Enigma (closed)

[heartofcourage]

The radio played lazy music in the background, the tinny sound of a waltz filled the small interior of the apartment. A cup of tea released steam into the chilled air as its maker dozed in her padded armchair. The pencil between her fingers threatened to fall to the wooden floor beneath her chair. She was the picture of relaxation in spite of the horrors that were happening just outside her door. The entire city was on alert, bombing sounding in the distance. London has been held in the grips of the terrible blitz for what felt like years now, but everyone was doing their part. Less food was consumed, less goods wasted, near nightly blackouts to save the streets that hadn't been effected yet. It was another world now.

Puzzles were scattered on her side table, some finished and some half done. Victoria had enjoyed puzzles since she was a little girl and she had always been very good at them. It didn't matter if they were crosswords, math problems, turn of phrase...she could solve them all quickly and efficiently. It was how she had found her current line of work, doing her best to help the war effort while trying to keep her life a secret.

Few outside her family or close circle of friends would have guessed that the beautiful blonde with the sky blue eyes was a code breaker. Secrecy was her job and she was determined to give away nothing that might hurt her homeland. She was as loyal as they came, even to those that aggravated her beyond comprehension. Namely the man that she had been waiting for that evening.

A knock sounded at the door and Victoria sat up with a start. She rubbed at her eyes for a moment, reaching to her side table to pick up her wrist watch. She glanced at the time and let out a sigh. Almost 10. He was late. As always.

She pushed herself out of her chair, her heels tapping on the hardwood floor of the apartment. The apartment was small, but well furnished, everything chosen for a reason. Her small living area led into a kitchen with a dining nook. A staircase led upstairs to the single bedroom and bath, both as deliberately decorated as the rest of her space. She unlocked the door and pulled it open, her blue eyes staring at the man that stood there with a glance that told him she was not pleased.

"You're late." She said in her soft voice, her hand settling on her hip, her smart black dress trailing around her silk stockings. "Give me a good reason why I should let you in."



Victoria Stirling: http://www.thefrisky.com/wp-content/...tory-Rolls.jpg

 

[NewAncientScribe]

James jogged up the stairs from the underground after catching perhaps the last train that evening. There would probably be no evening trains if not for the fact defense workers were working all hours these days. For him, though work in the clandestine services came with a host of issues and difficulties that one had to accept as being part of the service. Most could be dismissed with the simple age-old motto for god and country, but when it came to relationships that was hardly an excuse.

When he got to the corner of Victoria's street he slowed his pace but kept a firm grip on his package. Victoria's landlady was a notorious busybody and gossiped with everyone in the neighborhood. He was sure no German spy would dare take up residence on the block. If she caught him coming over this late in the evening she would give him holy hell, so he needed to be discrete he was sure to catch hell from Victoria after being so many hours late.

What was supposed to be a day spent training and reviewing and learning foreign customs was dragged out even further with meetings and informal discussing around the water cooler. The training he enjoyed, but the military seemed to move at a snail's pace and you wouldn't know that the Nazis are just a short distance away across the channel. Then he ran into an old family friend who delayed him further, but while the meeting was enjoyable it also provided him with something that would help him on this night.

So he moved quietly up the stairs using his training and knocked softly on the door. It was soon opened and he was greeted by a curt response.

"You're late." She said in her soft voice, her hand settling on her hip, her smart black dress trailing around her silk stockings. "Give me a good reason why I should let you in."

"Might I give you several Victoria?"

"Oh, this will be good go ahead."

"Well the war is on, but you have heard that before I'm sure, so first let me in because I'm sorry and it couldn't be helped."

"You had better do better than that."

"Well I did get something special for you and it is in this package."

"Wrapped in plain old Ministry of Defence brown paper and twine I hope whatever is inside is a lot better. You can come in, but I'm not sure you'll be staying."

James nodded and walked into her lovely apartment and walked to the small table outside the kitchen and began unwrapping the package as he said, "It was a very interesting day though. My German and French is getting better, and I made good time on the obstacle course. Also, I ran into an old family friend from Government House in Barbados."

"Yes, I recall you showed me the photo of your mother looking on while wearing that lovely local sundress as you played in the waves."

