Shoving her clothes haphazardly into the small brown suitcase, June realised that the last time she'd pulled this out this case was when they had planned to leave the island for England. She swallowed back a lump in her throat, she wished more than anything that they'd gone now, then she'd still have her family intact and around her and she'd be able to continue her singing career without the fear of being glassed.
Her eyes trailed over to the few photos that decorated the small bedside table, catching sight of one of her parents together. She inhaled deeply, her breath making a small hissing noise as she did so; she only just resisted the urge to smash it. It was all lies, those happy smiles, and the illusion of love, after all how could her mother do this if she'd truly loved her Dad.
The front door opened, and June felt her back stiffen with resolve, she didn't want it to be her mother, didn't want to hear any pathetic excuses, although her mother was so full of herself and superior to others that she most likely wouldn't offer any. She turned; ready to stand her ground, to restate her disgust and disappointment, only it wasn't her mother who appeared in the doorway to her room, it was Angelique.
The blonde girl flopped down onto her own single bed, and asked, "What on earth are you doing, June?"
"Packing, I'm going to move into Zelda's flat until she comes back, if she comes back at all."
Angelique's pretty features fell into a frown. "Why are you doing that?"
"Because I don't want to live here, not with her," she replied harshly, her eyes filling with tears again as she gave a small sniffle.
Angelique rolled her eyes. "Oh, June what have you fallen out with her over this time?"
June glared over at her sister. "Why is it always my fault? Everyone always takes her side, silly June, always over-reacting, why is she so dramatic?"
"I didn't mean it like that," Angelique protested. "But you two do fall out an awful lot."
June shook her head. "This time is different, although I suppose that you'll take her side as usual, especially as you're both doing the exact same thing."
Angelique only just stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "And what is that?" she asked patiently.
"You're both having inappropriate relationships with the Germans," June stated.
Her sister's eyes widened in disbelief as she stuttered out nervously, "June you must have made some sort of mistake, Mummy wouldn't involve herself with the Germans, she barely tolerates serving them."
"In the shop maybe, but believe me she was doing more than tolerating Oberwachtmeister Wimmel."
"June! You can't just say things like that; you must have misunderstood what was happening."
"I might be considered innocent but even I can't misconstrue what having your hand down a man's trousers while he kisses you means."
Angelique's face paled considerably. "No," she muttered, shaking her head. "She wouldn't do that, not too Daddy and not with him."
"Well she has...she is." Her hands shook as she finally closed over her case. "And it's worse than what you're doing, at least you love him and he isn't a monster. She doesn't care about Wimmel and he's such a creep!"
"I don't believe you," Angelique replied dazedly. "She wouldn't do that, she just wouldn't."
"Fine," she snorted in disgust. "Believe what you want, either way I'm leaving."
Angelique was sitting on the sofa when her mother walked through the door, watched her unsurely as she threw her keys into the small dish and unclipped her hat, placing it neatly on the stand. Cassie had always hated disarray and disorder. She looked over at her daughter and asked dryly, "What is wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I've spoken to June."
"Oh," Cassie replied, barely blinking and not even pausing in unpacking the paper bag of food she'd brought in with her. "And what exactly did she tell you?" she asked calmly.
"That you're having an affair with Oberwachtmeister Wimmel."
"I would hardly call it an affair, an affair involves feelings."
"But you are having sex with him."
"Angelique, don't be so vulgar," Cassie told her, shuddering at her choice of words.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Technically you never asked one," she pointed out.
"Fine," Angelique ground out between gritted teeth. "Are you seeing Wimmel?"
Cassie slammed down the bag of potatoes on the counter and looked up at her eldest daughter sharply. "I'm not sure what it really has to do with you, but yes, technically I am somewhat involved with him."
"Not sure what it has to do with me?" Angelique stared at her in shock, looking at her mother as though she'd never seen her before. "The way you lectured us about staying away from them-"
"That's different, you girls would waste your life pining after them, get yourself ostracized from island life, and for what? The scum who murdered your father, that's what."
She shook her head in disbelief, blonde locks bouncing. "But you'd be shut out as well; do you think people will buy food from a Jerrybag? And by your standards they were all responsible for what happened that day at the harbour, so you're involved with the man who killed your husband!"
