Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapter.
This chapter is not very dynamic, I know, but I'm using it as a sort of 'moving along' chapter. As you'll see at the end, the interesting stuff is about to begin soon.
Anyways, I would still really appreciate it if you would let me know your opinion.
"You jumped-up little bugger!" Antoine backhanded his little brother across the face and shoved him savagely against the wall. Julien's eyes flashed and he lashed out angrily, striking his sneering brother in the stomach, eliciting a grunt and another curse.
Louis leapt to his feet again and grabbed Julien's face, hollowing his cheeks and squeezing cruelly, while Antoine reached for Julien's throat. Furiously, Etienne grabbed him and began to pull him off, when they were all disturbed by the door shutting and a loud, furious voice.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Rene!" Antoine straightened quickly, letting go of the scarlet-faced Julien. However much he wished to deny it, he was afraid of his eldest brother.
"For Christ's sake!" spat Rene. "If you have to squabble like infants, can you do it elsewhere? God, we're having a difficult time getting Christine to sleep as it is. I don't need you four yelling and banging about outside her door! What's all this about?"
Rene managed to discern the story bit by bit from the tumult of angry voices that suddenly fell upon him. He glared at them all, looking very much like his father – though he'd only have frowned the more if anyone had told him so.
"For crying out loud!" he snapped, after they explained. "I thought you'd all grown out of this. We don't need this right now. The family is going to have enough to deal with without you lot carrying on like this. Antoine, wipe that sneer off your face and go and tell Papa that I will not be coming to dinner. Christine's temperature is rising again and Dr Combeferre and I have been forced to sedate her. I want to monitor her breathing. Louis, stop being so bloody insensitive. If you've nothing useful to say, then bugger off downstairs!"
Growling mutinously, the identical brothers turned and stalked down the corridor. Rene turned to Julien with a look of fond exasperation.
"I know they are bastards, petit, but try and keep that temper of yours under check, will you?" he said scoldingly. "This week is going to be hard enough; I don't want Papa coming down on you, too. And you know what he's like – he'll go for you as soon as you give him the slightest excuse."
"All right. I'm sorry I lost my head. Thanks for trying to help me, Etienne." Julien smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry I paid no attention!"
"It's all right." chuckled Combeferre. "I'm used to it. I grew up with you, remember? My reflexes are just a little slower with lack of practise. You don't usually throw yourself into fights these days, not even with Grantaire!"
"I despair of the lot of you!" sighed Rene, flashing a smile of genuine fondness at his younger brother. "Why am I the only sane being this family has produced?"
"Will you call me if she…I mean, it she gets…" asked Julien pleadingly.
"I will. I promise." Rene patted his shoulder. "Now go and chuck your things in your room, stay with Etienne and don't go near the terrible twosome!"
The young friends smiled, and then went on their way.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Etienne had always slept in the room next to Julien's whenever he had stayed in the house, so he was familiar with the layout of the room and where to put his things. He gave his face a quick wash and then stepped next door to find Julien lying listlessly upon his bed, gazing unseeingly at the roof.
"Penny for your thoughts." he said, sitting down on the bed beside him. Julien looked up and smiled sadly.
"I don't know, I suppose I hoped they'd made a mistake, that she wasn't going to…" his voice trembled. "She looks so small and frail!"
"I know. I barely recognised her." Etienne murmured. "But they've tried all they can, Julien. It's in God's hands now."
"And Louis, the bastard, wishing she was dead!" said Julien, anger clear in his voice. "If he says that again, I swear to God I'll wring his neck."
"Leave the fighting to Bahorel, mon ami, or else Rene will have your hide." chuckled Etienne. "I promise, I'll try and hold you back more successfully if it does come to that. I haven't seen Marie, isn't she here yet?"
"No, Rene said she couldn't leave the baby." replied Julien. His elder sister had given birth only six months ago, in Lyon, and the journey would have been too much for the little one.
"What about Rene's children?" asked Etienne, thinking of the high-spirited four-year-old twins, Audric and Darcel, he'd met on his last stay.
"They stayed with Sylvie in Marseille." Julien replied, seeing through Etienne's attempt to keep his mind off his sister. "It's probably best like that. They're a bit young to be…you know…at a funeral."
Etienne blinked. It was the first time, since reading the letter, Julien had actually said the words out loud. He reached out to give him a one-armed comforting hug, when there was suddenly a knock on the door. Julien's face became a mask again.
"Come in!" he called, getting to his feet. He broke into a smile as he recognised the maid who slipped timidly inside. "Hello Yvette."
"Welcome back, master Julien." the young maid bobbed a curtsey, blushing furiously. She'd always had a fancy for her master's handsome youngest son. "Your father asked me to inform you that he expects to see you in the dining room at seven o'clock."
"We'll be there." replied Julien pleasantly, and Yvette slipped back out again.
"You better do something with that lip of yours before you go downstairs." said Etienne wryly, looking at the blood that was gleaming crimson at the corner of his friend's lips; where Antoine had hit him. "Come here, and let me have a look at you."
Julien sat still as he could while Etienne dabbed at his lip and tidied it up, though he couldn't help but recoil at the sting of the cold water. Even after the young medical student's ministrations, the swelling on his lip would still show when he went to the dining room tonight.
"And Joly told me to look after you!" Etienne chuckled.
"Look after me?" replied Julien in surprise. "God almighty, Etienne, I'm nineteen! I don't need to be protected. I'm more than capable of standing up for myself."
"I'm sure Louis can attest to that!" grinned Etienne. "I know, Julien, of course I know you can stand up for yourself. But you know what Christophe's like."
"I do." smiled Julien, but even then the smile wouldn't stay on his face for long. Etienne sighed, wishing that there was a way to cheer him up, but he knew it was impossible. He also knew that the day was only going to get worse as time went on.
They spent the remainder of the afternoon together in Julien's bedroom. Etienne got to work on his essay, with the intention of asking his father to check it over before they left, and Julien lay back on his bed, looking stricken but saying nothing, as he brooded on the loss that was about to befall his family.
Neither of the two was very keen to attend the evening meal. Julien hated his parents and the way they constantly tried to demean him. He also knew that Louis and Antoine would try their hardest to goad him into another display of temper. He was determined to fall for the bait.
Etienne was not looking forward to it either. He knew what to expect; he and Julien had been bullied by Antoine all the time when they were little. He also knew that Julien's short fuse got considerably shorter whenever he was around his brothers, which was not good news when they were going to be around his cold-hearted father, who would delight in any opportunity to persecute his youngest son.
"Please try and keep calm tonight, Julien." Etienne begged, as began to get ready. It was for Julien, and only Julien's sake only, that he made this plea. He remembered many of downright cruel comments that Monsieur Enjolras had directed at his son over the years and he knew, that despite Julien's assertions to the contrary, they deeply hurt him. He knew that his friend had enough emotional turmoil to deal with already, with his sister's imminent death. He had no wish for him to add to the burden of sorrow.
Despite their unwillingness, when seven o'clock came, Julien and Etienne proceeded down the stairs, bathed and dressed and as neat as possible. They got to the doors, then paused instinctively, listening to Antoine's affected, sneering voice and Louis's clueless laughter from inside the room.
"For what we are about to receive…" muttered Julien sarcastically, and they stepped inside.