Susannah Donim

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library (conclusion)

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Fifteen – What Mrs Bennet Did Next

What does the future hold for Mike, Michelle and Holly?

Between them the two detectives managed to pull Sam off me and handcuff her, before she could do much damage.

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 14

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Fourteen – Mrs Bennet Confronts the Killer

The police seem no closer to finding the killer. What will happen to Holly and her Auntie Michelle?

When I found Holly unconscious and covered in blood, I panicked.

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 13

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Thirteen – Mrs Bennet the Snitch

Even though the show has been closed, Auntie Michelle has to stay on and help the police find the killer.

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 12

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Twelve – Mrs Bennet Investigates

Mrs Bennet helps the police with their enquiries.

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 11

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Eleven – The Body in the Library

Just as Mike was getting used to playing a Regency matron during the day, and a middle-aged actress at night, disaster strikes.

I liked Sam, I always had, but I couldn’t see how her being in my bedroom with both of us in sexy nighties could possibly be a good idea.

“What can I do for you, Sam?” I asked, warily.

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 10

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Mike settles in as Mrs Bennet, the Mistress of Longbourn, and learns to live the life of a 19th Century married lady.

Chapter Ten – Mistress of Longbourn

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 9

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

From playing a part in a play, Mike has become a full-time forty-year-old woman and has to play the part in real life.

Chapter Nine – Becoming Auntie Michelle

“Couldn’t you find me any trousers?” I grumbled as Holly drove us away from Transformations.

“Sorry,” she said, “Mum doesn’t own many pairs and I know she’d miss any I borrowed.”

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 7

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Seven – Awards and Opportunities

Interlude: Mike’s time as Mrs Bennet is over – or is it? A new opportunity comes up and Holly is determined to make the most of it…

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 6

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

In between performances, Holly takes Michelle out for dinner.

Chapter Six – Mrs Bennet in 2021

“I really enjoyed that,” said Sheila back in the dressing room after our half hour (OK, forty minutes) synopsis of Miss Austen’s five-hundred-page novel. “You were all really good. You must be so proud of Holly.”

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 5

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Mike, now ‘Michelle’, gives his ‘Mrs Bennet’ at the end of term show.

Chapter Five – Performance on Stage and off

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library - Chapter 2

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Two – Adaptation, Literary and Otherwise

Mike prepares for the role of a lifetime, but his classmates are all laughing at him, especially his girlfriend.

“Think of it as a challenge, Mike,” MacNair said blithely in response to my objections. “You showed you understood your character’s nature and motivation better than anyone else, so I’m sure you’ll do a great job.”

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library
By Susannah Donim

To please his girlfriend Mike agrees to spend the summer as a cast member of The Pride and Prejudice Experience. He didn’t expect to become the Prime Suspect in a murder and have to hide out as a middle-aged mother of five in 1813!
[Author’s Note: this is my attempt to write a proper TV/TG detective story. Let me know what you think!]

Prologue

The Earl Maid - Chapter 8 (conclusion)

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 8

So Rob is back but no more comfortable as the Earl than before. What’s to be done? He can’t be Martha anymore, can he?

The Earl Maid - Chapter 7

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 7

Martha and the Countess face an enraged Beckett – and the aftermath. Will the Earl be exposed - or killed?

The sound of breaking glass came from the back of the house.

The Earl Maid - Chapter 6

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 6

Rob is enjoying life as Martha, the maid and cleaning lady, but now (s)he has to search Beckett’s house for evidence.

The Earl Maid - Chapter 5

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 5

The Countess brings in a private investigator to help counter the threat the Hadleighs are facing. Martha the maid goes undercover.

The Earl Maid - Chapter 4

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 4

In the face of threats from local villains, Rob is forced to hide out as Martha, the housekeeper.

“The Earl’s not here,” I squeaked in my best Martha voice.

“We’ll wait,” said Eleanor’s brother. “Through here, Tank.”

Tank? Never did a man’s nickname suit him better.

The Earl Maid - Chapter 3

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 3

The Hadleighs start to host meetings of local societies to ease their financial difficulties. Rob gets drawn into a rather unusual demonstration at a meeting of the Pink Ladies.

The Earl Maid - Chapter 2

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Chapter 2

The Earl and Countess move into their new home, but Rob is still too shy and tongue-tied to be comfortable. Then Susie suggests a new game to relax him, using the old clothes they find in the attic.

When we arrived at the Hall on Saturday morning, Martha answered the door.

The Earl Maid - Chapter 1

The Earl Maid

By Susannah Donim

Rob is a shy and reserved young man, but an unexpected inheritance suddenly makes him the centre of attention. His wife helps him find a way of hiding in plain sight.

Prologue

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 8 of 8 (conclusion)

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Chapter 8 – My Wife’s Mother-in-Law

Steve’s new normal – and the 'little sacrifices' he has to make.

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 7 of 8

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Chapter 7 – Dolly Returns

Can Steve finally return to normal?

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 6 of 8

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Chapter 6 – Maid of All Work

Steve moves in with his girlfriend, but not at all as he would have wanted.

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 5 of 8

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Chapter 5 – The Substitute

Steve has qualms about the propriety of the favour his mother asks of him, but he has no idea of where the deception will lead.

“No, no, no!” I shouted in the car on the way home. “It’s a mad idea; completely bonkers; and almost certainly illegal!”

