“ Please stay out of this…we’re fine…honest” Martin shouted. Jo muttered something under her breath, unable to think or move,
“ Guillaume!” she gasped.
Guillaume had just opened his mouth to speak when a young woman pushed past the group of friends and towards Martin. She had long, corn coloured hair and a determined expression. Lucy turned around to mouth ‘That must be Bertrande!’ to Mark to find him stood with his eyes fixed on Bertrande’s face and his mouth wide open. Lucy grinned and motioned for Jenny to look, she giggled quietly and poked him in the back. Mark quickly flushed bright red but before he could say anything,
“ Guillaume…what is this…?” Bertrande demanded in a calm voice, “ What are you doing to Martin…and Benoit…?” Guillaume shifted his gaze from Jo to her and smiled slyly.
“ We were just…talking…weren’t we…Martin?” he spat his name as he looked at Martin, who just looked incredibly embarrassed. (Which was understandable, he had just been defended by two girls…not good! Not good!!)
“ We’re fine…” Martin said quietly to Bertrande, “ Aren’t we Benoit?” He glanced at the young man stood next to him,
“ Er…y-y-yes…th-thankyou Bertrande…fine nn-n-now…” he stuttered and smiled at Jo, “ Th-thankyou t-t-too…” He hopped over to Jo, “ I…think y-y-you may just hh-h-have saved our l-l-l-lives…” Benoit spoke quietly so the others could not hear, his eyes looking deeply into Jo’s. She winked at him and quickly squeezed his shoulder.
“ That’s no problem, “ she held out her hand, “ I’m Jo…we, my friends and I, are staying her for a while…” Benoit shook it as well as he could and introduced himself.
“ My n-n-name is Benoit…my best friend, s-s-s-she isn’t here now…b-b-but next time I s-s-see you I’ll in-in-introduce you to Louison…” He smiled broadly, before giving a little bow and hobbling away.
Guillaume seemed to have bored of the situation and he and his band drifted away, as he was leaving he glanced back over his shoulder and gave Jo a long look that left her open mouthed. It was as if his dark eyes had pierced her very heart, his stare had been so deep that it didn’t seem possible. After he had vanished she was aware she was still staring the way he had gone, she coughed self consciously and turned back to the others. Martin and Bertrande had joined them.
“ I trust you are feeling better this morning…” Martin asked Jo, the previous anger in his voice having dissipated with the departure of Guillaume.
“ Oh…much better thankyou…” Jo blushed a little as she remembered what had happened the night before.
“ Sorry if I seemed rude just then…” Martin said apologetically. “ It’s just that I wanted to stand up for myself in front of…oh well it doesn’t matter now…” He shrugged and smiled. “ So how about introducing me to the rest of your party…” He looked at the friends and his smile grew as his eyes met Lucy’s. She flushed a little and smiled back.
“ Well, this is Phillipe, Lucy, Jenny, Mark, Rosie and Marius…” Jo indicated to each one in turn and they shook hands with Martin, although it seemed to Jo that he did keep hold of Lucy’s hand longer than any of the others!
“ Pleased to meet you…” Martin smiled and he gestured to Bertrande, “ And this is my…well…she’s my…” Martin again began to look uncomfortable and at a loss for words. Thankfully Bertrande stepped in,
“ I’m his friend!” She laughed gently, “ Have been since we were children…I’m Bertrande, nice to meet you all.” She shook hands with each of them and Jo couldn’t help but notice that she paused with Mark just as Martin had with Lucy. She forced back her giggles and smiled broadly.
“ Well…we were exploring your village…so why don’t you show us around…” Jo suggested and so the friends, along with their new additions started off around the village once more. Martin and Lucy at the front of the group, Bertrande and Mark walking behind them. Rosie and Marius followed them, with Jenny, Jo and Phillipe bringing up the rear.
The afternoon passed pleasantly enough and the friends had to admit that despite the slightly bizarre nature of their arrival…they were enjoying themselves! The only ones who weren’t quite as happy as the others were Jo and Phillipe. They decided that a quiet walk alone was required and excused themselves from the others.
Jo had known that telling Phillipe the truth about their backgrounds wasn’t going to be easy but now she wished she’d lied and made out that it was all nonsense…but she hadn’t and now both he and Marius were trying their best to make sense of it all.
“ Phillipe…” Jo said gently once they were out of earshot of the others, “…I know it’s not easy but if there’s anything you want to know…about…well, about where I’m from…please, please do ask me…” She glanced up at his face and her brow furrowed as she saw a single tear fall from his eye. “ Phillipe…what’s wrong…?” They stopped walking and he looked down into her face.
“ Dear Jo…you are my closest and dearest friend…where ever it is that you came from doesn’t matter to me…all that matters is that you are here and…well…” Phillipe seemed to be struggling to find the right words,
“ Phillipe what is it…?” Jo asked quietly, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. When Phillipe’s eyes met hers once more she spotted the familiar flash of jealousy in his pale eyes.
“ I…I saw the way that…Guillaume did you call him? The way he looked at you…” Phillipe sighed, “ And the way you looked at him…” Jo stood open mouthed, she couldn’t fathom what she was hearing. “ I know…I know I have no right to be jealous…but I don’t think he’s the right one for you Jo…” Phillipe continued.
“ Phillipe!” Jo groaned, exasperated. “ Don’t get yourself worked up. You’re acting as if I’m going to marry him or something! I only just met him and we’ve never even spoken…where’s all this… ‘the right one for you’ stuff come from?” Jo shook her head in confusion. They were now outside the village and in open countryside. Phillipe sighed and led Jo over to a fallen tree where they sat down. Phillipe took her hands in his and sighed before looking into her green eyes.
