The Substitute - Book 2

Things around here had been a bit slow so nothing like a preview of The Substitute-Book II to get rid of the summer sluggishness.
Of course, the following chapter has not been betaed (and certainly needs Stacey's proficient hand, but she is very busy with The Substitute-Book I)
Before you ask. Yes, The Substitute 2 is doing fine but it still needs a lot of work. When will it be ready? I don't know. Maybe -with lots of luck- around December or January.
In a shameless self promotion effort, let me say that "Into the Lion's Den" is now available in Kindle. The price is higher than at Lulu's? Amazon has much higher hosting costs than Lulu -and probably want a bigger share of the cake-.

Chapter 1

September 12^th, 2008

Buckling two little bundles of energy was a difficult task, no matter how simple it looked for the untrained eye. Milan Mihailovic had given up long time ago to fight with the four and a half years old sons of his employer, Konrad von Lintorff, Duke of Wittosck. For the Serb bodyguard, it was much easier to leave the task to the boys' tutor and dedicate all his efforts to keep one child inside the car, while the twenty-five year old man wrestled to get the eldest -the most problematic case- sat and quiet while he fastened the seat belt. Only a whispered “Klaus, the more you waste your time, the later you'll get your tea,” accompanied by an accomplice smile, convinced the child to remain still and let the young light brown haired young man finish the task.

“Are we going to the forest today, Guntram?” Klaus asked.

“Depends on your homework. We have to read together, Klaus and Karl has to finish that collage for Monday,” Guntram said softly as he caressed the child's face and did his best to ignore the boy's pouting at the mention of the abhorred homework.

“It's Friday,” whined Karl Maria, the second child and twin brother of Klaus Maria, while he shook his very blond head.

“If we finish homework today, we will have the weekend free. Your father told me this morning that he has a surprise for you,” Guntram said and both boys' faces brimmed with happiness and excitement, asking what was it about.

“I have no idea. He was quite mysterious this morning.” Guntram smiled, remembering how his lover had almost choked him with his ravaged kisses at 5 a.m. and frenzy love making. 'I know who's going to give me my next heart attack,' Guntram thought briefly. “He only told me that it's something you have never seen before,” he explained to the quiet boys.

“What is it? A rocket?”

“No, nothing so big and I don't know. Honestly,” Guntram answered and finished to buckle the second child. “It's also a surprise for me, it seems because your father only told me, 'bring the boy's texts'.”

Milan chuckled softly when he heard the boys loud laments at the mention of the books. 'Typical from the Duke. If he gives something with the right hand, he takes it away with the left. You'd better learn it, unless you're Guntram, who can keep his Excellency at bay when it suits him. It's a pity that now that they have sorted out their differences, the Duke does as he pleases again because Guntram is in one of his “blind love” phases and he supports each one of his decisions. Who am I kidding? The Duke does as he pleases with or without Guntram's consent. We are the ones who suffer his bad mood when the boy shouts with him because he has done something nasty.'

Milan took the highway to the airport and Guntram was surprised by the change of route. “I hope the journey is less than 20 minutes because these two gentlemen are waiting for their tea time,” he told the Serb, focused on the driving.

“The stewardess will give them something. She learned well her lesson and has muffins this time.”

“I see,” laughed Guntram, evoking the memory of the last time he had brought the children aboard his father's private jet... and the subsequent greasy fingerprints all over the plane and crumbles. “Do you want to bet if there are plastic cover seats?”

“No, Guntram, that's easy money for you,” Milan chuckled. “The Duke spoke long with Ratko, a few days ago as he has three children, asking him how he keeps this car clean.”

“No cookies” “No sodas” “No chocolates,” the boys recited in no time, interrupting the conversation they have been carefully snooping.

“And no lollipops or candies. If I ever see chewing gum near the car, you take the school bus,” Guntram finished the decalogue for the “well mannered young prince in the car and his relationship with his security personnel”. “I thought the Duke had already learned that by now.”

“Ratko made a colourful description on what a toddler can do to your bespoken jacket and his Excellency had several proofs over the past months,” chuckled Milan. “Goran asked me to tell you that he got rid of the package today. Too bad you go away because we are going out to celebrate it without him. He wants to go to bed early.”

The words “got rid of the package,” drove Guntram very nervous as he was well aware of the head of security methods to dispose of threats or nuisances to the Order. A couple of young, recently married, traders from UBS was not fitting in any of those categories, but keeping the Summus Marescalus of one of the most powerful and secret organizations in the world sleepless, was a serious offence. The young couple had laughed shamelessly at his face when Goran had complained five weeks ago, much to Guntram's horror.

