The Intrigues and Infidelities of Jack Maynard - part 3
The CBB -> The Lock Box
#1: The Intrigues and Infidelities of Jack Maynard - part 3 Author: Anonybunny, Location: Behind closed doors PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:27 pm

It was hot work. Jack paused in digging up the cabbages to mop his brow and strip off his shirt. He continued his work, unaware of the pair of brown eyes admiring his broad shoulders and the way his muscles rippled as he drove the spade into the ground. A soft voice startled him. “That looks like hot work.” Jack straightened up and turned to face the speaker, giving her the chance to appreciate his physique even more. He took his own survey of her as she sat balanced on the fence.

“It is rather hot,” he agreed, giving her a glance calculated to raise the temperature several degrees higher.

“Well, if you’d like to come and cool off, my chalet is just a little way along the road, and I have a fresh jug of fruit drink you’re welcome to come and try.”

“Thank you, that sounds very inviting.” he answered. “I’m Jack Maynard, we’ve recently moved in here.” he picked up his shirt, and slipped it on, leaving it unbuttoned, then lightly vaulted over the fence to join her.

“Lizbet Anderson,” she introduced herself, “I’m just on holiday up here. It’s very nice to meet you Jack.” she led him a few minutes walk along the road until they reached one of the holiday chalets. “Come on in,” she invited, as she opened the front door. “I’ll just get some glasses – please make yourself comfortable.” she indicated the room on the left as she passed, and Jack entered to find himself in a cool room furnished with lightweight wicker with some brightly coloured rugs on the wooden floor. She returned shortly carrying a tray with a jug and two glasses. The ice clinked as she poured the drinks and passed one to Jack.

“This is lovely and cold.” said Jack, as he sipped the drink. “very thirst-quenching.”

“I’m glad you like it.” she answered, sitting down next to him. “I was feeling the need for refreshment myself.” The air between them sizzled as she slowly put down the glass. “Of a different kind, though.”

“Oh, yes,” replied Jack, his gaze burning into hers. “What kind?”

She slid a hand. cold from the icy drink, across his ribcage. “This kind,” Her other hand took the drink from Jack’s grasp and put it on the nearby table. “Can I offer you some refreshment?” She lent back against the cushions, tugging him towards her.

“That would be very kind of you,” replied Jack with a smile as his lips descended towards hers.

The drinks were lukewarm when they returned to them.


The school had soon settled in to its new location. Contact between Freudesheim and the school was limited at the beginning of term, due to an outbreak of German measles among the Maynard family. Beth Chester had arrived to join the Maynards as a governess to the younger children, and Jack discovered that she had become a stunning young woman. His appreciative glances at her were soon noticed.


“I have other men and you have other women.” Anna said to him, after he had crept up the ladder to her room one night. “You are happy and I am happy.”

“We are.” Jack confirmed and reached to make her happier, but she put out her hand and stopped him.

“But I will not share you under this roof. With your wife that is different. But not with another woman.”

“But…”

“If you are with somebody here, it should be me.”

Jack looked at her, there was a determined look in her eyes, and he knew she would not give way. He could find other places to be with Beth, or even do without her, but he couldn’t be without Anna, although he didn’t want to acknowledge it. “Show me what it’s worth.”

She showed him and he agreed that, under the roof of Freudesheim, if she was there then he had no need of any other woman.


Outside of Freudesheim, however, he was free to do as he liked. He continued to flirt with Helen Graves, almost enjoying the way circumstances kept interrupting and making them wait. Eventually though, he decided the anticipation had built high enough and it was time for some definitive action.

It was not difficult to persuade Helen to spend her afternoon off exploring the pine forests on the Rosleinalpe. The two of them ambled along, initially discussing some of the patients in the San, but both with something else on their mind.


“Isn’t it peaceful out here,” sighed Helen, walking just close enough to Jack to brush against his side as they moved.

“It is very quiet.”

“No chance of being interrupted here.” added Helen.

“Just what I was thinking.” They had stopped walking by now and turned to face each other. “You know what else I was thinking?” said Jack, as his face hovered over hers.

“What?” she asked on a breath, her eyes willing him to close the distance between them.

“I was thinking how soft the pine needles look.” Their lips met and fused as he slowly lowered her to test the softness of the forest floor and the anticipation of the last few months was realized.


It was strange, after waiting for so long, Jack and Helen found the actual experience enjoyable enough, but felt no compulsion to repeat it. Jack decided that too much time had been spent building up the idea in their minds that they had not been able to reach their expectations and decided that he would not delay his actions in his next flirtation.


Accordingly, he wasted no time when he met one of the new mistresses at the school out for an early morning walk.

“Good morning,” she greeted him pleasantly. “Just on your way back from the San, Jack?”

“Yes, would you care to walk along with me if you’re going that way?”

“I’d be delighted to.” she answered. “Was it a busy night?”

It had been, thought Jack, although possibly not in the way she meant it. Mrs Elstob was a rather demanding woman (not that he minded) and had kept him occupied for much of the night. Then Nurse Kappos had complained the he was neglecting her, and he had spent some time soothing her feelings before he had been able to leave. Despite that he felt a distinct lack of tiredness as he looked at the woman next to him. She was taller than average, and walked with a free and easy stride that he hardly had to adapt his long legs to at all.

“So what are you doing out so early, Nancy?” he asked as they turned off the main path to a footpath through the trees.

“Oh, I like to get in some exercise before the school day begins.” She answered, “Nothing like some vigorous activity in the fresh air to get you set up for the day.”

“No, not at all,” agreed Jack politely, thinking of the vigorous activity he would like to indulge in with her. “So, what’s your preferred activity?” he asked, admiring her voluptuous curves with unconcealed interest.

“Well, I’ve tried various forms of exercise,” she replied, adding a little more swing to her hips for his benefit, “and I’m always open to suggestion.”

“Are you now?” said Jack, “well if I come up with any ideas, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Oh, I’m sure you have some ideas.” Nancy answered, she put her hand on his arm, effectively bringing them both to a halt and turned to face him directly. “In fact, I’m sure you have a lot of very good ideas.”

“Like this?” murmured Jack, as he nibbled her ear and then trailed kisses down her neck. “Or this?” he put his hand on her hip and drew her closely against him. “Or this?” his other hand gently tugged her blouse out of her waistband and slid in to caress the smooth skin underneath.

“All very good ideas.” She agreed, rather breathlessly. “But I’m sure they can be developed further.”

Together they developed what they both considered to be a brilliant idea.


Until the autumn rains and mists precluded early morning fresh air and exercise Jack enjoyed regularly sharing ideas with Nancy, but after one particularly damp morning, they decided that outdoor activities should be curtailed until the spring came again. However, it was relatively easy to reach the staff bedrooms in the school unnoticed, as Jack had already discovered at the beginning of term, much to the benefit of Rosalind Moore.

However, it was as he was leaving after visiting Nancy one morning that he was caught.

 

#2:  Author: Anonybunny, Location: Behind closed doors PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:29 pm

Jack was just sneaking along to the side door, still thinking agreeably about the time he had just spent with Nancy, when his thoughts were disturbed by the sound of another door opening. A voice spoke behind him. “Jack? What are you doing here at this time in the morning? Is somebody ill?”

Jack spun around at the question, wondering what he could say. “I was just … er…”

“Perhaps you’d like to come in here and explain, so we don’t disturb the whole corridor.” Mademoiselle Lachenais held open the door and gestured for him to enter the room. Jack obeyed without argument. “Please sit down Jack.” Jack, sat on the only available chair, while she stood in front of him.

“Well, Jeanne, I, er” he began.

“Perhaps you would prefer to tell me in English?” She switched from the French she had been speaking up until this point. “I’m sure you would not be in the school this early in the morning without good reason, so please tell me what is going on.”

Jack answered in English. “Don’t worry, nobody is ill, I was just paying a quick visit.”

“But if nobody is ill, why were you visiting?” Jack looked at her trying to think of a reasonable explanation. “Is it so difficult to put into words?” she asked. “Perhaps you could demonstrate.”

She shrugged out of the flannel dressing gown to reveal a diaphanous nightgown draped alluringly over a body honed by years of mountain walking and skiing. All thoughts of the time he had just spent with Nancy were driven from Jack’s mind as he looked appraisingly at her and he decided a demonstration would definitely be the most effective way to answer the question.

Jeanne appreciated the detailed honesty of his answer and rewarded him accordingly.


