Disclaimer: Les Misérables and all its associated characters do not belong to me.
Summary: One inch was all it took for Éponine's life to be spared and it altered the fates of four people. Éponine/Enjolras. Also contains Éponine/Musichetta, Éponine/Joly, and Éponine/Marius friendships.
Author's Notes: WOW. Don't think any of you saw the arrest coming! I got many responses saying that they love me but they hate me, hahaha… I'm sorry. Please trust me :-). But seriously, I am floored by all the awesome feedback I got for the last chapter. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Hopefully I can live up to it! So without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 36
In the aftermath, there was much speculation among those present during the arrest as to what happened and how it came to be. While most just wished to find out who Enjolras actually was, Joly and Musichetta wanted to know who reported their friend to the police. Their best guess was that this new thug somehow figured out who Enjolras was and struck a deal with the inspector in exchange for some of his men who were currently in custody. What were a few petty criminals compared to a political fugitive, sought for treason, apparently responsible for one of the barricades in the recent rebellion? That would surely buy the ambitious inspector several pats on the back from his superiors… But this was only a speculation, based on what they knew of this gang leader called Darien. It could have just as easily been any other person who had come into contact with Enjolras as Monsieur Émile. They supposed they would never really know, would they?
Éponine was less concerned with how Enjolras got caught and more with how she would get him out. What could she do? Her practical brain weighed her options, though Enjolras' parting words narrowed down her priorities:
Tell Marius—
She knew straight away what he'd meant: 'Tell Marius about Jean Valjean.'
With Enjolras' apprehension, Monsieur Valjean had also just been exposed for falsely claiming a fugitive to be his grandson and for bringing this known criminal into the convent. His days in Petit-Picpus would surely be over once the prioress had heard about the arrest, which would could be as soon as daybreak, since a scandal as big as this was bound to rouse the neighborhood's curiosity and excitement.
Despite the promise to Monsieur Valjean, Éponine had no choice then but to tell Marius the whole truth, including the fact that his soon-to-be father-in-law was responsible for rescuing him from the barricade. Knowing Marius, he would certainly be moved to take Cosette and collect her father from the convent, regardless of the man's criminal past or whatever risk he might pose to his fiancée in the future.
On top of that though, Éponine also remembered that Marius was a lawyer, which was coincidentally the one person of whom Enjolras was in dire need presently. He would likely be able to help find way to get the other man out. And even if he could not, he should know someone who would.
So that was settled then. The first thing Éponine would do in the morning was go find Marius.
Monsieur Joly had earlier spared her the effort of explaining tonight's dramatic event by asking Musichetta to take her to the bedroom, while he dealt with the questions from the remaining guests. For the past few minutes, the grisette had been sitting with her on the bed in silent support, with an arm around her shoulders, as Éponine processed what happened.
When Enjolras was being taken away, Musichetta was swift to hold the other girl back, fearing for an instant that Éponine would re-enact the fate of her namesake and her husband Sabinus by asking to be arrested with Enjolras. Musichetta would never forgive herself for giving Éponine that book if that was the case. Fortunately, it appeared that Éponine was holding herself together well, though she had not said a word since the police left.
Some of younger urchins had also followed the pair to the bedroom and were now sitting on the floor, gazing at the two women. They might not have understood why their teacher had been arrested, but they had been in the streets long enough to recognize that it was not a good thing when the police came and took you away.
Though he was eager to speak with Éponine, Luc had stayed back in the living room to hear Monsieur Joly explain Monsieur Émile's— No, Monsieur Enjolras' true identity, which turned out to be more magnificent than Luc could have ever imagined. If the gamin ever doubted that the man had any guts to act on his words, he would not do so again. He felt a great sense of respect for his teacher and wished to see him again soon, so that he could shake his hand. The boy could also not wait to speak to Justine somehow and lord it over her the fact that he had been able to call out Monsieur Enjolras' true roots when she could not. She was in for quite a shock, he thought. It was not everyday that an upper class Mademoiselle like her would find herself linked to a firebrand revolutionary leader and criminal…
Earlier, Luc had also sent a few urchins to follow the group of police escorting Monsieur Enjolras away. They came back now to report that he had been taken to La Force prison. The gamin leader took the news himself to Éponine, who just nodded in recognition. She had more than a cursory familiarity with the place, as her father was once held there. There was likely nothing she could do for Enjolras at the moment and no chance that she would be able to see him tonight, so the best thing for them both was if she tried to get some rest and contact Marius tomorrow.
