Fortune's Soldier
by Tanya Allan
It is September 1944, Jamie Cameron is a young British army officer trapped behind enemy lines at Arnhem in the Netherlands. Forced to hide in a cupboard as the Waffen SS wipe out his unit, he then has to make some hard decisions as to how best to evade the enemy and return to Allied lines. The problem is that only female attire is in the house in which he is hiding.

However, Jamie himself unwittingly holds a secret of which even he is unaware, which may help, or hinder his plans. Jamie ventures into a harsh world controlled by the SS who are being forced to retreat as the Allies press inexorably towards the Fatherland. Initially his disguise holds, but one young disillusioned German officer begins to take a particular interest in the young French ‘girl’. Posing as a French girl, Janine Chavanay, Jamie struggles to work as an interpreter for the SS, and even has to document British soldiers from his old unit. Fearful of exposure, his already complex life is further complicated when the German Officer falls in love with Janine.

As Janine’s body changes to come into line with her adopted gender, Janine ceases to see herself as Jamie, as a male, or really as British. All the edges become blurred, as she struggles to deal with her personal difficulties and the small matter of the Second World War. Pitched to fend for herself by the Germans, she faces an even greater task, to return to the Allied lines and meet her father. Will he come to terms with the loss of a son and the gain of a daughter?

It doesn’t help that he is Major General William Cameron.

 
 
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Author's Note:
 
This novel is set in the Second World War, and deals with certain issues on a personal level. The war and historical fact is simply a backdrop, and should be seen in that light.

It was never my intention to make excuses for, or in any way condone barbaric and brutal treatment of any people group by the Nazi regime. This story is of a small group of individuals who struggle with their own personal demons, while the world still turns. War turns people into victims or survivors. This story deals with a survivor.

Historically, I have attempted to set events as accurately as possible, and mention is made of a few actual key figures for the purposes of realism.

This is a work of fiction, so please treat it as such, and any similarities to persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental.
I am aware that certain events were unlikely due to factual, procedural or cultural standards of the era, but, hey, it’s just a story.

It is not my intention to pretend that this story is REAL, just REALISTIC.

For ease of reading, when a mix of other languages are spoken by the characters, italics will be used for short comments. Longer conversations will be in normal print The few times that German or French are actually written, there will be a translation available, or it will be so obvious as not need it.

Originally written in 2004, revised in 2008.
 
 
The Legal Stuff: Fortune's Soldier  ©2004, 2008 Tanya Allan

This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Any adaptation of the whole or part of the material for broadcast by radio, TV, or for stage plays or film, is the right of the author unless negotiated through legal contract. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited.
 
This work is fictitious, and any similarities to any persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental. Mention is made of persons in public life only for the purposes of realism, and for that reason alone. Certain licence is taken in respect of medical procedures, terms and conditions, and the author does not claim to be the fount of all knowledge.
 
The author accepts the right of the individual to hold his/her (or whatever) own political, religious and social views, and there is no intention to deliberately offend anyone. If you wish to take offence, that is your problem.
 
This is only a story, and it contains adult material, which includes sex and intimate descriptive details pertaining to genitalia. If this is likely to offend, then don’t read it.
 
 
Chapter 10
 
 
As January 1945 arrived and went, the Third Reich started to crumble. The last offensive, although doomed to failure, actually reduced the Germans’ ability to field any effective armour, and had the effect of hastening the end. Discoveries were made by all the advancing Allies that turned strong men into quivering wrecks. Camps so obscene, so evil and so utterly awful that never would men believe that there was any honour or compassion in Hitler’s evil empire.

As the armies in the west surrendered, and the whole infrastructure began to collapse, the Allies began squabbling over the spoils, despite the war not even being over, yet!

However, the Germans defending against the advancing Russians fought with a different ferocity. They feared the Russians with justifiable cause, and every German would rather the Americans or British would take Berlin rather than the Russians. However, agreements were reached, and it was agreed that the Russians were to enter Berlin first. The Russians had lost countless millions to Hitler’s invaders, and in a part of the war that sunk to new depths of brutality and barbarism, the Russians were not about to let the Germans get away with anything.

Janine was twenty in February, but she hadn’t seen Otto in many weeks. She celebrated her birthday alone, while doing her job. She knew Otto was safe, so that was all that really mattered. She was tired of the war, so tired. She found it all rather amusing, if it hadn’t been so sad. Last September she had thought herself male, and had been a second Lieutenant. Now she was six months older, a woman, having been a Lieutenant in the German SS Auxiliaries, and now was a Captain in the Free French Army.

She still wore her US issued kit, but with her new Captain’s insignia. She found it disconcerting to be saluted again, having got out of the practice.

In late March, she went to see Colonel Max Clifford, and requested some leave. However, he had other orders for her. She was due to attend a ceremony in Paris, where she was to receive medals from the Americans and the French. The British decided that they couldn’t justify anything, even though she was considered to be jolly pretty!

The whole POW handling system had to be revised and, as the end loomed, the focus became more on resettlement than detention. There was still a need to identify those responsible for the inhuman crimes against humanity, so specialised units were set up to undertake such tasks.

She was relieved of her current duties and, in the light of her history, she was given four weeks leave. On conclusion of that leave, she was to report to the POW resettlement team that was being set up in the event of the anticipated capitulation of the Germans, so that those POWs that were being held in France could be efficiently documented and returned as civilians to their homes.

She was given special papers that gave her leave to travel anywhere she wanted to. She was paid for her services to the Allied forces in Europe, and was more than happy to have a little spending money. As a Captain, she was entitled to certain privileges, so she took advantage of them.

Otto was now located in a holding centre for POWs in Northern France, where he was content to wait. A doctor had looked at his leg and was hopeful that some corrective work was possible to improve mobility and reduce discomfort.

He didn’t hear from Janine, but he knew that soon they would be together. He was getting very good at waiting.

Janine travelled to Paris. She found a city transformed from being dominated by the Germans to somewhere that De Gaulle had become the hero of the French people. Armed members of the resistance roamed the streets in complete freedom, meeting out instant justice to those suspected of collaborating with the Nazis. On getting out of the jeep that dropped her off, she was suddenly very grateful to be wearing a uniform, and one with the French flag prominently displayed for all to see.

She’d booked to stay in a small hotel, ironically called Britannique, courtesy of the US army. She found it up the Avenue Victoria not too far from the centre of the city. The proprietor was delighted to greet her, and she found herself speaking French again.

It was a small hotel with about forty rooms but no restaurant. Once she’d been shown to her room, where she dropped off her bag, she immediately went out to find a dress shop that was open for business.

She bought, at extortionate cost, a delightful long black evening dress and a very smart red and white dress. She found it amazing that the shops managed to find things to sell, for the war seemed to have not touched the French Capital as much as many others.

The next day, dressed in her new uniform, she arrived at the Presidential palace. She was escorted, along with a dozen or so other award recipients down a red carpet, flanked by French Dragoons with drawn sabres.

De Gaulle and an American General then made speeches and the names of those present were called out, with a brief description of their deeds. Soon it was Janine’s turn to be embarrassed.

“Capitaine Janine Chavanay. For heroism under enemy fire. For courage and determination in the face of the enemy, and for wisdom and honour in a time of trial. This young lady identified a team of SS covert soldiers, dressed as American soldiers, then prevented enemy armour from taking a bridge, saving the life of a wounded American Army Captain. She dragged him to a vehicle, drove him and the crew of a disabled American tank to safety. For many months, she has served the Allies in trying and difficult circumstances, by identifying and isolating enemies of humanity.

“She is a true French heroine and patriot!”

She stepped forward and saluted. She wished she had been able to wear her new dress, as she thought the small French crowd would have appreciated her colour scheme. Even so, they still cheered madly.

De Gaulle returned her salute, pinned a pretty little medal to her left breast and kissed her on both cheeks.

Then the American General stepped forward, pinned a bronze star next to the French one and hesitated. He then smiled and kissed her as well.

“There have to be some perks to this job,” he whispered to her.

Major General William Cameron, standing at the sidelines went very still. He was staring at the attractive French girl, yet his heart had almost stopped. She was the exact replica of his dear, dead wife. He felt weak and slightly dizzy.

Janine saluted and turned to the left. At that moment, she was staring right at her father. She went very pale. Her mouth twitched, as if to smile, but then was still. Her eyes met his and a spark of recognition seemed to emanate from them. She then broke eye contact with him, marched smartly back to her place and stood at ease.

The whole ceremony lasted for another half an hour, but Will couldn’t take his eyes off the girl.

His whole being screamed at him that he was seeing things that weren’t there, and yet there was something about her eyes. He simply knew that she recognised him. It was as if they knew each other very well, but then he also knew it couldn’t be so.

After the ceremony, there was an informal reception. He looked for her, but found her surrounded by a host of admiring young officers. He waited and watched, occasionally engaging in conversation with other dignitaries, but never taking his eyes off her. He found it hard to concentrate on anything apart from the girl. She was the very image of his dead wife, even down to the way she stood, moved and smiled.

Gradually, he moved closer, and heard her voice as she spoke in both English and French.

Even her voice was so like Ellen’s, but in a way like young Jamie’s, except she was female, of course.

Janine was very conscious of her father’s presence, but was unwilling to face him yet, particularly here. As soon as she saw he was distracted, she made her excuses and left, returning to her hotel. She immediately booked out and went to the station, where she boarded a train for the coast, having previously arranged passage to England.

Will Cameron found the girl gone, and felt frustrated. The following day he managed to locate where she had been staying, yet when he called the hotel, he was informed that Capitaine Chavanay had left.

“Do you know where she has gone?” he asked.

“She mentioned visiting some friends in Wiltshire, England. Monsieur.”

