by Kitty Parker
"Please come in." Jack greeted. "This is my wife, Klara. When she heard you were coming, she threw a strudel together, should be ready in about a half an hour."
"It smells wonderful in here, we didn't mean to put you through any trouble." a small soldier said in a thick accent as he entered through the door.
"Oh, it was no trouble. But while it's baking, can I get you all something to drink? Lemonade, coffee, tea?" she said, careful not to mention alcohol.
"Tea sounds great, thank you."
Klara smiled back at the soldier, then gave Jack a quick glance. He was smiling but she could tell he was nervous, with a quick confident nod she headed to the kitchen. She heard the men move to the parlor, a low rumble of German voices floating in the kitchen. The water seemed to take seconds to boil, much to her dismay, when she wanted water to boil quickly, it seemed to take hours. She added the tea bags and gathered enough cups for everyone, sugar and milk.
When she entered the parlor, the men were laughing, Jack along with them. A bubble of nervousness fluttered in her stomach, but calmed as she caught a smile from Jack. A smile that seemed to say, all is well. She served the men their tea, then retrieved the strudel from the oven and gave them each a steaming portion. They sat in the parlor, talking until the strudel and tea were gone. After saying goodnight, Klara went straight to her room, while Jack showed the men where they would be sleeping. Klara changed into her most modest pajamas, a pair of flannel pants and a long sleeved t-shirt she huddled under her covers, busying herself with a book while she nervously waited for Jack. He came in shortly after, heaving a relieved sight when he closed the door.
"They think you're charming," he laughed in disbelief, "they don't suspect a thing! They wouldn't let me leave their rooms, they kept talking about how excellent your strudel was. Erik wants to know if you have a sister."
"Really?" she laughed, feeling suddenly calm.
"Yes, you were amazing! Quite the performance, were you nervous?"
"Oh, of course! And you were too, I could see it in your eyes." she smiled, forgetting her earlier suspicion. "Do you want me to tighten your bandages before bed?"
"If you don't mind."
Klara got out from under the covers and made her way to Jack. She quickly unwrapped his bandage revealing a yellow and purple bruise on his rib cage, she touched it lightly, making note of the swelling. Her eyes lingered for a moment before she began to wrap him up again. When she finished, she smiled at him, then jumped back into bed, burrowing her head under her pillow.
"You can get changed now." she yelled, the pillow muffling her voice. She heard him laugh and after a moment, he was in bed beside her, his ice cold feet finding her own warm ones. With a giggle she came out of her hiding spot, smiling shyly, her hair a mess from the pillow.
"I'm sorry I didn't trust you today..." she blurted, "I always have, and this morning I didn't mean to imply that I didn't. But then, when we heard about Daniel, I couldn't push the thought from my mind. You knew when he was supposed to be here, and where he would be. I thought you were jealous so you had him killed. I'm so sorry. It was foolish, and I'm sorry."
"It's ok, I was jealous, but I didn't have him killed because of it. All day today I tried to be angry with you, but I found that I couldn't be. Everything you said made perfect sense, I understand why you're so confused. I think I was just upset because I thought we had passed mistrust. I understand if you need more time."
"I never liked Daniel, I promise. I've just never had to reject a man before, I didn't know how to break his heart. And I'm not confused anymore, if I am still safe in this bed tomorrow, you'll have my trust forever, and I'm pretty sure I'll be safe." she smiled.
"And what if I want more than trust?" he asked, seriously.
"Maybe you can have that too." she smiled, trying to hide her blush with the covers.
He pulled the blanket down, looking at her earnestly, Klara stared into his clear blue eyes, searching them for any kind of dishonesty, or playful teasing. She found nothing but sincerity and she relaxed, letting him kiss her. As he moved his mouth over hers, her mind emptied. Gone were the thoughts of Jack being a spy, gone was the idea that he was too good to be true. All she could think about was how good it felt to be in his arms, how safe she felt. Jack pulled away and she could see something flash in his eyes, something tender and delicate. He brushed a piece of hair from her eyes, a gentle smile still on his face.
