Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 09:08:30 +0200
From: Amy Redek <adultreading@gmail.com>
Subject: Francis. Part Nineteen.

    This story is for persons of eighteen years or over.  All comments,
good or bad, are welcome and all will be answered.

     Part Nineteen

     It was the Tuesday night I was attacked. I had gone to the latrines
and I was on my way back to my hut when a pair of hands grabbed from
behind. I knew it had to happen sometime, and I had been prepared for this,
so it didn't really come as a surprise with me being the only "female" in
the camp.

     I heard him coming a second before he hit me, his arms coming round my
front, and I was already going forward as I took him into a roll with me
and smashed him into the ground with me on top of him. The impact knocked
the wind out him and his arms released me as I got up and calmly took his
hand and broke his wrist. He gave out a scream and I walked away for others
to find him.

     `Did they?' Wesson asked, looking up from his book as I entered our
hut. `I heard the scream.'

     `Only one.'

     `Who was it?'

     `Dunno, I didn't stop to look. We'll find out in the morning.'

     The Colonel mentioned it at breakfast that a man had, allegedly,
slipped in the showers and broken his hand.

     `Showers can be very dangerous places at night. He's lucky he didn't
break his neck,' I said with a straight face. I could see that there were
several hidden smiles from further down the table. Another piece of folk
lore had been just been added to the history of the camp. `I hope it wasn't
one of my squad?'

     `No. He was from your squad I believe Coggins.' All eyes turned to a
young lieutenant down at the end of the table.

     `Er, yes sir. He obviously didn't believe the...' his voice faltered
under the stare of the Colonel, `the...that...that the showers can be very
dangerous places at night.' He stammered to a stop, his face a bright red.

     `Yes gentlemen, I think you should warn the men about the showers at
night,' the Colonel said, finishing and closing the subject, having just
prevented young Coggins from making an awful gaffe. Wesson managed to
control his choking and I just calmly carried on eating.

                                                           *

     There were no more attacks, and I began to ease up on them as they got
to know me. I even allowed a certain amount of banter when we lolled on the
grass for a short break. The closest they got to being personal was when I
was asked if Wesson and I were an item. I told them that we were partners
in the field, and there was no man other than him that I would rather have
behind me in any action. There were still some sniggers at this because it
could be taken two ways, but I just gave them a smile. Then they wanted to
know about the combat course that I had done at the camp, things like
that. But I wouldn't tell them as I liked some of the myths that had come
into being and loved to hear the stories get better and better with every
telling.

                                                           *

     Then before I knew it, we were in November. The Colonel knew I had to
go to London for the next weekend, but hadn't been told why. So I said
goodbye to Wesson on the Friday after having a good fucking from him the
night before. We had to do it on the floor because the bed made too much
noise. `If only the squaddies could see me now,' I said through gritted
teeth as Wesson did a good job with his cock up inside me. We managed to
stifle our cries of coming as he surged into me and mine going all over the
blanket.

     So I left the camp, promising to be back on the Tuesday. Next day I
collected a hired morning suit and checked in with Frobisher to find out
what we had to do. He knew that Diane and baby Francis would be there and
he agreed to pick us up from the Savoy Hotel in the Strand on the Monday
morning in plenty of time. Saturday I stayed at my house and also saw John
to find out that everything was running smoothly.

     Sunday I was at the station, booted and suited to meet Diane and
Francis. I had a car waiting which had my suit and other things. Hers were
added and we went off to the Savoy. The hotel had found us one of the maids
who didn't mind babysitting while we dined downstairs. It was a lovely
evening and night we had together and I was envious of the dress she had
bought to wear to the palace the next day.

     I was a bag of nerves in the morning and couldn't take a bite of the
breakfast we had in our room. Diane had to get me dressed and saw to it
that the Legion of Honour medal was straight. Francis had a nice small suit
on and Diane looked gorgeous in her dress, as we were finally ready when
Frobisher came to pick us up. It was a Rolls Royce and it made me think of
mine sitting in the village not being used. We were driven in through the
front gates of the palace and Diane was ever so thrilled while I was
quaking. I was sorry for little Francis being too young to know what was
going on.

     We were all escorted through several chambers till we reached the one
before the throne room. Here, a major domo talked us through the procedure,
where we were to stand, what to do, where to kneel and what to say. Diane
and Francis had their place to stand and watch, Frobisher hadn't brought
anyone with him.

     Then we eventually went into the throne room and took our places and
waited for the King and Queen to appear. It was said to be a private
investiture, but there must have been at least thirty people in the room,
not counting the flunkeys. Then the King and Queen entered and there was
lots of bowing and curtseying and then I saw and was surprised at how small
the King was. He must have been about my height and to tell the truth, he
didn't look a well man.

     Frobisher went first and after a few brief words he knelt down on one
knee as the King took the proffered sword off a velvet cushion and tapped
Frobisher with it on both shoulders and then the King said a few more words
to him and shook his hand. Frobisher returned to his place walking
backwards before bowing once more to the King. Then it was my turn. It
seemed an agonising long way those few steps to stand before my King in his
palace.

     `Good morning Mr. Lyon. We welcome you here today to show our
appreciation for what you have done for our country in this time of peace.'
All I could stammer out as I bowed my head was to say `Your Majesty.' I
caught the sight of the sword from the corner of my eye and remembered that
I had to kneel. I went down on one knee and felt the gentle tap of it on my
shoulders as I looked at the King's shoes. Then I was standing again and
the King held out his hand and I shook it.

     `The story of your exploits was thrilling to read. It is such a pity
that many other people cannot do the same. You have served us well and we
thank you for it.' Then I was back with the others. I don't remember my
walking back and bowing.

     Then Frobisher went back to be with the King and Queen for a
photograph and then I went up for another with all four of us in it. Then
Frobisher moved off so that it was just the King, Queen and I in the next
one. I could see the tears running down Diane's face as I smiled at her.

     Then it was over. I had not even heard the words `Arise Sir Gervaise,'
spoken by the King, and it seemed strange to be thus addressed as we were
escorted back out into the ante room.

     `Well Sir Alex, how does it feel to be finally recognised?' I didn't
catch the rest of the conversation. Alex! I chuckled to myself as I made a
bet to myself that Wesson didn't know his first name.

     `Sir Gervaise?' I believe the man said it twice before I realised he
was speaking to me. `Come this way please and sign the book.' Frobisher was
already signing his and then I wrote my name beneath his, taking care to
put the Gervaise before the Francis. Then Diane kissed me and I kissed her
back in exuberance and kissed little Francis too. More pictures were taken
out on the steps, this time I had Diane and Francis in the picture as I
held the award in its lovely box.

     After being told that the pictures would be sent on to us, we got back
into the Rolls and went off to the Savoy for lunch. The hotel, having found
out where we'd been, gave us the royal treatment as we went into the
hotel. A member of the staff took Francis off our hands so that we could
lunch. I couldn't resist it when we had the menus in front of us.

     `How do I address you in the office now sir,' I asked. `Sir. Sir
Alex. Sir Alex Frobisher?'

     `Don't be flippant Fr...Gervaise. It was Frobisher then and it still
is, though you can also keep calling me sir. Though one word of
warning. Never let me hear you call me Alex.' I saw a glint of humour in
his eye.

     `Yes sir,` I said meekly, `By the way sir, what are we Knights of,'
and I slapped the table, `the Round Table?' He gave out a bellow of a laugh
and Diane joined in because the table we were sitting at was actually
round. He wiped his eyes on his napkin before answering me.

     `I am a Knight Commander of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath,
which means I can use the letters KCB after my name now. You are a Knight
Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, KBE, and at
the tender age of only nineteen years.'

     `Oh good Lord! In the excitement I forgot it was my birthday
yesterday,' I exclaimed turning to Diane, touching her hand.

     `So had I,' she replied.

     `I hadn't,' said Frobisher, pushing a small silver box across to
me. `Happy Birthday, er, Gervaise.'

     `Happy birthday darling,' said Diane, leaning towards me and kissing
my cheek.

     `Thank you Lady Lyon, my second kiss from a real lady, and thank you
too sir for this gift.'

     `Well open it,' he demanded. I did so and found that the silver box
was in actual fact a card case. Inside were a pack of printed cards that
said I was `Sir Gervaise Francis Lyon, K.B.E.'. Tears sprang to my eyes.

     `Thank you sir.'

     `Let's order lunch shall we,' said Frobisher, lifting up the menu to
hide a tear himself I think.

     It was a lunch that I'll never forget, and when it was over, Frobisher
shook hands with us and went off and we collected little Francis and went
up to our room. He'd been fed while we had been eating and was now asleep,
so we lay him down in the provided cot and I took Diane into my arms to
break the news that I couldn't stay for the night. I was officially in the
Army and was due back at camp.

     `But you joined the Merchant Navy to stay out of the Army,' she cried.

     `I know, but now I am an acting Captain and it seems that I am some
sort of an expert at unarmed combat and they need me to train the boys that
will shortly be going off to war. If I hadn't joined the Navy, I could now
be one of those boys. So I've got to give them the best that I can offer so
that they may survive.' She was crying on my shoulder and one thing led to
another so we finished up making love.

     We lay there afterwards as I talked and explained how I couldn't stay,
and she said that she understood, so I left the morning suit with a maid to
see that it would be returned to Moss Bros. I got dressed in my other suit
and kissed both of them goodbye and fled before I burst into tears. I had a
taxi take me home where I could change out of the suit and get back into a
dress.

                                                           *

     It was expensive, but I had a taxi take me all the way to the camp and
I arrived there just after dinner was finished. They all seemed pleased to
see me back, none more so than Wesson.

     `We weren't expecting you till the morning.'

     `I thought you'd be extra pleased to see me tonight?'

     `I am, I am. Come, let's go to our hut and you can tell me all about
it,' and then added in a whisper, `Sir Gervaise!' I couldn't slap him
there, but I did when we were alone in the hut. We kissed first before we
sat down on one of the beds and I told him all about what had
happened. Leaving out the sex with Diane and Frobisher's Christian name. It
was well past lights out time when I'd finished, so we kissed in the dark
and he whispered that he had missed me, so I pushed him back onto the bed
and sucked on his erection till he groaned and came in my mouth. Then I was
off to my bed and happily went to sleep.

     At breakfast, I asked how this squad had been progressing, it being
our last group of twelve. Not very good so far. You haven't been there for
two days and I think they are missing you. I gave him a rap over the
knuckles with my spoon for that smirky comment.

                                                           *

     `Right you worthless piles of horse shit, let's see what you've
learned in two days. Come on then! Haven't you learnt or heard anything
from the previous piles of shit I've had to deal with. Two of you. On the
double, come at me! Let me feel your foetid panting breath as you'd like to
do what you can only dream of.' I saw the two of them whisper to each other
and they then moved a little way apart and I knew what they had in mind.

     They suddenly came rushing at me from two sides. I didn't move till
there were just and arms length away before I suddenly dropped and swung my
legs round taking the feet of one right out from under him. His body was
still moving forward and the other one was too slow to move out of the
way. He took the full impact of the man's head in his stomach and both went
down in a heap. I stood up to clapping and whistles as the two lay writhing
on the ground.

     `If you are going to act as a team, make sure you know what the other
is going to do before acting. Think first, act second. Unfortunately with
most of you I cannot help with the first because you're to have a brain
before I could even begin. I can only help with the second one. How to
act!'

     So began our fifth week of training with Baker squad and I was glad
when Saturday came. Now we had to do our evaluations on all the men we had
handled, because we, the officer's, were going to pick our own squad of six
men for the next three weeks exercises. So I had to list at least fifteen
men in order of preference because we could only pick one at a time each in
order. This we would be doing after breakfast on Sunday. The five sergeants
were to be the umpires in our combat games. So the officer's mess was full
of us, writing down our names before our dinner. We were both too tired for
love making, so we went to bed early.