William Cameron’s blood ran cold.

He returned to his HQ, and informed his staff that he was going to England on some urgent business.
 

*          *          *
 
Janine was on the deck when the white cliffs came in sight. The old ferry was full of a wide mixture of civilians and servicemen and women. She was huddled in her greatcoat, her military cap firmly wedged on her head and she shivered in the cold wind.

It was March, and although the war was still going on, the Allies were now in Germany, so experts were predicting the end in a matter of weeks now.

A flight of planes flew eastwards overhead. They were Douglas DC Dakotas with US markings - more men and equipment going to the front, no doubt.

The smiled as she remembered the last time she had crossed the channel. She had been in a plane, not unlike them. There the similarity ended, for she was a completely different person now. It all went wrong when she jumped out. A lot had happened since then.

The boat arrived at Dover, where she found chaos at the docks. The military police were searching through all arriving British servicemen’s kit. A growing pile of German military memorabilia was forming behind them. Janine smiled, as there were enough firearms to start a small war.

She showed her papers to the officials at the barrier, who waved her through. Her single small suitcase drew no attention, so she then managed to find the train for London.

It was quite late when the taxi dropped her at her grandparents’ home. Dusk was settling. She had thought to ring to warn them, but she just didn’t have the courage, or the words.

How does one tell one’s grandparents that one has become a woman?

She walked down the drive. The daffodils were out and suddenly she was awash with memories. She saw the old swing attached to the tree by the summerhouse, and the small boy who used to swing on it was very different now.

She stood at the front door, and after a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the bell chain.

The distant jangle informed her that it still worked, and a dog barked.

She had forgotten Rusty, the spaniel, and she smiled. Memories of happy, bygone days flooded back, and tears formed in her eyes.

A light came on in the hall, followed by her grandfather’s voice admonishing the dog. Then the outside light came on, and the door opened.

He hadn’t changed, a little older, perhaps, but still sprightly and with that warm smile.

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she found herself choked up.

George Simmonds looked at the figure on the doorstep. He frowned and then felt very strange. For, an attractive young woman stood there, looking the very picture of his own dear daughter.

“Hello Grandpa. Remember me?” the girl said.

The voice was that of a girl, yet the timbre and sound was similar to his grandson, missing in action for six months now.

He shook his head.

The girl was crying, yet she was smiling too.

“It seems that I wasn’t exactly what I thought I was,” she said.

“J,.. J,.. Jamie?”

She smiled.

“I call myself Janine now,” she said.

“Who is it George?” said her grandmother’s voice, her slight French accent still evident. She peered round her large husband at the slight figure outside.

“Oh, mon Dieu!” she said, and raised a hand to her breast.

“Hello Granny. I’m sorry I didn’t call, but I didn’t know quite how to tell you.”

“Oh Jamie. You poor soul - I’m so sorry, so, so sorry!” she said and immediately embraced the confused girl.

They brought her indoors, and soon she was sitting by the fire in the sitting room.

She told them everything, or nearly everything. She prudently decided that Otto was not something she was willing to share. Yet!

It was then that Jeannette told her of her birth and the decisions that were made at the time.

“So, are you telling me that I was a girl all along, and yet you never told me?” she asked, shocked and not a little upset.

“No. It was never as simple as that. There was a confusion, yes, but as to whether you were a boy or a girl, it was never clear. You could have been either, so your mother decided to bring you up as a boy, as that was what you seemed to be,” Jeannette said.

“But, you knew I was different?”

“Not at first, but later on, yes. We couldn’t tell anyone as your mother was so adamant that she wanted a boy. Once your father came home, and you were nearly a year old, it was too late. Then you seemed to settle down and we prayed that everything was settled. It obviously wasn’t.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she said, and became very thoughtful. She thought about a girlhood she never had. She wondered about what she would have been like if she had been brought up as the girl she so obviously was.

“Why?” she asked.

“I think your mother so wanted to please your father, and he wanted a son above anything else.”

“I didn’t know any different. Even I thought I was a boy.”

“Oh my dear, was it so awful?” Jeanette asked.

“Not really, as I said, I didn’t know any different. It makes sense now, as I never really felt I belonged, anywhere, school, the army or anything.”

“You managed very well,” said her grandfather.

“I just managed, I never thought I was that different. You know, all I wanted was to make him proud of me.”

“Well, you succeeded, beyond all expectations.”

Janine smiled, as both grandparents glanced at each other. Both felt that she was remarkably resilient.

“You were never unhappy, we you?” asked her grand father.

“Not that I remember, I know I just felt odd, as if something wasn’t quite right. I never guessed it was this,” she said, indicating her female body.

“Have you eaten?” Jeannette asked.

“No. Not for ages. But I’m fine,” she said, her mind miles away.

“I’ll get you some bread and jam. There isn’t much else, I’m afraid.”

She smiled, so Jeannette went to the kitchen.

The telephone rang, and George went and answered it. She stood up, and walked to the fireplace. She looked at the photographs of the melancholy little boy who peered out at her. She now knew why he had been so melancholy.

George returned.

“That was your father. I think he twigged. He wanted to know whether we had a visitor. I asked who, he said a young French girl. I didn’t know what to say, so I said that he ought to come and see for himself. He is rather upset, I’m afraid.”

She smiled sadly.

“I saw him yesterday, but I just couldn’t bring myself to speak to him. What could I say? Hello, I’m not the son you thought I was, I’m your daughter?”

George smiled and managed a chuckle.

“What a pickle, eh?”

Jeannette returned with some bread and jam and a glass of milk.

Janine found she was hungry, and as soon as the taste of the home made jam was on her tongue, she started to cry. It was all rather too much.

Jeannette held the girl, and cried tears of relief to have her back.

“Grandpa?” Janine asked, as her tears subsided.

“Yes?”

“In my case is a bottle of brandy. If you could get it, perhaps we could do with a drink.”

They spent a pleasant, cosy evening, just getting to know their new granddaughter. Janine felt very weary, and at ten, they all retired to bed. She went to her old room, which hadn’t changed at all, and within moments of undressing, she was asleep.

Her Grandparents looked in on her sleeping form.

“Oh George, she is so like Ellen.”

George looked at Janine.

“She is, but I think she is even more beautiful. Truly we have been blessed!”
 
 
Chapter 11
 
 
Janine awoke early, but, as quite often of late, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. At first, she had a terrible thought, and that she was a boy again.

However, on feeling her now familiar and pleasing private parts, she smiled and snuggled under the warm sheets and blankets.

Her mind was in a whirl, as she tried to make some sense of the information she now possessed. She then wondered how her father would take the news. Would he accept the truth? On the other hand, would he reject it because of its implausibility? Would he be angry that they’d kept it from him as well?

Janine wasn’t angry, but she wasn’t sure exactly what she felt. Numb, was the first feeling she thought of. She’d been through so much that one more thing hadn’t really sunk in yet. She knew she was a girl now, and was content. She wasn’t that bothered about the past, but she smiled at the thought that her all-boys’ school actually had a girl for five years, and she coped as well a the boys, even getting into the first XV. So much for male superiority!

She had created the persona of Janine Chavanay, what would happen to her now?

Would she become Janine Cameron, or was it safer to keep to her new identity?

When would she and Otto be able to marry, and where would they go?

Would they be victims of prejudice and abuse?

Would they have children?

What sort of world would it be for them?

All these questions, and no answers. She frowned, as it was almost easier when she had forgotten about her past.

The sun was out, and it was a lovely spring morning. She rose and washed in the old familiar bathroom. She hung up her new clothes, and suddenly got a pang of conscience about the clothes she had ‘borrowed’ from Arnhem.

She put that on her ‘to do’ list, and dressed in her new red and white dress.

She put on a little more make up than she was used to, but still she tended to be understated. She went down stairs and found her Grandmother in the kitchen.

Jeannette smiled, for suddenly the girl transformed the whole house into a lovely place. Their lives had been so dark and bleak after they’d received news of Jamie being missing.

This lively and so happy creature was not only a blessing, but also wonderful surprise. Their meagre rations did not amount to bountiful fare, but Janine seemed not to care. Nevertheless, Jeannette could tell that the girl was worried by the thought of her father’s imminent arrival, and the potential consequences of that.

She’d brought them some cheese and a couple of bottles bottle of Claret that she had bought in France.

“I’ll bet you haven’t had any good Brie for some time?” she said to her grandmother in French.

Jeannette gasped, as the girl’s French was perfect, even down to a slight southern accent.

“Why did you choose to be a French girl?”

“Because my German wasn’t that good, and I could hardly be English, could I?”

She showed her grandmother her medals.

As soon as Jeanette saw the surname ‘Chavanay’ she burst into tears.

“I thought the family would approve,” Janine said, and her grandmother hugged her.

What will you do about being a Cameron? Everyone thinks you are dead.”

Janine had thought about this for some time.

“I am Janine Chavanay. I feel that is who I am. I know I am, or rather, was - Jamie Cameron, and I can’t lose that. But, I think it would be too complicated to become Jamie again, no one would really be accepting, and I would be treated like a freak.”

“Your father may not accept that.” Jeannette said, worried.

“If my father accepts who I am now, he will accept who I want to be. If he accepts me as his daughter, he will not care that I am a Cameron or a Chavanay.”

Jeanette spent the most wonderful morning with her granddaughter making a steak and kidney pie, and an apple pie. There was a lack of good steak, and the kidney was tiny, but the occasion warranted a little expense on the black market.

It was as if she had always been Janine. She was so happy and chatty, that every now and again Jeannette had to stop and cry a little, for the girl was so like her mother, it was uncanny.

“Do you miss being Jamie?” she asked.

Janine smiled and shook her head.

“Not in the slightest. I have found who I should have been and am perfectly content.”

