‘I have something to show you, it’s in my room,” Heinrich said.
‘I’ve heard that one before,’ Izzy retorted.
Heinrich laughed. Izzy loved that smile, it ironed out that stern façade to show her what was inside that hard outer shell. She had felt his gentle touches, his tenderness when making love. Heinrich could see the drawbridge was rising, and he took the opportunity.
‘Come; let me show you,’ he said holding out his hand.
Izzy took hold of the hand that he offered and she jolted as if given an electric shock. Heinrich felt it too but he held on tight, leading her up the stairs into his room. He shut the door, walking towards the table by the window.
‘Take a look at these. I want to know if you like them.’ He said pointing at his sketches that were laid out over the table.
Izzy walked over to the table then looked through a succession of sketches, they were mainly of the island’s most beautiful spots: Corbiere Lighthouse, Mont Orgeuil Castle, Elizabeth Castle; St Catherine’s Bay.
She smiled. ‘They’re beautiful,’ she said turning her head to look at him.
‘Not as beautiful as you,’ he replied. ‘Look.’ And he plucked some sketches from a drawer in the chest and gave them to Izzy.
She looked through them, surprised at the content. She had already seen the one of her, but it was only her head. Izzy was now shocked.
‘You sketched me when I was asleep?’ she asked alarmed.
‘No, I sketched you from memory. I’ve seen your naked body, and how could I forget a body as lovely as yours. A body you shared with me, and these are not for anyone else’s eyes but yours and mine.’ Izzy looked down. ‘Can I come and see you. I really do love that woman I met on the beach that day.’
‘But it will have to come to an end,’ Izzy said looking at him now.
‘Yes, it will, but why can’t we enjoy life and be happy until it does. There’s nothing left in this world to enjoy or be happy about, only what we can make of it ourselves, today.’
‘I’m afraid,’ she said.
‘What are you afraid of?’ he asked touching her face.
‘Afraid that I might get to love you too much, and it panics me,’ Izzy replied.
Heinrich smiled at her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. ‘May I come and see you this afternoon,’ he said.
Izzy just smiled and nodded.
Heinrich arrived at the cottage just after dark making sure no-one saw him. As he approached the gate he noticed square rags of cloth hanging on the drying line outside, flapping in the breeze. Money was so tight, Izzy had been reduced to using old bits of cloth for sanitary protection, then having to boil them afterwards. Izzy eagerly waited for him and every now and then she got up to peer through the net curtain hanging at the kitchen window. When she saw him approach the cottage she went to sit down by the fire. He knocked. She didn’t get up straight away. She didn’t want to appear too keen so she made him knock three times before she went to the door to greet him with a big smile.
‘Hello,’ he said smiling back as he stepped inside, and as Izzy closed the door she just fell into his arms. They hugged; kissed; touched: but there was nothing sexual at that point, simply tender love and caring. Heinrich remained smiling as he looked at her lovely face.
Izzy moved away to sit on the sofa in front of the fire, Heinrich followed to sit next to her. There were no lights on, only one lit candle that sat on the mantel shelf.
‘This is very cosy,’ Heinrich said putting his arm around her.
Izzy cuddled up to him putting her feet underneath her as she settled into him.
‘I’m glad you came back,’ she eventually said.
‘So am I,’ Heinrich replied.
‘Why did you leave in such a hurry?’
Heinrich wanted to tell her about his elder brother, Willi, his family, his non-relationship with his wife, his beautiful daughters, those few hours with Irme, and how she had made him see things more clearly: what he was and who he was. But that life was far away again, his life now was here, just the two of them, grabbing a few moments wrapped in their own special cocoon that cushioned the grim outside world to isolate them in the here and now. He could lie to her, but that would break the connection they had, and that union was still fragile enough to break, and if it did, the fracture would leave pain and uncertainty. He didn’t want that either. And he certainly didn’t want her feeling sorry for him. On the other hand he didn’t want her to think he was telling her things she wanted to hear, and on reflection the truth could be interpreted as being just that. This tenuous position he found himself in had solely come about through circumstance.
‘My brother was killed, my family wanted me home for the funeral,’ he eventually said.
‘I’m sorry about your brother. Were you close?’ she asked, her response genuine.