"I'm not young and naive; I won't let anyone find out."
"Really? Because June and I already know, so the secret's out. How much longer until more people know about it?"
"They won't."
"Fine then, how would you feel if June or I announced we were dating one of them?"
"I'd like to think that neither of you would be so foolish, you'd be throwing away your chances of a family, of a future. I'm not doing that."
"I don't understand you," Angelique told her, her eyes wide. "It's one rule for us and then another for yourself. You could still meet someone new, someone proper."
"I don't want that!" Cassie finally snapped. "I don't want to replace your father with another man just like him! Maybe I want to just drift along, fulfilling my needs with someone I don't like because it taints our marriage, what we had, less than if I moved on with someone I actually loved."
"You've got it wrong," her daughter informed her sadly. "You might feel that it's easier to fulfil your needs with one of them because it doesn't mean anything to you, but that doesn't mean you're betraying Daddy any less, it means you're betraying him more, because you don't love him." She shook her head, adding, "I'm going out, I need some air."
Cassie pursed her lips into a thin line as she watched her daughter go, and shook her head. "What did she know? She was just a silly, foolish, little girl, what did she know of love?
It had been a few days since the Baron had accosted her in the study, and yet despite the passing time and the fact he hadn't approached her since, Felicity couldn't stop thinking about him, about what he'd said. The words echoed in her head and she felt the small, light hairs on the back of her neck stand on end at the thought, the thought of going to him excited her in a way she'd never felt before. She was slightly ashamed to admit that she'd never experienced true passion and now that it might just be within her grasp, she couldn't stop thinking about it.
She was torn from her thoughts when the door to the living room opened and Delphine bustled in, looking even more harried than usual as she placed a cup of tea on the coffee table. Tilting her head to one side, Felicity asked quietly, "Are you quite alright, Delphine?"
"I'm fine, Madam, it just that I've just been stopped by that Captain Muller, they're having a poker game tonight and they want refreshments."
"Don't worry," she reassured her. "You won't need to stay late, just stick some things in the fridge or larder and they can fetch them themselves."
"Do you think they'll be satisfied with that?" Delphine asked worriedly.
"They'll just have to be," Felicity told her calmly. "After all you work for me, not them, no you go home at your usual time, you've done more than enough recently anyway."
"I don't mind, after all you and Mr Dorr have always been more than good to me. How is your ankle Madam? Your head is certainly healing well."
Unthinkingly, Felicity brushed her hand against her forehead as she replied, "It's getting much better, I should think I'll be back on my bike by the end of the week."
"I don't want you rushing it," Delphine told her quickly. "I'd much rather do a few extra things for you now than have you trying to push yourself too far."
"That is kind of you, Delphine but I would much rather things returned to being as normal as is possible at this moment."
"If you're sure."
"Positive. And once I'm finished this cup of tea I'll inform Captain Muller that they will be required to serve themselves tonight."
"I don't want to put you out," the woman told her quickly.
"You won't," Felicity assured her quickly. She knew that if she left it to Delphine then the poor woman would end up stuck here all night, she had many talents but standing up to the Germans on the island wasn't one of them. Not only that but she'd fulfilled more than her job description over the last few days in looking after her; not that she'd required quite so much fussing over, but still it was the thought that counted.
"Well in that case, thank you, I really don't feel comfortable talking to them, any of them," she admitted. "Enjoy your tea," she finished, before turning and leaving the room.
Watching her go, Felicity sipped slowly at her tea, she wasn't going to rush to tell them what was happening, she got the feeling that when people appeared flustered around them, the Germans were more amused than anything else. When she'd finally finished, she placed the cup onto its saucer and balancing it somewhat precariously she got to her feet, an action that on the first step still made her wince slightly. Her walk was much steadier and pain free though, which was a definite improvement.
She stopped by the kitchen first, rinsing out her cup and placing it neatly back in the cupboard, before heading towards the sitting room on what was now thought of as the German side of the house, confidant that she'd find Muller in there. She didn't knock; after all they very rarely seemed to afford her the same courtesy and it was still her house, despite what they said.