“You are so like your mother.”

“I’m pleased, but I think I’m very different inside.”

Jeannette smiled.

“Yes, I agree, there’s a lot of your father in you. The sensible and practical bits, I think. You have a level of cynicism beyond your years, as well.”

“Talking of which, when is he arriving?” Janine asked.

“He said lunch time. But the trains and boats are not that punctual.”

“He’s a General, he’ll get a plane and then a staff car,” Janine said.

“How do you know?”

“It’s what I would do!”

At that very moment, a green coloured Humber motor car pulled up on the drive, and Janine saw a female ATS driver open the rear door and her father alighted.

“See?” she said.

Her grandfather came in.

“Your father has arrived. Are you nervous, my dear?”

Janine thought for a moment.

“No, surprising as it seems, I’m not. He will be, though. Can you just introduce me as your great niece from Menton? I don’t think I can just come out with the truth too quickly, I have to gauge him first.”

Barney was barking, and they heard footsteps in the hall.

“In here, Will,” shouted George.

Will came into the kitchen. He looked tired and rather older than she remembered. He smiled at George and kissed Jeannette, but all the time he stared at Janine, having gone very pale.

“Will, you haven’t met my sister’s granddaughter from France. This is my great-niece Janine Chavanay, from Menton. Janine, this is my son in law, General William Cameron,” said Jeannette.

“Monsieur le General, enchante,” Janine said, and held out her hand.

Will hesitated briefly, then took her hand and stared into her face.

“Janine? I was in Paris, did you see me there, when you were presented with your medals?”

William was keeping control, but only just.

“Oh, at the palace? Oui, I remember,” she said, and smiled.

It was the smile that did it.

He crumpled, as the girl was so like both his late wife and his missing son, it was just too much for him to bear. He sat in the chair, still holding the girl’s hand.

Janine felt awful, so knelt beside her father, the guilt of deceiving him like a heavy weight on her soul.

“Oh Daddy. I’m sorry, I can’t pretend any longer. The only way I can tell you is straight. I was Jamie, but it seems that I wasn’t! I’m a girl, and I can’t hide it. You never had a son, just a daughter, but neither of us knew.”

Will stared at her, with a fierce frown that threatened to cause him major disfigurement.

“Jamie?”

“I call myself Janine now. It seems more appropriate somehow.”

“No. How? You can’t be. I don’t understand.”

“Oh Daddy, I don’t know how either, but I am. It happened, I changed and you have a daughter.”

“Changed? How, when?”

Janine told him her story. It took some telling, as the old soldier kept interrupting to ask questions. When she’d finished, she remained kneeling at his side, holding his hand, as her father struggled to assimilate all that she had told him.

Jeannette explained a little background into Janine/Jamie’s medical history, and he shook his head. Then he realised that his son was no longer missing, and instead of his son, he had a daughter so like his dear wife that he broke down completely.

Janine simply held her father as he sobbed. She looked up to see her grandparents crying as well.

She smiled.

“Why does everyone cry when I’m around?”
 

*          *          *
 
William could only stay for three days, having sent his car and driver away to come back for him later. He spent most of his time with the girl who claimed to be his daughter. There was no doubt that she was a girl, and no doubt that she looked, acted and treated him just like Jamie. However, still he questioned her on every aspect of Jamie’s life. She patiently answered, not rushing the man, realising that this was very hard for him.

He was terribly torn.

On the one hand, he desperately wanted to believe her, and yet all his years of having categories and things all being quite straight forward, meant that his military mind found it hard to accept. On the other, he adored her for three reasons.

The first was that she looked like his wife, the second was that she behaved like a female version of his son, and third, and probably most importantly, she seemed to love him unconditionally.

On the third day, a car drew up on the drive, and two old friends appeared, Yvette and her husband Bernard.

William and Janine had been walking the dog, and just came around the side of the house.

Yvette stared at the strikingly attractive blonde girl who looked so like her dead friend Ellen, so tears immediately sprang to her eyes.

Bernard didn’t have a clue, but just watched in amazement as his wife rushed to embrace the girl.

He was even more amazed when he heard her say, “Oh, my poor child, I am so glad that eventually you are who you should always have been!”

William stared at her in utter disbelief.

“You knew?” he stammered.

Yvette, her arm around Janine’s waist, looked at him quite surprised.

“Of course, it was so obvious to anyone who had eyes, didn’t you?”

Will stared at her and then at Janine, who was smiling broadly.

“I can’t have had the eyes to see,” he said, sadly.

Then his craggy face seemed to melt into a smile too. At last, his heart won over his mind, and he gazed fondly at his daughter.

“No. It seems that I was the blind one. I have found this all very difficult, but I don’t see how I can deny the truth anymore!”

With that, Janine burst into tears of happiness and flung herself into her sceptical old father’s arms, and they hugged for an age.

Dinner that evening was a completely different event. Yvette and Bernard stayed and the six of them sat at the large dining room table. The fare would have been somewhat meagre, due to the rationing, but George, despite his advancing years, had gone out with a farmer friend earlier, so they had a superb brace of pheasant sufficiently hung, and their repast was greatly improved by the Claret and Brie that Janine had brought from France.

Jeanette had found one of Ellen’s evening dresses in the attic. She had never thrown out any of Ellen’s clothes, so she and Janine had spent a wonderful couple of hours bringing them all down and sifting through them. Many were hopelessly out of fashion now, but equally many would never be out of fashion.

One evening dress, sleeveless and backless, with two very slim straps that went around the neck was in a shimmering white silk with a turquoise sheen. The turquoise thread was slightly sparkly, and the dress fitted Janine as if it had been made for her. As she walked, the turquoise seemed to make it look like water, and she glistened as she moved. She couldn’t wear a bra with it, and she even tried it on without underwear, as the line was just so delicate and perfect.

Jeannette looked at her granddaughter and wondered how anyone could have made such a terrible mistake.

The girl had a perfect figure, and even her breasts, though quite ample, were completely firm and retained their shape without the bra. She was utterly gorgeous, and her delightful smile seemed to take her into a realm of human beauty that was rarely seen.

“It is such a pity you can’t wear earrings, my dear!”

Janine had not thought of jewellery very much. What with her roles with the Germans, then the Americans, she had no time to dwell on the finer points of feminine accessories.

With a sterilised needle and some alcohol, Jeannette was allowed to pierce Janine’s ears, just so she could wear her mother’s jewellery.

Will had been standing in the drawing room, next to the fire, talking about how the Russians were going to be the next problem, when his daughter appeared.

He had to hold onto the mantle piece, for such was the shock!

She was wearing a gown that her mother had worn at the Governor’s ball in India, in happier times. Her hair was delightfully styled, and she wore the pendant diamond earrings and matching necklace that he had given Ellen for their first wedding anniversary.

Her makeup was discreet, yet undeniably effective, and her crimson nails flashed in the lights. She stopped by the door, with her head tilted slightly to one side, just as he’d seen Ellen do so many times. She smiled at him and him alone.

“Well Daddy, approve?”

Tears came to the old warrior’s eyes, and he found he couldn’t speak.

He simply nodded, so she glided across the floor and took his arm.

“That’s all I want from you,” she said, “it’s all I’ve ever wanted!”

“I never thought anyone could ever be more beautiful than your mother. But, I have to admit, you are, and I am inordinately proud of you,” he said, when at last he found his voice.

The evening was quite jolly, but then Bernard asked the question that everyone had been avoiding.

“So, Janine. What are you going to call yourself, Chavanay or Cameron?”

There was silence, and Bernard realised, a little late, that perhaps this was a stupid thing to say.

Janine glanced at her father, who looked down.

Taking this to mean that she was free to choose, she decided to be honest with everyone, and clear up her little identity problem for once and for all.

“It’s irrelevant really. I am a Cameron and always will be, but our society is so stuffy it will be much easier to stay as a Chavanay for a short while. Jamie is not coming back, and no one can deny that, so perhaps it is best he remain missing - believed dead. I can never be the boy again, and so it will be much easier to let things stay as they are. I know it will be hard for Daddy to pretend to the world that his son is a fallen hero, but easier than the alternative of living with bigotry and ignorant prejudice.

“You see, I know how people will treat me. A woman who was once a man - I will be little more than a queer, even if I should conceive and have children. Besides, I do have another secret, and I suppose it should come out now. I am engaged to be married.”

The silence that followed that announcement was tangible.

Then everyone wanted to talk at once.

Janine met her father’s gaze. He was frowning, and she smiled at him.

“I didn’t announce it before for several reasons. One he is not really what you would openly accept into your arms. Two, he is not at liberty to come over here for a while, and three, I said engaged, yet in reality we hardly know each other. The war has meant that we have spent more time apart than together. You see he is not British!”

Again, everyone wanted to talk at once. All except her father, who stared at her with a small smile on his lips.

He knows, she thought.

“I’m not saying anything else for a while, I need to get back to France and try to locate him again. It may all get called off, so just give me some time,” she said.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Bernard immediately changed the subject, so Janine took the opportunity to clear away the crockery.

After dinner, they were relaxing in the drawing room, and Janine went out into the garden to clear her head.

She sat on the old wooden swing hammock, and looked up into the clear star spangled spring sky.

“He’s German, isn’t he?” her father’s voice broke the quiet. She hadn’t even heard him approach.

She smiled.

“Yes Daddy. He’s a German officer.”

He sat beside her, putting his arm around her. She snuggled in close.

“I thought so. They way you were so vague, it could only be. Where did you meet?”

Janine told her father everything. It was the first time she had been completely honest about the work she did for the SS and the fact she had helped process British POWs.

When she had finished, he drew her close to him.

“You were monumentally brave,” he said.

