Marius eyed the list of his grandfather's friends he was supposed to invite to his wedding, he scarcely knew who half of them were.
"Is everything alright?" Cosette asked as she entered the study, Marius sighed and shook his head.
"My grandfather is insisting we invite all his friends and other members of high society," he grumbled scanning through the rather extensive list once again, a name caught his eye. "The Lestat family of Marseilles..." Marius muttered, "could they be..."
"I'm sure there are plenty of Lestat families all over France..." Cosette turned to him guessing what he was thinking. "Besides 'Ponine doesn't seem too fond of him."
"When is the last time she saw him?" Marius asked confused only recalling the day at the park many months back.
"Apparently nearly everyday, they live in the same building," Cosette explained to him.
"On Rue de Richelieu?"
"Well that is where she lives..."
Marius looked at the name on the list, part of him wanted to invite Daniel because he seemed nice enough and he didn't want Éponine to pass up something that might be good for her. After all if she did approach him about it later he could always say it was simply because they had met at the University... No she would never fall for it, he was going to need to think of something significantly better then that.
"She also seems to dislike him," Cosette added.
"Why is that?"
"She told me she found him to be arrogant and bossy," she explained.
Marius chuckled, "She's just being stubborn, she says things like that all the time when she does not want to admit the truth."
Daniel read the letter he held in his hands once again, he was being invited to a wedding... The wedding of the girl upstairs friends... It did not make much sense, of course he had met the couple once but the meeting was brief. Not exactly something that would make him be qualified to be at their wedding, at least that was what he thought. Sure, he could turn down the invitation, but there was a note scribbled at the bottom.
"Éponine will be there and would like to see you."
This also didn't make sense simply because he saw her practically everyday, after all she did live in the flat above him. Also half the time she never really seemed particularly pleased to see him. He sighed, what was he to do? Of course was not really some horribly vexing moral dilemma... But right now it sure felt that way. His eyes drifted to the ceiling as he thought about Éponine, of course she had returned home by now and who knew what she was doing up there, she certainly was a dreamer.
Éponine stood to the side as she watched the guests dancing happily, so far no one had asked her to dance and standing here was making her feel flustered. She wrung her hands nervously and glanced around at the crowd that was present for the festivities, many being the same from the Christmas party.
As Marius and Cosette finished dancing he looked over to see Éponine standing alone, he frowned a little. He had never received a reply from Daniel so figured that he would not be there. Seeing his friend alone like that saddened him greatly, then as he spin Cosette one last time he caught a glimpse of sandy colored hair not too far away from Éponine. The music ended and everyone stopped dancing for a moment and clapped for the band. Cosette turned to see what Marius was looking at and gasped.
"You did not..." she whispered, "you told me you were not going to do it... If 'Ponine finds out what you've done she'll-"
"she will never know," Marius whispered back and smiled, a little time and effort had proved that Daniel Lestat was related to the Lestat's of Marseilles, so he could have easy come by that invitation as opposed to the one he had sent to him directly.
Daniel glanced around the crowd, and noticed Éponine standing off to the side as well. Did he dare approach her? Part of him did not want to but something in his heart told him that he would like to ask her to dance with him. That part that felt it to be a bad idea won and he turned away from her, there was no point.
"Cosette my love, please excuse me for a moment," Marius whispered to her quietly, she looked at him confused. By the time she realized exactly what he was about to do it was too late to call out to him without drawing too much attention to her or Marius than there already was.
"Hello," Marius tapped Daniel on the shoulder, "would you come with me for just a moment?" He asked, Daniel said nothing but followed Marius until he was right behind Éponine. He then tapped her on the shoulder, "you both seem to need dance partners?" The two just stared at each other for a moment. But neither wanted to upset the groom, so they took his suggestion and together they went out onto the dance floor. While they were dancing they began to talk to each other, slowly and awkwardly simply because of the situation they had been thrown into.
"Why do you dislike me?" Daniel asked.
"What do you mean?" Éponine countered.
"You always ignore me, you never greet me when we see each other... We are neighbors..." Daniel replied.
Éponine was not sure what to say, her excuse that she had told both Cosette and Marius would not work here because she actually liked Daniel, he was not of a bad sort. "I..." She began, but did not know what else to say.
They continued to dance somewhat awkwardly when an older couple pushed past them towards Marius. She could not help but notice how gaudily they were dressed, they were just close enough that they could barely hear the conversation.
"Gavroche... And my poor daughter... My sweet Éponine... Gone, vanished, perhaps dead on the barricades too." He had a sniffle for good measure while his wife dabbed her eyes looking genuinely upset.
