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The Silent Wish	By : LaurieBaker Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 14629 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Aurora felt as if she were living in her own private nightmare.

Luciano Sorelli was so pleased at the upcoming nuptials between his daughter and the Baron von Rothsberg that he decided to throw a large engagement party celebrating the event. He spared no expense, having caterers come in with all sorts of elaborate delicacies, opening up the ballroom for dancing, and allowing guests to wander along the well-tended gardens of the estate. The Sorelli manor had not seen such gaiety before. While the Sorelli family was rather looked down on by the upper crust of the elite, no one was about to turn down such a festive party. The manor was packed with guests who would stay throughout the party. Some of the privileged guests were even allowed to stay overnight at the mansion with their own rooms.

Aurora’s father was truly in his element, dashing in a black evening suit, constantly with one champagne glass after another. He was the life of the party, cracking jokes and laughing gaily with his guests. No matter how dubious his reputation, he was a man of charm and panache, winning over hearts and smiles left and right with his sparkling conversation. Even though he was a large bear of a man, he was indeed handsome with his swarthy Italian looks. He could have had no lack of mistresses had he not been unswervingly faithful to his wife, Katherine.

Katherine Sorelli, Aurora’s mother, had always been an enigma to Aurora. The beauty from the British colonies had always been a devoted and loving mother, but was a quiet woman who did not express her emotions easily. Sometimes, Aurora felt like she barely knew her mother at all since she spoke of herself little. With her soft blonde hair and blue eyes, she remained a classic beauty of elegance and grace which seemed to improve with age. While both of the Sorelli sisters had taken after their mother with their looks, Sophia seemed to have inherited all of her father’s gusto and charm while Aurora and Katherine were more similar in nature. Her mother always seemed to comply with her father’s wishes on all things. And rarely had Aurora ever witnessed them speaking a cross word to one another.

Even now, as she observed her parents speaking excitedly with some of the guests, Aurora noticed how her mother would glance up at Luciano with hidden depths in her eyes. And Aurora had experienced enough now to recognize that look of passion. Luciano, kissing his wife’s hand in the most chaste way possible, returned her shy glances with heated promises in his own expression. Aurora blushed, unable to think of her parents ever doing the sort of things that she had done with Erik. Yet, seeing them so made her happy for them...and wistfully sad for herself...

Miracle of miracles, even Sophia Sorelli, the black sheep of the family, was in attendance tonight. And she made the most of it, dressed in a black ball gown edged with silver embroidery. She had not been at the gathering for five minutes before she was surrounded by a flock of male admirers. With shameless immodesty, she devoured all of their attention as she waved her silver fan about flirtatiously. So proud was the family patriarch that he even insisted that Sophia perform a little recital for the guests as entertainment. She indulged her father by performing the dying swan from “Swan Lake”. Sophia confided to her sister that she was not so fond of the idea of dancing for free; yet, she was so relieved to be back in her father’s good graces again that she did not press the point.

Aurora smiled at her sister’s witty remarks wanly, unable to truly work up to a laugh.

“Are you well, sweet?” her sister asked with sincere concern. “You seem to be unwell for real this time.”

Indeed, Aurora had a whole variety of ailments ever since she had found herself in this horrid predicament. Every day, she was suffering a headache or an upset stomach. She always felt jittery or as if she were breaking out into a cold sweat. She could only attribute it to the anxiety that she felt.

“I shall survive, I suppose,” Aurora answered, trying not to sulk.

“Perhaps your Baron will not be as bad as you think,” Sophia smiled, encouragingly. “Maybe underneath that prim exterior is a wonderful lover. You never know for sure.”

Aurora raised an eyebrow in dubious disbelief.

Sophia laughed.

“No, I don’t even believe it myself,” she agreed. “But, Aurora, why didn’t you give Papa a little bit of fight on this matter if you truly abhor the Baron so strongly? He’s always adored you. Surely he would bend a bit on the matter. Why have you let things go so far?”

Aurora just shook her head solemnly, unable to answer. What could she say? That she was in love with the man that killed her sister’s lover? That she was afraid their father might commit murder as well, especially if goaded on by the Baron?

As the guests came up to Aurora, congratulating her one by one, she smiled wanly and gave her thanks repeatedly, feeling like a monotonous puppet. Aurora had always enjoyed parties in the past. She had hoped that tonight seeing old family acquaintances would raise her spirits a bit. But she felt as if she were deceiving them all. As they toasted to her happiness, she yearned to tell them that she wanted nothing more than to run away from this house and her fiancé and return to her Phantom lover in the deep dark of the earth.

Dressed in a ball gown of midnight blue with her fair hair pulled back in a chignon, the best was brought out of her light skin and blue eyes. Low cut to reveal an expanse of shoulders and bosom, she cut a lovely figure as she danced with her fiancé on the ballroom floor. Normally, she would have been thrilled to be the object of such attention. She even outshone her glamorous sister for once. Yet she did not want all of those eyes burning into her. And when she felt the Baron’s eyes peering rather lasciviously at her cleavage, her stomach tightened with nausea. Her looks meant nothing to her tonight. She felt as if she were one of the many decorative ornaments about the Sorelli manor, pretty and priceless and dead.

“You look quite beautiful tonight, my pet,” the Baron smirked. “What a fine bride you shall make on our wedding day!”

She said nothing. What did he expect her to do? Thank him!? Indeed, she yearned to strike that proud smug look off of his leering face.

“There is no need to be so put out,” he taunted as they spun about the floor. “Perhaps you might like to lie with a man who does not have to wear a mask to hide his ugliness. A husband who can go out in the daylight and be respectable. A lover who can give you children who will not be monstrously infected...”

“Do not speak to me of him...” she hissed. If looks could kill, she would have slaughtered him on the spot. “I am warning you!”

“Or you’ll what...?” he laughed with cold sarcasm. “What shall you do, Aurora?”

She eyed his ascot worn high along his throat, covering his bruises.

The Baron got the hint and swallowed hard before narrowing his eyes.

“Are you so anxious to see your Phantom lover lying dead at your feet then?”

This time, it was Aurora’s turn to pale with nervousness.

Sometimes, she contemplated trying to go to the Paris Opera House one last time to see Erik and to tell him how horribly she had been blackmailed by the Baron. But she did not dare. She knew him enough to know that he would not take kindly to what had happened to her at all. He would try to kill the Baron again. The last time, all of Paris had found out that he was still alive. If he dared to do such a foolhardy thing again, he could be caught for good.

And even if she was underestimating his ability to elude the law, there was also the matter of her father.

The more time she spent with the Baron, the more Aurora started to realize that her suspicions regarding her father’s business activities were not unfounded. Probably on purpose, the Baron would give her little hints as to the shady dealings that went on behind closed doors. Luciano Sorelli was not above hurting Erik or even murdering him if crossed. She did not know if he would actually go so far as to kill her lover. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her father was not always the loving man that she thought he was. But she did know that whenever she made any sort of derogatory comment about the Baron around her father, he would scowl at her blackly and chastise her that she was very lucky to have found such a good match for herself.

Unable to bear one moment more of this farce, Aurora escaped into the family library as soon as the dance with the Baron had ended. She was relieved to find none of the guests there. With only one small lamp lit, the quiet room was an oasis of comfort. She closed the door behind her and sat in a large leather chair for some time. Closing her eyes, she tried to will away the throbbing pain behind her temples. Not only was her headache still tormenting her, but she felt like now that she was finally alone, the ever-threatening tears were about to make their appearance once more.

“Feeling poorly, sweet?”

A gloved hand shot over her mouth before she could scream.
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The Silent Wish