“No Daddy, I was a scared little girl, who was going through so much that I was confused and afraid. Otto was in pain too, and he offered me friendship so we shared some human kindness together. I love him very much.”

“I know you do, sweetheart. I can’t say I’m thrilled with your decision, but I won’t stand in your way. The Germans will be our friends again very soon. Within one generation, all this will be forgotten as if it never happened. You’ll see, the Russians will become the bogeyman, mark my words!”

“Oh Daddy, I was so afraid of what you’d say.”

“What can I say? Love is a strange thing, and it blinds us to so much. It makes us follow our hearts. Your lives will be difficult if you stay in Europe, you know that?”

“Yes, I know that.”

“Where will you go?”

“We haven’t talked about it. I think I should like to go to America or Canada.”

William nodded.

“You’ll come and live with us, won’t you?”

“We’ll see,” he said, smiling in the darkness.
 
 
Chapter 12
 
 
The War Office summoned Major General William Cameron to London, prior to him returning into mainland Europe. The Russians were on the fringes of Berlin, so it was universally believed that the end of the war in Europe was now a matter of a few weeks away.

Without Hitler’s knowledge, through diverse diplomatic and other channels, the German High Command approached the Allied Command concerning the future of Germany and its people.

Churchill, that student of history, already knew that the Russian menace was about to become a thorn in the side of the free post-war world, so he sought to minimise damage and optimise that single resource that Germany had left to offer.

Its people and their skills!

William now had the task of finding those Germans who had something to offer the free world, and who, with no allegations of war crimes against them, could be recruited to help rebuild a war torn continent, and build a future for the children yet to be born.

Many Germans had families in the eastern regions of Germany, so Churchill recognised that a divided Germany was soon to be a reality. He wanted to take advantage of the brief period of lull after hostilities ceased, to affect the release and relocation of those personnel and their dependants to areas that would be controlled by the Americans or the British, or even the French. The latter were hardly flavour of the month, due to De Gaulle’s parochial attitude. He had upset nearly everyone over the last few years, and despite the French, or some of the French, thinking he was a god, the other allies had had enough of the man!

Thus, Will arrived back in France with a very attractive female French Captain as his ADC. Strings had been pulled, so Will found himself overseeing the whole POW relocation programme for those held in France and Belgium.

Strangely, those Americans involved in the same process, knew of the French captain, but not the British General. Janine came with a reputation, and a good one at that.

Such was the closeness of the relationship between the General and the young woman, that tongues started to wag, as many believed her to be his mistress.
 

*          *          *
 
Major Chuck Brewster looked up as there was a knock on his door. It had been three weeks since he had been back at work, as he had fought not to be sent home now, just at the end!

A familiar face peeked round his door, looking rather better fed and healthier than the last time.

“Janine! Come in girl, Jeez, girl, you’re looking wonderful,” he said, standing up.

He was right, for she looked radiant.

Her hair was a little longer, having been shaped properly by a decent hairdresser in Paris. Her uniform, still her mix and match of American, British, and those German boots, was tailored to show off her superb figure as best as a uniform could. However, it was her eyes that seemed to say the most. They sparkled. She was relaxed and a lot more settled. No longer looking like that scared little rabbit that had screamed in the dark, all those months ago.

“How’s the leg?” she asked, as she sat in the other chair in his office. She crossed her legs, and smiled as she watched Chuck’s eyes follow the movement.

“Doing okay, thanks. I’ll never play for the Giants again, but, what the heck, I could be dog meat.”

She smiled, taking her cap off and shaking her hair free.

“So, where’s your General, I hear he never lets you go far too away from him?”

She smiled, yet she seemed totally unconcerned, which surprised him a little. The rumours were rife, but he knew her enough to be frank with her. He was also anxious to find out the truth, as the girl he knew would never stoop so low.

“Not you too?”

“Sorry,” he said, smiling.

“Actually, and this is for you alone, he’s not my lover, he’s my dad.”

Chuck stared at her, knowing her humour and waiting for her giveaway smile. It never came.

“For real?”

“Yup. I am part French and part Scottish. It’s very complicated, but this must never go further than this room unless I do it, okay?”

“Have you always known?”

“Oh yes. My mother died when I was quite young so I lived with my grandparents because Daddy was off on his various overseas postings. He was married to my mother, so she was Cameron, as was I. When I was taken by the Germans, I just knew that if they found out they had the child of a British General, then they would try to use it. So I used my Grandmother’s surname and became all French.”

“Why not use the Cameron name now?”

“No. We’ve agreed that I will just carry on as Chavanay. Everyone knows me as Janine Chavanay, so it is less complicated. Particularly as we are supposed to be working together now. Otherwise, everyone will think I got the job because of who he is. In reality I got him the job,” she said with a cheeky grin.

“You’re right, it’s sure complicated. That’s fine, I respect your telling me, but what can I do for you?”

“I need to trace some German officers, so I came to have access to your files.”

“Sure, of course. Can I ask why?”

She told him, omitting that she was after one officer in particular.

It was April 30^th 1945.

The news of Hitler’s suicide came a day later, by which time Janine had discovered where they were holding Otto. She was ready to go and find him when her father called her into his office.

She stood waiting as he spoke to three senior British officers. When he had finished with them, they all turned and left, they saw the attractive French girl who seemed to follow the General everywhere he went, and acknowledged her with nods and small, knowing smiles.

They had all heard the rumours of her being his mistress, but there was a new one circulating, the one that said she was actually his illegitimate daughter.

She closed the door behind the last Major.

“Morning sir,” she said.

“Stop that nonsense and come and give your old dad a kiss.”

She smiled and did as she was told.

“Now, news is just in. The German high command in Berlin has just surrendered. General Alfred Jodl is being escorted to Reims to sign the instrument of unconditional surrender at Ike’s HQ. That is anticipated to happen on the 7^th May. The end of the European theatre of war will be officially declared over on the 8^th May at 2300, Central European time.”

She stood quite still for a moment.

“Just like that?” she said.

He smiled. “It is a bit of an anticlimax, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I’m a bit numb. What happens now?”

“We have to really start working. The Japs are still fighting for every rock and island, so they might go on for months yet. Churchill thinks we might have a few months grace before the bloody Russians start playing silly buggers. They’ll all be trying to show how inhuman and dastardly the Huns have been, so we can work to try to snatch the key people needed to rebuild our sector of Germany. There is no doubt that the Russians will annex their portion, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t cut it off from the rest with barbed wire, fences and dogs!”

Janine immediately thought of Otto and his family near Dresden.

Her father saw her expression, and smiled gently.

“Now, I am going to need efficient German officers to assist with the relocation programme. Would you happen to know of any?”

Janine grinned. “Oh, I think I could find you a few.”

“Best you do. I want you to come to Reims with me on the 7^th. It’s an historic occasion, so I am sure you will want to be able to tell my grandchildren that you were there.”

Janine almost cried and gave her father a hug.

She almost ran out of the office and looked for a vehicle.
 

*          *          *
 
Otto was bored. Rumours were rife in the camp. Conditions were basically good, but the over crowding was beginning to tell. On the morning of the 3^rd May, the were all out in the spring sunshine for roll call, when the US camp commander, a Lieutenant Colonel, came to address them. A German Captain was used as an interpreter, so the message was clear.

“Gentlemen. I have to inform you that Adolf Hitler is dead! Russian High Command inform us, that during the battle for Berlin, the Fuhrer is said to have taken his own life in his bunker in Berlin on the 30^th April. The Germans attempted to dispose of his body by burning it in the garden, but Russian soldiers located his remains, so it is confirmed that he is dead.

“Berlin is now completely in allied hands, and the German high command has surrendered. Your General Jodl is expected to attend General Eisenhower’s Head Quarters in a few days to sign the official unconditional surrender document."

“Therefore, we are going to step down the usual security arrangements, and begin the long process of relocation for all of you. Clerks will be required and officers may volunteer their organisational abilities to facilitate your return to your homes and families.”

He paused as a group of allied officers entered the compound and made their way over to the raised dais upon which the Colonel was making his address.

“These officers will be supervising the process, and you will come to see a lot of them over the next few days.”

“Gute, kann, habe ich die Blondine?” said one single German voice near the approaching group, that was followed by laughter that started from those nearest the group, for someone had recognised that one of the officers was a very pretty blonde girl with the French tricolour on her shoulder.

Otto was standing some way away, so he strained to see. Although they were some sixty metres away, he knew as soon as he saw the way she stood that it was Janine. The girl stood up on the dais next.

Her voice rang out clearly in the still morning air. Her German was excellent, and Otto smiled.

“I’m looking for officers who will help me to make the job easier. There will be no advantages, as if you join the team the chances are that you will not be amongst the first to leave. However, you do get to work with me, so what more can you ask for?”

She paused as general laughter spread through the assembled men.

“Some clerks will be available to collate names of willing officers. The fact you are in this camp means that you are not under investigation for war crimes. Therefore, there is no reason for you to suspect we have any other ulterior motives other than assisting you to go home. I hope in peace we can find a new future in cooperation.”

She stood down and Otto surreptitiously wiped a tear from his eye.

“If she is the face of the future, then sign me up!” said an artillery Captain.

Otto smiled, and watched with amusement as the officers moved forward as one to sign up to help.

Lieutenant Colonel Jack Greenbaum watched and turned to the girl.

“Okay, I was wrong, you were right,” he said with a grin.

“I cheated, sir. I used those assets I know I have and you guys don’t have.”

He handed her a glass of bourbon.

“Here’s the drink I owe you. Cheers!”

Janine was eager to see Otto again, but knew she was on dangerous ground. It took all her will power to keep away from the initial process, as she waited to see whether his name was on the list.

That evening as she scanned the long list of names, she found his near the end. She smiled, as he had not rushed forward either. They had both learned patience. Good things come to those who wait.