By the time Jack returned to Freudesheim Anna was busy in the kitchen. Letting himself in through the kitchen door, Jack swung her round into his embrace for an intense kiss, before leaving her to rescue the toast from burning and straighten her clothes, while he smoothed his hair and headed for the breakfast table.

Jo was reading a letter, which she quickly folded and slipped under the rest of her post when he entered. Jack affected not to notice and ate a hearty breakfast before retiring to the bedroom where he slept deeply until Anna awoke him with the information that Jo and Beth had gone to visit Phoebe Peters, taking Mike and the twins with them. Before she had finished giving him the information she had divested him of his pyjamas and begun to demonstrate once more that no other woman could be compared with her.


He had to check though, just to make sure there was no other woman who could make him feel just like Anna could, and after each comparison he returned to Anna, who was always willing to provide confirmation. She too had discovered there was nobody quite like Jack, although Gaudenz helped her while away a few hours here and there when Jack was otherwise occupied.

Jack was not around much over Christmas. A new patient at the San was very ill for his first few days there, and once he was more stable, Jack transferred the close attention to Geraldine, the young man’s wife. He also gave Sister Rhodes a memorable Christmas, and ensured Lilian, despite her worries over her mother, had a very happy beginning to the New Year. But despite their attractions, and those of Gillian, a little further away at Welsen, he found his thoughts were invaded more and more often by a question that had occurred to him at hitherto infrequent intervals over the last 18 months. As it played in his mind, he decided there was only one way to reach a definitive answer.

Accordingly, he went out of his way to bump into Peggy Burnett, in a seemingly casual manner. She certainly didn’t seem averse to his company, but he wasn’t getting any signs of any further encouragement. Mary had originally fought against her attraction to him before giving into it, Kitty had not had the struggles with her conscience that Mary had undergone, she had given in to temptation immediately and wholeheartedly. Betty he had only encountered when she visited the school for a weekend, but in that short time they had managed some memorable moments. And now there remained Peggy. Was she like any of her sisters, or was she different again? Despite his efforts, she seemed indifferent to him. Jack burned with curiosity.

Despite several encounters, meaningful looks, subtle brushes of limbs however, Peggy remained completely unresponsive, or even unnoticing of his attentions. Jack tried to distract himself with a dalliance with Joan Bertram, who was pleasingly appreciative of his attentions. Despite her many and varied efforts, however, his interest in Peggy was not extinguished, and he continued to seek her out, finding some small hope in the fact that she was always friendly with him and never tried to avoid him. Had that been the case he would not have forced his company on her, but as she didn’t receive any signals to back away, he persisted in his attempts, hoping that she would not remain oblivious to his interest for ever.


Jack crept through the garden at Freudesheim towards the gate in the hedge. It had certainly been a brainwave to have had that put in, and as Jo was so often over at the school nobody had questioned why he had thought to install it. Even if they had, the recent bout of influenza in the school had given him plenty of reason to visit there at various times of day and night. On this occasion, he was glad to get out of the house for a while. Jo had started dropping hints about having another baby, hints he was so far ignoring, but he knew they would become more frequent and more definite. Jack had decided after Felix and Felicity that they would have no more children. Much as he loved all his offspring, he did not want to create any more children in an atmosphere of trial and tolerance that surrounded the process in his marital bed. Not for the first time, he wondered how different his life might have been if Jo had been like Anna. No, nobody could be like Anna, but maybe if she had been like Grizel, whom he had greatly missed when she had left for the antipodes and thus ended the undemanding but satisfactory alliance that had lasted since – he tried to remember – yes since that winter Joey fell in the lake rescuing another girl. It had been Grizel’s friend who had first caught his eye, Gerry, that was her name, but she had not held his attention for more than a few weeks. Grizel however, had proven to have surprising depths hidden behind her caustic comments. Yes, his life would have been quite different if he had married Grizel, he would not want to be without Anna of course, but at least all their children would have been the result of an enjoyable encounter rather than a tedious duty.

Still, it hadn’t been until that bet had been made that he had even considered getting married, and in every other way Jo was a good wife and she never questioned where he had been or where he was going, so things could be a lot worse.


At this point in his musings there was a rustle in the shrubbery. Jack ignored it and carried on walking, he had no wish to interrupt what he suspected was Anna in the middle of a tryst with Johannes Pinosch, although he spared a thought to admire them for their hardiness, as the air still had a distinct nip in it.

He let himself through the gate and along the path that led round the school towards the wing where most of the staff bedrooms were. Absorbed in his memories, which had moved by association from Grizel to Juliet, to Juliet’s sister-in-law Kay O’Hara, he didn’t notice the slight sounds of somebody following him and was shocked to feel himself suddenly grabbed hold of and tugged into the building through a little-used side door. In the darkness of the corridor it was difficult to tell who his abductor was, that it was a woman he could feel from the body pressed up against his, and he didn’t object when a pair of lips found his for a fierce kiss.

Jack’s hands went on a voyage of discovery, looking for clues to identify his assailant, although he was reasonably sure he knew who it was. His suspicions were confirmed when after pulling away and drawing in a ragged breath Peggy’s voice said. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that for?”

“You gave no sign of it,” he answered, before they did it again.

“Ah, I’ve been torturing myself as well as you, making you wait.” Peggy pushed him along the corridor and in through another door, which she closed and locked behind them. “Making me wait as well.” Her hands were eagerly exploring his body now.

“Let’s hope it’s worth the wait,” murmured Jack, holding her clamped against him and claiming her lips.

“Don’t make me wait much longer, Jack,” she gasped, as her fingers tugged at the buckle of his belt. Jack was just as impatient as she was and lowered her to the dais in the empty classroom, more than willing to keep her waiting no longer.


Jack found he had some time free that morning and spent it most enjoyably in the company, and bed, of Celine Lenoir. After discreetly leaving her room, he walked along to the main section of the school building, and headed for the staircase. He reached the ground floor and was about to turn towards the door when a voice from the side halted him.


“Ah Jack, I’m glad I caught you. May I talk with you in my study please?” Jack Maynard looked into the steel-grey eyes that had never yet needed glasses and flinched inwardly. Nodding his assent, he followed Miss Annersley along the corridor and was soon standing in the spot so familiar to many sinful middles, as she sat behind her desk.

“I am rather concerned, Jack, about some of the stories I have heard circulating regarding your …” she paused a moment “… activities with some of my staff.” Jack looked at the carpet, saying nothing, not daring to meet the flinty gaze opposite him. Did she really know? Was she going to report it to Jo? “I have often had to remind girls that the prefects represent me and, therefore, should be given the same respect as I am. It seems I now need to remind you that the staff represent me. Would you behave with me as you have with them?” There was a subtle change in her tone as she asked the question, which Jack picked up on immediately. He looked up to see those eyes, which now held a completely different glint.

“I would if you gave me the chance.”

“I always believe in giving people chances Jack,” her beautiful voice was soft as she rose from her seat and came towards him. “In most cases, I find that they do not disappoint me.”

He didn’t.


“You know Hilda, for a moment you made me feel like a naughty schoolboy.” Jack told her much later, resting on one arm as his fingers idly played with her hair.

Hilda smiled wickedly. “Oh, I would hardly consider you a schoolboy, Jack, but I think I can make you feel very naughty.” She drew his head down to hers and proceeded to prove her point.



Jack had been extremely anxious when Margot fell into the lake and he and Jo had headed down to Lucerne as quickly as possible to see if she was alright. Jack was soon reassured and, leaving Jo to spend some time having a motherly chat with their daughter, he went to look around the hospital with Dr Courvoisier. The young doctor was soon called away to see to the patient, and left Jack in the charge of Frau Helder, the who had been kind enough to offer use of her home to Miss Annersely, and now was just as generous in her accommodation of Jack.


A couple of days later, back on the platz, Jack looked at the woman lying contentedly in his arms, her long black hair draped across his chest, her head on his shoulder. He ran his fingers up and down her spine “Biddy?”

“mmmmmmmm?”

“Biddy?” this time she lifted her head to look at him in question. “Biddy, you remember that doctor who helped rescue Margot and Prunella?”

“Yes, why?”

“Well, he – Eugen – was asking me about you, in fact he asked me to put in a good word for him with you if I had the chance.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That if I had the opportunity then I would.”

“Well, you should always make the most of your opportunities.” Biddy, proceeded to act on her words, and it was some time before the conversation resumed.

