Chapter 26
Robert was out of bed before Adele stirred and he listened to the early morning chorus that was a rare opportunity for him growing up in the central district of Bristol. He was usually at work at 6am in any case and rarely left before 6 pm so days were long and hard for little reward.

If he was lucky he would have bread and pickles with meat scraps for breakfast prepared by his mother who he now realised was his great aunt. His diet was basic and more often than not he would have some cheese fruit and milk for lunch so small wonder his breasts had developed. His diet was nothing like the diet he’d been experiencing in London this last few days and he’d never left an empty plate before. Perhaps it was because of the tight corsets he was wearing.

He felt hungry this morning and he hoped Adele would be well enough to eat some bacon and eggs with him. He wouldn’t like to eat alone with the hotel full of businessmen who had started to become boisterous the previous evening at dinner due to the alcohol being consumed. He was glad that Sir Henry had stormed out after the confrontation with Adele and hoped he would not return before they had packed and paid the bill.

First he needed Adele to be well enough to help him into his corset and dress. After wiping himself over to refresh himself using a wet cloth he stood over Adele that caused her to open her eyes looking slightly confused as she came around. Robert bent over to kiss her forehead without considering that his nightdress was gaping open revealing two soft white mounds and his pink nipples.

That brought a smile from Adele’s face. She whispered that it was a nice way to be woken and that he had beautiful firm breasts and they made him look totally feminine.

Robert was embarrassed and blushed since they were relatively new to him and had grown to the point that now they were becoming very obvious. He was conscious that he had never had to take precautions to cover his chest before and pleased that Adele was not offended by his appearance. As they looked into each others eyes Adele reached up and gently stroked his right nipple beneath his nightdress and responded immediately to her gentle caress. He pushed forward slightly as she moved her hand to his left nipple that also responded. He leaned further forward to kiss her on the lips and she placed both hands behind his head to maintain the kiss as long as possible.

Robert moved to make an attempt to pull back the bed sheets to slide in by her side but she stopped him with her arm and said that it wasn’t the right time. He was slightly confused because he knew that she had hoped they would be intimate and he was ready to try. Adele stopped him and responded to his puzzled look by saying that she would explain later but she needed to bathe and attend to herself.

Robert withdrew allowing Adele to get out of bed and she immediately covered herself with a robe to visit the small room with a modern wooden toilet that was a luxury new to Robert who was still using chamber pots. Robert also donned a robe and went into the small room next door to their room where a wooden bath unit and wash stand was available to check that warm water was available to prepare the bath for Adele. He headed back to their suite to ring the bell for assistance and a maid appeared to take care of everything. Robert would use the washstand in the room and a sponge rather than the bath.

He waited patiently in the bedroom after cleaning himself whilst Adele bathed alone having declined assistance from the maid in view of her presentation as Arthur Deane. Whilst she wasn’t well endowed there was no way she could fool anyone that this was a mans chest if on display. The warm bath was welcomed by Adele who sank below the water level whilst the maid averted her eyes. The warm bath recovered her spirits and was ready to enjoy breakfast.

Once dressed in her shirt and breeches she assisted Robert to dress and ensured that his corset was tight and securely fastened. He seemed to be getting used to being pulled around whilst his waist was reduced to a size that would fit into the dress. Adele then helped him with his hair that she brushed and then tied at the back with a ribbon. He would turn the heads of most men and Adele complemented him.

They were ready at last so they headed to the breakfast room where they sat in a quiet corner and enjoyed the fresh eggs and bacon accompanied by toasted bread and tea. Robert frequently checked that Adele had recovered sufficiently to travel back to Tavistock Square where he felt they should relax and talk with Aunt Roberta rather than attempt any meetings that Adele might have planned. He wanted to discuss more about the Fitzgerald’s and her proposal for them to become engaged and to live under the care of Aunt Roberta until his inheritance was due.

Adele was relieved to feel that Robert seemed more positive about Aunt Roberta’s proposals and hoped that he would see the benefits even if he was to change his mind sometime in the future. She was quite relaxed about him presenting as Roberta rather than Robert and was certain that he would become comfortable living full time in that role at least until Aunt Roberta passed away. It wasn’t too much to ask of him was it?

