Chapter 1

An eighteen year-old girl was rushing down the dirty streets with the most determined look on her face. She was here against her mother's commands of course, but how could she stay at home when she knew just how much that good woman and her children are suffering. She had been with them the past year, and she was very well aware of their circumstances. A sick widow with seven children, as poor as church mice. She had to help and thus she visited them every day, bringing medicine for the mother, some clothes and toys for the children, she cooked them dinner, fed the twin babies and cleaned the little house, which was the home of this miserable family.

At last she arrived in front of the old, ramshackle building she spent the past three weeks in. She stepped in through the shaky door and was immediately attacked by half a dozen little creature, who were all jumping up and down excitedly, pushing the others out of the way and each of them shouting at the top of their lungs:

'Josie! Josie!'

'Joséphine.' came a faint voice from the back room. The young girl, who has just entered and to whom this great feast was given, put down the big baskets she was carrying and hurried towards the door leading to the back room, giving numerous pats on the head and strokes on the cheek on her way. She stepped into a small, dark room with a bed, a little table and a chair in it. In the bed was a thin, pale woman struggling herself into a sitting position with the help of her fourteen year-old daughter beside her.

'Joséphine.' she said again holding out her trembling hands towards her. Joséphine stepped forward taking the middle-aged woman's thin hands into hers. 'I can't thank you enough for coming.'

'You always say that' said Joséphine with a smile 'even though you know I come every day.'

'I don't want you to get in trouble because of us.' sighed the woman weakly.

'You should only worry about yourself.' said Joséphine gently, avoiding to answer directly. She was already in trouble but they didn't have to know that. 'Please sleep a little while I'm preparing dinner.'

'I keep having this dream' continued the woman tears filling her eyes 'that you won't come anymore and I just wait and wait, but you won't come.' She started to breathe heavily and got a coughing seizure. Joséphine helped to calm her down and laid her on the pillows which she had brought on the first day she came to visit.

'Don't worry' she said in a calming voice 'I will come every day, I promise.'

The woman seemed eased now and closed her eyes while Joséphine and the daughter walked out of the room.

'How is she really, Louise?' asked Joséphine the tired girl beside her. She was the eldest of the children and so she had to take care of every family member in the absence of Joséphine. She took after her mother except for her beautiful golden hair, which was the only inheritance from her dead father. All the other children had the same raven black hair as their mother. Although Louise was only fourteen years old, she seemed to be much older due to the many responsibilities which had fallen on her shoulders.

'Maman is better really, it's just that she was all excited and frantic that you'd not come.' sighed Louise wearily.

'I'm sorry I was late, I had to arrange some affairs of mine.'

'Oh, don't concern yourself about that.' smiled Louise. 'We all know what you risk for us and we are very grateful to you, even the little ones.'

'You should rest too.' said Joséphine avoiding the subject. 'I brought you a new novel, you can practice your reading if you'd like.'

'Oh, thank you!' said Louise, her eyes brightening. 'I'd love to.'

Joséphine took out a little, gray, paper-covered book from one of the baskets still in front of the door where she had dropped them. Louise smiled thankfully and retreated in the corner of the room near a window.

Joséphine looked around the other room of the tiny house. It had a kitchen and a dining table to the right, and a mess of old mattresses, rags, pillows and blankets to the left, which was the „bedroom" of all the children. Now every one of them were deeply occupied with something. The 12 year-old Élodie was practicing the blanket stitch Joséphine taught her the day before with more enthusiasm than actual success. The 10 year-old Georges was educating his younger brothers, the 7 year-old Philippe and the 5 year-old Anthony, about the great secrets of fencing using a spoon to demonstrate the right movements. The 3 year-old twins, Jeannette and Annette were chasing a kitten they had found earlier in the streets.

Joséphine started to unpack the ingredients for dinner from her baskets. As she was reaching for her apron, she looked out of the window and saw him. The gentleman she always saw at this time of the day passing the little house. He was tall, quite muscular, maybe a little older than her, with wavy blonde hair and always looking as if being deep in thoughts. He was a very peculiar sight indeed, and Joséphine could not help but wonder who he was and what was the thing that seemed to concern him all the time.

In the meantime, Philippe, who soon became bored by his brother's bossy manner, started to tease her older sister, Élodie by tangling her threads and cutting them with the sewing scissors. Élodie became more and more frustrated and in her anger, she threw the little basket she kept her needlework in, towards Philippe. She missed him though, and the basket flew straight out through the open window and landed in the dirty mud of the street before the feet of the above-mentioned gentleman.