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 4 of 8

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Chapter 4 – Annie and her Auntie Ingrid

Steve walks a mile in his mother’s shoes.

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 3 of 8

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Chapter 3 – A Few More Little Jobs for Mother

Transformations has developed some new, even more interesting technology, and of course a test subject is needed.

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 2 of 8

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Chapter 2 – Watching My Weight

Steve finds that fat isn’t just a feminist issue.

Annie and her Granny - Chapter 1 of 8

Annie and her Granny

By Susannah Donim

Steve’s mother runs the secretive Transformations consultancy. This means he has a number of interesting jobs over the years.

Prologue

Steve helps with the testing of some interesting new technology.

“Here, Granny, hold onto my arm,” Annie said. “I’ll help you up the steps.”

“Thank you, dear,” I said gratefully, in my creaky ‘old lady’ voice.

Office Takeover (Extended)

Office Takeover (Extended)

By Susannah Donim (based on a short story by Margaret Jeanette)

Jim and his secretary change places, with far-reaching consequences.

The Christmas party

“Come on – you’re the CEO. You have to push the boat out a bit!”

My wife, Marilyn, was trying to persuade me to splash out on our costumes for the company’s Christmas fancy dress party.

“CEO, hah! There’s only sixteen of us in the company. I’m more like a Team Leader.”

After the Pantomime - Chapter 9 of 9 (conclusion)

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

Chapter 9 – After the Birth

Is Nick’s future, Daisy? Or is Daisy’s future, Nick?

After the Pantomime - Chapter 8 of 9

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

Chapter 8 – Daisy’s Promotion

From pregnant secretary to Madam Chairman…

We three directors were meeting to compile our list of how we proposed to spend the Bank’s first £125k before our first Board meeting with Margaret.

After the Pantomime - Chapter 7 of 9

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

Chapter 7 – The Secretary

Ruth makes Nick pay for keeping secrets from her. His ‘transformation’ becomes more permanent.

Ruth stood with her hands on her hips and demanded an explanation.

After the Pantomime - Chapter 6 of 9

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

Chapter 6 – After the Panto

Nick puts what he has learned as a Pantomime Dame to good use.

After the Pantomime - Chapter 5 of 9

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

Chapter 5 – The Panto

Sarah the Cook starts to take over – and who is Auntie Elsie?

The last two weeks of rehearsals went like a flash – literally so, as every time I was in costume someone from the Society seemed to be taking photos. ‘For publicity,’ they kept saying.

After the Pantomime - Chapter 3 of 9

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

Chapter 3 – A Pantomime Dame

Nick is recruited for a very different kind of female role.

After the Pantomime - Chapter 2 of 9

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

Chapter 2 – A Stand-up Comedienne

Nick makes his debut as Daisy Duquesne.

After the Pantomime - Chapter 1 of 9

After the Pantomime

By Susannah Donim

A spare time hobby slowly turns into a lifetime choice for Nick.

“Fiction needs to be credible; I should persuade the reader that the events in my stories could happen, if they haven’t already.” – Ian Rankin, author of the Rebus novels.

Prologue

“He’s behind you!” the kids all shouted, excitement, frustration and panic evident in their high-pitched voices.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 11 (conclusion)

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 11 – The Tribunal

Dave returns to the bank face the music. Is this the end of his career as Maria, the cleaning lady?

I showed up at the bank’s headquarters that fateful Monday in my best suit, now a size or two too big for me, and with my dyed hair in a discreet low ponytail. I was smart enough but I guess I must have looked worn and haggard. Maybe I would get the sympathy vote.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 10

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 10 – Our New Careers

Maria, the cleaning lady, gets a new boss (same as the old boss). Business booms.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 9

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 9 – A Life in Service

Life settles into a routine for Maria, the cleaning lady and reluctant maid. Then a new business opportunity arises.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 4 (full body version)

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 4 – My Transformation

Can the professionals make Dave more convincing as Maria?

I didn’t ask Anna how she found out about Transformations or who her contact was, and she didn’t say, but the following Saturday morning Sally and I found ourselves at their anonymous-looking manor house out in the country. We were welcomed by a very pretty receptionist who introduced herself as Angela.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 8

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 8 – A Maid by Any Other Name

There is a difference between a cleaning lady and a maid, isn’t there? Not according to Dave’s mean big sister.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 3 (full body version)

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 3 – Maria’s First Job

Dave, now Maria, begins earning his pay as a cleaning lady. It turns out not to be as bad as he expected.

At half-past seven on Monday morning, we – that is, Sally and Maria – rang Dorothy’s doorbell. We’d already apologised for having to be here this early, but Sally had to be at work by eight-thirty. The old lady wasn’t at all bothered. She told Sally that she didn’t sleep much at her age. She was always up at six.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 7

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 7 – A Born Cleaning Lady

A new career beckons for Maria, the hard-working cleaning lady and laundry maid.

As promised, Anna and Phil came round at about eight o’clock to see how Maria had turned out. I answered the door and took some pleasure in seeing their open mouths and gasps of astonishment. I loved performing, and being admired for my acting talents.

“Por favor, pase, Señor y Señora,” I said in character, holding the door wide open.

Acting as a Cleaning Lady - Chapter 2 (full body version)

Acting as a Cleaning Lady

By Susannah Donim

Chapter 2 – My Sister’s Cleaner

Dave loses his high-paying job, which might mean they lose their home. Then his sister, Anna, comes up with a possible solution.

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