A Family Christmas Ch. 06

"OK, but only on the condition that afterwards we put it aside and just concentrate on the happy things and enjoying ourselves for the rest of the holiday..." She told me seriously, "And that you promise me that you won't make a big thing of it with your mother."

I nodded my agreement.

"The fact is that I have been dumped...!" She stated.

The way that she said it made me smile, I wasn't sure if she was serious or not, "What? Is that 'Dumped' or 'Dumped On'?"

"A bit of both, really!" She confirmed with a wry grin. "To put it bluntly... I have been given the sack!"

It took a minute for what she was saying to sink in. "Bloody hell, Julia... Can they do that to judges?" I finally exclaimed.

"It is a bit more complicated than that..." she smiled. "When I discovered that I required surgery, I needed to make the courts administrations office aware and book time out... about three months according to my surgeon..."

"But surely...they can't..."

"Patience..." Julia, smiled and shuffled her chair closer to mine and took my hand and held it in her lap discreetly beneath the table, a comfort thing for both of us. "You are quite correct, High Court judges, as with all judges in England and Wales, can only be removed by the Queen upon an Address of both Houses of Parliament... but if the Lord Chancellor suggests that a judge should consider early retirement then it is effectively a done deal. The judge will find that their diary of sittings has been cleared and that they have been side lined... And are told to 'take a rest period'."

"That isn't fair..."

"Life isn't fair, James." She responded. "In the end I guess that I should not complain, I have always been an advocate that the older judiciary should make way for young blood and I am only a year away from official retirement age. A case of my own principals coming back to bite me on the arse! Anyway, the exit package is good... a large 'golden handshake', a very good pension and I retain my DBE."

"DBE?"

"It is Dame Commander of the British Empire, the female equivalent of a Knight Bachelor... all High Court judges receive that honour on appointment."

"WOW! I guess we should call you My Lady or Your Ladyship... " I asked, incredulously. I really was learning something amazing about my aunt every day. "Do I need to bow when I address you...?" I joked.

"You could try it..." She laughed, "But I will kick your arse if you do..." She squeezed my hand. "I much prefer being called 'your young lady'.

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked seriously.

"That is my main problem... I don't know!" She replied glumly. "It will probably be a month or so before my retirement is announced and it will take that long for me to hand over to my successor in York and clear up my official commitments. Meanwhile I will officially be on sick leave from February until July... The trouble is that my work has been my entire life for the past forty years..."

"So how much of this have you told Mum?"

"Very little... only that I need the operation for a stent to be put in... and that I may take early retirement next year... YOU are the only person that I have told the rest to... And it needs to stay that way for now!" She told me. It reminded me of my mother's comment before Christmas that Aunt Julia needed our support as a family... I guess I now knew why.

"My lips are sealed...I promise..." I assured her. "So is there anything that I can do...?"

"Yes," she stated with a wide smile. "There are a couple of hours of daylight left... I think that I would like my Handsome Beau to take me for a carriage ride..."

"A what?" I exclaimed.

"The Hofburg Palace is just around the corner. The horse drawn carriages wait outside in the Rennwegg... The streets are mostly clear of snow and ice and so we could take one of the tours around the city... It would be fun!" She enthused.

The horse drawn carriages are a common sight around Innsbruck and sometimes there is the occasional sleigh if the snow is heavy, they are very popular with the tourists and do a number of short and longer tours of the city. Our driver was a rather surly individual, perhaps it was the cold weather or maybe he was wanting to finish his shift and get away to a warm bar or café, and made big thing of not speaking English but got caught out by Julia's fluent German but we were more that happy to accept a printed guide book and forgo the running commentary. Never-the-less he provided us with extra warm blankets which we pulled up to our throats at the top and which covered our feet down below.

I don't believe that the tour of the city showed us anything that we had not seen before, Julia had visited Innsbruck numerous times and I had been coming with Mother and Cora for the past ten years at least mainly for the snow sports but it was great fun just pointing out monuments, museums and galleries that we hadn't been to for years and wanted to revisit. I was more than content to be tucked beneath the heavy rugs with Julia snuggled close together for warmth and could have stayed like that for the rest of the afternoon just roving around the city streets. It was not until we were almost back to the Hofburg that Julia suddenly pointed to a restaurant that we were passing, somewhere close to Museumstaβe.

