Chapter 3

Strange Days

My decision was made for me by an unexpected visit by Rose’s brother Roger. She had not heard form him in a long time. He was a tall lanky athletic sort that would look right at home on any soccer field. He was pushy and opinionated (jerk), but seemed to really know what he wanted. He intimidated me a little, I guess (duh). Rose loved him a lot, so I put up with him. Trouble was that he thought life owed him something for being gay. So he pushed every one around with it. I just shook my head and stayed out of the way.

His visit put a strain on our routine and resources. He and Rose fought a lot about little things. I wanted to tell him off, but for Rose’s sake I held my tongue. He was a rough person to have around. He wined how his folk’s did not understand him as an excuse not to do anything. He even thought Rose should pick up after him. That almost put me over the top. On his third day there he asked Rose for money to get drunk. I looked at her as he tried to say how hard life for a gay man was. I wanted to tell him that He should try the life I had (yah right)! I guess my feelings showed because Rose told him to shut up (surprise). This surprised him to say the least. Soft and gentle Rose was showing some backbone. He did not know how to react to this change. I looked at her and seen a glimmer of annoyance in her eyes. Was she really getting upset with him or was this for my benefit. This shut him up for about an hour.

It was just before dinner when he started up again. I watched Rose turn to him and tell him to grow up (yes). He was floored by her venomous tone. He had never heard that type of response form her before. At that point she decided to put a real fine point on it. She said, “Do you really think you have it that bad? I know people who have it a lot harder than you.” When he did not reply she went on “You better get over yourself or you will never make it.” I was very proud of her at that point. He was flabbergasted and totally speechless. I was wondering if she was going to tell him about my life to make her point (no), but she just turned and went into the kitchen (skated by on that one).

The visit went better after that. One evening after Rose went up to bed he asked me “What has gotten into Rose?” I looked at him and replied “Life has shown her how hard it could be. She has had a lot of surprises lately (to say the least).” “What do you mean?” he answered. So I told him about his stepfather and what he was to me. I did not intend to, it just came out. Then I decided to push a little farther. I told him about my sister. I did not let on about my life change yet. He said nothing when I finished just stared at me. He got up without a word and went to bed. His face showed he had a lot of thinking to do.

Both of them did not speak when they came down for breakfast. Rose still seemed mad and her brother looked like he had a bad night. I felt sorry for them, but did not interfere (for safety reasons). I smiled and served breakfast. No one talked during the meal and the tension was quite high. I was getting a headache just sitting there. After we ate I turned to Rose and said “You look tired, why don’t I take the kids to the park and let you rest for a while.” I knew this would give them the chance to talk this out (with the kids out of range). I watched as they glanced at each other and nodded. I told her of my talk with her brother while she helped me get the kids ready. I quipped, “You can tell him the rest if you want”. She glanced at me with a strange look in her eyes. For some reason, I began to feel sorry for Roger.

It was a glorious day to be outside. The kids loved the park and I loved taking them there, so we had a good time. The twin stroller we had got made pushing the kids easy. My mind kept sliding back to what was going on at the house, but I tried to get past it. They would have to get through this alone. My help was not needed. (I hoped). The walk through the park then home was relaxing (for the kids). I did not know what to expect when I got there, but maybe it would turn out all right.
The house was silent when I entered with the kids. I was not sure if this was a good sign or not. I took the kids to their room for their nap then went looking for Rose. She was in the dinning room when I found her. She had a thoughtful look in her eyes and a big grin on her face. “Well are you going to tell me what happened?” I asked after a moment of silence. “You would never believe me so, he’s in the kitchen see for your self” She said as her grin got even bigger. This made me wonder what was going on. I walked into our big kitchen with no idea what I would find. The sight that was presented took my breath away. This was something I really would never have expected.