"Right and my best friend. Well, who was an adult was naval attache Charles Gray who is a widower without a son. He spoiled me rotten and today was no different. So I had to take time out to talk to him for a bit and then he insisted I join him for dinner with some high ranking navy men. When I told him I missed our date he was dreadfully upset and insisted I take you this."

James opened the package and first took out a metal tin the size of a pie plate and placed it down on the table followed by a glass bowl with a makeshift cover.

"For you my love. One full meal fit for a queen and a trifle with several layers including custard, whipped cream, sponge cake, jelly and raspberries and blueberries. Of and it is spiked with sherry. So am I forgiven?"

He then took out two bottles of Coca-Cola and opened one on the edge of the table. "A gift from an American visitor who overheard the conversation. Want me to put yours in the icebox?"

 

[heartofcourage]

James was a great mystery to her. He always had been from the first moment that she had met him at Bletchley. He wasn't like the rest of the men that had come through the office but he hadn't been raised in Britain like she had. He had seen the world, done things that she could only dream of, and the war had clipped his wings. The war had done many things to everyone.

"Your German has always been atrocious." She muttered as she closed and locked the door, moving into the kitchen behind him as he talked a mile a minute and unpacked his packet without a care in the world.

When he was done, a glass bottle of Coke in his hand, she stood in the kitchen with her arms crossed over her chest, simply assessing him. It was hard to know what was going on in her head most of the time, but it was rare that she was doing anything besides thinking over every single possibility in a situation.

"A conversation made you this late? You were supposed to be here at 7 sharp." Victoria mentioned. "And you can't excused tardiness with food, no matter how decadent it might be. It must have cost him a fortune for the sugar and liquor alone."

Times were hard in the city. Rations were mandatory and it was hard for even the richest among them to make ends meet when it came to things on their tables. She did her best with what she had, but it always seemed that James could come up with absolutely anything she could imagine.

"Quite frankly, I'm not sure that I'm in the mood..." Just as she spoke, the lights of the apartment cut out, the music on the radio stopping as another blackout rolled across the city, the distant sound of bombs and air raid sirens drifting in through her opened front window.

Letting out a long sigh, she turned to grab the matches off the kitchen counter. "Get the candles from the hall drawer. I suppose you can stay this evening since you have little choice."

 

[NewAncientScribe]

James laughed at her assessment of the situation, but he was comforted by the fact she wasn't simply a girl to be impressed by some treats. He was late and trying to win her over wouldn't change that fact. She was giving him a chance though so he took it and went about finding the drawer with the candles. It didn't take much really after he'd been to her apartment before, and without being cheeky he'd wandered around it in the dark as well.

He found them stored with a large box of matches and struck one and lit the first candle then another until he had three lighting up the apartment. One of them he was sure was a candle one might light for a church, but he placed it on the table before putting the others around the room.

He went into the kitchen and turned on her stove to heat the meal before returning to the table and sitting down at the end opposite where he'd laid out the food.

"Well, why don't you enjoy your dessert first then have the meal. We're adults we can do that type of thing. Oh and eating in a candlelit room could be considered romantic, so I don't think the evening is a wash even if one of us was slightly late."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Three hours late, James. We won’t call that a little tardy.” Victoria commented back, grabbing her now cooled tea from beside her chair and bringing it to the table as she took her seat opposite him. “They ask all the time at Bletchley why we’re not married yet. I simply need mention moments like this and they understand.”

Victoria looked over everything that was before them. An expensive dessert, two bottles of Coke, and a hearty meal heating on the stove. It didn’t take much for her to piece it all together.

“I highly doubt that a simply acquaintance took it into the kindness of his heart to give you all this, Jim. We never talk about work at home and we shouldn’t considering the nature of what we do, but you could simply tell me you were with a contact and I would forgive you much easier.”

 

[NewAncientScribe]

"So you won't marry me because I am late from time to time? Doesn't that sound just a little unreasonable love? I take it you still do want me to ask though, so we can build on that."

He leaned back in his relaxed uniform of black boots, dark trousers, and commando sweater which was more comfortable than the uniforms he saw so many others wearing. Right now he felt none of the comfort about he didn't blame Victoria. He was late and the few treats wouldn't work as a bribe.

