Chapter 4

DECEMBER (Part 1)

LUKE'S VOICE

Christmas was a week away and Karl and Ulrika had finished school the day before. Their end of term reports had glowed and I'd received a typed note of thanks from Herr Fischer, enclosing a thousand euros in crisp new notes. Underneath his signature another hand had written, 'My thanks as well. No Christmas invitation, but maybe one day.' There was no signature. I stuffed the money into my pocket and went down to the dining room. As I slipped into my usual chair Frau Kurtz spoke.

'Herr Lancer, Frau Fischer is joining us this evening. We will be celebrating the beginning of the Christmas Holidays.' She sounded as if the whole idea of celebration was only one step away from eating babies for breakfast, and I grinned at my two students.

'And you both deserve to celebrate.' I turned to the scowling housekeeper. 'Don't you think so, Frau Kurtz?' She didn't say anything and I winked at Karl and Ulrika. The door opened and Frau Fischer floated into the room.

'All together at last. It's a shame Herr Fischer is so busy. But I have some news. I can't stay though: there's a reception at the Hungarian embassy and the Ambassador was insistent that I attend.' The maid came in with the first course and we began to eat. Frau Fischer swallowed daintily and I felt a twinge of nostalgia. I'd hardly seen her since our astonishing night in October, and I remembered her swallowing much less politely.

'Well, ' she said, 'there's a lot to tell you. First, I'm joining Herr Fischer in Estonia tomorrow; we'll be spending Christmas there as guests of the Minister of Development. It seems that there's a big contract in the offing. Brussels money, you understand.'

I watched Karl and Ulrika. Normal kids would have been clamouring to be allowed to go too, but they accepted the news calmly, as if it was half expected. They were growing up fast, as if they were making up for lost time. I'd adjusted the set of their sails and their courses had changed. Apparently it had rubbed off at school too. I'd seen it happen before, but I was still pleased. Their mother continued.

'Karl, the mother of your friend Fritz telephoned me. She's asked if you could join them for a fortnight's skiing over Christmas and New Year. Apparently Fritz' sister is inviting a friend too.' Karl's face lit up, and Frau Fischer went on more sternly. 'I said that you could go on condition that you spent at least two hours a day studying. I'm sure Herr Lancer can give you sufficient work. Would you like to go?' Karl's mouth was full but he nodded enthusiastically. His mother turned to me.

'Herr Lancer, in order to be fair, Ulrika must continue with classes over the holidays as well. Would you be prepared to do that?' I glanced at Ulrika.

'Of course, Frau Fischer.' Ulrika looked sideways at me and I thought I saw a gleam of anticipation cross her face. Her mother sighed.

'Herr Lancer, I must explain what happens over Christmas in this household. Naturally, cook and the maid need time off, and they'll be away from the twenty third to the second of January. Frau Fischer visits her mother in Salzburg from the twenty second to the third. I'm afraid that you and Ulrika will have to keep each other company over the holidays.' My warning signals all went off at once. The woman was planning to leave her daughter with me for two weeks with no other supervision. Was it selfishness or calculation? Frau Kurtz was looking as if she'd swallowed a spider. I cleared my throat.

'Maybe we can discuss the details afterwards, Frau Fischer.' She nodded politely and took a sip of Perrier. The meal dragged on. When the maid had cleared dessert I pushed my chair back.

'If Karl's going to be off tomorrow evening I'd better start preparing a package for him. Frau Fischer, if you could spare ten minutes later I'd be grateful.'

I was putting Karl's holiday work together in the classroom when the door opened and Frau Fischer came in. She smiled and kissed me hard.

'Hello properly, Luke. You're wondering what the hell I'm up to, aren't you?'

'Angela, you're planning to leave your nineteen year old daughter with a virtual stranger nearly twice her age while you swan off to Estonia having made sure that the house will be empty. Of course I'm bloody wondering.' She sighed.

'Luke, I'm not giving you permission to abuse Ulrika. But you've changed them both so much for the better that I'm going to trust you a little. I told you I'm selfish, but it's mostly in self defence. I was Ulrika's age when I married her father and I know how confused she is. When she goes to university she'll be like I was, easy prey for anyone. So teach her some of the things she'll need to know, please.' I was gobsmacked. I didn't know what to say.

'Does Herr Fischer know about this?' She snorted.

'Leave Herr Fischer to me. Why do you think he wants me to meet the Estonian minister? Saving Ulrika from this sort of life is what I'm trying to do. I don't want her to be worrying me with her problems for the next God knows how many years.' Jesus, I thought.

'And what about Ulrika?' She snorted again.

'Obviously, I haven't spoken to her except to tell her to behave. Just remember that she's still got to pass her exams and you've still got to earn your bonus.'

