Baudelaire's

Baudelaire's: Part IV

Cattleya Baudelaire's residence, for the most part, was condemned. Part of the roof had caved in from artillery fire, but that was mostly just the upper floor of a once spacious early colonial style home.
"I know." Cattleya remarked as they approached the wrecked structure and reading Claudia's expression of concern. "But if it were not sound, we would have been dead long ago, Mr. Hodgins."
"There is always your TENT you can scuttle on back to." Benedict added pointedly.
Cattleya paused as Benedict stepped into the structure first, holding high a lit lantern. Within seconds, he popped his head out.
"All clear." he said.
Cattleya nodded and entered with Claudia following close behind.
     Benedict sat down his lantern and proceeded to light a couple of other lamps about a spacious area consisting of large hearth and wood burning stove, cooking vessels, table and chairs. Near the hearth was a large, sturdy, yet shabby couch completely covered with quite a collection of  patchwork quilts. 
      After lighting the lanterns. Benedict busied himself lighting a fire in the hearth.  Cattleya excused herself, took up a lantern to light her way and entered into another area closed off by a curtain.
     Claudia watched Benedict work at lighting the fire. Benedict's matches were proving faulty, and he cursed each of them.
      "Military grade matches are heartier, here."
Claudia opened his cigarette case and provided several to replace the wasted matches.
     Benedict grunted gratitude and lit the match for the fire. Within seconds it caught and burned brightly.  The boy and the man glanced at each other, then Benedict looked away to poke at the fire with an iron rod.
     "Are you looking to share her bed tonight?" Benedict asked plaintively.
     When Claudia did not answer straight away, the boy merely nodded. "Thought so. . .you wouldn't be here if you weren't."
     Claudia knew this was not a point worth arguing, and took out the cigarette case again to retrieve a cigarette. He offered one to Benedict and the boy did not hesitate to take.
     Claudia sat at the table. "And how do you feel about that?"
      "Why  should it matter to me?" Benedict wanted to know, still stabbing the fire.
     "You are the one who loves her most." Claudia replied.
    Benedict gave the fire another piece of wood and stabbed at it murderously, just as the curtain was pulled aside and Cattleya came back into the room. She was now dressed in a green silk kimono robe, tied at the waist. Her hair was fastened off her neck and all jewelry and make-up were absent.  Claudia stared at her rather sadly in light of the recent conversation.  This was not an adult, but a half grown child.  Cattleya and Benedict Blue could be the same age, which could be what? 16? 17 years old?
     "Oh, feels nice in here. Thank you, Benedict.  Are you hungry, Mr. Hodgins?" Cattleya asked, going to the corner of the room and removing three loose floorboards. Benedict helped her lift out a wooden box, and bring it to the table. "We have a little bit of quite a lot, actually."
She sat out in the table some crusty bread, summer sausage, a little dried fruit and a variety of root vegetables.  There was also a small pouch of tea leaves, a crock of lard, and some dried herbs and salt.
     Claudia took inventory as they emptied the box.  "Is this considered a lot as far as food goes here now?"
     "More or less. Farmers all over the region have been selling us surplus for quite some time, but even their stores are becoming meager.  One can not buy what is not there."  Cattleya took down a cast iron pan. "We are certainly better off than most. I do not like the idea of hiding our food from others, but lately it has become necessary."
    "Supplies are on the way, of course." Claudia promised.
    "We figured as much, and for that we are grateful."  Cattleya replied, now shoveling hot coals from fire into the wood burning stove.
     "The Gardarik army brought supplies, too," Benedict said from where he lounged on the couch, enjoying his cigarette. "They ended up taking more than they supplied." He sat up to toss the cigarette end into the fire, and cut his eyes over at Claudia. "That's what conquering armies do, isn't it, Lt. Colonel? Work at gaining trust then shoot their bullets, throw bombs, rape women, and kill children? Then leave to do the same thing in the next city?"
     "Benedict!" Cattleya scolded, "Mr. Hodgins is our guest. I will not allow you to speak to him that way!"
     Benedict shrugged with agitation and fell back onto the couch, arms behind his head.
"You know the truth far more than even I do, Cattleya."
     Cattleya did not comment, but her expression was solemn. She melted lard in the pan and busily peeled potatoes and sliced onions. "I apologize for his impertinence."
      "It's understandable. I'll do my best to procure extra food supply for you, and whatever else you need."
    "We will not take any more than anyone else, Mr. Hodgins."
     "Then at least let me do that for you."
      Cattleya loaded the hissing pan with potatoes and onions with plenty of salt.
     "Thank you, Mr. Hodgins." Cattleya replied genuinely, keeping vigilance over her potatoes and onions.