“So, what would you like me to tell him?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me then, Jack Maynard?”

“Of course not, if you don’t want it to, he need make no difference to us.”

“We can still do this?”

“Of course.”

“And this?”

“Yes

“And this … and this … and …”


Over the following weeks, Biddy spent some time with Eugen Courvoisier and the young doctor’s attraction to her became more and more obvious to those around. The arrangement between Biddy and Jack did not change, although she had less time to spend with him. Jack did not find this an inconvenience however, as he had just made the acquaintance of an agreeable young woman in Ste Cecilie. Anette was delighted to have caught the notice of the Head of the San and awaited his visits eagerly, as did Brigitta in Lauterbach. With them and Nurse Lendiframt for company, Jack was able to while away the Easter holidays, when the staff were away, and Anna was busy with the children as Beth Chester had gone on holiday.


Shortly before term began again Jo told him of an old friend who had got in contact and was sending her daughter to the school. Jack had difficulty keeping his face blank as Jo described Maisie Gomme to him in an effort to jog his memory. He could remember exactly how she had looked as she had reclined on the bed in his hotel room that afternoon he had bumped into her in London. She had been wedding dress shopping and had wanted a man’s advice as to how she looked in her dress. Jack had soon been able to prove to her that it would have the desired effect. Her daughter was 14, Jo told him, and he did some rapid calculations and wondered if that afternoon had achieved more than just calming pre-marital nerves.


Nancy stretched languorously. “I should really get back to the school.”

“Surely you can stay a little longer,” asked Jack, one hand stroking softly along her spine to the nape of her neck.

“Well, I suppose I am already too late for the staff meeting …” her voice trailed off as Jack’s other hand added its persuasion, and no more coherent words were spoken for some time.

The little hotel midway between Berne and Interlaken now knew Jack well – very well in the case of two waitresses, the receptionist and the manager’s wife – it was conveniently situated between the two towns. On this occasion, Nancy had broken her journey back for the new term to meet with him there.

“There’s still time for me to catch the last train.” Nancy said, as she started to dress a while later.

“Plenty of time,” answered Jack, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed. He extracted his shirt from the pile of clothes on the floor and started to pull it on, but was distracted by the sight of Nancy as she sat in her underwear and pulled on her stockings. “Plenty of time,” he repeated, dropping the shirt and giving her a look that made her fingers falter in their movements, then find impetus again as she reached up and tugged him down to the bed.

She missed the train.

It was nearly midnight by the time they returned to the platz. Jack had driven up, and they had stopped to admire the view, which had delayed them, delightfully, still further. Nancy got out of the car a little way from the school to give credence to her claim to have walked up from Interlaken after missing the train. Jack waved her a cheerful goodbye and then went to Freudesheim, where Anna was waiting to welcome him, before he slipped into bed next to his sleeping wife.


Highly irritated, Jack strode along the platz. Jo had just initiated yet another discussion about adding to their family, saying that now the twins were mobile she missed having a baby around the place and would like to have another one. Jack had tried his hardest to tactfully dissuade her without upsetting her, and had finally left her saying he had to get to the San, with the issue still unresolved. With a sigh he turned off the main path down a side track, still moving at a fast pace as he tried to burn off his stress. Sooner than he expected he came out from among the trees to a small hamlet not far from the Gornetz village. He had visited it before to examine some small children with a dubious rash, but otherwise he did not know it. Wondering if he would be able to get something to drink, he approached a woman sweeping dust out of her small home.

“The inn is just up at the crossroads.” she told him. “But if you are thirsty I can offer you some goats milk.” The goats milk did not sound very attractive to Jack, but the young woman certainly was, so he accepted the offer. Before long she was offering more than goats milk, and Jack accepted, finding it much more to his taste. He was feeling much less stressed when he left, promising to return again.

He returned often over the next few weeks, finding relief from the increasing pressure at home in Stephanie’s arms. When Stephanie told him she was going to have his child, he was pleased, although he once more thought how much he would miss out on in that child’s life, and that somehow persuaded him to agreeing to Jo’s demands.


“As I am headmistress …”

“You cannot pull rank on me over this Hilda, this is not a school matter.”

Jack paused outside the French windows, rather taken aback. It was so unlike the heads of the Chalet School and St Mildred’s to be arguing like this, usually they were in complete accord and always ready to support each other. Neither noticed as he stepped in through the billowing curtains.

“Anyway, I don’t think it’s up to us to decide. If Jack is showing a preference for my company, well I’m sorry Nell, but that’s not my fault.”

“You could at least give some other people a chance.”

“By other people meaning you, I suppose? I don’t monopolise Jack’s attention by any means. You have just as much chance as anyone else.”

“Stuck out at Unter die Kiefern while you’re just next door – you’ve got a definite advantage over me.”

“I don’t think that’s a valid argument, it’s not been a problem for Vi Norton. Anyway, you’re over here often enough – oh is that why? Really Nell if you want Jack’s attention, you’re going to have to do more than just hang around waiting for a coincidence to conveniently happen.”

“I don’t just …”

“You have to make a bit of effort Nell. If you just looked a bit neater and tidier, and maybe curbed your sarcasms you’d have more of a chance. I mean, look at your hair, it’s all over the place.”

Nell reached out and grabbed at Hilda’s coiffeur, pulling down the neat bun. “Yours isn’t so much better now either.”

Hilda grabbed Nell’s wrist and, to Jack’s amusement the pair started to wrestle. Hilda was right, he’d not really noticed Nell much before, but now, as they rolled over the floor and she panted and grappled, her hair tousled and her blouse torn, he suddenly realised she was a very attractive woman.

Much as he was entertained by the sight of the women fighting over him, he decided he should step in before either got injured. As his initial throat-clearing went unheard, he advanced towards them, avoided a flailing leg and reached for an arm from each of them.

The sudden realisation that the object of their argument was in the room with them brought to two to a standstill. Hilda rolled off of Nell and they both sat up.

“Jack!” they exclaimed in chorus, Hilda hastily smoothing down her hair, while Nell adjusted the rip in her blouse to greater advantage. Jack offered a hand to help them up, and Hilda batted Nell’s away to grab it first and get to her feet.

“Thank you Jack,” she said, regaining some of her composure, and reluctantly releasing his hand.

“Miss Wilson?” Jack offered his hand to Nell, who accepted it and was hauled to her feet with such goodwill that she overbalanced and fell against him.

“You look rather dishevelled Miss Wilson, I’m sure you don’t want to be seen in public like that.” Jack said, as he steadied her with his arm. “Perhaps you’d like me to give you a lift home? The car is just outside.”

“Why, thank you Jack, that is kind of you.” Nell smiled up at Jack, and as Hilda’s blue-grey eyes turned green, they left.

“You know,” said Nell as Jack turned the car off the main road onto one of the many quiet back roads, “I’m sure I could look even more dishevelled than this with a bit of help.”

Jack pulled off the road into a sheltered spot. “Well let’s see what we can do about that then.”

Nell was right, when she eventually arrived back at Unter die Kiefern she was delightfully more dishevelled. Jack drove back to Freudesheim, now completely ready to talk to Jo about prospect of adding to the family.

Last edited by Anonybunny on Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:52 pm; edited 1 time in total

 

#3:  Author: Anonybunny, Location: Behind closed doors PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:32 pm

“Jack, I’ve done a terrible thing.” Jack was met by a distraught Jo, her face pale, her eyes brimming with tears.

Jack led her over to the sofa and sat her down. “What is it?” he asked her, gently. “Come on Jo, it can’t be all that bad?”

“Oh, it is, it is,” she sobbed. “I’ve been so wicked. I don’t know how you will ever forgive me.”

“Why don’t you tell me what it is, and we’ll see,” he still spoke in those gentle tones, putting his arm comfortingly around her shoulder. She wriggled away, too ashamed to remain in his embrace.

“I never meant… It was just… I’m so sorry…”

“That doesn’t tell me anything, my dear. Now come on, dry your eyes and tell me all about it properly.” he produced a clean handkerchief and tucked it into her hands. A moment or two later, she had calmed herself enough to talk to him.

“You didn’t want us to have another baby. And I was upset – you know how I love having babies and think the more children the better. I was unhappy and he… he was just comforting me and we didn’t mean anything to happen, but it did and now… now I’m pregnant.” The floods of tears started again. “Oh Jack, I never meant to hurt you, never meant for it to happen. I swear it was only that once. I feel so guilty. How could I betray you like that?”