‘Yes, even though he was ten years older than me.’
‘How are your daughters?’ she asked.
Heinrich smiled. ‘They smothered me with kisses and cuddles, and wouldn’t leave me alone when I went to see them.’
Izzy lifted her head. His guard was totally down and he’d let slip something she immediately cottoned on to.
‘You didn’t stay with them?’ she asked.
Heinrich sighed. ‘The truth?’ he asked.
‘The whole truth,’ Izzy replied. ‘I want to know everything.’
‘Some things are not for women’s ears,’ Heinrich replied.
‘How are we expected to understand if you men don’t talk to us,’ Izzy retorted.
Heinrich stroked her hair. ‘I repulse my wife. She cringed every time I took off my shirt. My injury put a sudden stop to our sex life. I don’t live there any more, I just visit. She’s taken a lover.’
Izzy didn’t respond for a while.
‘Alain and I took our honeymoon in Brittany. We hired a cottage for a month. He loved wild boar hunting. One day we were out with a group, but Alain and I took off by ourselves. It wasn’t long before we encountered a group of young boar. Alain raised his rifle, but before he could take the shot a big wild boar charged him. I was not quick enough either, and the boar shattered his left leg just below the knee. I shot the boar then called for help. The rest of the group came running and they managed to carry him to the nearest doctor. He was in a bad way, the doctor wanted, there and then, to amputate his leg just below the knee. Alain categorically refused and made me promise that if he passed out, I would not let them chop his leg off. It healed, but it left some ugly scars and a bone that didn’t fuse properly which left him with a slight limp.’
‘But you didn’t stop loving him,’ Heinrich stated.
‘No, because I married the man: he’d not changed,’ Izzy replied.
‘But I have,’ Heinrich said thoughtfully. ‘Physically and mentally. Irme made me see that.’
His guard was slipping even further.
‘Who’s Irme?’ Izzy asked.
‘A lady I know,’ Heinrich replied.
‘A prostitute?’
‘No, a neighbour.’
‘Is that all she is to you?’
‘She’s an older woman who understands.’
‘Understands what?’
‘Sex and love can be detached,’ Heinrich replied.
‘Did you have sex with her?’
‘Yes.’
Izzy got up from the sofa to stand in front of the fire. ‘Why?’ she frowned as she stared into the flames of the burning logs.
Heinrich closed his eyes.
‘Why? Izzy asked again, turning now to look at him.
‘Because she was there: because she offered it to me: because it was just a fuck, quite reciprocal. Because I wanted you, and you had made it quite clear our relationship was over.’ Heinrich sighed. ‘I didn’t think I would ever see you again.’
‘So, it was a business arrangement, but without money changing hands,’ Izzy remarked.
‘Yes, I suppose you could say that,’ Heinrich
replied.
Izzy looked disappointed, if not hurt.
‘Would it make you feel better if I told you I had paid for a prostitute?’ Heinrich asked.
Izzy didn’t answer him.
‘Are you are angry with me?’ he asked.
Izzy looked at him, he was turning very serious again. It always happened, oh, so quickly.
‘You are angry with me,’ he stated.
‘No, I’m not, I’m in love with you.’
‘How can you love two men at the same time?’ he asked.
‘How can you fuck two women at the same time?’ Izzy retaliated.
Heinrich snorted. ‘That’s easy.’
Izzy sighed. ‘Yes, I suppose it is.’
Heinrich stood up. ‘I was angry, grieving, and lonely, and I wanted you, but you weren’t there.’
‘None of this seems to make much sense to me,’ Izzy said. ‘You are here, and Alain is… I haven’t the foggiest idea where he might be, but I do know he wouldn’t be living like a monk either. But, here, now, I do love you. In here, in my cottage, we are not enemies. Out there,’ she said looking towards the door, ‘we have to act as enemies.’
‘I love you,’ he whispered walking towards her. ‘May I stay the night?’
‘Yes, but…’
‘I just want to be with you,’ he said, having seen the evidence outside as to why she was hesitating. ‘I just want to sleep beside you.’
Izzy smiled and he kissed her lightly on the cheek before they both sat on the sofa, watching the flames from the log fire shoot up the chimney until the wood turned to glowing embers and the dog became anxious to go outside.