     Claudia lit one more cigarette after offering Benedict another. He contemplated this exceedingly beautiful girl, keeping together her family business, residing in a hovel of a home in a city hopefully on the verge of seeing a turning point in its situation.  He also wondered his own intentions for the night. The flesh was willing (oh, yes), but the spirit was skeptical. Benedict Blue may have been only a boy, but his obvious affection for her, and vice versa, was something no man as himself should put asunder.
     "So, what's YOUR story, Mr. Hodgins?" Cattleya asked, now setting a kettle of well water on the stove to heat for tea.
      "Not as complicated as yours," Claudia assured her.
      "That's relative, though, isn't it?"
Claudia shook his head. "Not in my case. My family is in the shipping business, and they've had a good couple generations of success at it."
"Humph!" huffed Benedict from the couch, his body undetected except for a stream of cigarette smoke rising lazily in the air.
Cattleya ignored Benedict and poured tea into a slightly chipped teacup from what looked like a refined tea set. Perhaps a remnant of what Cattleya's family once was. The bombed house all around them suggested that life had at one time been extremely comfortable. . . But that had been four long WAR years ago.
"Where's the rest of your family, Cattleya?"
She smiled sadly, uncovering the potatoes and flipping them with a spatula. "Well," she sighed, "My great grandfather who began Baudelaire's has been gone 10 years now. His son-in-law, my grandfather, passed away at the beginning of the war during the invasion, and various other uncles and cousins fought and died as soldiers. Many people here have my same story, of course. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"What of the women of your family?"
"Oh, now, they were strong. My mother and grandmother were municipal workers, helped run the city , as well as Baudelaire's, but for the most part, both were mid-wives, by trade, and saw a lot of life and also a lot of death. . .but taught me much."
Cattleya plated the potatoes and sliced bread with some summer sausage. She also sat out the end of the dried fruit. Hearing the clatter of the plates, Benedict came to the table, flicking the butt of his second cigarette into the fire along with another stick of firewood.
"As you can see," Cattleya continued, "They are no longer here. Grandmother passed from long illness. And mother. . .well, she went out on a house call and never returned. That was two years ago now."
"So, she's missing. . ." Claudia assumed.
Cattleya shook her head and sighed. "Found hung by the neck from a lamp post, with a sign reading 'xichzuan', old Gardarik meaning 'child killer' pinned to her."
Claudia stared at the girl while she placed a threadbare linen napkin in her lap with all the grace of a lady in a fine dining restaurant in Leiden.
"Please, Mr. Hodgins, eat," Cattleya said keeping her eyes on her plate, "Or else your potatoes will be cold."
Claudia did eat after a moment. He thought about his own far more comfortable life in Leiden, which had seen a fairly amount of warfare near it, but not right on top of it as Capria had.
The meal continued, with conversation more between Cattleya and Benedict about the evening's events.
"You looked so nervous during my performance," Benedict accused Cattleya, sipping his tea, "You HAVE to admit, the soldier boys ate it up! Isn't that right, Lt. Colonel Hodgins?"Benedict smiled sweetly at Claudia.
Claudia chuckled with good nature. "Had us all fooled, for sure. One soldier in particular. ."
"Oh, yes, I was ready to beat some Leidenscaftlich Captain ass for bursting in like that."
"I believe you could have, too. You're quite the scrappy fighter, aren't you?" Claudia replied.
"Well, when you live in these conditions, what's the worst that could happen? Death?" Benedict threw back his pretty blonde head and laughed.
"No," Cattleya corrected, clearing their empty plates, and pouring more tea. "The worst that can happen is suffering a broken bone with no medic to even set it, then facing a slow death from sepsis."
"Well. . . true." Benedict had to agree.
"But thanks to the Lt. Colonel, that did not happen." said Cattleya.
"I'm his superior officer. It was the right thing for me to do."
"A soldier with a conscience. . .imagine that." said Benedict with a smirk.
Claudia grinned but said nothing. If they only knew. . .they did not know he was one of many officers who had witnessed the secret weapon in the form of a little girl slashing away on the training grounds after given a simple order to kill. It was the most unethical practice he had ever yet seen and had said nothing. . .
Then there was a loud pounding at the door. Claudia jumped up, hand to a revolver in a holster at his hip. Benedict had cleared the couch in front of the fire and grabbed the iron fire poking rod. Both man and boy positioned themselves either side of the door.
Cattleya gripped the back of her chair, poised to duck, if need be.
Then there was another pounding at the door, weaker this time and a weak, sobbing voice coming through.
"Cattleya?" it said, "Please, please be here. ."
"Freya??" Cattleya shouted and ran to the door and snatched it open to a girl who practically fell into Cattleya's arms.