The next day, she had split the names into six lists, and divided them amongst the other officers. Needless to say, Otto was on her list.

One by one, she interviewed the twenty officers on her list. She kept one until last.

Finally, feeling weary, the NCO showed Otto into her room.

As soon as the door shut, she was in his arms. They fused into one almost immediately.

“About time. I was going mad,” he said, when they came up for air.

She just smiled and kissed his cheek.

“I had to tell my father,” she admitted.

“Everything?”

“Oh yes. He guessed you were German, even though I was vague.”

“He doesn’t mind?”

“Of course he minds! He’s a bloody Major General, for God’s sake!”

Otto frowned.

“Your father is a Major General in the French army?”

Janine giggled, which was an incongruous sight for a Captain.

“No, he’s in the British army.”

Otto shook his head.

“Perhaps it is time for you to tell me those secrets I didn’t want to hear.”

She looked a little downcast suddenly. He instantly felt sorry he suggested it, and was about to tell her not to.

“I suppose I must. I hadn’t really planned to, yet. Which is silly, because I may as well get it over and done with.”

She let go of him and walked to the far end of the room, and looked out of the small window.

Without turning round, she started to talk.

“Otto, it was bad enough telling my father this story, so just let me speak without interruption. Ask me what you like at the end, but just don’t judge me too harshly. I have tried to plan how to say this, but no matter how I try, there is no way to say this easily. If, at the end you no longer want to know me, I will understand. I won’t be happy, but I recognise that your happiness is more important to me than my own.”

She paused, and Otto realised that she was crying.

“It started when I was born….
 

*          *          *
 
By the time she finished, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Otto was stunned.

He was stunned out of complete surprise. He had tried to think of all the possible secrets she could have. They ranged from her having an illegitimate child, to being the bastard daughter of a senior German Officer. Nothing prepared him for the truth, and he sat there completely wordless.

“You were a man?” he asked, when he found his tongue again.

“No, it seems I never was, but I thought I was.”

As the truth filtered through his brain, his overwhelming feeling was sorrow. He felt sorry for this poor girl, cheated out of her girlhood, and forced to be something and someone she should never have been!

“You were a paratrooper, escaping from Arnhem when we met?”

She nodded.

“So, you’re definitely British, and not French?”

“I’m part French,” she replied, still unable to meet his eyes.

He smiled, walking over to where she stood, her forehead against the cool glass, letting the tears roll down her face unchecked.

He gently took her by the shoulder, pulling her round to face him. As he looked down into those rather damp blue eyes, he smiled and, using his index finger, he moved a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes.

She looked so miserable, his heart melted, as he realised that the past didn’t matter. He loved her now, and so utterly he would be willing to accept her regardless of anything!

“Okay, now that is out of the way, when are we getting married?”

She stopped crying for a second, just staring at him in amazement.

“You still want me?” she asked, her voice very small.

“Of course. If you’ll have me?”

She smiled and flung her arms around his neck, hugging him so hard he thought he’d suffocate.
 

*          *          *
 
Otto went back to his hut with the largest smile on his face he ever had. It was like a fairy tale he had learned as a child, only he was the handsome prince and his princess had come to carry him off to live happily ever after.

He was whistling as he went into the hut. The same officer that had moaned at him for being too happy several weeks ago, looked at him.

“You’re doing it again. Anyone would think you didn’t want to go home.”

Otto looked at the man, and thought about what he had said.

“My friend, where is home?”

“Home? I don’t know about you, but mine is near Stuttgart.”

“My home is where my heart is. At the moment, my heart is right here.”

“You’re bonkers.”

Otto smiled as he thought about the amazing tale that Janine had told him.

“Yes, my friend, I think you may be right. Then, I have the right to be. I am engaged to the most unusual girl in the world!”

With that, he eased himself onto his bunk and shut his eyes. The smile on his face said it all. The other officer shook his head.
 
 
Chapter 13
 
 
Janine joined her father on the trip to Reims, and stood in the background as the surrender was signed.

It was quite a formal occasion, but understated. The Germans looked tired and resigned, the allies looked pleased and yet eager to pack up and go home. She was only too well aware that the next few months would be as tough, if not tougher than the last few.

On her return to the camp, she found a different atmosphere. The guards had all but gone, but the gate was still locked. Although some US soldiers were detailed to stand guard, more to prevent French civilian retribution against the Germans, than to prevent escape.

They went to work almost immediately, starting to process the massive logistical requirements to move thousands of POWs back to their homes. It was never going to happen overnight, indeed, for many of the Germans, it would be many months before they were to see their homeland again.

In the meantime, work parties were organised to rebuild the damage done to the surrounding countryside by the war. It became a common sight to see large columns of Germans, with one or two Allied escorts, resurfacing roads, digging ditches and rebuilding ruined homes.

It was very odd working in close proximity to each other, so Janine and Otto had to be very careful not to give into the temptation to touch and smile the other. As the distrust and animosity between old adversaries slowly died away, so there was a genuine warming of relations generally.

For some, however, the painful memories of lost comrades or family meant that for them the only good German was a dead German. For the French civilian population who had to endure much during the years of German occupation, this feeling was very common indeed.

Part of the job entailed signing travel permits and orders for service personnel, or for their families. Gradually, a pattern emerged, of E. German men and their families, requesting travel permits to locations of obscure relatives in W. Germany. This was very difficult for a variety of reasons. The entire internal German infrastructure had collapsed, so lines of communication were completely lost. New lines involving the allies had to be constructed, which caused massive problems as soon as the Russians became involved.

Records were completely missing, as were complete towns and villages, so making contact with a family in a known area became impossible at times.

Janine and her colleagues assisted these applications whenever possible. One of the first she processed was for a young nurse called Gretchen Schneider, eventually located in a camp for refugees near the Polish border, to be transferred to the military hospital near Valenciennes, in northern France, to assist with the wounded German POWs.

She then located a young U-Boat Lieutenant, Peter Schneider, currently held in a POW camp in Sutherland on the West Coast of Scotland. Locating him had been easier, as the British records were intact, if a little bureaucratic to wade through. Papers were duly arranged for his transportation to France in the first instance, for onward movement to a destination yet to be decided.

She didn’t tell Otto of either of these, realising that the wheels of military bureaucracy grind very slowly, so there was no guarantee that the orders could be expedited in the short term. She simply attached a memo to the permits for both individuals to contact her on arrival at Valenciennes.

Although the war in Europe was over, the Japanese were still fighting, but it became almost a forgotten war. In Europe, peace didn’t alleviate the shortages of war, so rationing still existed, yet there was a mood of change in the air.

Janine went to see the American General who was her father’s immediate superior. She wanted to obtain permission to settle in the US once she was demobbed. She had compiled a report stating that as she had been forced to work for the Nazis, she could be seen as a collaborator in the eyes of some, and she wanted to make a clean start with her fiancé.

She was honest and stated that she had formed an attachment with a German officer, so prior to taking any serious steps, she needed assurances that they would be able to start afresh in the USA and provide their chosen country with two honest and dependable citizens.

General Harold G. Maddox had seen the report and asked for background on the girl before speaking to her. He was surprised at how many knew of her, and consequently heard nothing but positive reports.

He found William Cameron in the mess one morning, and went over to him.

“Morning Will!”

“Harry.”

“Got a minute?”

“Of course, what’s the problem?”

“No problem. I’ve been sent an application by your little French Captain, Janine Chavanay, so I wanted to ask your opinion.”

“Oh yes?”

Harry looked around the mess before lowering his voice.

“Look Will, between the pair of us, are you screwing the girl?”

Will laughed long and hard.

“Dear me, no. Heaven forbid! What gave you that idea?” he finally said.

“Well, you seem inordinately close.”

“My dear chap, that’s because she’s my daughter. We couldn’t tell anyone, so she uses her French grandmother’s maiden name!”

“Your daughter?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumours?”

“Well, I heard them and discounted them. Your daughter?”

“It’s long and complicated. What’s the report about?”

“She’s applied for permission to live in the US as a US citizen.”

“Good, she’ll do you proud!”

“You knew?”

“It was my idea. Her boyfriend is a German, so they would find settling down over here rather awkward, wouldn’t they?”

“Shit, she told you that as well?”

“Harry, she is the love of my life. She has gone through a really rough time in this damn war. She is completely honest with me, and as discreet as the day is long.”

Harry scratched his head, and shook it.

“Boy, this is a really fucked up world,” he said, and wandered away muttering.

He summoned Janine to see him.

She stood at attention in front of his desk.

“Relax, Captain Chavanay, or is it Cameron?”

Janine swallowed and looked at him.

“Sir?”

“I’ve spoken to your father. I have to confess to being more than a little surprised, but it is preferable to the other rumour,” the General said.

Janine had the grace to blush.

“So, you want to settle in the USA. Any idea where?”

“Some where warm and near the sea. I want to go to university and my fiancé wants to finish his engineering degree he started before the war.”

“He’s a Kraut, right?”

“He is a German Officer, yes sir.”

It was the General’s turn to blush.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think for a moment.”

Janine shrugged, a small sad smile flitting across her lips. “I suppose we’ll have to get used to it. So far, I have only told my father. You’re the second to know.”

“I’m flattered. I appreciate your honesty. Now, answer me one thing. When did you meet?”

“We met just after Operation Market Garden. I worked with him as an interpreter.”

The General frowned. “That was last year.”

“September, yes sir.”

“So, he was an enemy at that time?”

“Yes sir, and I told him that a relationship was impossible. He had been very kind to me, but I could see he was attracted to me. I liked him but was very confused. He believed me to be French, and so thought he understood. The French are not very kind to women who collaborate, or fraternise with the enemy.”

