Chapter Twenty Five
A/N: Thank you to MusicalTheatreTrash, foolofatook001 and Smiles1998 for reviewing the last chapter.
The first thing Éponine noticed upon entering the house was the music. It was a simple tune playing softly on the piano, so softly that she had been unable to hear it in the doorway. And there was something so inherently Cosette in the melody that, even had there been other occupants of the house, she would have had no doubt who was pressing the keys.
It took a few moments of hovering in the doorway before Cosette noticed her cousin's presence, removing her hands from the keys and folding them primly in her lap. "Good evening, Éponine. I was not expecting you tonight."
'Of course you weren't, after the last time we met.' Éponine thought, though she kept the thoughts to herself. Instead, she forced a smile, wringing the fabric of her skirt between her hands. "I didn't want to leave matters the way they were. I owe you both a proper explanation, for why I did what I did."
"There was no need for you to explain anything to me." Cosette stated quickly, though she was not unkind in her urgency. "I was raised by Thénardier just as you were. I know his temper."
"Of course you do." the young woman allowed; she could hardly deny it, after all that Cosette had endured alongside her in their childhood. "But he's a thousand times worse now. He was always wild-tempered, but at least in Montfermeil he had money, he had beer and tobacco. Now, he's a scrounger, begging and scheming to get enough money for a loaf of bread. And God help anyone around him if he doesn't."
"Does he… beat you?" Cosette asked, her face the picture of concern. Éponine could have laughed at the foolishness of the question, though she kept her dignity instead.
"He'll try to go for Azelma first, thinks she's an easier target, but I never let him. So, then he goes double for me." The beatings were horrific enough to endure, but then there was worse than beatings, and she had sworn long ago that she would be the only one to endure those.
"You poor thing." Cosette breathed, her voice so horror-stricken that any observers might think she had seen the events unfold before her eyes. "I do wish you would come to stay with us, so that you might be free of him. It would be no trouble to have you here, and it would be the greatest comfort to Papa to know you are safe."
"I'd like that." Éponine answered. She could not bring herself to lie about that, even if it might have been easier to do so. Any life would be better than a life under Thénardier's roof, but the fact was, she was not the only one who lived there. "But I have a sister and brother who need protecting. Gavroche as good as lives on the streets now, just to get away from his father, and Azelma only manages to keep her distance when I'm there. Without me, they'd have no one between them and Thénardier's anger."
"Éponine, I know you want to protect the children you have grown with," Cosette reasoned gently, reaching up to rest a hand on her cousin's arm, a gesture almost maternal in its comfort. "But you should not have to do so at the cost of your own life. Azelma is the eldest, I'm certain she can protect Gavroche; if not, then perhaps she can find a way to escape as well. Do you not think it time you protected yourself from harm, Éponine?"
Cosette did not have a chance to speak any further, for her eyes had been drawn to the doorway behind the brunette, or more particularly, to the young man stood in it. Marius.
"Good evening, mademoiselle." he greeted, inclining his head respectfully. His tone was almost reverent, as if Cosette were the Angel Gabriel appearing before him; indeed, he looked at her as if she had been sent from Heaven above.
"You are Éponine's friend?" Cosette asked, her smile dazzling. "I seem to recognise you, monsieur. I wonder if we have met somewhere before."
"I'm afraid I have not had the pleasure." Marius seemed truly regretful at that fact. After a moment's shocked pause, the young man held out his hand. "My name is Marius Pontmercy, mademoiselle."
The blonde reached out in turn, clasping his hand gently in hers. She managed to make even the most business-like of gestures seem graceful as a princess. "Mine is Cosette."
For a few moments, there was silence in the room, Marius' hand clutching Cosette's and her eyes locked on his. Then Éponine, who could stand it no longer, turned on her heel and fled. She did not make for the door, however much she may have wished to, for she could not disappoint her uncle so once again. Instead, she found a small, cupboard-like room, empty bar a simple table with a silver candlestick at either end, and leant back against the door.
Once the door was closed, Éponine heaved a shaking breath, fighting to keep her brewing tears under control. Marius had always been the one person she could trust to value her over all others. No matter what he was doing, he would drop it at a moment's notice if she asked him to. Now, she could see all that slipping away, in favour of golden hair and a bird-like voice.
"Oh, Marius." she whispered. A plea, a regret, a word that meant so much to her it could send daggers plunging into the depths of her heart. The way he had looked at Cosette was unmistakable for someone who knew it so well. After all, it was the same way Éponine had looked at Marius since they were only children, the way she had longed endlessly for him to look at her. The way she was certain now that he never would.
'It should have been me.' she thought to herself, unable to keep the bitterness at bay. 'I was the one who was always here for you, not Cosette. Maybe that's why he chose her instead. I tried too hard to show my love, so he got used to seeing it, like the love of a sister, or of a close friend. Cosette's love is new and exciting, the love of a pretty girl and an intelligent boy. And where does that leave me?'
She cast a brief glance out of the window, the light all but faded away, leaving only the faint glow of the moon to guide her.
It left her nothing.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, however depressing it might be. Please review!