“ You told me that I…that we’re all…characters from these musicals…is that right?”
“ Yes…but…” Jo started but he cut her short.
“ So we’re like the characters in operas?”
“ I suppose so…but…Phillipe where are you going with this…?” Jo felt a nervous knot growing in her stomach.
“ Not being a big fan of the arts I had never frequented the theatre but I did go to an opera once.” His eyes suddenly lit up with an excited light that Jo had never seen before in his eyes but she had seen often in the eyes of her friends when they had spoken about things that they loved. “…Jo it was amazing…before I went I didn’t see why they had such things…plays set to music…but then I realised that the music and the songs told you what the words and actors couldn’t. They told of emotions too powerful to be expressed in any other way…” Jo couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of Phillipe’s mouth. “…I realised that in such productions…the emotions contained were heightened…is that true with musicals…?”
“ Well…yes I suppose so…” Jo’s voice was little more than a whisper. Phillipe nodded slowly and a slight smile crept onto his face.
“ That explains it…” he smiled.
“ Explains what?” Jo was intrigued.
“ Well all my life I seemed to have experienced the extremes of emotions…pure anger or hatred…the worst fear imaginable…and now…the deepest jealousy…it’s probably the same for Marius…he feels the deepest attachment to Rosie…and Enjolras…he felt nothing but passion for his cause…” Phillipe explained and Jo couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
“ So you…all of you feel the ultimate limit of an emotion…” Jo tried to put it right in her own head,
“ Yes…and that’s why I’m worried about Guillaume…” Phillipe’s smile faded and was replaced by a worried expression. “ I could…I don’t know…sense I suppose…” Jo looked at him with a bemused face, “ Jo…I think you’ll find that…well Guillaume may very well be in love with you…” Jo laughed out loud but Phillipe’s face cut her short. “ You saw Mark and Lucy just now…with Martin and Bertrande…” He raised an eyebrow, “ Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of love at first sight?”
“ Yes of course I have but…you can’t be serious…” Jo said half jokingly. Phillipe stood up slowly,
“ Think about it Jo…plus…I think if you consider everything very carefully…examine your own heart…I think you’ll find…you may very well love him too!” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before walking away and back into the village. Jo sat on the fallen tree, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Not only was it all very hard to believe but, worryingly for her, part of Jo believed every word. She sat there all afternoon trying to make sense of it all and it was only when the sun had started to set that she realised she should be getting back to the village. Jo wandered back along the road to village and looking up to the sky, she gave a little laugh. The sky was growing darker and the first stars had started to appear.
“ Stars!” she said to herself, “…in your multitudes…!” Jo began to laugh uncontrollably and had to stop walking to trying and regain control of herself.
“ Some people would call that kind of behaviour madness…” came a voice from the long grass next to her. Jo leapt into the air in fright and felt a scream rising in her throat. The grass moved and parted to reveal Guillaume. “ You shouldn’t be out her alone at this time…where’s your friend?” He asked and Jo knew instantly he meant Phillipe.
“ Oh…you frightened me…” Jo gasped and tried to calm down. “ Phillipe? He went back to hotel a little while ago…I just wanted to get some more fresh air…I wasn’t well yesterday…” Jo tried to sound convincing and cover the tremble in her voice.
“ I didn’t get chance to introduce myself earlier…” Guillaume stepped nearer to her and it was instinct that made Jo step back, she stumbled over a rock on the road and would have fallen if Guillaume hadn’t dashed forward and caught her. He looked down at her in his arms and smiled, his dark eyes seeming to shine in the darkness. “ I’m Guillaume…”
“ I’m Jo…” she said breathlessly before realising what was going on and struggling back to her feet. “ Pleased to meet you…” Her eyes looked into his and she smiled. “ Well, it’s getting dark and I should get back to the Inn…” She started off back down the road, “ Goodnight Guillaume…”
“ Goodnight…Jo…” came his voice through the darkness and Jo’s smile broadened as she walked. She was soon back at the Inn and joined the others for dinner.
Mark and Lucy were busy gushing about Bertrande and Martin. Rosie and Marius spent most of the meal glancing at each other, smiling gently everytime their eyes met. Jenny and Phillipe were discussing their world with much enthusiasm and Jo sat with a smile on her lips, thinking about how Guillaume’s eyes had shone and how when he had held her in his arms, it was as if electricity had passed between them. She sighed and tried to tune back into the conversation between Phillipe and Jenny.
“ …so we sang songs in these shows…?” Phillipe was asking, and Jo couldn’t help but laugh. They all stopped and looked at her. She shook her head and smiled.
“ As I walked back I looked up and saw the stars and it reminded me…you know…” she took a deep breath and launched into song. “ Stars, in your multitudes, scarce to be counted…” One by one the other friends joined in to give Marius and Phillipe a rousing rendition of Stars. At the end, they clapped enthusiastically and the friends stood to give little bows. “ That one was your song!” Jo leaned over to Phillipe and smiled broadly, “ Impressive eh?” They all laughed and the rest of the night was spent singing and discussing the world the friends had left behind. It was late in the night when they finally bid each other night and went to bed. That night Mark lay awake thinking of Bertrande, Lucy’s head was filled with images of Martin, Rosie and Marius were laid in their rooms unknowingly thinking of each other and Jo lay smiling to herself, seeing Guillaume’s face in the darkness. Phillipe couldn’t sleep either, for the second night running, but now it was fear that gripped his mind. He was sure that something bad was going to happen to Jo, he could just feel it. But it was going to be…he had no idea…but he was certain it would involve Guillaume
PART THIRTEEN
BACK TO PART ELEVEN
BACK TO THE FICTION INDEX
HOME