ADIEU » LES MISÉRABLES | ✓

CHAPTER TEN

Something bittersweet coiled inside Claudine's heart as she watched Enjolras walk away, his lithe frame bathed in the soft moonlight. She had lied to him, and he hadn't suspected. Of course, it wasn't that she liked him in any way, the self-righteous and arrogant prick that he was, but the very thought of him hating her was enough to make a curious pain blossom in her chest. 

She blinked vigorously, trying to shut off her thoughts. Enjolras had been taking up quite a fair bit of her mind these days. She shifted, preparing to exit the Rue Plumet and find her way back home. 

Then she heard voices; soft, careful voices that were obviously not meant for her to hear. 

"I have to get going now, Cosette. I do wish I could spend the whole night with you - but alas, my roommate would interrogate me if he finds out, and I don't want to tell a single soul about you, Cosette. You are my secret."

Claudine raised her eyebrows. That voice, warm and sensitive, was terribly familiar. 

"Oh, Marius, being in your company for these few hours has already gifted me with enough happiness to last the entire week. Farewell, dear Marius, and I hope I can see you again soon."

That confirmed it - the voice belonged to none other than Marius Pontmercy. Or, as Courfeyrac had so cheerfully coined him, 'our resident Bonapartist fool'. Was he having a secret rendezvous? A love affair?

Claudine felt uncomfortable, as if she were invading upon something too private and delicate. She commanded her feet to move, but they stayed where they were. Soft, clumsy footsteps approached her, and when she looked up, she was blinded by a dazzling array of white teeth. 

Marius was smiling like a lunatic, completely unaware of Claudine's presence. His freckled cheeks were flushed, and his breaths were shallow. He was deep in the throes of love.

"Um," Claudine began, and Marius leapt a few feet into the air. 

"Y-you!" He stuttered, far too shocked to be polite. 

Claudine introduced herself with considerable calm. Marius, on the other hand, was close to collapsing from fright.

"Don't you fret, Monsieur Marius. Your secret is safe with me."

"W-why are you here at such an hour?"

"I told Enjolras I live here so he would leave me alone," Claudine answered without missing a beat. From the look on Marius's face, she knew that he would not be able to digest anything he heard.

Sure enough, Marius acted as though she had never responded to his question. In a fit of desperation, he grabbed at her hands. "Swear it. Swear that you will keep my secret. Please."

Claudine knew, more than anyone else, how important a secret could be to a person. To be entrusted with another's secret was a heavy burden, but at the same time, it lightened her heart. At last, she had an opportunity to prove that she could be trusted despite being part of a class that was always treated with skepticism. Despite being a gypsy.

She spoke her next words with a quiet ferocity. 

"I swear."

___

Claudine made it back home without incident. She crawled into the tent she shared with her father, expecting him to be already asleep - but he was not. He sat upright on his straw mat, his familiar figure shrouded in darkness.

"Claudine, my child," he rasped, "where were you?"

Claudine froze. She couldn't lie, not to her own father. He knew her more than anyone else did, and that included herself. His hands were the first hands she'd touched, his eyes were the first eyes she'd seen. There was no way she could fool him, and he knew it.