     I was up early and made Wesson get up too so that he could guard the
shower for me. I enjoyed my breakfast, eager to get started to pick my
team. So when a hat was passed round for us to draw out the name for our
group. I nearly jumped up when I saw that I was to lead Able squad. This
meant that I had first pick of the men. Wesson had drawn Charlie, that
dismayed me because his would be the first squad we would to have to go up
against according to the roster and wouldn't meet again for several days
later.

     The first man I chose seemed a strange choice to the others, because
it was the mouthy one I had decked on the first day, but he had shown some
respect after that and had really worked hard to try and prove
himself. Then each squad officer named his man as we worked through our
lists. I was pleased to see that of my fifteen choices, I only lost one of
the first six to another officer. Obviously we all saw something different
in those that we had chosen. With the squads sorted out it, we then had to
pick out defend or attack for our first round. The second time of meeting
would be the other way around.

     I grinned at Wesson as I had first go against Charlie squad and I drew
out defend. The others then drew theirs. On the slip also was the
designated sector we could operate in, so we knew where we would be
sometime meeting.

                                                           *

     After lunch, the sixty men, the one with the broken hand having been
replaced almost immediately, were gathered on what passed for our parade
ground. There they were told the rules of the game. Each exercise was
expected to cover two days. They would be issued with paint guns and they
would be sleeping out in the field. If a sergeant said they were dead, they
had stay where they were until the exercise was over, even if it meant them
sleeping out there all night. Other members of the squad could assist
wounded men. If any squad man betrayed the game, like giving away an ambush
they might have laid. The penalties would be harsh. Without any mucking
about because this was now the serious stuff, the minimum sentence would be
solitary confinement of one month up to three. If, found guilty by a
summary court of committing more than one offence, the sentences would be
added to and would end up in that person or persons being amongst the first
to be shipped out as cannon fodder.

     So they were told to return to their tents and collect all their gear
and report back in thirty minutes, fully equipped where they would be then
told what squad they were in and who would lead them and be issued with
their guns. They would collect the tents as they were detailed off.

     I was at a slight disadvantage because Wesson knew the terrain better
than I did, though I did remember some of where our sector would be. There
was a jumping off point and as defenders, we would be given a four hour
start before being followed. We had to find and dig in somewhere to defend
while they tracked to attack any time over the two day period. The two
squads would bivouac together for the first night only. We stood round and
studied our sectors while the men got their stuff together. They would have
to pitch and sleep in the one tent while us officers carried a small pup
tent for our own use.

     The sergeants hustled the men back and brought them to attention in
full packs and then stood them at their ease. The first two squads were
called out and they each then found out who their officer was before they
went off to collect a tent and move off. The second lot were called and
dispersed. Then I heard the names of my lot being called and had to wait
till Wesson's had been called. When my name was mentioned, I got a ragged
cheer from my group and a wicked grin from Wesson at this. I had changed
from a dress and now wore the same camouflaged combat gear that the men
did.

     I went off with my men, my pack on my back and through the grapevine,
they knew that I had personally asked for them all, but not in the order
that I had chosen. We went together for them to take down a tent and stow
the pieces between them. I then took them at a hard pace to get to our
designated camp site before Wesson's squad to pick the best place and build
up some sense of superiority over his choice of men.

     It was a four mile hike and were blown when we got there, but had
first choice of camp, and our big and small tent were up when they
arrived. A fire was made and we had our dinner and then it was time to talk
about the exercise. I had extra weight in my pack and would be glad to get
rid of it, and they were most surprised when I pulled seven cans of beer
out and gave them one each. I'm sure that the sounds of the cans being
opened could be heard by the others only a hundred yards away.

     `Before you start Captain, may I ask a question?' This was the man who
I'd made my first choice, the one I had knocked out.

     `By all means.'

     `Why did you pick me? Especially after that first day.'

     `I picked you because of that first day. You and one other here learnt
the first and most important lesson for when you are out in the field. I
gained the respect and authority of the other men. I think yours came a
little bit later. It's when an officer gives you an order out in that
field, he expects and demands that it be obeyed instantly. He has made a
decision, and it may be vital for your life and of those with you that it
is done instantly. If we are going along a muddy track and I call out
down. It's not to get pleasure out of seeing you get covered in mud the
same as I would be. I want you to get covered in mud because I may have
seen something that prevents you and the others from being
killed. Unfortunately, we are not given enough time to train you up to the
standard that Captain Wesson and I have reached.  We have fought every day
for the past six months, and I still haven't beaten him in hand to hand
combat, but I have beaten him several times in games of strategy, and that
is what this is about tomorrow.

     Not to belittle Captain Wesson, but I think I can outwit him in this
game, because that is what it boils down to. The two captains out in the
field are seeking out a way to get close enough for the kill. I've taken on
a command post in one of these fields and captured it single handed. That
is not meant to sound as a boast, it's because I only had myself to worry
about and I knew that my body would obey instantly the command that my
brain gave it. That is the crux of winning and living. The split second you
are given an order, obey it, whether it means falling into a field of
flowers or a pile of horse shit, do it. It could save your life.

     Now I've pontificated too long on that subject and to get back to the
original question you asked, it's because I believe in you. An officer who
can't believe in his men is on the path to destruction. Not only of
himself, but all those who are behind him. Don't forget, I'm in the front
to take the first bullet and if I get it, then surely you won't have to
wait long before you get yours. I think I saw this in all of you and that
is why I picked you. You might not have liked my methods to start with,'
here I punched this man on the shoulder, `but I did see potential soldiers
that I think I would be proud to say that I was one of them. Now look!
You've started me making a speech again. Now gather round this map while
we've still got light.'

     So I explained where we were and where we would make our stand as
defenders, and how I proposed that we would do it.  So with that, we turned
in for the night. We had the disadvantage there, by having to start first
which meant they could sleep later and be fresher than us when night fell.

                                                           *

     We left at eight o'clock the next morning and I led them out at one
hell of a pace. I needed to be at our position well before sunset.

     `Stagger the line, we don't want to make any easy trail.' I'd detailed
one man on an hourly switch to cover the rear with me. We kept criss
crossing the trail to make sure that nothing was dropped or whatever that
could give away our trail. But that was because I was only going to leave a
total of two clues as to our direction. Only one was what I wanted to
leave, but then realised that the lead man and the others might miss this
but they shouldn't miss two.

     My lot did well and we didn't pick up one thing. The two clues I did
leave was the tightly rolled up ball of silver paper from a fresh packet of
cigarettes, it was small, but enough. The second was a ground out cigarette
butt at what could have been a brief halt.

     This would point out that our destination was a small copse of trees
about two miles further on. The grass of the field before the trees was
quite high. High enough for the purpose that I had proposed. Then at the
edge of the copse, I had the men start digging straight away so that
through field glasses, those following could see that earth had been thrown
up as in a redoubt. Then we rested with a lookout up in the trees being
relieved every hour.

     After three hours, it was time to move into our positions. Now Wesson
had seen me in action twice and would have not given it a thought that I
would have noticed. In those two actions I had moved out and gone round to
either come in from behind or from the flank. I assumed, or hoped he
wouldn't think that that was what I would do in this case. He knew damn
well that I wasn't just going sit there and wait. So I believed he would
come in two files either side of the breastworks that he will have
observed, also noticing that at least two men were still throwing up these
earthworks. They would then approach us watching their flanks and
rear. That is why we crawled out into the very centre and lay in a herring
bone pattern in what I hoped would be the middle of his two files. We were
to lay head to tail about thirty feet apart so that we covered both sides
and yet could see the next man along to signal when the approaching squad
was observed. We started the pattern at about fifty feet out so when I got
into position I was about sixty yards out from our redoubt.

     The work for the two men left behind was to take it in turns to throw
a shovel full of earth out as though we were still digging in. The other
was to study the terrain to spot any movement. The distance and the timing
was crucial, because I knew that he would try and hit us early, so I had to
be told how far away they were spotted, then how long it took them to cover
fifty yards.

     When this was established, they were both to use their shovels to
throw up earth so that they knew how many could be out on the flanks.

     Each man of our line was to hold his fire until I shouted out, and
then I crossed my fingers that they would do just that and that Wesson had
done as I had predicted. Then I caught the low whistle from the redoubt and
then the message was whispered along the line. As predicted, two lines
about three hundred yards out and about thirty yards apart.

     I had a watch with me this time and I waited for the next message
which came twenty minutes later that they were now at two hundred. So it
meant that they would be up with us in about thirty minutes, maybe a bit
longer because they might slow down the closer they got.

     Exactly thirty eight minutes later I saw the first one moving in his
line. I made my signal which was passed down that the enemy had been
sighted. Four minutes later I saw the next one. Now I wasn't sure which
line Wesson would be in, so the line I was watching could have either three
or four, so I just had to hold my breath as I saw the third one crawl past.

     My heart then started to thump as I heard some movement to my left and
guessed instantly what it was, I ever so slowly moved to my right and
waited because Wesson was coming down the middle. As soon as I saw his
helmet appear in the grass, I shouted `Fire', and just had time to see his
surprised face as I splattered his helmet with paint.

     I didn't stop, but was up instantly, running towards the line I had
been facing and found that each man had been shot in the side or in the
head and it was the same on the other side. Some of my men were up on their
knees, guns still at the ready when a Very light went up and a sergeant
came out from the trees.

     `Brilliant.' He called out. `One hundred per cent for the defenders.'
Cheers rang out from my squad as they got up and went to see to their
victims and I turned to see Wesson coming at me fast. He had nearly caught
me by surprise, but it turned out to be a classic example of what I had
said the night before. Split second timing is crucial and that was all I
had to catch his attack and go with it and use it to my advantage. I
parried his charge so that when we went down I had control and we wrestled
on the ground for over half a minute with neither of us getting the upper
hand. We still tried for another half minute whilst a ring of men gathered
round to watch, each cheering on their captain, until we finally broke
apart and got to our feet.

     `You lost this round Wesson, admit it,' I said, my chest heaving for
breath and with my arms open wide. He was panting the same as I was, but he
grinned and stood upright and we went into each other's arms and hugged in
front of the cheering men. Then we walked through the ring of men with our
arms around each other's shoulder.

     `You cunning bitch. How did you guess my tactics?'

     `Oh it was something I read somewhere. Some obscure book by a
foreigner, I forget the tile and his name. He wrote, quote, "Know thy
enemy." Unquote.'

     `You devious little...'

     `Not in front of the men,' and then I whispered in his ear, `behind
the copse tonight and then you can do what you want with me.'

     The men were all friendly and they pitched their tents together and a
fire was got going. Water was put on to brew up some tea, and I went to my
pack and pulled out a dozen beers and gave them out to the soldiers. I then
showed Wesson the half bottle of brandy I'd bought along for us.

     The men were happy with the beer and everybody got along very well,
though Wesson and I did stay away from them as befitting our rank. The
sergeant didn't stay as there was no need and he wished us a nice day off
and saluted and went off himself, back to camp I presumed.

     `I liked the way you set out the men in the ambush,' Wesson said later
as we lay against our packs, sipping brandy and seeing a cloudy sky that
showed signs of either rain or snow. `It was good. Covering opposite sides
and yet being in eye contact with each other. Where did you get the idea?'

     `Breakfast.'

     `Breakfast?'

     `You're repeating me, yes. I had a kipper and when I'd finished, the
bones were going opposite ways yet the eyes could see both sides.'

     `You're having me on,' he said as he grabbed and rolled over on top of
me.

     `Yes I am. On top of me. Kiss me Wesson,' and he did and to hell if
any of the men were watching. After we'd pitched our two small tents, we
went away out into the darkness, and though it was cold, I stripped off
naked and did a little dance for him. I then went into his arms and helped
him get his trousers down and I howled to the moon as he fucked me there
out on Salisbury plain.

     It was some years later that I found out that one of the members of
Able squad, out in Korea, with his officer killed, took over and put the
men into that very herring bone or kipper, whatever you like to call it,
and came out alive after a successful defence. I never did find out who it
was, but it warmed my heart to know that I had at least saved one life out
there in that fighting. Also, several years after the conflict I heard
other tales where my name was mentioned by survivors that if it hadn't have
been for me etc, etc.