There he stood doing the dishes of all things. His look had changed as well as his manners to say the least. He stood in a short and sassy pink maid’s uniform with lots of lace everywhere (What?). His matching pink pumps had heels at least 3 inches high (wow). His hair was brushed into a high, bouncy and quite feminine ponytail with a maid’s cap sitting just in front of it (nice hair). He was facing away so I did not see his face but I was sure he was fully made up. To my amazement his lanky form fit perfectly in his, or should I say her, uniform must be a corset under there. Her form said girl all the way nicely too. Could this be the same opinionated male I really disliked when he came here? I pinched myself so I would not laugh and left quickly before he could see me.

My grin was as big as Rose’s as I sat at the table to talk to her about this new development. She told me that they had got into a huge fight after I left. She poured me some tea while she explained that she had got tired of his bad attitude and decided to teach him a lesson. Putting him in a dress seemed the best way to prove her point. She said he would continue in dresses till he straitened up. She said, “Having a maid for a while would be nice”. She would show him how wrong he was. I grinned as I asked how I could help. She told me to call him Nancy for as long as he was here (as in Nancy-boy). As the maid he would be doing all the housework so we were free to do more important things. I thought it a strange situation but, I just agreed and went to my room for a nap.

After my nap I walked downstairs to check on things and came upon a scene that startled me a lot. Apparently there was a vase Rose liked that he broke and she was punishing him for it. She had him over her knee and was spanking him repeatedly. This was another weird turn for my strange household. I turned and left quickly. I did not understand what got into Rose. I guess it takes all kinds (look at me). It startled me to see calm, sweet, gentle Rose spanking her own brother. Did I really want to love this girl? I went to the kid’s room to get my mind off this and watched them play for the rest of the day. Kids are good for getting your mind off things.

The rest of the week went by without a hitch, (if strange) so I was happy. Not doing any housework or schoolwork left a lot of time on my hands. I started to think of getting a job (yah right). I still had quite a bit in the bank, but working would not hurt me (much). It was getting on towards summer so I decided to have one last adventure before I settled down to work (right). I needed a vacation (from nothing) to remember while I worked all winter.

I decided to talk to Rose and see what she thinks. She had an idea right away (as always). She told me of an island off the coast that would be perfect for a two week-long fling. The island had an authentic med-evil type castle to stay in where we would be treated like royalty for the whole time there (yes). I agreed it would be a unique and exciting adventure. I decided we should look into it. Rose grinded and said we should take Nancy along as a nanny to watch the kids (GRIN). She had been teaching him how to look after them (hard work). He was very good with them (?). It was looking like a fun two weeks. The question was how high in the ranks did we want to go.

I called the travel agent to find out the prices of the trip. It was quite expensive, but seemed to be worth it. She had a deal going for the Duchess packages that was quite tempting, so I booked both Rose and myself for that package. I found that our nanny could go along for very little indeed. The kids of course were free (since our nanny was looking after them). We planned our trip well. I loved the thought of living as a duchess for two weeks. The glamour and finery really made me want to go right then (ah the lure of lace). I held back to have everything go right. So it was set, we would leave in two weeks for our trip to haven.

For the trip I had a dress made that was the most gorgeous lavender satin ball gown (in remembrance of my first dress). It had a plunging neckline, tight bodice and three quarter length sleeves with two inches of lace at the ends. It also had lots and lots of lace at the hem (of course). I even found matching lavender pumps with three-inch heels and bows on the toes to go with it. I would certainly hold my own at court in that. I had a matching gown in pale rose (my little joke) made for Rose. We will make quite a stunning pair in those gowns to be sure. We would get the rest we would need there.

I knew I was being cute with the choice of color for her gown, but I could not resist. I was sure she would love my little joke. I even bought the appropriate jewelry to match the gowns for both of us. I got Rubies for her and Amethyst for myself. Matching cloaks and handbags completed the look. That was a total necessity of course. Girls just have to accessorize.

Telling Nancy (Roger) that we booked him as a nanny (female) for two weeks while we vacationed was quite a chore. He broke down almost at once (Huh). I really felt sorry for him (not enough to let him out of it though). You might get the impression that the old Roger would rise up and he would bolt from there never to bother us again. Well, he did not do that. I was surprised to see real tears building in his eyes. I guess the time he had been here had changed him a lot (little did I know at the time).