Heinrich awoke to the sound of Izzy’s alarm clock. He had slept soundly all night and was wanting the lavatory. He placed his feet on the floor and in just his long-Johns, sat on the edge of the bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Izzy moved to kneel behind him. She stroked his bare back, then her hands travelled around to rest on his chest. She kissed him before putting her head between his shoulder blades.
‘Good morning,’ she smiled. ‘You slept soundly: you snore.’
Heinrich stood up, and turning towards her he bent forward to kiss her on the mouth.
‘Good morning,’ he said. ‘And you fidget.’
Izzy laughed as Heinrich got up to pull on his trousers, socks and boots to go outside to the lavatory. He was washing his face in cold water at the kitchen sink when Izzy came in fully dressed.
‘Have you washed already,’ he asked.
‘You were so long out there, the time it took you I could have had a bath if there was any hot water,’ she responded.
He could have told her how he suffered with terrible constipation, but thought his toilet habits were best kept to himself.
‘What are you doing this morning?’ he asked.
‘The usual, milking, and any other job that needs doing. You?’
‘Same here: keeping an eye on the troops, patrolling the island, and if I’m very lucky I will not be summoned before the Major.’
‘Are you finding life here boring?’ Izzy smiled.
‘Yes, aren’t you?’
‘There is a plus side to our boring existence. If life had remained as it was then you would not be here,’ she said.
‘And I would not have met you that morning on the beach,’ he replied putting his arms around her.
‘Kiss me, goodbye,’ Izzy asked.
Heinrich kissed her. ‘Tschuss,’ he said.
‘Not, auf wiedersehn?’ Izzy asked.
‘That is too permanent. Tschuss is for close friends and family: less permanent.’
Izzy put her hand into her pocket. ‘Here, I’ll give you a key. I must be off, I’ll be late. You lock up and leave before anyone can see you.’
‘I’ll come again when I can get the time off,’ he informed as she opened the door.
Izzy, before closing the door, blew him a kiss and he caught it.
Chapter Sixteen
The last few two weeks of January, 1944, went by quite quickly. The war on the Eastern Front was not going Germany’s way and Heinrich became concerned for Mathias, who had been sent out there to join his unit. He’d also not heard any news from his parents about the husbands of both his sisters, who had been unable to make it back for Wilhelm’s funeral. He tried to keep out of the way of the Major, the Oberst he could take or leave, and he visited Izzy at every opportunity.
One February afternoon they sat on the sofa. Heinrich was very relaxed, he had taken off his tunic and swung his leg over the sofa arm to rest his sketch pad on his thigh. He was drawing Izzy whilst she was making a pot of tea at the range. He drew the picture so quickly he had finished it when she put a tray of tea on the small table, along with some cake her mother had made. Heinrich put the pad down and sat forward. Izzy poured the tea and gave him the small piece of cake he asked for, along with a cake fork.
‘Why are you smiling like that?’ Izzy asked, seeing an amused expression on his face.
He picked up the fork. ‘This is all, very civilised,’ he said as he waved the fork in the air.
‘Don’t you normally use a fork for eating cake?’ Izzy asked.
‘’At home my mother always makes me use a fork, but soldiers use their fingers, they were made first. We had to grab what we could, when we could,’ he replied.
Izzy sat down at the side of him and began to eat her cake. It was a Victoria sponge with a very thin layer of jam and an even thinner layer of cream inside. ‘My mother sat all afternoon turning the butter churn to make just that little bit of cream. The jam is last summer’s,’ she informed.
‘Your mother makes a good cake,’ Heinrich said with a full mouth. Then after stuffing in the rest of the cake and swallowing it, he took a long slurp of hot tea.
‘There’s no sugar in this,’ he said pulling a face.
‘I can’t afford any, and my mother put all of hers into the cake as a treat. Even if we could afford it, I don’t think we could get hold of any: it’s in short supply.’
‘I’ll see what I can do. I’ll also see if I can get you some proper sanitary wear, it must be near your time again.’
‘They’re in short supply, too,’ Izzy informed, but she didn’t want to tell him she was a few days late, which was unusual. ‘Would you like more cake?’