She told Musichetta and Luc of her plans in the morning and then announced that she was going to bed. Luc took the gamins away to give Éponine some privacy and to let her sleep. Musichetta offered Éponine to come stay with her and Joly tonight, if she did not wish to be alone, but the other girl declined, saying that she just wanted to rest. The grisette nodded, but told her friend that she would get Joly to accompany her to see Marius. He knew where the other man worked after all. That way, Éponine would not even need to go to his grandfather's place to find out. Éponine thanked her, agreeing that it was a good plan.
After Musichetta had left to return to the living room, Éponine started changing for bed. It was an odd sensation, being here without Enjolras. His things were everywhere: Jacket strewn over the chair, papers and pens littering the desk, a certain book that he was reading on the bedside table. They were all making her heart ache a little. Despite the grave circumstances, she still felt optimistic that they would find a way to get him out, but it was nevertheless difficult seeing the empty room and knowing that he would not be here tonight.
Without much conscious thought on her part, she picked up his sleepshirt and changed into it. If he could not hold her tonight, at least she could be comforted by his scent as she fell asleep. She also switched her pillow for his and tried not to think about how the bed felt much colder now that he was not there beside her. Her final thought, before she surrendered to slumber, was if she should start referring to Enjolras as Émile. That was his name, after all, and he had somehow found a way to get her accustomed to using it all this time. She sounded out his first and last names in turn, trying to see what she would be more comfortable with, but the one that was sighed through her lips as she fell asleep was, "Enjolras."
True to Musichetta's word, Joly came by very early in the morning, just around the time the bakery opened. Éponine was already awake anyway, having had a restless sleep. She could barely stand the sight of Enjolras' empty side of the bed when she woke up. Thankfully, she soon found that she was not in fact alone in bed, as two of the smallest gamins — Luc's sister, Mireille, and the boy who called Éponine 'Maman' — had gone and curled themselves at the foot of the bed some time during the night. When Éponine rolled over, she saw that Luc had also fallen asleep on the floor next to her side of the bed. She had to smile at the gesture. That was very sweet of the children to try and keep her company while she slept. She stepped over Luc carefully and all the other slumbering urchins in the living room to go down and get some water for her washing.
By the time she was ready and had wrapped up the item she needed to take to Marius, all the gamins had risen and were sitting around in the living room wanting to talk to her. She did not have much time to do so, however, as Joly soon arrived, carrying several loaves of bread, which he distributed to the children for their morning meal.
"How are you, Éponine?"
She gave him a small smile, "As well as can be expected, considering."
"Have you eaten? Please have a bit breakfast. You shall need your energy, I suspect." He split some bread with her and they sat there for a little bit, chewing quietly.
Joly then asked Luc to keep a lookout in the neighborhood, in case Monsieur Valjean left the convent before his future son-in-law arrived. Monsieur Rimbaud had agreed to host Jean Valjean in the top-floor apartment, if that was the case. The baker would make sure to tell the other man that his daughter, Cosette, would be on her way to get him, so that he'd be convinced to stay. Joly and Musichetta actually did not know that Cosette's father was at the convent all this time or that he had left in the first place because of his troubled past, but it did not matter much to them anyway. They agreed that telling Marius was the best plan.
With that settled, Joly and Éponine departed. On the way, he mentioned to her that he had gotten a courier last night to take the news to Combeferre, who he suspected would still be on his way home, so it was not likely that the latter would make it back to Paris very soon, especially if his mother did indeed pass away. Nevertheless, Joly thought it important that Combeferre find out about the arrest as soon as possible.
Marius was working in one of the better law offices in town, his grandfather having pulled some strings to get him the job, on the argument that he needed to have a good, steady income to provide for his soon-to-be wife, which was true, Marius supposed, so he relented on that front. As luck would have it, he was on his way to the office when Joly and Éponine came upon him in the street.
