A/N: the song at the end is part of If I Loved you by Carousel which I do not own.
She walks home holding her basket close to her. Night is setting in and she wishes to be home before the more colorful characters come out.
She quickens her pace as she finds a man following her. She turns back and he is gaining on her and she begins to run.
He runs and catches her free arm and spins her roughly to face her.
"Hey, calm down lovely lady. I only want to know how much you are selling for." He says getting in her face.
"I'm not selling." She says, in a Britain accent, struggling to get away.
"You British whore! You think you can say yes or no?" He says grabbing her other arm, causing her to drop her groceries.
"I am not who you think I am. I am not a prostitute! Now let go of my arms!" She says still struggling with the man's iron grip.
"Then I will make one out of you." He says pulling her close and kissing her neck.
"No, help someone help!" She screams but the man grabs her by the throat and squeezes just enough to get her to stop screaming.
"Leave the woman alone!" A different male voice unknown to the woman and her attacker.
The man is pulled off of her and the woman collapses to the the ground gasping for air.
She looks up to see a wonderfully handsome man in a red coat fight him off until the attacker runs away. He looks over at the woman.
"Are you okay, Mademoiselle?" He asks helping her to her feet.
"Oui, thank you Monsieur." She says looking into his eyes. His icy blue eyes.
They bend down to pick up the food she dropped and their hands touch for a brief moment and she feels as if her hand is burning with passion that slowly spreads throughout her body. He feels like his soul is combining with his to create one loving being.
They pull away and stand up now that all the food is back in the basket.
"May I escort a lady home?" He asks before she could walk away. He offers his arm to her.
"Yes, I would like that very much." She says looping her arm in his.
They walk and she asks, "Am I allowed to know the name of my savior?"
"I would not put it that far."
"Do not be humble and modest, not everyone would have stopped to help."
"Well I'm not everyone. Call me Enjorlas. May I know your name?"
"Josette Collins." She says.
"You have a accent. Where are you from?"
"London, I moved here with my mum and brother a month ago. Since my mother had originally been born here. We were hoping conditions would be better. But we were wrong, my brother is forced to work at a job he hates and my mum and I do laundry and repair clothing for money."
"I'm sorry to hear of your father's death. There's nothing I can do to fix that. But," he pauses making sure he is not boring her. Yet Josette is hanging onto every word.
"Have you ever read of a Republic?"
"No, Monsieur Enjorlas I cannot read but I wish I could."
He explains everything to her about picking a leader, and how the people have power.
"Liberté, égalité, fraternité." He says.
"That sounds too good to be true." Josette says.
"Well, do not tell anyone but revolution is coming, soon. I can feel it and I will help fight."
"As will I. I will do anything I can help because things need to change." She says fiddling with her necklace.
He smiles at the brave beautiful girl. She has jet black curly hair and popping lightening green eyes with yellow edges. Enjorlas feels so close to her, something he has never felt. He has never had a second glance for a woman, they are weaknesses but this one is different.
"That is quite beautiful that necklace. But may I ask why not sell it for money. It must be worth a lot."
"It was my father's chain and wedding ring, he gave it to me on his deathbed and I wish to keep it. My mother actually told me to sell it but I really wanted to keep it. So I worked as a maid for the day when a woman's maid was sick and I earned the amount of money the necklace was worth so now I can keep it. Oh, I'm babbling, I apologize." She says, she really wants him to like her. He is incredibly handsome with his blonde hair and striking eyes.
"It's okay I like to hear you talk." Enjorlas says thinking of her sweet soft accented voice.
"Thank you." She could feel a blush on her cheeks.
"Oh this is my house. Thank you for all you have done. I am forever in your debt."
"No you are not and here," he takes out a few francs, "I have more than enough."
"I'm sorry I cannot take your money. You have sacrificed enough for me. A poor working class girl. Good bye and I hope to see you in the near future." She says thinking she has already fallen for him. He is so strong willed and brave.
"It was my pleasure. And one has nothing if not hope." Enjorlas says kissing her hand causing Josette to blush again.
"Until next time, Mademoiselle Josette." When she turns Enjorlas stashes the francs in her basket.
He walks off in the dark to the library to study.
Josette stops before heading in and places her basket down.
She cannot be in love with Enjorlas she barely knows him yet she feels like she has known him all his life.
Yet she can be shy when it comes to speaking her feelings even if he is easy to speak to.
"If I loved you,
Time and again I would try to say
All I'd want you to know.
If I loved you,
Words wouldn't come in an easy way
Round in circles I'd go!
Longin' to tell you,
But afraid and shy,
I'd let my golden chances pass me by!
Soon you'd leave me,
Off you would go in the mist of day,
Never, never to know how I loved you
If I loved you." Josette sings in the front of my house in sorrow filled happiness. She is in love and she does not know how to say it but unbeknownst to her Enjorlas is in love with her too.