Esmeralda was so eager to get it over with, that her smile when she was saying goodbye to their last guests was genuine. She couldn't be happier that they were finally leaving.
She had already noticed Frollo silently leaving the room while Lefebvre was distracted bragging about whatever, so she knew he would already be waiting for her at the stables.
The sooner they left, the sooner she would get to him.
She had decided on selfishness, after all. She would tell him the truth, even if it put him at risk. They would figure it out together. Like they always had.
Maybe they would go to the King and come clean and beg for his mercy. Or maybe they would just run away together and hope the King's soldiers would never found them. Alright, that was a long shot, she had to admit it. She knew nowhere they could go that the soldiers couldn't reach, unless they left France entirely. But they wouldn't get that far.
Whatever, she shook her head. They would come up with something. Frollo would. He always did.
- What's on your mind? - Lefebvre asked curious, and she realized she had been gesturing involuntarily.
- Oh, nothing. - she quickly said, with a casual tone. - I was just thinking about the wedding.
- You were? - he asked, surprised. Up until then, she had shown no interest whatsoever in any wedding stuff. Maybe she was finally warming up to him.
- Yes! I was trying to imagine what kind of dress would I wear… - she lied, noticing this put Gaspard in a good mood. It wasn't hard now, pretending to be excited, since for the first time in a long time she actually felt optimistic.
- Whatever it is you will look exquisite, my love. - Gaspard said, getting closer.
Okay, maybe dim down the enthusiasm a little, she thought to herself, not wanting to seem too inviting.
- Thank you. Anyway, I should be going to bed now… - she said, taking a step back with a calm smile.
Though she hadn't come up with a plan before the party, she had seen it so clearly once they were there. She knew who would be guarding her door that night, for she had memorized the shifts the soldiers took to do so. Fortunately, today it was the turn of a young, naive guard.
So, during the party, she had asked her maid to do her a very special favor. Esmeralda instructed her to go downstairs, to the dungeons, and find the room at the end of the hallway. She had prayed that the door would be open.
- You will find lots of glass jars and bottles there. - she whispered to the maid, which at this point was the only one she could trust among the servants. At least, enough to fulfill her request without asking further questions. - Do you know how to read?
- No, miss… - the maid replied, lowering her head with embarrassment.
- That's okay! It's okay. - Esmeralda reassured her quickly, her mind working full speed on another solution. - Then, you must go to my chamber first. On the table, there is a piece of parchment, and a small piece of carbon. Bring them to me.
The lass nodded and left promptly.
A few minutes later she reappeared, and looked at her from afar, waiting for her instructions. She excused herself from Gaspard's side again, pretending to go near the table for food, and she quickly scrabbled a word in the parchment.
- Here. You must look for a bottle with a label that looks exactly like this, okay?
- And what do I do with it, miss?
- Just bring it to me, that's all. - Esmeralda said plainly, hoping to encourage her.
The maid looked anxious, for she could tell from Esmeralda's secrecy that whatever she was doing, she didn't want her master to find out about it. But Esmeralda had always been kind to her, unlike this new Minister who had radically changed the way he treated the servants from his last visit as an emissary. So she nodded again, and left for the dungeons.
Please, please, please, Esmeralda kept begging inside her heart, as the minutes went by and the maid didn't come back.
She was beginning to think she needed another plan when the young woman came out of nowhere from the crowd, like a sneaky cat, and discreetly handed her the small bottle.
Esmeralda had to fight the urge to hug her. Instead, she just gave her her warmest smile of gratitude. She looked at the label. It was the right one.
She didn't know anything about herbs, but she knew this one, for it was the one the gypsies used during childbirth to help soothe the mother's pain. She remembered seeing it on Frollo's dungeon, and recognizing the name. Thank God for the man's interest in plants!
Now all she had to do was spill the content of the bottle into her young guard's cup. Half an hour from then he would be sound asleep, and he would probably sleep through the entire night, so he wouldn't notice anything weird until the morning.
It was a piece of cake.
She just walked towards the lad, who still blushed whenever she addressed him directly, and pretended to find him very funny. Then, she asked him to help her adjust her shoe, for what he kneeled before her, handing her his cup to hold it for a second. Long enough to pour the sedative. They were in a corner of the room, covered behind a large group of people, so no one would see. By the time the man raised up again, it was done. Esmeralda thanked him with a smile, and walked away.
By now, he will be feeling very sleepy, Esmeralda thought to herself, as she got ready to leave the room now everyone else had left.
- Not so fast, my dear. - Gaspard stopped her. - I would like to have a private moment with my soon-to-be wife. - he said, with a clingy tone that made her sick.
- Hmm I'm a little tired from the party. - she said with an apologetic smile.
- Just have a glass of wine with me, will you?- the minister insisted.
- Fine… - she yielded, figuring Frollo would probably understand her lateness.
Gaspard poured them two glasses of wine, though he spilled most of the content of the bottle. She realized he was quite drunk already.
- Are you alright? - she asked, tentatively.
- I'm perfectly fine. Now, drink up. - Lefebvre said, raising his glass in a polite gesture.
She took a sip of wine, but, as usually, she didn't like the taste of it. Gaspard observed her carefully, and then he came closer.
