The three-and-a-half-hour journey from Totnes to Portsmouth allowed the two women to begin the process of getting to know each other.

At first, Gabrielle was a little defensive towards her father.

Then Vivienne said,
"As I said when we were back in Totnes, I've just sold my home in London. In a few weeks, I will have the equivalent of more than three million Euro in my bank. I'm not after any money that Jacques may or may not have but this is not about that."

"I'm not going to try to change him. He clearly loves the lifestyle he has adopted. I know some of the reasons for it and I accept that. I have two very protective… no make that, overly protective daughters of my own. They'd love to get their hands on my money but they aren't going to get any more than I let them have. I'd rather give it all away to charity first."

Then she turned to look Gabrielle right in the face.
“I think I fell in love with your father almost from the moment I first saw him. He has stirred things in me that I have not felt since I was younger than you are right now. I know that he has feelings for me. I'm willing to give us a chance to build a relationship. If it does not work out then so be it but just being with him again has made me feel more alive than I have felt in years."

Gabrielle didn’t answer right away.

They were just approaching the turn off of the M5 near Taunton when she answered.

"You know about my Mama. Papa has never really gotten over her death. They were childhood sweethearts so her death hit him very hard. I…

I don't want him hurt again."

“That is the last thing that I want to do. I will let him run things.”

Gabrielle laughed.
“Back there you just took over did you not?”

“We took over because the situation needed us to. Your father had just heard some very bad news which as we both saw, threw him completely. We did what we did because someone needed to take control of the situation so that he could make the trip to Reunion in good time.”

Vivienne briefly hesitated before saying,
"If your father wants me to run through his stream naked then I will do it. And we’ll laugh about it later.”

After a few seconds, Gabrielle started to laugh.

That one sentence certainly broke the ice between them.

---

That evening, they had a nice meal in the Restaurant as the ferry left Portsmouth on its journey to Ouisterham. Now that the ice between them was well and truly broken, they started to bond as friends.

They retired to their cabins in good spirits. Vivienne was impressed with Gabrielle.

“What is it that you want to buy in Paris and why could you not have got whatever it is in London?” asked Gabrielle over an early Breakfast of Coffee and freshly baked Croissants.

After a slight hesitation, Vivienne produced the cuttings that she’d made more years before than she wanted to remember.
“I saw this many years ago and fell in love with that costume.”

Gabrielle looked at the slightly yellowed and creased pages for several seconds. Then she began to smile. Then she laughed.

“That certainly is different. It is not what I was expecting, nowhere near. Vivienne, you are quite unlike any English Woman I have ever met.”

“Then I want some shoes but not just any shoes. I’ve been wearing flats for the last twenty years. Jacques is at least 15cm taller than me. Not just shoes but some boots.”

Vivienne sighed.

"Yes, I could probably get pretty well everything I want in London but I've never really been shopping in Paris and the opportunity presented itself and you didn't say no now did you? Besides, it allows us to get to know each other a lot better."

Gabrielle sat back at the table and laughed again.

“Are you sure that you are really soixante and not seize?”

Vivienne laughed.

"I certainly don't feel sixty now and I'm the same dress size that I was when I was sixteen."

“What sort of boots do you want?”

“Thigh high with heels,” whispered Vivienne. Then she put her hand on the very top of her thigh.

Gabrielle reached over and took hold of Vivienne's hand.

"You really are a sixteen-year-old again."

“Look Gabrielle, I know that I’m probably going to make a total idiot of myself but since I met Jacques, all those adolescent fantasies have been coming back to me. I’ve even been dreaming about them.”

“You are… what is the word, émietter with my father.”

She fiddled with her phone.
“Ah yes, émietter, it means smitten.”

Vivienne felt herself go very red in the face. Her face told Gabrielle far more than any words could ever hope to do.

---

The pair reached Paris that Lunchtime. Gabrielle had an apartment in the '3rd Arrondisment’ where Vivienne would be staying for the duration of her visit to Paris.

As usual, Vivienne countered by saying,
"I don't want to be any trouble."

Her host smiled.
"I want you to look your best when you wear whatever it is that you buy here for my Father. I'd also like to be a fly on the wall if you look anything like that cutting does."

They’d both had a good laugh at that prospect.