Rose surprised me even more when she became totally unsympathetic to his show of emotion. She seemed to be quite a hard person at that time (?). He took this as a sign of how very badly she wanted to see him suffer (could this be?). Was this the same reserved, caring and helpful lady who helped me through my life change? Her treatment of her brother made me wonder, if she had a dark side after all? Could she take this sort of action with me? I was scared to find out the answer to that. We were set to leave for the trip in two weeks. I guess I would need to find out what was causing this before then.

Two nights later I was sitting with Rose in the living room and decided to ask her about her brother’s change. She just smiled and asked me not to tell her brother but she knew his secret. I wondered what this could be. She told me that he had always been pressured to be a leader in the family. He always had to be the “big man”. She knew he had always wanted to have someone tell him what to do. To take the pressure off him and just let him go along. He just never knew how to ask for that though. Her “punishing” him gave him the excuse he needed to try life as a follower for a while. The problem was he had the leader drilled into him so he had to be broken out of himself to help him. So she was being hard on him to help him. This really made me think. Could his pushing people all the time, be his way of asking for someone to take over? Maybe her “punishing” him was just the help he needed? I would have to think on this.

This sure was a strange household I was living in. I guess the head of the house sets the tone (me). Well with grown-ups like us how are the kids going to turn out (shutter)? That one kept me up many a night wondering (worrying). It was just another case of wait and see I guess. There was nothing I could do about it at the moment, so I just went on with the shopping for the trip.

I just had to make it to my vacation and I would be fine (Frisky Intense Nasty Expert). I think I liked the Idea of being Royal (even if it was just two weeks). The thought of being Royal was changing me even before I had a chance to go there. The Princess Syndrome, I think it is called. I just hoped this would prove to shatter my shyness (mostly overcome) once and for all. That was something I had not thought of in a long time (no time). The bane of my life was almost gone (YES!). I guess I would see.

The time seemed to slowly crawl by till it was time to go. The trip to the coast was very easy and fun. The boat that we were to take was a great big old-fashioned sailing ship. This trip was starting off right. We checked in at the office and headed for our rooms to change. We were to stay the night here to get the things we would need on the island. The dresses we got were fitted to perfection and there was a ton of them. Our luggage consisted of four steamer trunks plus several bags. Nancy as our nanny had but three uniforms and some personal stuff (two small bags). The kids had a trunk of their own. Now I understood why the travel cost was so high.

The ship was to leave at nine a.m. sharp. It took twelve porters to load our luggage on the ship. Royalty never travel light I guess. As we boarded the ship the captain welcomed us. We found out we were the highest-ranking people on board for this trip. He just gushed saying we were such lovely ladies (grin). Our cabin was the best aboard and quite spacious for this ship. We left port on time so we were informed we would get to the island at dusk. I really looked forward to this.

We were up on deck when the island came into view. It was quite breathtaking. On top of the biggest bluff was the castle looking like it came right out of a history book. I loved the thought of riding up to such a grand palace in an old fashion carriage. I would be met by a handsome gentleman who would genteelly lift me down from the carriage and hold me in his arms our faces just inches apart (Sorry, I went off on a tangent, I will get back to the story now.). The ship pulled up to the dock and we all prepared to go ashore.

The port was just like I thought it would be, a “quaint” little seaside village. We passed through it rather quickly on our way to the castle. The castle itself was even more impressive when viewed from the road leading up to it than from the sea. It was an English style, right in every way. I hoped it was not too accurate when it came to reproducing the sanitary conditions of the time period in question (Yuck). We rode through the lower castle on our way to the palace at the center. As we went the carriages behind ours peeled away. Soon our couch and the wagon carrying the luggage were the only ones left.
That is how we arrived at the palace. My senses were energized to the limit with all that was to see, hear, and experience. The palace was quite a dreamy place to behold. When we stopped there was a handsome footman to hand us down (Hmmm) to stand before the palace steps and take in the beauty before us (Quite fun). We were awaited by a group of nobles at the base of the steps (as you would expect). They were quite a mixed group of four with two men and two women. The leader of the group introduced himself as Count Godfree Lino (not bad looking at least). He called himself a Count but his manner was quite unrefined (come on). At his side was a young lady he called his daughter, Lady Lilly Lino (YUMMY!). The others I glanced over without interest. I decided to play the quiet one while letting Rose take charge (after all she was the older one). This made it easy for me to spot the potential romances in this group (I was on vacation after all). There was not much of that evident here (maybe inside).

