Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them. This is not a very long chapter but I hope you like it.
Once again, just to say that I do know it is out of canon to give Enjy brothers and sisters, but I couldn't resist the story opportunity I had here.
Also, I'm referring to most people by their Christian names in this chapter. I thought with four Enjys and two Combeferres, it would all get rather confusing using the surnames.
Julien's head snapped up and his face immediately transformed into a scowl that was usually only reserved for royalists and Grantaire. He quickly got to his feet and spun to face the newest arrival in the room; a slim, well-dressed young man with dusky gold hair – older than himself and Combeferre, but younger than René.
"So it would appear." Julien said, his voice cold and precise, contempt radiating from his pale blue eyes. He stood ramrod straight with his arms pinned at his sides, as if to prevent himself from suddenly desiring to throttle his brother.
"My, aren't we unpleasant?" smirked the newcomer. "I rather think your manners are suffering, little brother, from the influence all the penniless, uneducated riffraff you associate with in Paris."
"Stop it Louis!" snapped René, seeing Julien clench his fists angrily. René had grown up watching Louis and Antoine bullying Julien and their late brother Nicolas into losing their tempers – and it had always been Julien and Nicolas who were punished, for their father favoured Louis and Antoine above all his other children.
Julien's stay here was going to be unpleasant as it was, and the last thing René wanted was his for his youngest brother to suffer at the hands of his father for the duration of the visit because he'd reacted to his brother's baiting. He glared at Louis, who simply smiled back in reply.
"Uneducated maybe, but I've yet to meet one who's as brainless as you are!" snapped Julien angrily. Louis's eyes glinted maliciously.
"Temper temper, petit!" he chided smoothly, using the pet name as an insult. "Do think you're too big for me to teach you a lesson!"
"Can't you go and prattle somewhere else?" demanded Julien coldly. "Christine is asleep."
"Oh don't you bloody start!" Louis rolled his eyes. "That's all I've heard from René all week! Don't talk so loud, don't slam the door, Christine is asleep! I'm sick of it! If you ask me, she is just over-acting!"
"Stop acting like a five year old!" snapped René. "She's very ill and you're not helping. Go and find something else to do!"
"I suppose I can go and inform Papa that my errant little brother has arrived, since he has not had the manners to do it himself!" sneered Louis. "I'm sure he'll be very pleased witheverything you're picking up in Paris, Julien!"
"Can't be any worse than the arrogance one picks up here!" replied Julien icily, only keeping his rage intact by the knowledge that Christine was sleeping fitfully not two feet away from him.
"Julien!" warned René, glad to see that Etienne had moved close enough to grab his brother, should he suddenly decide to launch himself at Louis.
Luckily, at that moment, Dr Combeferre came back into the room – having gone to make up the pain reliever that René had promised Christine.
He at once sensed the tension in the room. He was a friend and associate of Monsieur Enjolras's and lived on the neighbouring estate. As a result, he'd known all seven of the Enjolras children – René, Antoine, Louis, Marie, Nicolas, Julien and Christine – as they grew up. He was well aware of the intense dislike between Antoine, Louis and their youngest brother and he knew that the glaresJulienand Louiswere shooting each other now were only going to lead to an argument.
"I'm going to have to ask the three of you to leave now." he said, in the gentle tone that was so like his son's. "René and I are going to give her that pain reliever, and then we need to have another look at the swelling in her abdomen. She does not need you three standing gawping at her. Go on, off with you."
Obediently, Julien and Etienne got to their feet and headed for the door; Julien pausing only to press a gentle kiss to Christine's forehead. Louis threw the doctor petulant glance (looking out of place on the face of a twenty-three year old) but did not protest. Even he did not quite dare to cheek his father's friend. He followed Julien and Etienne out of the room and René shut the door behind them.
"I'm going to put my things in my room." Julien said to Etienne, purposefully ignoring his elder brother. "I'll show to yours too, if you like, though I'm sure you remember the way."
Combeferre nodded and the two of them were about to start of down the richly decorated corridor when they were suddenly joined by another slim, tall young man with dull blonde hair. He and Louis would have passed for identical twins, had it not been for the dimple in the newcomer's cheek.
"There you are, Louis. Papa was wondering if…oh." The newcomer stopped short at the sight of the two young men behind Louis and Combeferre got ready to grab hold of Julien if need be.
Wonderful, just wonderful! thought Julien despairingly. Two down and only one to go.
"Julien." said the newcomer, with a sneering nod.
"Antoine." replied Julien coldly and Louis burst into another vile grin.
"You will not believe, Antoine, the saucy impertinence that the runt of the litter has been picking up in Paris; mixing with the scum of the streets." he told his mirror image. "He is getting quite above his station!"
"Indeed?" asked Antoine, imperiously raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps we need to remind the runt that we are still capable of thrashing the hide off him, no matter how tall he grows!"
Fire began to ignite in Julien's eyes and he clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to slam them into Antoine's face.
Stay calm Julien! he told himself sternly. You have more dignity than this!
"Come on Etienne." he said airily. "Let us leave Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their musings."
Etienne bit back a chuckle and turned again to accompany his friend along the corridor, when they heard Antoine ask Louis:
"How is our burdensome little invalid?"
"Just the same." snickered Louis, gesturing to the closed door. "Dear René is hovering by like a guardian angel to the whining brat. All these damned melodramatics. Don't you wish the malingering little thing would just hurry up and die and get it over with?"
"You bastard!"
Etienne moved like lightening to try and seize his friend by the back of his waistcoat, but it was too late. Julien pulled himself free of the hold and brought his brother to the floor with a single punch.
Fiesty Enjy, don't you just love him?