Contrary to the popular belief, Goran “fixed the problem” in peaceful and civilized way; first the young Americans had a visit of the local police for being noisy at 1 a.m. and the police found some marijuana in their flat. They swore it didn't belong to them, but they had to accompany the police officers to the police station. Two days later, the couple was released without charges, but with a serious warning.

Instead of taking the normal and sensible course of action, the Americans decided to throw one party after the other and Goran's lack of sleep was trying everybody's patience as he was more impossible to deal with than ever before. He was not going to relinquish his territory: that was very clear for him.

Finally, Goran bought the flat two weeks ago, and evicted the rowdy young couple, offering a compensation of 20.000 Francs if they left the flat in less than ten days.

“The yuppies moved out yesterday, Guntram. Goran told them he was planning a party with General Kalashnikov. The idiots didn't believe it and their dog went to the south for holidays.”

Guntram paled at the last sentence and quickly checked if the children had heard it, but they were busy exchanging trading cards from the Sendung mit der Maus with each other.

“Please Milan, not now,” he whispered.

“Nothing happened. The yuppies left yesterday and the flat is in perfect conditions. Goran hasn't lost his touch. For a second, we all thought that he was getting softer, but it's as he tells; “an operation would cost me over a hundred and this is only twenty, but I don't think they'll ever cash that check.”

“Did he buy a flat to get rid of some people?”

“Exactly. It needs a painting job. Great view over the lake.”

“I'm glad everything went well,” Guntram whispered, knowing that only a dog down was a small price to pay compared to the stories around the Serb, known as the Master Executioner -according to the late Constantin Repin-. Guntram still couldn't believe the story of Konrad beheading five men for treason. 'Russians have crazy imaginations. My Konrad is violent, I know, but he wouldn't do something like this! It's just too barbaric!'

The black Audi Q7 parked in the airport's private area, near the jet's nose and the boys ran to the engines to make a close inspection of them, while Marie, the stewardess did her best to look professional and bear the required complimentary smile.

Guntram noticed that Konrad's car had not yet arrived and there was no one from the bank around. He called the boys and they ran back to him and climbed the stairs up, excited to be in their father's plane once more, after Guntram had given them a long lecture on how to behave inside planes. True to their word, the boys behaved like two young gentlemen in the flight back from Vienna, drawing or playing with some cars over the mahogany table.

“Hello, Marie,” Guntram said and the children jumped on her, crumbling her pristine uniform.

“How do you do, Sir. It's a short flight today and I have prepared a small refreshment for the princes.”

“Thank you, Marie,” Guntram entered in the plane and he guessed almost immediately Klaus' intentions of jumping on top of his father's chair, so he coughed lightly and the boy stop dead on his tracks. “Remember what I told you. No savagery this time,” he warned them and returned his attention to the woman. “When do we take off?”

“In two hours time. At 7 p.m., sir,” she answered kindly while she extended a large white tablecloth over one of the tables -no the Duke's favourite one- “Excuse me, please. I have to serve the food.”

“Go and help Marie, boys,” Guntram said to her astonishment, but Marie bravely showed the kitchen to the children and started to explain them how the gullets were used for storage and the coffee machine.

“If you ever get the boss to do that, I'll marry you,” Milan chuckled, seeing the boys behaving very well and listening attentively to all what she was telling them.

“I thought you were the last golden single man of the pack,” Guntram laughed back.

“No, I've been replaced by Mirko. I'm the spinster now. So it happens, Guntram. Even Holgersen got a girlfriend in the internet.”

“Yes, indeed.” Guntram replied and watched how the boys set the glasses and dishes with sandwiches and croissants. 'Not even muffins for them,' he thought very amused. The boys waited for Marie to serve them a glass of milk and ate in silence while Guntram searched for his mobile phone in his jacket. He dialled Goran's number and the Serb answered after the second ring as usual.

“Hello, little brother. Are you in the plane now?”

“Hello, Goran. How do you know? Right, don't tell me. Stupid me. Milan told me that you got rid of the bugs in your flat.”

“Just before I had to call the pest controller. I'll sleep much better.”

“I'm glad for you. Tell me if you need some paintings for the walls.”

“Little brother, get your own storage place,” Goran answered in good humour.

“Hey, I'm a respected artist! A published one even!” Guntram laughed, secretly happy that the brooding Serb had recovered his dry sense of humour.

