Chapter 9
I know, I'm so sorry about these updates, how slow they are! But I am really busy:(
I was busy with my team, but we came runners-up in Ireland, so really proud of all my girls and I love them all!
When that was over, I had to start fundraising for Trócaire ( An Irish Catholic charity devoted to buying homes and education for those in less developed countries). I had to go and get sponsorship for my 36 Hour Fast for families in India. I got £65, which is roughly $98. That can buy a house+goat each for four different families in India, so I'm in a really good mood now that I've found out what this will buy, so here's another update! Also, I'm not starving anymore, and I was allowed something other than water again, so I'm happy:)
Anyway, thanks for the reviews, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables.
...
"You've got it! Éponine, You've got it!"
"I've got what, Phillie?" Éponine looked up from her sewing, to see Phillie rushing in through the door.
"Get up, girl! Valérie wants to see you! She said she'd give you the trial, but to go over now! Come on, Enjolras will bring you over there!"
"Where am I going?" Enjolras strolled in, sitting down. Éponine jumped up from her seat, her face bright with joy.
"Oh, don't sit down, Monsieur Enjolras!" Phillie was extremely excited for Éponine, and it showed. "Come on, Éponine's got her job, you've to escort her over!"
"Well done, Éponine!" grinned Enjolras, getting up and giving her a hug. She smiled, and hugged him back.
"But Phillie... I can't go with Éponine! They'll have my head on a platter."
"Is that why you haven't left the apartment for weeks?" Madame demanded.
"Of course that's why!"
"Enjolras," she laughed. "The men who will recognise you are not alive. You may have lost, but you still killed a lot of the National Guard. And they know that. Now, yourself, Joly, and Éponine all survived the barricades," she deliberately omitted Marius' name. "You survived that attack, and you killed their friends. Do you think they're going to want to have a replay of that?"
"How do we know this for sure, Phillie? Yes, it's all well and good hoping for this, but we can't take chances on our lives! Éponine would be safer walking alone than with me!"
"As you know, my friend Abadine's son-in-law is within the government. Well, he's a good man, he is. And they have bigger priorities than you, Enjolras. In fact, they're rather scared of how you all managed to stay alive against the whole National Guard, and they fear for their safety."
"You aren't serious, surely, Phillie?"
"I wouldn't risk your life, Enjolras."
"It's not my life I'm concerned about, Phillie, it's Joly and Éponine-"
"Oh, quit. Nobody is that selfless, Enjolras. It's quite alright not to want to risk your life, my dear, so stop acting the martyr. All you need to do is walk Éponine to the seamtress, and you will both be safe, my dears, so calm down, please."
Enjolras felt sheepish and shy after realising that this was really about Éponine, they would be safe, and let's face it, Phillie was right. Who was so selfless as to have a happy life and reasons to live, yet not care as to wether they lived or not?
"I'll just get my coat, then."
"I didn't mean to be harsh, Enjolras. Simply telling you to calm your head," she laughed.
He nodded, and put on his coat. "You ready, Éponine?"
"What if I don't get past the trial? What if the other girls don't like me? What if I can't sew-"
"Éponine, she needs workers, and this trial is simply to see how far along you are and how much extra training you need, I guarantee you'll get the job, just depends on when you're ready. I'm sure the others will love you, you're a lovely girl and so are they. And you can sew, as that dress you just abandoned, and the one you're wearing now, both prove! You'll be fine, I promise, dear," Phillie smiled, pulling Éponine in for a hug.
"Thank you, Phillie!" she beamed, suddenly more excited, although still nervous. "You coming, Enjolras?"
As the pair left, there was one thought in Enjolras' mind; how did Phillie know to make someone feel better, so quickly? What a woman.
...
"Oh, welcome! Éponine, isn't it?"
Éponine nodded meekly at the stranger, as scared of her as she was of any stranger. Hanging round with people like Thernardier and his gang messed a person up, and Éponine couldn't talk to strangers, without feeling scared.
