FicWad

Victoria sat out in the garden, alone now, since Javert had gone...home, she supposed. A week had
passed since they'd sat here together. "How could this be, Antoine?" She whispered to her late
husband's memory. "What was the purpose?" She waited for an answer, which of course, did not
come. She sighed.

"Victoria!" Reverie broken, Victoria turned to her aunt. "What is it, Aunt Elisabeth?"
"I've just booked passage. We leave for England in three days."
"What?" Victoria was shocked. "Aunt Elisabeth, I have no intention of leaving, I..."
"Victoria. Don't you see what's happening? It's becoming far too dangerous here...why my dear
friend Mlle. Gillenormand's nephew Marius Pontmercy was nearly killed last week in that nasty
barricade business."

Marius. Antoine had occasionally mentioned his distant cousin along with several other students he'd
come to know through his own scholarly pursuits... Victoria wondered if any of the others had
survived, for they'd surely all have been involved. So would Antoine, truth be told, had he lived. What
were their names? Victoria recalled only a few, having only met Marius a few times briefly.
Combeferre, Joly, Grantaire...Enjolras?

Sadly, her question was answered. "He was the only one to survive, and that only barely. I tell you,
we must leave this god-forsaken country." Elisabeth continued. "I can't go, Elisabeth. My life is here
now. Why don't you go alone? I'll be all right." Victoria tried to remain calm. "Victoria, only last
week, you tried to take your own life. Surely you didn't think I'd forgotten." Victoria regretted telling
Elisabeth how she came to be at the Seine at precisely the right time to rescue the inspector. "I didn't
go through with it, as you can see. And, I saved a life in the process." She did not add that she
believed that in saving Javert's life, Javert had saved hers. Nor did she add that she also believed
that somehow, Antoine had set up the circumstances..."I made a mistake. I won't make the same
mistake again, nor will I make the mistake of going back to England, when it's clear I belong right
here." Elisabeth started to protest, but there was something in Victoria's eyes that clearly showed
the futility of such an attempt. "Well, you have three days to change your mind. After that, you can
have Paris all to yourself." Elisabeth left the garden. Victoria followed her with her eyes. "Goodbye,
Auntie." She said, and returned to her musings.