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( october 1832 )
CORINNE WAS AWOKEN BY someone vigorously shaking her. She groaned and swatted whoever it was away, but only a moment later, they were shaking her again.
"Corinne, wake up."
It was Amélie.
Corinne rubbed her eyes then opened them, only to find her friend shifting impatiently at her bedside. Behind her, the sky outside the window was only just beginning to show signs of daybreak.
It was still early, and after the late night of traveling with Enjolras, she was tempted to snap at Amélie for waking her up.
But then she noticed the other maid's eyes glistening with worry. This was enough to clear away the haziness that lingered in her weary mind.
Sitting up in her bed, Corinne asked: "What's wrong?"
"I'm unsure," said Amélie, "but something is happening. The police are here."
In the blink of an eye, Corinne was on her feet. She stumbled over to the privacy screen, threw off her sleepwear, and changed into a plain green gown in record time. Leaving her corset and apron (for in that moment, she cared nothing for propriety) she hurried out of the room.
Amélie had to jog to catch up to her. The soft clicking of their heels echoed off the walls of the empty hallway. Around them, the house was still and silent; most of the other servants were still asleep.
"Perhaps something happened at the soiree that needs to be addressed," Amélie whispered, though it was evident that she wasn't convinced by her own consoling words.
Corinne hardly even heard her. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears as she made her way toward the front of the home, and her thoughts were focused on one thing only:
Enjolras.
Knowing that the police were currently on the property frightened her, for although she didn't want to assume the worst, she couldn't help but do just that. Marius's words, spoken just last night before he and his fiancé left Musichetta's house, echoed through her mind.
"I think you are all fools for continuing to test fate."
A feeling of dread washed over her. Had Marius been right?
She and Amélie reached the top of the main staircase and stopped there, gazing down into the foyer below. Monsieur Guillaume stood near the door with a pair of officers, who both brandished a saber and a pistol on their belts. Corinne felt herself grow pale at the sight; they weren't just any officers, they were gendarmes.