“I have a problem here, so help me out. What the heck were you doing in occupied Holland?”

Janine paused, not knowing whether to tell him the truth.

“What did my father tell you?”

“Not a lot, only that you were his daughter.”

“All I can say is that I was working for the war effort at the time.”

General Maddox frowned. Much of the covert and secret war that Britain had waged since 1939 was still highly classified, so he assumed that she was involved in some form of secret mission.

“Ah, I think I understand. So, what happened?”

“We went our separate ways. I met up with the US army, while he was posted to a tank division. He was captured after the Battle of the Bulge, so by that time I was working as an interpreter with the MPs. We found each other once more, and I realised that I still had strong feelings for him.

“There was nothing I could do about it as he was sent to a POW camp. After the surrender, he has been working with me on the resettlement programme. We see each other every day, but we cannot even show each other affection. It’s driving us both mad. That is why we want to try America, sir.”

“How the hell did you get into Holland in the first place, or were you already there?”

Janine looked at the General.

“Parachute.”

His eyebrows almost took off.

“So you were a spy or working with the resistance?”

“It’s a long story, and I must ask you never to repeat this to anyone.”

Intrigued, the General nodded.

“Agreed, go on.”

Janine told him.

Harold Maddox had rarely been lost for words, but her story succeeded in completely silencing him.

He stared at this attractive young woman, who stared back with fearless, proud eyes.

He tried to imagine her as a tough young paratrooper.

He failed.

“That’s the truth?”

“Absolutely. Now do you see why we have to be given a fresh start?”

“Your German Major, he knows?”

“Of course, do you think I’d keep that a secret between us?”

Harry shook his head. He didn’t know what to think.

“And all the time, you were a girl?”

She smiled.

“So it seems, but it was a pity no one told me. But if they had, I would never have had all this excitement, would I?”

He chuckled, scrawling his approval on the application.

“I’ll have this processed as a matter of urgency.”

He was rewarded with a huge, delighted smile.

“Thank you, General. Will you come to the wedding?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
 

*          *          *
 
A few days after that meeting, Janine was working late in her office, double-checking the progress done that day. There was a knock on the door.

It was open and she saw an American PFC.

“Yes?”

The man seemed unsure, but rank was rank, regardless whether it was attached to a stunning blonde or six-foot man. He saluted.

“Excuse me, ma’am, this lady has orders to report to you.”

Janine looked and just behind the soldier was a small, fair-haired girl, much the same age as she.

“Fraulein Schneider?” she asked in German.

“Ja,” the girl said, confused.

Janine turned to the soldier.

“Thank you, you may go.”

“Ma’am.” The soldier saluted and left.

“Ich bin Hauptman Janine Chavanay,” she said, and waved the girl into her office.

Gretchen was about five foot four. She was wearing a drab brown coat and carrying a beaten up suitcase. It was so similar to the one Janine had lugged about Holland that she had to smile.

She was a pretty girl, but looked very tired and thin. Huge dark rings were under her eyes, and she trembled a little. She had been whisked out of a refugee camp, with no explanation. Fearing the worst, she now found herself in the office of a very attractive and confident female French officer, who spoke excellent German.

She had been terrified that the Russians would come and rape all the females in the camp. Terrible stories had circulated, and as she was so alone, she had cried herself to sleep for the last month.

“Sit please. I need to explain why you are here,” Janine said in German.

The girl sat.

“Can you tell me when you last saw your brothers?”

“My brothers? A long time ago. Peter on his last leave, it must have been two years ago now. I saw Otto briefly, when he came back from Russia with his injured knee. I saw him just before he was sent to France. Why?”

“Firstly, I am delighted to tell you that your brothers, Otto and Peter, are both alive and well. The British Royal Navy picked up and captured Peter a year ago, after his U-Boat was sunk, and I’ve traced him to a POW camp in Scotland. Otto is here in France. He was captured just after the Ardennes offensive in December last year.”

The girl went through an amazing transformation.

“Otto and Peter, alive?” she asked, breathlessly. “I never knew, no one told me anything.”

Janine smiled.

“Yes, and there is a little more. I have arranged for Peter to be shipped here too. I expect his arrival any day.”

Gretchen started to cry. These tears were tears of relief and joy. For so long she had believed herself to be totally alone, and had thought of suicide many times. Now this stunning French woman was telling her that her brothers were alive and that she would see them soon.

“But, I don’t understand, why am I here?”

“You are here so that you and your brothers can find somewhere to live, away from the Russians.”

The tears flowed even more heartily now, and she grabbed Janine’s hand and kissed it.

“Thank you, thank you. But, why do you do this for us?”

Janine smiled.

“I could hardly let my future sister-in-law live under Russian rule, now could I? I mean, how could she be a proper aunty if she was stuck all the way over there?”

Gretchen blinked and stared at this girl.

“Sister-in-law?”

“Otto and I are to be married,” she explained.

“Mein Gott!”

Janine just smiled.

“There is one more thing,” Janine said.

“There’s more?”

Janine laughed at the girl’s expression.

“Neither of your brothers knows about each other, and nor do they know about you. As you’re a qualified nurse, I have arranged for you to be attached to the military hospital here, and also I have booked in your stubborn brother to have his bad leg looked at. I think it would be a nice surprise that the nurse who looks after him is his lovely sister, don’t you?”

Gretchen started to smile and she seemed to have lost that haunted look she had had at first. Janine stood up.

“But first, you need to have some hot food and a hot bath. Would you join me for supper?” Janine asked.

“May I wash first? I have been travelling for a long time, and I haven’t washed properly for several days.”

“Of course. I have arranged accommodation for you in the nurses’ quarters. We can pick up your new uniform tomorrow, but I’ll take you to your room now.”

Janine picked up her cap and put her tunic on. She turned out the light, and walked down the corridor with Gretchen. Outside she slung the case in the back of her Jeep, while the bemused and confused German girl slid into the passenger seat to be driven the short distance to the nurses’ quarters.

She checked in with the reception, and took her to the single room in the second floor.

“I had arranged for towels and wash kit to be supplied, so that is for you. The bathroom is just over the corridor. I’ll meet you downstairs in twenty minutes?”

“Thank you.”

Janine went to leave.

“Captain?”

She turned back.

“My name is Janine. Forget the uniform.”

Gretchen smiled.

“Thank you.”

“It’s a pleasure. Enjoy your bath.”

Enjoy was the understatement of the decade.

Gretchen lay in the gloriously hot water, and used so much soap she couldn’t believe. She scrubbed every inch of her body and her hair about six times. She noted that Janine had left some delousing cream on her bed. She was uncertain whether she had lice, but she used it nonetheless.

Gretchen was a little late downstairs, and found Janine talking to the French concierge in fluent French.

She had dressed in a clean dress, and had even used a little of her precious make up.

Janine saw her and smiled.

“My, you look totally different. You look so pretty.”

“Oh, I feel so much better. Thank you, Janine.”

The French concierge frowned at the use of German, and Janine said something to her. The woman laughed and then smiled at Gretchen.

“Come on. Let’s go eat.”

Janine took her to a small restaurant in Valenciennes. Most of the diners were Americans, so as soon as Janine arrived, the French patron treated her like a long lost relative and they were shown to a nice table by the window. She was the only one wearing the French uniform so a free bottle of wine arrived without her asking for it.

“They think I’m something special, and I’d hate to disillusion them,” she said to Gretchen.

”You are special!” Gretchen said, and Janine smiled.

“I think we all are, but the shame is that we forget it.”

Gretchen had the nicest meal she had eaten in four years. Janine discovered that she was three months older than the German girl. Gretchen had trained as a nurse when she was seventeen, and immediately found herself in a hospital dealing with the aftermath of the Russian debacle.

Horribly mutilated soldiers came through her hands, and she had seen so much suffering that it hurt.

The two girls chatted as if they had been friends for years. Gretchen was in awe of the blonde French girl, who had a level of confidence that she could only admire.

“You speak wonderful German.”

“I improved when I worked with your brother. I happened to fall in love with him at the same time.”

“How?”

Janine told Gretchen an abbreviated version of her story, omitting some of the gender problems and the fact she had once been a paratrooper. She didn’t think the girl could take all that as well.

“I’d like you to be a bridesmaid,” Janine asked, and Gretchen burst into tears.

So much had happened so quickly, that simple very ordinary request was the final straw. Gretchen was certain that life was over, and she was doomed to a drab existence under Russian domination. Suddenly she had a hand of friendship held out, and what a hand it was.

They finished their meal and Janine took the German girl back to her quarters.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be here at 0800, and we’ll have breakfast. I will take you to the hospital, introduce you and see that you get your kit. There are other Germans there, some nurses and doctors. Believe me when I tell you that life gets better from now on.”

Gretchen smiled, and Janine kissed her cheek.

“Goodnight.”
 

*          *          *
 
Otto grumbled.

“My leg’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t. You’re still in pain and can’t walk without that damned stick, so you need to get it fixed!” Janine said.

“But, I will be off my feet for weeks.”

“Just do as you’re told, and stop making a fuss. Come on, everyone is looking at you.”

They walked down the hospital corridor.

“Here we are. Your name is on the door.”

Otto looked at the door.

MAJOR SCHNEIDER

“How did you arrange this?”

“I’m a General’s daughter, remember?”

He chuckled.

“Go on, get your kit off, and into bed.”

“No. I’ll wait for the nurse, thank you Captain.”

Janine saw Gretchen in her smart new uniform as she came down the corridor. Gretchen saw Otto and her smile started.

Janine hoped she would follow the plan.

“On ze bed, pliz monsieur.” Gretchen asked in her only English that Janine had taught her.

Otto grumbled and stared at Janine.

“Are you staying?”

“Why not, I’m interested?”