- You should know… it's really hard to remain an honorable man when I have a woman like you by my side every day. - he said, lowering his tone, trying to sound seductive.
Esmeralda almost chocked on her wine. Honorable? He still had the nerve to call himself honorable? After everything he was putting her through?
However, there was a more urgent concern.
- Oh, but you said… - she tried to remind him, feeling a crippling terror climbing up her spine.
- Yes, yes, I'm aware of what I said. And I intend to keep my word. I said I would respect you, and you're behaving certainly well. - Gaspard reassured him, though he sounded irritated.
- Well, you'll have your wedding night then. - she said, doing her best to sound promising even though the mere thought of it made her want to throw up.
Lefebvre seemed very pleased to see her apparently willing disposition. The alcohol clouding his vision prevented him from noticing the growing tension in Esmeralda's face.
- But for now, I think we should both get some rest.- she added, gently touching his arm to lower down the hand holding his glass.
- You're probably right. - Gaspard agreed at last, leaving the cup on the table. - Allow me to escort you to your chamber.
- Of course. - she nodded, glad that it was over.
Now all she had to do was ditch him and run to the stables, where Frollo was probably wondering where the hell she was.
However, once they reached the stairs, it became evident that Lefebvre's drunk state wouldn't make it an easy task to get him to his room. The man held to the railing with one hand, and he clung to her with the other.
She encouraged him as he climbed each step with exasperating sluggishness. She couldn't tell if it was her perception due to her own impatience, but it felt like at least ten minutes had gone by when they finally reached the first floor.
- I think it's better if I escort you. - she pointed out, trying not to sound too sarcastic.
- I'm perfectly able to get to my own room. - Gaspard replied, with his pride hurt.
- Alright, as you wish. - she shrugged. - I'll see you tomorrow.
Then, without warning, Gaspard leaned in and kissed her. His clumsy, drunk lips moved awkwardly over hers, who was paralyzed in her spot for a second, before she violently moved away.
- What are you doing? - she asked, furious.
- Come on! - he protested, trying to maintain his balance after her sudden movement. - It's just a good night kiss for my future bride. Nothing disrespectful in that.
- Go to bed. - she ordered him, trying in vain to conceal the revulsion in her face.
Finally, Gaspard turned away with a grunt, and disappeared behind the corner, though she could still hear him stumbling upon the furniture as he reached his chamber's door.
But, to her despair, she heard the voice of the young guard behind her.
- Good night, miss. - he said, opening the door of her chamber for her.
Damn it, she thought. The opioid still hadn't taken him down. Though, by the look of dizziness in his face, it would soon.
- Are you okay? - she asked, faking concern.
- Oh, yes, yes! - the lad reassured her, shaking her head trying to regain his clarity. - It's just the wine.
- Alright then. - she nodded, noticing the way his words slurred together. It was probably a matter of a few minutes. - Good night! - she said, entering the room and closing the door behind her.
She would give him ten minutes, just in case. She hadn't heard any movement downstairs, which meant Frollo was still outside waiting for her. Apparently, it would take all the patience in her bones until she could finally get to him. Fortunately for her, he was much more patient than she had ever been. The excitement of finally reuniting with him in private erased the disgust of Gaspard's kiss. She wouldn't mention that to Frollo. She decided to clean her face, though, just in case the judge could somehow tell.
When she was done, she wondered if maybe she should take any belongings with her, just in case they decided to run away in that same moment. She looked around the room, but all she could see now were meaningless objects. The same things she had found fascinating when she first moved into the palace, now were only trash. All she could care about was her freedom, and Frollo. There was only one thing she wanted to take with her. So she grabbed her purple blanket, and placed it over her shoulders as a cape. That was it. She was ready.
She carefully opened the door, and as she had expected, she found the young guard sleeping in the floor. She could tell by his position that he had tried to resist the urge to go down by leaning against the wall, so he had probably slid down to end up reaching a quite comical posture. She looked at him tenderly. Then, suddenly, a dark thought crossed her mind. He would be the one held responsible for her disappearance if they decided to leave immediately. Gérard Lefebvre's cruel face showed up in her mind, and she imagined the kind of punishment he would inflict on the poor innocent guard. She felt a lump in her throat, and for a moment, she hesitated. But then she remembered Gaspard's kiss, and all her doubt vanished. There was no way she could stay. If Lefebvre chose to torture this poor man, it was his sin, not hers.
Just when she was about to start moving, the silence of the night was broken by a distant, but loud sound that startled her and almost made her drop her blanket. The bells of Notre Dame were ringing for the last time that day, announcing midnight. Was it so late already? She better hurry. However, her feet were glued to the floor. For some reason, she had the feeling that the sound of the bells was ominous, as if they were trying to warn her. She looked at the guard again. Maybe they were trying to stop her from leaving an innocent to a cruel fate? She listened as the last of the twelve metallic sounds reverberated across the silent streets. This was it. She needed to decide, now.
Esmeralda shook her head, trying to gather her determination, and rushed to the stairs. The image of the Captain's face began fading from her mind when she heard his voice in the dark.
- Where do you think you're going?