September 1832
"I was so sure they would take you," Marius sighed, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Éponine smiled weakly, the two walked past a dress shop, Éponine stopped and watched the shop girl inside for a moment.
"Would you like to try in here?" Marius asked, he then opened the door for Éponine.
"Bonjour mademoiselle, monsieur," The shop girl greeted them softly, "are you to see a dress for the lady?"
Marius couldn't help but think there was something familiar about this girl, "Oh no, she's just a friend," he explained. "But she would like to inquire about a job."
The girl looked at Éponine with her soft blue eyes, "I see…" she then brushed a strand of auburn hair away from her face, "can you sew?"
"A little," Éponine replied, she thought of the pretty little pieces of embroidery she had learnt to make as a child. Any real mending that had to be done was left a task for little Cosette while she lived at the Thenardiers. Éponine had learned a little about regular sewing in order to keep her clothes from getting into a truly wretched state of disrepair, but that was all.
"I do not make final decisions here," the girl explained, she then quickly ducked into the back room of the shop. She emerged a few seconds later with a small swatch of muslin, different colored threads, and a needle. "Here take this, make a sample of your embroidery and do some hemming," the shop girl explained as she handed the cloth to Éponine. "Bring it back and I'll have Madame D'Auvergne look at your work," the grisette added.
A loud voice came from the back of the shop, "Mademoiselle Latour!"
The shop girl sighed, "I have to go, but bring that back tomorrow!" She then went into the back of the shop to speak with the owner.
Marius and Éponine left the shop, but Marius looked confused, "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"Mademoiselle Latour," He muttered, "it can't be…"
"Marius? Monsieur Marius?" Now Éponine was confused as well, what on earth could he possibly be talking about?
"That girl back there… She seems so familiar," he shook his head.
"How?" Éponine asked.
"Courfeyrac's mistress was a seamstress by the name of Mirabella Latour, I was rooming with him when they first met," Marius explained to her.
"So, that girl back there, Could be her?" Éponine asked shocked, she always thought Courfeyrac was one to have many mistresses… Not just one.
"Possibly, I never knew where she worked," Marius shrugged, "the only girl he ever loved…" he muttered to himself.
That night Éponine worked very hard on her sample, she received some tips from Toussaint and Cosette. This helped her figure out how to make her stitches small, neat, and appear more uniform, when she finished she looked at the sample and was very pleased with her handiwork. Tired from the work she set the finished sample aside and went upstairs, she could only hope that good things would come from tomorrow.
The shop girl handed the muslin sample to Madam D'Auvergne, who examined it closely. Mlle. Latour had already glanced at it, it was not bad, the quality was good, if she had some time to learn then the girl could be a proper seamstress some day.
"They're straight, small, embroidery is looks nice… You say this girl is out front?" Madame D'Auvergne asked the girl. "I'll go and speak with her; it could not hurt to have another set of hands around here." The shop owner left Mlle. Latour and went to speak with the prospective employee.
"Your work is satisfactory," Mme. D'Auvergne told the gamine, "hopefully with the help of Mlle. Latour you skills will improve, you will start on Monday." Éponine smiled, she had a job! Someday she would be able to have a flat of her own and be able to support herself, "thank you Madame!"
The older woman smiled, "It is no problem my dear, you do have some potential."
When they left the shop Éponine could not help but to embrace Marius, "We did it!" she cried out. When they broke apart Marius shook his head, " non… It wasn't 'we' it was you."
Éponine had not felt happiness like this in a long time, she knew that the road ahead of her was bound to be long and hard, but she was willing to take the chance. It gave her the chance to let her scars heal and disappear for good.
When Éponine arrived at the shop there was a different girl out in the front. "Hello, I've come to start work…"
Before the other girl could reply Mlle. Latour came out from the back of the shop, "I'll take care of her Adele," she turned to Éponine. "Come along then…"
"I thought you were the shop girl," Éponine told Mlle. Latour who laughed lightly at the comment. "I'm no shop girl, Adele had to visit her family so I was helping run the front as well as sew."
Éponine nodded, "So you are actually a seamstress?" she then asked.
"If I were not Madame would not have me teaching you, I am her best."