Feeling extremely surprised at seeing the two together and with such a grave expression on their faces, Marius quickly told his office that he was coming in late due to an emergency and suggested that they all went to a nearby café to talk.
It was quite bizarre for Éponine to be sitting here with Marius. He looked very well, healthy and happy, with no trace of the injuries he sustained at the barricade. When he greeted her earlier, she experienced a good sense of familiarity at being in his embrace, but she no longer felt her heart speeding up, or her stomach twisting, or any of the general nervousness she used to feel when she was around him. In fact, her mind returned to Enjolras quite swiftly, wondering how she was going to break the entire news to Marius. There was much that he needed to hear…
Meanwhile, Marius was thinking similar thoughts, that, apart from the worried look she was currently sporting, Éponine appeared extremely well, almost unrecognizable from the impoverished gamine he once knew. If he had passed her on the street, he would have taken her for a well-to-do grisette, not unlike Joly's mistress, Mademoiselle Musichetta. Speaking of whom, Marius quickly wondered what Joly was doing here with Éponine. Last he heard, she had gone away with Enjolras somewhere, which he thought was a curious development. He did not think the two of them were even acquainted before the barricade fell…
"You must be curious as to why we are here right now—" Joly started, but Éponine cut him off when she finally spoke up, "Marius, the police has captured Enjolras."
Marius looked alarmed straight away, "What? When?"
"Last night. They took him to La Force prison," said Éponine.
"That is why we have come to you, mon ami. Can you help? He will need a lawyer promptly."
Marius was quiet for a while, processing the information, "Knowing the charges… I am not sure I can defend him myself, but I will speak to some of the more senior partners in my office. I think we should be able go to the prison and see him today if he agrees to accept us as his lawyers."
"Of course he will," said Joly.
"Can you please take me with you?" asked Éponine. "I would very much like to see him."
"I am not sure. I suppose," replied Marius, looking puzzled. Éponine and Enjolras must have gotten very close, he thought, for her to be this anxious about him. "Usually, visitation rights would be reserved to lawyers only or close family members, such as a parent or a spouse."
Joly glanced at Éponine and thought that it'd be better if she told Marius this particular development. And indeed, the girl took a deep breath and then spoke in a resolute manner, "Marius, there is something you should know. Enjolras and I are… romantically involved. We have been for some time now. And though we are not married, I have been pretending to be his wife ever since we left Monsieur Combeferre's house together. When he got arrested, the police most likely thought that I was his wife, so maybe you can claim me as such when we go to the prison?"
Marius was astonished. He did not know what surprised him more, the fact that the stoic Enjolras had finally fallen for a woman or that she turned out to be his friend, Éponine, who once was in love with him. Now that he thought about it though, the possibility should have perhaps occurred to him when he heard that Éponine had come with Enjolras into hiding…. Marius could only feel happy for them both, as he did not relish the thought of the girl anguishing in a heartbreak over him and he believed that she as well as Enjolras deserved some love after what they'd experienced at the barricade. If Éponine had told him under different circumstances, Marius would have been extremely joyous and congratulated her most ardently. As such, the grave reality was, they had now been separated from each other by some rather serious criminal charges. The least that he could do was help fix the situation.
"I am genuinely very happy to hear that the two of you have found each other, Éponine," he finally said. "I will of course try my best to see that you are reunited with him."
"Thank you, Marius. I very much appreciate it," Éponine said with a small smile before growing serious again. "But that is not all I have to tell you, I am afraid. Do you not wonder where we have been all this time?"
Marius shared a look with Joly, "Combeferre mentioned that the two of you went away somewhere, but, no, I do not know where. He was being quite vague, so I thought it best not to ask for details."
"There is a reason for it," replied Éponine. "He and Enjolras sought the help of your future father-in-law, who took us with him when he went away to the convent where Cosette was once schooled. That is where he has been all this time, Marius. He pretended that Enjolras was his grandson and I his wife, so that we were allowed to stay there."
"And with Enjolras' true identity revealed as a result of his arrest, there is a great likelihood that Monsieur Valjean would be ejected from the convent for having lied and allowed a fugitive to be sheltered there," Joly added.
Marius looked stunned, as Joly had used the man's real name, "The two of you are aware, then, of his circumstances and the reasons for his leaving?"