Marius was getting frustrated with the couple as they continued to tell their story, but he was hardly listening. He glanced at Éponine and saw that she had stopped her dance with Daniel to see what was happening. Then just at the farthest reaches of a crowd he could see a young girl, she looked just like Éponine but her hair was red and she had freckles across the bridge of her nose. Marius nodded to Éponine pointing in that direction, when she looked she gasped, quickly said something to Daniel and ran over to the girl.
"Monsieur?" Thenardier paused looking at him.
"Yes?" Marius replied.
"Besides all these hardships, perhaps you could spare a little?The Thenards have dropped out of society's favor..." He continued.
Marius had to get him out of here, he had to tell Cosette what he now knew, and had to keep 'Ponine safe... "Go away Thenardier, do you think I don't know who you are?"
"He's not fooled you idiot!" Replied Madame Thenardier knowing it was stupid to have used their son's and daughter's real names, "never mind, tell the boy what you know!"
Éponine hurried towards her sister, "'Zelma!" she cried out, she examined her sister, she still didn't look well but like her parents she was not wearing rags.
"'Ponine?" Azelma looked at her warily and then realized she did recognize her as her own sister. She started to cry, she flung her arms around her sister and sobbed on her shoulder. "Please don't make me go with them..."
Éponine hugged her sister and then handed her a handkerchief she had embroidered herself, "where are you going?"
"Papa wants to go to America," Azelma sniffled, "I don't want to leave..."
Éponine continued to hold her sister, then she smiled, "you could stay with me!"
Through her tears Azelma's eyes seemed to brighten at her sister's suggestion, "could I really?"
Éponine nodded, just then she could hear Marius speaking angrily with her parents, if they did not get out of sight soon they could both be in trouble, "come with me, quickly." She led her sister into the garden where there were even more guests mingling about, when they finally stopped Azelma took a moment to examine her older sister properly, she looked pretty. A twinge of jealousy inside made her wish she could look the same as her, but she still loved Éponine dearly.
"How did you get like this?" She asked, for she had not seen her sister wearing clothes so fine in a long time.
"Cosette gave this to me," Éponine looked at her dress, it was a stunning shade of purple, that stood out against the slight layer of frost that covered the outside surfaces. "But I found myself a job, a good honest job, a seamstess." she smiled, although things had not been quite the same around the shop since Mirabella had given birth to her son Antoine a mere two weeks prior.
"Why you are a propa' grisette ain't you!" Azelma smiled, while she was not dirty her face was still thin and frail looking. "But you sure you got space for me?"
Éponine thought about her sparsely furnished flat, she had slowly been adding to what had previously been there which was a table, bed, and chair. Now it felt more like a home, with a proper couch, spare blankets, among some of her other furnishings. It wasn't much but she was sure Azelma would not mind, "of course I do... Perhaps we could even find you a job?"
Azelma's green eyes widened, "really? Oh 'Ponine!" she hugged her sister again, then they heard raised voices. "Where's that good for nothing brat Azelma?" Monsieur Thenardier snapped in the distance. Éponine grabbed Azelma's wrist and they ducked into a small crowd of people as their parents angrily stormed past them and left. "Well even if we lost 'er it's one less mouth to feed..."
Madame Thenardier made a fist, "How dare you speak about your own daughter that way? She is all we have left!" she sniffled.
Monsieur Thenardier put his arm on his wife's shoulder, "Don't worry my sweet, we'll find her..." Then they left the party.
Azelma and Éponine ducked back inside but ran into Daniel, "Mademoiselle, would you please explain to me what is going on?" He stopped her.
She looked away from him, "I can't, you would not understand..." She started walking away, "Come on Azelma."
She glanced back at the young man and looked back to Éponine, "who is that?" she asked.
"doesn't matter..."
"Éponine!" Daniel called out to her, but she ignored him and walked away back into the ballroom.
"Éponine! Come quickly!" Marius called to her, he looked extremely flustered and out of sorts, Cosette stood by unsure of what was going on.
"Why?" Éponine asked, then she looked at her sister, "What about Azelma?"
Marius looked at the two girls, of course it was not necessary that they come with him and Cosette but it made him feel better knowing that if they were all together he would have to worry less about what their parents might do. "Yes, she is coming too, but we must go quickly." They all walked briskly out of number 6 rue de Filles Calvaire and hailed a cab.
"55 Rue Plumet," Marius instructed the driver, Cosette and Éponine gave him confused looks but he did nothing to explain.
When they pulled up to the house it was quiet and in the dying light it appeared to be very eerie, "where is your father's room?" Marius asked Cosette as he pushed open the gate which was surprisingly unlocked.
"In there," she gestured to a small dwelling that was separated from the house except for a small corridor, from a little window a faint glow seemed to flicker, it sent chills down Éponine's spine.
"How do we get in?" He asked.
"Inside the house, but surely it must be l-" Cosette started.