Joséphine felt that she would burst out laughing any minute. She wasn't surprised at Élodie, she had quite a temper, but the look on the gentleman's face when a basket full of needlework fell before him out of nowhere, leaving tiny pieces of fabric and thread all around the pavement. Before Joséphine could have done or said anything, Élodie rushed out of the door to retrieve her precious gift from Joséphine. Joséphine ran to the door to be able to see more. The gentleman bent down to collect the shreds into the basket and by the time Élodie got next to him, he gave her the unharmed basket without a single shred missing. Élodie was overflowed with joy.

'Oh merci, monsieur, merci beaucoup!' exclaimed Élodie taking the gentleman's hand. 'Please come inside and have some tea with us!' then she started dragging him towards the door, but the gentleman stood still.

'Pardon me, mademoiselle, I'm afraid I cannot.' he said glancing towards Joséphine to whom he thought, the little girl would oblige. Élodie noticed this, and she also turned towards Joséphine with pleading eyes.

'It's not my house, you know.' said Joséphine defensively to Élodie, not wanting to decide on this matter herself. 'And not yours either. You should ask your mother about this.'

'I already have.' said Louise cheerfully from behind Joséphine. 'And she doesn't mind.'

'Well then, we shouldn't let Élodie's saviour waiting in the doorstep any longer.' said Joséphine with a gentle smile and she stepped out of the door to let him in. He hesitantly followed her in the room, and when Joséphine gestured towards a chair, he sat down. Joséphine went to the kitchen to prepare the tea, but she was preceded by Louise.

'I want to make tea today, Josie, please.' said Louise excitedly.

'Of course, if you'd like.' said Joséphine surprised. When she was here, Louise always searched for ways not to do the housework she usually had to. Joséphine started to wonder if she was planning something. The repeated giggles and meaningful looks Louise and Élodie gave each other seemed to support her suspicion even more. Even the boys wandered about with meddlesome faces, although they were as clueless as Joséphine.

'We are very grateful for your service, monsieur…' said Élodie with an inquiring look.

'Enjolras.' said the gentleman.

'Enchantée.' continued Élodie. 'My name is Élodie Martin. The mademoiselle here is Josie…erm, I mean Joséphine, and these are my brothers and sisters.' she said gesturing all around the room. 'Maman is sick unfortunately, so she can't be here to greet you.'

'Oh, I am very sorry indeed.' said Enjolras politely.

'Oh, I almost forgot I have some very urgent business.' Élodie jumped up from her seat and hurried away to the other side of the room dragging the boys and the twins along with her.

'As I understand, you are not related.' said Enjolras, trying to keep up the conversation.

'No we're not.' said Joséphine a little embarassed. 'My last name is… Morin.' she said after a pause, because she didn't want to use her real name, as it would have been hard to explain, so she decided on her maid's instead. 'I heard about their miserable circumstances when their mother, Mme Martin fell ill. I felt I needed to help them.'

'That's very remarkable and just the right thing to do.' said Enjolras and Joséphine felt relieved, that someone finally understands. Her parents were far from being this considerate.

'Thank you. Although I believe you are the hero now, I don't think Élodie will speak about anything else at least for a week.'

'Do you think what I did was heroic?' asked Enjolras harshly. 'All I did was picking up some shreds and rags.'

'Well, if you put it like that it doesn't sound much, but you have to consider, that Élodie hasn't got any real treasure. That basket with the shreds and rags means the whole world to her.' Joséphine said desperately and Enjolras seemed to think about what she just said, but Joséphine started to get angry now and couldn't leave it at that. 'What is your idea of being heroic?'

'Something like freeing the people from oppression.' said Enjolras still calmly, and that appeared to make Joséphine even more furious. She couldn't tell what it was in him that brought out her worst side, maybe the way he spoke, that confident manner of his, or that she couldn't help but hang on every word he said. Whatever it was, it was simply frustrating.

'Ah, I see. You're a revolutionist.' she said triumphantly.

'I never denied it.'

'Well, my opinion is, that republic won't make more bread or magically make poverty disappear.'

'No, but we can choose our leaders and thus ensure they will act rightly.' said Enjolras starting to get angry himself.

'You say „we", but you really don't mean it, don't you. For example I will never be able to vote so what's the difference for me?'

'I suppose I should leave now.' said Enjolras rising from his chair, his face was red from anger as well as hers.

'I suppose so.' said Joséphine not even trying to be polite. 'Au revoir.'

'Au revoir.' said Enjolras storming out of the house and quickly rushing past it.

The children stared at Joséphine in disbelief. She was with them for a year and none of them heard her raising her voice once. She was also ashamed of herself, not because of Enjolras, but because she had to lost control in front of the children.

'I'm sorry.' she said faintly, trying to hold back her tears.

'Don't be.' said Georges grinning at her. 'We've seen odder things haven't we?' and all of them started to laugh hysterically. Joséphine felt relieved and the day passed without her thinking of Enjolras. However, when she sneaked back to her bedroom at night, she couldn't help but think that she had never met such an arrogant person in her life.