     But to my howling at the moon. It was cold but his body heat inside me
was enough as I had him push his way in and out to ease my longing and his
relief and work out his ire at me beating him in the field. There were some
comments among the men as they ate their breakfast about there being the
possibilities of there being wolves out on the plains having heard one howl
in the night.

     `I'd have killed the bastard if he had said hyena,' I whispered to
Wesson. He roared with laughter at that and the men stopped eating to look
at him, wondering what the joke was.

     We made it a leisurely stroll back to base and neither Wesson nor I
made any attempt to stop the horseplay that went on between them. About a
quarter of a mile from base, I called a halt.

     `Able squad! Fall in! Come on, act like soldiers and not girls out on
a picnic! Get in fucking line!' I screamed at them. `When we get into base,
don't start getting cocky because of one skirmish. Before we've finished, I
can guarantee that half of you would have been shipped back home in body
bags. One battle doesn't win the war. It's the last one that does.' I could
see that Wesson's Charlie squad were getting themselves together, and I
think that Wesson let them listen to me, rather than repeat it later. `You
came out here as boys and I want you to go back as men! You men of Charlie
squad! You came out the worst of this. Is not the fault of your officer or
of you, though you did signal your approach. Let's start again as from
tomorrow. Any man who comes through the rest of the engagements, that
includes the Charlies, without being killed, will be given a bloody good
night out in London at my expense. My body is not part of the bargain, so
if you had ideas in that direction, forget it. I don't expect to have to
spend anything, but the offer is there. Now we're going into camp and you
are going to march in as soldiers and not like a rabble or whipped curs. Do
you hear what I'm saying?' I roared out.

     `Loud and clear ma'am.'

     `Okay. By the right, field march!' This confused them because I'd just
made up the order of march. They'd started and then faltered as they were
not sure what to do. `Halt! You wallowing lumps of dog meat. You!' pointing
at a man in Charlie squad, `have you never heard the order, field march
before?'

     `Er, no sir, er, ma'am.'

     `Neither have I,' I grinned. `Captain Wesson. Would you be so kind as
to lead them off in good marching order over this type of terrain. Now
watch the Captain and get into step and keep it until you hear the cry of
halt. Have I made myself clear?'

     `Yes ma'am,' came the cries along with the grins.

     `Okay, ladies and gentlemen, By the right, march.' With that, he set
off at what looked like the right way to me, but then I didn't know, Wesson
did. It took them a few minutes to get into the rhythm, but soon they were
all in step and they did look good.

     `You can you now fall out Captain. The rest of you keep that step
going, you're doing just fine.' Wesson dropped back from the front and
joined me as we went along watching them march in step, the two squads with
Able in the lead. Into the camp they marched as fine a bunch as I'd ever
seen.

     `Squads, halt,' Wesson barked out, and they came to a good
stop. 'Right face! Hold it, hold it. Squads, attention!'  Wesson turned to
me and came to attention and saluted me, the cheeky bastard. All I could do
was answer the salute, before he swung round to face the men. `I saluted
you,' he whispered out of the corner of his mouth. `It's up to you to
dismiss them.'

     `Squads, dismiss!' With that they broke up into a mass of men to then
go and find a place to pitch their tent for the night before getting their
dinner in the mess hall.

     `If I didn't say it earlier, I'm proud of you Francis,' Wesson said,
slinging his arm around my shoulder as we went towards our mess for a
drink.

                                                           *

     We didn't do too well against Echo squad finishing up with three dead
and three wounded, though they had four dead, two wounded. Both officer's,
myself and the young Coggins suffered flesh wounds. That's where you just
catch a fine smear of paint. We had drawn to defend again and the sector
was a bad one, there only being one place to make a stand. I made Nolan, he
was the mouthy guy, though he wasn't any longer, he was now one of the
quietest of the men. I made him corporal and had him deploy the rest of the
squad in our trench that had been previously dug by others. That was three
at each end with just myself in the middle.

     No movement was observed out in the field during our time in our
trench up to the last of the daylight, so it was assumed they would
approach us during the night. Therefore, one stood watch at each end while
the others snatched a little sleep, changing watch after an hour. This way
they all got nearly two hours sleep each. I got nearly three hours because
it was assumed they wouldn't hit us until about midnight or later. It was
half past midnight when they came. They had played the same way as us with
three men on each flank and the lieutenant in the middle. It was their
mistake of not both hitting at exactly the same time.

     The firing started on our left which killed two of ours with one
wounded, they had one killed and two wounded. Our right flank men were
alerted by the firing and were ready when they were attacked, killing all
three but we suffered one dead and two wounded in the exchange.

     I had counted the gun flashes and noted that it was three either side,
meaning that one man was still out there. The lieutenant spotted me first
and fired, his paint just catching my sleeve, and I fired just off to the
right of the gun flash. I cursed myself later for not having noticed in the
mess that the man was left handed, so instead of hitting him dead centre, I
only caught his sleeve like he had me.

     It became a stand-off. The lieutenant knew he was pinned down and
after about fifteen minutes gave out a signal for his men to
withdraw. Technically, we won, but could no longer defend, and he couldn't
attack, so it was agreed as a draw.

                                                          *

     Our next one was to attack. The sector was heavily wooded with many
clearings and it was one I would rather have defended. There were so many
places to set up ambushes, and I nearly walked into it. They tried to be
clever and not use the whole area to draw us in, but to set it up early.

     The small wood that we approached was almost crescent like and you
were basically funnelled into the middle. It wasn't a dense wood, but it
was almost divided by this trail through the middle. We were almost
through, my eyes scanning the clearing up ahead, and I nearly stepped out,
but suddenly called out,

     `Down!' Dropping flat and I was pleased to hear them almost as one hit
the ground. `Back! Back ten yards,' I whispered fiercely, and we all worked
our way back into the trees. When we were safely out of sight of the
clearing, I got the six men round me.

     `Right. Two at a time, come with me to the edge of the glade. We'll go
to the right and stop there. You others wait till you're sent for.' With
two of them, I moved off to the right and settled down just inside the
cover of the trees. Then in turn, I gave them the small pair of
binoculars. `Sweep the whole clearing and tell me why I stopped the
patrol.' They both looked for several minutes, but couldn't give me an
answer. Then I sent one back to bring up the others. Each in turn looked,
but said it looked all right. Then I told them. `See the three bushes off
to the left?'

     `Yes.'

     `See the two bushes off to the right?'

     `Yes.'

     `What colour are they?'

     `Green.'

     `Okay. You haven't seen it. Yes, they are all green. One of them is of
a darker colour than the rest. It's been recently planted there and they've
put it into the ground the wrong way. The sunlight has lightened the colour
of the leaves so they should all be the same. I only spotted it at the last
moment. Now all look again so that you'll understand what I mean.' This
they did and agreed with my hypothesis.

     `Now the way I see it, is this. They've got a man in there, probably
dug in with a covered trap door. They've had enough time to do it. He's the
observer. The others will be dug in before the belt of trees. He signals
them of our approach and will attack our rear when the fighting starts. I
think they expected us to walk into the ambush. That observer has probably
been in that hole looking at this tree line for at least three hours, and
by the time it gets dark, he's going to be useless. Tired and dehydrated,
he will have to be relieved when darkness falls. His replacement is more
likely having a sleep now. If we'd skirted the wood and carried on to the
end of the sector and not found them, they would have won the game. So they
are going to sit tight. We've got six hours of daylight left, so let's all
get some sleep till then. Draw straws, three long, three short. The short
ones will stand two hour watches each watching the clearing for any
movement, but especially that bush. Wake me if you think you spot something
going on, otherwise just note what you see for later.' With that, they drew
the straws for the watches and the rest settled down to sleep.

                                                           *

     `Captain!' A hand touching my arm woke me up instantly, nerves
tingling. `It's almost dark. Shall I wake the rest?'

     `Yes.' I poured some water over my face to freshen me, then rubbed
some dirt so that it stuck to my skin thinking that I preferred make-up
than this. Now I doubled the watch on the ground between the bush and the
further trees, moving the other man ten metres off to the right. About half
an hour after darkness had fallen, a whisper came from the right. A man had
been spotted crawling through the grass, and we all watched and could just
see the vague movement by the bush as predicted. It was signalled that a
body was crawling back to the trees.

     That was it, time for us to start. I gathered together and told them
what we were going to do. Two of the squad would go out and approach the
bush from either side and nab the observer. I stressed that theirs was the
most important job. They had to hit him at the same time and prevent him
from crying out. Then they were to drag him back to us. If, from that point
you can see the trees, take it slow till it's safe to move faster. Watches
were checked and they went off, one to the left and one to the right. All
we could do was sit and wait.

     `If we take this observer,' I was telling two of the men, `I'll be
doing things that you will think is wrong. Do not interfere and don't let
the other's. Assume that it's what I always do. I will then move off for a
few minutes and I want you to talk between yourselves. Make up something
that will fit the scene and make out that I'm some sort of sadist. Don't
lay it on too thick or he won't buy it. I think you're intelligent enough
to see what will happen.'

     `Captain! Movement out front,' came a whisper, then a few minutes
later the two men came to us dragging another.

     `Well done. Bring him right back into the wood.' I left one on watch
and followed as they dragged the man to a small clearing.

     `Tie him to that tree,' and this was quickly done. `Now pull his
trousers and pants down to his ankles.' I got curious looks, but they did
this. `He can't kick out when he's like that,' I explained. I turned to the
tied up man who was shaking as we all looked at his shrivelled penis and
balls, his thighs pale white in the gloom. `Take the gag off him,' and then
I moved forward and looked at him. `I know you. You were in my first
training squad?' He nodded, his eyes wide. `Well you know what I can do to
a man,' I said pulling out my knife and squatting down in front of him.

     `What a small cock you've got,' I said as I put the point of the knife
under it and lifted it up, the cold steel making him shiver even more. `The
balls are small too,' as I put the point to one. `I don't think you'd
notice the difference if I took one of them out. I wonder if you've ever
seen a testicle outside of its skin.' I was looking up at his sweating
face, his eyes almost screwed up in terror.

     `You two stay and watch him for a minute,' this was to the two that
were going to discuss me, `the rest of you follow me.' And we left the
clearing to see if there had been any movement out front. Nothing. So I
went back the clearing. They stopped talking as soon as they saw me
arrive. `Make ready a small fire for me and sharpen a small stick.' This
was quickly got together and then stood by waiting for orders. `Go back to
the others and leave me here with the prisoner. What you don't see or hear,
you can't testify to in court, now move off and don't let any others come
here. Off you go.' I got a wink from one of them as they left the clearing.

     `Now my little friend. Before I take one of your balls out and cook it
front of you, I want you to know that whatever happens here, even though
you have lost one or two of your balls, it will only be your word against
mine in court. I'm a Captain and you're a private. Who will they believe?'
I asked as I tickled his still ever shrinking cock with my knife. `Now you
are going to tell me everything of what's going on over there. What was
your signal from the hole and when and how do you keep in touch. Speak or
lose what little you have.'

     He couldn't stop talking, well almost gibbering as he spilled out all
he knew.

     `Shit!' I said, looking at my watch and quickly left him and went back
to the men. `Wilson! You've got exactly seven minutes to get out to that
hole and signal back to the trees with the torch in the hole. Two dots and
one dash exactly on the hour and then give us a single flash and wait there
till I come and get you. Go now, quickly as you can.' He scuttled off into
the darkness.

     `So he did speak Captain?' I was asked.

     `Couldn't stop him. Both go back and kick the fire away, untie him
from the tree and let him pull his trousers up, it's getting cold. Then gag
him and bring back here, arms tied of course.' I waited anxiously, hoping
that Wilson had made the hole in time and given the correct signal. The
others came back and sat our prisoner down and tied him to a small sapling
and also tied his feet.