Gretchen moved in behind Otto, who hadn’t even glanced at her.

“My what a wonderful bottom you have!” she said in German.

Otto’s eyes were a joy to behold. They widened in surprise, partly at the voice and partly at the choice of words.

He spun round and stared at his little sister.

“Gretchen!”

They hugged each other, tears streaming down their faces.

Otto looked over his sister’s shoulder at Janine.

“You did this!” he said and she smiled, leaving them alone.

She went and spoke briefly to the surgeon, and then heard Otto shout.

She went back into the room.

Otto looked at her with such tenderness that her heart sang.

“I can never thank you for this,” he said, tears still rolling down his face.

“Just don’t be late for the wedding,” she said and gave him a kiss.

“I gotta go. Look after him, sis,” she said to Gretchen, and walked out.

“She called me sis!” she heard Gretchen say.

Janine smiled.
 

*          *          *
 
The operation was a success. The American surgeon was horrified at the state of Otto’s leg, and had to virtually reconstruct the knee. He inserted two steel pins to strengthen the joint, which he hoped would recover to about eighty percent efficiency as opposed to about eight.

Janine went to see him regularly. Gretchen was kept very busy, as there were many Germans needing treatment and her ability to understand them was important. She picked up a little French and some English, so was better able to do her job.

She also picked up a young American officer.

She had been on a break when another nurse asked her to take a patient in a wheelchair down to X-ray.

The young man, an infantry second Lieutenant aged just twenty-one, had received grenade fragments in the legs, shoulder and chest area. They had removed the bulk, but needed to ascertain whether any were still inside his body.

Mike Cornell was fed up, for he had finally managed to get over to Europe, to be sent to the front and wounded within three days. Two days later, Hitler shot himself, and it was all over.

Now he was in pain, frightened, alone and stuck in a hospital full of foreigners a long way from home. His girlfriend from high school had written to him to say she was engaged to a pilot in the US Navy, so he was about as depressed as he could get.

He was waiting in his ward for a nurse to take him down to have another X-ray.

A pretty, fair-haired girl arrived.

“You are Mike?” she asked in heavily accented English.

“Yup. That’s me.”

“I Gretchen,” she said and smiled.

“Howdy Gretchen. Isn’t that a German name?”

“Ja. I German.”

“No shit? You’re the first German I’ve ever seen!”

She smiled weakly and pushed him down to the elevator. By the time they arrived at the X-ray department, Mike was chatting away as if he was at the prom. Gretchen, however, understood very little, so she smiled and nodded a lot.

An hour later, she returned him to his ward, and he had hardly drawn breath. When she assisted him back to bed, the man in the next bed made a comment that Gretchen didn’t understand.

Mike went red and said something back. Gretchen left them and hoped there wasn’t going to be a fight.

One of the other nurses was chuckling. She was French, but spoke German.

“What did they say?” she asked.

“The one in the bed asked Mike to pass you over when he’d finished with you. Mike told him to go stuff himself as you were too good for a fucking pilot!”

Gretchen went red.

“Mike’s last girl friend dumped him for a pilot,” the other girl explained.

“Oh,” said Gretchen. She was rather pleased that Mike had come to her defence so easily.

Over the next few days, Mike would seek her out and always be nice to her. When she had a free moment, she would come and check him and he would teach her some more English.

Otto observed his sister as she rejoined the human race, and was pleased.
 
 
Chapter 14
 
 
Janine was supervising the loading of seven commandeered busses to transport two hundred German soldiers back to Germany. They were being taken to the border and then on to a train station for their various destinations.

A jeep pulled up and a British MP lance Corporal came over.

He saluted her.

She returned it.

“Captain Chavanay?”

“Yes?”

“I have a Lieutenant Schneider for you ma’am.”

“Oh, under escort?”

“No ma’am. I was escorting some Nazi party officials, and he was included for the ride.”

“I see.”

He produced a document, which she signed.

“Thank you, ma’am!” he said and saluted again. She returned it with a smile.

He marched over to the Jeep.

“Okay Lieutenant, out you get!” she said in German.

A tall, thin young man wearing dark naval uniform, with a filthy white polo neck pullover and a dirty white Kreigsmarine cap, got out carrying a small parcel wrapped up in brown paper and string.

“Peter Schneider?” Janine asked.

Peter looked at Janine, his eyes flicked towards her shoulders and he came gently to attention.

“Hauptman?”

Janine smiled.

“Come with me, please,” she said, in German.

Peter followed her to the jeep parked nearby. He got in and put the parcel on his lap.

Janine glanced at him. He was much leaner and a few inches smaller than his older brother was. At twenty-three, he was the middle sibling, and had always wanted to be an artist. He looked tired and lost, as did so many of them.

Janine drove in silence, pulling up at the hospital.

She got out, indicating for him to follow.

They went through the hospital, and Peter was frowning. His removal from the POW Camp was in advance of everyone else, so he found himself treated as if he was special. Now he was in French Hospital, following a stunningly attractive French girl, who also happened to be an army Captain. He just wondered what it was all about.

He watched as the Captain approached a nurse, who smiled at her as if they were old friends. They spoke in German, and it slowly dawned on Peter that the nurse was very familiar.

“Gretchen?”

“Peter!”

They hugged and once more Janine watched the tears flow.

Gretchen tried to tell Peter everything at once, and he couldn’t take it all in.

“Slow down! Now, a little bit at a time, please.”

“Otto is here, his leg was badly damaged and it is now on the mend. I was rescued from the Russians, and now you are here so the family is together,” she said and grinned broadly.

Peter frowned.

“I can see that we are here, but how, and why?”

Gretchen turned to Janine.

“Do you want to tell him, or shall I?”

“You tell him, sis!” Janine said.

Peter frowned. Sis?

“Peter, this is Janine Chavanay. She is responsible for getting us both here.”

“Okay, why?”

“Because, dummy, she is Otto’s fiancée!”

Peter gaped and stared at Janine.

“It is a long story. Come and see your brother. I’ll let him tell you.” They followed her to Otto’s room. Gretchen was so excited she was positively bubbling.

Otto was reading a magazine and smoking a cigarette.

“I told you, that habit must stop!” Janine said, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and throwing it out of the open window.

“You aren’t my wife yet,” he said, but kissed her soundly.

“I’ve missed you. Where were you this morning?” he said, and then glanced at the door.

“Mein Gott! Peter?”

Janine and Gretchen took the sidelines once more as the two brothers embraced.

Gretchen was crying too. She took Janine’s hand.

“Thank you for bringing us together. I never dreamed this could ever happen!”

Janine simply smiled. She left them alone and walked down the corridor. The hospital was full of victims. She frowned, as it wasn’t just the physically wounded who were victims, everyone was affected by the war. Regardless of nationality, or whether one was a civilian or a combatant, everyone was a victim in some way or other. Innocence was lost, and childhood destroyed.

Janine was determined that she would do everything in her power to ensure that some wherever possible, she would bring relief to victims.
 

*          *          *
 
Otto’s leg improved, while Peter worked for the POW relocation programme. As he had learned very good English whilst a POW, albeit with a Scottish accent. He was found to be very useful.

Mike, Gretchen’s admirer, underwent a second surgical procedure to remove more shrapnel from his chest. Although he kept a brave face over it, Gretchen knew that underneath he was just a frightened boy.

She was there when he came round, and he wept when he saw her.

The hospital was about the only place that Janine and Otto could speak to each other freely and even display affection towards one and other. Although weak, Otto was pleased to be finally free of the constant pain in his leg, and yet he was frustrated that he and Janine still had to hide their feelings and manage a covert relationship.

Janine was equally frustrated, and would spend ages moaning to her long-suffering father.

“My love, you chose this difficult path. You must be patient,” he told her.

“Patient? Oh daddy, I’ve been patient. I just want to do normal things, like go out for a meal or go to see a movie. Why can’t people be more forgiving?”

“Some people have lost an awful lot more than you, and they need to blame someone. At the moment, the Germans are carrying all the blame, and so you need to be mindful of this. I’ll have a word with Harry, and see if I can hurry things along!”

Gradually, the backlog of prisoners cleared, and Janine found herself with less and less to do. Otto was discharged from hospital, and they all got their heads together to find a location for the family to be relocated to.

They had a cousin before the war who lived on the Dutch/ German border near Stein. They contacted the local US military, and it seemed that the farm was now vacant, and as the next of kin, they applied for permission to take it on, on the understanding that if the owners returned, it became their property once more.

Peter prepared to leave for the farm, grateful to have somewhere to go, and eager to return to civilian life once more. He was planning to hire out the land, and turn the farm into a pottery to produce his own unique pots and other earthenware.

Mike made a good recovery, and surprised Gretchen by proposing to her just before being discharged.

She was flattered, but turned him down. She told him that if he still felt the same way after he had missed her for six months to write to her and ask again. He swore he would, and left promising undying love for her.

Gretchen was torn. She liked the boy, but was unsure whether she wanted to go to America away from her brothers.

Otto was on his legs again, still using his cane, for comfort rather than necessity. Janine and he went to a tailor’s shop, where she bought him a new suit and some shirts.

He had allowed his hair to grow a little, and so, with a suit on, he looked almost human. They had gone to a small restaurant, and because she was in her uniform as a French Captain, they were treated very well.

Otto spoke reasonable English now, and they tried talking in English for most of the time.

“So, my personal magic fairy, what happens now?”

Janine had not told him about her attempts to settle in America. They had talked in general about finding somewhere, and she knew he would quite like to go to the States. Her application was linked to them both continuing education or vocational training, so she knew she must be patient.

“I don’t know. I have put a few feelers out, and we must just wait.”

He smiled, knowing she was his helped, but still he hated the not knowing.

