Gah! You're damn lucky I like you, coz otherwise I'd just have to hate you :P I read the first paragraph of this chapter and wanted to delete the whole chapter I've just written for my fic. Too good, damn it. Too good.

"She did know, however, that she had to escape Chattie, Faye, and Dorene."
Good! Young maids are just so darn annoying. :P

"Jacques paused, his moustache twitching in bewilderment."
Oh to have a moustache capable of twitching...hahaha.

"...more than once, if he would fancy meeting an eligible lady friend of hers."
Ah, those darn interfering gossipy women!

“I can’t understand why any woman would do such a thing – she had everything she could ever want!”
I bet she didn't.

"A woman should never keep secrets from her husband."
WHAT?! Secrets are the lifeblood of a woman. A woman without secrets is a woman without a heart! I see Sofiya is in agreement, well, kind of ;)

"Jacques gnawed on his moustache briefly before looking around at the back of the auditorium, turning just in time to see the ushers close the doors."
Gnawed on his moustache? *shudders* Well, doesn't that just tell me everything I need to know!

I absolutely adore the description of Sofiya's rush to escape and her guilt. Beautifully done.

"At last, Sofiya crumpled and began to sob as Death sang her a requiem."
What a great way for Erik to make his appearance. :)

Oh yes, I have heard of 'Orpheus in the Underworld'. Was his wife killed by a snake? I love the symbolism. It's something I do very rarely in my fics but try to do in my real (real? proper? I don't know how to put it) writing a lot more.

Historical inaccuracies I will never be able to spot, I'm sure my fics are riddled with them. All I know is this is a damn good story and I'm extremely pleased that you haven't forgotten about it! :D

Oh my God, it's someone who can WRITE! Do you know how long I've been looking for someone like you?

It's unbelievable. All of those stories filled with bad grammar, emtpy headed fluff, and gaping plot holes have reviews coming out of their ears, but here, a well written, plausible, interesting, unique story has only a couple. Well, here's another one for you to let you know that you are a rare talented writer on This is awesome!

Now...more?

Hallo, Sidney! I haven't seen you in years! You probably don't remember me at all (or at least not me typing as coherently as this) but you mentioned me in your bio. It's Emma :). I was trying to find my old account to get to my aim account to get to my MSN account and I found you. Whee.

But yes, I am rambling. Hello! And, er, all that.

p.s. you have incredible taste for liking PotO. About to read the actual fic now. :-)

Hey! Hey! Hey hey HEY! An important message to anyone reading this story who happens to also be reading these reviews! =D KidKourage, here, anyone remember me? I used to write Invader Zim fanfiction here, from around 2001 to 2003. WELL! Have I got a SPECIAL SURPRISE for YOU!

You might be interested to know that the author of this fanfiction, Ms. E.S. Young, has been, since around 2002 or thereabouts, stalking me and trying to claim parts of my identity as her own. You might note the quote regarding Britney Spears and Pepsi in her profile. Um...that was mine, and can be found in one of my stories, titled "X, aka the Bowling Story." I suppose you don't have to believe that I thought of that first, but that's where this next bit comes in.

Please, by all means, follow this link: http://zimwifepgk. Here, I detail all the 2003-2005 journal plagiarisms by Ms. Young! Well, all of them that I could find, anyway. She has not only copypasted entire entries out of my Deadjournal and Headvoice Livejournal, she's also stolen entries from friends of mine (also fellow IZ writers, most prominently Aliet Faslami of "Collateral Damage" fame), AND ripped artwork from another friend's gallery and cropped it to make journal icons (that would be Maniacal Dragon, also an IZ writer from the past).

Now, once you take a glance at this, please ask yourself--is this really the sort of person you want to be reading the stories of? ^.^ In conclusion, please don't think of me as vindictive. Please think of me as someone who has suffered from identity theft, and who only wants to alert the public to this problem, lest more people become victims of this person.

Thank you for your time!

I am really enjoying this story very much so far. Being a fan of victorian literature myself, I can definitly see the influence it has had on your writing. I would not mind being a beta reader for you if you still need one. (my aim screen name is lot6chandelier) There are a few little errors here and there, but nothing major that I can see off hand. As far as any anachronisms, I have not stumbled upon any yet, although most of the action so far has been concerned with characterization. I look forward to your updates in the future, and I know what you mean about Gary Mauer, I had the pleasure of seeing him last spring in Boston.

All the best,

MmeMarie

"...but Jacques would have only had ears for “Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment” and would have rushed out to purchase a copy of the novel."
Oh god, not one of those 'lovers'. :P That kind of obsessive, must please you behaviour is such a turn off.

"It reminded him of Marfa’s mouth."
And is this the key to the sudden infatuation?

"Sofiya had known that, the moment she had set eyes on the diamond, that it would no longer be the same between her and Jacques."
Strange when one moment changes everything.

"...he was hansom."
handsome :)

"Mourning, ha! Courting is much more befitting."
Looks like Sofiya isn't going to have an easy time of it whatever answer she gives.

Looking forward to more of this story, you write so beautifully. :)

It's been so long!! Ah, I'm going to enjoy this :)

"Besides, any rational human being would chose to maintain a house rather than take up residence in the streets."
That is the opinion held by most, tis true ;)

"After all, being a maid required more obedience than intelligence."
Gah, I'd hate to have been a maid. :P

"But if this was true, then why had the house suddenly fallen victim to hideous rumors that spoke of a relationship between M. Jacques Castellar and Mlle. Sofiya Newton?"
Oh, gossip!

Boring? Not even slightly :P Sorry to disappoint you. I like good characterisation, I find it difficult to do myself in such a controlled way. :)

I am completely in shock. I adore the Victorian style of writing! Applause! Applause! Please, continue with the story!

Wow... now this is a new angle to the story. I'll definetely want to read more and you know now I'm curious about her mentioning in the novel. It's been a while since I last read the novel so now with curiusity boosting I MUST find out for myself. Chapter looks good and must I take the time now to congratulate you on such an introduction. Definetely set the group rules haven't you ;) anyways it's nice to hear I'm not alone in my love for the silent version, it makes me smile each time. (which actually I've only see once so um.. anyways...) But then again maybe because it was my first time seeing a silent film and in therefore the film having overemphasized movements I found it amusing. Anywho, I'll be looking out for an update whenever it does come, rest asured. Oh and as to the beta reader I'm not sure if I could help in keeping with a schedule and depending how often and such I suppose I could help. It does interest me to do so, but with school I'm unsure if I can though, it might just be limited to me finding time over weekends. Either way.. uh... watch the birdie and smile for the camera *FLASH*

You have piqued my interest with this story. I've taken to indulging in fantasies regarding the Ghost's Lady. I don't think that Leroux!Erik was *quite* mad enough to dress up a doll and drag it around the Opera with him, so I assumed that there must be a much more rational explanation. Thank you for crafting one, I look forward to future chapters.