     `Gather round. I hope that Wilson is in time to give the signal and
assuming that he does, they will stand down, leaving two men on guard, one
at each end of this trench,' I drew a sketch in the dirt. `They are
watching for a signal from the post if we're seen to be coming or is all
clear. The other four are in the middle and should be asleep by the time we
get there because they are doing a two hour watch. Now Willis, you go out
to the right and Cripps, you go left. You've got to be in position behind
the two guards to hit them in precisely one hour and twenty minutes time
from the time you set off. We will go in from the front and hit them at the
same time.`

     `Captain!' our look out man hissed. `Single flash from the bush.'

     `Okay you two. Off you go now and be ready in exactly one hour and
twenty minutes.' Off they went to get into position.

     `Now they will make good time,' I said to my remaining men, `going
round so should be in position before us. From the bush we crawl slowly,
five feet apart, and silently to about five yards before their trench. I'll
be in the middle and I'll pick up Wilson on the way to tell him what we're
doing. Then you lay and wait for my signal, then up and over the top. Okay
let's move out.' I patted our prisoner on the cheek as we left.

     We quickly covered the ground to the bush and congratulated Wilson
that he had given the signal on time. So filling him in, we slowly made our
way to the hold position till it was time. That was only a few minutes
before I gave the signal and we rose up and a few steps later flew over the
edge and onto the sleeping bodies below. In less than a minute it was ours.

     My squad was exhilarated at the success and kept asking how had I made
the prisoner spill so much so quickly, so I had to tell them. They laughed
at it, but I turned it serious.

     `If we'd been in action in Asia and I had a prisoner like that, once I
had the information, I would have slit his throat, because that is what he
would have done to me if our positions were reversed. Life is cheap to
them. Death is glory in heaven.

     Now if you take four prisoners for example, and you want
information. Assume you've got an interpreter, and you ask the first man
what you want to know. He won't say anything. Then shoot him in the head
and ask the second man, he'll probably not answer. Shoot him too. The third
man might break and tell you. Say you don't believe him and shoot him. If
the fourth man tells you the same as the third, it is possibly true, but
shoot him all the same.'

     `Why kill him if he tells you what you want to know?'

     `What if he escapes or your position is overrun. You can be sure that
he will turn and kill you. But not straight away. He'll take great pleasure
out of torturing you first for as long as it amuses him before he kills
you. The fact that you've already killed three men, one more makes no
difference to them. They do not know of the Geneva Convention. They're told
to go and kill, and that's what they will do. So don't be squeamish. It's
kill or be killed.'

     `They say you took on three men at once and killed them all in half a
minute, is that true?'

     `Who said that?'

     `Well Captain Wesson told the sergeant of your first squad,'

     `I'll kill Wesson next,' I muttered.

     `It's true then?'

     `Yes,' I said between clenched teeth, `and it was fifteen seconds, not
thirty.'

     `I bet you couldn't take out one of our squads in thirty seconds.'

     `I could do it in twenty, except for you lot. You know me too well,' I
laughed, trying to get off the subject, and I thought I had succeeded, but
found out a few days later that I hadn't.

                                                           *

     `Are you crazy?' Wesson rounded on me in the hut. `Boasting that you
could take out a squad in twenty seconds!'

     `I wasn't boasting!' I cried out. `It just came out after I had been
told that you had talked about the three men in Rome! They said thirty
seconds and I corrected them. I was angry at you for speaking of it and
when they said about a squad, I sort of joked about it. That's the truth.'

     `Well it's too late now. The Colonel's interested, and wants you do
it.'

     `Oh shit,' I said, taking my head in my hands.

     `Yes, shit is right. You've put yourself on the line, me too.'

     `Why you?' I asked looking up, `it's me that said it.'

     `True. But I said that if you said you could do it, you would be able
to deliver. Then I spoke out of turn and bet the whole of the officers mess
bill against ours.'

     That was it then. The mess bill didn't worry me as I had more than
likely spent that much on one dress in the past. The trouble was that the
squad would be ready for me unless I could divert them.

                                                           *

     Wesson agreed that the plan I had devised would work and also that the
observers would have to be close to verify the facts or events as they
occurred. So we explained to the two sergeants that would be the observers
and told them what I was going to do and to watch closely to confirm the
kills as they happened.

     Because the squad would know that I was going to attack them, it was
agreed that I could do five passes as it were, and hit them at the time of
my choosing. This was agreed and the other squads had the day off to watch,
Baker squad being the victims. The spot chosen was by a bank of trees and a
path alongside and the open ground rose up on the other side of the path,
not steep, but this was covered by the other men who had gathered to watch.

      Baker squad would come along the path in single file as I approached
from the opposite direction pushing a bicycle, the observers alongside but
close to the trees. The Colonel explained that it was to be assumed that it
was a peasant women being stopped by a patrol for her papers to be checked,
and what could happen if they were not prepared.

     I approached the patrol and the front held up his hand to stop me and
asked for my papers. I let the bicycle fall to the ground, away from them
as I spoke rapid French to them walking to the last man of the line as I
pulled some papers from my pocket to show them. The front two men picked up
the bicycle and looked through the basket fixed to the back. I slowly
walked back towards the ones holding the bicycle still talking and waving
the papers at them. They were edgy and held their rifles ready, but I took
the bike and went on past. I did exactly the same on the second walk, and
they relaxed when I went past. I hit them on the next pass. The observers
had been told I would do it, and were ready for it, but the patrol wasn't.

     The hand was held up and I dropped the bike the same way as I went
down the line speaking and pulling my papers out. The front had the bike
upright and opened the basket to a loud bang that made everybody jump. The
first men were dead instantly from the booby trap and I hit the end man
across the throat, stopping at the actual point of making contact. I was
already then moving at the second one pulling a knife out and sweeping it
across his throat before stabbing the third one also in the throat. This
third man was blocking the fourth man from turning his rifle on me as I
dropped round this last one killed to pull him forward by the gun and
whipping my arm around his head to break his neck.

     At this point the watch was stopped, having been started the moment
the small bomb had gone off.

     `Sixteen and a quarter seconds,' the time keeping observer called
out. The men on the slope clapped and cheered and I couldn't help grinning
at them as my hand was shook by the timekeeper. Baker squad stood around
looking most disgruntled as the observers said that they had all been
killed. Crushed throat, a severed throat, jugular cut and a neck
broken. The other two killed by small fragmentation grenade hidden in the
basket.

     `Well gentlemen. I must confess that I didn't think Captain Lyon would
be able to do this, especially when the squad knew it was going to take
place. You have just seen a classic example of what can happen if you are
not on your guard the whole time. A civilian can be more deadly than a
soldier with a rifle. Now Captains Lyon and Wesson will run through it
again and point out the mistakes made by this patrol. So let's show our
congratulations to Captain Lyon.' They all gave me a cheer and lots of wolf
whistles.

     I had a short break and then Wesson and I went over it again step by
step, again, I think I saved some more lives that day in the field. It was
quite a celebration in the mess that night and Wesson couldn't wait to get
me into the hut when we left.

                                                           *

     We kissed and undressed in the dark and I threw a blanket to the
floor. I crooned as he entered me from behind and relished his thrusting in
and out of me.

     `Sixteen and a quarter seconds,' he said in time to his movements,
`that's quicker than I can come.' His cock sending little ripples of heat
up inside me as he moved.

     `Don't come at all,' I gasped, `just keep on fucking me till
morning. Keep going for as long as you can.' It must have been six patrols
at least before he mashed his thighs tight up against as he throbbed and
surge inside me. `You lovely big fucker. I only wish I could suck you at
the same time,' I panted as he came to a grinding halt.

     `God I love doing this to you!' he said, his breathing very thick and
heavy, giving me a twitch inside. `Every time I see you smile at me, that
beautiful smile, I want to be inside you. It drives me mad with
frustration.' Then he sighed and pulled out and I gave my little cry at the
loss of his heavy presence within me. I pulled the used condom off and we
got onto his bed and I lay the opposite way to suck on his still hard
penis. Then to my joy I felt him kiss mine and put his mouth over the
head. I sucked as vigorously as I could on his as he gently sucked on
mine. I was in my heaven having him suck mine as I sucked his. Then I felt
a waft of cold air cross it as he took his head off of me.

     `You won't come in my mouth, will you?'

     `No darling, I won't do that. I'll tell you before it happens,' then
his mouth went down on me again and I loved my man to be sucking me, but I
couldn't hold on long. `I'm coming,' I gasped, and his head came up off
me. `Keep your hand going,' I begged, and he kept moving it as I started to
shoot out.

     `Hey, I could feel it coming up the inside,' he said in wonder, `and
it's going everywhere. Doesn't it stop?'

     `Nearly there,' I gasped as the throbbing of my cock started to ease
off.

     I cleaned myself up and also what went over him and then lay in his
arms, pleased with this gorgeous man who was showing that he wasn't afraid
to, well, almost do as much as I did for him.

     `That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Like a piece of strong
rubber,' he said.

     `Oh you darling, I do love you, I said as I scratched his hairy
chest. I wanted to say more, but thought that more would come in time. I
fell asleep in his arms, something I shouldn't have done because of where
we were, but nobody came into the hut to find us like this.

                                                           *

     My squad came top with the most wins and least losses and Wesson's
came second. The colonel knew that I had made Nolan a corporal in the field
and backed it up by making it official. Two other men from different squads
were also made up to corporal too. Nolan came top of our squad, apart from
me, by only sustaining three wounds and not being killed. I was wounded
once and had one flesh wound. Wesson had been killed once, by me, and
wounded once, he didn't say so, but I believe his own men hit him. I didn't
get a chance to see the paint colour to confirm this.

     As I had promised, I gave Nolan my address and telephone number to
call when he was next in London for a good day and night out, and we did
this a few days before Christmas, letting him stay at the Savoy Hotel as
well. I heard that he went out to Korea and survived, though he did lose
the little finger of his left hand in a sniper attack.

     The Colonel profusely thanked Wesson and me for our input. There
wouldn't be another exercise like this till well into the New Year because
the light artillery were moving in to stay over the Christmas on their
training period. It's not the same, he'd said, lobbing mortar shells at
people you can't see. Goodbyes were said all round and Wesson and I went
back to London for a rest and Christmas.

                                                           *

     It was nice to get home and have a good bath, to soak and feel the
tiredness and grime seep out of your body. To feel clean and smell sweet
perfume instead of body sweat. Palmer was pleased to see us and so was Mr
and Mrs Perkins, until then, I hadn't known their names, which was rather
remiss of me of not knowing earlier. We had a lovely dinner served by
Palmer of what Perkins had prepared, and then we went to bed. It was a
lovely night of loving.

                                                           *

     Next morning at breakfast, I had a back log of post to go through
while Wesson read the newspaper. I was delighted find the photographs from
Buckingham Palace and couldn't help but push his paper aside for him to
see. They had come out so well and I felt very proud to see myself with the
King and Queen. I even had to call Palmer in to show him the pictures, and
even though I said it was my brother, he knew that it was me. He had to
take them downstairs to show them off to the Perkins. There was nothing
else of interest in the post, so I quickly finished going through what was
left so that I could take the pictures to a photo shop and have copies
made.

     I then told Wesson that we just had to go to the village, so that I
could have some of the pictures in my front parlour. It would please Flora
and the village, having met Gervaise. Wesson reluctantly agreed to come
with me, on the promise that we would be here, in London for Christmas. I
didn't care where I spent Christmas, as long as it was with him. We had a
few days to ourselves before we went to the office. We kept calling it the
office, though it wasn't ours, but there wasn't anything specific we could
say to anyone. The office was as good as anything we could come up with.

                                                           *

     Frobisher was delighted to see us and had been very pleased at the
glowing report he'd just received of our conduct out there. I asked him if
he'd received his pictures and he said that he had, and opened a drawer and
showed us his, already in a lovely frame.

     `Sir what do we call you sir? Sir Frobisher or Sir something else?'
Wesson asked.

     `My title of address is the same as in the past Wesson. Sir, or
Frobisher,' he said looking at me.

     `Yes sir,' I said smiling at him. He hid his grin from Wesson. `But
aren't they lovely. Mine are really beautiful. I couldn't wait to rush out
and get lots more copied.'

     `The ones I received are more than enough,' he said, taking the
picture back and returning it to the drawer.