‘No, thank you, save the rest for yourself. I have been ordered to attend dinner at the Fitzgerald house tonight,’ Heinrich sighed. All that food, and all the wine that would be on the Fitzgerald dining table was immoral, he thought. ‘It means I won’t be able to stay the night with you,’ he sighed.
‘So, you’ll have the pleasure of perhaps sitting next to Odette,’ Izzy smirked.
‘Not if I can help it,’ Heinrich grunted. ‘She’s a nymphomaniac.’
Izzy laughed. Heinrich looked at her, he loved her when she laughed, she threw her head back and he could see right inside her mouth which he found very inviting and very sensual.
‘You’re not looking forward to all that food and wine are you? And I’ve heard the Oberst can supply Marian with most things,’ Izzy remarked.
‘No, I am most definitely not, and if I can’t get hold of any sanitary protection for you I will steal one of Marian’s Egyptian cotton, white, table-cloths because it will give me immense pleasure to cut it up into small squares,’ Heinrich retorted.
Izzy burst out laughing again and this time Heinrich turned to put his arms around her. He kissed her, wanting her.
‘If I can’t stay the night…’ His words tailed off as Izzy began to unbutton his trousers. He sat back on the sofa letting Izzy do what she wanted. She had always felt free enough to do what she wanted sexually, at the same time letting the man know where her line was drawn. Sex was for pleasure, not for hurting, and part of that pleasure was that she would never turn her back, she always wanted to see the pleasure on her lover’s face. Heinrich was no different, he kept his eyes open most of the time, enjoying her, and she enjoying herself with him. Sh
e slipped off his braces and pulled his trousers down to gather above his boots. Then she freed him from his underpants. His cock was proud; erect; and as she took it in her mouth he ran his hands through her hair moaning with instant pleasure. Izzy pulled back her head to look up at him, his eyes shone with desire; but most of all, love. She slipped off her knickers and feeling down into his trouser pocket she pulled out a condom. She sucked him again then slipped over the condom. Heinrich reached forward to put his hands up her skirt to feel her. Izzy moaned before she took his hands away.
‘Let’s go into the bedroom,’ he said.
‘No, here, now,’ Izzy replied as she sat astride him. She always wanted him with a passion, and she thought if they did manage to make it to the bedroom she would lose control and she wanted to take control of what was happening. She wanted it her way.
‘Izzy, Izzy,’ he called out as he could feel himself slip inside her. ‘Izzy,’ he groaned as he flung his head back for it to be supported by the sofa, and the pleasure creeping over him was like sitting in a hot bath, the warmth diluting his awareness to reach the point of nearly falling asleep, leaving him oblivious to anything else around him.
Izzy kissed his neck as he fumbled to release her breasts. She had such wonderful, ample, firm breasts, with nipples he liked to suck: breasts he wanted to come between, but Izzy had other ideas. She put her hands behind her back to feel both his testicles which made him groan loudly.
‘Lie down on the sofa,’ he asked.
‘No,’ she replied, moving up and down as if on horse-back and going at a gallop. ‘I want to see you come.’ And she suddenly raised herself and he slipped out of her. Without getting off the sofa she took off all of her clothing. Then still astride Heinrich she slipped off the condom and began to masturbate him, but stopped when he tried to touch her. She took his long, hard cock in her hand and placed it between her legs so the tip touched her clitoris, then she began to pull, and with every pull the tip rubbed against her. She could now control the time it lasted and the speed. She was pleasing herself, but at the same time pleasing him. Heinrich’s head was rolling from side to side as she gathered pace, then when she was about to come she looked into his eyes. Then they both looked down. His muscles tightened in his groin as Izzy was about to feel the explosion of her orgasm. Then as she gave a few more pulls in time to his breathing, he suddenly shouted, and Izzy saw him ejaculate, it shot between her legs; sticking to her pubic hair. Then as she rubbed him against herself she came with a loud scream and a receding, ‘Ah, ah…’ as her orgasm ebbed like the vibrating sound of a church bell. They were wet, sticky, but Heinrich’s hands were dry so he cupped her face and kissed her longingly on the mouth, his tongue inside, feeling her back teeth.
Forbidden Liaison: They lived and loved for the here and now Page 11