Gabrielle had said many times to Vivienne, that she did not need to wear a corset but Vivienne was equally firm on the matter.

“I want to do this for me. If I can’t stand the thing then it is my problem and no one else’s. At least I can say that I tried.”

Gabrielle could not answer that so instead, she accepted that this slightly mad and certainly eccentric Englishwoman was going to be part of her father’s life for the immediate future if not longer.

Jacques called Gabrielle over Skype from his Mother’s home later that afternoon. He was calling to let her know that he’d made it safely.

“Papa, I have someone with me that you might like to say hello to.”

She handed Vivienne the phone.

“Bonsoir Jacques,” she said quietly.
…
“Yes, it is me. I travelled over with Gabrielle.”
…
“I’m going to do some shopping now that I am about to become a woman of means.”
“When is the Funeral and how is your Mother?” said Vivienne deliberately changing the subject.
…
"That is good to know. Take all the time you need to be with your mother."
…
"Yes, I will."

She handed the phone back to Gabrielle.
“Do not worry Papa. I will take very good care of her,” said Gabrielle.

After the call had ended, Gabrielle said,

"I think we should go shopping. At least do some what you call, 'Window Shopping'."

---

Their first shopping trip was fairly uneventful until Gabrielle stopped and pointed to a shop on the other side of the road. Vivienne could see right away what it was that they sold. Her heart started to race.

“Nervous?”

“Very,” replied Vivienne after she’d swallowed hard.

Gabrielle took hold of Vivienne’s hand and led her towards the shop.

Gabrielle's intention was to support her new friend but Vivienne was having nothing of it. Vivienne just marched right into the shop and made
sure that the door was closed behind them both.

“Mesdames, comment puis-je vous servire aujourd'hui?” said a man who was clearly wearing a corset.

“Monsieur, ma amie Anglaise a envie d'acheter un corset,” replied Gabrielle.

"Ah! I am Henri. I am the corsetiere. Welcome to my shop. Madame has come to the right place but I have to say from what I see before me, that you do not need one."

Gabrielle chuckled.

“That is what I have been telling my friend but she is insistent. Show Monsieur Henri the cutting.”

Vivienne extracted the cutting from her handbag and handed it to Henri.

“Ah! That is beautiful. It is an American product but I can produce something very similar if Madam desires it.”

He stepped back and looked Vivienne up and down. She started to feel that he was undressing her. It started to make her uncomfortable.

“Madame? Am I correct in assuming that you have never worn a corset before? Your whole posture shouts to me that you are a... a corset virgin.”

Gabrielle tried hard but could not stop herself from sniggering.
“That is correct Henri. Is this going to be a problem?”
“Madam, wearing a proper corset is a way of life. Like you say that ‘a dog is not just for Christmas’, a proper corset … becomes part of you and your very existence.”

"Henri, I am willing to try. If I can't experience what it is like to be tight-laced then I can't tell one way or the other now can I?"

It was Henri’s turn to laugh.

“Touché madam. Would it be possible to take your measurements?”

“Yes, it would. What do you want me to do?”

“Please come through to my fitting room. Your friend can come along as well.”

He led them into a back room. There was a full-length mirror on three of walls. All of them were covered up with white sheets.

"Please go into the changing room and remove all your clothes apart from your underwear. Then come back here and we can begin the process."

Vivienne went behind the curtain that separated the two parts of the room and removed her shoes and then her clothes apart from her bra and knickers. Feeling slightly embarrassed she returned to the main part of the room.

“Please hold on to the bar over your head,” said Henri.

She did as she was told. What happened next surprised her. Henri operated a switch. An electric motor whirred and the bar moved upwards. For a few milli-seconds Vivienne thought about letting go but she decided to hang on. The bar rose until her toes were just touching the floor. Then the motor stopped.

“Good. Now Madam, please continue to breathe normally.”

Henri proceeded to measure Vivienne’s torso in a dozen different ways. His final measurement was around her waist.

“Madam. Please breathe in as much as possible.”

Vivienne sucked her stomach in as far as she could.

"Now breathe out and hold your breath."

Henri made some more notes on his notepad.

“Voila... I am done,” said Henri as he operated the switch again and lowered Vivienne to the floor.

“Please Madam, you may get dressed again. Then join me in the shop.”

