Chapter 2: Deception

Fantine opened her eyes. She'd been sleeping in a soft white bed in the best room of the Thenardiers' inn. Through the window, the sun had not quite finished rising; it must be about eight in the morning. The high-pitched chirps of the birds sounded from the trees outside. Fantine took a moment to savor the happy sights and sounds. After so many weeks of sickness and fear, her peaceful convalescence felt utterly sublime.

It had been seven days since she and Monsieur Madeleine--or Monsieur Fauchelevent, as she now had to call him--had arrived at the inn. Every day she expected him to return to Montreuil-sur-mer and his mayoral duties. She had never imagined he would stay the whole week, but he had. She looked around the room and felt a shock. Not only was Monsieur Madeleine still at the inn, he was sitting right in her bedroom! He had nodded off in a chair without changing into his night-clothes. From the position of his head, he looked as if he'd been facing her when he fell asleep. Monsieur? Is that you?" she asked, mostly to herself.

He twitched and sat up straight in the chair, thickly muttering "Javert?" His posture relaxed as his eyes blinked open and flicked toward Fantine. "Oh, good morning, Fantine. You're awake early today. You are feeling better, aren't you?" He stood up to have a better look.

"Yes, very much, and I owe it all to you. I cannot even begin to thank you for all you've done..." Fantine's voice trailed off as she found herself looking up at her benefactor's face. Monsieur Madeleine's smile was comforting--unlike her, he had all his teeth--and his eyes shone with good humor. Though his hair was white, he did not look old. The events of the past few months had turned her own hair grey; she wondered what trauma had prematurely aged him. His face was not conventionally handsome, but Fantine found it pleasant to look at.

He waved away Fantine's statements of gratitude and continued: "Then I think you're finally ready. Do you want to see Cosette now?"

"Yes! Oh, God, of course I do!" she squealed. At that moment he looked like an angel from Heaven.

"Then I will go and bring her to you."

A torturously slow half-hour passed. Cosette walked in timidly, holding onto Monsieur Madeleine's finger the same way she had held Felix's in the dream. Her skinny frame swayed as her gaunt face searched the room; she looked as sickly as Fantine had worried. Yet her hair was neatly combed, and the clothes hanging over her skin-and-bones body looked new. The Thenardiers had apparently done their best to care for her. The girl's eyes went wide with amazement when she saw her mother. Fantine heard her whisper, "It's her! It's the lady in white from my dreams!" Then, louder but with apprehension: "Good morning, madame--is there anything I can--do for you?"

Fantine's heart sank as she realized her greatest fear had proven true. "Cosette, my love, don't you remember me? Your mother?"

Cosette shook her head and wept into her hands. "Oh, please don't be mean to me like everyone else! Please don't make up stories to make me cry! I already know I don't have a mother - Madame Thenardier told me so. You don't have to remind me."

"Madame Thenardier was wrong. You do have a mother, and I've missed you so much, my baby. Can you forgive me for leaving you for so long?" Fantine sat up in bed and leaned over to hug Cosette, wanting more than anything to dry her tears.

Cosette only shrank back nervously until Monsieur Madeleine put his hand on her shoulder. He whispered, "This lady is a good friend of mine. I promise that she loves you with all her heart, and only wants you to love her back." Cosette seemed partially reassured; she gave Fantine a tentative hug.

It was the sort of joy that only a mother and child can feel for each other. Cosette's hug soon became more enthusiastic, and she burst into tears again - clearly happy ones this time. "Will you hug me like this all the time?" she asked.

"Of course," Fantine replied, kissing Cosette's dainty forehead.

"Will you stay with me and not go away?"

"Of course! I love you, Cosette." She felt it with all her heart.

Cosette's expression became more and more excited. "Oh! Will you be kind to me, and not scold me all the time like--"

Before Cosette could finish, Monsieur Madeleine interrupted her. "Yes, Cosette, I know your mother will be very kind to you." He turned to Fantine. "Now, please listen to me, Mademoiselle Fantine. I cannot stay here much longer, because--because I must return to my duties as mayor. Don't worry; I've made sure you are provided for. I will leave you with enough money for food and lodgings until you feel completely better. After that, you will already have a job waiting for you. I have a friend in Paris who needs someone to care for his two children. He has assured me that he pays well, and you can bring Cosette with you." Turning back to Cosette: "How does that sound, Cosette? Life in the big city, with your mother and nice children to play with?"