"Yes. But there is more," said Éponine. "Monsieur Valjean first told Enjolras the truth because they had met each other before… At the barricade, in fact, where he saved Enjolras' life and yours as well, Marius. It was he who brought you back to your grandfather's house. He made Enjolras swear not to tell you, because he was convinced that he had to stay away from your life and Cosette's. But Monsieur Valjean needs you and her now more than ever. It was in fact the last thing Enjolras said to me, to make sure you would come collect Monsieur Valjean before he disappears somewhere where he cannot be found." It was then that Éponine finally unwrapped the package that she had brought for Marius. "Enjolras wrote this, based on what Monsieur Valjean told him of his life. Read it if you still need convincing that the man is a saint."
Marius was speechless, his hands flipping through the lengthy manuscript that Enjolras had written. So Jean Valjean was indeed his savior that night! He had suspected it, but had let the man go all the same. He cursed himself for that. He should have fought harder for him to stay. He should have seen that Cosette needed her father in her life. She was beside herself when she found out that he'd left without saying goodbye and had been lamenting the fact that he would not be at her wedding. Well, this was something that Marius intended to fix straight away.
"Where is he? Is he still at the convent?" he asked.
"He should be," said Joly. "The arrest only happened last night, so the prioress would not have heard the news until this morning. If you act fast, you should be able to find him before he has the chance to depart."
Marius appeared distracted, running through the different priorities in his mind. "All right. This is what I shall do. I will come in to the office and speak to the senior partners about Enjolras. They should be able to arrange a visit for us, Éponine, at La Force. While they do that, I will go home to collect Cosette and the two of us shall leave for the convent straight away. Oh, this shall be a most glorious news for her, to be reunited with her dear papa. How is he?"
"I have not seen him for a couple of days, unfortunately, but the last time I did, he was looking rather worn out. I think he just misses his daughter terribly," said Éponine in a soft tone.
"Oh this is all my fault. I should not have never let him leave. I just hope that we are not too late. I do not think I can forgive myself if Cosette only had a short time to see her father again," Marius said in a slightly dramatic tone. Then something else occurred to him, "Wait… If you have been living in the convent all this time, Éponine, then how come you have not seen him for a while?"
"Monsieur Valjean has been there the entire time, but Enjolras and I… were made to leave about a month ago. We have been staying at an apartment nearby though, so that we could still be around him while Enjolras' leg heals."
Marius just nodded, "How is his injury? Has he recovered?"
It was Joly who answered, "Thankfully, the police got to him after the cast on his leg was removed. And he has been walking very well with the cane, which he fortunately also managed to take with him."
"I am glad to hear it." Marius then turned to Éponine, "Is that where I shall come get you? At this apartment near the convent?"
"Yes, look for the Rimbaud bakery. I reside on the top floor."
Marius was quiet again, seemingly contemplating something, "Will you be fine there all by yourself, Éponine? And the place is on the other side of the city from the prison. Would you… consider staying with me? It is closer to La Force. I'd imagine Cosette would want to live back home now with her father, but I am sure she will have no objection to you becoming my houseguest."
Éponine was taken aback by the offer. Once upon a time, her heart would have leapt at the opportunity to live with Marius. Now, though, she would just feel uncomfortable with staying at that grand house belonging to his grandfather, who she was not sure would be as welcoming of her presence as Marius was. So she declined politely, saying that she had many of the neighborhood children keeping her company at the moment.
Joly gave Marius a look, indicating it was too long a story to be delved into presently. One of these days, Marius would want to hear about what Enjolras and Éponine had been up to, but seeing as there were many pressing matters to attend presently, he told her that he would pick her up at her flat this afternoon to go to the prison.
And with that, the three of them broke up their meeting. Marius rushed to his office with Enjolras' manuscript in hand, while Joly and Éponine hailed a fiacre.
Once inside, Joly turned to Éponine with a smile, "That went rather well, don't you think?"
"Yes, I do feel better now that Marius knows what to do for Monsieur Valjean and Enjolras."
