When Marius awoke the next morning his heart sank, it had all been a dream. As much as he loved Cosette she could never be the friend that Éponine was… She was almost as if she was his sister, the friendship they shared was confusing to anyone who met them. Mostly to Courfeyrac who would tease that the young gamine was Marius mistress.
At that moment Toussaint swept in to speak to Marius "the doctor said that he wanted you to try getting out of this room today, perhaps take some fresh air in the garden?" The old women spoke kindly and laid out some things for Marius, mostly what he had been wearing at the barricade, but it was now clean and mended.
He sat up as Toussaint was about to leave "Toussaint?" he asked.
The kind women turned around "Yes Monsieur?"
"I thought I saw a girl here last night... Do you know anything about her?" Marius asked although if he was wrong it would make him possibly appear insane to the housekeeper.
"Yes as matter of fact there was a girl, poor dear, a street urchin injured during the revolution, she is with Cosette right now." Toussaint nodded, Marius now needed to know more.
"What's her name?" Marius asked urgently.
"I believe it was Emmeline? No. Eloise? No. It was Éponine, yes that's it" Toussaint answered kindly. Marius immediately tried to get out of bed after Toussaint left and started getting dressed. Éponine was alive! It seemed impossible but it might be true, it had to be her!
The two girls were in a companionable silence, Éponine sitting at Cosette's dressing table in a clean chemise and petticoats. Cosette was wearing a pretty dark blue dress with a matching ribbon holding back her light brown curls.
Éponine's skin was a nice rosy color after she had spent a fair amount of time scrubbing to wipe away all the grime and dry blood. Her hair was clean and after a painful attack with a hairbrush it became untangled. Despite her hollow cheeks, bruises scrapes and the wound on her chest she was starting to look like a lady.
As Cosette pulled out a corset and a light blue dress with dark blue trim for Éponine she started to speak. "Are you really Éponine?" Cosette asked when she turned to the girl, Éponine looked at Cosette, confused; it was her name why would she lie?
"Sorry… I meant to say are you really Éponine Thenardier?" Cosette reworded he question which now was a bit clearer.
"I am… I guess Marius told ya' that?" Éponine shrugged.
"He doesn't know you're here yet," Cosette explained and motioned for Éponine to stand up. The urchin obeyed and spun around to face the mirror as Cosette put the corset around her. For the first time Cosette saw the scar that the bullet had made but doctors had stitched up on Éponine's back. She couldn't imagine a bullet flying through this girl's chest, or the fact that she had lived. Hopefully her wounds wouldn't bother her much longer, Cosette thought.
Éponine was rather uncomfortable in the corset as it tightened around both her waist and chest "Is this really necessary?" the gamine complained.
Cosette was gingerly pulling the strings so as not to hurt her and then tied a knot. "I really don't think you need much more than that, you are rather small anyway." She then proceeded to ask Éponine to sit down at the dressing stand again and she picked up a few hair pins off the table. In a matter of moments Éponine's hair was pulled away from her face in a sort of twist. The next step was the dress, a rather simple task that Éponine accomplished as Cosette fetched a pair of shiny black boots.
"Why are ya' being so kind ta' me?" Éponine asked as she put on the boots, which she was practically fighting with. "You would thin' from everythin' I've done that you would 'ate me…" Éponine pulled at the other boot.
As she stood up she wobbled a bit, she hadn't worn ladies boots before, just those of an old working man. "You helped bring Marius and I together I want to thank you in any way possible." Cosette replied getting up to leave the bedroom "Shall we go to breakfast?"
Éponine followed Cosette down the stairs rather slowly still feeling the aches and pains of not just her physical wounds but that deep in her heart. She wondered to herself would she ever be able to let go?
Marius was looking around nervously; he had been waiting for Cosette with the girl who might be Éponine. He had even brought her hat down with him, but right now it was just him and Cosette's father in a rather tense silence that seemed to be noticed only by Marius.
M. Fauchlevent was too busy reading the morning paper. Just then the two ladies emerged; one was his beloved Cosette, the other a rather pretty brunette with brown eyes and a crooked smile… "Éponine!" He exclaimed.