"There!" She exclaimed. "That is the place where we will go tonight...! . "It was recommended by the woman at the Weinhaus Happ. She told me that the food is good and that they have a live band and dancing every night..."

We were almost past and I just caught a glimpse of large windows beyond which were old fashioned chandelier type lights and a sign which I think read Cafeteria Kaspar... I thought that it looked just like one of the family cafés that you see in the musical movies from the 1950s starring Mario Lanza... Cora had several recordings of his films which were part of her music course work.

"That is where you want to go for dinner?" I asked.

"Oh, and dancing... You mustn't forget the dancing... you promised me dancing..." Julia chuckled merrily.

*

By the time that we had made our way back to the hotel it had been dark for an hour and guests were returning from the day's skiing or snow sports and the reception and bar areas were heaving, so we decided to go up to our suite and order coffees and pastries from room service before retreating to our own bedrooms to shower and change for our evening out.

When I returned to the lounge I was dressed in my new dark grey jacket, the black shirt I had purchased that morning over a white tee-shirt and my smart beige chinos and soft leather loafers. I have never been a mirror-magnet and certainly could never be described as a fashion icon, in fact my sister had long ago nicknamed me 'The Scarecrow' but I had made an extra effort that night. I had shaved for the second time that day and had even paused in front of the long bathroom mirror to ensure that I looked presentable enough to be seen out with Julia. This was our last evening together before Mum and Cora joined us and it felt somehow special... like a proper date, as we were dressing up and going out dancing.

Julia joined me wearing the new dress that I had bought for her in Salzburg. She looked absolutely awesome. The dress was dove grey silk with a scoop neck and very plain but hugged her figure and showed off her mature curves and tiny waist, she had bought sheer black stockings and I knew that beneath that dress was matching grey silk lingerie including a pair of those sexy cami-knickers she appeared to favour and a suspender belt to support those stockings which I now noticed had an embroidered pattern of musical note clefs, quavers and crotchets down the back seam. I felt myself starting to get horny just seeing her wearing the outfit knowing that I had bought it for her and imagining that silk underwear.

"Wow...you look fantastic..." I told her enthusiastically.

"Thank you, my darling..." She purred in response. She put her arms out and gave a little twirl her silky hair flowing in a cascade of silver around her face and shoulders. She came to a stop with her back to me. "Do you think that I have a big arse?" She asked coyly.

For a moment I was struck dumb with panic... had she somehow found out about the conversation that Cora and I had on Christmas Eve about my admiration for my aunt's arse and black stockings... I had resisted using that fantasy to beat off in the shower that night but I would have killed for the opportunity to take myself in hand right now.

"Er... no, not at all... You've got a great arse..." I stuttered before I could stop myself.

"I'm glad you think so, James." She laughed merrily, then giggled and recited...

"Said a certain King to His queen

In parts you grow far from lean.

I don't give a damn,

You've always loved ham! She replied.

And he said, How Obscene!"

My stiff necked, scary aunt reciting bawdy limericks... that really was unbelievable and it cracked both of us up bringing on a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"I know that..." I gasped when I could stop laughing. "It is from Thorne Smith's 1931 novel 'Night Life of the Gods', it is one of my favourite humorous novels..."

"Now that surprises me..." She replied. "I would not have thought that a young man of your age would even have heard of Thorne Smith..."

"I got Scott Fitzgerald as part of my A level English Literature course... I discussed his work with Uncle Ted... he really knows a lot about literature you know...?"

"Teddy may be a rogue, but he is well educated and very knowledgeable... and like many Irishmen has a love for literature..." Julia interposed.

"Anyway... A few days later he sent me a carton of books which contained works by Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Wodehouse and several of Smith's novels... I really got into Thorne Smith's amusing novels and have since completed the collection and bought DVDs of his available films from the early 1930s."

