Enemies To Lovers 18: Marriage and Flight

The wedding took place in the same church in which Reinhart's funeral had been held, and it was performed by the same minister. The only attendants were Frau Schiller and her youngest daughter, Paula. Paula was only a few months older than Joanna and was the only one of the Schiller siblings she felt a bit sad about leaving.

The minister, a man of about fifty with thin blond hair combed over his bald spot and piercing blue eyes, barely glanced at her before beginning the ceremony.

Standing beside Jurgen, facing him, she felt her stomach twist in knots. Her knees were like jelly, and she wondered whether they would support her until the ordeal was over. She licked her lips as she glanced around the interior of the little chapel. The sight of the large white cross made her quake inside. What would her parents have thought if they knew she was marrying a Gentile? It would break her mother's heart.

"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Realizing the minister had addressed her, she snapped to attention.

"I do." She looked at Jurgen to see him staring straight ahead.

"By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the minister proclaimed.

She felt Jurgen's hand lift her chin and automatically closed her eyes as his lips brushed hers, soft as the dew on the morning grass, and it was all over with and Jurgen was pulling her out of the church to the car waiting to take them to the train station.

She felt as if she were in a dream. It didn't seem possible that she was now Joanna Schiller, the wife of a man who'd been the enemy of her people. How would she ever be able to look at herself in the mirror again without being overwhelmed by self loathing?

The car arrived at the train station in the dead of night, and Jurgen hurried her aboard. They found seats, and the train began to move. Joanna had the window seat, but it didn't really matter, as all she could see out the window was darkness. Her head rested on Jurgen's shoulder as the miles flew past.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"I'm scared," she replied.

"There's no need to be," he told her. "Nothing's going to happen to you." The way he emphasized the last word told Joanna he was still very much afraid of being caught and brought to trial. What would life be like once they reached Spain? Would they be like hunted animals, constantly seeking cover? Since Jurgen would be the only person she knew, her fate was inextricably tied to his. If he were captured, she would be left all alone in a land in which she knew no one at all and didn't even know the language.

She must have dozed off at last, because the next thing she knew, Jurgen was gently shaking her awake.

"It's time to go to breakfast," he told her.

The long train ride gave Jurgen plenty of time to think about what he'd just done, what he hoped the future would turn out to be like. He'd always assumed he'd marry some day, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined it would be like this. He should have proudly walked down the aisle of the church with his beautiful Aryan bride at his side while his friends looked on with envy, not a swift transaction after dark followed by a secret train ride to Spain.

And that's probably exactly the way it would have been had the Third Reich prevailed, he reflected bitterly.

Yet how could he have left Joanna behind, after everything they'd been through together? She'd been his companion when he was lonely, had nursed him back to health after his injuries, had provided him with physical pleasure and emotional support. He'd had women before the war, but none of them had really meant anything to him. He had to admit he didn't really know what it felt like to be in love, but the tender feelings he'd developed toward Joanna, the strong urge he had to protect her, came far closer than he'd ever come before.

Arriving at the train station in Spain, he found himself only one in a multitude of men and even women just like himself: former camp officers fleeing for their lives to a sympathetic country.

He glanced down at Joanna to see her frightened brown eyes staring back at him.

"There sure are a lot of people." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"They won't bother you," he told her.

Standing beside her new husband in the throng, Joanna felt invisible, which was fine with her. As long as no one noticed her, she was safe. She slipped a tentative hand into Jurgen's, and he gave it a firm clasp. The warmth of his touch calmed her.

After awhile, her feet began to ache, and by the time they reached the front of the line, they felt as if they were about to fall off. Jurgen had long ago had to ask for a wheelchair.

"Name?" asked the man sitting across from him at the table.

"Jurgen Schiller. This is my wife, Joanna." So he'd used her real first name rather than referring to her as 'Johanna.' She supposed it didn't matter anymore. Needless to say, the blonde wig had long since disappeared.

After a few more questions, they were sent to yet another line, one which moved almost as slowly as the first one had. It was near dark by the time they received their sustenance: a piece of fish, a rounded scoop of rice, a dollop of beans, and a roll.

Joanna was so hungry she ate every bit of her meal. Looking across the table, she saw Jurgen shoveling food into his mouth with his good hand and knew he'd been as famished as she'd been.

After their meal, they were led to their new quarters, which turned out to be small but very clean. They reminded Joanna of the quarters Jurgen had taken her to the day she'd met him.

Once they were inside, she helped bathe him and settle him in bed, then bathed and slipped beneath the covers herself. At first she thought Jurgen had fallen asleep, but then she felt his good arm slip around her, pulling her to him, arranging himself on top of her.

She could tell he was trying to be gentle, but it still hurt a bit. She was too frightened to cry out. The pain receded and was replaced by something akin to pleasure, but then he began to moan and buck as his hot seed spurted inside her. Afterwards, she felt him soften and slip out as he lay beside her and held her close. A few minutes later, she heard his gentle snoring.