     `I bet he takes it out of the drawer,' Wesson said later, `when alone
and drools over it.'

     `Don't be nasty Wesson,' I said, giving him a slap on the arm, `I'm
going to drool over mine.'

     `Only kidding,' he laughed. `I'd better get a picture of me done. Then
you will have something to drool over.'

     `I don't need a picture to drool over you. I'm almost drooling now
because of what you got between your legs. In fact I'm getting a hard on
and feeling rather randy. Let's go home and maybe you can drool all over me
too, in bed.'

     `I don't mind if we do,' he said as he hugged me. So for the second
time now, I had him sucking on my cock as I sucked on his. I let him know
that I was about to come, so he jerked me off as I continued to work on
him. When I started to spurt out, the sight must have triggered him off,
because he came in great spurts which I swallowed and then licked my lips
with a smacking sound. It was supper time before he was up and inside me to
come again.

                                                           *

     We went and looked at the houses that John's crew were working on and
it wouldn't be long before four of them would be ready for the interior
decorating and furnishing. I said I was most happy the way that the work
was progressing and made a note for some Christmas boxes for the workers. I
also had other thoughts and I phoned the lawyer, whom I had kept on with
quite a substantial retainer. I spoke on behalf of Gervaise who wished him
to look into the business of purchasing a letting agency to add to
G.F.L.Holdings. It needed to be in a good location to cater to people with
lots of money. He didn't think he would get very far this close to
Christmas. I him told that it wasn't that urgent, but that he had a
month. Which really was saying that it was urgent, and as he was getting a
nice fee from me, he would do it.

     Then the photographs were ready and the man in the shop was only too
happy to show me the best silver frames that he had and I waited till he
had fitted all that I could think of that I was going to give away. The one
with the King and Queen and myself, I had a few blown up in size. One I
left for him to get framed, which was for the house, one spare and one to
give to the pub in the village.

                                                           *

     I phoned the village and got Allen to start early in the morning to
pick us up in the Rolls as early as he could get to us. He was that keen,
he arrived before we'd had breakfast, so he was fed downstairs, because we
still hadn't yet got dressed. Then after feeding and looking my best and
with Wesson in a suit, a suitcase was put in the car and we set off for
Dorset.

     Diane was pleased to see me, and she could see two other people by the
car so it was a cheek to cheek kiss because she saw I was there as
Francis. She shouted out a hello to Allen, who waved back and I introduced
her to Wesson. She had cocked an eye at me and I gave a short nod, so I saw
that she inspected him critically.

     She was delighted with the pictures I had brought with me and they
were put up on the sideboard in pride of place. She asked if we could stay,
but I begged off and promised to visit soon. Little Francis seemed to take
to Wesson and gurgled and chuckled when he was picked up and bounced about
in his arms.

     `Oh Francis,' Diane whispered to me, `what a gorgeous hunk of a man
you've got there. If you weren't married to me, I'd take him away. We
definitely couldn't live together with him around.' It was a lovely thing
for her to say to me when you consider it. Here I was married to her, a
beautiful girl in her own right, and yet, she was happy for me to live and
have sex with another man that she too would like to have.

     `How is being Lady Lyon suiting you?' I asked.

     `To me, nothing's really changed, I'm still the same. But it has made
a big difference in the village. They all want to stop and talk to
me. Calling me Lady Lyon and all, you know. Then the awkward questions
like, why isn't your husband, Sir Gervaise with you, no problem is there?
You know the sort of thing. I tell them that he is tied up too often in
London, foreign affairs and all that. Why don't we see his name then? Very
hush, hush I tell them. He has to keep in the background, but you can see
that they think very highly of him.' We giggled together over this.

     `Just wait till I show them the pictures!' We chatted for a little
longer and said that we had to go, the people of the village would be
getting restless because they knew I was on my way. So after a kiss with
Diane and a kiss for Francis, we got back into the car to go to my village.

     Allen had been most voluble about the visit of Gervaise, and how
everybody couldn't believe it when he had turned up. It was like seeing
yourself there, he'd said, which made Wesson titter. Like peas in a pod, he
also added.

     There were waves from some of the villagers as we turned down into the
lane and Flora was soon at the door to the house, Beatrice right behind her
as usual. I got the bob from them both as we approached and they let us
into the house.

     `This is Wesson, my boyfriend, though he's no boy to look at, is he?'
They laughed and made themselves known to him and by the way I had
introduced him to them, they knew that we would be sleeping together. So
that cleared that little hurdle out of the way. Didn't they just gush over
the pictures that I had brought with me. Pride of place, they went
alongside those of my father and mother and of my two aunts.

     `But, isn't that,' Flora started to speak and she hesitated a moment,
pointing to Diane in one of them.

     `Yes, it is. I took Gervaise to Diane's house just after he'd been
shot saving the life of the French President. Diane always liked me and she
fell in love straight away and they were soon married. I thought you
knew. They've even got a baby now and I'm an Auntie!'

     `Well blow me down,' she said, `he, er, Sir Gervaise never breathed a
word of it when he visited.'

     `Perhaps he thought you knew.'

     `When he came, well, I thought it was you all dressed up in man's
clothes. You two are so alike I just couldn't believe my eyes and what a
nice gentleman he is too.' I got Wesson and myself some drinks and let her
rattle on. It was best that she got it all out of her system and then it
would be dropped.

     `So you are now a proper Lady Lyon?' she asked.

     `No, That's Diane, she's Lady Lyon. I'm still Miss Francis Lyon.'

     `That's not right!' she said indignantly. `You've always been Lady
Francis in this village ever since you were a little girl and you always
will be, so there.' With a sniff, she went off to the kitchen.

     `My God,' said Wesson quietly from his chair, `I would never have
believed it. Ever since you were a little girl?' I went and sat on his knee
and put my arm round his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

     `There was only one person here who knew, apart from my aunts, and
they all took my secret to their graves, and that was Donald. He was the
vicar, he...was killed saving me right outside. That was, God, only last
year. It seems ages ago as so much has happened in that time. I was so
excited at coming here I even forgot to get my flowers. I have always
brought flowers for the graves of my family.' Tears came to my eyes and
started to run down my cheeks. `Have I become that callous and hard Wesson
that I forgot about them.' He pulled me into his lap and cuddled me, and
then Flora walked back in to see to the table.

     `Oh dear, what's the matter?' she asked, with a concerned look on her
face.

     `Francis has just remembered that she forgot to bring some flowers for
the graves.'

     `Oh Lady Francis, it's not the flowers that they need, it's just the
thought that they are remembered. Flowers are just an added touch that we
do in the hope that others will think of us when our time comes. One more
day will not make any difference to them when they have all of eternity,
it's the thought that they can feel. Now go upstairs and make yourself
pretty again for Mr Wesson. Dinner will be on the table shortly.' Wesson
gave me a hug.

     `Do as she says. Go upstairs and come down as such a pretty woman that
I will immediately want to take back up there,' he grinned. I had to give
him a smile for that, but I still went and powdered my nose, as they say.

     Wesson was effusive to Flora on her meal and she fairly simpered and
quickly ushered Beatrice out so that we could be alone.

     `What a woman,' said Wesson as he pulled back my chair and took me
into his arms, `and it also applies to you.' We kissed and didn't bother
with coffee and went up to my old bedroom

     We were soon in bed where I was pleased that he started to fondle and
suck on me first and I then went down on him. We made love with the pillows
under me so that I could see his face in the light of the candles that I
had lit as he moved in and out of me. I was on my own old bed being gently
reamed by the new man of my life and I couldn't stop the tears of joy from
flowing.

                                                           *

     Next day, we went to see old Mr Truell, I say old, because he was now
not looking as spry as he was a few years ago. He greeted us very cordially
and after the pleasantries about health etc, I asked him what he thought of
my brother. He said, apart from being astounded at the sight of him he
thought he was a gentleman, even after considering the fact he had been
raised in France.

     This tickled me pink, but I had to move on as there was so much to
do. I told him that Gervaise had created a holding company and had, since
being here, taken a controlling interest in a small construction
company. He had also acquired a whole block of Regency houses in the centre
of London and was now in the process of buying a letting agency to handle
these properties.

     `But, he only took fifty thousand pounds.'

     `That brother of mine is now worth over two million pounds.'

     `In so short a time! It's unbelievable,' He said, wiping his brow.

     `That is why I am here. I am merging my holdings with that of his. We
will be joint partners. Here is his lawyer's name and address and that he
will contact you about the merger, though I did say that you will still be
looking after my and the village's interest. He will contact you sometime
in the New Year. Happy Christmas to you and your staff.' We left without
giving him time to think over what I had just said. He was in fact losing
control of my interests and inheritance, but that would sink in later. I
made a note to make sure he got a good Christmas present. Next stop was the
florists who knew me by now and did me up some splendid floral displays
which Allen took to the car.

     `I don't think I'm ever going to get used to the way you can make
people do exactly as you want and think that they are doing it of their own
free will. Are you doing this to me too Francis?'

     `Oh Wesson, that hurt, that has really hurt me. I love you. I love you
with all my heart. I'm not buying you! You are your own man and in the
house you are the master. You must be the master because that is what I
need. You are now seeing the other side of me. There, at the training camp,
I did what I had to do. Get their respect. That was all that mattered
then. I kicked their butts, you saw that. I made them fear me, but I turned
that into belief. I made them believe that what I was doing was for their
own good. They saw it, and do you remember the cheer that went up when Able
squad heard that I was their Captain. Who else got that? I got their
respect. Not by buying it, but by earning it. The same as here, in my
village. I didn't know that I owned the bloody place till I was
sixteen. Did it change them in respect of me? No! To them I was still the
girl that they saw grow up there and I haven't treated any of them any
different. It's called respect. I haven't tried to buy you or influence
you, but I have tried to win your respect. Throwing each other around the
gym hasn't been any macho thing, but to try and show that I respect
you. For what you were trying to do, to help me and I have seen the sin of
your pride. The pride when me, your pupil takes on the best and wins. I
haven't had to do that here. I've always been me. I've never spoken ill or
done harm to anyone. I've helped them, always have and always will.

     When I was a little girl, I could walk into any house in the village
and if they were sitting down to their tea, they would give me some from
their plate and go hungry. That was love, and they still have it. All I do
is return it twofold and you think that I am manipulating people. If you
think that is what I am doing to you, you are mistaken. If you do not
believe me, Allen can turn the car round and go back to the station. I will
let you go and I will cry, oh yes I will cry because I will have lost your
love and respect. That is all I want from you Wesson, just love and
respect, whatever else comes will be a bonus.' I couldn't say anymore. I
was on the verge of throwing myself out of the car, oh why oh why Donald
didn't you let the truck hit me instead.

     Wesson pulled me towards him and cuddled me as I began to sniff back
the tears.

     `Francis. My darling Francis. I wish I could bite my tongue out for
what I said. I've never loved or been loved before. I wouldn't have
believed it that I could fall in love with you. I would have punched any
man on the nose a year ago if he said that I could fall in love with
another man. Though you are that in your body, I fell in love with you
because of what you are. A woman in the mind and in your heart. A hard
woman that is not frightened to stand up for what she believes in, yet a
gentle woman when compassion is called for. That is what I am looking for
now, some of that compassion for the ill thought words that I said. I'm
rough and uneducated and cannot find the right words to say to you right
now. I only seem to be able to say what I really feel is when I hold you in
my arms when we are in bed together. What I am asking for now is for you to
forgive me for what I said.'

     `Will you be able to say more in bed tonight then,' I said with a
smile coming through my tears.

     `I'll keep you awake all night if you say that you forgive me.'

     `I forgive you Wesson,' and offered up my lips for him to kiss which
he did.

     I was glad that the sliding glass panel between Allen and us was
shut. I just had time to repair the damage to my make-up before we turned
into the lane and Allen stopped the car by the church gate.

     `Darling, you will forgive me when I say that I would rather be alone
when I visit the graves of my parents.'

