"Angelique! ANGELIQUE!" Monsieur Gillernormand was standing at the foot of the stairs that led to the library. He had guests in his home, and as per usual, his granddaughter was up in the library, reading and rereading the numerous books that the family had collected over the years. Putting one foot on the stair just above him, he opened his mouth, only to be startled by the sudden movement near him.
"Sorry, grandpapa!" The girl who had seemingly materialized out of nowhere had almost pushed her grandfather over in her hurry to reach the bottom of the stairs. Monsieur Gillernormand simply chuckled at his wayward granddaughter.
"There are guests here to see you." Monsieur Gillernormand offered his arm to Angelique, who wrinkled her brow in confusion. It was rare that anyone came to see her. Most of the families who did visit the Gillernormand household were there to inquire after her brother, Marius, who was studying to become a lawyer and no longer lived with Monsieur Gillernormand and his sister. As such, he was prime marriage material for the elite families of Paris. Angelique, on the other hand, was considered spoilt. She had been educated, was not particularly able to engage in the societal norms expected of women of her stature, and spoke her mind. Each of these traits made her dangerous to the delicate structure that had been created over hundreds of years.
"Here to see me? I'm shocked. Are you sure they aren't just here to see what Marius looks like?" The siblings did look very much alike, and it was not unheard for people to call on Angelique only to see if Marius was handsome or not.
"No, they are not. As surprising as it may be, they really are here to see you. Apparently, they have a son who is of marrying age." Angelique eyebrows almost shot into her hairline.
"Me? Since when has anyone thought about wanting to marry me?" Monsieur Gillernormand only chuckled.
"They aren't from Paris. They're from somewhere down South. Their son studies law at the university here." Angelique's grandfather deftly maneuvered her into the living room, where the couple who had come to see Angelique were having a hushed conversation, not even realizing that Angelique and Monsieur Gillernormand were in the room.
"Ah, Madame et Monsieur Enjolras ! Voici ma grande fille, Angélique." At this interruption to their private conversation, the somewhat startled couple looked up and surveyed Angelique in perfect unison. Their two second gaze pierced through Angelique, and she had the uncomfortable feeling that all her deepest secretes had been laid out on the table, bare and naked, for everyone to see. Shifting uncomfortably, Angelique stuttered out a greeting.
"B-Bonjour, Madame. Et Monsieur," she quickly realized that she had to greet both the guests. Still clutching onto her grandfather's arm, Angelique felt herself get lowered onto the ornate, golden sofa. The Enjolras' had not ceased to look at her. Madame Enjolras, who had been part of the elite society for many years, was well-trained in recognizing exactly what a woman was in a few glances.
"Alors, Angelique. Your grandfather has told us that you quite enjoy reading." Madame Enjolras did not choose to elaborate further upon her statement, forcing Angelique to scramble to answer.
"Euh, oui. I do enjoy reading and visiting the library." When no answer was given, Angelique continued.
"I especially enjoy reading books about history and the law." The couple Enjolras shared a quick glance. Just as Madame Enjolras was opening her mouth to say something, however, Angelique's aunt walked in with a tray of food and drinks. Monsieur Gillernormand had recently asked the maid to leave. As elegant and opulent the furniture of the mansion was, the truth of the matter was that Monsieur Gillernormand was quickly running out of money. It was why he had agreed to this meeting with the Enjolras' in the first place. At the rate the expenses for the family were piling up, Monsieur Gillernormand would soon be unable to take care of his granddaughter.
"Angelique spends almost entire weeks in the library at one time!" Angelique's aunt interjected. It would seem, for the first time in her life, she had managed to read the guests' intentions incorrectly. The Enjolras family did not want a daughter-in-law who was well-read. It was their nurturing of their son's love of books that had caused the strains that existed within their familial structure. Their discomfort must have been obvious on their faces, for Monsieur Gillernormand managed to shoo Angelique's aunt out of the room with a stern look.
"I am quite sorry about my daughter. It appears that she has gone soft. She never married, you know." Monsieur and Madame Enjolras considerably softened upon hearing this statement. Women who never married were thought to have some defect, be it mental or physical, and Monsieur Gillernormand had used this societal fact to his advantage.
Angelique, on the other hand, was shocked. It was obvious that her aunt was her grandfather's favorite child, after all, she was still alive and did not squander her life away with some man who sustained himself with fanciful delusions. He rarely spoke ill of her, and even more rarely so to strangers. Was he so desperate to marry Angelique off that he would be willing to go against his very nature? This notion hurt Angelique. The last time she had begun to feel as upset, her world had completely changed. She would not allow her world to change so completely again.
