Chapter 7 – The News
If there was one word to describe Peeta Mellark, it was observant. He noticed things and usually acted on them immediately, and when he didn't, he tucked them away in his mind pondering a solution to the situation. Over the past few months, several things had occurred that had caused him to think a lot.
But the biggest concern on his mind at present was the behavior of his wife. He thought he knew her well when they married. He knew she could be downright rude to strangers, but that once she got to know a person; she could be a kind and loyal friend. He knew she loved her family fiercely. He knew she was a hard worker.
But he was learning more about her every day, things he never would have guessed. He'd had no idea that she could suffer from melancholia. He'd always suspected she'd be a good mother, but he never would have guessed at the savage devotion she paid to Lavinia, who was in her charge. But the biggest wonder was that she was an absolutely terrible liar.
From the day Katniss had refused the coffee he'd served her in Effie's kitchen, Peeta knew his wife was expecting. After that day, he'd watched her carefully, looking for every little sign to confirm it.
At first, he didn't understand why she hadn't shared the news with him. It was wonderful news. Shouldn't she be excited?
But then it dawned on him that maybe she didn't want to be pregnant. Maybe it was too soon after the miscarriage. Even he had trepidation that the same occurrence would happen again.
He'd blamed himself when Katniss had lost the baby, thinking that he'd been too exuberant during their private moments and had caused it. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't touch her if she were expecting again. He'd even told Katniss about it and she had agreed.
But though he suspected, hell he was sure she was pregnant, he had continued to show physical affection to his wife as often as possible. Afterwards, he'd rub his hand over her belly and silently convey his apologies to his unborn child.
He felt awful about it, but the vow he'd made was impossible to keep. Not when he was sleeping every night next to a nearly naked woman that he loved dearly. Not with the sounds that carried through the walls of Effie's house that made his body react in ways he couldn't control.
And Katniss certainly hadn't pulled away. If anything, she was more affectionate. Maybe, he rationalized, she was keeping the news from him because she didn't want to end their physical relations during the pregnancy.
Whatever the reason, though, he just wished Katniss would say something. Because it would soon be obvious to everyone else around as her figure was changing shape.
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The move into the new bakeshop was done in minutes. Peeta and Katniss emptied their few belongings from the wardrobe and carried everything down the main street to their new living quarters. Peeta made a second trip to get Lavinia's bed, which was filled with her diapers and clothes.
It took Katniss a short time to organize their living space. She hung up their extra clothing on hooks that had been placed in the wall and folded what couldn't be hung on a shelf. She spread out a wool blanket that had been purchased at the general story onto the wooden floor for a bed, and covered it with the colorful quilt that Annie and Leevy had made for the couple with leftover fabric.
Peeta began baking that afternoon. Katniss joined him in the front, while Lavinia napped.
As he mixed up batches of dough in a large bowl and she kneaded it next to him at the wooden counter, memories of their working together in the outdoor kitchen of the Dirty District 12 mining camp flooded his mind.
It had been six months since the fire. He hadn't expected to live quite so long at Effie's house. While it had been physically comfortable, he was glad to no longer be working for someone else. The last few weeks had been especially stressful as he oversaw the construction of the bakeshop and worked his two jobs. Even now he worried that he'd left Sae and Effie in the lurch, as neither had replaced him yet.
"It's good to be on our own again," he said to Katniss. He sighed in relief.
She nodded in agreement, biting her lower lip. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her skin smooth and glowing.
"What are you thinking about?" Peeta asked. He knew what he was thinking, but he needed to get some bread baked, for Sae at least. There was no time to take a break in their living quarters while Lavinia slept. No time to unbraid Katniss' hair and kiss her neck so sweetly. That would have to wait for later.
"Peeta."
He lifted his head and looked at her.
"I'm pregnant."
Finally, he thought. A few days earlier he'd noticed a tiny swelling was beginning to show through her clothing when he observed Katniss from certain angles.
"I know," he said, his face breaking into a smile.
"Oh." Katniss sounded surprised at his reply.
"When will the baby arrive?"
"September, I guess. That's what Annie thinks anyways."
Peeta frowned, irritation bubbling up. "You've talked about this with Annie?"
"Yes," Katniss faltered. "She's making another dress for me…well, I had to tell her to leave more room in the waist."
While her comment made sense, it hurt him that she was telling her friend before she'd told her him. Hell, it was his baby too. They were married. Why had she kept silent for so long?
He set down the wooden spoon he was using to mix the dough. "This has got to stop, Katniss," he said. "You can't shut yourself off from me. Like I'm too inconsequential or stupid or weak to handle things. How many people know about the baby? I'll bet Annie told Finnick, maybe even Leevy. Does Thom know? Does Effie know?"
