A Promise

Chapter Forty-One

I felt as if someone had ripped my heart right out of my chest. "Papa," I repeated to myself, staring at the little girl. The blood drained from my face. Did that mean-? No, he couldn't be married. He wouldn't have moved on, not after all we'd been through together... Would he?

"Amber, go back to bed," Enjolras said.

"But I want you to tell me a bedtime story!" the girl replied, flipping her red hair over her shoulder in a haughty manner.

"I don't have time, darling," Enjolras replied.

I cleared my throat. "Care to introduce us, Monsieur Enjolras?" I said pointedly.

"Oh, right," Enjolras said, his face turning slightly red. "Amber, this is my old... friend, Eponine. Eponine, this is my adopted daughter, Ambrosine."

My head jerked up when I heard the girl's name. "Ambrosine," I said in a hushed voice, remembering how Enjolras and I used to argue over that name. Then, I realized exactly what Enjolras had said. My adopted daughter, Ambrosine. I seemed to breathe again at the word 'adopted.' Maybe, just maybe, that meant he wasn't married.

I looked at Enjolras, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. "Go to bed," he told Ambrosine. The little girl stuck out her lower lip, but reluctantly obeyed. When she was gone, Enjolras put his head in his hands.

"Enjolras," I said softly. He didn't answer. "You named her Ambrosine."

"It's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he said, still not looking at me.

"And does the girl's mother... Does she... Are you..." My voice trailed off, not knowing how to ask the question.

"I'm not married," Enjolras clarified, his voice flat and emotionless. I breathed a small sigh of relief. "But there is something you need to know about her mother."

"What is it?" I asked.

"When I found Ambrosine, she was a small baby in a basket, lying on my doorstep. There was a letter with her in the basket, written by her mother. I think you should read it." Enjolras walked over to the dresser and took an envelope out of the top drawer. He brought the letter to me and placed it in my hands. I opened it, wondering why Enjolras thought it was so important that I read this letter. The handwriting was a messy scrawl, and many of the words were misspelled. Still, there was something familiar about that handwriting. I frowned in concentration and began to read.

Dear Monsieur Enjolras,

I kno I never met you befor, but I herd from many peeple that you are a good man, and I kno you helped my sister out befor. By the time you reed this, I will have alredy jumped into the River Seine. I can't see any hope in this dark life. See, Monsieur Enjolras, I ain't the best person in the world. I steel, I cheet, I lie, but I also can feel. And rite now I feel just plain sad. I met this man last summer, and he seemed pretty nice. He kissd me and said he loved me, but when he found out I was pregnant, he left me. I wanted to kill myself rite then, but I knew I'd kill my baby too if I did that. Now that I've had this baby, I reelize that I will never be a good enuff Mama. I ain't smart, and I definitly ain't a nice person. I don't got any money to feed her and give her what she needs. So, Monsieur Enjolras, I was hoping that you'd take care of her for me. Tell my baby that Mama loves her, and she is sorry she had to leeve.

Sinceerly,

Azelma Thenardier

I put the letter down silently, not knowing what to think. "So she's dead?" I asked Enjolras. He nodded. "Jumped into the Seine almost six years ago," he replied. I let my head hang in sorrow. I remembered how jealous I had been of Azelma when we were children together. I had spent so much time trying to outdo her in order to earn our parent's affections that I had never stopped to be the big sister I should have been for her. After I had changed my ways and started living with Enjolras, I hadn't even stopped by to check on her. I felt like a failure as a big sister. After a long period of silence, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and got up quickly.

"Eponine, you're still weak!" Enjolras said in alarm, trying to put me back in bed. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to tell a bedtime story to my niece," I replied with determination. "Where is her room?"

"Down the hall to the left," he said.

"Thank you," I said, walking out of the room. I found my way to Ambrosine's room and opened her door. She was sitting on her bed, her legs pulled to her chest. Her eyes were wide open and awake. Now that I knew she was Azelma's daughter, I noticed the resemblance she bore to my sister. Her nose was the same button shape and she had the same charismatic charm that Azelma once bore.

"Hi, Amber," I said in a gentle voice. "Mind if I come in?"

"Will you tell me a bedtime story?" she asked, her large eyes pleading with me.

"Of course," I replied taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"No, you have to let me cuddle up next to you, the way Papa does," Ambrosine said. I laughed softly. 

"All right," I said, complying. "What kind of story do you want me to tell you?" I asked as Ambrosine lay her tiny head against my chest.

"Hmmm..." she said, deliberating with much concentration. "I know! A love story."

"A love story?" I mused. "All right, I'll try my best." I thought for a moment, cleared my throat, and began my story. "Once upon a time, there was a girl-"

"A princess?" Ambrosine interrupted.

"No," I replied. "She was not a princess. In fact, she was a very poor young girl. Not only was she poor, but she was also a heartless thief. She didn't believe there was such a thing as love, and she always felt empty inside. Then, one day, she tried to rob a young man. However, the robbery did not go as planned. The young man caught her in the act. The girl expected the young man to get mad at her for robbing him, but he wasn't mad."

"He should have been mad," Ambrosine interjected.

"Yes, dear, he should have been very mad, but he wasn't. Instead, he treated her with kindness and forgave her. This made the girl realize that maybe there was more to life than selfishness and thievery. Slowly, the girl and the boy got to know each other, and they formed a strong friendship. They grew closer and closer until one day, they realized they were deeply in love."

"Did they kiss?" Ambrosine asked, her eyes wide with interest.

I laughed. "Yes, they kissed," I said. "And they got engaged to marry. But then, one day, the young man did something that people didn't like. He said some things that were very true and he tried to make a difference in the world, but the world refused to listen. Some people got mad at the man and tried to throw him in jail, but the girl rescued him. She decided to go to jail instead of him. She spent a long time in jail, waiting for her chance to escape. Every night, she dreamed of the boy. Finally, she escaped, and she came back to him."

"And did they live happily ever after?" Ambrosine asked, stifling a yawn.

"Maybe," I said quietly. "I don't know yet."

"That sounds like a story Papa sometimes tells me," Ambrosine said sleepily. "Except in the end of his story, the girl dies."

I looked down at my sister's child, smiling at her. Then, I noticed something. "Amber, what's that around your neck?" I asked. Ambrosine looked down at the red and gold ring that hung on her necklace.

"Papa gave it to me," she said. "He told me it once belonged to the most beautiful woman he ever knew." Amber yawned again, her eyes fluttering shut.

I smiled slightly. "Good night, Ambrosine," I said softly, gently kissing her forehead. I laid her down on her pillow and tucked her in. Then, I tiptoed out of her room and into the hallway. I didn't feel like going back to bed, so I decided to explore the house a little. I went across the hallway and opened the door. The first thing I noticed when I entered the room was a foul smell. The room was obviously Enjolras' study, but it was disorganized and trashy. The desk was littered with crumpled papers and a mess was strewn across the dirty floor. Then, I saw something that made me gasp in shock.

"Oh, Enjolras," I muttered, staring astounded at what I had found in the room. "What has become of you?"

 (Author's Note: Hahah I scared you guys last chapter, didn't I? You can thank me now ;-)