The Beauty Underneath

Chapter 1

"Come Christine!" Raoul gasped, glancing behind them. "That madman may be upon us at any moment!"

Christine fell against the tunnel wall. "He let us go, Raoul," she said breathlessly. "He'll not follow us."

Raoul gave her a doubtful look. "I do not trust that he won't."

They continued to rush through the maze of tunnels, fearing they would find no way out before the burning building collapsed upon them. Turning into another tunnel, they saw with relief that Meg GIry was running towards them.

"Mother sent me!" she said urgently. "There is only one way out from here! Follow me!"

After many more twists and turns, they found themselves at the base of a very steep set of stairs. "This will lead us to a small window," Meg gasped. "But we must hurry- the fire may have already blocked the way."

Finally emerging from the building, they saw Madame Giry standing next to a carriage, the blazing Opera House reflecting in her tear filled eyes.

"Mother!" cried Meg as she ran into her arms.

"Oh, thank God!" Madame Giry breathed. She motioned for them to climb into the carriage. "Let us leave this awful place!"

It seemed like an eternity to Christine before they reached the DeChagny estate. Raoul rushed them inside, where he ordered the butler to bring blankets and hot tea. He then ushered them into a large sitting room and sat them next to a warm fire. The butler and housekeeper soon arrived with blankets and tea, which Raoul and the women accepted eagerly. Although the tea and blankets were warm and comforting, Christine could not stop shivering. Raoul moved to her side, and put his arm around her shaking shoulders.

"She is in shock," Madame Giry said. "This evening has been more horrible for her than for anyone else."

"Follow the housekeeper to the rooms upstairs," Raoul said. "A good nights' rest will benefit us all."

When Christine finally fell into the soft bed, she fell asleep instantly.

****

An angel of music... a soothing voice... a patient teacher... a jealous master... a skeletal face...

"Make your choice!"... a heart wrenching sob... "Christine, I love you..."

Christine woke to find Madame Giry shaking her.

"You have had a terrible nightmare- you were screaming!" Madame Giry said. She had a worried look on her face.

Christine closed her eyes as they filled with tears. "I cannot help but think of... him... his voice... his face..." She buried her face into a pillow.

Madame Giry placed a loving hand on her arm. "I cannot tell you that these dreams will pass." she said gently. "I cannot tell you that you will stop hearing his voice or seeing his face. Some scars never heal."

Madame Giry remained at Christine's side until she again fell into a troubled sleep.

Christine awoke the next day to find the curtains around her bed drawn and hushed voices speaking beyond it. A moment later the curtains parted and Madame Giry peeked in. "A doctor is here, Christine," she said. "He may be able to help you."

At Christine's nod, a middle aged man with a kind smile entered, followed closely by Raoul who had a very concerned look on his face.

The middle aged man approached her bedside. "I am Doctor Rouchette, mademoiselle," he said gently. "I understand you have suffered through several very traumatic events."

Christine only nodded.

"Are you injured?" Dr. Rouchette asked.

Christine shook her head no.

"How well did you sleep?" he asked.

"A nightmare," Christine said. "A terrible nightmare."

Dr. Rouchette removed a small glass vial from his bag and handed it to Raoul. "A few drops of this each night will help her sleep." He then turned back to Christine. "The nightmares will pass. It may take time, but they will. In the meantime, make sure to get as much fresh air and exercise as you can. That will do you better than any type of medicine."

A few days later, Christine and Raoul returned from a walk to find Meg sobbing in the entryway. Madame Giry stood nearby, a letter in her hand and a troubled look on her face.

"A distant relative of ours has need of us in London," she said. "We are to start for Rouen in the morning."

Christine eyes instantly filled with tears, and she pulled Meg into a fierce hug. "Surely you need not be there so soon?'

Madame Giry's lips formed a hard line. "We must go," she said firmly. "It is a matter of some urgency."

Raoul looked stunned. "Can you not wait a few more days? Christine needs you both right now."

"I am sorry," Madame Giry said. "But we must leave as planned."

The remainder of the day was a flurry of activity as Madame Giry and Meg prepared for the long journey to Rouen. Christine spent every moment she could in their company, hoping somehow that the next morning would not come.

Meg and her mother rose early and were gone almost before Christine and Raoul had a chance to say goodbye.