The welcome was short and we were escorted inside to meet the King and Queen of this little island. I observed Lilly during our walk in noting many things not apparent at first glance. First of all I estimated her age to be only slightly older than me. She was twenty at most. Second she was more at home in her finery than her father (A very good sign). I got the feeling everything here was not as it seemed (something to look into). What was her story (Hmmmm)? I had a feeling it would be worth getting to know her (Like you did not see that coming).

The Royal family of the Island was quite used to their roles so the greetings in the main hall were short and flowery. The King was named Jonathan Tormen and the Queen was named Vivian Tormen. Everything was going along fine, till I was introduced. The Queen was quite startled when I moved into view. Something she seen in me turned her quite pale. There was a look of almost recognition on her face. The look told me that she had seen me somewhere before. The fact she stared at me like I was a ghost so long told me that she did not believe what she was seeing. What could she be seeing in me that startled her so? I had a feeling finding out would startle me (badly probably). Why did I always find myself in this sort of trap?

The Queen unlike her husband was quite young (he looked fifty at least). She looked to be only twenty-seven or so. She reminded me of someone, but I could not remember whom. All the attention she was directing my way was making me irritable (Darn). She kept her bluer-than-blue eyes on me throughout the proceedings. Her gown was a deep purple that absorbed light and outlined her shape without showing it off. How it did this I do not have a clue, but it sure was a nice effect. She displayed a moderate amount of jewelry that seemed to pull the eye away from her face. What was she trying to hide?

While I was musing on this our children were presented to the royal couple. This of course was quite fun to watch. Apparently babies were not often brought to the island. The Queen even came down from her throne (shock) to have a closer look at them while our nanny Nancy held them up one at a time (blushing all the time). That we brought our own nanny with us impressed many in the court (HA!). The Queen glanced at me and said, “Which of the children is yours?” I walked over and said, “This is my Daughter Jennifer your Majesty”. “She is the greatest love of my life.” I concluded. She smiled at this and a strange look passed over her. She snapped her fingers and a servant stepped forward quickly. She turned and whispered to her and smiled again as the servant rushed away. The Queen remounted the steps to the throne and sat once more. I was puzzled by her actions, but Queens (Male or Female) are like that (no other reference needed or meant).

After we were presented there was a time of shuffling in the hall. The Queen seemed to be waiting for something (not to well either). She smiled when the servant indicated that what she wanted was done. She turned to the hall and said, “I invite these new arrivals to a private get together in the east chamber”. Her smile while she said this was quite smug, even a bit whimsical. This made me wonder what awaited us in this place. I glanced at Rose and she was just as unsure as I was. Maybe this is when I find out what had startled her about me you never know. We followed her from the hall.

The walk to the east chamber was a short one. The hall we entered was not large or from the look of it used very much. It did have a grand fireplace that was lit with a good fire (castles are always drafty and cold). The room had in it the look of a hasty clean-up job. What drew me attention the most was the portrait over the fireplace (here it comes). It was of a lady in her middle years holding a baby. She was still showing the glory of youth. It was the most startling thing I had seen in my life. The painting showed someone who looked almost exactly like ME! Older by a few years and dressed in turn of the century dress, but the likeness was startling!

