The phantom's daughter

Chapter thirty-nine

"You're a Stockett?" Elijah's voice boomed around the stage, his hand on his fake sword. "How can that be?" He moved his hand away from the sword. 

"And you... A Tarasio." Victoria clasped an arm around her stomach, as if she were so shocked, she'd fall over. "I could never love a Tarasio." She covered her mouth with her free hand. "But yet it seems that I have..." She whispered. She turned in the opposite direction that Elijah was standing. She jumped when she felt him come up behind her and gently use his hand to turn her face toward him. 

"What if the feud between our families is just a pointless one?" Elijah asked, his face inches away from hers. "Caterina, these last few weeks with you have been the best of my life. If it is true that you are a Stockett, then maybe my parents were wrong about your family all along." He wiped away the newly forming tears on her cheek away with his thumb. 

"And I feel the same way for you." Victoria whimpered, melting into his touch. "But if our families were to find out about us-."

"Let them find out." Elijah let go of her and walked a few steps away from her and drew his sword, lifting it into the air. "It is time we put an end to this petty feud." Elijah looked at the edge of his sword glitter in the stage lights. "I love you and I want the whole world to know it!" He shouted. Victoria quickly walked over to him and put a had over his mouth to silence him.

"If you shout like that, you will not live to tell our story." She slowly moved her hand away from his mouth once she was sure he wouldn't yell again. "You are already on thin ice as it is, coming into my bedroom to talk to me at such a late hour." She ran a hand through her hair. "If you leave now you might be able to make it home. Meet me in our secret place tomorrow afternoon, we'll discuss this more." She placed both her hands on the sides of his face, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. "But for now, we must say goodnight."

"Goodnight, my love." Elijah smiled before leaning in and kissing Victoria on the lips.

"And we'll end there, Ladies and Gentlemen." The playwright said after Elijah's last line. Victoria and Elijah pulled away from each other. "Good job Monsieur Elijah and Mademoiselle Victoria, I believe we are definitely ready for tomorrow night's show!" He added as the crowd of actors and stage hands moved around the stage.

Elijah pulled Victoria off to a spot behind the stage that they couldn't been seen from no matter how hard someone would try to look for them. He waited for the stage hands to move the set around, it caused enough noise that they could talk without the fear of someone over hearing. Victoria fiddled with the ring that Elijah had given her, it was attached to a chain around her neck. Surprisingly, Erik had yet to notice it. 

"You were excellent, chéri." Elijah smiled down at her, making her smile in return. 

"As were you, mon amour." She stood on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips. He smirked, about to lean down and kiss her again, but he stopped himself, he needed to tell her something. "Something on your mind?" Victoria's playful smile from five seconds ago was starting to fall away. 

"Yes, I over heard a conversation between two stage hands before we began our scene.." He trailed off, looking around to make sure no one was around. "I think he's on to us." Elijah told her, taking her hands into his and clasping them together. "I heard one of them say to the other that they were paid a handsome fee to drop a heavy object onto a certain actor's head while they were on stage."

"I told you he'd figure it out." Victoria gasped lightly. "He's always one step ahead of everyone, he's a very smart man." Victoria told him, biting her lip in doubt.

"He may be smart, but you have to admit that his genius has now turned to madness." Elijah pulled her into a tight embrace, trying to comfort her. "Even though it pains me, you have to act as if nothing is wrong and stay with him."

"But Elijah-." 

"He won't hurt you, if he wanted you to stay with him as badly as you told me he did, then he won't hurt you unless it were an accident." Elijah assured him. "It's only for one more night." He kissed the top of her head. "Then you'll be free, I promise."

"We'll be free." Victoria corrected him.

"Right." He said quickly, he smiled while laughing humorlessly. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." He pulled her back into a tighter embrace. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, in the garden before the dress rehearsal." He wrapped his arms around her neck. "We'll go over our plans, wait for the show tonight, then pray for the best." Victoria nodded, pulling out of the embrace.

"Goodnight then." Victoria tried to smile, but she knew it wasn't convincing anyone. "I love you." She twirled the ring on her necklace again. 

"I know." He smiled before kissing her cheek and leaving in the direction he had come from. 

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Author's note:

I'm not even gonna apologize, we both know it means nothing at this point. Here's a new chapter for your reading pleasure. Please don't forget to vote and/or comment if you enjoyed this chapter. Only five chapters left until the end, see you in the next update!