Opening the door, she stepped in unannounced, surprised when she found the Baron and not Captain Muller sitting at the table pouring over sheaves of papers in deep contemplation. He looked up his blue eyes studying her intently before he stated, "You are quite often heard to note that my men should knock before they enter, perhaps it would be wise for you to practice what you preach, Mrs Dorr."
Felicity glowered at him; he always had a knack for wrong footing her and she wasn't sure if she resented the challenge or enjoyed it. "I had no idea you'd be in here," she informed him. "I was looking for Captain Muller."
She was somewhat amused to see surprise and what could possibly be annoyance cross his features as he asked, "And why on earth would you be looking for him?"
"To pass along a message," she replied easily.
"You can tell me your message, and I will pass it along."
"Surely it would be easier if you simply told me where he is," she pointed out, she felt the need to try and rile him, although she wasn't entirely sure why, after all it certainly wasn't a good idea.
"Captain Muller is currently on his way to the airfield to oversee the finishing touches to the new runway, he is not expected back until later this evening. In the interest of expedience I suggest that you simply inform me instead."
"And what if the message is of a more personal nature?"
His eye definitely flashed at that, she noted, his nostrils flaring as he settled back in his chair, folding his hands across his midriff in a show of almost exaggerated calmness. "I do not believe that it is, so either tell me or allow me to get on with my work."
"Very well, it is about this poker game that you are having tonight-"
"I am not involved in it," he was quick to inform her, "Although I believe that many of my more senior officers use it as a means of relaxation."
"You can relax," she informed him with a small smile. "I'm not here to discuss the merits and pitfalls of gambling with you."
"Good, for a moment I thought you were objecting to the use of the house in such a manner."
"Well I'm assuming that it is a small gathering, whereas if you were planning on turning my house into some sort of den then I would most definitely be putting my foot down."
"A very odd expression that," he remarked, his mouth quirking slightly.
"I've never given it much thought, but yes I suppose it is. Although I didn't really come to discuss the idiosyncrasies of the English language with you either," she replied, her smile widening, her eyes bright.
"So if you haven't come to talk about those two things then what have you come to talk about?"
"I simply wished to tell Captain Muller that although Delphine can provide the refreshments he requested, she will not be staying any later to serve them. I will ask her to lay them out before she goes if he wishes, otherwise they can help themselves."
He gave a small nod. "I'm sure that will be acceptable, no doubt they won't want her listening in anyway."
"State secrets?" she asked dryly.
"No, but no doubt my men will want them guarded just as closely," he told her.
"Then for once everybody is happy."
His eyes flickered over her again. "Not quite everyone," he replied lowly.
Ignoring the jerk of sensation she suddenly felt low in her abdomen, Felicity blushed slightly as she murmured, "I should go, I need to get on. Good day, Baron."
He gave her his usual curt nod of dismissal. "Until we meet again, Mrs Dorr."
She stayed in her greenhouse until late that night, far past what the curfew allowed simply because she knew without a doubt that she wouldn't sleep. Eventually though she decided that she had to call it a night, and gathering her tools together, quickly tidied them away.
Slipping in through the side of the house, Felicity washed her hands in the kitchen before making her way through the hallway, only to find herself face to face with the Baron. "Let me guess, you were out past curfew again," he said quietly, his head tilted as he surveyed her slightly dishevelled form in amusement.
"Technically as I was in my greenhouse, so if you wanted to go into semantics then I was in fact inside."
"You always like to be very exacting, don't you?"
"Is that a flaw? I've seen you exhibit some exacting traits yourself."
"So we do have something in common then," he replied, a note of teasing in his voice.
"I think, Baron, that we both know we have more than one thing in common, that's part of the problem," she replied honestly.
"I am tired of playing games," he sighed.
"As am I," Felicity told him. "But I don't-"
The door to one of the sitting rooms opened, Lieutenant Walker's voice floated out as he stood in the doorway, his back to them. The next thing she knew, Felicity found herself pulled into the small alcove that was out of his line of sight and with little room to manoeuvre she found herself pressed quite firmly up against the one man she'd been trying to avoid, one of his hands rather firmly situated on her waist.
"What-" she tried to speak only to find that he pressed his finger against her mouth and shook his head.
"You don't want Walker seeing us together," he told her hoarsely.
