The Toymaster's Castle

Chapter Forty-Six - Reprisal Raid

The room fell completely silent and Daniel hurried over to demand his report.

"Party of about twenty moving in along the south road," Sarge said. "They are all in uniform and it looks like they all have some sort of military training. I'm guessing it's a reprisal raid."

"What's your plan?"

"Catch them in an ambush and eliminate them."

I hesitated for a moment. I mean... I wasn't exactly sure whether it was my place to say anything but, in the end, the champagne persuaded me that I might as well go for it. "Would it be possible to capture some of them?" I suggested. "If we can do some very careful questioning, we might be able to work out which of them would be a valuable addition to our forces... particularly if we can offer to get their families out for them."

Sarge looked to Daniel. This was an officer level decision, well above his pay grade!

"If you can do so without significant risk to our men then let's go for it. We can always shoot them later, should it prove necessary."

And then I noticed that Megan was advancing nervously towards Sarge and I gave her an encouraging smile. So she sort of pulled her courage together then stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "Be careful, out there," she told him gently.

And he put his arms around her and held her for a moment. "I won't take any unnecessary risks," he promised. And they would have looked quite funny together with him being so enormous and her so tiny except the whole thing was so poignant it basically had me pretty close to tears.

Then Megan's mother appeared to guide her away. Sarge turned a brilliant red colour - I didn't even know that black guys could blush like that. But he did manage to look around at his boys to let them know that it would be an extremely bad idea for them to try to make anything of it!

And when everybody had finished saying their goodbyes, he led the lads from the room.

And that was basically the end of the party. I mean... a few people hung around for a while longer but you could tell their hearts weren't really in it.

And, when the last one of them had gone, I tried to help tidy up but Susan and Mary basically chucked me out so Daniel and I went up to the bridal suite that had been specially prepared.

There was a bottle of wine and some nibbly savoury biscuits waiting for us. Daniel opened the wine and I tried one of the biscuits.

"That dress is absolutely stunning, "he told me, "but I still prefer the sight of your naked body. Clothes off!"

So I undressed for him... slowly and provocatively... with Helen basically sitting on my shoulder, I suppose! Then I took a moment to hang that lovely dress up properly... there was no rush. We were married now and that meant forever and ever. I knew what he would want so I slipped gracefully into my punishment position. But I kept my eyes open.

So I could watch him as he moved towards me like a leopard stalking its prey. Then his hands were on me... no slaps, just rubbing gently, tenderly over my skin... down my back and over my breasts... teasing my nipples with his fingers... in small circles over my tummy and gradually working their way down until they were running over my elegant little triangle of hair... then tenderly rubbing me between the legs simultaneously from the front and rear.

That should have been wonderful but, somehow, my heart just wasn't in it. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and then told me to get into bed.

He joined me, bringing the glasses of wine and the biscuits. Tell me about it, he instructed me.

"What have I done?" I asked. "Have I sent our boys to their deaths?"

"You have done absolutely nothing. You advise. I decide. That is the way our relationship is going to work in both our public and private lives. Now you say it."