'No promises, Angela. You know I'm cautious.' She leaned over and kissed me again.

'I know. And you're kind as well as clever. That's why I'm trusting you. Now I really must pack. This week's going to be hectic.' She turned and hurried out; I shook my head and went back to organising Karl's holiday task.

ULRIKA OBSERVED

Ulrika lay in bed, reading and making notes. She came to the end of the chapter and put the book down, thinking about the surprises at dinner. Three months ago the thought of Karl going somewhere while she was left behind would have driven her to open rebellion, but now she didn't seem to mind. As she thought about the past three months she realised that she and Karl hadn't played their summer game since the first class of term. Something was happening to her and she didn't know what, but it was good. And now the Christmas holidays had suddenly turned into an adventure. She slipped a hand under her tee-shirt and began to caress her breasts.

Her fingers stroked her soft teats and they started to come to life. She pinched them gently and tugged them, feeling the firm skin on her breasts stretch. Her nipples felt fatter and fuller and the nerves under her skin were tingling. Pushing back the duvet she clenched her thighs together, feeling the welcome dampness beginning to seep through the folds of her cunt. Her heartbeat quickened, and she licked her fingers and fondled her teats again.

She moved her hands down and ran her fingers through the blonde curls that covered her mound. When she twisted the strands together and pulled softly she could feel her lips stretching and twisting and her clit sliding against the walls of its little sheath. She pulled her lips apart and felt her petals stir and unfurl as the dew of her arousal began to flow more insistently, then raised her hands to her nipples again and scraped them lightly with her nails, gasping as a ribbon of warm fire raced through her body. It was as if her breasts and her cunt were joined by thin cords of flame, each feeding on the other.

Reaching over to the drawer of the bedside table she brought out a hairbrush. The wooden handle was smooth and tapering, and she held it to her nose and sniffed gently. The wood smelt faintly of her, and she put the end into her mouth and sucked. Her other hand moved to her clit and rubbed the hood. It was odd, she thought, to be sucking a wooden prick that tasted of her own pussy. She imagined it was a real prick, then the blood rushed to her face as she realised whose she wished it was. Her clit pulsed, thrusting itself out from its shell, and she moved her finger lightly over it. The cords of fire sent the sensation up to her nipples and back again, and her legs fell further apart. She brought the handle of the brush down to her cunt, sliding it along her slit and through her sensitive folds. The smooth wood stimulated without scraping and she gave herself up to the growing spiral of pleasure.

She dipped the brush into her cunt and it slipped gently in, stretching her just enough to send another wash of lust through her. She withdrew it and licked it again. It was slick with her juices, and their musky sharpness filled her mouth. She ran her tongue over it and then thrust it back into the greedy hole at her centre. She felt the walls of her vagina trying to grasp the smooth wood, and shuddered as she rubbed and probed, massaging her G spot softly. Her clit was hard to the touch and she grasped it delicately between the tips of her fingers, squeezing and tugging as she slid the brush out of her body and drew it lingeringly down to her asshole. She rubbed the rim of her anus lightly with the slick handle and her breathing quickened. Her cunt was empty now, and longing to be filled again. She pushed two fingers into herself and rotated her hand slowly, savouring the sensation of her nails scraping the walls of her pussy, gasping as they crossed her G spot, writhing forward onto her hand as her orgasm began to flower. It started deep inside her and she felt the unstoppable tide slowly rising. Her hand was hot and slippery and a rush of moisture slid over the inside of her wrist. As the pressure built, her breathing grew ragged, until with a mew of pleasure she pinched her clit hard and the wave broke. Her lower body convulsed, and she gripped her wrist with her thighs, holding her hand inside her pussy as the tremors faded. She rolled onto her side and basked in the afterglow, feeling warm and content and only a little bit sinful. It didn't occur to her that only three months ago her masturbation had been compulsive and harsh, frenzied, but ultimately unsatisfying.

LUKE'S VOICE

Three taxis stood outside the house. Ulrika, Frau Kurtz and I stood on the steps and waved goodbye dutifully. Karl and his skis were in one cab, Frau Fischer was in the second, and the third one held her luggage. They moved off in convoy and we went back inside. I looked round the hall and realised that something was missing. There wasn't a hint of Christmas in the whole house. Not an ornament, not a pine needle: nothing. Frau Kurtz went up to her room without a word. The soap operas were calling her. Ulrika and I looked at each other.

'Come on kid, ' I said. 'Time for a little work. Only two hours though: aren't we lucky to be on holiday?' She smiled shyly.

'Frau Kurtz goes tomorrow', she said, 'and cook and Trudi the day after. Are we really going to go to restaurants every day?'