“Shush, shush, it’s alright. Calm down Jo, if you are pregnant, you won’t be doing the baby any good by getting so worked up.”

“How can you care about what happens to me and the baby after what I’ve done? It’s unforgivable.”

“Oh, Jo, of course I can forgive you. You’ve not done anything so very terrible.”

“How can you say that?”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Jack?!” she sounded horrified at the idea.

“Did you enjoy it?” he repeated.

“How could I have enjoyed it? It was so wrong, so sinful! And there’s more, Jack.”

“What do you mean there’s more? I thought you said it just happened once?”

“Oh it did, but for years he’s been writing letters to me, and I’ve been writing them to him. I didn’t think it would do any harm, and now look what’s happened.”

“I’ve known about the letters for a long time, Jo.”

“You have? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted you to be happy. You always endured my attentions, but it was just that, endurance. That was why I said no more children, and it’s why I hope you found some enjoyment in your lover’s arms, because what happens between a man and a woman should be enjoyable Jo.”

Jo wiped her streaming eyes, “I thought it was wrong to enjoy it. That’s why it was even worse with him, because I… I liked it. I thought maybe it was because I’d had some wine, but since then I’ve wanted to… wanted to…” she tailed off.

“Jo, sweetheart, that‘s quite understandable. It’s completely natural.”

“But it’s different for men.”

“Not in that way. Jo, you’re not the only woman I’ve been with, and I know that enjoyment is possible and good for both men and women.”

“You mean you’ve… I’m not… you don’t mind that I… “

“How can I mind when I’ve done the same thing. Jo, I know some people marry and are faithful to each other their whole lives, but I’m not that kind of man. And I can’t expect from you what I’m not willing to promise to you.”

“But what about the baby?”

“What about the baby?”

“What am I to do?”

“You wanted a baby didn’t you? I don’t suppose that has changed?”

“No… but… “

“Well I’m not going to disown either you or the child. I’m willing to raise him or her as our child if that’s what you want to do. Have you told anybody else yet?”

“No, I couldn’t. I couldn’t face him!”

“Do you want to tell him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Think about it Jo, it’s your decision.” He drew her close, gently wiping away the tears with his thumb, then kissed her. “Go and rest now, you’ve worn yourself out, and you’ll make yourself ill.” He released her and stood up.

“Jack,” she stood as well. “Thank you.” Then for the first time in 13 years of marriage she kissed him of her own volition.


Jack ran his fingertips over a sensitive area of skin, and received a gratifying drawn-out sigh in response.

“She told you she’s having a baby?”

“You know?”

“Women know these things. Among others. We have an instinct for it.”

“And what else do your instincts tell you?”

“They tell me that you like this …” a long pause ensued.

“Well, they’re not wrong there,” admitted Jack, “what else do you know?”

“I know the baby is not yours.”

“How do you know that?”

“The dates. You did not sleep in her bed at all for two weeks.”

Jack thought back. She was right. Several of those nights had been spent with her. One had been spent carrying out completing the induction of a new nurse at the San. Another two had been spent with the kitchen maid at Unter die Kiefern, who had proved that her cheeky grin was not misleading. And one evening he had been delayed in Interlaken keeping a pretty young hausfrau from being lonely while her husband was in Berne. Ironically the hausfrau was now in the same condition as Jo, but had left her husband in blissful ignorance.

His thoughts were returned to the present by Anna’s voice, her lips tickling his earlobe as she spoke.

“You didn’t tell her about us?”

“Would you want her to know about this?” Jack demonstrated what he was talking about, and it was some time before Anna could give thought to the question and agree it was better they kept their secret.


Once she was convinced that Jack was not going to cast her out, and was not even angry with her, Jo started to feel a lot happier, only occasionally torturing herself with guilt. Jack noticed, however, that she was not receiving any more of those letters, and wondered if she had decided to tell her lover about their child.

Jo had in fact decided not to let him know, and had resolved to avoid any contact with him in the future. She had written to explain this, and had been both disappointed and relieved not to have received a response.

She did not show any curiosity about Jack’s extramarital activities, and was not aware of the extent of them. Little did she imagine that while she rested in the afternoons, or spent time with the twins he was at an assignation with Ruth Derwent, or becoming reacquainted with Gertrude Rider.



The new term at school began, and Jack welcomed the return of the mistresses to the Platz. True some had remained in the area for the holidays, but others had been away, and he had enthusiastic reunions with Nancy, Biddy, Peggy, Joan and Rosalind, and less boisterous, but just as enjoyable celebrations with Celine, Jeanne and Cecily.


Then in the second week of term, his eye was caught by the new music mistress. Marjorie Howard was quiet and shy. Jack had not had the opportunity to speak to her, but she had caught him looking at her one evening when he and Jo were visiting the staffroom, and had blushed hotly under his admiring gaze. It was a good sign, thought Jack, and began to look forward to their next encounter.

It was several days before he saw her again. Jo had needed the car for the day so he was walking home from the San, when a shower of rain turned into a downpour started. He quickened his pace, then over the top of some bushes, caught sight of a figure sheltering under some trees. He hurried over and found Marjorie, trying vainly to get some shelter. She smiled at him as he arrived. He slipped off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. “Here, this should help keep you a bit drier.” His arm remained around her.

“Thank you,” she answered “But are you sure you’ll be alright without it?”

“I’m sure getting a bit wet won’t do me any harm.” Jack answered.

She looked at him consideringly. “I think you’re more than a little wet.” The trees provided no protection from the heavy rain and his shirt was already made translucent by the water and plastered to his body. Her eyes lingered appreciatively, before she looked up to discover he was assessing with just as much favour the way her skirt was clinging to her legs. He felt her gaze and lifted his eyes to meet hers, and each read the blatant invitation the other was offering.

So what if it was raining, thought Jack, water had never been a drawback before – he could remember summer evenings in the Tiernsee with Ivy Norman; a pleasurable afternoon of swimming in the English Channel with Anne Chester; lying entwined in the surf on St Briavel’s with Rhyll Everett. Water wasn’t a disadvantage to him, and it didn’t look as if it was to Marjorie either, as she shrugged his jacket from her shoulders, and moved slightly out from under the tree, allowing the rain to stream over her, and soak through her silk blouse. “Now we’re even” she smiled, a little triumphantly as she saw his eyes darken and he stepped towards her. As she reached out to pull his head down to hers, he clasped her waist and drew her closer to him. Her blouse and his shirt soon joined the jacket on the ground, swiftly followed by their rain-slicked bodies.


That afternoon was one of many trysts over the coming weeks. Jack revelled in the opportunity to discover the woman concealed behind the shy demeanour, while Marjorie bloomed under his attention. By the end of term she was blooming in such a way that she handed in her notice, and returned home to England, from where news eventually reached Jack that his third set of triplets had been born.



After one final check in the mirror, St Nicholas left the Head’s study, where the blue angel had recently been behaving in a most unangelic, although agreeable, manner, and made his way to the staff room, where his collection of angels and demons were waiting.

“How do I look?” he asked the pink angel when he met her in the narrow passageway.

“Very canonical,” she answered approvingly, subtly shifting her position so he had to brush against her as he passed her, noticing with satisfaction how he slowed his steps to make the most of the proximity. She reached out to straighten his robes with a strategically lingering touch, and her murmured “that beard looks like it could tickle, perhaps we could investigate it later,” was met with a look signifying he fully agreed with the suggestion and promised a highly interesting exploration of her theory to come later that evening.

“You all look very much the part.” He told them, his eyes glinting appreciatively at the way one particular demon’s outfit clung to her voluptuous curves, and he resolved to ensure the costume was kept for future use (incidentally, it was made much use of). His thoughts were quickly distracted from that and returned to the present, however, as he followed the entourage along the corridor and noticed the exceedingly enticing way another demon swung her tail behind her. This evening could prove to be very enjoyable indeed, he thought as they entered the hall and he began his speech.

As the girls scattered through the school building, laughing and squealing, St Nicholas stepped down from the dais and made his way to a small, empty room that had been set aside for him to wait until he was next required to make an appearance. He had just sat down when he was disturbed by a demon searching for girls. Having ascertained there were none in the room, she paused there for a little longer, during which time the tail that had swayed so enticingly became detached from her costume, and she departed, breathless, with her tail hanging around her neck.