“Tell your manager to get you an exhibition hall because you're not going to use my new walls to organise one,” Goran laughed, something that happened very rarely.

“You just got me there. Sleep well before the construction workers invade you.”

“I need some time to recover before I have a hammer concert on top of my head. Three nights at the Opera or in a concert to cast away that dreadful music made by low-class gangsters from my mind.”

“They're called rappers, Goran.”

“I just don't get how people allegedly attending to good Universities need to feel identified by some poor glue sniffers. This is not folklore or even pop music! It's simple vulgarity disguised as “cool” by a thousand dollars champagne bottle!”

“Did you just say “cool”, Goran?” asked a very shocked Guntram.

“Yes, it's contagious. I'll go home and open a Facebook account and one in Twitter too.”

Still chuckling, Guntram hung up and checked that his young charges were still being nice. 'Stomachs full, time to make the homework and be free tomorrow,' he thought before checking the boys' agendas. After a minor fight with Klaus, Guntram had them sitting peacefully and tearing pieces of paper to make small balls to glue to the contours of the letters “M”; “P” and “T”, so completely engulfed in their task, that the brothers missed their father's arrival.

Konrad stood at the entrance -unnoticed by Guntram, more focused than the boys in drawing some reading cards-, and contemplated the domestic scene he had yearned for so long to participate, but he had been denied because of his own foolishness and Guntram's stubbornness. He removed his jacket and tie and gave them to Marie, silently standing behind him, with a “serve dinner when we reach cruising altitude.” The stewardess left the cabin and closed the curtain as Konrad advanced in silence, willing to keep the magical air for as long as possible.

'I almost lost him in Paris. Repin would have stolen my Guntram had it not been for the distraction his wife created. Getting rid of that slug was the best thing ever. My boys couldn't have found someone better than my kitten and I couldn't have had them without him. He's my life.”

Still unnoticed, Konrad crouched next to Guntram's large seat -the young man was concentrated on the final touches of the BEAR- and noticed his two little devils containing their laughter and pretending to be busy. 'They behave like normal children again. Thank God'- and kissed deeply his love on the lips, almost making him shout at the unexpected attack.

“Konrad, the children!” Guntram whispered, blushing violently as he did every time the banker was kissing him with so much ardour in front of the boys.

“Does it pose a problem for you young men?” Konrad asked his children seriously, stifling their giggles and looking at the scene with great interest.

“No, it doesn't,” Karl said nonchalantly, but glad that Guntram and papa had finally decided to be friends again.

“Guntram is mine,” a very jealous Klaus grunted, looking at his father defiantly.

“Young man, when you're older, you can try your luck and get one of your own,” Konrad answered with a superior smile. “Guntram is mine.”

“No, he takes care of me,” the boy sternly clarified to his father. “Karl, you can keep papa if you want,” he added for his brother.

“Fine,” the child shrugged and both men laughed at their faces.

“It seems you're not the hottest stock in the room any longer,” Guntram joked.

“Clever boys,” Konrad chuckled and kissed his lover again, enjoying how shy Guntram turned at the smallest show of affection he got in front of people. 'We live together since 2002 and he still blushes if I look at him.' and chuckled again at the 'Konrad!' slurred against his lips. “What? Is good for them if they see we have a sound relationship,” he answered, looking like the picture of abashed innocence. Guntram preferred to keep himself quiet while the other man took the seat on the opposite side.

“Are you going to tell us where we're going?”

“It's nearby. There's a huge Dinosaurs exhibition again, Giants from Argentina or something like that with the largest dinosaur in the world. Unique pieces and the boys should take a look at them before they return to the Pampas.”

“Most dinosaurs come from Patagonia, not the Pampa. Where is it?”

“Frankfurt. We will stay at my house there. Mrs. Rosenkrantz will take care of the boys. Once you have finished your homework and dinner, you can watch a video,” Konrad said, getting a DVD from his portfolio: “Bibliothek der Sachsgeschigsten: Autobau.”

Once the boys gulped their dinners in their haste to watch the film, Konrad sent them to sit in the aisle of four seats and allowed them to watch the film, while he dined more relaxed, sitting next to Guntram, enjoying when the boy leaned his head against his shoulder, looking for some cuddling and comfort.

* * *

Guntram de Lisle's Diary.

September 15^th Monday.

Fulda

When will I learn that Konrad von Lintorff has always something hidden up his sleeve? His “your inattention is what makes you so cute” phrase-compliment (?) makes me want to strangle or kiss him. I still don't know.