Marius had gone to the front of the house and tried the door, it creaked open, suddenly Éponine felt like she wanted to turn and flee but she continued to follow him. Once inside Cosette showed them to a small, plain door, it was opened ever so slightly, enough that they could hear someone speaking, it sounded like a prayer.
"Papa!" Cosette exclaimed in an excited whisper, she recognized his voice, she pushed opened the door and gasped rushing to her father's side. Marius followed her, Éponine entered the room but she pushed herself against the wall, the sight of M. Fauchlevent looking so frail scared her, it did not look like the same man.
"Papa, Papa, I do not understand, they said that you had gone away," she knelt by her father's feet.
He looked at her sadly, "Cosette, my child, am I forgiven now? Thank God I lived to see this day," he acknowledged her wedding dress.
Marius then turned to the old man, "It's you who must for give a thoughtless fool, it's you who must forgive a thankless man, it's thanks to you that I am living, and again I lay down my life at your feet." He then looked at Cosette, "Cosette your father is a saint, when they wounded me he took me from the barricade, carried like a babe, and brought me home to you."
Éponine was surprised, it seemed Marius had finally been able to figure out how he survived the barricades, a question that had been plaguing him for awhile. M. Fauchlevent... It was amazing.
Fauchlevent looked at Cosette, "Now you are here... Again beside me... Now I can die in peace for now my life is blessed."
Cosette had begun to cry, "You will live, Papa you're going to live, it's too soon to ever say goodbye..."
Éponine very much wanted to leave the scene that was unfolding in front of her, but some unseen force seemed to keep her locked into place.
"Does Cosette forbid me now to die... I'll obey, I will try" he placed one of his large hands on her cheek, with the other he held out a letter to her. "On this page I write my last confession, read it well when I at last am sleeping... It's a story of those who always loved you, your mother gave her life for you and gave you to my keeping." He handed Cosette the letter, the light from the candles that sat in two silver candlesticks cast a soft glow over the solemn scene. M. Fauchlevent looked up for a moment, "forgive me all my trespasses and take me to your glory..." He then looked back at Marius and Cosette, "and remember the truth that once was spoken, to love another person is to see the face of God." Then he took his final breath and closed his eyes for the last time.
"Papa?" Cosette's voice quivered in disbelief, fresh tears began to fall down her face, she let the letter fall from her grasp and onto the floor. What had bound Éponine to the wall seemed to break and she walked over and bent down to pick up the letter, she tried to hand it to Cosette.
"'Ponine... Please read it..." She begged.
Her mouth went dry, she went closer to the candlesticks so she could use the light, she carefully opened the removed the contents of the envelope, "My dear Cosette..." she began to read.
"Please do not be angry with Marius for anything he may have said as far as where I have been, I told him to keep it secret..." She looked up from the letter but Cosette urged her on. "I feel that I owe you an explanation..."
"I hope you will understand all that I did in my life, from your mother, to the Bishop who gave me those candlesticks, they belong to you now, I hope you can forgive me. The man you called you called your father, his name was Jean Valjean." Éponine folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. Cosette got up from where she had been sitting and walked over to her, Éponine placed the letter in her hands.
"Thank you..." she took the letter and held it to her chest.
A figure now stood in the doorway of the room where Azelma had been, it was a doctor, "M. Gillenormand had sent me to check on him again... But it appears that I am too late." He then shooed them all from the room. Instead of remaining in the house they quietly left and took the cab back to M. Gillenormand's house.
When they returned to rue de Filles Calvaire all the guests had departed because of the couple's sudden absence and the mood had died. The group parted ways with Marius paying the cab to take Éponine and Azelma back to her flat on rue de Richelieu.
"'Ponine are you alright?" Azelma asked.
"I will be.. I'm just surprised is all..." Her gaze seemed far off and distant.
"That man, he..."
"The one who took the Lark away?" Éponine asked, surprised her sister remembered, "Yes."
Azelma remembered how her father would continually prattle on about the poor millionaire who brought the in to ruin, "When we lost her, we lost everything! Thas' wha' Papa said!"
"No 'Zelma, you don't understand..." Her older sister shook her head.
Azelma took her hand, "Then please try ta' explain ta' ,me," she begged, "why did ya' disappear?"
Éponine sighed, "I went to the barricades, I wanted to die with Marius... He sent me away but I came back... I got shot and almost died," She twisted her hands. "I did not wake until after they fell, so I managed to get myself to Cosette's house. They took me in and helped me until I was able to fully support myself..."
The cab stopped in front of the building, the girls got out and Éponine led her up the stairs to her flat, "I know it's not much," she commented as she put her key in the lock. "But it should make do for now," she opened the door and let Azelma inside, Azelma gasped, "I was right! A real, propa' grisette!"
Despite all the sadness of the day Éponine could not help but smile, "Don't worry we'll make one out of you too."