Henri disappeared into the shop.

Gabrielle smiled.

"How was it?"

“He has cold hands!”

They both chuckled.

Vivienne and Gabrielle returned to the shop. Henri was working on his computer.

“Just a moment and I will have it done.”

He didn’t explain what 'done' was.

A printer burst into life. Less than a minute, two sheets of paper popped out of the printer into the tray.

“Madame, this is your current body profile,” he said showing them a silhouette.

“This is what it could look like after wearing one of my creations for a year.”

The second page showed a far more curvaceous figure.

“Madame, you have a very slim waist but you can get some curves if you work at it. But… Madame, for the best effect, you may need to enhance your top line.”

Vivienne had no idea what he meant by her ‘top line’. She’d heard the term used on dancing shows such as ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ but otherwise, she had no idea what he was talking about.

Gabrielle on the other hand knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Vivienne, he means your bust.”

“The Mademoiselle is correct. The woman in the picture has much larger ones than you. They are not too large but appear that way due to her narrow waist.”

Not for the first time, Vivienne went very red in the face.

“Madame, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Many of my customers find that a reduction in the waist and an appropriate increase of the top line go very well together but first, you need to understand what wearing a proper corset is a way of life and a shape like that does not happen overnight.”

“What do you think?” he asked.

“What do I need to do next?”

“Madame, Rome was not built in a day. We start your journey at the beginning with a training corset.”

Then he added,
"As I am sure that you are aware, beauty does not come cheap."

"Monsieur Henri, the cost is not a problem. Time is an issue."

“What my friend is saying is that she is only in Paris for a limited amount of time on this visit.”

“Ah, I understand. You can return when needed?”

“Yes. At the moment, I am living in London so I can easily come to Paris for a day.”

Henri shook his head.

“Madame, my creations use the finest steel stays. The security systems at the airport and on Eurostar go mad when one of my customers goes through them. The best way is to travel by car.”

“I understand Henri. Where do I start?”

“Tomorrow Madame, tomorrow. Please return after two in the afternoon and I will have your first garment available.”

Vivienne smiled.

"But first Madame, there is a little matter of my fee?"

A newly confident Vivienne didn’t hesitate. She pulled out her purse and extracted a good number of Twenty Euro notes. She handed them over to Henri.

“Will that do on account?”

“Madam, that will be more than enough for this part of your journey to the shape that you desire.”

---

“I did not think that you would go through with it?” said Gabrielle after they’d left the Corsetiere’s shop.

"Neither did I, to begin with. But while I was hanging there I told myself not to be a wimp. Once I'd convinced myself that I was doing the right thing, then the rest was easy."

Gabrielle’s opinion of Vivienne had risen considerably that afternoon.

“Perhaps we can find a shop that sells boots?”

Gabrielle tried not to smile.

“If you are talking about ankle boots then I know of a place near the Metro.”

“That will do for a start.”

"But if you could find somewhere for the other ones. I saw some being worn by models at a few events in the last Fashion Week. "

“I know the ones you mean. It was my company that put on at least one the shows. Building the runway, the lights, the catering and all that.”

Vivienne had forgotten about Gabrielle’s job.
"I've completely forgotten about your job. Don't you have to get back to it?" said Vivienne feeling slightly guilty.

Gabrielle smiled back.

“It is all right. I’m the boss so I gave myself the week off. It is our quiet period as we are between Fashion Weeks. Things will start to get busy at the beginning of July.”

Gabrielle went up several more notches in Vivienne’s estimation.

“Lets’ find me some boots and then I’ll take you out for dinner tonight. I could not help but notice that you have next to no food in your apartment.”

It was Gabrielle’s turn to re-assess Vivienne. She’d grown to really like this woman who was almost old enough to be her grandmother.

Vivienne found a pair of ankle boots in the third shop that met her expectations. Once again, Gabrielle was amazed at Vivienne's behaviour as she bought three pairs, one red, one black leather and one pair of patent leather.

---

“Are you sure about wearing those new boots tonight? Didn’t you say that you have worn only flats for years?”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’m going to have to break them in sooner or, later aren’t I?”

“Now Gabrielle, do you have something vaguely dressy for me to wear? I feel like dressing up a bit.”

