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Chapter 9

As suggested by Amy, I wore her summer dress and shoes on Friday morning and she professed herself satisfied with my hair and makeup before I went on set. Frank smiled and wished me good morning and so yesterday’s incident involving Amy’s fall appeared to have been forgiven. I spent most of the morning working with the assistant directors and crew in blocking the next few scenes, followed by lighting and camera rehearsals. The bulk of the cast had been released to go away and learn their lines, but I and one or two extras, who were not directly involved with the dialogue, were used as stand-ins so that the camera crew and sound recordists could check on camera angles and the placement of the lights and the boom. Amy called in to see how things were going shortly before our lunch break as she was due to leave for her weekend in London. As usual, she looked stunning, apart for the plastic splint that she still wore on her arm. Frank saw her arrive and decided to break for lunch.

‘That’s great for now, ladies and gentlemen.’

Then turning to his assistant, he said: ‘Joan, can you make sure the remainder of the cast know that we’ll be making a start on shooting the yard scene at 1.30 and will be continuing tomorrow morning. We should be able to finish off once we have Amy back on Monday morning.’

As the others started to leave he turned to Amy.

‘How’s your arm this morning?’

‘It’s OK, I think. I’m still wearing the splint for now, but the paramedic says that I can take it off for tomorrow evening, and as long as I don’t try to lift anything heavy or use it too much my arm should be fine by Monday.’

‘Good, enjoy your weekend but please make sure that you don’t do anything to make it worse.’

He then turned to me.

‘Nicola, there are going to be a couple of shots this afternoon where Lucy Robarts will feature on the edge of the action, so I’d like you to be available in costume by three thirty and ready to take Amy’s place. There are no lines for you to learn. It also now looks as if we are going need you in costume again first thing tomorrow morning.’

‘Yes, of course,’ I replied.

‘I’d no idea that they would expect me to be in costume today,’ I said to Amy as we were leaving the set together.

‘They’ve obviously made more progress this morning than they expected, but that’s a good sign that they seem to be happy to use you as my stand-in. Make sure you leave the costume and makeup staff plenty of time to get you ready.'

‘Actually, I quite enjoy those days when I’m required for filming.’

Amy thought for a while and then smiled.

‘So I’ve noticed.’

By this time, we had reached the caravan where Amy’s limo driver was waiting to take her London.

‘Goodbye then Nikki and have a great time over the weekend. I’ll see you on Sunday evening,’ she said giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.

‘Goodbye Amy, thanks for everything that you’ve done for me this week and good luck with the award ceremony tomorrow.’

The young starlet smiled and waved as they drove off.

Amy was right in her prediction and it took the costume and makeup departments nearly an hour and a half to get me ready for the afternoon shoot. The lacing on the corset took my breath away but created a trim waist, a heaving bosom and a most impressive cleavage. The crinoline petticoat and accompanying dress were not exactly practical to wear and needed some practice to negotiate through doors etc. although there was no doubt that I looked nice. Only the low-heeled silk-topped shoes were at all comfortable to wear compared to their twenty-first century counterparts.

‘How on earth did Victorian ladies manage having to wear these clothes?’ I asked Chloe, as she was dressing me.

‘With difficulty, but it wasn’t just fine ladies, all women were expected to wear corsets which severely limited what they could do.

’But why did they put up with it?’

She shrugged.

‘That’s why the Rational Dress Society was formed in the 1880s.

Once Chloe was finished with me, Sue took several digital photographs so that they would be able to match Amy’s costume when it came to her doing the shots involving dialogue on the following Monday.

‘By the end of next week, I’ll have a folder of pictures of you in different costumes. Would you like copies to add to your acting portfolio?’ she asked.

‘I don’t have an acting portfolio.’

‘In that case maybe you should think of compiling one.’

I felt incredibly conspicuous as I walked on set but was relieved to discover that several other members of the female cast were wearing similar voluminous dresses and that I would be able to blend into the background without too much trouble. It was only later in the scene that they would be focusing in on my character and then Amy would take my place. Thus, we finished shooting relatively early and by six thirty I had changed back into the dress that I’d previously worn.

‘Would you like to join me for an evening meal in the catering tent?’ said Sue as she and her staff were now ready to pack up for the day.

‘Alright then, thanks,’ I replied, always happy to eat in company.

As we were queueing for our food Sue continued to make conversation.

‘How have you been finding life as Nicola?’

‘Does that include having to wear that awful corset and crinoline this afternoon?‘

She smiled.

‘It’s all part of the job.’