She gave a nod, holding her breath as she heard his footsteps veer off down the hallway, she looked up at the Baron and whispered, "We probably have a few minutes, I could make a run for it."
"Not on that ankle," he told her curtly.
Felicity frowned, even as she acknowledged the truth behind his words, because standing her like this simply wasn't doing her already muddled thoughts any good. She looked up at him again to see that he was staring at her intently, pupils dilated and suddenly the fingers of the hand were tracing abstract patterns that even through the material of her blouse made her shiver.
He wasn't going to make any further move though, she could see that, knew from the tension in his jaw that he was holding himself utter tight control. She wasn't sure she could bare much more of it though, and without thinking it through she leaned forward on her tiptoes and kissed him.
Their lips met, lightly brushing against the others at first. Her fingers tangled into his hair as the kiss deepened, mouths opening, tongues brushing together. Felicity could feel her stomach swoop at the contact, the kiss was more than she'd ever even dreamed a kiss could be.
He let her set the pace, didn't know how quickly she'd let him take this, or even how far. Unable to help himself though, he let one hand slip up to her neck, letting his thumb caress her cheekbone gently. The other pressed against her hip, pulling her even further into him until there was no space between them anymore.
A door slammed nearby, and that was what made her pull away, her face flushed, mouth open as she drew in a few quick breaths. "Walker appears to have rejoined the group," the Baron murmured to her.
"Then I should go."
"Do you want to?" he asked, his eyes not leaving her face.
"I have to."
"That's not what I asked, I meant it when I said I was tired of playing games. I want you and I know that you want me."
Felicity stalled, his hand was still on the back of her neck. His thumb still stroking against her cheek and she could barely think straight, maybe it would be a good thing to just get him out of her system, one time and then the passion for him she thought she felt would be gone, after all reality was always very different to the fantasy. "Wait a few minutes," she told him breathlessly, "and then if the coast is clear follow me upstairs."
She was out of his arms and walking as quickly as she could possibly manage away from him before he even had time to process her words. His uniform felt to tight, too restricting and he leaned against the wall, trying to calm his growing excitement as he waited those few minutes, slightly concerned that in that short time she might change her mind.
The house was deserted, as she had known it would be as he made his way to her side of the house, knocking lightly at her bedroom door, waiting impatiently for her to open it. She was quick in answering, her hand wrapping round his and pulling him inside without saying a word.
Her hair was down, she'd obviously taken the time to unpin it and he smiled as he took in the loose blonde curls that just brushed below her shoulder, it made her look younger, more carefree and less like the Senator's dutiful wife. "Did anyone see you?" she asked somewhat anxiously.
"No-one," he assured her, his hand winding into her hair once more as he leaned forward, kissing her softly. It started off as nothing more than the brush of his lips across hers, although even that sent a spark of awareness down both their spines. His thumb continued to stroke at the soft skin of her cheek as the kiss deepened ever so slightly, her mouth moving against his as her fingers moved tangle into the short strands of his hair. His mouth opened under hers and the kiss changed from a tentative one to one of almost uncontrolled passion as their tongues met.
Moving his hands to her waist, he pulled her into him so that his hips were pressing against hers, and he heard her sharp intake of breath as she felt him hard against her. His mouth trailed down to her neck and she moaned, a breathless sigh escaping her when he found a particularly sensitive spot. His tongue flickered against her pulse point, and she could feel him smile against her skin when she let out a small noise of pleasure.
She knew that this wasn't a good idea, that she should stop this but she just didn't want to. She wanted the closeness he was offering her, she'd felt so disconnected from everything recently and this was the first time that she felt something real, other than grief or anger. Her fingertips pressed into his shoulders as she pulled him closer to her, hands drifting further down until they were are undoing the buttons of his jacket, pulling it from him impatiently.
She loved the feel of his warmth under her hands, even through his shirt she could feel the heat of him sinking in through the thin material of her blouse. Her breasts tingled, nipples tightening in response and she drew his mouth back to hers, kissing him greedily as her hands moved to push his braces off over his shoulders.
The Baron's hands moved to curve around her wrists and he caught them and tugged her silently in the direction of the bed. She didn't protest the move, and she felt her heart thudded against her ribs as she felt his rougher hands slide to finally undo the buttons of her blouse, letting it fall to the floor near to his jacket. She felt him unzip her skirt and it slithered to the floor to join the rest of the clothing, leaving her in her slip.
