Pluvi?se was soon coming to an end. On this afternoon, Edith and her close friend Charlene were sitting face to face in the living room of the Percys, engaged in idle chatter.
Philippe and Andre were both at the National Convention, and Margot was accompanying Aunt Adele on a visit to friends. The elderly woman still refused to spend much time at home, lest she encounter that Quenet who she had treated like a son last year, but who now made her tremble with fear. Thus, only the two of them remained at home now.
"Alas, the scholars' petition has failed once again. Perhaps there is no more hope for Lavoisier to receive clemency!" Charlene sighed, closing the newspaper in her hands.
Edith immediately retorted, "Lavoisier is a tax farmer for the tyrant and a profiteer of the Republic. He must atone for the detriment he has brought to the people."
"I understand that. It's just that he has such outstanding achievements in chemistry! If we have to cut off such a head, wouldn't it be a great loss?" Charlene replied.
"Intelligence and knowledge do not equal privilege. Haven't you read the Declaration of the Rights of Man, Charlene?" Edith interrupted her, displeased.
"Indeed. But I still feel sorry for Madame Lavoisier! Citizeness Marie-Anne Lavoisier is a true genius in chemistry. And she is also a seasoned polyglot, can create such exquisite blueprints! When I was a child, my father took me to visit her once. She was still very young at the time, I think only around twenty years old, yet already so knowledgeable! Since then, I have admired her so much. I even thought if only I could become a woman like Madame Lavoisier one day. How sad she must be now!" Charlene said.
It was clear that the smart Madame Lavoisier did hold a special place in Charlene's heart, as evidenced by her rare willingness to continue arguing with her friend even after Edith had already expressed her dissatisfaction.
"Stop talking about it, Charlene. I don't like to hear you sympathise with the enemies of the revolution," Edith coldly interrupted her once again.
"I'm sorry, Edith," Charlene's submissive nature once more made her adopt a humble attitude. "I think I have said something foolish again."
Edith merely turned her head away, inwardly scornful of her friend's aristocratic weakness. She was too young, too fanatical, and had yet to understand the greater significance behind it all.
Charlene had just picked up her needlework from the coffee table when they heard an abrupt knock at the door.
Edith approached the door with confusion and opened it to find a middle-aged man with a wide build, dressed in a petit bourgeois style. His beard was thick and unkempt, both his appearance and demeanor rough. Despite all this, he seemed to make people feel uneasy, perhaps because he kept shifting his weight between his legs, and his hat was pulled down quite low, causing his gaze to always peer upwards.
The man saw Edith and pulled down the brim of his hat even further before speaking in a low and gruff voice, "I'm looking for Citizen Quenet. It's urgent."
"He's not at home right now. He's gone to the National Convention," replied Edith.
"He'll be back soon, right? Can I come in to wait? I've got something important to hand to him," the man's eyes never met Edith's, instead keeping darting around.
"Please," Edith hesitated for a moment but then gestured for him to enter.
Once the man sat down in the living room, his unnatural behaviour became even more apparent. He appeared restless and kept fidgeting, occasionally staring straight at the door or looking around to observe the room with unease. Edith noticed that his complexion was off colour, his eyes were all bloodshot.
"You have something to hand to Citizen Quenet? I can pass it on to him for you," Edith suggested, feeling uncomfortable with the man's presence.
The man kept his gaze fixed on Charlene's stiff legs under the blanket. He seemed to take a moment to understand the girl's meaning.
"Uh, no, don't bother," he stammered. "I'd better give it to him in person. It's quite important."
"What is it about?" Edith asked.
The man fell silent for a moment. "I can't tell. That is, um, the Committee forbids me from telling anyone who's not involved. That's all."
"Citizen Quenet has been living with us for a year now, and my cousin is his closest colleague. You can trust us completely. I'll keep it confidential," Edith assured him.
The man became increasingly evasive and nervously rubbed his hands together, lowering his head without a word.
His attitude made Edith feel even more suspicious. She stood up and said coldly, "If you still can't tell us something, I'm afraid we can't keep you here any longer."
The man's eyes suddenly widened. He muttered silently as if he was chewing on something, looking very frustrated.
Eventually, in a hoarse voice, he whispered, "Quenet killed my wife!"
"What nonsense are you talking?" Edith immediately counterattacked.
"Don't you hear? Quenet killed my Annette! She's my wife. Her teeth were beautiful, her eyes were thin, she's always smiling. We met when we danced at the Chaumière. I was too poor, her father turned his nose up at me. But she still married me. She had to marry me.
"She was very able, good at arithmetic, and she could sew dolls. One night someone took her away. I saw Quenet's name on the arrest warrant. Before going to sleep that night, she told me she might be pregnant. I told them she was my wife. And I had to see Quenet. I must tell him. They wouldn't let me see him. Yesterday they handed her over to the executioner. So I came here. I'll ask Quenet to give my wife back to me."
As the man spoke, his eyes were lifeless, yet he stared at the void in front of him with a determined look.
Edith felt a chill all over her body. She and Charlene glanced at each other disconcertedly, and the latter tightened her arms and supported herself on the armrests. The two girls both guessed at the terrible intentions of the comer.
"Your vile plot has been exposed." Edith tried her best to make her voice sound steady and issued the order to the man as imposing as possible, "Please leave this house at once!"
The man stood up suddenly, his eyes full of murderous look. Edith couldn't help but take two steps back, searching the room for objects that could be used to fight back with the corner of her eye, trying to show no sign of fear. Charlene's face became pale. She looked at her friend anxiously.
"What are you to him? Uh? Sister or fiancée? Quenet killed my wife, anyhow I can't kill him today, killing you is just as good!" As soon as his voice faded, the man pounced on Edith, firmly grabbing her neck with both hands.
Edith was caught off guard, losing her strength to resist in an instant.
"Edith! Let her go! Edith! Help, help!" Charlene shook the chair vigorously with both hands, screaming in despair.
He was actually so cruel that seeing Charlene's disability, he would kill her friend in the girl's face.
The large hand choking her neck showed no mercy, and Edith soon felt the real fear of death approaching due to suffocation. The crazy, bloody eyes that were so close to her gradually became blurred.
"Am I going to die here? No, if I die like this, Margot and Aunt will die of heartbreak!" She struggled to break those ruthless fingers, painfully thinking.
Her ears began to ring, sadly realising that she could no longer hear her friend's screams.
"Save me! Andre, Andre!" Almost losing consciousness, the girl cried out helplessly in her heart.
①Pluvi?se: 20th January to 19th February.
②Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier (1743～1794): a famous French chemist, known as the "father of modern chemistry". During the most intense period of the French Revolution, he was accused of tax fraud and selling adulterated tobacco, and was subsequently sent to the guillotine at the age of 51.
③Marie-Anne de Lavoisier (1758～1836): a chemist and laboratory companion of her husband Lavoisier, who played an important role in standardizing scientific methods. Her father and husband were executed on the same day.
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第20章 Beware of strangers bearing gifts