"Oh Eponine, I must say I cannot wait to be united with my dear Marius, it feels as if we have been apart for an eternity!" Cosette smiles widely as the two walk quickly through the narrow corridor.
"But Miss Cosette, it has been little more than three days since we departed France." The governess replied.
"Oh yes but you do not understand I cannot bear a minute away from him let alone days."
The maid tries her best not to roll her eyes.
"Ladies please, I beg of you to keep your voices down, other passengers will start complaining" Monsieur Fauchelevent, Cosette's father and Eponine's employer says quietly "you two will be in this room, I will be in the next cabin down."
"Oui Monsieur"
"Oui Papa"
"Do not worry Miss Cosette," Eponine smiles as the girls enter their room, "I am sure Monsieur Pontmercy is pining for you the same way you pine for him."
The blond sits down on her bed and giggles quite loudly "Just a few more hours."
Eponine could not believe her luck. Just two years ago her parents were persuading her into a life of prostitution and now, here she was on the greatest ship ever built, going to live in the greatest country in the world. She had escaped, finally. She had escaped her parents, that terrible arranged marriage with Montparnasse and most of all she had escaped France. That damn country which had caused her nothing but pain, she was finally gone from there. She was going to America, and there she would start over. There she would have the chance to live her life without people judging her, for her appearance, for her last name, for her lack of connections. She finally had the chance to live.
She is still unsure of how she fell into such luck. She remembers walking through the marketplace, looking for a stall with minimal workers so that she could steal some bread for the day. She brushed up against the bourgeois man and his daughter, who were engaged in deep conversation. He was telling her that it was time for them to employ a new governess for her while she begged to have the chance to spend time with someone her own age. That was when Eponine had the idea, the girl looked to be of a similar age to her and Eponine had learnt how to do basic housework back when the family still had the inn. But she looked down at her appearance, her skin was covered in an obvious layer of dirt and her dress was old and torn in a number of places. They would never accept her if she showed up on their door step looking like a street rat.
The pair did not seem to notice as she shadowed them throughout the market and back to their home. It was quaint but very bourgeois, situated right in the middle of Rue Plumet, one of the nicer streets in Paris.
She knew this was a change at a different life, a better life and she knew she had to seize this opportunity.
That night, while shopkeepers in the marketplace were busily packing up their stalls she stole a dress off one of the stalls. She was very good at being invisible and was sure the couple barely even noticed her. She hid the dress in her pillowcase, careful to ensure that her parents did not see her carrying it into their home. They would curse at her and question why she didn't use her skills to steal useful things such as food or money. She could not wait to get out of there.
That night she ignored her mother as she banged on the bathroom door, yelling at her daughter for spending the whole night in the bathroom when she should be out working. Eponine scrubbed her skin so hard that she was sure it would start bleeding. She washed her hair repeatedly, hoping that it would turn soft and shine like the hair of the bourgeois girls. It was only when she noticed how black the water was that she removed herself from the bath and went to bed.
She was up and out of the house before her parents had the chance to rise. She put on the stolen dress, which was a little lose but not unwearable and did her hair in a tight bun. She stole some shoes from her mother and left. She did not want them to see her like this, to catch wind of her plan. She needed to disappear from their lives and she needed to do it now.
She arrived at Rue Plumet early that morning and was greeted by an elderly lady – perhaps the departing governess let her in. Eponine could not help but smile at the fact that a pretty dress and a bath was all that was needed to permit her entrance in the house.
She explained to the man, Monsieur Fauchelevent that her mother was out shopping at the market yesterday and overheard their conversation. She was so surprised when the man believed her story. She had always been a good liar but even she could not properly imitate the way the bourgeois would pronounce their vowels. Though apparently the man did not notice and she was employed as governess. She was sure if she told anyone her story they would not believe her. In two days she went from a Parisian street rat to the governess of a bourgeois family. She took up permanent residence in Rue Plummet and when she wasn't completing her duties around the house she would spend her days with Cosette, as if the two were friends rather than employer and employee.
With the money she was making she bought more dresses and began to enjoy the luxuries of her new life. Most of the time she felt like another member of the family, well with Cosette but she maintained a more professional relationship with Monsieur Fauchelevent.
Slowly she noticed with regular meals and baths her hair became softer her cheeks fuller. She would look in the mirror and realised that she now looked almost bourgeois.
She remembers the day that Cosette met Marius; she had to listen to her talk about the man for the rest of the day. And the day after that. Then Marius showed up outside of the home, and Eponine would watch as they would talk through the fence. She never said it out loud but it was so romantic and she hoped that perhaps through Cosette and her father she may meet someone who would love her the way Marius loved Cosette.
After a few months of courting the pair was engaged. It was then when they news broke. Marius and his friends were leaving France to read law at Harvard Law School. From there they intend to set up their own law firm in Boston. It was quickly decided that the Fauchelevents would move with them to America where the pair would get married.
"Oh Eponine you must come!" Cosette cries when she breaks the news to her governess. "Please, you need to come with me to America, I will know no one, and I need you there."