Once more, I've been moved and forced to take holidays for a full week and no one bothered to ask me if I had free time. Had it not been such a wonderful idea, I would have been shouting with Konrad for a long time. I'm in a hotel-farm near Fulda now, in the middle of a natural park and we're supposed to stay here till Sunday afternoon when we will return from Frankfurt to Zurich. “We need to do this, Guntram. We were apart for a long time.”

Friday night, we arrived to Frankfurt and the boys went straight to bed, too tired to fight with the “surrogate” nanny -and I don't think this woman would take any crap from them- and slept the whole night long in their shared bedroom. Fortunately, Carolin, their nanny didn't forget to pack their stuffed animals; Karl's ant bear and Klaus' teddy bear and that compensated the fact that they were sent to an “adults guest room” and had to share a large double bed.

The boys don't believe this house belongs to their father; there's no children's room like in Zurich, London, Rome, Sylt or Buenos Aires. It's a turn of the century villa in Frankfurt, near Kennedy Allee and I'm still surprised how can you still own such a large places, surrounded with trees and quiet, less than 10 minutes away from the main financial area. It's just across the river, so to speak. I was shocked by the frenzy pulse of the city. I mean, I saw all those skyscrapers from the distance and when we were crossing the bridge, but it's really impressive once you're in.

Konrad has an office, well not really “an office”, think more of “a building” near the ECB and the Commerzbank (all pals together!) in Taunusstrasse. It was very funny for me to find that not even 100 metres away from the “klein Manhatten” is the red light district and they work on Monday mornings. “Wow, the hot girls and the bankers together! Is there no risk of mistakes?” I asked him with a dork face when we were driving to his office.

“No, the prostitutes' fares are cheaper than ours,” he answered me with great dignity and I laughed with all my heart. “This is because of the main train station's proximity.”

“Really? Because in Buenos Aires is the same. Hot girls and hot stocks living in peace and harmony.”

“It has its uses,” he told me and ignored me because his mobile rang. Guess, Monday mornings are also the bankers' working days.

The car left us in front of his building; belongs to him, but only uses the six upper floors for his business -it has wonderful views of the city- and the rest is rented to some of his friends or associates. To my surprise, it was modernly decorated, with good paintings and “modern”: we reached the XX century up to 1945!! “I have to put “these” things somewhere and I can't stuff the house in Manhattan any more” (???) he told me when I asked him about a small and very early Miró drawing of a woman in his office. “I'll tell the secretary to show you around as I have a meeting in 10 minutes.”

The employees run here exactly as they do in London or Zurich and I got the “Consort treatment” from many of them. I briefly saw Ferdinand. At 12:30 was the “Duke's feeding time” and Konrad just grabbed me to go for lunch. As it was sunny, he told me we could walk to the Something Frankfurter Hof, a hotel where he normally has lunch when he is in the city. It was a huge shock to see him speaking to the newsboy -well a man past his 80's, who had a news stand on the square where the ECB stands-. He spoke for some minutes with him and I couldn't understand a single word and the spoken language seemed to be German.

“He has been selling newspapers to my father since 1974 and to the bank,” Konrad explained me.

“I couldn't tell a word of what you were speaking. Perhaps I should return to school.”

“It's a dialect, old Frankish, no one speaks it any longer. It comes from the Darmstadt area. My father learned during the war because this man and he were comrades in Stalingrad. His family had a farm and moved to Frankfurt in the 70's. My father learned the dialect in the trenches and taught me some. We were always speaking it when we had to discuss personal or sensitive matters.”

“I had no idea your father served in the war.”

“Yes, he went to Russia and returned alive and almost unscathed. He was one of the last soldiers to leave Berlin. Surrendering to the Russians was a hard blow for his pride, even if he was nothing more than a lieutenant in the regular army. Our lands in Mecklenburg were seized by the Russians and our castle bombed. At least, we were able to get all the artworks and send them to Switzerland before the war started. After the war, my grandfather moved to Vaduz and lived there, reconstructing all that was destroyed. He relaunched the Order and made its rules more flexible. My father married and moved to Zurich with my mother, although she wanted to remain in Liechtenstein or go to Vienna.”

“Friederich told me it was very hard for you.”

“For both of us, kitten. Arranged marriages are not a good solution. My parents barely tolerated each other and after having my brother, my mother didn't want more children. It took seven years for me to come and when I did, for some reason she despised me since the first day. I did my best to please her, but nothing was good enough. When my brother passed away, she hated me more than ever before. It wasn't really my fault. I was not even there.”

