I noticed that you commented that you never planned your story out as you wrote it, but that is hard to believe because it fits all together so perfectly. All in all this was a very lovely story that had an excellent ending.

I am so happy with that ending I truly thought you were going to kill me by making Christine stay with Raoul.

This was a gorgeously written tale, thank you so much for it, Pointless Nostalgic. I'm about to dive into To Those Without Pity and Desolation Dreamed of. I really hope to see more Phantom stories from you in the future.

Your loyal reader, Bergamotte

My God . . . Raoul is so superficial, so inadequate. He hasn't a clue what Christine needs.

Is it possible? Can Christine actually be contemplating marrying . . . the FOP? Say it isn't so, please!

The reader is left with some doubt. Christine told Raoul, "I did not say I would marry you." She did not tell him, "I won't marry you."

Oooh, tension! The air is humming.

Erik seems to think he can't win against the Viscount in a fair contest for Christine. He underestimates himself.

She has learned that Erik is deadly, but she senses no threat whatsoever from him toward herself.

There's honesty between these two. He takes her hands in his without apology, she asks him for another voice lesson on the morrow. My assessment is that she knows he loves her, and she at least highly esteems him as her teacher and doesn't want to hurt him.

I enjoyed this chapter greatly. Your version of Erik and Nadir is civilized. At least, Erik didn't try to choke the life out of his old friend. None of Christine's biscuits or muffins with the tea? :-)

Raoul is nothing to Christine - not a relative, not a guardian, not a fiancé. And he presumes to come and take her away from Erik's home without asking her if she wants to leave. I suppose he's borrowing the Daroga's authority. In those times women were just chattel.

Maybe Erik arranged for something awful to happen to Raoul in Persia and he realizes Christine will learn of his manipulation? Just a guess. Bad, bad Erik!

This chapter was suspenseful, tense and on a razor's edge of awkwardness at times; but Christine managed to communicate to Erik what she wanted him to hear.

Poor Christine - baking muffins and biscuits every morning and always returning them to the kitchen uneaten. The Maestro hasn't told her to stop baking for him, though. Maybe he likes the patisserie aroma wafting through his house, LOL.

Your Erik is so totally in command . . . if I were in Christine's place, when he reached out and turned my chin to look at him, I would have melted like butter.

This chapter (and all your chapters) are so beautifully written. That said, I would have liked to know what song Christine chose to sing for the Maestro.

This chapter reminds me of the Sound of Music. Young novice nun Maria presented herself to the house of Geog Von Trapp as a governess for his children and she was utterly awestruck by the house. She felt intimidated by the curmudgeonly, cold Baron Von Trapp, whom she fell in love with and married later.