 Chatwin returned to Sotheby 's and , to the surprise of his friends , proposed marriage to Elizabeth Chanler . They married on 21 August 1965 . Chatwin was bisexual throughout their married life , a circumstance Elizabeth knew and accepted . Chatwin had hoped he would " grow out of " his homosexual behaviour and have a successful marriage like his parents . During their marriage , Chatwin had many affairs , mostly with men . Some who were aware of Chatwin 's affairs with men assumed the Chatwins had a chaste marriage but , according to Nicholas Shakespeare , the author 's biographer , this was not true . Both Chatwin and his wife had hoped to have children , but they remained childless . 