“It was an accident and you have to understand her. You don't know how you would react if you lose a child. I don't know too.”

“You're too kind to her, but I will never resume contact with that woman. She's dead to me. Elisabetta was like a real mother to me. You and the boys are my family now.”

“You're my family too,” I whispered just before we entered in the hotel and went in a straight line to the restaurant, where his table was already set for five people.

We had lunch with other three bankers -I remember Ralf and Dieter from past dinners and the other was new- As usual I kept my mouth shut while they were discussing Greece's financial problems and how convenient it would be to withdraw from the country. I saw Heindrik Holgersen sitting in a table nearby and just when I was thinking that he had been stuck with the baby sitting job again, two industrials I know, sat at his table and started to do business with him. Guess, the prince -the guys call him like that at his back- is in the big leagues now. Coming to think, since a year or two, I don't see him around and he has an office at the bank in Zurich. Constantin told me once that “Holgersen is Lintorff's favourite lap dog; in training to become Councillor or Magnus Commendator even.” I learned more about the Order's internal organization in a week with Constantin than in seven years with Konrad. In theory, the Consort is the highest councillor of the Seven Magnificent; Ferdinand, Goran, Michael, Adolf zu Löwenstein, Albert, grandpa Alrik Wallenberg, and Georg von Lintorff (I never met him, he's Konrad's cousin, brother of Gertrud and they don't like each other) I can nullify any order Konrad's gives -figures!!!- if only he would have granted me the power to sit in the Council. Sure thing, I, Guntram, the alien, de Lisle sitting there. No way in Hell. I'm very glad to be the Tutor (that's the Consort's main occupation) and nothing else. My candidacy as Consort was even voted! They're crazy, all of them crazy, but I have to put my best face and do my best for Klaus and Karl.

I was glad that lunch didn't last for too long and much more when I saw a “normal” Mercedes waiting for us at the entrance. I noticed the chauffeur gave the keys to Konrad and disappeared. “Can I drive?” I asked.

“No, I want to reach my sixties,” he answered me with a grin.

“Come on, it's just back to the house. I can't do much damage.”

“I AM driving you to Fulda. Highway,” he clarified and took the driver's seat.

“Just one pot of flowers down and I'm labelled as the most dangerous driver in the whole Switzerland,” I huffed, taking the passenger's seat because I had no idea what Fulda was or where it was and I didn't want to take the bus. Right, Guntram, as if Konrad would ever let you alone in the bus.

“Yes, I've heard the story. The daisies jumped under your wheels. I had no idea flowers could commit suicide till 2007.”

“Why do you have rear view mirrors and add a back camera on top? It confuses anyone!”

“The idea behind parking assistance devices is to protect poor wild flowers from dangerous people like you. I'm still considering to implement a valet parking service at home,” he chuckled and stopped at a red light. Bastard, how can he stop the car exactly before the white stripes? I can't! Either I'm too far away or I'm on top of them. Life is so unfair.

“You didn't complain so much back in 2007,” I growled.

“No, I only ordered someone to drive you around. A chauffeur will be always cheaper than your insurance policy.”

Ha, ha. Konrad can be so funny!

While we drove in silence, I wondered myself how had we come to this. On Saturday we were in this large Dinosaurs' exhibition and the boys were overwhelmed by the monster size of the bones. I was also. I'll watch Jurassic Park with much more respect in the future. One of the things, the Argentinosaurus, was 35 metres long and I'm glad they only found one of his vertebrae. We arrived there early in the morning and stayed for two hours, till the boys had enough and Konrad decided to take them to the zoo. When we were driving there, someone phoned him and I and the boys were dropped at the zoo's gate, with Mirko Bregovic, my new bodyguard as Milan and Ratko are “back in their original positions”. He's Goran's third cousin if I understood correctly, related to the great Mladic Pavicevic, Goran's uncle and former Summus Marescalus. The guy must be as old as the former prince Löwenstein, but all of the men fear him still. He lives in Italy, in Como and I spoke with him once and he called me “Lord Consort” and I was not older than 22!

Anyway, Mirko looks very similar to Goran, but he's around 33 years old. A bit taller and lankier, but with the same dangerous silence around him. He's quieter than Ratko, and that's a lot to say. We walked around the zoo with the children and they loved the Night House with the nocturnal creatures. I also liked it a lot and Mirko was very unhappy to be in a dark, enclosed place, full of people. We had a late lunch in an open cafeteria -honestly I can't imagine Konrad standing in line with the “populace” to get a sausage and some fries but Mirko and the boys had no problems at all- We sat in a table under the trees and the children only minded their food.