     `Of course Francis. This is your time with them, not with me. Allen
will keep me company and maybe tell me something about this village and
what makes it tick.'

     Allen passed me my flowers and I went in alone to stop at each grave
to place some flowers down and say a little prayer. In my prayer at
Donald's grave, I heard him thank and forgive me because it was as Flora
had said, it's not the flowers, but the thought and prayer that goes up to
them that you have loved.

     I was back with them in fifteen minutes and Allen insisted that he
drive when I said we would be going up to the pub. So for that short
distance we drove and Allen opened the car for us and the people from
inside had come out and shouted out their welcomes. I thanked them all as
we went inside and Dave, the landlord gave us our first drink on the
house. Clever man, because he knew I would spend at the very least, twenty
pounds that lunch time.

     They all couldn't wait to tell me of the visit by Gervaise, with the
usual platitudes of our likeness to each other. I asked Dave, as he had
expected, that each and everyone be given a drink as they came in and for
me to settle up the bill afterwards. Some bar snacks were put out for
Wesson and me. Even though they were there on the bar, no one made a move
towards them. I then asked for a few more plates to be put out for the
others.

     When I gave Dave the large picture of Gervaise with the King and
Queen, well, the place became an uproar. Dave couldn't thank me enough,
even Mrs Drew came out and thanked me.

     `Do you think that the brewery would let us change the name of the pub
to the Gervaise Arms, or The Lyon's Arms, Lady Francis.'

     `I don't see why not,' I said, giving a wink to Wesson, Dave
forgetting that I actually owned the pub.

     `What are the arms of Sir Gervaise, Lady Francis?' Dave asked.

     `Those things hanging from his shoulders I think.' And I couldn't help
myself from bursting out at this and the whole place went mad in
laughter. Even Wesson couldn't help himself as tears ran down his face as
everyone howled at this joke. It took some time before the place returned
to normalcy and many questions were asked of me that I answered as best I
could.

     Wesson had several beers whilst I stayed on gin and tonics, and we'd
had quite a few when Dave shouted out that it was time to close. I slipped
him the twenty pounds knowing that the total had not come to that, but it
was worth it for the fun we'd had. I think the balance went towards the
frame that was used for the picture that eventually took pride of place
behind the bar.

     I thanked Dave and Wesson did too, saying that he once lived at a pub
but it had never been so happy and friendly as this one. That pleased Dave
immensely and I gave Wesson's arm a squeeze.

     `You're learning,' I said, and I could see from his eyes that he knew
exactly what I was referring to. `I love you Wesson, you great hunk and
brute of a man,' I said hugging his arm as we walked down the lane. `You
couldn't have said anything better to Dave. Did you see the way his face
lit up? That's what gives me joy. To see the genuine pleasure that the
right word or two can do to another person. You have now risen in his
estimation. Mind you, you are still only just above a Neanderthal compared
to me,' I said as I smiled up at him and then hiccuped at the same
time. `Oh dear, I'd better go and lie down after all that drink. Would my
cave man care to come and enter my cave?' I gave another hiccup.

     `This cave man would deem it a pleasure to visit this cave of
yours. Maybe he might savour some other delights before dallying at the
entrance to this cave of yours. What might this cave man find within this
cave of yours?'

     `Pleasure I've no doubt he will find within. Then if I also find it's
been a pleasure for him to visit my cave, maybe I'll be able to coax him to
visit it again a little while later.'

     `The pleasure will be all mine,' he said with a smile.

     `No, mine.'

     `Mine!'

     `Mine! And we burst out laughing and hugged each other as we went into
my home and up to bed. He did savour other delights, kissing, licking and
sucking on me as I did on him, before we set the bed to rights for him to
enter me. We looked at each other, smiling and blowing each other kisses,
my legs up high as he moved that wonderful shaft of his in and out as he
fucked me. Though I didn't, nor ever had liked it when a hard cock was
pulled out of me, didn't waste time to rid him of the condom to suck out
the residue of his come. There was still enough in that solid flesh that I
could squeeze out, to roll around my mouth before letting it slowly slide
down like a small oyster.

     This was more of an aphrodisiac to me than any oyster or whatever
other product that people say enhanced your sexual stimulation or
awareness. We lay kissing each other until I drifted off into a beautiful
sleep.

                                                           *

     He woke me up with his kisses and eventually crawled out of bed and
went for a shower before dressing for dinner, I slapped his hand away from
my bum as I pulled on my stockings and literally pulled him out of bed for
him to go and shower.

     We had a lovely bottle of wine with our dinner and we only spoke of
general things until Flora had said her goodnights and left us alone.

     `I began to see some things in a different light when we were in the
pub this afternoon. What is the name of it anyway?'

     `I've no idea. It's always been known as the pub. There's never been a
sign outside as far as I can remember. Why?'

     `No reason really, but what is the arms of Gervaise?'

     `I don't know about that. I'll ask Frobisher. He's probably got his up
on the wall already.'

     `I would have thought it might be the Alms of Allah.' I laughed and
said that he now seemed to be developing a sense of humour.

     `I think it's you that's causing that, but I can't but help keep
thinking about what you said in the car after my faux pas. In the pub,
there was no tangible thing that you could put your finger on, but I could
feel something. I first noticed it with the tray of food on the bar. It was
there and since you had taken the first piece off it to eat. Nobody would
touch it. If you had pushed the plate towards them, they would have eaten
from it. But you hadn't, so they didn't. That showed respect that what you
touched was yours, but then you didn't seem to notice this.

     Then you go and order a tray for them to eat from. That is what I
found so strange and perplexing before, but I think I'm slowly beginning to
understand it.

     Palmer does it at home. Flora, Allen, Dave. They all seem to come
under a spell when you are around. Now I think on it, even bloody Frobisher
has these, these turns, is the only way that I can describe it. One minute
he's bawling you out and the next he's almost kissing your arse. It baffles
me.'

     We were drinking, or had drunk, I should say, our coffee on the settee
in front of a wonderful log fire, and the large white hearth rug looked
inviting.

     `Come my spellbound lover and lie down and love me,' I said as I got
off the settee and rolled onto my back on the rug and held up my arms. He
grinned and didn't need a second invitation, but joined me there. We took
our time in our kissing as we slowly took the clothes off each other. The
only trouble with lying in front of a fire is you burn on one side and
freeze on the other when you are naked. With his arm under my neck I let my
hand wander down his chest to his belly and found his hardness lying there.

     `Now don't tell me I've cast a spell over this what I can feel?'

     `That has a mind of its own. I can't control it. I should really call
you my early morning alarm instead of Francis.'

     `Why?'

     `Because that what you can feel is always up at the crack of dawn,'
and he laughed. It was nice to hear him crack a joke. I gave him a slap on
the chest and laughed with him. I moved round on the rug, loving the
sensuous feel of the fine wool on my bare skin as I then lay so that I
could see his hard cock before me. I stroked it, running my fingernails
along the underside that was uppermost on his stomach.

     It twitched under my touch and that sweet secretion slowing began to
ooze from the eye of his penis. This I delighted in licking off and
savouring the pleasant taste of it before taking the whole head into my
mouth. With my hand gently moving the flesh up and down, I sucked and
teased him with my tongue. He gave out a groan and copied me by turning
round and taking my erection into his mouth and began using his tongue on
me as I did on him. I loved to hold that heavy throbbing piece of flesh as
I sucked and sucked on him. Wesson too was sucking and building up the
tension in my balls, and my back was getting hotter from the fire, but I
didn't want to stop because Wesson was making such a fine effort and it is
very difficult to speak around a mouthful of prick.

     `I nearly there,' I said coming up off of him before going back down.

     `So am I', was the brief gasp as he released me before taking it back
in.

     `I'm just about to come,' I gasped, and quickly went back to rubbing
and sucking him.

     `Me too. Just do it!'

     `Are you going to take it?' I asked between sucks, astonished.

     `I'm going to try,' came the muffled response.

     `Oooh don't hold it in your mouth. Swallow it as it...ooh.' I quickly
took him back in as I felt him stiffen and start to come, and that
triggered me. I came into his mouth as he came into mine, and he never let
go of me, but kept on sucking. I had his come in my mouth and I rolled it
round in my mouth before swallowing it. My hips were jerking as his were,
sending out the last few drops, and then his tongue was licking me. What a
partner! I gave his cock a couple of extra squeezes as I sucked and I felt
him copy in response.

     I then had to tug him to roll over as my back was beginning to burn,
and he rolled without letting go of me. Then we came to a mutual stop and I
turned round and slid up against his body and kissed him.

     `You beautiful man,' I said between kisses, `you did it for me.'

     `It wasn't as bad as I thought it might have been my love.' I held him
tight until he started to complain of the fire against his back. So with a
few kisses more, he broke off and we picked up our clothes and went to
bed. He has sucked on me, I shouted to myself, and took it all. I really
hugged him in bed and kept telling him over and over again how much I loved
him. I let him take me in the usual position in the morning, creaming my
inside to my great joy before we showered.

     We said our goodbyes in the morning, giving our regrets that we
couldn't stay over the Christmas, and Allen drove us back to London. It was
an imposition, but I asked Allen to drive back again on Christmas Eve to
collect the presents that I hadn't as yet bought, to deliver for me. He
didn't mind at all, he said.

                                                           *

     Palmer and Perkins came out to collect our bags and Allen drove off,
and didn't we have a surprise indoors. The three of them had decorated the
place for Christmas and had done a wonderful job. Holly, ivy, mistletoe,
paper chains, the lot, and a lovely tree in the sitting room all covered in
balls, tinsel and lights. The house was a festive eye catching delight and
we really praised them in their efforts, and I took this opportunity to ask
if I could see over their quarters. Palmer's was very conservative in his
decorations and I had a chance to see what a wonderful collection he had
amassed of classical music. I could also see what I could get him for
Christmas. I did the same with the Perkins, although I had to sit and have
a cup of tea, which I seldom drank, as she talked. That way I found out
what I could get her, and on seeing what books he collected, knew what he
would like. Wesson's, I already had upstairs and Perkins had liked it, and
Frobisher had helped me get what I had asked for.

                                                           *

     Next day, the Saturday, was the last shopping day before Christmas Day
as it fell on a Monday this year. I was out early in the crowded shops of
London, frantically trying to get it all before the shops shut. I finished
up hiring a taxi to follow me around and taking the presents off of me as I
emerged from each shop. Finally done, he drove me home and happily took the
three hundred dollars I'd offered him instead of sterling. Mrs Perkins and
Palmer gladly helped me wrap up those for Allen to collect. My infectious
gaiety rubbed off on them as the gaudy paper was used and tied with ribbons
as I wrote out the cards to go with them. Those for the household were kept
secret, except that for Mrs Perkins, because Palmer had to carry it
upstairs for me.

     I bubbled around the rooms on Christmas Eve, as excited as I had never
been before. I just couldn't wait to see Wesson's face when he saw what
Father Christmas had bought him. After dinner, the Perkins and Palmer were
invited to stay for an hour for some drinks and I played the piano and we
all sang some carol's and had a nice evening. Then in bed with Wesson,
after a lovely session, which he seems to want as much as I do, we lay in
each other's arms to try and plan for the next year.

     `Do you know,' I said to him with a catch in my throat as we lay in
the darkness. `when I saw you with little Francis the other day, I knew
what I would have liked to have given you for Christmas? But it's something
I can't.'

     `What's that my sweet?' he murmured.

     `I would have liked to have presented you with a baby. A baby of ours
with your good looks, but with my brains of course.'

     `How wonderful that would be,' he laughed, giving me a kiss on the
nose. `But I don't see why we can't go on trying,' and I felt his hardness
press up against me. I kissed him happily and rolled over for him to try
again to get me pregnant.

                                                           *

     It was a really Merry Christmas. I went and helped Mrs Perkins, under
the supervision of Palmer of course, prepare our Christmas dinner, to which
we were all going to eat together. We had to banish Wesson because he kept
getting in the way, so he helped Palmer get the wines upstairs. At one time
when he was out of the way, Palmer and I carried down his present and put
it near the tree, covered up, it was too big to wrap.