“Do you have any particular colour in mind?”

“Anything as long as it is not Black, Grey or Beige…”

Vivienne had told Gabrielle about the disastrous birthday party on the journey into Paris earlier that day.

They both had a good laugh as they selected something for both of them to wear that night.

---

“How are your feet?” asked Gabrielle when they returned from dinner late that evening.

“Still there.”

“You were struggling coming up the stairs.”

“Ok, don’t rub it in. I enjoyed the evening. That’s what matters isn’t, it?”

---

Their shopping the next morning was very successful. Vivienne bought three more pairs of shoes and two lovely dresses then they returned to Gabrielle’s apartment for lunch.

Pate, French Bread and some of Jacques’s excellent Chutney was just the job for them. Jacques had given her some just before they’d left his home.

As they left to return to Monsieur Henri’s, Gabrielle asked,

"It isn't too late to back out you know?"

Vivienne chuckled.
“It is something that I have to do. If it fails then all I’ve lost is a bit of money and some… no, a good deal of pride and your father will have a good laugh non?”

To her surprise, Vivienne received a hug from Gabriella.

“What’s that for?”

“Doing something I would not do...”

“Perhaps?”

The two of them laughed as they went down the stairs and out into the street.

---

“Now Madame Vivienne, this is your training corset. If you wear it for at least a month and want to continue then we will make you your first real creation.”

Henri was holding up a plain black corset. It was highly elasticated but with some boning.

“Thank you, Henri. I will do my best.”

Henri placed the garment around Vivienne’s waist and clipped the busk together.

“I’m going to pull the laces together. It won’t be tight.”

He removed all the slack in the laces.

“Now jiggle the garment around so that it fits nicely over the hips.’

Vivienne did as she was told.

"That's more comfortable already."

“Good. Now I’ll tighten the laces. If your friend wants to watch me do this, she can help you until you get used to it.”

Vivienne felt the restriction around her waist increase.

“Madame, please don’t hold your breath.”

Vivienne hadn’t realised that she was doing just that. She let it out. As she did so, Henri tightened the laces even more.

Vivienne grunted.

“Good. That will be tight enough for today. Now I will show you how to tie the laces off.”

Less than a minute later, it was done.
“Welcome to the wonderful world of corset wearing,” said Henri.

Without waiting for Vivienne to respond, Henri removed the covers on the Mirrors.

“Madame, what do you think?”

“It feels strange but reasonably comfortable.”

Henri chuckled.
“Madame, that is because I have not tightened the laces very much. For the next few days, don’t tighten them up too much. Let the garment start to shape itself to your body. Only then, should you start to tighten the laces. Do you understand this?”

“I do Monsieur Henri. A little at a time.”

“Very good. When you have worn this for at least a month and want to proceed with a more substantial garment, please let me know and we will start making it for you.”

“Now, I will leave you to get dressed and Madame’s, you are both welcome here at any time.”

---

“How are you managing?” asked Gabrielle for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

“So far so good but I’m looking forward to taking this off tonight.”

Gabrielle laughed.
“Didn’t you hear what Henri said? You are to wear it all the time except when taking a bath or shower.”

Vivienne grunted and settled Henri’s bill.

“Come on, there is a wonderful shop just around the corner,” said Gabrielle as she walked rapidly off.

Vivienne knew that her friend was testing her willpower. She’d always been up for a challenge but this was different but enjoyable none the less.

---

Their shopping trip continued for another two days. Every time they returned to Gabrielle's apartment, they were laden with purchases. It was not all for Vivienne. A few items were for her host as a way of payment for putting up with her madness.

Over lunch at a café near the famous ‘Metropolitan’ Metro Station, Vivienne said,

"All that remains is to get some unmentionables."

For a second, Gabrielle did not quite understand what her guest was talking about. Then she realised that Vivienne was playing word games with her.

She laughed.

"Ah, you mean desirable underwear to tempt my Father on his return?"

“Yes and no.”

“These past few days have been very liberating for me. I have a new wardrobe which I can’t wait to get home to start wearing but I need the finishing touches.”

Vivienne then leaned forward and whispered into Gabrielle’s ear.

“I’m done wearing underwear. What I want are some stockings and a suspender belt or two.”