"I will miss you terribly!" Meg cried from the carriage window. "And I will write as often as I can!"

Christine waved until the carriage was out of sight, unable to speak. The emptiness she felt deep in her heart devastated her. She could not stop tears from streaming down her face.

Raoul took her into his arms and held her tightly. "I am sorry, Christine. I did everything I could to persuade them to stay." He drew back from her and smiled. "But we have a wedding to plan. You will have something to look forward to."

But Christine could not stop the tears as Raoul led her back into the house. She passed the rest of the day in a daze, tears filling her eyes at every attempt to comfort her. She retired to her bedroom early, hoping desperately to fall asleep quickly and forget for a moment the terrible void she felt at the absence of Madame and Meg Giry. Just as her head hit her pillow, she heard a soft knock at her door. Slowly opening it, she was surprised to see Raoul standing there.

He smiled at her gently and said, "I just wanted to wish you a good night. I hope you sleep well." He bent slightly and kissed her forehead.

As he turned to go, Christine reached out to stop him. "Stay with me tonight," she said, her eyes pleading.

At Raoul's hesitation, she said, "I have no one else but you. Everyone has left me."

Raoul was silent but allowed her to lead him to the bed.

The next few days passed slowly for Christine. It became increasingly hard for her to want to leave the house, or to even eat. Although Raoul returned to her bed eagerly, it did nothing to brighten her solemn mood.

One night, just as they had fallen asleep, Raoul jerked awake at the sound of a loud voice and slamming doors.

"What is it, Raoul?" Christine asked sleepily.

He pulled on his trousers and ran to the bedroom door. As the stern voice drew nearer, Raoul rushed back to the bed and threw Christine's night clothes at her.

"Get dressed, and hurry!" Raoul said urgently.

"Who is it?" Christine asked fearfully.

"My brother Phillipe," Raoul said nervously. "He was not to arrive for another month..."

Before Raoul could continue, the door crashed open and a tall man with dark hair entered. The small lantern he held gave off a faint light, but it was enough to see the dark look that came to the man's eyes as he took in the scene before him.

In two quick strides, the man approached Raoul and seized a handful of his shirt. "Wait, Phillipe-" Raoul pleaded, then was quieted as Phillipe gave him several blows to the face.

"I cannot believe what I am seeing," Phillipe growled menacingly. "You are a disgrace to the house of DeChagny!" He drove his fist into Raoul's midsection. Raoul howled with pain and fell to the floor.

Phillipe turned to Christine, who had gathered the blankets tightly around her. "And you, Christine, I never took you for the whore that you are." He tore the covers off her and pushed her naked body to the floor. "Get out of here, now!"

Christine dressed quickly as Phillipe continued his verbal and physical abuse of Raoul. "I will see you in hell before I ever again call you my brother!"

Christine cried out as Phillipe slammed his fist into Raoul's nose. As Raoul again fell, Phillipe turned to Christine and backhanded her several times across her face. "You will never show yourself here again, mademoiselle," he growled menacingly. "I will not treat you so leniently next time."

Christine staggered from the room and rushed down the stairs, holding a shaking hand to her aching cheek. She found the housekeeper waiting near the bottom step with a grim look on her face. "The master has been quite clear. You must leave at once."

Christine could hear wind howling and rain spattering on the windows. She looked down at her night dress and then up to the housekeeper's cold eyes. "I have nothing but this as clothing," she pleaded. "Surely you can spare something?"

The housekeeper's' face softened a little and she turned to a waiting maid. "Run and fetch Latterly's old clothing and bring them to me at once."

The maid nodded and rushed off.

"I am under no obligation to help you, but sending you out into this storm could mean your death, and I will not have that on my conscience," the housekeeper said.

The maid returned with a small pile of stained and dirty men's clothes and a pair of old boots. "They are much too large for you, but they will have to do," said the housekeeper.

Christine dressed quickly, having to hold most of the clothing close to her to keep it from slipping off. The boots were much too large for her, and with no socks she could do little to keep her feet inside them. Upon opening the door she staggered back as a blast of icy wind and rain hit her. As she stared fearfully into the storm, she felt coins being pressed into her hand. "I hope this will help in some way."

Christine gave her a grateful look and disappeared into the storm.