Before St Nicholas had time to feel lonely, however, he was joined by an angel in lime green robes, who departed after an interlude that left her wings slightly bent at the tips. A short while later the primrose-yellow angel appeared to keep the saint company while the demons chased the girls. The bell rang summoning all back to the hall just as St Nicholas retrieved his mitre from the corner it had rolled into after it had fallen off in the course of whiling away the time.

Despite these exertions, St Nicholas still found the energy to take advantage of the mission to rescue Mary-Lou for a very swift but mutually rewarding encounter with the demon who had displayed an enticing length of black-clad leg as she raced off on the search. She unfortunately didn’t have her switch with her, or time to use it, but after Abendessen when the girls returned to the hall, another demon exercised the switch to good effect.

Eventually, after fulfilling his promise to the pink angel and confirming the theory by testing it with two more angels, St Nicholas returned home, where Anna was very intrigued by his costume and removed each piece with exquisitely tantalising care before demanding he perform a good deed for her, which he did with his usual dedicated diligence.


For many weeks, Thursday lunchtimes had been spent satiating the hunger of Frau Koch, the wife of one of the villagers. One particular afternoon Jack had just left and was ski-ing back to the San when an ambulance hurtling in the opposite direction stopped to pick him up with news there had been an accident up at the school, one of the girls had been hit by a toboggan. Several anxious days followed for Jack before he knew that his daughter would be safe. Once it was clear that she would make a good recovery, however, his usual exuberance returned and he was ably assisted in celebrating the good news by the nurse dedicated to Mary-Lou’s care.


Christmas brought the news of the arrival of Christine Natalie, who brought much delight to Commander and Mrs Willoughby, and Nan wrote a discreet letter to Jack thanking him for his assistance in helping her produce a daughter at last.


By the time Doris arrived at the Platz in the New Year, he was able to assure her that Mary-Lou would make a full recovery. “Oh, Jack,” she told him, lifting her fact to his, “I’ve been so worried about her. And so in need of comfort.” The look in her eyes made the meaning of her words clear. Jack hesitated a moment. The attraction between them had long since faded away and had showed no signs of returning. After Miss Browne, many years ago, he had resolved never again to allow himself to be persuaded by pity, but as he saw the tears clinging to her long eyelashes, he felt more than pity stirring in him and gently reached out to brush them from her cheeks, then ran his thumb over her bottom lip in a motion that stopped the tears completely, before he willingly gave her the comfort she was looking for.


Jack left the San with a small package tucked into his pocket and headed back to Freudesheim. Jo was resting, and the Careys were out with Mary-Lou and her sister-by-more-than-just-marriage (although they were all in ignorance of that fact). Anna would be waiting for him in her little room above the kitchen and the packet contained his Christmas present for her, which had belatedly arrived that morning. A smile curved his lips as he recalled the present he had been required to give in lieu of it on the actual day, and he hurried home, eager to see if she if this one would be well received and appreciated. One may assume from the shreds of expensive silk and lace soon lying unheeded on the floor that it most definitely was.


It was in fact, such a success that Jack continued to patronise the discreet lingerie shop in Interlaken, where the owner or either of the salesgirls was always willing to model any of the stock he showed an interest in, to ensure it had the intended effect. It was as Jack was leaving the shop one afternoon, having made a very satisfactory decision on a new purchase that he bumped into a vaguely familiar figure. The woman recognised him as well. “Dr Jack, it is Dr Jack Maynard, isn’t it?” she greeted him. Jack acknowledged that it was indeed he, while he tried to recall her name and where he had met her before, smiling and shaking her hand, his fingers lingering on hers. His gaze skimmed her, taking in some vital points of information, and returning to lock with hers, still trying to remember when and where and how he knew her.


“I don’t suppose you remember me, we’ve not met since I left St Scholastika’s. I’m Elaine Gilling.”

“Elaine, of course, you were head girl at St Scholastika’s weren’t you.” Jack remembered her now, how she had nearly caught him sneaking out of the building one night after visiting May Phipps, and he had hurriedly slipped into what he thought was an empty room, but discovered to be Clare Elliot’s room, although once she was over her initial shock at his sudden appearance, that had turned out to be a propitious error. She had grown up from the nondescript schoolgirl he remembered, he thought approvingly.

Elaine herself was remembering how she had seen him slip into the music mistress’s bedroom that night. She had been aware that he had been visiting Miss Anderson the previous term, and wondered what it was the mistresses had seen in the young doctor. Now, with the warmth of his gaze causing her cheeks to warm and her breath to quicken, she understood.

“I’m staying at the Hotel Steinhauser, just around the corner, do you know it?” she asked. Jack did know the hotel, and knew half a dozen of the staff working there very well indeed. “Do you have time to join me for a cup of coffee?” she continued, “or are you busy?” He wasn’t busy – but it wasn’t long before she was!


Jack returned to the Platz to share his new purchases with Anna and see if they met his approval, which they emphatically did. And he decided it was a most worthwhile investment, another one that he would repeat in the future, when this one had succumbed to wear and tear.

 

#4:  Author: Anonybunny, Location: Behind closed doors PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:39 pm

Jack looked down at the newest member of his family, with pride. Marya Cecilia Maynard had been born in the early hours of the morning, shortly before the little boy in the crib before him. This would be his only chance to see his son, as his mother had decided she would return to her home in Frankfurt and raise him with there, claiming to be a widow to maintain her respectability. So Jack snatched this opportunity to see him, to promise her of his help in the future if she ever needed it, and to say goodbye. Then he visited Jo to reassure her once more that her daughter would be welcomed as his own, before going to give his personal thanks to the midwife who had helped bring them into the world. Jack was a little downcast at the thought of never seeing his son again, but before long the school fete came along, bringing a pleasant distraction.


“Your highness,” Jack said with a smile.

“Oh for goodness sake, Jack, nobody calls me that these days, I’m just plain Mrs Helston, or Elisaveta to my friends.”

“Well, Elisaveta, then, I am still yours to command.”

A spark lit in the depths of her brown eyes. “You are, are you? That could be very interesting.”

“Oh, definitely,” Jack replied, with an answering spark in his own gaze. “You only have to say the word.” She nodded in comprehension, then turned as her attention was claimed by Frieda von Ahlen and moved off, although she threw a glance over her shoulder at him that promised his offer would not be forgotten.

She sought him out later, asking to see Jo and the new baby, and once she had spent the allotted ten minutes chatting and admiring the baby, Jack escorted back into the garden. She requested to be shown round it, and before long Jack was ushering her into the garden shed. Fortunately anybody who might otherwise have been in the locality was occupied at the Fete inside the school as otherwise they might have wondered when they heard emanating from the small building a cry of

“Jack! Oh, Jack!”


Jack entered the salon to find their visitors had arrived. The gentleman standing by the fireplace must be Sir Guy. Jack stepped forward from the doorway to greet him, looking round the room to see if anybody else was there. A tiny gasp, followed by a crash as a plate fell to the floor drew his attention. Lady Rutherford had bent down to pick up the fragments of china, and he could not see her face. Sir Guy went to help clear the pieces, and it was not until he had persuaded his wife to sit in a chair and drink her tea, that Jack could see her clearly. The neat chignon and demure twin set had no place in the memories that came flooding into his mind. For a moment all Jack could see was the way the moonlight had touched the pale smooth skin, the way the glossy hair tumbled wildly down her arched back. He remembered the way the long, elegant, now pearl-encircled neck had felt as he had trailed kisses down it, and felt a sudden urge to do it again, to see if beneath the prim Lady Rutherford he could find the woman he had once known as Yvonne “Smith”.


He had not known her whole name. He had been in London for three weeks to see to the ordering new equipment for the San, and attend various meetings. She had arrived at the hotel the day after him, registering as Mrs Smith. For the first two days he had been too involved with Stella Bruce to take much notice of her. Then as that occupation had run its course, he had turned his charming smile in her direction.

After accepting his invitation to dinner for the second night she had invited him to her suite for a nightcap. “My husband doesn’t know I am here,” she had told him, “I told him I had gone to stay with a friend. I don’t know if I shall go back.” Jack had sipped his drink and waited for her to continue. “I just feel that there has to be something more than what we’ve got.”

“What kind of more?” asked Jack.

“More than just going through the motions. I have a friend who told me that there is, and, I want to see for myself, I want to know what I’ve been missing.”