The Queen grinned and said “Now you see why you surprised me in there? It is a remarkable likeness to be sure.” I was speechless for a long while then just started to laugh. I had finally remembered where I had seen the Queen before. I glanced at her and curtsied. “Well, I can explain this if you can not. But first tell me is she related to you?” I asked. She looked quite surprised, but said, “She is my Grandmother on my Mother’s side”. “I knew it. Well it seems we are related then, for she is my great aunt on my father’s side” I replied. This started her into laughing too. I had seen an old snapshot of the queen at my Grandmothers house some time ago while visiting that is where I had seen her before.

“I guess that would make you my Aunt, I think.” I said. The Queen grinned and said, “It does something I do not think you are considering.” Her grin got even bigger while she continued “Well Duchess, it makes your title real.” I just stared at her, totally speechless. At this Rose burst out laughing. Nancy curtsied grinning. From no family to a royal aunt and uncle, you never know. After that we sat and talked for hours, getting to know each other. I wonder what she would say if she knew my secret?

Nancy came up to me disturbing my thoughts asking to put the kids down for their nap. I said, “Go ahead, I will be down in a bit”. As he left the Queen watched him with a quizzical look on her face. I said, “Nancy is quite a good nanny”. She glanced at me and asked “There is something quite strange about that one”. I smiled and commented, “Yes, at times He is quite a strange one”. She thought about that for a second before she spotted what was wrong with that quip. “Did you say he, as in male? That was no male”, she asked. “Yes, I did say “he” and that is exactly what I meant.” I replied. She just stared at the door he had gone through. “How come you have a male dressed like that?” she wondered? “Ask Rose, He is her brother after all.” I quipped. She shook her head and turned to a grinning Rose. Rose said, “He is being punished and being the nanny was a good way to get some honest work out of him”. “It is for his own good. He will be a better person after I let him back in to pants”. I watched for reaction from the Queen, but none came. I think she was in shock.

Later that day Nancy told me what happened after he left. He was taking the kids down to our rooms for their nap when he bumped into Count Lino. The count had been deep in his cups for a while and was quite aggressive. Nancy had his hands full trying to keep the counts hands off of him. The count was only put off when the kids began to cry very loudly. I an sure at that moment Nancy truly loved those kids!

After I stopped laughing, I tried to console our upset nanny. Rose just kept making jokes about how he should have gone for it. “After all he is rich and not that bad looking. It is every maids dream. What type of slut are you?” She teased him. This did not help me trying to calm him down a bit. He just burst in to tears and ran from the room. At that moment I really found the name Nancy totally appropriate for this cross-dressed ninny. What a Family I had around me (one for the books for sure). What is a girl (or me) to do?

There was a Grand Ball that night to welcome all the new arrivals. This was my first chance to really show myself off. I unpacked my lavender gown and all the things to go with it. About then I remembered that I needed help getting into this gown. Nancy was busy with the kids, so that was out. What I needed is a ladies maid. I went looking for the Queen to ask of such things are possible here. I found her in the thrown room sitting Looking at nothing (thinking I guess). I inquired if such a ladies maid could be found in time to help me get ready for the ball? She grinned and asked why I did not use my nanny? I grinned back and said he was watching the kids. Then I laughed and told her of the incident with the count. This story she loved and we both ended up laughing. When we stopped laughing she said she would send someone to fill my request.

It was a little over an hour later when the maid showed up. Her name was Shirley. She was 5’4” and quite small in build. She wore the traditional maid’s stiff black dress. She was all business and briskly moved to help me out of my old gown and into my new one. Her manner was strictly correct and proper. I liked her professional demeanor. I was quite distracted, but noticed something about her was not quite right. I am not sure what it was that tipped me off, but something here was not what it seemed (Again). My mind wondered over what she had said and done to try to figure it out. I took me quite sometime to place what it was.

The Queen had a sense of humor to send this one to wait on me. I decided to see if I was right. I dropped one of my earrings and asked her to pick it up. That showed me I was right. This person was not use to long nails or bending in a skirt. I laughed to myself as I watched this little joke run around getting what I needed. Darn if I did not have another cross-dresser working around me. The Queen was really turning out to be a fun person (I’ll get her for this).

