Lisette

Chapter 10 ~ Your Continued Company

As winter drew on, I became ever more thankful for the fact that Enjolras had taken me in. With the worsening of the weather, and the Christmas break, we spent ever more time together inside. With the constant cold weather, being outside, even for the trips I made back and forth from the drapers for work, was a chore. I almost invariably ran into Gavroche on my trips out, and always made sure he had something to eat. On one of those occasions, I found an old pair of shoes in a fripperer's that I could just about afford, and gave them to him, along with some woollen stockings to try and keep his feet warm. The paving stones and cobbles were cold enough when I was still living out on the streets in October, but now, they were even worse. He only wore them when there was little to no frost though - with no way of drying them, as he told me, the stockings and shoes would only make his feet colder when they got wet in the snow. 

Through Gavroche, I was able to speak to some other children living on the streets over the winter, taking down their pictures and their stories. Almost all of them wished for a picture to keep, and so I took to doing two sketches. On completion, I took them to the closest bakery, and they would stand in the warmth for as long as they could get away with, deciding what small pastry they were going to have along side the bread that I bought them. I wished that I could house them all, but such a feat by myself would be impossible. As it was, I gave what I could when I could, but it never felt like enough.

Enjolras didn't return to his family over Christmas. Despite me trying to pay him back everything he had spent on me over the last few months, he refused to take the money, insisting I needed it more. Pride overcame my common sense, though, and I took to repaying a few sous at a time, hiding the small change in his pockets when he wasn't looking, and keeping record of what I still owed in the back of my notebook. So far, it seemed, he hadn't notice.

I attended Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve with Combeferre and Jehan. None of the three of us particularly believed anything, but there was something about the ritual and routine in the darkness of the year that was comforting. Enjolras didn't come - he had no time for religious ceremonies of any kind.

It was there that I met Monsieur Mabeuf - the old man who had known Marius's father. I saw Marius with him after the service, and went over to wish Marius a Happy Christmas. Knowing my interest in books of all kinds, Marius introduced us, and arranged for him and me to go and visit Monsieur Mabeuf at some point in the New Year. On the way out of the church, I couldn't help but ask Marius why he never came to the Café Musain any more.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I haven't really thought about it properly in any depth. I suppose... I think that having just found my father, and taken his ideas and ideals to heart, I dislike the idea of having to abandon him just as quickly for another set of ideas. It shook me - the way all of you have so many different ideas that you throw around so carelessly, even while you all have one ideal in common. The uncertainty of it all - not having something set in stone that you can moor yourself to - I think I would not be going too far in saying that it scares me."

"To be able to change your mind with new information, though - that should not be a bad thing, surely?" I asked. "Part of the advantage of throwing so many different ideas around is that they can coalesce into new ideas. If you were to come back..."

"I don't think I shall," he smiled. He was thinner, and paler than he had been when Courfeyrac had first introduced him to us all. "But that's not to say I shan't remain friends with you."

When I returned home, Enjolras was still awake. There was a package on the bed. 

"Here," he said, getting up from the chair as I came in. "I've got something for you." 

He picked up the package from the bed, and handed it to me. It was wrapped in tissue paper, and felt like some kind of fabric inside.

"I'm never normally any good at this sort of thing, but I saw this, and, well - I thought - I mean - it seemed to be about the right size, but I'm sure any alterations will be simple enough. And it seemed to be the sort of thing that you might - well, it's not something you already have, and it's the sort of thing you ought to have - that you more than deserve to have. Go on - open it!"

For someone usually so calm and collected, so reticent about showing any kind of emotion, his excitement seemed almost fizzing to the surface. His blue eyes were sparkling.

"Wait!" I smiled back. His visible excitement, though unusual, was infectious. "I've barely got in the door! Let me take my shoes and jacket off first - elsewise I'll traipse mud and slush everywhere!"

Having done so, I sat down on the bed, and picked up the package again. He came and sat next to me, immediately, watching, and waiting. I undid the ribbon around it first, slowly, and then carefully rolled it up to put in my pocket - it would do beautifully as a hair ribbon. I confess that part of my going so slowly was for my own amusement - the slower I went, the more agitated he seemed to get that I should open the present now. I couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to keep it a secret for the last few weeks!

When I had pulled away the wrapping, a dress unfurled itself. It was of a beautifully fine, soft cotton fabric, printed all over with all manner of flowers. I stood, and held it up against myself, looking down at it.

"It's beautiful," I said softly, looking down at Enjolras, who was still sat on the bed, gazing up at me. He seemed in some way relieved - as though worried that I wouldn't like it.

"I know it's too cold to wear such a dress now, but when the weather gets warmer - I thought you should like some more clothes than just your usual jacket and petticoats. And look -" He rose, and pulled up the ruffles on the sleeves. "It can be an evening dress as well, if you untie the lower half of the sleeve. And you can always wear your jacket over it, if you want more warmth."

Overcome, I couldn't help but embrace him. He stood awkwardly for a moment, as though uncertain as to what to do, and then returned the hug. I had never been so close to him before, and couldn't help but revel in the all too short moment.

"Thank you," I said, pulling away. "I'm only sorry I haven't got you anything in return. But with little time and money... I could always make you a shirt?"

He laughed. "I have plenty of shirts. And the lessons I've learned from you - continue to learn from you - are worth more than any kind of material gift. Your continued company is present enough."

That night, as we lay next to each other in bed, I couldn't help but take his hand and thank him again, for everything. He didn't move his hand away, and neither did I move mine. We were still holding hands when I woke up on Christmas morning.