"Time for bed." he whispered, a devious grin on his face.
"I suppose it is, and you had best stay on your side of the bed!" she said, playfully shoving him toward the other side of the bed.
"Ow!" he cried, clutching his side.
Klara rolled over quickly, placing a hand on his stomach. "I'm so sorry! I forgot! Are you ok?" Her face was mere inches from his as she patted over his bandages. It only took a moment before Jack pulled upward and planted another kiss on her lips. She giggled and rolled back onto her side of the bed.
"I mean it, stay on your side of the bed." she warned.
"Yes miss."
* * *
Klara gave a wakeful sigh, feeling fully refreshed, she breathed deeply, noticing the distinct smell of Jack. A smile split across her lips, enjoying the memory of their kiss before bed. As she began to wake more fully she realized that she was laying on something far to hard to be her pillow. She opened her eyes, twisting her head to find that she was laying on Jack's chest. His arm was around her, gently stroking her hair as he gazed down at her.
"Don't look at me." he defended. "I believe it's your side of the bed that's empty."
She blushed shyly, turning to find him right. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"I know, it's ok, I had a most comfortable night's sleep."
"What time is it?" she asked, stretching, trying not to get too excited by his smile.
"Time for me to wake up the guys, we have to get to work on time."
"Want some breakfast?"
"I do, but I'll get it on the way, I don't want you to have to make something for everyone." he leaned over and kissed her forehead before getting out of bed.
"I don't mind, I've been wanting pancakes anyway, it's no trouble to make a bigger batch. I'll get started while you get them awake and work out showers."
"Well, I'm sure they'll appreciate it, probably think you're more charming for it."
"Is it possible for them to think me anymore charming? Do you think I need to put clothes on?"
"As long as you don't take any clothes off, you'll be fine. Your pajamas cover more of you than your dresses."
"That was the point." she smiled slyly, jumping off of her side of the bed. "I'll be downstairs, everything will be ready in a half an hour, have fun waking them up."
Klara pulled on a big sweater and tied up her hair with a ribbon from her dresser. She winked at Jack on the way out, trying to seem playfully seductive in her oversized sweater and flannel pants, which received a boyish laugh from Jack. Once downstairs she set the table for eight and started the coffee. Just as she finished making the batter for the pancakes, the officers began to wander into the kitchen.
"Guten morgen." Erik, the youngest of the soldiers greeted, falling into one of the chairs.
"Good morning, please help yourself to coffee, your pancakes will be ready in a minute." she smiled.
"You really didn't need to do all of this..." he offered, pouring himself a cup of steaming coffee.
"It's no problem, feeding men is in my nature." she giggled. "I wouldn't dream of sending all of you to work on an empty stomach."
The rest of the soldiers filtered in to find a smiling Klara in the kitchen. She was graceful and sweet, smiling at each one, asking how they slept the night before. Somehow, waking up safe had given her confidence, and she was able to play their charade much more comfortably than the night before. Jack was the last one in, clean shaven, his hair combed neatly, his uniform nicely pressed, and she couldn't help but notice that he smelled wonderful. She leaned
in to kiss him when he sat down, and then served him the remaining pancakes.
"Did you manage to get any hot water?" she asked, sitting beside him when everything was cooked.
"No, but it's no different than any other morning." His statement got a laugh out of the other soldiers, which helped her relax even more.
"Shouldn't have gotten married Eiffel, showers in the barracks are always hot."
"Come now Karl, I believe anyone could put up with a cold shower to be married to Mrs. Eiffel." Erik added.
The men ate their breakfast quickly, knowing they had a longer than usual ride ahead of them. Klara insistied that the soldiers leave her the dishes, and she ushered them out the door, accepting their compliments graciously as they left. Jack made to leave the house right behind them, but she caught him by the back of the jacket. "You didn't think you were going to leave so easily did you?" she said playfully, an eyebrow raised.