     Then we listened to the King's speech before we sat down for our
feast. Crackers pulled and hats put on and the jokes read out before Wesson
carved up the turkey which I passed round and we tucked in to all the
goodies that covered the table. We were all rosy cheeked after many glasses
of wine and full to bursting with food before I gave out my presents.

     Palmer carried in the rocking chair for me to give to Mrs Perkins, who
was thrilled with it.

     `How did you know I liked to do my knitting while rocking myself?' she
exclaimed, not remembering talking about it a couple of days
before. Perkins himself was delighted with the bound copies of
Shakespeare's plays that I gave to him. Palmer too was happy when he opened
his to find a brand new record player.

     Then I took Wesson over to the draped item that was for him. I had got
the idea when I started looking for furniture for the house and as I said
earlier, Frobisher helped me get what was underneath the cover and
inside. Wesson pulled the cover off and stared in surprise at the elegant
display case that contained lots of memorabilia of his army regiment. Cap
and badge, shoulder flashes and insignias. A miniature regimental flag with
its battle honours, a commando knife of the type he'd used and many other
little items. On top was a book that told the history of that regiment and
I also had framed, a copy of the two despatches that he was mentioned in.

     He'd given out a gasp at the wonderful collection and gave me a big
kiss and whirled me round as he thanked me for such a wonderful
present. Then he rushed off to the bedroom and came back with a large box
for me. Inside was a full length mink coat which drew an exceptionally loud
gasp from Mrs Perkins.

     `It's wonderful,' I said to Wesson, giving him a kiss after I had put
it on and turned round to show it off. `It must have cost a fortune.'

     `About a year's pay, but it's worth it to see you so happy wearing
it.'

     We all cleared the table's debris away to the pantry and I told the
others that I wouldn't call on them that evening, and Wesson and I went
into our bedroom. It was still early, but we were still going to go to
bed. I undressed in the bathroom and only wearing my high heeled shoes and
the mink coat, walked back out into the bedroom. He was already in bed when
I posed before him, giving him a seductive smile.

     `What would happen if I did this in Piccadilly?' and I opened the
front of the coat to give him a flash.

     `Cause a pile up of cars and get arrested,' he laughed, `and maybe
frighten a few people too.'

     `You got that a bit wrong. It was Mrs Campbell who said that she
didn't mind where people made love, as long as it wasn't in the street and
frightened the horses.' I slipped off the coat and draped it over a chair
and got onto the bed with him. Since that night in front of the fire,
Wesson now didn't mind taking me as I often took him, in the mouth. We
would lie and play for periods of time, licking and sucking each other,
enough to keep us erect till we eventually wanted to spend ourselves.

     Then when we wanted to cuddle as we made love, as we both wanted to do
this night, we got off the bed and he sat on a hard backed chair. I got the
condom and rolled it down over his erection before straddling the chair and
lowering myself down onto it as I faced him. I would close my eyes in bliss
as I slowly sank down, him filling me completely until I was sitting on his
thighs.

     Now we could hold each other tight as I sat in his lap with his
hardness deep inside me. We would then kiss and gently rock and it could
last up to an hour with us just whispering to each other as we slowly moved
together. It was reminiscent of how Donald and I use to do it when my toes
couldn't touch the floor. He would bounce me on his lap till he came inside
me. Then, when I was able to come myself, he would jerk me off while in
that position, to spray his chest and smear it between us. Then we'd have
to lick each other after to clean it up.

     Now I loved doing it with Wesson as I thanked him for the mink, and he
thanked me for his display cabinet as we slowly fucked on the chair as we
held each other tight.

     We didn't go out during that period between Christmas and New Year,
but stayed and played at our sexual games. This included our wrestling
matches in our own gym, in the ancient Greek style, naked. We varied this
sometimes by having a fine coating of oil on the body and this made it very
difficult to keep hold of one another and also made it very erotic when we
did get to grips. We quite often finished up having sex in the middle of
the room because of this.

     We had our own little New Year's party, inviting the Perkins and
Palmer to drink a glass of champagne as midnight approached and we sang
Auld Lang Syne as we saw in 1951.

                                                          *

     A couple of days later, we were in Frobisher's office to find out if
he had anything planned for us. After the usual words about the New Year
etc, he told us that there wasn't much going on. There was only one ongoing
investigation, and that, at the moment, just involved surveillance of a
believed spy rendezvous. Due to winter sickness, they were short handed and
he had volunteered us to lend a hand. It would only be for a month, because
we were wanted back at the training camp for another two stints of turning
greenhorns into some sort of killing machines.

     I hadn't realised how boring it could be to watch a house for hours on
end without seeing anything to break the monotony. We had the eight in the
morning till two in the afternoon shift, cooped up in a car about fifty
yards away from the house. The side windows of the car were tinted so that
we could use binoculars and not be noticed. Wesson sat in the front
passenger seat and I would sit in the back, reading training manuals and
field craft books between my watching stint. We each spent half an hour
looking at this house because after that amount of time, your mind started
to wander and you tended to close your eyes.

     It only took one day to learn that all bodily functions had to be done
before your shift and make sure you had enough fluid to drink and something
to eat in the car. For the whole month of watching, we had a blank sheet to
report, though we did have one bit of excitement during that period. It was
on our third week and we'd just been relieved and I asked Wesson, who was
driving to stop at a branch of my bank, as I was getting short of ready
cash.

     He parked opposite, and I went in and stopped at a desk on the side to
fill out a withdrawal slip. I'd only just sat down to do this when three
men came bursting into the bank, all wearing stocking masks over their
heads, one brandishing a sawn off shotgun.

     `Everybody stay just where they are,' he shouted, waving the gun
across the two cashier's behind the counter as the other two men leapt over
to hustle them away from the cash drawers. There were four other customers
in there and they cowered together, me being slightly off to one side.

     `You!' he shouted at me, `get with the others.' Just another
frightened woman to be herded across the floor he must have thought. I got
up and started to move across towards the others, making it at an angle so
that I would pass close to him. I could see that the others were trying to
fill bags as fast as they could from the tills and I hadn't seen them
carrying any guns.

     I was about six feet from the gunman and when the gun moved off me, I
dived in. He caught sight of me coming in fast and tried to swing the gun
barrel round to meet me, but I caught the underside of it and pushed it up
as I closed in. The gun went off with a deafening roar, peppering the
ceiling and showering us with plaster as I hit him. It was a right handed
punch to the solar plexus and then a quick short armed uppercut as he
started to bend down. The women in the bank, both sides of the counter, had
begun screaming at the very loud noise that the gun had made and this
panicked the other two. They saw their associate going down and the gun
being torn from his hands and bolted. Jumping back over the counter,
thoughts of money now gone from their heads, just flight being uppermost in
their minds.

     `Call the police,' I shouted as I smashed the gun's wooden stock on
the floor, breaking it off from the breech, and throwing the wrecked gun
over the counter, `and don't touch the gun!' I then ran out of the bank
after the other two, but I needn't have hurried for they were both flat on
the pavement where Wesson had caught the pair as they had emerged from the
bank.

     At the sound of the shotgun roaring off, Wesson had leapt from the car
and had just reached the pavement when the two came out. He clocked both of
them, catching them unawares and they went down and he was then able to
deal with them one at a time.

     `You all right?' he panted as I came out.

     `Fine,' I said, panting as much as he was. `There's another one
inside, but he won't bother us. We stood guard there for a few minutes,
passers-by giving us a wide berth as we could hear the bell of an
approaching police car. I moved off as it came to a screeching halt at the
kerb and three burly coppers jumped out.

     Two went straight into the bank and the other stopped by Wesson and I
noticed that the fourth one stayed at the wheel of the car. I went across
the road and got into our car. I saw Wesson show the card in his wallet and
said a few words to the police man and then he came over and got into the
car and we drove away.

     `What did you say to the police?' I asked, my heart rate now slowing
down from that quick fast exciting action.

     `I showed him my card, saying that we were working undercover on
another operation and that we couldn't compromise ourselves. I said that
they could take all the credit for catching them if they wanted, but we
couldn't be involved. He was quite happy about that. But what about you?'

     I told him what had occurred inside and he told me that I had been
stupid to tackle him on my own. I let it all wash over me. Wasn't that
exactly the kind of thing we'd been practising and training the soldiers to
do, but I didn't say anything. I suppose to him, that was all make believe
and not the real thing as putting myself in danger. I hadn't given it any
thought and had just reacted as I had been trying to teach the soldiers to
do.

     I got a bollocking from Frobisher the next afternoon as well. It had
been front page news for the papers. "Young Woman Foils Bank Raid" was the
headlines. The police officers on the scene denied this, said the report,
but eye witnesses inside the bank had said that this unknown woman had
tackled the armed gunman and disabled him. There was more, but it was
enough for Frobisher to use.

     `I know it was you, so don't bother trying to deny it. Taking on an
armed man, by yourself! Bloody stupid.'

     `Exactly what I said sir,' chipped in Wesson and I glared at him for
that unwarranted comment.

     `Well the Chief Constable was delighted, so I suppose I should be too,
seeing as you're from this department, but don't make a habit of it that's
all. Why did you tackle him anyway?'

     `I don't like people waving guns at me and trying to take money from
my bank.'

     `Your bank?'

     `Well, a branch of the bank where I've got my money. It might have
been my money they were trying to steal.'

     `I just can't believe the messes you get into,' he mused, shaking his
head. `Go on, push off, and well done, the pair of you,' he finished.

     `Pity that I hadn't been Gervaise yesterday,' I said when we were
outside and on our way home.

     `Why?' Wesson asked.

     `It would have looked good in the papers for them at the village to
see,' I grinned, and got a slap on the thigh for that.

     We finished our period of surveillance, without seeing anything and
then we had two weeks before off to the training camp. During the interim
period, we spent a lot of time with Frobisher, looking over reports from
various agents. He seemed to be drawing us further into the business and
was beginning to ask us for our valuations on some of them.

     It was around this time that my lawyer informed me that he had found a
letting agency that fitted the bill and had made an offer that was
accepted, and so it was bought on behalf of G.F.L.Holdings and renamed
London Rental Estate Agents. The staff were kept on with a small pay
increase to carry on as usual.

                                                           *

      Then we were off for our training of more men and found that they had
changed the rules slightly in respect of the war games period. We were only
to act with a guiding hand and not take an active part with the men. The
difference was enormous. I don't think any squad over the two intakes ever
achieved their target when on the attack. The defenders didn't come off too
well either. My squad came fourth and Wesson's third of the first lot, and
we came equal third in the second lot. Not any of them had the quality to
take the initiative and plan and lead properly. God help them when they got
to Korea.

     Then when we were back in London, we found that Frobisher wanted us to
go there. He'd been aware of the fact that Russians were out there,
supposedly in an observer capacity, but believed that some officers were
actively directing the North Koreans in some of the attacks. This had come
from reports that had filtered through the intelligence system, though it
was a known fact that Russian arms were being sent and used. He wanted us
to go out there and get more concrete information that he could use for the
British government to put pressure on the Russians.

     `I'm afraid that you'll have to go out there as Gervaise,' he said to
me. `We can't go having your cover as Francis being exposed when you're
with a bunch of sweaty soldiers. The training camp was okay, but not for
this. You have both been put into the army records as being Captains in the
Observer Corps. Here are your pay books and other necessary items of
identification. Go to supplies and draw your uniforms and then see Trubshaw
of planning, who will pin point the area where we know there are
Russians. I'll leave it up to you to see it first hand when you get there
and act accordingly. Well good luck and don't come home in a body bag. You
leave tomorrow night.'

     `He knows I don't like being an officer,' Wesson complained as we went
to see Trubshaw, `and leaving tomorrow night!' We spent the rest of the
morning and part of the afternoon looking over the latest maps and
intelligence of the area they had targeted for us, then collected out kit
before we went home.

