Skeletons of The Heavens

The Secret

       

Claudia and Cattleya returned the next day to a home that was no different than how they left it.  Nora greeted them happily and asked after the extended family, even though she was not all that close to members of her father's shipping mogul family. 
          Her mother hugged her close, then held her at arm's length and looked her in the eyes.
           "And how was the concert in the park?"
           Nora smiled. "It was such a nice day for a picnic anyway, and the orchestra just made it wonderful."
           Her mother searched her face a moment longer.  If there was anyone with an extraordinary gift of intuition, it was Cattleya Baudelaire Hodgins.  But Ellenora was her daughter and knew her own tactics for deflecting her mother's suspicion.  One was to not look away no matter what.
          It was not that Nora was looking to hurt either of her parents.  If circumstances were perhaps different, she may have shared with her mother the newly revealed situation between herself  and Petrich. If I were only older, this would solve itself, Nora thought bitterly.
Claudia Hodgins was the most doting of fathers, and he swooped Nora up in his arms. He simply was not accustomed to being away from either of his children. Nora, knew, however that she held a special place in his heart.
"You must have had a lovely time." Nora laughed, "Sure it was a funeral you and Mother had gone?"
Claudia sat her down then and collected himself, by placing two fingers to his lips, kissing them and touching his forehead. It was a religious blessing of respect for the dead or the dying. "You're right. Uncle Phineas was a good man. May he be peaceful."
Nora nodded and kissed her fingers and touched her forehead as well. "May he be peaceful." she recited.
"He was also a savvy business man. . . and loved his nephew Claudia very, VERY much!"
Nora raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Enough of this." Cattleya interrupted. "We'll discuss business later in a proper setting, not in the foyer."
"Of course." Claudia conceded, then he looked passed both Nora and her mother. "Mr. Hollenburg!"
Petrich stepped off the stairs and gave a short bow. "Welcome home, Mr. Hodgins, Mrs. Hodgins."
"Thank you, Mr. Hollenburg," said Claudia, "Ellenora did not bother you too much, did she?"
If Petrich looked at Nora at all, it went next to completely unnoticed.
"Of course not. I'm usually the one who is the bother."
What Nora did NOT practice was how to arrange her face while in the presence of her parents and Petrich together. As Petrich and her father conversed, Nora caught her mother's eyes on her and she knew that expression full well. Damnation, thought Nora.
"I am thinking you may have a schoolgirl crush on Mr. Hollenburg." said Cattleya while they were alone unpacking luggage.
Nora considered her words carefully before speaking. Out of the options of schoolgirl crush, inappropriate behavior, or something like a lifetime bond contract, confessing to the silly crush was far the better. A bit humiliating, but still the safer course.
"It's that obvious, isn't it?"
"Very much so." replied her mother, "But I understand it to be a natural part of a young girl's life."
"Unfortunately," Nora lamented, with a sigh.
"Only, be careful about it."
Nora nodded. "The last thing I want to do is look foolish in front of anyone."
Cattleya hugged her and said, "We have all been through it too many times to mention."
When they arrived back down stairs with the men, Benedict was also there, with a miniature Claudia Hodgins, in the form of five year-old Randell, who slipped away from his father to run to his mother.
Cattleya caught her son as he leaped at her, and they both hugged and laughed and kissed each other. She carried the boy out of the front room, Randy chatting his head off about the lovely time he had with Uncle Benedict and Auntie Iris.
Nora watched the three men talk among themselves in rather hushed tones. Benedict seemed to be talking the most, and rather seriously at that. Her father and Petrich were listening closely, actually huddled.
Nora stopped before they saw her and she backed away slowly. Apparently there were more secrets than one among them, and Petrich Hollenburg knew them all.
Later that evening, Nora brought in the lavender tea with Petrich busy at his easel, continuing his work on the birth document.
Nora sat down the tea service and poured.
"A rather interesting day." she commented easily.
"Mmm. Quite." he agreed, from behind his easel.
"Were you nervous?" she asked.
She heard him chuckle. "Yes. I was. Somehow your father grew, like a foot taller than I remember."
"Tell me something."
There was a pause. ". . . Yes?"
"I've been thinking. Does a bond contract mean, well, nuptials?"
          "No. Bond contracts can happen between two who do not consider themselves lovers.  What they MUST have is synchronicity, which happens many times between members of the same sex. We consider that more intimate than sexual intimacy, actually."
         "Oh. . . I see. That sounds rather nice."
         "Yes. Being in a bond contract is very fulfilling."
"I wish I were older, to be of more use to you now, instead of years down the road."
           Petrich stood from his easel and came to her. She gave him his teacup that he accepted graciously. "I've waited this long. I can wait a little longer."
"It. . . means that much to you? To have me bound to you by contract?"
Petrich lowered his teacup. "Yes. . . Does that frightened you?"
"A little. . . Is it out of order to say I believe I am in love with you?"