She knew that the other soldiers were watching, waiting for them to kiss, but she also knew that she would have kissed him, even if they weren't watching. There was a message she wanted to impart with her kiss, that Jack had gained her trust, all of it, and she would never question him again. She stumbled backward, Jack pushing her toward the door frame with the force of the kiss. It was short, but it left her breathless, wishing for something more, wishing for more time. Jack was equally affected, wobbling down the walk way, his eyes bright. As he bent down to get into the car, he gave a quick wave, and a smile that said it all, he knew, he knew that he may very well receive more than her trust.
Chapter 13
"Captain Eiffel, it seems that reports from you are becoming far less frequent. I don't know if you realize that your position here is not assured. If you are not proving helpful to our purposes here you will be sent where you will be helpful." Major Krinshaw said after barging through his office door.
Jack tried to contain his excitement, getting out of his guilt ridden job would be wonderful. "And where might I be more helpful?" he asked hopefully.
"The battlefield, or one of our camps..."
Instead of relief, terror struck. "I'm sorry that you have been disappointed in my findings, but I can only report that which comes in. I will do my best to make sure that the population knows that we are making inquiries into all reports, and they should be offering them to us." he said quickly, hoping to cover his earlier nonchalance.
"Good Eiffel, we know Jews are being hidden all over, and we still have Allied soldiers making it over the boarder, we need to encourage our people to keep watching and make sure they are reporting what they know, to us."
"Yes sir."
The Major left with a nod and Jack crumpled into his chair, his head in his hands. He didn't want to be sent to the battlefield or the camps, then he would be directly responsible for the deaths of innocent people. He liked to think himself a strong man, but he wasn't sure he could handle watching the life draining from someone's eyes. He had been throwing away more and more tips lately, ever since Daniels death which had been more than a month ago. Giving more information meant giving lives, how could he do it? As he continued thinking about it, he began to wonder how difficult it would be to pack Klara and Grandmere and desert the army, fleeing to Switzerland like the soldiers they helped.
Jack might have spent all day thinking about his predicament if his telephone hadn't started to ring. "Captain Jack Eiffel." he answered, trying to sound professional.
"Jack! Jack! You need to come home, please, right now!" Klara screamed, she sounded petrified and was crying hysterically. He could barely make out what she was saying, her sobs echoing on the line.
"What's wrong? Are you ok?"
"It's Grandmere, she fell down the steps, there's blood everywhere and her arm looks funny!"
"Is she breathing? Is she awake, can she talk to you?"
"She's breathing, but she's not awake. Please come home Jack, I need you, we both need you."
"I'm on my way, call the doctor."
"I can't, before she fell asleep she made me promise I wouldn't. Come quick, please!"
Jack said a quick goodbye, confused by the promise Grandmere had forced Klara to make and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. "Erik, I need to go. Klara's grandmere had an accident, will you please tell the Major if he asks?"
"Sure, gosh I hope everything is alright." Erik said sadly, his face conveying concern.
"Thanks Erik." Jack said, turning to leave the office.
"Hey Jack!" Erik called. "If anything terrible does happen, do take a few days off, we can do without you, and I'm sure Klara will need you at home. She's a sweet girl, if you don't take care of her, one of us will."
Jack gave him a thankful grin then ran out of the building. He raced for the train station, just making the 10:30 departure. The ride was agonizing, usually the half an hour felt like no time at all, but today, it seemed like an eternity. When the train stopped, steam emitting from the under carriage, he jumped onto the platform, running full speed the four blocks home. He threw himself against the door, barreling inside. His lungs screamed for air, but there was no time, he ripped off his jacket, leaving it on the floor where it fell.
Grandmere was lying on the ground in a strange position, blood running from her head, her limbs in strange positions. Klara was huddled over her, hysterical. Jack reached under her arms, pulling her up to him, wrapping his arms around her. She sobbed into his shoulder and he gently ran his hands over her hair, trying his best to calm her. It was no use, she just continued crying, finally, she started talking through her sobs.
