Chapter 19:
Returning to the Court of Miracles with her heart singing, Esmeralda's gladness was quickly snuffed out.
The Court was abuzz with families who had chosen to leave it. Their children were complaining of being separated from their playmates, and babies were crying just because they could.
Clopin was prancing from cart to cart giving abbreviated puppet shows to those little ones, helping them cope with the knowledge that the yet more dangerous road was ahead of them.
Esmeralda hurried to each of these families, saying, "I've made a lot of money, today, so here. This is my best hope to make up for forcing you out of Paris. My prayers go with you."
Most faces were grateful, and every hand took the coins she offered them. Her guilt could not thereby be entirely absolved, but she got some peace from it, nonetheless.
At the end of the line, as scouts ran ahead of the first caravan prepared to leave, Clopin turned to her. "You must have done a lot of work for that money… I'm proud of you for knowing who to give it to." He rubbed her back gently.
He hadn't done that in years, had he gotten that much older?
"Where is your husband?" he asked her.
Her heart twisted behind her ribs, and she grimaced. "I don't know. We split up this morning, but I'm going out again tonight, so he'll probably come back when I'm gone."
Clopin peered scrutinously at her. "Are you hiding something? Have you made some kind of appointment?"
"Nothing official, but I think I might find a friend out there… I could lighten the load on us all."
"Tell me what you're planning…" Clopin took a step closer and the bell on the end of his shoe jingled in the least merry way it had ever done.
"Nothing in particular, I swear," she replied, hurriedly backing away so his sharp nose wouldn't poke out one of her eyes. "Please, just relax! I'm going to have a little meeting with someone, and that someone may help take the pressure off of us. Just trust me, won't you?"
Clopin took a deep breath, and finally stood up straight. "Do what you want, but a storm is coming, and I have to take care of our people. See that you don't put us in more danger."
Esmeralda rested only for a little while before she struck out again. Beneath the surface, she could not track the sun, so there was no way of knowing for a certainty what the hour was.
When she emerged from the darkness, shrouded in her cloak, she found Pierre fumbling around looking for the entrance to the Court.
"Ah! Look what I've got!" he cried, holding up the hat Esmeralda used for money. It was so full that a couple coins fell out just with his moving the hat.
Esmeralda lurched forward and reclaimed them from the grass, then looked to Djali. "Take him home," she told her, "I'll be back soon."
"What? Where are you going?" Pierre asked as Esmeralda used her cape to further disguise herself.
"I may get to see the sun god even at night," she replied.
"Ah! Well! Good luck!" Pierre waved, and she clasped the hat.
"Don't let the money leave a trail behind you, just hold on to it, all right?"
Djali bleated at Pierre, who grew sheepish and followed the goat, calling a final farewell her way.
This suited her. Better that she should go alone.