They had entered the back of the shop, there were different lengths of fabric all over the place, half made dresses, scattered notions, and a sewing machine in the corner. "Alright, we have an order that needs to be completed by the end of this week, a simple summer frock…" she giggled, "Whenever they say 'simple' they don't really mean it." She turned to a model that was wearing part of a pale blue gown, Mlle Latour then reached behind and grabbed the pieces that would make up the skirt.
"I just want you to baste this for now… It doesn't need to be permanent," Éponine picked up a needle and thread and did as she was told, once she was finished she was not sure what to do. "Mademoiselle…"
"Please, if we are to be friends then a simple Mirabella or Bella will suffice," the grisette answered without looking up from her work for a second.
"Mirabella Latour?" Éponine asked, she was not even aware that she had spoken the words aloud. "Yes, that's my name… What about it?" Mirabella was busy threading the machine.
"Cour… Marius! He knows you!" Éponine exclaimed, the older girl gave her an odd glance.
"Marius?" she asked, as soon as she did she remembered, Marius was Antoine's roommate for a short while. Antoine… Her beloved Antoine…. She was so much more than a mistress to him, he had even sworn to marry her. She remembered hearing of his death a little less than a month ago, it had left her feeling empty, no more than a shell of her former self.
November 1832
Mirabella wrung her hands nervously as she watched Éponine quietly hemming a gown, she bit her lip, her heart beating loudly in her chest. She had to tell someone, afterall it would soon no longer remain a secret, "'Ponine?" she called softly to the younger girl softly.
Éponine set down her her work and looked up at Mirabella, "yes?"
"I... I need to tell you something..." She twisted a finger in her auburn colored hair, she approached Éponine, "but you cannot tell anyone."
Éponine had only been working at the shop for about two months, during that time she tended to keep to herself. Why would Mirabella choose to share a secret with her? "I won't," she replied.
"I think I might be carrying... Antoine's child..." she whispered.
Éponine wanted to smile and congratulate her fellow seamstress, but this was a serious situation. The child of Antoine de Courfeyrac? It had to be since she refused to take another lover, her job might very well be on the line. "What are you going to do?"
A single tear fell down Mirabella's face, "I don't know..." of course the wise thing to do was to find some way to get rid of the child. Yet this was the last remnant of her lover, she had to keep it.
"You are the best seamstress, perhaps Madame will let you stay on..." Éponine shrugged, it was a possibility but it did not seem to be the best of plans. Mirabella lowered her head, her tears now leaving red tracks on her cheeks. Éponine gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "don't. worry Bella... We'll figure this out."
Mirabella sighed and put her hands on her stomach, about four months in and she could feel the telltale bump. "Oh 'Ponine I hope you are right..."
Just then the door swung open and Madame D'Auvergne entered, Mirabella quickly put her hands down to her sides. "Madame Lavoire has just come in with two more orders," she held slips of paper detailing each order and put them in Mirabella's hand. She saw the solemn looks on both the girls faces, "oh dear, Whatever is the matter?"
Éponine quietly returned to her work and Mirabella looked to the shop owner, "I..." she started nervously. Surely Madame would understand... she had taken her in when her mother died leaving her an orphan, perhaps not everything was lost. She glanced at Éponine who was looking at her wide eyed, "I... I'm to be expecting..." She noticed that the look on Madame D'Auvergne's face was similar to what Éponine's initial reaction had been, happiness that had to a grim look. "Oh dear, you poor thing... M. Courfeyrac's I suppose?"
Mirabella nodded, this was a signifigantly better response then what she was expecting from Madame, "shall I be needing to leave?" She asked.
"Leave? What are you talking about... Who would give you work in your condition?" Madame D'Auvrgne exclaimed.
Mirabella turned to her in surprise, "I can keep my job?"
"Of course, my dear do you think I would want to risk losing my best seamstress? But this is a dreadful situation." Madame D'Auvergne spoke thoughtfully. "We will eventually need to work something out... I assume we have a few more months before we haveany real concerns..."
Relief washed over Mirabella, out of the corner of her eye she could see Éponine smiling brightly, "oh thank you Madame!"
Madame D'Auvergne smiled and then looked at her seamstresses, "Now you silly things must get back to work!"
The girls giggled and immediately went back to their work, when Madame D'Auvergne went Back to the front of the shop Éponine started to giggle once more. "I suppose you could say that went well..." she shrugged.
Mirabella shook her head and smiled, in this day alone she had seemed to have formed an enjoyable friendship with Éponine. "Come, we really must get back to work; Madame will not be pleased."