"Look Victoria I can't talk to you about everything I do or what is discussed, but honestly I'm telling you the truth. The man was a wonderful friend to my parents and to me, and it was a chance meeting. He did have important things to discuss, but that's almost secondary. I don't lie to you honey and that is the truth. I've been looking forward to seeing you all day so please eat something and tell me you're a little bit happy."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I never said that I wouldn't marry you. I simply said that my coworkers sympathize with me when it comes to the fact that you constantly make me wait." Victoria said, taking a sip of her cooled tea as James tried to get himself out of the situation that he had made.

Victoria enjoyed the verbal sparring that they often undertook. It was what attracted her to James in the first place. He was handsome, yes, but he also had just as sharp a mind as she did. It was rare that she felt the equal of someone and he filled that role very nicely.

As he confessed that he hadn't lied to her and that the man that he had run into on the street really had been a family friend, she looked at him in the dim darkness of the candlelight. She knew he wouldn't lie. He wasn't the kind to lie unless he absolutely had to. Never to her, however.

Victoria blew out a breath as he implored her to eat something and tell him that she was happy. She wasn't the kind that showed her emotions willingly. It had taken months of dating before she actually cracked a smile at some silly joke he had told her. Instead, she stood from her seat, going into the kitchen to retrieve two plates and pull the food warming off the burner. When she returned, she placed a plate in front of him and kissed his cheek before she returned back to her original seat and dished up the food that he had brought.

 

[NewAncientScribe]

It seemed they reached some kind of understanding and at the very least she was willing to enjoy the treats. She was even willing to share, something that wasn't necessary since he'd already eaten some, but it was all about enjoying the time together. Still, though he could have fun with her and get her to do more than a smile. Maybe even laugh a little.

Once she returned to her seat he moved around to her side of the table and before she could say a word he dropped to his knees and began to pretend to beg forgiveness. "You're right darling I don't deserve you. I'm nothing without you please forgive me so I might go on with some dignity, " he wasn't sure if she was laughing but he almost did.

He then took it further caressing her nylon clad feet then holding up her left foot he gently kissed up her foot to her calf before looking up as he caressed her leg. He was clearly hamming it up when he said, "well actually I don't mind being down here all that much."

 

[heartofcourage]

Victoria ignored him as he came to kneel at her side, glancing at him only once her was done. He was trying his best to make her smile, but she could hold out far longer than he could ever imagine. She only rewarded him once in a while with that luminous smile, choosing instead to show her affection in other ways.

"Your food is getting cold." Victoria said as he took her foot and held it, kissing up her calf as he caressed her leg.

She chuckled softly as she pushed him away, her foot planted against his chest until he sprawled back on the floor. "I'm going to eat since someone so rudely made me wait for dinner. Then, we can move this discussion elsewhere."

 

[NewAncientScribe]

He caressed her stocking leg a little longer before standing up and looking into her eyes. "Well, then I guess I can avoid tickling you for the moment. Though the idea might strike me next time I see you working on a code."

He was teasing her of course but he wanted her to wonder if he'd dare do something like that at work. After all, she took her job very seriously, and while it wasn't "hands on" exactly what she did was key to the allied effort. She wasn't just beautiful she had a beautiful mind and he loved the whole package. As he sat down in his chair and took another sip of his cola he asked, "aside from me making you wait for dinner how was your day? Can you tell me anything about the work? I know the math can't be easy."

He blew her a kiss and smiled and said, "We're going to have such strong smart beautiful children after all this is over with. '‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part, Oh I read that in someplace."

 

[heartofcourage]

"And I would have the MP throw you out if you attempted to interrupt me." She said as he threatened to tickle her at work. "Then you can try and explain to your bosses why you were in my area to begin with."

He was at Bletchley a lot, but their paths did not cross very often. She could still remember the first time that she had met him, passing a translation from the machine to him that she had just finished. He had smiled at her and she had absolutely melted. That had never happened to her before with anyone. It was how she knew that James was meant for her.

"Nothing I can say." She mentioned, eating without him as he asked about her day. "I woke up, took the train, had a late lunch, and then came home when work was done. About the same thing that happens every day."

When he mentioned children, she looked at him in the candlelight and shook her head slightly. "Not now, Jim. We're not bringing children into this entire mess. Not for a good, long while."