"I really appreciate his books as well..." Julia told me, "And guess who introduced me to them...?"

We pulled on our overcoats, ready to leave, we would wait for our taxi in the hotel lobby.

"So, that is something else that I now know that you like..." I told her licking my finger and marking up an imaginary brownie point.

"My discovery beats that," She chuckled mischievously, "I now know that you think I have a great arse..."

Was she flirting with me again?

*

The Cafeteria Kaspar Josef was a family run establishment which had been open since the 1920s and had changed very little over the years. I was surprised how large the place actually was, the front of the restaurant had large plate glass windows with lace half curtains, either side of a central door which opened into a huge dining area with a central dance floor with tables for two, four or eight diners around the perimeter and a dais at one side on which a nine piece dance band was set up and already playing when we arrived. The atmosphere was warm and friendly and we were immediately conducted to a nice table for two located close to the real log fire place and at an ideal distance from the band to appreciate the music but still be able to talk without shouting, something of a rarity in the jazz clubs that Mother and Cora played in.

We ordered a bottle of Pinot Nero, from a Southern Tirolean vineyard, and told the waiter that were would decide on our choices for dinner later but accepted a basket of freshly cut slices of warm bread. We chinked our glasses.

"Happy holidays!" I toasted. I wanted to say 'To Us' but thought that that might be pushing things a bit. It was Julia who made it more personal.

"To my handsome young Beau who has given me such a happy holiday," She proposed. "And... To having fun!"

"Are you really having fun?" I asked. "The holiday hasn't been a drag...?"

"Yes, I am," She answered, "I have not had such a lovely time for years..." she added, "You really do not mind being here tonight... Do you? I know I rather press-ganged you into it... The dancing thing..."

"No, I'm good with it...all of it... Just don't expect too much...I'm not very good..."

The band was playing a medley of popular songs, mostly Continental and some British but I was surprised how many of the numbers I actually recognised... but then I had been coming to Austria on holidays for ten years and it is astonishing how much background music you commit to memory in bars and restaurants. The restaurant was more than half full and several couples were already dancing there was a couple of older Austrian pairs, probably in their seventies who were dancing rather formally, but also a number of dancers aged from their 20s to 50s whose style was much more informal and even a teenaged couple simply smooching to the music.

I had been terribly nervous about the whole dance thing. I was not a particularly good or experienced dancer... I was confident about the steps; that was no worse than learning parade ground drill, but my musicality was crap... I always seemed to be moving to a different tune to the one being played. Watching the couples relaxed and enjoying themselves on the dance floor restored a lot of my confidence.

"Yeah, I think I can do this..." It was intended as silent mind affirmation, but I must have spoken it out loud without realising it.

"You certainly can!" Julia responded and took my hand and drew me towards the dance floor. "Come on... It's like taking a dip in the sea... the first one is always the worst... after that it gets easier..."

The band were playing some sort of ballad which I did not recognise. I guess it was probably a waltz ... but then all dances are waltzes to me... it is the only dance step that I have really mastered using both feet at once. I took Julia in a semi-formal hold and tried to lead and not count the steps out loud.

"Relax... James dear..." She cooed in my ear and moved in closer forcing me to re-evaluate my posture. Her breasts were pressed lightly against my chest and I could feel the sway of her body and the gentle brushing of our thighs and then her cheek was next to mine and I could hear her quietly humming the tune in my ear. Thoughts of anything but the feel of Julia in my arms fled from my head and suddenly I realised that we were actually dancing, quite successfully, I wasn't stepping on her feet, we weren't colliding with other dancers, my style wasn't world class but it felt good and for the first time I noticed that the music had changed; the band was now playing an old Fred Astaire number 'The Way You Look Tonight' and I would have been quite happy to spend the rest of the holiday... probably the rest of my life just shuffling around that dance floor with Julia in my arms.

The music changed a couple of times and then Julia was laughing into my ear. "James...James, dear... The music has stopped..." She gently eased herself out of my arms. "Let's go and have a drink and order dinner..." She suggested as we walked back to our table still lightly holding hands.

