The Breton Boys

Chapter Six: The Captain's Call | 2

As they ate, Oliver spared no detail in relaying the tale of his journey to the Old World and back. Once everyone had eaten their fill, Oliver cleared the bowls from the table, and Mrs. Breton replaced the large stew tureen with a platter of walnut cakes. After dessert, Mrs. Breton set to work cleaning up, suggesting that Oliver show Reid around the house.

"This is the kitchen!" Oliver said as he stood up, throwing his arms wide to display the room. "But you probably had that figured out already. Let's go upstairs."

He showed Reid Adelaide's nursery and their mother's bedroom before hurtling back down the steps and dashing to the other side of the house, Reid tagging along at his heels.

"This is the big-rug-in-front-of-the-stove area," Oliver said lazily, throwing his hand in the general direction of the sitting room. It held a round cast-iron stove, bookshelves, and two large wooden chairs with fat cushions. Paintings of flowery landscapes hung on either side of a long, silver sword that was mounted proudly on the wall above the stove. "And that's Bart," Oliver added, pointing to the little orange kitten that was curled up snuggly on the spiraling rug. "Anyway, let me show you my room. Or should I say our room, now!"

He climbed the ladder to the loft and Reid followed behind.

"This," Oliver announced, pulling himself up through the hole in the ceiling onto the floor above, "is our room!"

There were two twin beds against the right wall, the one nearest to them completely unmade. The further one seemed untouched. There was no wall on the left side, just a railing. Behind the far bed hung a heavy, dark purple curtain, which Oliver explained separated the storage space from where they slept.

Reid was examining the spines of the books on the shelves between the two beds when he spotted an entire army of carved wooden soldiers assembled on the top shelf. Stunned, he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the little horseman he had been carrying with him since they had left St. Wigbert's. It was nearly identical to Oliver's horsemen.

"Oliver, look at this," Reid said, holding out his figure.

"Those are my wooden soldiers," Oliver replied. "Dad carved them. I've had them for as long as I can remember."

"But this one is mine," Reid said. "I've had it for as long as I can remember!"

"You're joking," said Oliver, eyes wide in disbelief.

"I'm not," Reid assured him. "I had another one as well. I always thought I got them through the school."

"How strange!" Oliver said. "They must've been wrapped up with you when you were taken."

"Yeah, that must've been it!" said Reid, delighted by the discovery that he'd been carrying a tiny piece of Hollenmere with him his whole life.

"Anyway...these are our beds," Oliver went on as Reid put his horseman back into his pocket. "That one's yours," he said, gesturing to the well-made bed by the purple curtain.