I smiled and nodded, then after a moment’s reflection, I added: ‘actually I have been enjoying myself and have learned a lot.’

‘So Amy’s little project to turn you into a girl for a fortnight appears to have been quite successful.’

I blushed slightly.

‘I would never have got such an interesting job working as a guy.’

‘But did you need to be Nicola full-time?’

‘It was you who suggested sewing in my hair extensions. In any event Amy didn’t want to be seen to be sharing her accommodation with a guy in case it got into the newspapers. In fact, she has been very kind to me.'

‘OK. As long as you are happy but be careful. Amy can be quite wild at times. She used to have a personal assistant who kept her on the ‘straight and narrow’ for a while but she got fed up and left.’

‘Yes, I’d heard.’

‘So don’t let her get you into any trouble.’

‘I don’t think that’s likely. She’s gone up to London for the weekend and I’ve only got one more week of filming with her.’

‘I suppose Amy’s more likely to get herself into trouble in London than down here in Wiltshire.’

I didn’t answer.

‘So, are you planning to remain on location as Nicola on Sunday?’

‘With this long hair and these boobs, I don’t really have much choice, but Amy is letting me use her caravan whilst she’s away, so I won’t have to go out.’

‘We’re organising a bowls match for the crew and the cast members who will be on location this weekend. We are going to hold it at the pub in the village on Sunday afternoon. We’re a little short of ladies from the cast at present, so I don’t suppose you’d be interested in joining us?’

‘Won’t the others think it odd if I play for the ladies’ team?’

‘They’ll think it even odder if you try to play in the gents’ team with your long hair and boobs. In any event, the teams are going to be mixed and we are trying to keep roughly equal numbers of men and women, cast and crew in each team. So, would you like to come?’

‘The only snag is that I’ll have run out of clothes to wear by tomorrow. I was planning to devote my spare time this weekend to washing and ironing. I doubt if I’ll have anything suitable that is ready to wear by Sunday.'

Sue smiled.

‘I’m sure we’ll be able to find you something suitable to wear from the costume store. Remind me tomorrow.’

‘I’ll come, if you think it will be alright with the others involved.’

‘You’re a member of the cast now, just like any other, so of course it will be alright.'

‘Would you mind if I accompanied you to the pub as I would be a little nervous to just turn up on my own.’

‘I suggest that you should come to the makeup caravan at one thirty on Sunday and we’ll make our way there together.’

That night I took all the clothes that Amy had bought for me and one or two other items that she had loaned to me to the launderette facilities that had been set up at the location and then hung them on the clothes dryer in Amy’s caravan. Whilst that was happening, I made a start on addressing Amy’s fan mail and made good progress with the backlog.

On Saturday morning, I was up early to be fitted with the corset and crinoline dress required for the scene before joining the other cast members on the set. The costume was uncomfortable to wear and difficult to sit down in, but I must admit that I looked the part. Once on set, I was pleased to discover that I was being accepted in my new gender role by everyone on set without any awkwardness, and I did not need Amy’s company to shield me. As before, my day involved longish periods of standing around chatting to the other female cast members present complaining about the inconvenience of our costumes compared to those of the men, followed by short bursts of action. For most of the scenes I was in the background or else shot from behind, but there were a couple of shots taken where I was in full view and speaking dialogue. It was left to the film editors whether these would eventually be used with Amy’s voice over-dubbed or else would be replaced with others once Amy returned on Monday.

At four o’clock on Saturday afternoon filming was finished for the week. I returned to the caravan where Sue and Sandra were on duty.

‘Did everything go alright for you Nicola?’ asked Sue as she helped me to change out of my costume.

‘Yes, I think so, once I’d got used to wearing the Victorian costume.’

‘We’d better take off those breast forms to examine your skin underneath,’ she said once the costume was safely stowed away and I’d changed back into the twenty-first century.

‘Alright, but please peel them off gently as they appear to be stuck on quite firmly.’

She did so and cleaned the area underneath with an antiseptic wipe.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any problems with your skin. Would you like to leave them off for tonight or are you happy for me to put them straight back?’

‘You may as well put them back. I’ve got used to my new shape over the last week and it will feel odd to be without them.’

Sue smiled and carefully glued them back in place. Once again, I was required to hold them in place until the glue cured.

‘There you are, they should be alright now until we finish filming next week. You can get dressed again.’

‘Thanks. I feel more confident having them securely in place, especially if I am playing bowls tomorrow afternoon.’

‘Yes, it looks as if it is going to be a fine day for the bowls match, so I’ve found you this dress to wear. You are welcome to borrow it,’ she said pointing to a light pink floral printed dress with a fitted bodice, and a box pleated midi skirt, that was hanging on a hook.