"And this is?"
"Lovely to meet you, Madame. I am Enjolras, whom Madame Opehlie lives with. I'm simply escorting Éponine," he smiled, shaking her hand.
"Ah, Dear Phillie tells me so much about you. Young Jolen, isn't here, no?"
"Joly, do you mean?" chuckled Enjolras.
"Oh, yes, Monsieur! By the sounds of things, I should be glad young Monsieur Joly has let Mademoiselle Éponine out at all," she smiled.
"You can say that again," laughed Éponine.
"Well, while Doctor Joly is so kindly letting you come to see us, I'd just like to straighten out a few details, you won't be starting. Nicolette?" she called. Soon, a young girl, roughly the age of Éponine and Enjolras, rushed in, wearing a lilac dress she must have sewn herself. Éponine was in awe of the dress, and could only hope she could one day sew like that.
"Nicolette, this is Mademoiselle Éponine Thernardier, whom Madame Ophelie Bonnet has sent to us, and I'll just be talking to her. I'll only be a few minutes, just to sort out some details, would you kindly look after her friend Monsieur Enjolras until she is done?"
"I don't mean to be a bother, Madame, I can wait outs-"
"Nonsense," laughed Nicolette, and for the first time, Enjolras looked up to see her.
"Yes...Maybe I'll just wait with Madame Nicolette," he mumbled.
Valérie nodded and brought Éponine into a small room where she did her sewing .
...
"Take a seat, dear, make yourself comfortable!"
Éponine sat down in the seat across from her, feeling extremely scared of being alone with a stranger.
"Don't be nervous dear!" smiled Valérie, reaching out to pat Éponine's hand reassuringly. Only, Éponine, as we know, was not fond of strangers, and so tensed up immediately.
Valérie sensed this. "Are you alright, dear? Normally, no-one's quite this nervous."
"No Madame, it's just...Well, I have a fear of strangers. All the strangers my father introduced me to...they never brought me anything but trouble. I've come to hate strangers, my father's...friends, if you can call them that...they've just brought me a world of trouble."
"Ah..." Valérie looked down at her hands, then up again at Éponine. "So, you are Thernardier's daughter?"
"What, Madame? No! I mean yes- but I haven't spoken to him in a very long time, and I don't ever wish to-"
"It's alright, dear. I was just musing. I thought, when I heard the surname, but when I met you, you just seemed too nice. I wouldn't blame you, I had a run-in with that gang a few years back..." she shuddered.
"I think half of Paris has been robbed by my father at some point or other," mumbled Éponine.
"I do suppose, so. You say you haven't spoke to him, nor do you want to. Even though he's not the best man, do you not miss your Papa?" asked a confused Valérie.
"He's not my Papa, Madame. Yes, he's my father. Any fool can be a father. But it takes a real man to be a Papa."
"I know what you mean, dear."
"A Papa is not someone who teaches his child to steal, and to lie. A Papa doesn't beat his daughter...A Papa doesn't kick his young son out onto the street. Thernardier is no Papa of mine."
"So I assume then, he never gave you many opportunities to learn?"
Éponine quickly shook her head, laughing.
"My Papa, do something for me that didn't bring in money? I don't think he even loves me, I'm just a bag of sous. Or a lack off, in his case."
"Well, then. We shall continue to teach you to sew. And I'll show you how to read. It's not compulsory for a sewer, but I think you might be interested anyway," she smiled.
"Oh, yes, Miss! I'd love to! I would ask Phillie, but she's already taught me to cook and clean and sew...Joly, Joly would think it too strenuous for someone ill...I'm not ill, by the way. That's just Joly, not an ounce of positive thinking in him. And well, Enjolras, his books are far too hard, Madame. And I've no-one else to ask," she felt a stabbing pain, thinking of the many times Marius had promised to teach her...
But he never had. He was simply another man in Éponine's life who made promises, broke them, and took advantage of her.
