The house was large and old. There were two floors, lots of rooms and any interesting little nooks to explore. Cosette happily scrambled about, searching eagerly for any hidden secrets. She picked the first room to the right at the top of the stairs for her bedroom. It was quite large, with an old, musty bed in one corner. It had a beautiful candelabrum on the oak dresser against the far wall, though it needed a clean if it was ever going to shine, and an old armoire. Everything looked as though it was terribly old and the child hoped she would not break anything.
There was a lantern on the chest of drawers by the dresser and there was a bunch of items scattered about the room. At the back of one of the drawers in the dresser were some dolls. There were four that she pulled out. One was of a little boy with dark hair; he had hose on, and a ruff. She would have giggled at his old fashioned clothing, but she was feeling slightly uncomfortable about something. There was a little girl in a big dress, with a laced collar and a pretty cap. There was another little boy, this time he had light brown hair, as well as shorts, a shirt and a waistcoat, which were covered in patches. There was also a little girl, with long blonde hair, a white cap and a simple blue dress. The doll looked just like her, with a look of amazement on her face. All the dolls felt as though they were filled with sand and they all had buttons for eyes.
"Cosette? Come eat your dinner."
Cosette looked up at her Papa's voice, gathering up the four dolls and dropping them onto the bed. She kept a hold on the little Cosette... Euphrasie, she could be called. Cosette and Euphrasie went down to dinner, wondering what her Papa could have possibly made in the little time since they had arrived.
It turned out to be a thin soup. When she came downstairs her Papa gave her a big smile and asked her to go to see if either of their neighbours had any bread to share. She nodded quietly and walked outside. First, she climbed the stairs up to the top apartment, knocking softly on the door.
"Hello? Ah, hello. Who might you be?"
"I am Cosette."
She raised her eyes to look at the man before her. He seemed, to her young eyes, very tall with wide eyes and an almost manic grin. His blonde curls bounced as he crouched down to talk to her, flicking the tails of his red coat out behind him.
"Cosette? This name I have heard. Where from... Ah, yes. Les Souris Amis!"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, my manners. Apologies. I am Enjolras, leader of Les Souris Amis. We are here to right wrongs, to oppress evil, to keep the good people themselves from being oppressed!"
"Oh it's... a pleasure to meet you."
There were numerous mice jumping about inside, squeaking loudly. When Cosette tried to lean in to get a closer look, Enjolras stepped in the way.
"What can I do for you, my dear?"
"My Papa would like to know if you have any spare bread."
"I shall have to ask my friends. A moment, please."
The blonde man spun around, turning his back to the young girl; still crouching, he began to whisper to his mice. A moment later, he stood and hurried inside. He brought over a loaf of bread to the child.
"Here. My friends do not mind, though they ask that you do avoid the door."
"What door?"
"I do not know. Sometimes, I think perhaps I should give them a little less drink..." He grinned as he mimed tipping a bottle down his throat. Cosette giggled, bringing a hand up to hide her mouth as her eyes shone.
"Thank you, monsieur."
"If you head downstairs, the ladies there may have something sweet."
She grinned and hurried off, calling a farewell as she scurried down the steps.
The bottom apartment was warm, an almost uncomfortable heat coming from the door as she stood in front of it and knocked.
"Hello? Hello?" A tall woman answered the door, squinting above Cosette's head.
"Hello." She whispered. The woman lowered her gaze to the little girl.
"Ah, a child."
"My name is Cosette."
"We have a guest?" called a voice from inside. "Well, bring her in."
"It is the new neighbour, my dear."
Cosette was lead inside, where it was even warmer. There was a large fire burning in the fireplace, and a great number of pictures on the walls. The place looked expensive, as though the woman had plenty of money to spend.
"Dahlia, who is this?"
"Our neighbour." The tall woman hummed slightly, glancing down at her pretty pink nails before gliding through into another room.
"Hmm..." The other woman frowned, before stepping forward. She had greying hair and a frail figure, but a kindly smile. "What is your name, darling?"
"Cosette."
"Oh, a beautiful name. I am sure we knew a Cosette once, though she was just a babe. Her mother was a dear friend of ours, and we are waiting for her to return to us."
"Oh. That can't be me. I do not have a mother anymore."
"No? Such a shame. Ah, my name is Favourite."
"Favourite?" she forgot her manners and blurted out, not expecting such an odd name.
"Yes." Sighed the woman dreamily. "From my time in England."
"Oh." She did not know where England was, but she had never been there.
"Can I offer you anything? A drink?"
"Oh, no. I am sorry, but my Papa has made some soup for tea. I must leave. I came to ask if you have something sweet we may have?"
"You are a cheeky little thing, aren't you?" Favourite said, good-naturedly. "We have some dried fruit in the pantry, and I believe there is a spare pot of honey there too."
Cosette grinned, hoping desperately that there was some honey. A third woman pottered out, holding out a pot of honey and a bowl of fruit. She was quite a large woman, but when she crouched down and embraced Cosette, she sank into the cuddle, feeling a peace from her that had been missing since they left Montreuil sur Mer.
She thanked them and hurried back to her Papa, who smiled softly as she came inside.
"Ah, there you are. I was wondering if you had gotten lost."
"I got bread, and I got dessert."
"You did? My clever little girl! You have been busy."
He smiled fondly down at her as he took the soup off the fire.
"Let's get our dinner, then we can have an early night."