Certainly not, ' I said robustly. 'Why don't you ask cook to leave a full store cupboard and to load the fridge. I can cook OK, and if you hate my cooking you can do it instead. The only rule is that the one who doesn't cook has to load the dishwasher, and we can eat out whenever we get fed up. Your mother gave me a pile of cash for necessary expenses.' She smiled again and nodded.

'I'll go and ask now.' In two minutes she was back. 'Cook's got it all in hand and says would we mind eating in the kitchen tonight? Frau Kurtz has got a headache and cook and Trudi are busy getting everything ready for us. I told her fine.' She blushed slightly. 'Luke, can I ask you one thing?'

'Go ahead.'

'While it's just us can you call me Uli? Only Karl still calls me that and it's what I call myself inside. No-one else says it.' I felt a rush of sympathy for her.

'Uli. Sounds better than Ulrika. I'll try not to forget. Come and sit down and we'll get this out of the way. Then we'll decide what time we want to do the lessons during the holidays and then we'll make a list of restaurants for when we don't want to cook. OK?' She nodded cheerfully and we settled down to the mysteries of English pronunciation and spelling.

Supper was a hilarious affair. With Frau Kurtz absent the atmosphere was a thousand times lighter. I had never really spoken to either of the servants before. Cook was a heavy grandmotherly woman and Trudi was small and dark and vibrant. She turned out to be a natural mimic, accurate without being malicious. Only her version of Frau Kurtz had a sting to it. I sipped the last of my wine and leaned back lazily, letting the alcohol and food open my senses.

As I focused vaguely on the ceiling I realised that Uli was feeling nervous about the next few days. Hell, so was I, but her feelings were more complex; her shyness was real, but her brightness was partly bravado, and she was excited and apprehensive. Like any child three days before Christmas, I thought, and then remembered that she was actually an adult. Why did the whole household still regard her and Karl as children? Another faint feeling was drifting in the air, and when I concentrated it felt like envy. I glanced idly round and realised that it was coming from Trudi. She was looking at Uli, and behind the laughter and the sparkle I could sense a prickle of sexual jealousy. I unfocused my mind as I watched her, and felt her unspoken longing to be in Uli's shoes. I turned the new information over. Temptation is a terrible thing. Now wasn't the time, but perhaps she'd like English lessons one day.

The next morning I was out of the house bright and early. I had shooed Uli off to bed after supper and told her to be prepared for a busier time than she expected, then refused to answer any more questions. As I slipped down the pavement, scuffing through the snow that had fallen in the night, I ran through my shopping list.

The taxi I'd been forced to hire dropped me back at the house in mid afternoon. All was quiet and I wasn't disturbed as I hauled my purchases up the stairs and hid them in my room. It took two trips and I was sweating freely by the time I'd finished. I pushed the parcels under the bed and headed for the shower, tugging my clothes off as I went. Nothing beats hot water and soap after a cold day's shopping. I let the spray rinse me off and wondered what the next week had in store. Whatever happened, I thought, it would be Uli who set the pace. She had come a long way in a short time and I wasn't going to be the one who set her back. Feeling virtuous I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.

I wandered back into my room rubbing my hair vigorously. There was a startled gasp and I pulled the towel away from my head. Uli was standing in the doorway, her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were riveted to my prick and I quickly slipped the towel round my waist.

'I'm sorry, Uli, I must have left the door open.' Her cheeks were red, but she managed to nod.

'I thought you were asleep. I knocked, but there was no reply... '

'I won't be embarrassed if you're not, but promise me you won't tell anyone. Flashing your students is against the teachers' rule book.' She managed to smile.

'I didn't mean to stare, it's just that I've never seen one so... ' Her voice tailed off again.

'Uli, don't worry. We're going to be here for a fortnight and I'm not going to go round locking doors behind me. Now then, what did you want?' She made a visible effort to talk normally.

'Frau Kurtz left to catch her train. She looked furious with everything and hardly said good bye, even to cook. And cook and Trudi went shopping and I knew you'd gone out too. I just wondered if you'd come back.' I adjusted my towel.

'Go and sit in the classroom for two minutes while I dress and I'll show you some of what I bought.' She stopped in the doorway.

'You're not cross, are you?' I shook my head.

'Don't be daft. When I'm cross you'll definitely notice. It doesn't happen very often. That was just one of those things that you laugh about later.' She looked happier.

Ten minutes later we were kneeling on the floor looking at my swag. She sat back on her heels and looked at me.

'A little tree, some candles and things, silly hats, presents for cook and Trudi, other stuff that you won't show me. Are all the English like this at Christmas?'

'Only the good ones.'

That evening we ate in the kitchen again. Cook had surpassed herself and by the time the meal was over I was in a seriously overfull state. Uli had boldly collected two bottles of good wine from the cellar and plonked them on the table with a flourish. The bottles were empty now and the two girls were at the giggly stage. I cleared my throat and spoke in my best German.