“Are you my new baby sitter?” I asked him.

“Yes, I protect the Lord Consort,” he told me gravely.

“Never call me like that, I'm Guntram or De Lisle. Nothing else.”

“As you wish, sir.”

“Milan and Ratko are released?”

“The original threat has been removed so they can return to their former duties. I'm an Executioner as them, too. I will fulfil my duties towards you. My life is devoted to the Consort,” he said seriously and I didn't want to know what the word “Executioner” means.

“Do you work with Holgersen, like Larsen or Hartick?”

“No, they are normal security people. We are above them. We're part of the Order like Holgersen is. I've seen several of your paintings and you seem to really follow our Lord's ways. We're very pleased of that. You're worth of your title and rank, sir.”

And that was it. The guy had introduced himself and spoken his mind in the middle of a crowded park with two children eating ice cream with apple cake in front of him.

Great, I got someone sounding as if he were coming out from the Spanish Inquisition and I'm supposed to live with that.

“Why are we driving to Fulda?” I asked Konrad when we were entering the highway.

“I have a wedding there.”

“A wedding? On a Tuesday?”

“No, next Saturday.”

“That's in a week!”

“I decided to take holidays. I saw the photos of the place and thought it would be good for you to see from where the Guttenberg Sachsen come. I even spoke with the patriarch, Udo. He's more than willing to meet you and suggests that we have lunch with him next Wednesday at one and spend the afternoon with him. He tells me that Gerhard Guttenberg Sachsen will be there as he has returned from Africa. He was a cousin of your father. Perhaps you would like to meet him. He's a nice man. I have a good memory of him.”

I was overwhelmed and speechless. “I don't know if this is a good idea. The Guttenberg Sachsen never cared about me and I never used the name. They never answered any of the letters my lawyer in Argentina sent them.”

“That's very strange, Guntram because Udo told me he never heard about you till 2004. He didn't write to you because you were not using the name or showed any interest to meet them. They're quite well known in the south of Germany. He was very surprised that you had never attempted to establish any kind of contact with them after you were named Consort. He nearly had a heart attack when I phoned him,” Konrad chuckled at the last sentence.

“Why did you do it? I don't want to see them!”

“You have to meet your family and they want to see you too. You're a Guttenberg Sachsen by birthright.”

“No, I'm not! I'm a de Lisle and I will appreciate if in the future you keep your meddling to yourself.”

“That was rude, Guntram.” He sounded truly offended.

“I don't want to meet them!”

“Why not? You look like one of them. They're a nice family. A bit bohemian for my taste, but they have provided good consorts to many houses. Their wines are good too and Würzburg is a beautiful city.”

“How am I supposed to meet several strangers that never cared about me?”

“They do care about you. For some strange reason, they never knew where you were all these years. I asked them about you several times and they were clueless! I believe Udo Guttenberg Sachsen's word. He was surprised that I called him and asked for a meeting. His family is also linked to mine.”

I decided to ignore him because I was about to explode while he drove on the highway direction Würzburg. On Sunday, we were in Mass and just like that he dispatched -yes no other better word- the boys back to Zurich in the plane, without telling me a thing or asking for my opinion!

Poor dears, I think they were so sad to leave me. The memory of last June-July's events is still fresh in their mind! What did Konrad tell me when I realised that my children had been taken away?

“Don't worry, Friederich put everything valuable away and the house insurance is paid if they have a tantrum. They can survive a full week without you, Guntram. We need to be some time alone. You and I, without them around, so we can reconnect again as a couple, not only as parents. Since they were born, I have not been a single day alone with you. They have jumped on top of you for the past month. Now it's my turn to do so.”

I left the room before I would tell him something horrible. He came to me an hour later and said. “Do you want to go to the Archaeological Museum? It's very nice and we can walk around and have dinner in the city.”

I looked at him astonished. I opened my mouth to tell him to go to hell, but he added “please,” and my fury vanished like ice under the sun.

“All right, I'll get my jacket,” I sighed and closed the big sketch pad where I was working. He drove to the Museum and left the car near the river. We visited it -and my anger, vanished as there was an exhibition about golden treasures from Samarkand and I got lost in their designs. We had coffee there and he asked me about my projects with Ostermann. I was surprised at his question.