Unfortunately, as far as Adele was concerned, there was still no indication of interest in viewing engagement rings or discussing possible marriage plans although she was excited by the prospect herself and she thought that Robert would do her proud and she felt her grandfather would have been delighted to see her as his grandson. She knew he had been disappointed to have been close to death without the family name carrying on. His actions to invent a nephew were his only way to carry on his legacy with the Club.

Looking at Robert dressed as a young woman each day had stirred something inside Adele because he was quite pretty and the longer he played the part of Roberta the more his mannerisms changed from masculine to feminine and his personality was changing to suit. He was very convincing and she wondered, if had none of this happened, she would have been happier with a relationship with another woman. It was like having chance of a life with another woman with the opportunity to have time as a man and she felt sure that running the family businesses was easier if she had been a man. At least if she lived in London with Roberta she could visit the Club frequently as Arthur and if she needed to go back to Bristol for meetings she could present as Adele. It wasn’t going to be easy though so it needed a lot more thought as well as the full support of Robert. Her mannerisms were changing too.

Adele felt that she had to confide to Robert about her stomach problems and lack of intimacy the night before they departed the hotel since she needed time in the toilet and he had expressed his concern. He didn’t have any real knowledge of how a woman’s body functioned until she sat him down to explain and it wasn’t a subject that he enjoyed. He had seen part of Adele’s body without clothing whilst sharing a bed at the Club and knew about breasts and their function but never imagined that women had such discomfort every few weeks and needed privacy to maintain their personal hygiene.

He puzzled about it all the way back to Tavistock Square and wondered if this might happen to him if he carried on this masquerade and agreed to Aunt Roberta’s proposals to take up the role of a woman full time and become engaged and then married to Adele. How could they have children in the future if that happened?

Adele did from time to time wonder what was concerning Robert whilst they travelled in the cab. However she was content to stay quiet and grip the seat arm since there were areas where the road became uneven and bumpy bouncing the cab as the horse trotted. She also held Roberts hand and closed her eyes as much as possible whilst he tried to comfort her and from time to time he stared at places the passed without really taking much notice. It was all strange to him.

Each time Robert looked at Adele her eyes were closed and he could see that she wasn’t very comfortable at all but she was determined not to delay their return to Tavistock Square and then to her apartments to wash and change.

At last the cab pulled up outside Aunt Roberta’s house and Adele jumped down to help Robert alight despite his protests. She took his bag and knocked on the front door to be greeted by Polly. Aunt Roberta was entertaining two friends but took time to introduce her niece Roberta and her companion Arthur. She agreed to have dinner together later with Adele promising to arrive around 5-30 pm after she had rested from the journey. She looked pale and uncomfortable and Robert wanted to go with her but she insisted that she would recover quickly since she knew her body. That confused Robert even more. He knew his own body that wasn’t particularly complicated. Better he look at one of the medical books on the shelves in the corner of the day room when Aunt Roberta’s guests had left.

Polly was on hand to help him undress and remove his corset before she left him to prepare his bath of scented water. He welcomed the treat and the chance to allow his breasts to be released and submerged beneath the warm water. Polly took the opportunity to glance at him from time to time and admired the firmness of his breasts and left him to soak with sponges and perfumed soaps that Aunt Roberta was importing from France through her trading business.

Polly returned to add warm water to the bath and helped Robert to wash his hair. She said that her daughter had cleaned and tidied Adeles apartments and left them in good order and had decided to take on laundry duties. She did appear a little disturbed so Robert asked if he could help. After much persistence he managed to persuade her to tell him what was concerning her but she was vague because of the risk of exposing her daughters lack of confidentiality. He concluded that she was trying to tell him that there was evidence that Mr Arthur entertained in his apartment and she was concerned that he may have a woman friend. Robert let the matter drop but said that he trusted Arthur and he had many friends in London and also a cousin from Bristol who stayed with him from time to time.

Polly provided the fresh towels and a robe and helped Robert dry himself as discreetly as possible focusing on his hair. She had left some fresh undergarment and a choice of dresses recommending something bright since they were entertaining Mr Arthur.

At 5 pm went down to the dayroom to search the bookshelves for a medical book that might refer to the female anatomy. He found what he wanted and sat in a leather chair to understand more about the differences between his body and Adele’s. He was relieved to find that the risk of him having a similar illness to that experienced by Adele was low but horrified to see that some women suffered a lot of bleeding but without any stab wound or injury. He hoped Adele was alright and was relieved when she finally arrived just after 5-30pm.