Lisette

Chapter 51 ~ Not Exactly Pretty, After All

Grantaire's reaction to Claudine seeking him out for dancing lessons was a mixture of astonishment and delight. The idea that anyone might desire his company for any reason still seemed to surprise him, even when it had just been me suggesting the continuation of our single stick lessons earlier in the spring.

The Luxembourg gardens at quieter times of day were perfect for the dance lessons, being quicker and easier to get to than the wastelands on the outskirts that we resorted to for the single stick lessons. Dancing was, after all, a far more acceptable activity for a lady. Gavroche occasionally joined us, alternating between laughing at us and joining in.

While the lessons were fairly sporadic - her work got in the way a lot of the time - Claudine was a quick learner, and picked things up far more easily than I had done last year. I couldn't help but feel mildly envious of her ability to get her limbs in the right place in the right order at first try. There were some steps I still had yet to master that she seemed capable of almost instantaneously.

Musichetta seemed to delight in the fact that shopping trips for clothes were now 'necessary' as Enjolras confirmed plans for our journey to visit his family with his parents. Garments that neither of us had ever been able to afford were pored over and scrutinised in shop after shop, to find the ones that fitted me, and that she deemed to suit me best. For all that clothes shopping had never been something that interested me when I was younger, it was hard not to share in her delight. Enjolras deferred to her in what was (and wasn't) necessary, and seemed to surprise her with how free he was with the purse strings. Claudine rarely accompanied us, since her work required her to be in the shop during business hours, while 'Chetta and I could catch up with missed work under the lamp in the Musain.

Some long evening gloves and hair pieces were eventually all that remained on the shopping list, with everything else having been acquired. The hair pieces were some of the most difficult to find, since to look right they had to match my hair exactly, and as yet we hadn't found anything that matched my slightly coppery dark hair. They weren't essential, but would be much easier than having to curl my hair into ringlets every day.

While I still visited Cosette each week at her home, I'd sit with her now and then in the Luxembourg Gardens as well. She was intrigued to hear about Hernani, and demanded to hear more about what the theatre was like, and how things were arranged, and what the people were like. I hadn't been to see many plays, but told her as much as I could, including Gavroche's story about being paid to be the sea for one play, by crawling around on stage under blue fabric to make the waves. Cosette had never seen the sea either.

She was glad to hear about the clothes shopping and other preparations for meeting Enjolras's family, and asked that I either bring some of the clothes to show her, or else draw them so that she could see them. I tried sketching some of the dresses from memory, and the rest of the day was spent drawing our own fashion plates. Cosette seemed interested in more fashionable clothes, but had convinced herself that they wouldn't suit her - 'I'm not exactly pretty, after all' - and that her father wouldn't see the need of them. Her present wardrobe, plain and ill-cut as it was, sufficed. It kept her warm and modest - that was what mattered - and no amount of persuading could convince her otherwise.

As we sat, and drew, and talked, I couldn't help but mention Claudine and Courfeyrac. Despite never having met any of them, Cosette liked to hear about the students, and given that she likely would never meet any of them it didn't seem to matter what I said, even if Courfeyrac had sworn me to secrecy. It wasn't as if she would be able to interfere in any way.

"So he might have fallen in love with her?"

"Possibly. He doesn't seem to know himself."

"And she doesn't know?"