The Ball was quite a regal affair to be sure. The Queen presided over it with joy showing on her face. I was sure that she lived for this sort of thing. When Rose and I were announced I noticed that my title had changed somehow but could not put my finger on how. I stuck it in the back of my mind to ask the Queen later. The room was quite the largest in the castle that I had seen so far. It was filled with people in grand finery dancing to tunes right out of the middle ages. Everyone turned when we were announced. I knew that I really looked great in my gown, so I just smiled and proceeded down the great staircase. Rose came slightly behind me, I guess she was letting me shine. I loved this sort of thing. I learned in that moment that I really had accepted myself in this role; I had found myself at last. You might say I was in my element for as I walked across the floor the crowds parted like a sea. They recognized my new role and reacted appropriately. As I approached the Queen I knew myself to be at the peak of my life. I was all I wanted and needed to be at that moment. My curtsy was fluid and graceful as I felt the glory of the moment upon me. The Queen smiled and my spirits were lifted even higher. This was my time and I was going to live it to the hilt.

The Ball was truly grand and I had a joyous time. I danced and talked with a confidence I never had before. All too soon the Ball came to an end. I did not want it to ever end to be sure. I walked up to the Queen to say goodnight smiling at the feelings coursing through my mind. Her smile was almost as big as she asked me to stay a moment after the others leave. I stood slightly to the side as the others bid their farewells to the Queen. My mind wandered over these new feelings. I identified Pride, Joy, and Confidence in my new demeanor. Where that came from I wondered. Could I be growing up (never)? Where was the fear I always felt? I did not know why, but I could not even remember what it felt like. This was strange, but I loved every moment of it.

The Queen was looking at me. What must she think of me? Am I really related to such a regal lady? I smiled I guess I was feeling Royal at that moment. She came over and waved me to follow her as she led me to a small-unused study in the east wing. After waving me into a seat she poured us some wine and sat looking into her glass thinking. “You have shown me something I did not expect tonight. I think I was right in the perception that you are truly a royal”. I did not know what to say to this, so I just waited for her to continue. In a moment she did. “Did you notice that your title has changed a bit?” She asked. I nodded wondering where she was going with this. “I was the one that changed it. You are now truly of my line” she put in. “I want you take my place when I am gone” She said. I was flabbergasted I had not seen this coming. I stood and went to the window. How could this be? I think she needed to know the truth about my life. Could I really tell this lady no and mean it? The euphoria of a few moments ago fled before the sadness that is my life.

It took me a moment to collect my thoughts before I could reply. “You need to know something before we go any further with this decision. “I am not what I seem to be. I am something more and less than what I look like” I stated. “I was not born into the life you see. In fact, I have lived as you see me for just under a year” I continued. She watched me with a growing realization in her eyes. I waited a moment then went on “I was named Bill at birth. I took the name of Belle when I changed my life. That was just under a year ago”. I went on to outline my life for her in all its ups and downs. After it was over I stood drained of every ounce of energy I had (again). She did not reply just sat looking at me. Could this be the end of my time here or the starting of something truly strange?

We remained this way for several moments before I could not stand it any longer. I turned back from the window and looked at her. She was sitting with an amused look on her face. This was not what I expected to happen. Was she amused by my life? This would not be good! She stood and crossed the room to where I stood. I was afraid of what she would say. She took my hand and drew me to the other side of the room to a large bookcase. She pulled down a large book and opened it to the back cover. From under the paper glued to the inside she pulled a drawing. This drawing was of a young boy in old fashion clothing. “This is a drawing of my grandmother, your great aunt, when he was young” she quipped. I was stunned. This could be a drawing of me before I changed. What was happening here? I looked at her and asked, “Do you mean she was like me”? “Yes, in so many ways it scary” she said. What could this mean? I had no idea of what to do next. She put the drawing away and closed the book. “I think I was right, you are the right one to follow in my footsteps and hers” she said. “I think you should read this”, she said while putting the book in my hands. “We will talk after you have read it” she quipped. She walked out of the room leaving me with only the book for answers.