"Something occurred to me earlier when he brought up your living arrangement. He does have a point, Éponine, about your current lodging being very far from the prison and from the rest of us, in fact. I realize that you may not wish to live with Marius, and my place with Musichetta may indeed be too small to accommodate all three of us, but… Combeferre's house is currently uninhabited and I do have the key to it. I am sure he will not mind if you stay there. And it is quite close to mine, so Musichetta and I can come by more often to keep you company. You may even wish to invite some of the gamins to accompany you if you'd like."
Éponine was ready to decline the request. She could not very well lodge herself in Monsieur Combeferre's home without his permission, could she? But… She must admit that the thought of returning to that apartment, where she had so many fond memories of Enjolras and with his things still where he'd left them, was rather depressing. And Marius and Monsieur Joly were correct in remarking that the travel time between the bakery and the prison was a bit too lengthy.
Joly spoke again, because Éponine had not said anything, "Monsieur Rimbaud told me that he is not concerned with the reasons for Enjolras' arrest — in fact, he seems to admire what Enjolras had done — so you are more than welcome to continue living there. But I am worried that if you remain too long in that neighborhood, the locals might start ogling you as the wife of that aristocratic fugitive who was caught so dramatically one night."
"Do you really think Monsieur Combeferre would not mind?" she finally asked.
"Of course not! He would admonish me for not offering it to you. I do not know the precise state of his mother, so I am not sure how long it will take him to get back. You might have the place to yourself for a while." Joly contemplated whether he and Musichetta should also move in, to prevent Éponine from being alone.
Éponine took some more time to think about it. She would miss the children, the Rimbaud family, the schoolgirls, the Morels, and all the other people she had gotten to know since moving to the bakery. At the same time though, she wanted to be physically closer to Enjolras, even when she could not be with him.
With that in mind, she told Monsieur Joly that she would be very grateful to stay in Monsieur Combeferre's home.
"Excellent. Shall we move you in today? I can help pack up and we can be there by lunchtime. I must remember to send a note to Marius though, so that he could come get you from Combeferre's place instead."
"Are you certain you can spare the time? Do you not have school or work?"
"No, I have cleared my schedule to keep you company today, Éponine," said Joly with a kind smile. "Musichetta will also join us as soon as she finishes work, that is if you and Marius have not left for the prison already. I might come and pick her up either way, so that she knows to go to Combeferre's place."
Éponine returned his smile, "Thank you, Monsieur. You have been so kind to me."
"Do not mention it. You and Enjolras are dear friends."
Author's Notes: No Enjolras in the chapter, sorry :-(, but hope you still liked how Éponine thought of him A LOT. He will be in the next chapter though. As usual, I had wanted this chapter to be longer, but this is already 4,000+ words as it stands! I wouldn't want to tire you (or myself) by posting such a lengthy chapter.
I must admit that I find Marius tough to write. I just do not connect to his character as much as the other ones in this fic. Hopefully, you still find his reactions to the news of É/E and Jean Valjean interesting though. I see Marius' response to É/E as representing that of the other Les Amis boys, since he is one of the few who've known Enjolras from before the barricade and who is (y'know) still alive. Since I can't write them reacting to the news from the afterlife and being agog and aghast that Enjolras has finally been conquered by a woman, Marius will have to do it for them. Don't worry, there will be more, as Marius hasn't actually seen the couple in action, has he? ;-) Combeferre and Joly, of course, have also known Enjolras from back then, but they have been more-or-less present throughout Enjolras' "courtship" period with Éponine, so they are no longer quite so perplexed by the development.
In terms of Jean Valjean, here is my next divergence from canon. He will get to be reunited with Cosette before the wedding :-). I don't know, I just like the idea of them having more time together, since Cosette and Valjean's relationship is one of my favorites. With Marius, Cosette, and Valjean, I'm following more of the musical canon.
I'm writing the legal side of Enjolras' arrest based on my best guess. As far as I can tell, defendants had a right to an attorney under the Napoleonic Code and I am hedging my bet on the fact that they are also allowed a visitor (close family members). La Force prison really did exist, apparently, and Thénardier was once held there.
I'm already in the middle of the next chapter, which is why I can tell you that Enjolras is in it, so please review to motivate me! I am aiming to publish the next one before I leave for my holidays on Saturday. What do you think of Éponine moving back to Combeferre's place?