"It sounds lovely! I still cannot believe it!"

Fantine slowly got out of bed with her arm still around Cosette. "Why don't you show me around the inn, my love? Where do you sleep? How are your two little playmates?"

Monsieur Madeleine broke in again. "I think Cosette needs some fresh air. Why don't you take her for a walk around the town? I have bought a set of warm clothes for both of you." When Cosette pouted, he told her: "Cosette, I need this time to speak privately with the Thenardiers. I must make sure that they'll allow you to leave." Not only did the girl stop fussing, but she shivered nervously and held onto her mother more tightly. Her reaction puzzled Fantine.

Heavy skirts and shawls on, the mother and daughter walked hand in hand along the streets of Montfermeil. The winter sun was slowly melting the clumps of snow that remained on the sides of the road. Fantine walked slowly, still weak from her prolonged illness, but Cosette didn't complain or try to speed up. As they smelled fresh bread baking and heard the sounds of people on their morning errands, Fantine reflected that life could not be better than this. She had escaped arrest and illness, she was reunited with her daughter, and she would have a job and a home. It was true that there was no man in her life, but this scarcely mattered to her. The months of prostitution had made her disgusted with sex, and the lewd men she'd known had made her cynical about romantic love. All she really desired was a companion who would be kind to her...as Monsieur Madeleine had. She found herself wishing that he didn't have to leave so soon. He had been her only friend in a long time--in fact, ever since her co-workers at the factory had driven her out.

Fantine strolled with her daughter through the bustling town square. There she came upon a sight that made her heart race: Inspector Javert! What could he be doing in Montfermeil? She was well enough to know that she was not imagining things. The Inspector was really there, in the flesh! He stood with two younger officers on a raised platform, shouting something to the passers-by. Fantine pulled her hood tightly over her head, grabbed Cosette's hand, and tried to get away unseen. As she passed Inspector Javert, she heard him say:

"Listen, everyone! You must be on the lookout. A wanted criminal is hiding in this town! His name is Jean Valjean. He's between fifty and fifty-five years old, about 190 centimeters tall, large build, with whitish hair and beard. He has exceptional physical strength. He sometimes goes by the name Madeleine. If anyone sees this man, contact me or another officer immediately!"

One of the officers volunteered, "I'll check the Thenardier place. They're the type of crooks who might hide him for a price."

Fantine's understanding of what she heard came in stages. Right after her initial shock, she felt ashamed for having romantic thoughts about a convicted criminal. Then she felt betrayed that he had pretended to be an upstanding citizen and lied to her whole town. Finally she realized that whatever he had done to her town, he had shown her nothing but kindness. In fact, he was wholly responsible for her being alive at that moment - and he was in great danger.

Possible courses of action flew through her mind. If the Inspector recognized her, he might send her to jail, but she was healthy and had Cosette with her. The sentence would be short and neither of them would die. On the other hand, her benefactor would probably be a prisoner for life if caught. She approached Inspector Javert and shouted: "I've seen that man! He was going into the boarding house over there." She pointed to a building in the opposite direction from the Thenardiers'.

It worked: Inspector Javert told the officer to search the boarding house before going to the Thenardiers'. Fantine had bought enough time to warn Monsieur Madeleine that the police were coming. Meanwhile, the Inspector peered at Fantine's face. He raised his eyebrows in recognition but made no attempt to arrest her. He simply spit out some grumpy remark that she "had better watch herself" and returned to the more pressing situation.

As Fantine hurriedly dragged Cosette back toward the inn, the implications of the mayor's true identity finally occurred to her. The escape to Montfermeil and the two carriages were for his own safety, not hers. His name change was also for himself. He would be leaving her, not to return to his mayoral duties, but to continue fleeing from the police. What good were all the positive changes in her life if they'd all been based on a lie...and what other secrets was this strange and terrible man hiding? Only one thought gave Fantine hope: why did this escapee impede his progress by bringing her along? It was true that once his identity was revealed, his word as mayor would no longer be the law and the Inspector could arrest her. Yet if he was some hardened criminal looking out only for himself, why would he care?

Fantine forgot her weakness and fatigue as she rushed to the inn as fast as she could, dying for answers.