His voice rose as he spoke and even as the words flew from his lips he knew he was being childish. He'd known six weeks ago that Katniss was pregnant. He'd been so pressured lately that he was taking out his frustrations on her.
Shame came over him as he watched her eyes fill with tears. She bent down and pounded the dough with her fists for a few moments before stopping. She wiped her hands clean of the flour and rushed into the backroom, closing the door behind her.
He wanted to stop and comfort her, find out why she had delayed telling him about the pregnancy, yet he felt obligated to get the baking done. But as he moved to take over Katniss' kneading, frustration built inside him. He'd done so much to help others over the past few months, keeping Sae's and Effie's businesses running smoothly, helping out Gale, Rye and even Delly.
Damn it. He deserved a day off to spend with his wife. No one in District 12 would die of starvation if they didn't get fresh bread today.
He wiped his hands clean of flour and slowly opened the door of the living quarters. Katniss was sitting on the floor, her face in her hands. She lifted her head when he entered. Her eyes were rimmed red.
"I'm sorry," he said limping forward and sitting on the floor cross-legged facing her.
"Annie didn't tell anyone," Katniss swore. "I told her you didn't know. But I had to tell about the baby. She was cutting the fabric."
Peeta nodded. "I understand. But why did you wait so long to say anything?"
Katniss didn't answer for minute. She stared at her hands and then bit her lip, as if she were gathering her thoughts. Finally she lifted her head to look at him. "If I told you it would make it real. If I kept it to myself…"
"But it is real, whether you tell me or not," he whispered.
"I know," she murmured. "I just…I was scared to get my hopes up again like before. If I told you, and we talked about it…well, I don't want to go through that again."
"I don't either," Peeta said, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her. He held her tight for a long time, his nose pressed into the braid that was pinned up onto the top of her head.
After a while, she sighed and he could feel her relax into his arms.
"How did you know Peeta?" She sounded like a small child.
He lifted his face from her hair. "Well, you stopped drinking coffee. You occasionally looked queasy. And well, there's this," he said, dropping one of his arms to rub his hand it across her swollen mid-section.
"I thought you weren't telling me because you wanted more of this." He nibbled on her earlobe, and then bent his head to kiss her neck.
She startled a bit turning toward his face. "What?"
"Remember I told you I wanted to refrain if you were expecting again?"
She smiled shyly. "I forgot all about that." She pulled back from him. "So if you knew Peeta, why didn't you refrain?"
He let go of her and stood up. He limped out of their living quarter and into the bakeshop to bolt the door to the shop. He returned to the living quarters, shutting that door firmly behind him. Glancing at Lavinia quickly to see that she remained asleep, he sat down next to Katniss on the quilt and put a finger under her chin.
"I couldn't do it," he said, as he tilted her chin up and leaned toward her.
Later, as Katniss napped in his arms, he resolved to stop worrying about everyone else. The woman he was holding should be his chief concern, not relatives, friends, former employers, or anyone else in District 12.
And, although it took several days, Effie and Sae did figure out how to run their business without Peeta's help. None of the women in Effie's house were interested in cooking. The brothel owner quickly realized that she would need to make arrangements with Sae to have meals carried over to the house twice each day.
While happy for the extra business from Effie's house, Sae had lost her baker and now had to purchase bread directly from the bakeshop. After a couple of days, she realized she needed extra help in the kitchen. Sae hired a young miner named Dalton, who had been disillusioned in his gold search, and had turned to other ways to earn a living.
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It was a beautiful spring morning, blue skies and puffy white clouds, when Gale walked into the bakeshop. Peeta had propped the door open because the room was getting warm from the heat of the oven. He and Katniss were working at the counter rolling out crusts for the meat pies that had been such a big hit at the Dirty District 12 mining camp. They'd gone hunting the previous afternoon and Katniss had shot some birds.
Lavinia was sitting on a blanket on the floor playing with her doll and gnawing on a bit of raw dough.
"Hey there," Gale called out. "You've opened a shop."
As soon as he heard Gale voice, Peeta's eyes flew to Katniss. She had frozen in place. The color had drained from her face.
"Yes, we have," Peeta said.
Gale stepped inside the small room and looked around. "It's bigger than your old shop."
"It is," Peeta agreed.
From the blanket on the floor came the babbling of Lavinia. "Ma ma, Da da, la, la," she cooed.
Gale quickly came forward. He squatted down next to the blanket, and then scooped up his daughter.
"Da da, Da da," she babbled again.
Gale smiled broadly. "Look, she knows me."
Peeta glanced at Katniss again. Her mouth had formed into a thin line. She wiped her hands clean on a towel and balled her fists.
