A/N: It's time for family dinner! Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I'm starting to think of ways to wrap this story up in the next couple of chapters so enjoy it!
"Who's François?" Éponine whispered to Enjolras as they left the room. Somehow she had survived the initial meeting without any real drama.
"Courfeyrac," Enjolras replied with a sly smile. Apparently Enjolras wasn't the only one who preferred to go by his last name. "Dinner will be in an hour, you'll meet the others there, but first I want you to meet Charlotte."
Éponine worked hard to keep her breathing at a normal rate. She was seated a large rectangular table in the lavish dining hall. Enjolras was to her right, followed by his mother, and to her left were the two youngest brothers, Georges and Pierre. At the head of the table next to his wife was the family patriarch, seated opposite from his eldest son. Across the table from Éponine was the most modestly beautiful young woman she had ever seen- Charlotte- with Amélie and her husband on one side and Phillipe's wife on the other.
If Enjolras was the epitome of male beauty, Charlotte was most definitely his female equivalent. Her hair and eyes were the same radiant gold and fierce blue that Enjolras himself possessed, but hers appeared softer. She radiated with femininity and sweetness. Where Enjolras' expression was often harsh and unfeeling, hers was angelic and innately loving. Just looking at her, Éponine felt as though she was someone who could always be trusted, someone who could never intentionally inflict pain.
Upon their reunion, Enjolras had excitedly embraced her, lifting her slight body off the ground as she beamed at him winningly. It was strange to see him show such affection, though Éponine knew he was certainly capable. It was always reserved for the very few worthy people he held close to his heart and his twin was clearly one of these fortunate few.
An array of men carrying giant silver platters suddenly appeared from the kitchen. They each took their places standing next to one of the seated family members before all placing their trays down in unison and lifting the covers with a flourish to unveil a work of art made of food. "Bon appetite," one of the men said before returning to the kitchen. Éponine's mouth was suddenly watering and she reached for a fork to start digging in, but there were four different forks of varying sizes sitting around her plate. She glanced nervously at Enjolras for guidance.
"Why are there so many?" she whispered.
"Unnecessary extravagance," he muttered under his breath, "just start from the outside and work your way in," he whispered, picking up the fork the was farthest from his plate.
Éponine followed his lead and slowly began to eat, trying to look as proper and elegant as the other women around the table, but knowing that she was failing miserably. How did they sit up so straight and not spill food on themselves?
Small talk ensued as dishes were cleared away and more courses were served. Apparently Amélie's youngest son just got his first tooth and Phillipe's eldest daughter had begun taking violin lessons. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?" Pierre asked Éponine.
"No I haven't," she replied with a smile.
"We have five horses in the barn outback," he replied excitedly. "Gaston is my favourite, he's really old though. Phillipe says he's probably gonna die soon. I'll be really sad when he dies."
"I doubt Éponine wants to talk about dead horses, Pierre," Georges cut in, looking past the little boy to stare at her, an eyebrow cocked. "Are there lotsa girls in Paris?" he asked her.
"Um, yes, I suppose," she told him, somewhat confused by the question. Enjolras chuckled next to her.
"All the girls 'round here stay hidden until their parents want them to start lookin' for husbands," he informed her.
"That's to protect them from young boys like you who think they're such ladies men," Charlotte cut in and Georges face reddened. "Lucky you're taken, Éponine." She laughed lightly and Éponine joined in.
"We all thought you would never marry, Luc," Phillipe said with a curious smile as he eyed Éponine.
"Neither did I," Enjolras told him honestly, "but I had never met anyone worth marrying before."
"I knew you would," Charlotte added, smiling pleasantly across the table. "It was only a matter of finding someone equally stubborn who could actually put up with you. The average society girl is too well trained for your liking." Enjolras scoffed, rolling his eyes at her teasing.
"Yes, it was simply a matter of scouring the alleyways of Paris to find a rough-around-the-edges wife to make a public statement about your disdain for our lifestyle," Amélie sighed, sounding almost bored as though it had been said a thousand times before.
"Amélie!" her mother warned, giving her eldest daughter a stern look.
"Marrying Éponine is not a political statement," Enjolras snapped at her, ignoring his mother's protests. "It is a statement of love."
"We all know how you love the poor, little Luc, it doesn't mean you have to marry one into the family," she replied, her tone patronizing.
Enjolras nostrils flared and his jaw clenched. "Coming here was a mistake," he growled between gritted teeth.
"No," Éponine finally spoke up. She couldn't ignore that the tension in the room was entirely caused by her presence. "It was my idea to come here. I wanted to meet Enjolras' –er Luc's family. I thought that if you actually got to know me and know us as a couple that you would realize how much we really do love each other and how absolutely real our relationship is. I was worried you would think I was marrying him for his money or as a 'screw you' to the family. I wanted to prove myself to you and I wanted you all to come to the wedding, but now I'm not sure that that's a good idea for all of you."
Olivier, who had sat in silence while his family bickered around him, spoke at last, "Luc, a word?"
Enjolras shoved his chair back from the table and helped Éponine up. He wasn't about to leave her alone with his family. Hand-in-hand, they followed his father out of the room and down a long corridor to his study. Margaux could be heard scolding her adult children in a hushed whisper as the three retreated down the hall.
"Father, I don't want to hear anymore unwelcome criticisms or opinions," Enjolras started to say as soon as the door was closed. "It doesn't concern me what you think of our impending marriage. My getting married actually has nothing to do with you or anyone other than myself and Éponine. There was no intent to shock or disrespect, but I knew you would view it that way and I-"
"Luc," Olivier interrupted. "I did not bring you in hear to argue with you, I'm tired of that. When I heard of your revolutionary efforts I thought I would lose you forever. I realized that our difference of opinions has driven you away from this family and I thought that you would die thinking I was ashamed of you or angry and that could not be farther from the truth," he paused, his breath shakey and he placed his hand gently on Enjolras' shoulder. "I am incredibly proud of you for being so strong in your convictions and so brave in fighting for the betterment of everyone's lives," he smiled over at Éponine now who was staring up at him wide eyed. "Éponine I want to thank you. I have never seen my son so happy. I thought he would never find someone, but I do believe your relationship is real. I have no ill-will towards you because of your upbringing and I would like to give you both my blessing."
"Dad-" Enjolras choked out, before his voice broke and he was obviously holding back tears. His shock was apparent on his face, it was clear that this was not at all what he was expecting his father to say. He dropped Éponine's hand in the same instant his father used his grip on his shoulder to pull him forward into a tight embrace. Though Enjolras was now slightly taller than his father, he suddenly looked more like a child than a grown man as he stood there in his dad's arms.
Tears silently streamed down Éponine's cheeks. She had been right about coming here; it was necessary for more than just her. "I'll speak with your siblings," Olivier murmured, patting his son's back before leaving the room.
After a moment, Enjolras chuckled in bewilderment and reached his hand out for Éponine. She smiled at him as he kissed the tears from her face. "Thank you," he murmured against her skin.
"It was all part of my master plan," she joked, stroking his hair.
He began kissing across her collarbone and up the side of her neck. "I love you," he whispered when he reached her ear.
"I love you," she sighed.
A/N: I was totally thinking of Jack in Titanic when he has dinner in first class and doesn't know what to do with all the utensils haha. Please REVIEW!