"Marius!" She replied gleefully, she and Cosette headed over to the table set for four, Cosette and Éponine took the empty chairs situated beside Marius and M. Fauchlevent, who still hadn't put down his paper. Toussaint brought out a tray with biscuits and distributed tea to the four seated at the table. Just then Cosette's father stood up taking his paper, tea and biscuits and left the room. Nobody said a word as the old man left and they heard a door close, "I assume he's taken his breakfast out to the garden…" Cosette mused.
Sitting there sipping at her tea now she felt the urge to ask a question that had been bothering her since she had spoken with Marius. What made it worse was the anxiety of Éponine showing up yesterday, such different people how could they ever have met? "Marius… Éponine… I was wondering how the two of you met?" she asked. Éponine laughed a little as she remebered, "It was funny?" Cosette asked the giggling urchin.
"A bit. I thought I might 'ave scared 'im!"
Marius shook his head; with Cosette and Éponine here some of the gloom that had blanketed his heart was dissipating."Quite simply we were at some random tavern of Grantaire's choosing, although I'm still convinced Gavroche had something to do with it…" Marius started but Cosette already had a question. "You both have mentioned Gavroche, who was he?" Cosette figured if he was a student he must have died at the barricade with the others and used the past tense.
Éponine took it upon herself to answer, "Gavroche… 'E was my younger brother, you would never 'ave known 'im. He was going to be eleven soon." She then looked off in the distance and took a breath, the shock of his death still hurt almost more than her physical wounds.
She then motioned for Marius to continue. "I think it was almost two years ago, I was leaving the tavern…"
Marius was the last of his friends to leave the tavern. it was quite chilly out as winter was coming soon. He noticed at his feet there was a hat, ragged and beaten, something although he wasn't quite sure what it was he picked it up. Did he really think he could find the owner? That seemed very unlikely. "Hey you!" someone called to Marius. He turned to find himself face to face with a girl about the age of fourteen. Her face had streaks of dirt and her clothing consisted of nothing more than a dirty chemise, a worn brown skirt and a man's belt. She held her hand out in front of Marius with a determined look.
"I-I'm sorry I don't have anything I can g-give you," he stammered, noticing the girl was laughing. "I don't want your money!" she explained. "I just want me hat back!"
Marius handed the hat to her, the girl then started walking away. "Wait! What's your name?"
The urchin turned around and smiled in a friendly manner. "Name's Éponine Thenardier!" She performed a very over done curtsy, "not that you'll probably ever see me again Monsieur."
"Why not?" Marius asked the gamine whose smile had faded a bit.
"You're very funny Monsieur! But even if you did see me again it's not proper for someone like me to be seen with you…" With that she started walking away again, perching the hat a top her fly away brown hair.
"For awhile there I was so sure I was never going to see her again," Marius finished, "Then surprisingly enough Gavroche convinced me to meet his sister on a bet from Courfeyrac, one of my friends…" Marius looked at Éponine.
"It was awkward at first but we became friends in a way…" Éponine finished. Cosette smiled at the two friends, still not sure how much she liked the fact that Éponine was or could still be in love with Marius.
Éponine now glanced at what Marius had gripped in his good hand, "You..." she laughed before grabbing the item from his grasp. "You had my hat?" She laughed a little bit as she put the hat on to her head. Of course now with her clean face and dress it looked a little odd.
Cosette looked at the gamine oddly, "Éponine? Are you sure you want to keep that?"
"Well it's the only thing I got left thas' mine..." Éponine shrugged, she took the hat off. "I mean I'm gonna need ta' leave aren't I?" As much as Éponine had liked having a warm bed and nice clothes, she felt very much like she didn't belong.
Cosette looked at the urchin wide eyed, "We will not turn you out!"
"But I..." Éponine started but was cut off.
"It does not matter what you say, what you did a few days ago or ten years ago does not matter to me," Cosette looked kindly at the urchin.
Éponine didn't know what to say, "So you mean we'll start over?" she asked warily, she looked from Marius to Cosette.
"That's exactly what I mean, we can all start over... The three of us."