“Would you like to see if we can find out together?” Jack’s voice had been husky as he put his drink down and held out his hand to her. She had not hesitated to accept his offer. Over the next two weeks, she and Jack had repeatedly ensured she was aware of absolutely everything she had hitherto missed out on. Then, after a night where she had surpassed herself in proving how much more there was than motions, Jack had fallen asleep and woken to find a note on the pillow next to him.

Jack, I do not want to say goodbye in person, it would be too hard, but I have decided to return to my husband, I did not tell you, but we have a little girl, and I cannot leave her. Instead I hope that things may change between my husband and myself. I thank you for all you have done for me. I will never forget you. Yvonne.


Jack had been quite taken aback, by her sudden departure, without the chance to say a proper farewell and it took the chambermaid several days to restore him to his usual self. And now here she was. Yvonne. Sitting in his salon, drinking tea. Their houseguest for the next two weeks.

A houseguest who seemed intent on avoiding him. Jack found it very difficult to catch her eye, and when he did she quickly looked away. When he passed took her cup to refill it for her and their fingers touched, she snatched hers away as if burned, and whenever he entered a room she found a reason to leave it as soon as she decently could. Jack felt slightly aggrieved. She had never found cause for complaint over those two weeks. She was the one who had left him with nothing but a note, and no idea of who she really was or where she was going. He had never demanded an explanation from a woman, and he didn’t intend to now, but neither did he intend to be treated as if he were to blame for what had happened, with both their consent, years ago. After several days of being avoided, Jack decided that if Lady Rutherford wanted to behave as if nothing had ever happened between them, he would not force her to remember otherwise. The one morning, Jo volunteered him to give Yvonne a lift home from the San after she had visited Alixe, telling her to go along to Jack’s office when she was ready, and she had been unable to think of a reason to refuse the offer.

“Yvonne, come and take a seat, I’ll be finished here in just a minute.” Jack looked up briefly from his papers as his secretary ushered Lady Rutherford into the office and then closed the door. He returned his attention to the pile in front of him, not even waiting to see where she sat. He looked up, startled, a moment later when her voice came from just the other side of his desk, to see her standing there, gazing at him with an intensity that told him she had not forgotten the past. “Jack …” His name, accompanying the look was an invitation, she needed say nothing more. The papers were pushed aside.

“You have been ignoring me all week.” Jack said, slightly reproachfully, when he had caught his breath again.

“I know. I’m sorry Jack, I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” he asked as he pulled on his shirt.

“The twins. I’d never tell Guy, but, they’re yours. You don’t mind do you?”

“Not at all.” Jack assured her.

“You’re buttoning your shirt all wrong.” she suddenly commented. Here, let me help you.” Somehow, the process of putting the buttons through the correct buttonholes involved the complete removal of his shirt and other items of clothing.


Jack, as he often did, took advantage of a school ramble to go looking for Jeanette, who could often be found cleaning the staff bedrooms at that time of day, and was far from averse to making use of the beds, chairs, or any other handy items of furniture in whichever room he happened to find her in. He was thwarted in his purpose however, by the unexpected appearance of Matron Henschell, who looked at him with suspicion and demanded to know what he was doing there. “Come on Jack, you can’t possibly be lost, and nobody’s ill, or I’d have heard about it from Matey.”

“No, I was just looking for …” he trailed off unsure who he could legitimately have been looking for at this time of day, and for what reason. Even while he was trying to think of an excuse another part of his mind was busy noticing the trim waist, the curve of full lips, and long thick eyelashes that fluttered under his regard.

“Well, there’s nobody here except for you and me.” The long lashes surrounded eyes that were looking at him with an expression he could not mistake. “Will I do?”

She most certainly did.


In fact, she did repeatedly over the next few weeks, whenever opportunity presented itself, and it was strange how many of those opportunities there suddenly seemed to be.


Jack returned to Freudesheim, having finished early at the San one afternoon, to find the house quiet and empty, apart from Anna who was in the kitchen, baking. She looked up as he entered the room in search of her, “I have been expecting you,” she told him, the statement proved by the fact she was wearing nothing but an apron over her generous curves. Jack eyed her appreciatively, and then looked at the contents of the mixing bowl.

“What are you making?” he asked, dipping a finger in the bowl to take a taste. Anna grabbed his hand and held it away from his mouth.

“It is a chocolate sauce and that is not the way to taste it. Here...” She dipped her own finger in the mixture and held it to his lips. “This is the way to taste it.” She watched as his tongue flicked out to taste the mixture, then her own lips nibbled delicately at his fingers as he mimicked her action. Then she reached towards the bowl again, but this time Jack stopped her, picked up the bowl, and then ushered her determinedly up the steps to the little room above the kitchen, where the bowl was gradually emptied to the great enjoyment of both of them.


Jack was surprised when Mary-Lou came to him for advice, but it felt so natural to him, even right that his daughter should have come to him, and that he would be able to advise her on what to do about two new girls, one of whom was getting into trouble with the other. Of course, he had his own reasons for being particularly interested in how Rosamund Lilley got on (it was because of him she had come to the Chalet School), and make sure things went well for her, and so he listened attentively to everything Mary-Lou had to say about her, waiting until she had returned to the school before he indulged his memories…

 

#5:  Author: Anonybunny, Location: Behind closed doors PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:40 pm

Jack had met Dorothy on a trip to England a few years earlier. She was energetic and adventurous, and even after she had settled down to marriage to a nice young man called Peter, was more than willing to pass time with him whenever he happened to be in the area. Something, that Jack made the effort to be, whenever he was in the country. It was shortly after a visit earlier that year that Dorothy had told him she would become a mother in the autumn. Jack’s generous offer of help and support had been refused, but when he offered it again, she had suggested that instead of doing something for her, which might cause Peter to wonder, maybe he could do something to help with her younger sister’s education.

It took Jack a while to work out the best way for him to do this without arousing suspicion, but after enlisting the very willing assistance of Mrs Gay, arrangements were put in place for Dorothy’s sister to attend the Chalet School.


After Mary-Lou had gone, Jack and Anna took advantage of Jo’s visit to Montreaux, making the most of the uninterrupted time together. Two tables and the rocking chair would never be the same again, but they could be replaced and, Jack decided, it was most definitely worth it.


Despite the many times it happened, Jack never ceased to be amazed at the situations life threw at him. Perhaps this constant enthusiasm and wonder at the circumstance was one of his charms. Another house call, this time in Lauterbach, brought him another of these surprises.


“I’ve come from the Gornetz San. Frau Heisig is unwell?” he asked when the door to the small chalet was opened to him.

“Yes, she has been coughing for the last month, and is too weak to get out of bed.” Answered the young woman. “I am her daughter, Konstanze, I have come from Bönigen to care for her while she is ill.” She led him into the house and showed him into her mother’s bedroom, where she watched his movements intently. Jack examined his patient thoroughly and asked a few questions, then turned and picked up his bag.

“She needs some medicine, but she will soon be fine.” He explained with a smile for his patient. “Goodbye, Frau Heisig.”

“You are going so quickly?” Asked Konstanze with disappointment as she followed him out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

“I must go back to the San and prepare the medicine for your mother.” He stopped in the hallway and turned to explain, and discovered she had been following very closely behind him, so close she nearly bumped into him when he turned. So close that when he looked down at her he got a very generous view of her neckline. She smiled as she saw where his gaze was and took a deep breath.

“You will come back again?” She placed her hand on his arm as she asked the question and looked up at him with big blue eyes, eyes that were adding an unspoken addition to the question.

“Of course I will.” he promised, deciding that rather than send a messenger with the medication it might be worth making a personal visit with it. He was as good as his word, and returned that afternoon for what turned out to be a very personal visit.


In fact, he took a great interest in Frau Heisig’s health and continued to make personal visits to check on her progress. If Frau Heisig was aware that some visits took place very late at night, and that on those visits in particular Dr Maynard did not see her, instead asking Konstanze about her progress and being satisfied by the answers to his questions, she kept her thoughts to herself and bided her time. Konstanze wrote to her husband explaining that she needed to extend her visit until her mother was completely better. In fact, it was well into the summer and Frau Heisig had not been Jack’s patient for several weeks before Konstanze returned home, after a lingering, reluctant farewell with Jack.