‘Would you like to try it on?’

‘Alright, thanks.’

‘It will be too hot to wear tights tomorrow, so you’ll need to make sure that your legs are nice and smooth,’ she added as she zipped up the dress for me

‘Frances waxed them for me last weekend and there’s not much sign of any regrowth, but I’ll go over them with my electric razor tonight.’

I looked at myself in the mirror. It was a very feminine but attractive style and the colouring seemed to suit me. Sue and her staff clearly knew their job.

‘Thank you,’ I said, about to change back.

‘What about some shoes to go with the dress?’ asked Sue

‘Amy bought a pair of low- heeled sling-backs for me to wear last week.’

‘What colour are they?’

‘They’re black’.

She shook her head.

‘What about the heels that you’ve been wearing?’ she asked.

‘They belong to Amy, she loaned them to me for the weekend.’

‘They would look better with the dress, but If you’re going to wear sandals with bare legs, you’ll need to paint your toenails.’

‘I don’t have any nail varnish and won’t be able to get hold of any by Sunday.’

Sue turned to Sandra, who had been looking on during our conversation.

‘Do we have a nail varnish to suit this dress, and maybe a matching lipstick as well.

Sandra sorted through her supplies and brought two items over.

‘Thank you.’

Sandra looked at her watch/

‘I’ve an hour free before I’m due to finish work today and there’s no-one else that needs my help, I could give Nicola a manicure and pedicure, if it is ok with you, Sue?’

‘What do you think, Nicola?’ Sue asked.

‘Alright, if you don’t mind. I’ve never worn nail varnish before.

Sandra trimmed and painted my toenails and let them dry using foam toe separators.

‘It’s always easier to have help with painting your toes. Now let me have a look at your fingers.

I held them out for her to inspect.

‘Your fingernails aren’t too bad, but they could do with some gel tips so that we can shape them nicely.’

‘Alright but nothing too long that might impede my riding.’

‘Leave it to me.’

Forty-five minutes later I came away with elegantly extended and shaped fingernails covered with several coats of pink lacquer expertly applied.

‘What do you think?’ asked Sandra.

‘They look very nice, especially with this dress, but won’t it all have to come off before I start filming again on Tuesday.’

‘Not necessarily, there are kid-gloves and riding boots to go with your outfit,’ said Sue.

‘I have to go off shift now but make sure your nails are fully dry before you attempt to change out of that the dress and sandals,' said Sandra.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll help her to get changed so she doesn’t spoil her lovely nails,’ said Sue with a smile.

Later that evening, as I worked on Amy’s fan mail, I speculated whether the costume and makeup staff were part of a conspiracy to keep me looking so good as a young woman over the weekend. I even half wondered whether Amy might have put them up to it. But if so why, and what did it matter to anyone other than me? The main thing though was that I was enjoying my life as Nicola.

As promised by the weather forecast, Sunday morning proved to be a bright sunny day with no clouds in the sky. I showered and washed my hair and spent much of the morning getting myself ready to go out. I ensured that there was no trace of unwanted hair on my legs, arms and armpits. This was the first occasion that I was responsible for my dress, hair and makeup as Nicola, entirely on my own, without Amy or one of the costume staff looking on. I took extra care, to achieve a look that was appropriate to the occasion, remembering everything that I’d been told on different occasions. Using a combination of concealer, foundation and face powder that Amy had given me. I achieved a flawless skin tone but without going over the top. My eyebrows and lashes were already in pretty good shape, thanks to the previous ministrations of the makeup staff. I therefore concentrated on the eyelids and brow bones to create a subtle smoky effect. Sandra had been right in her choice of colour of the lipstick and nail varnish so that my hands, feet and lips now picked out the principal colour of the dress I would be wearing. The dress and the shoes fitted perfectly and looked good. I finished off the look with a discrete necklace and pair of earrings that Amy had loaned to me the previous weekend when we went out for a meal together.

I took one last glance at myself in the mirror and approved of what I saw, before making my way to the makeup caravan, where Sue, Frances and Sandra were waiting for me.

‘You look great Nikki, I can see that you’re a fast learner,’ said Sue.

‘So, you think I look alright?’ I asked tentatively.

‘More than alright, you look lovely. I knew that dress and those shoes would be just right for you.’

The other two nodded in agreement.

I smiled and blushed simultaneously, as we made our way to the village.

 

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Next week: Amy's return

Thanks for the comments and corrections everyone. Feel free to keep them coming.
Louise