     `Well Captain Lyon,' Wesson said after dinner, `I think we should turn
in early and make the most of what we are going to have difficulty doing
over the next few months.' I licked my lips and whole hearted agreed to his
suggestion. We wallowed in the same bath before drying ourselves and began
a long night's session of love making. Three times he managed to rise up
and see to my needs in that department as well as taking me twice in his
mouth.

     By lunchtime, we were all packed up ready to go and I had stowed away,
five thousand dollars in my kit, knowing a hundred dollar bill out there
would buy me a lot of information. Then dressed in our Captain's uniforms,
we saluted each other before having a last kiss before being driven off to
Northolt airfield.

                                                           *

     I don't know the type of plane, but it was American, and it took us to
the States, where we were shipped across to the other side of the largest
land mass I'd ever seen before. Then it was straight off to Hawaii, where
we had a whole day off to ourselves and we went swimming at Waikiki beach
and later made love in our lovely hotel room overlooking the magnificent
view.

     Next stop was Seoul in Korea, and we were then in the thick of the
military. After two weeks, we were still in Seoul, fighting our own red
tape instead of the enemy. While stuck there, Wesson had his birthday and,
when alone, I dressed myself up as his present. I'd covered my naked body
in lots of ribbons and made him untie them with only his teeth. Then with
the last one off, he enjoyed what he'd unwrapped, and I liked the way he
thanked me. I had really needed him in his usual place within me.

     `Let's strike out on our own,' I said to Wesson as I lay in his arms
afterwards, a warm glow in my stomach and a slight soreness where he'd been
a bit over enthusiastic. `We know where we've got to go. Just get the
orders and we're off.'

     `It's not as easy as that. This is the army, we've got to do it by the
book.'

     `When have you known me go by the book?' I asked, twisting his chest
hairs in my fingers. `Can you get the transport orders typed up?'

     `They're already done. Just waiting for the General's signature.'

     `Bring them tomorrow and I'll sign them. Much as I like being here
with you, I'd rather get the job done so that we can do this at home in our
own bed.'

     With that, by late morning we'd secured transport and were on our
way. We made our destination in two days, well up near the supposedly front
line, a line that didn't exist and fluctuated on a daily basis. We weren't
exactly made welcome, but were what you would call, tolerated. I don't
think they really wanted observers, but actual fighting soldiers. We spent
the next two days going over their reports of the fighting they had done
and also watched patrols go out and some come back.

     I then asked the commander to let me go out with one of the
patrols. He reluctantly agreed, and Wesson objected when I told him that I
was going out with the next one.

     `We've got a lot to read through here, can't it wait?' he asked.

     `It'll only be for a couple of days,' I told him, and he put up
objections, but I overrode him and went.

                                                           *

     It was a large patrol of forty men, and we had a Major Tilson in
command, and I had to suffer the order of being told to stay well back out
of the way. It was our second day out when he walked us into an ambush that
took out him and half of the patrol in that opening fusillade of fire. It
had been late afternoon when we were hit and the rest of us were under
heavy fire till dark. We regrouped as best we could, and had to keep
fighting them off during the night. Losing the odd man here and there until
daylight, slowly running out of ammunition. It was late afternoon when that
ran out and they moved in for the kill and then it was hand to hand
fighting until we were overwhelmed. I know I'd killed at least five before
being clubbed from behind and losing all interest in what happened.

                                                           *

     When I came to, I found that I was tied between two posts and my
wrists were rubbed raw by hanging there unconscious. I think it was the
pain, not only in my arms and wrists that brought me round, but my body had
been beaten and I suffered some more when they saw I was now awake. My back
was a mass of pain as were my ribs and now it was to be the backs of my
legs that they used the short bamboo cane. I saw that it was late afternoon
and hoped that it wouldn't last all night.

     It didn't, because we were soon cut down and pulled and herded into a
bamboo cage where we found ten American soldiers that had been captured a
day or two before us. They had been beaten as much as we had and I counted
our men and saw that there were only eight of us left from the forty that
started out. A bowl of water and one of rice was shoved under the cage door
for us to either share or fight over. The Yanks were pretty good and let us
take the first sips of the water and a small handful of the cooked mess of
badly boiled rice each before they ate. My boots had been taken from me and
I noticed that all the others had lost theirs too.

     I suppose lady luck was with me, because just as darkness was falling,
a small squadron of fighters came over and started to bomb and strafe the
camp. Two of our surviving men were killed in that first wave, but the
blast had also opened the side of our cage. I had seen, just before being
pushed into the cage, that we were close to a bunker post and that two
Russian officers had been watching us from just outside it.

     This was my chance to try and do what we had come out there for. I
prised open the broken poles and told the men to get out and into a trench
that was close by and kill to find some footwear. I went out and wormed my
way across the short distance to the bunker, holding my hands over my head
as another stick of bombs dropped quite close. My shirt was almost ripped
off my back in one blast that threw pieces of bloodied bodies over me. I
made it to the post and fell down the steps into the bunker. The noise of
the bombing covered my entrance, and it wasn't until the last moment that
the Russian saw me. He was the only person in there and he went to try and
get his pistol out of his holster when I got to him.

     It was a one sided affair and he didn't have a chance before I broke
his neck. The first thing I did when he fell to the dirt floor was to take
off his boots and put them on my own feet. They were one size larger, but
not that much different to be uncomfortable. Then I took his jacket off to
cover my torn shirt and strapped his gun belt to my own waist. I found a
bag and crammed in as much paperwork as I could fit in it before heading
back towards the trench close to the cage. I shouted out to them that it
was me, realising that by wearing that jacket I could be mistaken and shot
by my own side.

     I found them huddled together in the trench and they seemed bewildered
at the sudden freedom and still a bit numb from the bombing and strafing of
our own planes. They'd managed to find some boots and guns off of some dead
soldiers, so we had to find boots for the others before we could really
strike out to get away. But to get away was the first priority and with a
lot of chivvying, managed to get them on the move and out along the
trench. As we cleared the area, we'd come across dead Koreans and took
their boots and clothing as well as their guns, and best of all was the
water bottles that we'd found.

                                                           *

     I was surprised that we managed to get out of the camp area in so
short a time since the aircraft attack. It could only have lasted about
five minutes and so much seemed to have happened in that time. At least we
had got clear and would be, I hoped, the least of their problems in the
aftermath of the bombing.

     Then I had the most harrowing five days of my life. I didn't know
where we were, except that we were in enemy territory and not the slightest
idea where we had been taken. We could have been ten miles or a hundred
from friendly forces. All I could do was first head south and then strike
off towards the south east and hope. We travelled at night and got water
from whatever source we could. No food except for any roots we could dig up
to try and still the hunger pangs we were all suffering from. Not only
this, but the body abuse we had suffered was an agony to endure. Then came
the dysentery from the brackish water which slowed us down, apart from the
usual bitching of me forcing them on and on.

     We hadn't seen any enemy now for three days and our lot were coming to
the end of their tether as I was too. So I was now pushing them along
during daylight hours as we needed to find our troops, and very soon before
we gave out. I saw some movement ahead of us, but was too late. I shouted
for the men to drop just as the first shots were fired at us. A marine was
slightly ahead of me as we stumbled along and he was hit and a ricocheting
bullet off his helmet as he fell, smashed through my left arm and hit me
high in the left chest.

     The pain was excruciating to come on top of what I was already
suffering, and I fell down cursing. Wave after wave of pain coursed through
my body as I gritted my teeth and tried to bring my gun up. The firing
became sporadic as we went to earth and I heard a voice call out to cease
fire. It was a very still warm afternoon and the voice carried quite
clearly from about sixty yards ahead of us. A voice from somewhere behind
me called out in answer.

     `Do you bastards always fire first and ask questions afterwards?'

     `That was in English sarge,' a voice from the front said with a
definite nasal twang which told me he was an American.

     `Of course we're fucking English! Do we look like gooks?'

     `It could be a trap,' another American drawl said. Then one of our
Yanks called out.

     `That sounds like a voice from the Blue Grass country.'

     `And where might that be?' came back.

     `Kentucky you trigger happy fucking confederate!'

     `Who won the last World Series then,' from the American side. That was
enough for me.

     `Fuck your game of rounders! Who won the F.A. cup and what was the
score?' I called out between spasms of pain. `You tell me that and we'll
tell you your answer.'

     `That's definitely a limey.'

     `An Englishman if you don't mind Yank,' I shouted back, and that was
it for me. I couldn't shout anymore and had to leave it to the others.

     `Wave a white flag and stand up,' came from the American side.

     `We've nothing white left, but I'm going to stand up,' someone shouted
from behind me, and he obviously did so, because I could then hear movement
from in front of us.

     `Get the others to stand too, including that Russian you've got with
you.'

     `He's not Russian! He's the captain leading us and I think he's
wounded,' his voice getting closer as he came over and bent down over me.

     `Medic! Have you got a medic?'

     Then within seconds we were surrounded by our attackers and it was
nice to drink clean water from the canteen that was poured down my
throat. My coat was ripped open and dressings put on my wounds and then I
was lifted onto a stretcher. This action caused me so much pain that I
passed out.

                                                           *

     When I came to, I was lying on a cot in a large tent and a not too
clean coated man was leaning over me. I couldn't understand what he was
saying to me and all I could do was grab hold of his sleeve and ask about
my bag. It was with great effort that I finally got through to him that the
bag and its contents had to be given to intelligence as soon as possible. I
didn't realise that I was in a M.A.S.H. unit, a mobile army surgical
hospital of the American army. My bag went to them instead of the British
where I had wanted it to go. But at the time I was satisfied that it was
being looked after and I then succumbed to the injection I was given.

     Later, I was told that I was lucky to be alive as the bullet had spent
itself on the poor dead marine's helmet before breaking the bone in my left
arm before lodging itself between my ribs. The doctor gave me the misshapen
lump of lead as a souvenir and twenty four hours later, was flown out of
the area by helicopter. I was transferred to a hospital that the army had
taken over in Seoul and it was two days before Wesson found me.

     `For ten days I've been out of my mind with worry,' were the first
words he said to me as he sat by my bed and held my hand. I gave him a weak
smile and wished that he could have kissed me, but in a ward full of men,
it would rather have been out of place as well as being most indecorous.

     `I'm sorry darling,' I whispered, `but we got caught out.'

     `When they said your patrol had been wiped out, I nearly went
mad. Then you weren't found among the dead, and I worried even more about
you being tortured, or worse.' I hadn't had the time to think of what could
be worse than torture, but I think he was thinking of my being raped. If
I'd been dressed as a woman, then I would most certainly have been, that
being far worse for a man than it is for a woman.

     He came to visit me every day as I got better and then I could ask him
questions and nearly fought him to get out of bed when he knew nothing of
the papers I'd brought out with me. It took him several days to find them
at the U.S. headquarters and was able to get copies of all that I had
collected. It took a General on our side to prise them loose from the
Americans so that our intelligence could also have a look at them. Another
set of copies were immediately sent to London when the General found out
from Wesson that that was precisely why we'd been sent to Korea.

     It was a guarded message from Frobisher saying that it was top drawer
stuff a few days later and that we should come home as soon as possible. I
was a seven day wonder in the feat of bringing those that I did out of
captivity, avoiding the enemy for five days to reach our own lines. What
with the documentation that I brought with me, they were able to clear an
area of over a hundred square miles of North Korean camps and arms caches.

     They'd been able to pinpoint all these and hit them as quick as they
could and it was a major military coup for them. The British General came
and visited me and promoted me, not knowing the true facts, to Major and
saw that my name was put forward for the Military Medal. He was then
horrified to find out that I was indeed a knight and said that if he'd
known that before, I wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the front
lines. Wesson had informed him of my true identity, but somehow got round
how we'd even got permission to go that far forward. It made headlines back
home and I know that it delighted the villagers.

     But I was still in the hospital not knowing this and then it was the
turn of the American top brass and was presented with the foreigner's
equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honour. I was collecting gongs as
if they were going out of fashion. I was praised for the heroic show in
bringing the American service men out of captivity as if that had been the
purpose that I went in there in the first place. I let it wash over me and
was glad when the dust settled and I could be alone with Wesson.

                                                           *

                                             To be continued.