"Madame et Monsieur Enjolras, my aunt was not wrong. I do enjoy the library very much. I especially enjoy reading novels by the English author, Mary Shelley? Have you heard of her?" Without waiting for a response from any of the parties present, Angelique barreled on.
"She advocates for equal rights for women. Voting, and such. Does your son agree with these notions?" Each mouth in the room fell open. Anger flashed in her grandfather's eyes, as did shock. Angelique was outspoken, but she usually knew her place, especially in front of guests. He attempted to smooth over the situation.
"I apologize for my granddaughter's misbehavior, Madame et Monsieur Enjolras. I-"Madame Enjolras raised one hand.
"There is no need, Monsieur. We can see where we are not wanted. I bid you good day." With these biting final words, the Enjolras' made to get up. Angelique was beginning to somewhat regret her decision upon seeing how hurt her grandfather was, but the guilt was not so strong that she try to stop Madame Enjolras. The truth was that she did not want to get married, not now, not ever.
Angelique ran out of the room, leaving her grandfather to tend after the Enjolras', sputtering and apologizing for his granddaughter's incredibly rude behavior. Tears blurred Angelique's vision, though whether they were tears of anger or sadness was difficult to tell. Emotions were wildly swirling through Angelique's mind. Why would her grandfather, who had only ever indicated that he wanted his grandchildren to stay with him forever, invite the one thing that would take Angelique away from him to his house? Monsieur Gillernormand rarely exhibited such extreme personality changes. The most severe opinion change Angelique had witnessed in her grandfather was after Marius had run away, and even then, Marius had gone from "my wonderful grandson" to "my grandson." There was something wrong, and Angelique intended to find out what it was.
Angelique was in such deep concentration and trying so hard to understand just what went wrong in her grandfather's mind that she had wandered outside through the back door without even realizing it. It was close to dusk, and rebellious as Angelique was, she had no desire to face the nefarious characters of the Parisian night. She began to take the busier route towards her home, and as she was curiously regarding a pair of dresses in a store, she bumped into a shoulder. Screwing her eyes shut as if it would lessen the sting in her teeth, Angelique fell back onto the pavement, but not without a few choice words.
"Ah, fils de pute, don't you watch where you're going?!" While it was certainly true that the filter between Angelique's brain and mouth did not purify as well as the filters of the other high-society girls, it was only in situations of rare duress that she swore, and that too in public, and that too at a man. Quickly realizing his mistake, the man offered Angelique his hand. Taking it, Angelique pulled herself up.
"Perfect. I love it when my favorite dress gets ruined." Angelique gazed down at her dress, which was now covered in brown god-knows-what.
"Angelique?" The man, no, boy, had an incredibly familiar voice, one that Angelique had not heard in almost a year. She looked up at the freckled face that so closely mirrored her own. Tears filled Angelique's eyes for the second time that night, though this time there was no emotion that she could pinpoint as the cause. Instead of stopping to speak to her older brother, Angelique began to walk purposefully in the opposite direction.
"Angelique!" Marius ran behind his sister and grabbed her arm. Angelique shook his arm off and continued walking.
"Ange, please. I just want to talk. Please?" Angelique turned around at the use of her childhood nickname and looked at her brother.
"I don't want to talk, Marius. And you don't get to call me Ange anymore." Angelique looked her brother in the eye for the first time in two years. It was startling to see that he also had tears in his eyes, since, even in childhood, Marius was the sibling that didn't cry. Angelique made to wipe his face instinctually, and almost instantly softened when she saw her brother look at her expectantly.
"Please, Angelique. It's been so long. Look, there's a café here that I was going to go to to meet my friends. Please come. Please?" Marius's voice took on a wheedling quality that broke Angelique down.
Wordlessly, Angelique simply continued to gaze at Marius, and finally, she nodded. Marius took this as an affirmation to his invitation and motioned for his sister to grab his arm, which she did.
Angelique could count the number of times she had been speechless or awkward on one hand, and yet she could not bring up the courage to say anything to her brother. It was odd, Angelique thought, how her once-close relationship with her older brother had disintegrated into an iciness she reserved only for those she despised most, though she did not have any hate for him at all. There was anger at his actions, but not hate.
"You've changed, Marius." Angelique finally spoke.