They walked down the road, her arm linked through his. They stopped at a dress shop, and they looked in. She saw her reflection and turned to him.

“I have had enough of this uniform. I want to change and be a real person again.”

He smiled.

“Soon, Janine, soon!”
 

*          *          *
 
Three days later, she was asked to attend General Harold Maddox once more.

“Come in, Janine,” Harry said, greeting her like an old friend.

A French Colonel was with him, so she nodded to him.

Harry introduced the Frenchman.

“Janine, this is Colonel Claude Framber. He is here to serve your demobilisation papers, with a letter from General De Gaulle, expressing his gratitude for the services you have rendered to France.”

The Colonel read a short prepared speech, and formally gave her some papers and the scrolled letter. He kissed her on both cheeks and saluted her.

She returned the salute.

Harry smiled and took his hat off.

“Now that’s over, can I offer you a drink?” he said.

The Colonel politely declined, and nodding to Janine, he departed.

Harry closed the door.

“Stiff necked prick!” he said, handing Janine a tumbler full of amber liquid.

“Cheers,” he said.

She took a sip and almost choked.

It was neat Malt scotch.

“Not to your taste, your father wouldn’t approve.”

“He’s not here. No, I just wasn’t ready for it,” she said, taking another swig of the burning liquid.

To prove a point, William Cameron entered the room.

“Hello sweetheart.”

“Daddy. I might have known!”

Harry gave his friend a stiff scotch.

“So, my little girl is a civilian, what are you going to do?”

She sat down.

“It depends on whether we can go to the states,” she said.

Harry chuckled. He took a manila envelope from his desk and handed it to her.

“I hereby have the pleasure to inform Miss Janine Chavanay, that as of this moment, she is a citizen of the United States, by virtue of services rendered to that nation, and her citizens in time of war. I also have the pleasure to inform her that she is enrolled in the university of California and Los Angeles on the course of her choice commencing September 1945. Further, should the aforesaid Miss Chavanay, be married by the time she embarks for the United States, then her spouse shall have automatic citizenship of the same.”

With that, he handed her the envelope.

“There is a marriage licence in there. Your name has already been entered, and you must enter your prospective husband’s details here. All you have to do is find a priest and a church.”

Janine hugged the General, and then her father.

“Thanks Harry,” said Will.

“No problem. Remember, I get to come to the wedding.”

Janine and her father left the office arm in arm. She lost no time in discarding her uniform, and in her red and white dress, she sought out Otto in his quarters.

Otto had a private room in the transit camp. It was virtually empty, with a handful of officers still hanging on, in case others came through that needed help.

Otto and Peter were discussing Peter’s plans.

Both were surprised when a very different Janine burst through the door.

She flung her arms around Otto, and showed him the US documents.

“We can get married now, if you want?” she said.

“I want, but where?”

Janine wanted to grab the first US chaplain and find a quiet room somewhere, but both her future husband and her father had other ideas.

A week later, Janine, Otto, Peter and Gretchen found them selves embarking on the ferry for England. Her father had provided papers for all of them, and as Janine was still technically a service woman until the end of the month, it was relatively easy.

At Dover, a car was waiting, into which they all squeezed in, with the luggage on the roof.

They rumbled though the chaotic road system to Wiltshire, where Jeannette and George welcomed then warmly.

Otto found his fiancée’s family delightful, and instead of facing animosity, he found friendship and an atmosphere of hope. They were all given rooms in the big house, and Janine smiled when she was given a separate room to her future husband.

Will arrived on the following day, and announced that all was arranged. The local church was booked, and the vicar was prepared to marry them by virtue of the emergency licence issued by the Allied Powers Europe!

Otto and Will went off and planned something secretive. Janine was upset that she wasn’t included, but no matter how she pleaded, neither of them gave any hint of what was going on.

Jeannette and Yvette, in true Gallic style, produced a wedding dress so utterly gorgeous that Janine cried as soon as she saw it. They had made it together. It was truly beautiful, in silk and satin, with a long train and veil.

She tried it on, and with some minor adjustments, mainly as her bust had grown slightly, it fitted beautifully.

They spent the week making the arrangements and cooking.

Gretchen and Janine had become the closest of friends, and for the first time Janine enjoyed being a girl doing girly things. She and Gretchen stayed up long into the night just talking about each other’s worlds. Gretchen now knew all about Janine’s past, so was utterly amazed as to just how normal the other girl was.

On the Saturday, the wedding was set for two pm. The day started badly, as it was raining, but as noon approached, the sun came out, and they were hopeful for a nice day.

Janine went up to change, and she heard some cars arrive. There were voices downstairs, and she recalled that Harry Maddox was sure to come.

George eased the old 1924 Bentley out of the garage. He had not used the old beast since 1940, and had spent the last three weeks making sure it would go.

Peter and Otto had spent the night in the local pub. Jeannette insisted that it was bad luck for a bride and groom to spend the night under the same roof.

Janine giggled at the thought of Otto wearing his Waffen SS uniform for the wedding, and decided that she’d be best keeping that joke to herself.

“My God, you look simply divine!” said Yvette, as they put the finishing touches to her corsage.

Janine just smiled. She was so happy, everything was going together so well.

“So, all set for tonight?” Yvette asked, and Janine went bright red.

Yvette laughed.

“I see you are. Now, Janine, you have no mother here, so is there anything you’d like to talk through?”

“Not really. But, why don’t you tell me about your wedding night?”

Yvette smiled, and proceeded to do just that.

Jeannette popped her head round the door to see a slightly dazed expression on Janine’s face, and Yvette giggling.

“You can do that?” Janine asked.

“Oh yes, but don’t do it every time, as he’d come to expect it!”

“What are you telling her?” Jeannette asked.

“Nothing!” said Yvette and Janine simultaneously.

Gretchen came in. Her Bridesmaid’s dress was a pale blue taffeta, and appeared rather early Victorian. It looked wonderful, and she even had a bonnet. She looked like little Miss Muffett.

Her face was aglow with excitement.

“Oh, how wonderful. Janine, you look lovely!” she said.

“So do you. I am so glad you’re here,” Janine said.

“Right! Come on. Its time to go,” announced George, and ushered them down to the waiting cars.
 

*          *          *
 
“Are you sure this is normal?” Otto asked William, at the door to the church.

“Quite sure. The kilt comes down to just above the knee and the sporran covers you know what.”

“I feel stupid,” the tall German admitted.

“Aye, well, you look a damn side better in that than in lederhosen!”

Otto smiled.

William turned to the young man who was about to become his son in law.

“Now, are you positive you want to do this?”

“Yes,” said Otto, and neither of the men was referring about the marriage.

“Then I am very obliged to you,” Will said.

“Sir. Your daughter has done so much for my family. It is the least I can do.”

William handed over the envelope.

“Here you are. Welcome to the family.”

Otto took it and nodded. They shook hands, and Otto joined his brother inside.

The Bentley pulled up, and William helped his daughter out. Jeanette and Yvette fussed around, and made some unnecessary last moment alterations.

A large American military car pulled up, and General Harry Maddox and a young staff officer stepped out.

Harry came over and gave the bride a hug.

“Why wasn’t I born thirty years later? You look wonderful, my dear!”

“Thanks, and it is so good to see you.”

“Oh, dear God!” said Gretchen, who went pale and had to hold onto Jeannette’s arm.

The staff officer was Second Lieutenant Mike Cornell.

He grinned, which made him look more like a college boy than ever. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee.

“I got all the way to Southampton, and realised I had left something behind! So, ma’am, with your permission, I should like to present my formal proposal to you for your consideration, once more.”

Gretchen burst in to tears, and pulled him to his feet.

To everyone’s delight she accepted, and the General and his aide took their places in church.

The organ started to play, and William offered his daughter his arm, which she took.

They entered the church and started up the aisle.

It was as she caught sight of her groom that Janine almost got the giggles, for Otto was standing there, dressed form head to toe in Highland finery. A Cameron tartan kilt, with the black formal jacket and sporran. From the gleaming buckled shoes, and red-diced stockings with the Skean Dhu firmly placed in the right stocking, he looked every inch a highland Chieftain, and her heart sang.
 

*          *          *
 
The final twist was played out. It was only when the vicar read out Otto’s full names did she realise that Otto was a nickname, and his real name was Oscar Richard.

However, her father and husband’s full duplicity was revealed when she signed the register. Having heard his first names, she was reconciled to being Mrs Schneider. As she bent over the book, she was amazed to read that Otto had written Oscar Richard Cameron.

Her father had arranged for him to change his name by deed poll.

Janine had come full circle.

She was now Mrs Janine Cameron, lawfully, and delightedly.

That evening, as she took him into her arms and loins, did she truly feel she was complete. As they consummated their marriage, she lifted her eyes to heaven, and thanked anyone who cared to listen for her life — so far.

---

 
Fin. (Or is it the Beginning?)
 
 
Appendix A

SS Ranks and Army Equivalents
Oberstgruppenfuehrer	General
Obergruppenfuehrer	Lieutenant General
Gruppenfuehrer	Major General
Brigadefuehrer	Brigadier General
Oberfuehrer	No Equivalent
Standartenfuehrer	Colonel
Obersturmbannfuehrer	Lieutenant Colonel
Sturmbannfuehrer	Major
Hauptsturmfuehrer	Captain
Obersturmfuehrer	First Lieutenant
Untersturmfuehrer	Second Lieutenant
Strumscharfuehrer	Master Sergeant
Hauptscharfuehrer	Technical Sergeant
Oberscharfuehrer	Staff Sergeant
Scharfuehrer	Sergeant
Unterscharfuehrer	Corporal
Rottenfuehrer	Private First Class
Sturmann	Private
SS-Mann	No Equivalent

---