Kissing her shoulder, he gently peeled the straps over them, letting her lift her arms free and letting it fall to her waist, not forcing it down any further. He drew back from her, leaning against the door frame as his eyes roamed over her unfettered breasts, cupping one in his hand and brushing his thumb back and forward across her pebbled nipple, watching as her skin began to flush and she pushed closer into him. Impatient for more now, he backed her further into the room and she toppled onto the bed the moment the back of her knees collided with it, pulling him down with her.
He kissed across her breasts, toying with her nipples, his hands gliding across her skin and she twisted restlessly in his embrace, the tension building and twisting in her stomach. She couldn't think of anything anymore other than how good it felt, all the darks thoughts she'd had over the past month were gone, now she just didn't want him to stop.
As his mouth moved down her stomach, he started to pull the slip away from her, dispensing with her underwear as he did so, and she lifted her hips to facilitate the movement before kicking the clothing off the bed.
The Baron sat back from her, grabbing her ankle and lifting it, as much as he'd liked stockings when faced with the sight of Felicity's bare leg he wasn't exactly mourning the fact that thanks to the war they'd disappeared. He traced the delicate skin with his fingers, then leaning forward kissed from her calf to her inner thigh. Her breath caught as his tongue flickered against her now hypersensitive skin. James had never done this before, sex had always been very perfunctory and to the point.
By the time he reached the top of her thighs again she was desperate, she felt his breath against her and moaned. Firm hands shifted her legs, pushing them apart as he settled between them, and then his mouth was on her and she cried out as he expertly toyed with her, his tongue hot and insistent against her. Her body writhed on the cotton sheets, a thin sheen of sweat now covering her body as one hand tangled into the covers next to her and the other pressed against his head. She couldn't believe what he was doing but the last thing she wanted him to do was stop.
His hands slid up her stomach and he covered her breasts with them, continuing to tease them as his mouth continued to move against her.
Felicity felt her muscles start to twitch and she closed her eyes as she felt herself start to pant, she'd never felt like this before and she wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do next. Then his tongue hit her from a slightly different angle and she was gasping, biting on her lip to stop herself from screaming as the pleasure washed over her, her neck arching, fingers gripping the bed sheets until her knuckles were turning white.
As she came down from her high, Felicity tried to catch her breath and as he began to kiss his way back up her stomach, peppering her skin with kisses as his fingers deftly undid the button and zip to his own trousers
She drew his mouth back to hers and she pulled her heel up to his hips, starting to push the heavy material down off his hips. "Baron," she murmured breathlessly.
He looked up into her eyes, the sated green of them making his gut kink as he told her almost gruffly, "Heinrich, my name is Heinrich, Felicity."
She kissed his mouth briefly, telling him, "I want you, Heinrich."
His mouth pressed against hers again, he balanced his weight on one arm as he hurriedly used the other to push the trousers and boxers off. She wrapped her legs around his waist, fingers curling around his neck as she felt his length nudge at her entrance.
Pushing forwards, his eyes met hers and his forehead fell to hers as he slid into her, groaning her name at the feel of her enclosing him.
Her mouth nudged his, her breathing deepening as he began to move.
They were wrapped around each other, rocking together, damp skin sticking slightly, fingers exploring the others skin, finding all the spots that made them gasp and moan. He'd known it would be good between them but it even surpassed what he'd imagined on those long nights alone.
His fingers slid between them, teasing, and her hips jerked in response. She gasped his name as she fell apart again in a series of powerful contractions.
Hips jerking, he groaned harshly as he followed her over the edge, feeling as though spots were flashing across his vision. He panted heavily, his mouth lowering to kiss Felicity lightly as she slowly unfurled her arms and legs from around him. She returned the kiss, fingers tracing along the solid edge of Heinrich's jaw as she did so.
As she stared up at him, she felt reality start to slowly creep into her mind again. She shouldn't have done this, and to make it even worse it hadn't dampened her desire for him in the slightest. Then his mouth was exploring hers once more and those thoughts disappeared again, she could worry about this in the morning, and no doubt she would.