Maybe it was habit that caused Jack to return to the chalet the following day. He was greeted with a surprised smile by Frau Heisig. “Dr Maynard, I did not expect to see you again. Konstanze left this morning, you know.” She opened the door wide and let him in. “As you have come all this way, would you like a cup of coffee?” She ushered him into the sitting room, then bustled away and soon came back with a tray, which she placed on a small table next to him. As she bent over the tray, Jack suddenly realised how like her daughter she was, even more so, when he met her eyes to discover they were the same blue, and held the same expression Konstanze’s had on their first meeting.

“You will miss Konstanze.” He said conversationally as he sipped his drink.

“Yes, she has been good company. I have got used to her helping out round the house.” she paused and looked at him meaningfully. “but now she has gone I am quite happy to do everything she was doing.”

She did indeed do everything, and more, Jack discovered.


But not every woman fell into his arms quite so easily. He was used to women taking the initiative, but he did enjoy the challenge of pursuit from time to time. The gradual persuasion, wooing in some ways, of a woman until she was ready to fling caution to the winds, had been known to bring a very worthwhile result. Jack could be patient when required. For example, he remembered, it had taken him two summers in Garnley to convince Mrs Hart that not all Catholics were bad and some of them did have their good points, but once she had let down that rigid exterior, she had been a completely different woman.

Jack had noticed the new mistress at the Chalet School as soon as she had arrived. And was immediately intrigued by her. Whenever he met her she smiled and seemed happy to see him, was always friendly and laughed at his banter. But she seemed to be completely immune to him. After a few weeks of trying to attract her attention, Jack decided to give up on her and allowed himself, instead, to be diverted by Yvelise, who had a brother being treated at the San and was looking for a way to amuse herself and pass the hours while he rested, or underwent his therapy sessions. At the end of her brother’s treatment, Yvelise departed for Lausanne, carrying an early Christmas gift from Jack, and Jack went on to bestow a similar gift on Nurse Dubois and any other opportunities that came his way. Such as the mother of the triplets’ classmate, who he met when she came to visit the school.


“As soon as I saw you, I knew you were the sensitive type.” She told Jack, when he saw her walking away from the school and stopped his car to offer her a lift to her hotel. She turned a bright smile on him, as he put the car into gear and drove off. “I said to myself, there’s a man who reeelly understands women. You do, don’t you?”

“I do what?” asked Jack, who had been concentrating on the road, rather than her gushing conversation.

“You do understand woman, don’t you? You look like a man who knows what makes a woman tick. Oh, you don’t need to tell me. I’m writer and I can sense these things.” Her hand, with carefully manicured and painted fingernails came to rest on his leg. “I just knew you were a kind soul the moment I saw you, and here you are proving me right by giving me a ride.” Her hand slid along a couple of inches as Jack changed gear and turned into the hotel car park. He carefully brought the car to a stop and turned off the engine.

“Here you are. Door-to-door service, madam.”

“Only to the hotel door?” she gave him a predatory smile, and her hand moved another couple of inches. “Aren’t you going to see me safely to my room?”

Jack was not quite sure if he wanted to or not, but could not think of a polite way to refuse, so acceded with a smile. “Of course I will,” he said, as if it had never occurred to him to do otherwise.

“Oh, you have such good manners.” She cooed as he came round and opened the car door for her. “As soon as I saw you, I knew you were a man who knew how to treat a woman right. I’m never wrong about these things you know. I can sense them.” She gave him another of those smiles as they walked towards the hotel.

Jack waited politely while she collected her room key, shared a reminiscent smile with the receptionist, and escorted her to the elevator, where they were the only passengers. “These things always make me feel nervous.” She confided as it started to ascend. “I always worry something’s going to go wrong, I’m so glad you’re with me, it makes me feel so much … safer.” She moved a lot closer to Jack, close enough to make him wonder if hidden underneath the bulky fur coat was a rather shapely figure. “As soon as I saw you, I knew you were a man who would look after a woman when she needed it.” The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Jack waited for her to step out and then followed.

“My room is just along here.” She told him and led the way. She unlocked the door and turned to face him, “Would you like to come in for a few minutes?”

Curious to find out if he was right about the figure under the fur coat, Jack agreed. “Just for a few minutes, then, thank you.” He received another of those expectant smiles and hoped he had made the right decision. He stepped in behind her and allowed the door to swing shut. Then he reached out to hold her coat for her as she took it off.

“Thank you very much,” she replied, as he saw that she was wearing layers of swirling draperies and he still couldn’t see if his impression had been right. “As soon as I saw you I knew you were a gentleman, I said to myself, there’s a man who knows how to help a woman out of her clothes.” Jack found she was very close to him. “I wasn’t wrong about you, was I?”

Jack knew he had been very carefully manoeuvred, and had to admire the expert way she had managed it. To his surprise, he also realised that he was quite willing to capitulate. “There was only one thing you were wrong about.” He told her, as his fingers slid over the draping garments to find an edge.

“What was that?” she asked, moving against him as his fingers found an opening. Jack was distracted for a moment before he answered.

“You were wrong to think this would only take a few minutes,” he said huskily.

“Oh?” she asked, and then repeated the word, not as a question, but on a long, drawn-out breath.

Her lips hovered a fraction of an inch from his, and he paused to deal with them before he replied. “Yes, I would say a few hours is much more likely.”

His prediction turned out to be accurate.



Christmas, was as usual a busy time, with all the family home, but Jack and Anna managed to find time to fit in their own celebrations, among the many others. There were various visitors at Freudesheim, those of the staff who had not returned to their homes for the holiday were staying there, but Jack kept to Anna’s dictum that while they were under the same roof she was the only woman he would be with. However, he politely escorted Nell Wilson to check on the buildings at Welsen one afternoon, and returned with her after they had carried out a very thorough inspection, and another day he and Davida Armitage discovered that despite sub-zero temperatures, it was possible to keep very warm in an abandoned hut on the mountainside.


The end of the year found him working at the San, where Selina Jodrell had been visiting her mother. She passed Jack in the corridor and noticed the admiring glance he cast over her, and she mentally reconsidered Jean-Luc, the ski-instructor at the hotel she had been intending to see in the New Year with. It did not take her long to find out where the Dr Maynard’s office was (the passing nurse she asked happened to know it very well), and apply fresh lipstick before knocking on his door. Jack called out “Come in.” and she opened the door.

“Hello,” he put aside his papers, pushed back his chair and stood up behind his desk. She closed the door behind her and he gave her another of those admiring glances, this time lingering over it, while she reciprocated with a similar look. Jack watched as she walked slowly across the room towards him. She reached the other side of his desk and they looked into each other’s eyes. “Did you want to see me for something?” Jack asked, holding her gaze.

“Oh, yes.” she answered, her gaze as intent as his.

“What can I do for you?” he asked, leaning forward over the desk, very slightly in invitation, his eyes flickering to her lips and back up again.

She smiled slowly, and lent forward towards him. “Something like this.” she answered, and pressed her lips against his.

“Something like that?” Jack asked, in a husky voice when they pulled apart. “How about this?” He traced her bottom lip, now devoid of lipstick, with his finger before leaning in to kiss her again, leaving her gasping and clutching at the edge of the desk for support.

“That’s the sort of thing I had in mind.” she replied, straightening up again. “Although, perhaps without the desk in the way.” Jack knew from experience that the desk was heavy, but that it also slid easily across the highly polished floor, and a quick shove created an empty space between them.

“Let’s try it again then.” he suggested as the space disappeared, and repeated the kiss. Several times. “Is that better?” he asked, as he undid the last button on her blouse and slid it off her shoulders. She nodded in reply as she concentrated on pulling his belt loose. “Let’s see if it’s as good over here then.” he suggested, and moved a few steps to stand on the rug. She followed him eagerly, and they soon discovered it was just as good or even better, and even more so when Selina sank down on to the rug and pulled him down to join her.

As the clock struck midnight, Selina decided that she had been right. Jack was most definitely a better choice than Jean-Luc. “Happy New Year.” she said to Jack as the last chime faded away. She ran her hand over his chest, kissed him again and gave him an inviting smile. “What do you think about starting the New Year in the same way we finished the old?”

Jack did not take long to decide that he thought that was a very good idea.

 

#6:  Author: Tiffany, Location: madthesispanicargh PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:45 pm

Hurrah, for it is back! *jumps up and down*

 

#7:  Author: Anonybunny, Location: Behind closed doors PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:46 pm

Last bit of repost. Update to come as soon as it has been betad.

Text in blue is from the pen of EBD.