Eponine stays quiet and continues to make a lemon tart to have with tea later in the afternoon. "Please Eponine, you will stay with me in my quarters on the ship, really we will pay for it all."
Eponine stares at the blond "No mademoiselle, do not waste your money on me."
"Eponine it is not a waste of money, please come with us."
After hours of persuasion Eponine relents and agrees to leave France. With her savings she buys a ticket for her younger brother and sister. Unfortunately they were in steerage as there was no way that she could ever afford a second class ticket let alone a first.
It was that simple. Now she was on her way to America to start a new life and she could not wait.
The men boarded at Cherbourg. The ship was running late and they were not on time for the evening's dinner. They laughed and joked as a small yacht took them out to the magnificent ship which was far too large to dock in the small town's port. Marius stared at the grand ship as it came into view, its lights shining brightly and its music could be heard from the port. Most importantly his Cosette was on board, she had gone to London to buy her wedding dress while he finalised everything for their trip. He pined for her, constantly, to the point where the other men he was travelling could barely stand being around him. They laughed, claiming that Enjolras had drawn the short straw in sharing a suite with Marius, Enjolras agreed. Marius knew they would never understand how he felt about Cosette, without her he had no purpose, without her he was nothing.
"Eponine?" Cosette's wide blue eyes were staring up at Eponine's "Would it be possible for you to deliver this to Marius?"
"Now?" Eponine asked as she prepared the bed. The blonde nodded "Why can't you do it yourself, he's down the corridor not across Paris."
"Please Eponine, I am in my bed clothes, you are still dressed."
The governess sighs loudly and takes the envelope from Cosette, as she walks down the corridor she cannot help but smile at how romantic the two were. They were a couple that you would read about in books, perfect in every way. Eponine tried not to be jealous of Cosette, after all, Cosette and her father had given her so much but she longed to be loved the way Cosette was.
Eponine watched as Marius' face lit up when he saw the letter. He ushered he inside as he wrote her a reply. She tried not to laugh. He would write a sentence, stare at it for a few seconds, cross it out, write another sentence then scrunch up the paper and throw it in the bin. This happened repeatedly and before long he was fishing old papers from the bin as he preferred what he wrote originally to what he was writing now.
"I am terribly sorry Mademoiselle Eponine, please, sit down I shall order you some tea while you wait."
"Oh Monsieur that's really not ne-" he was gone before she could finish her sentence.
She could not believe the people she had become surrounded by in the past year. She had gone from the people of the gutters, money hungry thieves such as her parents to people like Marius, Cosette and Monsieur Fauchelevent , kind and generous people. After living on the streets for a while, where people are desperate to simply survive she had begun to forget that people this kind actually exist in this world. Before she began working for the Fauchelevent she believed people as kind as them only existed in story books. Though sometimes it seemed as if her life was mirroring the plot of a story she read back when she was a child.
"Really" the door busts open and a tall blonde man strides in "this is such a disgusting display of opulence! I cannot help but wonder if steerage have gold platted lettering on their doors? After all they bring in the most money for this company, shouldn't they receive the best service."
Marius sighs but doesn't take his eyes of his letter "I do not quite recall how much I actually paid for this suite Enjolras but I assure you it was far more than those in steerage did. That is why this is called first class."
"You are exactly right" the blonde man strolls over to the cabinet and pulls out a bottle of deep red drink – she assumed some kind of alcohol and started drinking it. She is sure he has not yet spotted her sitting on the small lounge "This is what needs to change, we should not have to pay for luxuries, they should be available to everyone, regardless of their income."
"But then the company would cease to make a profit" Marius replies; now smiling to himself as he furiously writes his letter.
"And that is why I hate capitalism."
"Then why are you moving to America, that place basically invented modern capitalism" Marius laughs.
Enjolras stops, finally spotting the girl on the lounge "You are?"
"Oh I am terribly sorry Monsieur" she stands bowing her head "I am Eponine, Mademoiselle Cosette's governess."
"Eponine…" he repeats her name slowly and she quite likes how he says it "It is a pleasure indeed" he bows modestly "I am Enjolras, a companion of Marius'" he takes a drink from his glass "Now I must ask, what exactly are you doing here?"
"She is delivering a letter to Cosette for me" Marius stands, handing her an envelope.
Enjolras raises his eyebrows "You do know she is just up the corridor?"
"Of course I do, but this is romantic Enjolras, something which you obviously know nothing about." Marius turns and thanks Eponine, walking her to the door.
She is about to return to her room when the door behind her once again opens "Mademoiselle Eponine, do you mind if I escort you back to your room?" she involuntarily blushes and the two set off down the corridor in silence. In fact, he does not talk to her at all during their walk and she finds it incredibly strange. Why ask to walk her back to her room if he was not even going to make small talk? When she arrives at her room he gives her a low bow and bids her goodnight.
She sighs, completely confused by the gentleman and prepares herself for Cosette who has no doubt been waiting impatiently for Marius' reply.
AN: Thank you for reading, this will most likely be a 3-5 shot.
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