Belle Morte Bites (Belle Morte 4.3)

Three's Company: Part Four

France, 1798

"Papa, look!" Marie toddled across the kitchen floor, clutching a crumpled wildflower in one chubby fist.

Ludovic knelt in front of her. "That's a lovely flower, my darling. Is it for me?"

Marie thrust it at him, and he took it. The stem was crushed from where she'd clutched it too tightly, but he tucked it behind his ear anyway, and Marie giggled.

"Papa pretty," she declared.

"Not as pretty as you." Ludovic kissed her small nose. "No one in the world is as pretty as you."

"I take offence to that," Lucille teased, following their daughter inside.

Ludovic straightened and pulled her close with one arm so he could kiss her.

The shadow of Régine was still everywhere, two years after her death, a weeping wound on both their hearts, and they had never pretended that she wasn't Marie's biological mother. They talked to Marie about her, even though Marie was too young to understand, and one day they would take her to the clearing in the woods not far from the house, where Ludovic had buried her.

But however much her loss hurt them, they had found ways to be happy, both with each other and with their daughter. There was nothing that Ludovic loved more than waking up everything morning with Lucille in his arms, and Marie sprawled across his lap.

He kissed Lucille again, long and deep, until they were interrupted by Marie tugging Lucille's skirts. "Up," she demanded, making clutching motions with her fingers.

Lucille lifted Marie onto her hip, holding her daughter with both arms. "You're getting heavy," she said, chucking Marie under the chin.

"It must be all that delicious food her mother keeps making," Ludovic said, smiling knowingly at her.

He was no longer allowed to cook food. While Lucille was prepared to put up with over-salted or burned food, she would not subject Marie to Ludovic's attempts.

"Speaking of food, we have some vegetables to dig up, don't we?" Lucille said to Marie.

"Vegebles," she agreed.

"Come on, then." Lucille set her down and took her hand, leading her to the door. She paused, looked back. "Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute," Ludovic said.

He watched them walk out, Lucille with her blonde hair, Marie dark like her mother, both of them the most beautiful, precious things in his entire world. Their lives were so quiet, so simple – they grew vegetables, Ludovic hunted for food, they foraged for wild fruits and herbs, and occasionally they travelled to local markets to buy the things they couldn't make themselves. No one thought there was anything odd about them – they were just another young couple with their daughter. When Marie was older, they would have to think about integrating more with the outside world – they couldn't isolate her all her life – but for now they were both enjoying having her all to themselves.

It was a blissful life, and the only thing that would have made it better would have been if Régine was still with them.

"Papa!" Marie's voice drifted in from the patch of land that surrounded their house.

"I'm coming," Ludovic called.

Marie understood that he couldn't stay outside as long as Lucille, and she understood that he never ate anything, but she was still too young to understand why. But Ludovic would never hide what he was from his daughter.

He went outside.

The sun was a bright gold coin in the sky, and Lucille and Marie were already kneeling beside one of their vegetable patches. Marie was enthusiastically digging up carrots with her bare hands, showering Lucille with dirt. Lucille just laughed.