"How has Lavinia been?" he asked the couple. His eyes settled for a moment on Kantiss' rounded belly.
Peeta opened his mouth to speak but Katniss beat him to it.
"Where have you been Gale? You told Peeta you'd be back in a few weeks. It's already spring," Katniss shouted, the rosy color back in her cheeks.
"I meant to come back sooner," he said. "But the weather was so bad and then there was a big flood in Sacramento City."
Katniss frowned. "It's been dry for a good while now."
"We stayed longer to build a house for my parents," Gale explained. "Your mother and Prim are living with them there," he added.
At the mention of her family, Katniss' fists unclenched and she put her hands together wringing them nervously.
"I'm here now."
"Are you taking Lavinia back?" Peeta detected the fear in his wife's voice. It sounded as if her heart was breaking.
Gale had obviously picked up on the tone as well because a look of surprise crossed his face, and then he smiled. "That's what I came to talk about with you." His eyes darted nervously from Katniss to Peeta.
"I wasn't planning to return to the Mexican camp this year. I only joined them so María could feed Lavinia. But Lavinia doesn't need to be nursed anymore. I was hoping Katniss, you could continue to watch her for me, if it's not too much of a bother."
Gale glanced down at her protruding mid-section for a moment before looking back at his daughter, studying her face carefully. "It looks like you've done a great job. Both of you."
Lavinia began to fuss. Instinctively, Katniss reached forward taking the child from Gale's arms and comforting her. She kissed the top of the Lavinia's head and held her tightly.
"We'll keep her for you Gale," Peeta blurted out. He suddenly realized that he and Katniss had been acting as parents to the child even longer than Gale had. In many ways she was more their child than his.
"Good." Gale rubbed his hands awkwardly. "I'll be back later. Rory's at Sae's ordering us some food. I just wanted to stop by to see Lavinia first. I've been thinking about her." He left the shop.
The moment he was gone, Peeta turned to Katniss. "So tell me. Is there anything I have to apologize for?"
"Nothing," she said.
Peeta knew it was a big leap to take, offering to continue to watch Lavinia especially since the bulk of the work fell upon Katniss, but he suspected that his wife wouldn't be able to give the child up. And he knew that the loss of this little girl would hurt him as well.
Katniss set Lavinia down on her blanket and returned to making pies. "I'm glad that's settled."
Peeta walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of his face. "I am too."
Rory stopped by much later in the day to invite the couple to dinner. The two brothers had pitched a tent outside of town, close to the river. It was an area that had become a permanent campground for miners who were unable or unwilling to pay to stay in the boarding house.
After locking the shop up, he and Katniss, who was clutching Lavinia in her arms, followed Rory to the site. Gale was roasting a rabbit he'd shot. Peeta had brought two loaves of bread and a small ball of cheese he'd made. Despite leaving Effie's employment he was still getting up early to milk the cows. In exchange, Effie said he could take as much milk as he wanted.
While they ate, Gale filled them in on the news about his family in Sacramento City describing the house he and Rory had built on a two-acre plot outside of town. He said his parents were well, although his father's health varied from day-to-day. Vick was still making plans on how he'd spend his fortune; but for now the large gold nugget he'd discovered had been buried for safekeeping underneath a rose bush Hazelle had planted in the front yard. Both Vick and Posy were attending school.
"My mom and Prim…" Katniss questioned.
"They're working for an apothecary in town.
"Reverend Undersee said my mother…" Katniss began. Her face grew red as she fumbled with her words.
"He mentioned a man from China," Peeta interjected trying to help Katniss out.
"Ying Liu is Chinese," Gale said. "He knows all about plants and how they can be used to treat a person. His potions have helped my father regain some of his strength. Your mother and Prim help him gather the native plants he uses. He's teaching them to make Chinese medicines. There aren't enough women in Sacramento City for your mother to work solely as a midwife."
"But how can she… she loved my father so much," Katniss blurted out.
"What?" Gale said, a look of astonishment appearing on his face. "Did you think your mother and Ying Liu…?" He exchanged amused glances with Rory and both brothers burst out laughing for nearly a minute.
Gale shook his head, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. He started to speak but he couldn't without dissolving into laughter again.
Shaking his head at his brother, Rory explained the reason for their reaction. "Katniss, Ying Liu is probably seventy-five years old.
A curious look appeared on Katniss face. "Reverend Undersee implied that there was something more between them. Why would he say that?"
Gale snorted. "The reverend is sweet on your mother. She made it clear she didn't feel the same."
"Madge asked about my mother when we first met," Katniss murmured. "I forgot all about that. She said her father was looking to remarry."
Peeta guessed the clergyman's pride had been wounded and he'd latched onto the only explanation he could imagine, absurd as it might be, that Mrs. Everdeen had rejected him because she harbored feelings for her employer. But even so, it seemed inconsiderate of the man to upset Katniss over the matter.