"So that's settled, for the next few weeks, come over for a few hours each day, and I'll teach you to sew. Eventually you'll be sewing dresses. And Nicolette, and I, will teach you to read. So long as you do actually work for me, and don't clear off. Does that sound like a deal?"
"Oui, Madame! Oh, you'd know you were a friend of Phillie's within a conversation."
"How's that?" Valérie asked, amused.
"You're so nice and kind to everyone!"
She laughed, and smiled. "I suggest we should go and rescue your friend Enjolras from Nicolette, she's a force to be reckoned with."
...
Meanwhile, Nicolette was fixing snacks for Enjolras.
"So, Monsieur, tell me something about you," she smiled.
"Um...Well, my name is Enjolras, not Monsieur, for a start," he chuckled.
She grinned. "Okay, then, Enjolras. Who do you live with?"
"Madame Ophelie Bonnet. Or Phillie, as she's better known."
"Ah, I know her! She's in here all the time talking to Val. She's a lovely woman!"
"Yea, she is," he smiled.
"So, Phillie's not your mother, I assume?"
"No, No...She's my housekeeper, but she's just as good as my mother. If not better. I haven't spoken to my mother in a very long time," he sighed.
"Why forever not?"
"Well, we had very...contrasting political views. But I still love my Mother," I sighed.
"And your father, is he alive?"
"Oh yes, very much so."
"And I assume you don't speak to him either?"
"No," he sighed.
"Well, if you love them, surely you should be able to put opinions aside?"
"I don't know, I love them. But I don't like their views on poverty and politics at all."
"They're on the side of the government or something?"
"How'd you know?"
"Let's just say I don't agree with those fools either."
"You don't?"
"Of course not, it's stupid."
"Well, glad someone agrees with me. I tried a revolution, you see..And well, it didn't succeed. But too many friends died in the name of the barricade, I'll not let it go to waste."
"Well, I'll help you! The only producive thing I do with my life, is this. And this isn't helping the poor."
"Éponine herself, came from the slums. From that fool, Thernardier."
"Oh, Val érie can't stand that man. Tried to rob us a right few times, she wasn't one bit too happy. But what can she do? We're outnumbered."
"Pity, that. That no-one can even stand up for what's already theirs, never mind stand up for what should be theirs."
"You really do love the cause, don't you?"
"It's my life, It's my love, and It's my leading lady."
Nicolette randomly started laughing.
"What's so funny?" he asked, confused. He looked down at himself and felt his face, wondering what could be wrong with them.
"I asked you to tell me one thing about you, and I got the short version of your life story," she giggled.
"Well, you're a very easy person to have a conversation with, Mademoiselle,"
"It's Nicolette," she smiled.
"That's a very pretty name, Nicolette."
"Thank you, Mons- Enjolras," she giggled.
Just then, Valérie and Éponine came in.
"I think that's it, you alright with the arrangements we've made Éponine?"
"Yes, I've to go home and tell Phillie," she grinned. "You ready Enjolras?"
He nodded, barely acknowledging Éponine.
"We'll meet again, Nicolette?"
"Of Course, Monsieur," grinned Nicolette. "I look forward to it."
"Not as much as I do."
...
So Enjolras, Joly, Marius and Éponine are safe from the government. Will Marius realise that it's safe to come home, or will he live with Cosette in fear of the government?
What of Nicolette and Enjolras? Will they become good friends, or anything more?
Will Enjolras' parents ever talk to him again?
I know I talked alot about Éponine/Thernardier and Enjolras/Parents, but I was just trying to highlight how different their stories and backgrounds are.
Nicolette = Victory for the People. This is because 1) Her and Enjolras have the same views, and both want victory of the poor people. 2) This was going to be Ophelie's name but it didn't quite fit, and I did promise a Nicolette. It seems to suit a young, breath of fresh air in Enjolras' life.
Leave us thoughts, theories + ideas!
Go raibh maith agat,
Ó Niamh Ní Luachra.