"Living alone in the tenements on a meagre student allowance does that to you." Marius's voice held no bitterness, and Angelique was surprised. The last time she had seen Marius, his sentiments and words had been caustic. His obsession with learning as much as he could about the late Baron de Pontmercy had driven a wedge between Monsieur Gillernormand and Marius, and eventually Marius had left. Angelique remembered the day clearly. The Pontmercy siblings' grandfather had exploded at Marius after Marius had asked who the man specified as Thenardier in the Baron de Pontmercy's will. The fight that occurred afterwards was a long time coming, due to the many differences that had cropped up between Marius and his grandfather. Taking his grandfather's 'insults' as the last straw, Marius had stormed out, neither heeding Angelique's nor his aunt's cries for him to stay. That had been the last contact between the two siblings.
"But surely you don't live alone? I've not heard of any of the students at the university staying without a friend." Angelique tried to keep her tone lightly inquiring, though perhaps the crack in her voice betrayed her. Angelique wanted to know everything about her brother's life. The Pontmercy siblings had been inseparable once upon a time, and Angelique missed the easy companionship she found with Marius.
"No, I do live with a friend of mine. His name is Coufeyrac," Marius answered. Angelique remained silent. The affection in Marius's voice when he spoke of his friend was evident, and Angelique felt the slightest twinge of jealousy. Marius had a new life of his own, one that did not include his sister, and Angelique was hurt. If Marius so obviously did not care about his sister and did not want her in his life, why did Angelique spend her days in dejection, missing her brother terribly? Why bother with someone who did not care for you? As these thoughts were running through Angelique's mind, Marius came to an abrupt stop.
"This the Musain. It's the café where we all meet." When Angelique remained at the foot of the stairs, hesitant to enter, Marius waited with her as well.
"You are angry with me, Angelique." Marius seemed resigned when he stated this fact. He was facing Angelique, who resolutely looked ahead. Both siblings were waiting for the other to break the silence. Both siblings, were however, equally stubborn. They stood listlessly at the bottom of the staircase that led up to the backroom of the Musain, when, quite suddenly, a body shoved into them. Angelique grabbed the side railing to keep herself from toppling over, and Marius pressed his hands into the wall. Spluttering and spitting hair out of her face, Angelique inwardly groaned. This was the second time within the hour that she had been close to bodily injured.
"Oh, no! Have I hurt you terribly? Oh, oh, desole, desole." Years of polite society training forced both Angelique and Marius to turn around and acknowledge the apology with matching looks of irate on their faces. Marius began to laugh however, when he saw who it was that had bumped into them.
"I would not have expected any less from you, Coufeyrac." Upon hearing the name of the man, Angelique sharply turned her gaze to his face. His eyes were kind and open, and his curly hair reminded Angelique of the satyrs she had read about in one of the many Greek myths. It was obvious that Marius shared an easy friendship with this boy, and that easy friendship only served to make her more jealous. It used to be that Marius would consider her his best friend and his only confidante. Though the emotions swirled in a terrifying whirlpool just underneath her breastbone, Angelique kept her expression schooled.
"Ah, mon ami, you know me much too well." Coufeyrac patted Marius on the back. He then turned to Angelique, and taking her hand from her side, placed a gentle kiss on it.
"I am truly sorry, mademoiselle. I hope there is something I can do to make up for it. Dinner, perhaps?" Angelique physically felt her mouth open. Was this flirting? The few debutante balls Angelique had attended had taught her that flirting was being coquettish and giggling behind a fan until some man asks you to dance, and then within a few months, if the man was of good social standing, you were married. This was entirely different. Before Angelique could say anything to respond to Coufeyrac' s offer, Marius hissed at Coufeyrac.
"This is my sister! Can't you bother to not behave like this for once?" Oddly, Angelique felt indignance spike up at Marius' tone. He did not have the right to play the typical role of older brother. Instead of letting it show on her face, however, she simply smiled at Coufeyrac. Sensing the tension between the siblings, he simply chuckled in response and elected to walk up the stairs.
"I'll see you at the meeting, eh, Marius?" When Marius nodded, Coufeyrac once again kissed Angelique's hand and went up the stairs. Marius turned to Angelique and began to open his mouth, but Angelique put up her hand to stop him from saying anything.
"Please, Marius, don't say anything. I'm happy that you've made a life for yourself away from all of us, but never forget, I was there for you before any of these men were. This brotherhood is fine, but it will never trump blood relationships, Marius, no matter how much you want them to." With these final wounding words, Angelique turned away and began to walk out of the café, leaving Marius at the foot of the stairs.