"She stopped breathing, half an hour ago." she sobbed. "My Grandmere is gone!"
"No!" he whispered, heartbroken. He turned away from Klara for a moment, placing a gentle hand on Grandmere's neck, there was no pulse, her skin cold, all life gone with no hope of return. His eyes filled with tears as he turned back to Klara, he stroked her hair trying to comfort her, if it was even possible. "Why wouldn't she let you call a doctor?"
"Because we have a runner downstairs. She didn't want to put him, or us in danger. I think she knew there was nothing he could do anyway."
"When does the runner leave?" he asked gently, not sure how much Klara could take.
"Tonight."
"Ok, I'm going to explain everything to the man downstairs and put him into one of the uniforms I brought. We'll bring it upstairs, and pretend he's one of the soldiers I work with. I'll go to the cemetery and get the director and see if we can't get them to come for Grandmere's body, then I'll go to the butchers and tell them that the run has to be tomorrow, just to make sure the director doesn't see anything." Jack said quickly. "I know it's difficult, but you must hide anything of suspicion and lock the basement door, it's important Klara, Grandmere sacrificed herself to make sure we're safe."
"Please don't leave me, please!" Klara wailed, throwing herself at Jack.
"Klara, Grandmere can not stay on the ground, surrounded by blood all day, and the runner can't go if there is going to be a cemetery director here. I have to go, please don't be upset. I'll be back in no time, make yourself some tea, get a sheet to put over Grandmere, and wait until I get back. Then I'm yours for the rest of the week, promise."
"What if you get caught at the butchers?" she said fretfully.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead then pulled backward, brushing a tear from her cheek. It was heartbreaking to leave her standing there alone, grief-stricken, but he had no choice, he had to handle this, quickly. Leaving her just then was the hardest thing he had ever done, he suspected it was the hardest thing he would ever have to do.
The tasks ahead of him initially seemed insurmountable with the grief he felt, but as he began to do what was necessary for his and Klara's safety, time passed quickly. Before dinner, Jack arrived with the undertaker and his son, who made quick work of taking care of Grandmere's body. It was agreed that she would be taken to their parlor, where Kla
ra and Jack could take care of her final details tomorrow. When they had left, Klara shrank onto the sofa, her body shaking with grief.
"Can I make you something for supper?" Jack asked, sliding onto the sofa beside her.
"No thank you." she said in a voice that was barely audible.
"How about some tea?"
"No."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"You can leave me alone." she whispered.
"But Klara..."
"Leave me alone."
Unsure of what else to do, Jack rose from the small sofa and walked away from her slowly. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face glistened with tears, and wisps of hair escaped from her loose braid. She looked a wreck, and he could only imagine that she felt more so inside. As he walked from the room, keeping his gaze on her, she looked blankly out into the openness of the room, as though he wasn't even there.
He walked into the kitchen, and made her a cup of tea anyway, figuring she might absently sip on it while sitting in her own despair. Silently he slipped back into the living room. Without saying a word he set the cup on the end table beside Klara and noticed that she was shivering fiercely. He pulled a nearby afghan over her shoulders, which she clung to, without noticing where it came from.
There was nothing for him to do but allow her time alone with her thoughts. He remembered the day his mother died, crouched beside her until his father came home, waiting for her to sit up and gently stroke the hair out of his eyes. Waited to hear her whisper one more time how much she loved her darling boy. He was finally pulled away from her side, replaced by his heartbroken father.
He knew exactly what it felt like not to want to talk to anyone. No one understood, they pretended to, but no one really understood, which made them hard to talk to, hard to be around. He knew what Klara was going through, he understood, but unlike all those that tried to console him in his grief, he was going to do for Klara what he wished someone had done for him, he was going to leave her alone, just for a little while, he was going to let her grieve on her own.