The conversation died out, as everyone concentrated on finishing the meal.
"How are my brother and Delly?" Peeta finally asked.
Gale waited until he'd swallowed his last bite of food before answering. "Both are well. Rye lives in a boarding house in town. Delly's staying with my family until the wedding."
"What wedding?" Peeta gasped. He turned to Katniss and saw the surprise in her face as well.
"Their wedding, of course," Gale answered. "They got engaged right before we left. That reminds me," Gale reached into his pocket. "Rory where did I put those letters?"
"I have them," Rory said, pulling some crumpled papers from his pockets. The sheets were folded over with names addressed on front. One letter for Peeta, one for Katniss, and one for Effie. He also pulled out a small leather pouch. "Rye said this would be explained in the letter."
Peeta reached for the mail and the pouch. He stuffed all of it into his coat pocket. "Thanks," he muttered. He wanted to talk to Gale more about his brother and Delly, but he would read the letter first.
Peeta and Katniss bid goodbye to the two brothers. Lavinia was asleep and they were tired as well. Gale promised to stop by the bakeshop the next day before leaving to set up camp at Dirty District 12 with Rory. The brothers wanted to get the rocker that Finnick had been keeping at the boarding house and take it to the mining camp.
After settling Lavinia in her cot, Peeta and Katniss sat down on the floor, atop the blankets that served as their bed. Peeta took the letters from his pocket and handed Katniss the one addressed to her. She quickly unfolded it and began to read.
He shoved the letter for Effie back into his pocket and opened the one for himself.
Dear Peeta,
How are you? I'm fine. Great, in fact. I've found my calling - playing cards.
You might be wondering why Delly came along. I went to Effie's house to warn her about the gamblers, but she began to cry and insisted I take her with me.
While we were traveling here we came up with the idea of a fake courtship, just like you and Katniss, because you know how Hazelle feels about gambling. She would have had a fit if I showed up with Delly and told her the real reason we left District 12. Anyway she believed us when Delly said that Effie was against our courtship, and she invited Delly to stay with them. I'm living at a boarding house so everything looks proper.
Bringing Delly along wasn't such a bad idea as it turns out. With her help, I'm winning a lot of card games. We've come up with a system of signals that works.
Sorry about taking your horse. I'm sending some gold along so you can purchase another. I don't plan on coming back anytime soon. I may visit San Francisco in the next couple of weeks to try my hand at the gaming houses there.
Take care Peetie. I'll be in touch.
Your brother,
Rye
When Peeta finished reading, he put his head into his hands and groaned.
"That bad," Katniss muttered. She was still reading the letter from her family.
When she was done, she sighed and turned to Peeta. "Well that explains a lot."
Peeta lifted his head. "What did your letter say?"
"It's from Prim," Katniss said. "She said that Reverend Undersee asked my mother to marry him and she turned him down. He didn't take the rejection well.
"Clearly not," Peeta muttered.
"What about your letter?" Katniss asked.
Peeta sighed. "Rye doesn't mention an engagement. They've told everyone they're courting, but Rye says it's not real. Apparently, though, Delly is helping him cheat at card games."
"He admits it?"
"He doesn't say it in those exact words, but essentially that's what is occurring."
"I wonder what news is in Effie's letter." Katniss' eyes had a mischievous look and Peeta shook his head.
"We're not reading Effie's letter," he insisted. "I'll bring it to her tomorrow morning."
"Oh, please Peeta, let's read it," Katniss teased. She reached at his pocket and he caught her hand and pressed it to his lips.
"No," Peeta repeated.
"You're probably right," Katniss said, scooting closer to him. "I imagine after Effie reads it, though, she'll want you to go after Delly."
Peeta laughed. "Well, I don't work for her anymore so she can't make me."
But later, after Katniss had fallen asleep, he was sorely tempted to open the letter and see exactly what his former student had written to her aunt.
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He took a break from his baking in the middle of the morning and delivered the letter to Effie. She took it and bade him goodbye. But Leevy appeared in the bakeshop twenty minutes later.
"Effie wants to see you," she said. "Can you come over now?"
Author's Note: The winter of 1849/1850 was the wettest the Sacramento Valley had experienced in years. It rained so hard in Sacramento that residents at the time recorded that it resembled the streets of Venice, Italy.
Sacramento had several gambling houses that opened in 1849. According to a letter written by miner S. Shufelt in March 1850, "almost every public house is a place for gambling…Men make and lose thousands in a night and frequently small boys will go up and bet $5 or $10 (equivalent to $115 or $225 today) and if they lose all, go the next day and dig more."
