erik had married her. For such a long time she would have been happy to give this woman Erik if it meant her freedom. Now she was not so sure if she could make that decision after she had given him everything that she was.
"You had nothing to offer him but your body," Christine said, knowing that such a statement could get her killed but unable to stay quiet. Even as a child she had always had something to say and now was no different. Natasha's green eyes flashed. How dare this insolent little brat tell her what Erik wanted from her?
She raised the pistol warningly. "Remember your place, Madam."
"I know my place, Natasha. I am Erik's wife, and it seems that you are willing to kill me because I have what you do not."
"In many ways I wish that you were the only one that had Erik's heart, it would be so easy to dispose of you. But I know why he married you and believe me, my dear, neither of us win with him."
Christine did not like that statement at all. What in Heaven's name did she mean by that? "And what reason did he marry me?"
"Oh, you are a smart girl, think about it," Natasha said with disdain. Christine knew she was a woman of intelligence, she did not need this woman to remind of her of that. But she could not think of any reason why Erik would want to marry her. It had been arranged because Erik had saved her fathers life and for some reason unknown to her her father was the reason Erik wore his mask. That was the reason she had been forced to marry him, Natasha knew nothing.
"You are the only link he has to your mother," Natasha murmured, breaking into Christine's thoughts like a persistent bug in her ear. Her eyes flew to the other woman's. How had she known about her mother?
"You know nothing about my mother and you have no right to speak of her," Christine whispered, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. How was it her mother always managed to come up? Was what she was saying true? Did Erik only want her because she was her mother's daughter? No, that could not be right, they loved each other like a brother and a sister! Not lovers...
"Look at you! I had seen your mother several times before she died, sweeting, and you are almost an exact replica of her beauty," Natasha said. Christine knew she had to be lying; she could not have seen her mother! She had never met Natasha until after she had been married to Erik!
"That means nothing," Christine whispered, desperately needing to believe it. Natasha did not say anything. She knew she did not have to. She had planted that seed of doubt in the young girls mind and that was what she had wanted. Natasha waved the pistol in the direction of the door, where the uproar of people was still clearly heard.
"Now turn toward the door," she instructed. Christine did not move.
"If you are going to kill me I want you to look in my eyes when you do so."
Natasha smirked.
"I am not going to kill you...yet, now turn around," Natasha said a little more impatiently. Christine did not want to but she slowly turned around. Natasha came up behind her and Christine tensed when the head of the pistol was pressed cruelly into the middle of her back.
"Now walk," she spat at her. Christine swallowed and shut her eyes for a moment. She was going to make her go into that crowd wearing only Erik's evening coat. God only knew what she was going to do once they got there. On bare feet Christine slowly began to walk, the pressure of the pistol never leaving her back. She opened the door and was dismayed that she had forgotten just how many people were there. No one really noticed them as they made their way to the center of the room and Christine looked around frantically for Erik. A man did see her eventually and he whistled, which caught everyone's attention in the room because it was just loud enough. Women gasped in disbelief that Christine would shame herself and come out in public with so little on. The men did not really know what to do. She looked beautiful but many of them were married and could say nothing or would have to hear about it from their wives. All of them were so caught up in the fact that Christine was nearly naked that no one noticed the gun Natasha had pointed at her back.