“Not much,” I shrugged, holding tight the styrofoam cup. “Ostermann wants to publish the second volume of children's stories for this Christmas and then, work in another of Opera's scripts, like “Tristan und Iseult” or “Das Niebelungenlied,” I don't know still. It looks too German for me.

“What about your painting?”

“I'm working on several ideas I had. Andreas Volcker wants to make another exhibition with my things and then, send it to Paris and New York, but we haven't spoken about numbers. Will it be a problem for you?”

“No, of course not,” Konrad said nonchalantly, feigning disinterest.

“Why are you still jealous of him? We never had anything going on!”

“Your jealousy is also volcanic, kitten,” he laughed.

“I have many reasons,” I growled, but I finally laughed too.

We walked around the city and the river, spent some hours in a large library where he almost jumped into the History Section, glad to be able to look at the books he was going to buy. I guess he's tired of ordering over the internet. He never has time for himself and his agenda is simply crazy. I'm glad I have a good relationship with Monika so she gets me an interview now and then. We had dinner in a normal place and returned home.

It was strange to be alone with him on our own. Strange but strangely sexy. Now I understand why most couples depend so much on grandparents to survive. Even if we live in a more than 3.100 square metres house, I'm always alert if the boys have a nightmare or run a fever. Even if the children are on the other side of the house, I'm always trying to as quiet as a mouse when I was with Konrad. Now, they were away and we were alone.

All to ourselves in a long time. Since 2003.

I watched him, sitting comfortably in his large sofa in the master bedroom and drinking his cognac while checking his new books, like a child with a new toy and frowning just a bit. I found him so endearing and adorable, the fine wrinkles around his eyes giving him a distinguished air. The years had been great to him, I mean, he looks much better than when I met him in Venice. Maybe it's just because I love him. How can he tell or think that I will run after some other? He's just crazy for that. I would never find someone exactly like him! Konrad's drives me crazy, that's for sure, but I only want to be at his side till my last breath.

I left the bed and crouched next to him and caressed his forearm lovingly, admiring his ice blue eyes that can be so terrifying and soft at the same time. He carried on with his reading and I remained there. Some time later, he closed the book with a thud and looked at me curiously; “something wrong?” he asked me and I smiled.

“I love you very much. I want to stay with you till the end.”

He looked at me shocked and blushed, yes, he blushed and mumbled; “you're my life, Maus, and I only ask God that we can be together till the end and afterwards. I do not fear Hell, I fear to spend the eternity without you, Guntram.”

“Will this work again?”

“I'm more than willing to try, Maus. This is why we need to be together again. You and I. My love is for better or worse times. It never faltered.”

“I loved you even if I should have hated you and I hated myself for it,” I confessed.

“I should have been forthcoming since the beginning. I gave you every reason to hate me. I'm sorry if I took the boys away from you. I swear to God that I will never do that again.”

“I did many things to you. You lied to me, but I bought all your lies too. I lie to myself when things don't go fine. I wanted to punish you and now I realise that I pushed you to your limits.”

“I also did. I begged you to stop the wedding and you turned your back on me.”

“I was furious and hurt. I only wanted you to go away so I could start anew. I wanted to leave but I couldn't and it wasn't because of the children. Alexei told me once that if I was not eating, I should let the others do and he was right.”

“We can start again and this time share the dish.”

“Yes, I would love to do that,” I said, getting lost into his eyes. “I love you despite all.” I rose from the floor and sat on his lap to kiss him better and he returned my kisses with much more ardour than I ever had, crushing my ribs with his fierce embrace. I protested a bit when I felt him rising from the sofa scooping me in his arms as if I weighted nothing or were a girl, but he only said “let me do it please,” and I let him play the medieval knight.

He fell on top of me on top of the bed and devoured my mouth and bit my neck several times and I returned his kisses with the same fever that was roaming all over us. He tore my clothes off and I think I broke one of his sleeves in my anxiety to get him naked. It's just amazing how he needs to do nothing to drive me absolutely mad with desire.

I cried in wonderful agony when he penetrated me and let him take over as it's an incredible feeling to have someone so powerful as he is, rendered mad at you, caring for every little thing you do and doing his best to make me happy or caring that I'm fine. I simply love when he pulls the covers around me almost immediately after we have our climax.

We laid spent for a long time, recovering from the stress of the exercise, and I felt filled with happiness and love for him. I buried my face in his chest and he chuckled holding me stronger than before. We fell asleep embraced and I knew I was very blessed for having him in my life.