Kathie Ferrars continued to interest Jack, although he did not try to push his attentions on her. Whenever he met her she was perfectly friendly with him, chatted away, and laughed at his jokes. She did not avoid his presence, but neither did she seek him out. From his experience of women, Jack would have said she was a passionate woman. He had met women who presented an indifferent front to men, like May Carthew, but had not had difficulty in getting around that to find the hidden fire beneath. He had met women who were scared by their inexperience, like Bernhilda Mensch and Anita Rincini had both been before they got married, but had been able to help them overcome that hurdle. He had met women who believed that nobody would ever find them attractive, like Dorcas Brownlow and Gloria Martin one of her fellow actresses, and had been able to convince them otherwise (Dorcas in fact, although not matching her sister Eunice for looks had more than matched her in other ways). He had met women who believed that with the death of their husband, all physical desires had died, like Marjorie Redmond, but had helped them realise that not to be the case. But he had not met anyone quite like Kathie Ferrars, and he could not make her out. He was intrigued by the way she seemed to encourage him to a certain point and then no further. She was not doing it to tease, he was sure of that, and she continued to puzzle him.


He did not let it occupy his mind to the exclusion of everything else however. Nurse Philips was much more straightforward in her dealings. She asked for only one thing from Jack, made it clear that was what she wanted, and he was happy to make sure she got it. So Jack decided to forget the enigma of Kathie and concentrated his attention on Anna, Nurse Philips and Frau Glauser, who had moved to the platz to open up a new pension, and found she was warmly welcomed by Doctor Maynard. She was a little put out, it is true, to discover that her first two guests received a similar welcome, but she was a practical lady at heart, so she shrugged her shoulders and welcomed the incentive for them to extend their stay. Once they had left there would be time for Jack to compensate her for his neglect. And he did so, more than adequately.



Anna pulled Jack into the small room at the back of the kitchen and closed the door behind them “We have a problem.” she told him as she pushed him down onto the pile of laundry on the floor and began to undo his shirt buttons.

“What sort of problem?” Jack asked, after his lips met hers for a long moment.

“A problem with this.” Anna replied, as she pushed away his shirt and started to pay attention to his waistband.

“With this?” Jack asked, his fingers tugging impatiently at the ties to her apron. There was no immediate answer, so, once the apron was disposed of, he asked her again. “We have a problem with this? What kind of problem?” the words were interspersed with a trail of kisses down her neck and ended up slightly muffled as he encountered the barrier of her neckline.

“With … “ Whatever she was going to say was driven out of her mind as the neckline was overcome and the remainder of her clothing efficiently dealt with.


“We have a problem with that?” Jack asked, a while later.

Anna gave a satisfied smile. “Not with that, exactly.” She propped herself up on one elbow next to him and ran a teasing finger across his ribcage.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Jack replied, his smile mirroring hers. “So, what is the problem?”

“With all these celebrations for the school, there will be lots of extra visitors here. We will not have much chance to be alone.” Her finger continued its teasing quest as she spoke, and it took Jack a moment to take in what she was saying.

“I’m sure we will find a way.” he assured her, rolling over on the pile of sheets and pulling her with him.

“You think that we will manage?” Anna asked, breathlessly as his fingers now blazed a trail across her skin.

“Haven’t we always managed before?”

“Yes!” It was not said in response to his question.



There were advantages to the visitors of course. A great many old girls and staff made their way to the Platz and Cyrilla Maurus after a session chatting over old times with Jo was happy to spend time reliving more recent memories with Jack, and Amy Stevens was keen to reacquaint herself with him. He found time to make up for past missed opportunity with Jesanne Gellibrand and ascertained that while Anne Seymour had not changed over the years, it was fun to discover the ways that Enid Southern had.

The day of the Sale brought numerous old friends to the platz. After a visit to the new-born Lois Graves, Jack stayed a little longer at Aldersnest to enjoy a reunion with Giovanna and then Anita Rincini.


It was early evening when Jack returned home from the San on Sunday. He found Anna in the kitchen waiting for him and slipped into her eager embrace. Despite all his activities over the weekend he still felt the overwhelming longing she always inspired in him, and he lost no time in giving her a lingering kiss as his touch told her as much. “I hope you’ve not worked too hard and exhausted yourself this weekend.” He murmured against her hair.

“I haven’t – have you?”

“I always have the energy for you, Anna.” He answered, but before he could prove it there was a step outside the door. A second later Jack was inside the larder, and he could hear Anna clattering in the kitchen after she’d smoothed down her apron.

“What are you proposing to do, Anna?” Joey demanded when she burst into the kitchen to find Anna setting out baking-board, rolling-pin and mixing bowl (the first things that came to hand).

“I make rolls for Früstuck tomorrow,” Anna said placidly as she measured out her flour. “It is needful, liebe Frau, for all our bread is eaten.” Nobody would guess from her calm even tone that she had been all but panting Jack’s name just moments before.

“I don’t like you working on a Sunday,” Joey said in her fluent German. “You’ve had a hectic weekend of it, and ought to be resting or taking a stroll; not turning to and baking in this hot kitchen at this hour of the day.”

“Aber, meine Frau, what do we do for Früstuck if I do not?” Anna demanded, wishing that she would hurry up and go so she and Jack could get back to making the kitchen really hot, and relieved when after insisting that Anna took a holiday the following weekend, Jo left her to her ‘baking’, and soon, with Jack’s assistance, the temperature was rising.


That was not the only time they were nearly discovered. On one such occasion Jack stopped Anna in the passageway to steal a kiss, and they parted a split second before the triplets came up the stairs. Later that morning, Jack intercepted Anna for another such kiss and their lips met with an undeniable intensity. When they pulled apart, both were gasping for breath and knew that a kiss would not be enough. Jack opened the nearest door and checked inside. Finding the room empty they hurried inside, neither taking any note of their surroundings.

“Quick!” Anna commanded, as they closed the door behind them, “We may not have long.” Jack needed no such encouragement, his hands were already pushing aside the barriers of cloth between them, his lips melding urgently with hers again.

Lost in their own world, they didn’t hear the footsteps in the corridor.


The sound of Jo’s voice speaking to someone outside the door somehow penetrated the haze surrounding them. For the first time they looked around and realised they were in Jo’s study. There was just time for them to scurry into the curtained alcove and huddle together in the small space behind the desk there, thankful that they had not bothered to discard any clothing to leave behind and give them away. Anna wriggled against him in the confined space. He opened his lips to speak, but she pressed her finger against them to shush him, and looked up at him with a wicked glint in her eye that told him she was enjoying the danger of discovery.

There was a certain thrill to the situation, and Jack acknowledged that if they were discovered wedged together as they were all would be found out anyway. Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb, he thought, and helped Anna to manoeuvre her skirt out of the way.

“I’ll just be a moment.” he heard his wife’s voice say as she opened the door. Anna gave another wriggle and then they remained as they were, silent and still, for what seemed like an age, but was less than a minute as Jo crossed the room to the shelves next to the alcove, then went back out the door. As it closed behind her Anna wriggled again and Jack let out the breath he’d been holding.

“That was close.” he whispered, his lips tickling her ear, then proceeded to get closer.


Quite a few of the old girls stayed around at the Platz after the sale weekend, saying they would like to see a bit more of the area where their school now was. Arda van der Windt showed especial interest in the San and paid several visits, Hilda Bhaer took Jack up on his offer to go for explorations in secluded spots, and Mary Shaw asked Jack for a personal tour of the school that included spending a long time investigating the boxrooms.


Jack missed Anna when she went for the weekend away Jo had insisted on. Miggi tried to convince him that she could compensate for her absence. Jack acknowledged that she could distract him briefly, but once she had returned to the school kitchens his thoughts did not remain with her. The night Anna returned to Freudesheim, he sought her out for a reunion that banished both Miggi and Elsa Balen from his mind for a very long time.

 

#8:  Author: Kat,  PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:57 pm

Thank you Anonybunny!! Laughing

 

#9:  Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 3:17 am

Now eagerly awaiting the next bit...

Thanks, Bunny.

 

#10:  Author: Rosy, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:47 am

Hurrah, the bunny returneth.

 

#11:  Author: Mia, Location: London PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 3:15 pm

Thanks Ms Bunny! Hope you can update soon *sends food* Smile

 

#12:  Author: Michelle, Location: Near London PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:40 am

Jack is such a naughty boy! I love it!

 

The CBB -> The Lock Box


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