Lisette

Chapter 23 ~ I Wish We Could Stay Like This Forever

Half running through the now nearly empty streets in the pouring rain, we reached home far more quickly than we might have done had we wandered in blissful sunshine. It was something of a relief to find ourselves indoors and be able to hear one another without having to shout over the sound of the rain on the cobblestones.

"We can hang some of our clothes to dry on the wooden racks I've got," Enjolras said, pulling off his shoes. "They won't hold everything - they're only really for the towels and washcloths, and my coat if it's got really wet in the rain - but they'll help to get some things dry more quickly."

Having taken off my own boots (with the wax on them, it seemed that my feet were the only part of me that were even slightly dry), I knelt down by the grate and began to lay the fire. With the warmer weather, we weren't in the habit of lighting it quite so often, relying instead on boiled water from the communal copper downstairs, but at the moment, lighting the fire seemed to be the best way of drying ourselves out. Enjolras filled the kettle, and swung it round on its hook so it was hanging back over the fire, which brightened up and danced surprisingly quickly for all that my hair and sleeves had dripped on the tinder and kindling.

I pulled off jacket, and then my petticoat before I removed my stockings - there's nothing worse than cold, wet wool flapping against bare legs. My lower legs were splattered with mud from the hem of my petticoat that had soaked through my stockings, and as Enjolras brought the two wooden racks out from the corner by the door and hung his coat over one, I took the bowl out of the washstand and set it in front of the fire.

"Your waistcoat," I said, standing up again and facing him. "The rain's soaked it through - the silk will be ruined!" I couldn't help but reach out to touch the tawny and red striped silk.

"It's fine," he said, smiling, and taking a step towards me. "It's not like most people will be able to tell, when I'm wearing my coat over it, and if I'm not wearing my coat I'll probably not be in the company of people who'll care about water stained silk."

"Even so - it seems a pity." I fiddled absently with one of the thread wrapped buttons. He'd only got part way through unbuttoning the waistcoat. "Mind you, Bahorel might take it into his head to make it a new fashion. Like watered silk, except with real water!"

Slowly, I undid the last few buttons, and then looked up at him. He raised a hand to my face, brushing some of the damp strands of hair away.

"Lis..."

It felt as though I was drowning in his blue eyes. With my hands on his chest, I could feel his heart racing as fast as mine.

"Lis, I - "

The kettle boiled, and the moment was broken. He moved away from me, pouring the boiling water into the washbowl, mixing it with some cold, previously boiled water, and then pulled his waistcoat off and hung it by his coat. As I sat on the floor by the hearth and unlaced my stays, I took the occasional glance at him. The fine linen shirt, almost wet through, was clinging and slightly transparent, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. As I hung up my stays, I realised my own chemise was just as bad.

"What was it that you were going to say?" I asked. 

"Oh - nothing. It doesn't matter," he said, shaking his head.

"If you're sure."

I turned to pull a dry chemise out of my wooden box at just the moment that he tossed a towel towards me.

"Ow!"

"Sorry!" he said, half laughing. "I thought you'd catch it!"

"I might have done if I'd seen it coming! Or had some warning!"