I had made it through my first fifteen minutes on the dance floor without embarrassing myself or my partner. My minor achievement as a ballroom dancer made me feel confident and a little drunk with success, and the close proximity of Julia's body made me feel more than a little horny... I was grateful for the opportunity to sit down and recover my sexual composure.

The menu was mostly traditional Austrian and Tirolean dishes and we jointly chose to share a pan of Käsespätzle, a sort of Alpine version of macaroni cheese made with soft egg noodles, smoked cheese and fried onion and traditionally served at the table in a large pan for the diners to help themselves. The dish was tasty and not too heavy and we ordered another bottle of wine to wash it down.

The dance band had started to play some rather more active numbers a mixture of traditional polkas and some more modern swing tunes and in truth I was quite happy to eat dinner and sit them out, watching the more energetic and experienced dancers gliding and bouncing around the floor. However, the second bottle of wine had increased my confidence immeasurably and so I was the one to suggest that we returned to the dance floor before having our dessert. Good fortune favours the brave as they say, and by the time Julia and I actually got to the dance floor the band had returned to playing slower, smoother numbers and so I was saved the embarrassment of displaying my lack of dancing skill. The up side was that I got to hold Julia close for another fifteen minutes or so until the band finished their set, it might have been my imagination but this time she seemed to cling just a little bit closer with her face nestled against my throat, her warm breath making my balls tingle with an erotic glow.

The rest of that evening will remain in my memory forever as possibly the most profoundly enjoyable and happy night of my life. We sat at our table, drank wine and smoked, and talked about everything and anything; we made jokes and laughed a lot and we danced whenever a piece of music appealed to us, Julia even managed to teach me enough of the foxtrot to get around the floor without a disaster occurring. I was in some sort of euphoric dream brought about by the atmosphere of the café, the music and the ecstasy of having Julia's soft mature body in my arms.

By the time that the band ceased playing and the café began to close up for the night at about one-thirty we had consumed another two bottles of wine and although neither of us was in any respect pissed we were enveloped in a warm glow of good cheer and waited for our taxi muffled in our thick top coats close together for warmth with our arms around each other's waists.

*

"Do you want a night-cap, James dear?" Julia asked me tossing her coat onto a chair in the lounge of our hotel suite.

"Er, no... I don't think so...I will just have a cup of coffee and a cigarette..." I replied switching on the kettle and spooning instant coffee into a cup. I had already had more wine again than I was normally used to and a whisky would probably put me over the top, I didn't want to get pissed I wanted everything about that evening to remain clear and warm in my mind. Julia poured herself a Scotch and flopped onto the couch kicking off her shoes and sat wriggling her toes. Fuck! But it was incredible how little things that she did were so sexy. I brought over my cup and sat down beside her, lit two cigarettes and passed her one.

"Thank you James, dear, for a wonderful, wonderful, evening... I have not enjoyed myself so much for more years than I care to remember..." Julia said, and snuggled up to me and laid her head on my shoulder, her hair wafting across my face and filling my head with the delicate perfume of her shampoo.

"I thought that it was great, Jules... I really had fun... I guess that I have changed my opinions about dancing... it could be my new favourite thing..." I did not mention at dancing with her... Being with her... Had kept me in a state of yo-yo horniness all evening.

"Huh, so you enjoyed it did you?" She chuckled, "Does this mean that you are going to be out dancing every Saturday night when you get home to the UK...?"

"I don't think so... not unless you promise to be my dance partner, Jules..."

"I do so wish that that could be possible..." She whispered, and leaned closer so that she could place a light kiss on my cheek. "But maybe we could go back to the Cafeteria Kaspar Josef with your mother and Cora before we leave for home?"

"Absolutely not!" I exclaimed. "That is OUR place... I shall never go there again...except with you!" It sounded a bit petulant and dramatic but I really meant it. Something in that remark made Julia sit back slightly and turn her face towards mine.

"Oh God...this cannot be happening..." She murmured. I was not sure if she was really speaking to me or just thinking aloud. She tossed back her drink and stood up and moved over to the side table to pour another.