He looked at her in such a way that she could not quite read.
"Does THAT frightened YOU?" she asked.
Petrich gazed at her and then shook his head. "No. I expected it. It is too fine of a thin line between synchronicity and what you understand about intimate love."
"And. . . What could your feelings be for me as things are?" Nora ventured to ask, staring down into her teacup.
"You want the truth?"
She looked at him and nodded.
"When you are of age, I'll give you an answer."
"And will it be worth my forsaking all others until then?"
Petrich leaned on the table toward her, and gave her that roguish grin that tended to frighten and yet thrill her all at once.
"Yes." he answered simply.
Nora felt that answer deep inside of her, and she felt her face flush, for she knew it was true.
Petrich sat back down at his easel, returning to his work. Nora came around and watched him work over his shoulder. The celestial skeleton from the draft paper was now just nearly complete to a bigger scale onto the roll of parchment.
"Even without paint, I find it so very beautiful." said Nora in awe.
"Yes, I do, too. A map of the heavens in its most pure form."
If she was of age, she would have leaned against his back where he sat and wrapped her arms about him, touching her cheek to his hair.
Instead, she simply placed a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, four years felt a million years away.
          As Nora remained touching his shoulder, she wondered if , with concentration, she'd be able to ferret out the subject of conversation between Petrich, her father and Benedict.
          Before she could focus in earnest, Petrich turned around to face her.
         "No." he said gently, "Don't do that."
         Nora backed away, clasping her hands together.
          "I'm sorry."
           "It's just, I know what you're after, and I can't allow you to find it."
         Nora cast her eyes down to look at her feet, feeling embarrassed.
        Petrich reached for her hands and held them. "I understand, Nora, but. . ." He sighed heavily, "It's just an inopportune time to be in the process of bonding."
         For the longest time, Petrich merely held her hands, and stared at them, as if in deep thought. He then shook his head in resignation. "Damn it all," he murmured under his breath, as he removed his eyeglasses and caught her to him.
         Nora gasped feeling his arms wrap around her waist, his head to the height of her shoulder for he still sat.  She wrapped her own arms about his neck.
          "Concentrate, Nora," he said lowly, "Hold tight and concentrate."
Once past the shock of it all, Nora closed her eyes and began to mentally dig.
From far away, Nora heard Petrich's voice. "Breathe, darling. Concentrate but breathe. . ."
Nora did not realize she had stopped. She drew in much needed air. After a moment her respiration stabilized. "Good. . ." she heard his voice say. Then she began to see and hear in a dreamlike form what Petrich had seen and heard while with her father and Benedict.
"The situation's kinda getting out of control between these two kingdoms. A distant cousin of the Lady Dominique got himself shot in the neck by a certain Duke Beaulierre, right hand man to the prince regent. All over an argument about this upcoming marriage ." Benedict informed the two other men, lowly.
"And when did this happen?" Petrich asked.
"Just got it over the wire this morning."
"Where did it happen?" asked Claudia.
"At the palace! At an event that was to celebrate the engagement between the two houses."
"I had my doubts of this engagement being well received." Petrich replied. "Too much bad history between these two."
"We'll heighten security for you, then," Claudia said. "Helps that it is top secret of your whereabouts."
Petrich nodded. "Right. No more excursions outside, then. Even stepping out on the balcony could be susceptible to sniper fire."
"What part of the process is the most critical?" Benedict asked. "Like, at what point is it considered an unbreakable contract?"
"From start to finish. A good two months of break neck speed work."
"Hmmm. Alright, then." Claudia said, "We'll put the alternate safe house on alert. Might have to pack up in a moment's notice."
Petrich nodded. "Most unfortunate. . ."
Nora 'woke up' out of the dream state. The tears had escaped and had slipped down her cheeks. She loosened her hold about Petrich's neck and slipped out of his arms, stepping away from him to regain control of her emotions.
Petrich said nothing but was still watched her closely. He looked weary and the hair across his forehead and temple were wet with perspiration.
Nora found that her whole body was tired from keeping her muscles very tense from holding onto him tightly.
"I already know you will not refuse to draw up this contract no matter how dangerous it may be." she said. "And I am also aware now that one morning I could wake up and you could be gone. Would this break our bond then? You being away where I can't go also?"
"Considerably weakened, but still intact. If it is at least drawn up officially on parchment, that is." Petrich replied.
"And if it is not?"
Petrich shrugged. "It will still be there, but in effect, forgotten."
Nora took up the notes of their bond contract off the table and studied them. She then handed them to Petrich.
"I know this upends whatever future I am to have with any other man. There will be only you. But you are the only one I care to have."
Petrich stared at the notes. With a slight nod he took them from her.
He stood up and bowed. "You have honored me, Ellenora Baudelaire Hodgins."
"I love you, Petrich Ivan Hollenburg." she replied.