The next day, Éponine found herself amid a boring conversation during dinner time. Enjolras, who she noticed that stared at her more than usual, was seating on the other side of the table along with Marius and Courfeyrac, probably talking about law school or something similar. Her grandfather didn't even look at her as he was talking to Monsieur Etienne Courfeyrac (Courf's father), Monsieur Jean Valjean Fauchelevent (Cosette's father) and Monsieur Javert (Cosette's godfather and Monsieur Valjean's best friend). Meanwhile, she was stuck with Madame Enjolras' chatter with two other women she hadn't been introduced to, and with Cosette, who ate silently and smiled at everything that her future mother in law said.
"Monsieur Gillenormand, do you remember when my Enjolras went to play with Marius and Éponine and they terrorized little Éponine?" Madame Enjolras then said, making everyone stare at Éponine. She blushed.
"I'll love to hear more about it," Courfeyrac said.
"Benoit, I don't think it's a story everyone would like to hear, not tonight," Éponine half scolded.
"Come on Éponine, I do remember so, Madame, the girl would run to me, crying, accusing the boys mischievousness and asking me to scold them," Monsieur Gillenormand said amid laughter, "and then they would come with flowers they picked up from the garden and she wouldn't accept them."
"Yes, and then Enjolras would sooth her by calling her queen Éponine and she would stop crying and twirl around with laughter," Madame Enjolras coincided, which made Enjolras look away.
"How old were they, Madame?" Cosette asked with an innocent smile.
"Probably three or four," Monsieur Gillenormand answered.
"Yes. Then we left France," Madame Enjolras said.
"I love that age of innocence," Monsieur Valjean commented, making the conversation turn. Suddenly, every adult talked about babies, innocence, children and the pains of raising a child. Courfeyrac, Marius and Enjolras continued having their interesting conversation. Éponine wished she was on their side of the table while Cosette asked her how was she naming her children. Éponine had enough of it.
"Mesdames, messieurs, I'm not feeling well right now, I'll retire," she said before standing up.
"Are you alright, dear?" her grandfather asked her.
"Sure, I just need some fresh air and then I'll go to sleep," she said while eyeing Cosette, who stared at her in disbelief.
"I'm sorry I cannot accompany you further," she lied.
"You're excused. Goodnight," Madame Enjolras said.
She sighed and left towards the deck. She needed fresh air indeed but it was not the only reason why she was leaving: Éponine was going to the third class to search for Musichetta and Grantaire and meet interesting people that didn't mind protocol, that seated where they wanted and engaged in conversations with the people they wanted to instead of those who were proper to talk to. She wanted to find a new and refreshing set of thoughts and that's what she expected to find in the third class. She wanted to be free.
Suddenly, as she walked slowly, humming her favorite song to avoid being so obvious, somebody touched her shoulder, making her shiver and shout.
"Oh, is it you Monsieur Enjolras," she exclaimed.
"Please, mademoiselle, stop it with the 'monsieur' business," he asked while putting a cigarette in his mouth, "it doesn't suit people that have already met a long time ago."
"Monsieur, I met you yesterday," she exclaimed while taking the cigarette off of his mouth and throwing to the ocean, "that's an insalubrious habit."
"You met me when we were children and apparently I called you queen," he said with a mocking smile.
"Alright, given that case, then, Enjolras, I won't call you monsieur anymore," she said.
"Great, Éponine," he said, "May I walk with you?"
"Sure..." she said uncomfortably, then they started walking.
"I expected to find stars tonight," he said out of the blue.
"Well, there are some over there," she answer while signaling somewhere in the blackened sky.
"I envisioned...something sublime," he said.
"Enjolras, I know two people that wouldn't enjoy being here right now with you," she said.
"Just two?" he asked.
"Just two: your fiancée and I," she said with a smile, leaving him cold in his place, thinking about some smart comeback.
"Cosette, I know she doesn't enjoy my presence: she wants a prince charming and I'm not that. But you..." he said after a few minutes of silence.
"Don't get me wrong. At any time of the day, I would enjoy to talk to you but right now, I've got something to do...and you're stopping me," she explained.
"Like what? Sneaking to the third class?" he said while raising an eyebrow.
"I knew Cosette wouldn't stay quiet. Although it's calming to know she told you and not your mother or her father, no offense or anything..."
"I know. She doesn't tell me anything about her life... but about you, she told me everything," he said, "I found it quite...shocking to know you were planning on going to the third class."
"Sometimes I feel I belong more with them than with the first class," she tried to explain.
"Why?" he asked her, frankly interested.
"Well...you might know the story already. My mother died while giving birth to me. My father left for a long trip, leaving me behind. He told my grandfather that I had died along with my mother and closed the doors of the house. I was left to the care of Madame Thénardier, who was the housekeeper and her husband, Monsieur Thénardier, who was gardener and doorman. They didn't have any children so they took care of me as their own child for two years. I grew with them until my father came back from his first trip. Apparently, I closely resemble my mother, so he took me away from the Thénardiers and into my grandfather's house, explaining that he had lied and I was alive. Grandfather took me in and I lived with my cousin Marius, who had suffered a similar fate to mine. He educated me as a bourgeois little girl yet he allowed me to see the Thénardiers once a month," she explained with tears pooling in her eyes, "I consider them part of my family."
"Oh...I definitely didn't know about this," he said.
"And I hope you don't tell anybody,"
"My lips are sealed," he answered.