Gabrielle looked shocked.
“I am leaving my past behind me. I have been conventional for far too long. No more tights except in very cold weather. From now on it is stockings only. I mean proper ones. With seams and everything.”

“My friend, you continue to amaze me.”

"I am continuing to amaze myself. If someone had said to me a month ago that I'd be sitting here in Paris, wearing a corset then I would have laughed in their face. Some of what I'm doing has been inside me for decades. It has been repressed and now the dragon is loose."

“On a rampage more like. Are you sure that your credit card can take more hammering?”

“Oh yes. I paid it all off last night.”

Gabrielle looked long and hard at Vivienne.

“My poor father will not know what has happened to you when he returns.”

“Good. I want to surprise him each and every day. I’m done being boring.”

“I cannot imagine you ever being boring.”

“Oh, but I was. That was my life except when I was with Betty. Then I could be free as she’d let me. No, I want to go a lot further. I have no job to worry about. I want to walk at least a bit on the wild side before it is too late.”

“Come on then. I know just the place to start.”

---

By the time they left the third shop without buying anything, Gabrielle was beginning to feel frustrated. None of the shops could provide the sort of thing that Vivienne wanted. They had all sorts of very risqué and expensive underwear but that was not for Vivienne. It seemed that selling the type hosiery that Vivienne wanted was a bit of an afterthought for them.

“There is only one place left. It is near the Moulin Rouge. I’ve never been there myself but some of the models have talked about it.”

“Lead on Gabrielle. I’m sure that we can find what I’m looking for here somewhere.”

Gabrielle hailed a taxi and they were off.

The shop turned out to be where many of the top Burlesque Artists shopped. Asking for a very specific type of stocking did not ruffle any feathers at all.

“Madam, I think this is what you are looking for,” said the assistant as she produced a packet.

Vivienne looked at them.

She didn’t comment but handed over a twenty euro note.

"I'd like to try these on."

Vivienne went into the cubicle and returned almost immediately.

"A suspender belt please?"

The assistant found a belt that had been returned due to a faulty seam. Vivienne disappeared behind the curtain once more.

When she appeared, her face told both Gabrielle and the assistant that she was happy.

“How are my seams?” she asked as she turned around.

“They are perfect,” said Gabrielle.

“They come right up to the top on my thigh. That is perfect for what I want,” said Vivienne.

Then she disappeared back into the cubicle grinning from ear to ear.

When she returned, she asked the assistant,

“How many pairs just like this do you have?”

This confused the assistant until Gabrielle stepped in and spoke to her in French. The assistant disappeared into the stockroom at the back shaking her head.

“You are mad you know that,” whispered Gabrielle to Vivienne.

“Yes. We British are well known for our eccentricity.”

“Excentricité!” exclaimed Gabrielle.

"It is such a lovely word. Yes, Vivienne, you are both mad and eccentric."

The assistant returned with a box.

“Madam, nous avons trent-six paires de stocks.”

“Perfect,” said Vivienne.

"I'll take them all plus the pair that I'm wearing and the suspender belt. Please add two more belts like it to the bundle."

The assistant did a double-take. She shook her head again and made the sale.

That evening back at Gabrielle’s apartment, Vivienne wore her highest heels, stockings and the corset as well as a summer dress and petticoat that they’d bought that morning as they ate the excellent meal that Gabrielle had made.

“That look is certainly different. I wonder if my father could handle it?”

Vivienne laughed.

“I’m not finished yet.”

Gabrielle put up her hand.

“Please do not tell me. I do not think I can take any more.”

Vivienne leaned forward and took Gabrielle’s hand.

“I might be mad and eccentric but I love your father. I want us to be happy together. Do I have your approval?”

Gabrielle thought for a moment before answering.

“My father needs some excitement in his life. If you can make him happy then yes, I give you my approval but something in me says that you will do what you want regardless of what I say? Est-ce que j'ai raison”

Vivienne’s school French had sunk in enough to know what Gabrielle had said.
“I want us to be friends so thank you for being so patient with me these past few days.”

“It has been different and fun. Thank you, Vivienne.”

“Don’t be a stranger over in Devon ok.”

“I won’t, you can be certain of that. Now, my friend, I think it is time to get some sleep. You have a train to catch in the morning."

[to be continued]