Although it gives me a bad feeling to leave the boys behind for a full week, Konrad is right that we need to reconnect with each other. We arrived to Fulda, after three hours driving and he didn't stop in the city but went to a small hotel-farm away from it. The signs to find it were not very easy to follow, but we managed to find it in the middle of the Natural Park it's located. It's an old farm transformed into a hotel (3 stars only!!) that I like very much. Nothing posh and luxurious, but very beautiful and austere. Konrad knows me well and he knows that I prefer a hundred times to be in a place like this than at any of those uptight places with butler and everything.

I mean, he rented the place all for ourselves -plus several bodyguards- and left the owner to keep the reservations he had for the wedding we are invited. The place is surrounded by forests and practically nobody comes here. People mostly come during the summer holidays and then, the hotel owners survive on weddings or celebrations. The menu is what you get in the market -incredible mushrooms soup and meat today, nothing fancy-. I assume the nice rabbits we saw will be in the menu at some point and the hens provide the eggs. They have three very old horses and two small Shetland ponies for the children.

We arrived today at six p.m. and the security personnel was already here with Mirko in charge of everything and very concerned because they have to use the hotel's internet connection and not their own. (no signal: it's really far away in nature) Konrad almost had a fit when his mobile said “no signal” -worldwide coverage is not as big as you might believe- but decided that if something bad was going on, they could phone him the traditional way. He was living without a mobile phone till mid 90's and things were done. It was very funny to see his shocked expression.

We had dinner at the restaurant -at 7:30!- where was a very old couple with his children celebrating their 50^th Anniversary and having the famous wild mushrooms, but in a sauce with semmelknödel. Konrad tells me this is very Bavarian dish. That was smelling really good and I wouldn't mind to “reconnect” with my own diluted German roots just to try them out. Würzburg is in Bavaria, right?

I was glad to be surrounded by “normal people” -not bankers or industry tycoons or politicians- hearing their talks or just watching them. Konrad was speaking long with the hotel owner, about economics and took it quite well when the man ranted about the bankers and politicians. The summer season had been very slow and the man didn't know from where else to cut some more in order to reduce his rates. They spoke for some time and Konrad behaved much better than as he normally behaves when he's around his own kind. Perhaps he didn't feel that the man was after getting something from him.

We went to our rooms: two interconnected suites; I guess it's too much for these people to have two men sleeping together. Fifteen minutes later after I started to write this, Konrad moved in with book and everything to my room.

* * *

September 16^th

Tuesday

This morning we went for a walk in the forest, alone, without any of the bodyguards -too busy eating at the restaurant, the food is really good-. We wandered for a long time in silence, just holding hands. We were in peace and we liked the silence. In a way, it was exactly like when we were in Florence, discovering each other and we almost not spoke at all, just looking at each other.

We had lunch at the hotel and there was a convention of some local dairy company and Konrad did his best to keep a low profile, taking the farthest table in the place.

In the afternoon, we visited Fulda, walked around and visited the Cathedral and a Romanesque church Konrad was very interested to see. We had coffee in a small restaurant in front of the Residenz and I truly enjoyed his conversation like I used to do so many years ago. Perhaps we didn't change so much as I believe and deep inside us, we're still the boy looking at him in awe and he's the big bear trying to hide his shyness behind a mask of self sufficiency. He caught me smiling softly at him in the middle of a lecture about Romanesque arches.

“I never imagined architecture could be funny.”

“It's not. You're funny.”

“I?” He really sounded surprised.

“Yes, you. Do you always seduce your dates with a history lesson?”

“Normally my name and a good bottle were enough to get me where I wanted to be, Guntram,” he said a bit upset.

“Strange because the first time I thought how handsome you were was in the middle of a lecture about the Venetian trade routes, just like now,” I smiled and he looked at me shocked.

“I thought you said that I behaved like an idiot.”

“That was part of your charm too.”

“I was almost dying of nerves, afraid to said something stupid. I had no idea what you tell to a twenty years old.”

“So you gave me a history lesson?” I chuckled because the idea simply sounded ridiculous.

“It seems to have worked fine as you still remember it.” He told me with great dignity and I laughed with all my heart.

“Never change, Konrad. You're priceless. You're also not from this world.”

“You too: you're a gift from God.”

I was rendered speechless at his words and blushed like a teenager. He smiled at me and lightly patted my hand.

I guess these holidays are a good idea after all. Tomorrow we visit the famous Guttenberg Sachsen; Europe's greatest providers of non troublesome princes and princesses.