None of the immediate family is likely to forget our last holiday. My husband Gerald had suggested that we take a Gites, a cottage in France for a two week holiday. These French cottages usually sleep 6 to 8 people, are in rural districts and are fairly inexpensive.
We spoke to the family and in the end we were joined by our unmarried son Peter who is in his final year before university, our married son Ian and his wife Fiona and my mother Mathilda (Matty).
This decision was to change all our lives but whether for the better depends on ones point of view.
We were all enjoying a wonderful holiday good food, fine but inexpensive wine, interesting places to visit, what more could we ask for.
On the second Saturday my husband and I went to bed about 11.00 pm. My mother had already gone. I told Peter he should be making a move and this just left Ian and Fiona in the lounge.
Gerald was feeling rather horny and I was in a good mood and after a little foreplay we made love. Unfortunately, as usual, Gerald finished before I was ready!
Having drunk a substantial amount of wine, I don't think I was unduly bothered and just fell asleep. I was awakened by the bedroom light being switched on. There was a figure dressed in a black track suit and wearing a black ski mask standing by my husband with a gun to my husbands head.
The person spoke and I immediately realised the figure was female. We were ordered to keep quiet and told to leave the bedroom. Both Gerald and I were naked and when I went to pick up my nightdress I had a filmy negligee flung at me which hid very little and Gerald had a pair of briefs.
At the point of a gun we were pushed into the lounge. The rest of the family was already there, all looking very embarrassed because of their dress, or lack of it. Peter was the better covered having on a proped pair of shorts and Ian too was wearing undershorts but Fiona was wearing only the top half of an extremely transparent nightdress and mother was wearing a peach coloured nightie, full length but which again hid nothing.
There was another person in the lounge also dressed in black and carrying a gun.
This was a man and from their accents they were both English. The man wanted to know where we kept our valuables. he did not seem to realise that we were staying in a holiday home. Taking us one at a time to our rooms they soon realised that we had very little money, we had travellers cheques and of course credit cards.
However more changes were taking place and they were not exactly subtle.