Eponine looked at herself in the mirror. It was a week before she was going to marry Javert, and she couldn't be happier. Still, she felt something was missing.
"What is it?" Javert asked, entering the room.
"Nothing. I couldn't be happier."
Javert came up to Eponine and kissed her cheek and then her neck. All Eponine could do was continue to stare at her reflection.
"Henri, would you still marry me if I wore one of the gowns that I've already purchased?"
"What sort of question is that. I'd marry you in rags if I had to."
"I have an impression to make on your friends. Now that I'm to become the wife of an inspector, I must show them how much I love you by showing them I can fit in. What sort of bride would wear a dress only meant for a walk in the park?"
Javert sighed. "If you want a wedding gown, I've no objection."
Eponine turned to Javert and smiled. "Thank you. Can I leave now to find one?"
"Of course."
Eponine gave Javert a few, brief kisses on the lips and then left the house. She knew there wasn't a seamstress far from the home and thought it was safe to walk there. When she arrived, a plump elderly woman greeted her.
"Hello, Mademoiselle." The woman said, but then saw the engagement ring. "Pardon, Madame. I didn't know-"
"It's all right. I'm no Madame yet." Eponine looked down at the engagement ring and smiled. "But I will be soon."
"So then, you've come for a wedding gown?"
"Yes, Madame. How did you know?"
"Oh, you've the look that all brides have when coming for their gown. Now, just follow me."
Eponine followed the seamtress into a small room, where there was piles of fabrics and all sorts of supplies for sewing. First, the seamtress measure her and questioned about what she would like to wear, and then fitted all sorts of gowns onto her. The seamstress assured her that the gown would be ready a few days before the wedding.
When Eponine left the seamstress, she saw a woman selling flowers on the street and approached her.
"Excuse me. How much for these roses?"
"2 francs, Madame."
Eponine saw how beautiful the roses looked and how desperate the woman seemed. In fact, she reminded her of how she was before she left the streets. Hungry, little money to support herself, and likely had no other way to keep living.
"Here you go."
Eponine reached into her purse and gave the woman five francs. The woman's jaw nearly dropped and she thanked Eponine profusely before handing her a dozen pink roses. As she continued to walk home, Eponine couldn't help but think that the roses would make a wonderful bouquet.
"Well, the lovely Mademoiselle Thenardier."
Eponine turned quickly and saw the two inspectors before. They were grinning widely and they had their sticks with them.
"My fiancee will hear about it if you hurt me again."
"Fiancee, is it? What sort of blackmail did he receive to propose to you?" One of the inspectors asked.
"Blackmail?" Eponine repeated.
"She probably stole something of his and only promised to give it back if he married her." The other inspector chimed in.
"I never stole from him! I wouldn't even think about doing such a thing!"
"Of course, you may not be a thief at all. You may have had other ways of persuasion."
"I'm no whore, Monsieur." Eponine practically shouted.
"You must be. There's no other way that Henri would marry you."
The first inspector chuckled. "Shall we see if she is as virtuous as she claims to be?"
Eponine knew what was about to happen and started to run. She wasn't fast enough for two men and they soon caught her and dragged her into an abandoned street. As one began to rip away her clothing, the other was unfastening his trousers. Eponine began kicking and struggling in their grasps. Before she knew it, the first inspector pushed himself inside her and she screamed. It did little good, because the more noise she made the further he would go.
It seemed to go on for hours, and Eponine had never felt such pain in her life. Not even when the musket had struck her down had she felt every bone in her body be set on fire. She was beginning to feel faint from the pain and from the struggle. She was sure she was going to die. That's when she remembered that she couldn't die, that she had someone to live for. Someone that loved her deeply.
"Help me! Help me!" Eponine screamed.
As the inspectors tried to quiet Eponine, she kept screaming and screaming until she was released. It wasn't until she felt something hit the back of her head, that she stopped and everything went black.