“Just in case you have not looked at the kitchen calendar John, I am off out this afternoon to the WI meeting. It’s not on the calendar but are you going to your Morris team practice tonight?” Kathy Irwin asked her husband as she grabbed her coat and bag before setting off.

“Not tonight, they’re practicing for a meet at the weekend and I’m not part of the routine.”

“Not again, they’re always doing that to you, you are one of the longest serving and most experienced members but they are always leaving you out of the team for one reason or another when they have shows or events, I don’t know why you bother. What excuse have they given you this time?”

“For a change this time they are doing a rapper routine, you know the ones where they all have sword-like blades and as they dance they intertwine the blades to make various patterns. Unfortunately I am a lot shorter than the others and I am unable to reach as high as them to complete the pattern.”

“That sounds like a poor excuse to me, I’m sure that they could fit you in if they really wanted to. Anyway, it will mean a quiet cosy night in for the two of us, I’ll see you later.”

For the rest of the afternoon John got on with completing his proposals for the interior design refurbishment of a large country house just outside their home village of Mayfield in rural Cheshire. It was fortunate that the area was very much an upmarket retreat for many of the wealthy businessmen and sportsmen that wanted to escape the urban sprawl of nearby Manchester where many of them made their money, and picked up trophy wives that were only too keen to help them spend it.

There was enough business to allow him to work as a one-man-band locally from home, which he actually preferred as he was not a great social mixer with people, which was one of the reasons Kathy had encouraged him to join the Mayfield Morrismen to try to bring him out from his shell. However after the dance practice sessions there normally followed a long session in the local pub which did not really appeal to John and he usually ducked out, which was one of the reasons he was often overlooked as he was always thought of as an outsider to the main team of dancers.

When Kathy returned home later she was quite chirpy but deep in thought, but later over dinner, she raised the subject that was on her mind.

“I was talking to some of the girls during the meeting and the conversation got round to Morris dancing and the fact that their husbands seemed to spend more time with the Morris team at practice and in the pub than with their families. Laura suggested that it would be good if some of us joined the Morris team to become more involved in their interests, what do you think?”

“No chance ! There are some mixed teams but most prefer to be traditional and all male and the Mayfield Morrismen is one of those groups, it would send shivers down their spines to let any women join. If you really want to be involved with Morris it would be better if you set up your own women’s team.”

“That’s what I thought you would say. So, how do we go about setting up our own team, we would like to keep it local rather than travel elsewhere to an established group?”

”To start with you need a coach, someone to teach you the routines and lead you in practice, unless any of the girls already have some experience.”

“Laura and Mel have experience of contemporary dancing and were both aspiring professional theatrical dancers until they gave it up to have their families and would quite like to get back into it, Morris might be a gentle reintroduction for them and help get them fit and lissome again. A few of the others think it’s a good excuse to get out together as a group, but nobody has any background of Morris. Do you know anyone we could ask to train us up?”

“Not really the men’s and women’s teams tend to keep to themselves and other than at meets they don’t really socialise together. In fact many of the men’s teams think that women should not be involved at all in Morris and should find their own interest, so I don’t really know anyone to help, but I could give you a list of nearby teams if you want to contact them.”

“As I already said we would prefer to form our own team from the village and immediate area. I was thinking that you might be able to give us a helping hand to start us off, you’ve been involved for years and know all the traditional routines. I’ve sort of already volunteered for you to talk to us, teach us the basics and see what can be done.”

“I don’t want to say no, but if I was to help you set it all up, it would not go down well with the Mayfield Morrismen, they can be very anti-women where Morris is concerned, it wouldn’t surprise me if they threw me off the team.”

“So what, you don’t fit in with them socially and they see you as a bit of a fringe member and often freeze you out, what would you lose?”

“Give me a couple of days to get some ideas together, and then get your friends to come round one evening and we’ll have a chat about it, but I’m not promising anything, ok?”

A few days later Kathy got together seven of her friends at our house for me to give them a talk

“ Ok Ladies, to start with let’s keep this between ourselves, please don’t tell your menfolk, those that are on the Morrismen team are mostly against women being involved. You’re actually the right number, most teams are six or eight dancers. I’ve pulled together a few videos of some routines mainly involving ladies’ teams so you can see the various routines and how difficult they are and what you can expect to have to learn. I’ll talk over the videos as they play and explain things as they go along, and we can talk about it afterwards.”

“Ok Ladies, after seeing that what do you think, are you still interested?”

“Sounds good to me,” replied Laura, “but I have a question. Do we have to stick purely to traditional routines or can we liven it up with a bit of contemporary stuff?”

“If you want to enter the few competitions you need to stay traditional, but if you are doing it for your own enjoyment and for local fêtes and shows you can really add your own interpretations. Have you got something in mind?”

“I don’t know if Kathy mentioned it to you but Mel and I were show dancers doing mainly contemporary routines, we are all mainly quite young and fit, adding a few gymnastic moves might just freshen it up a little.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe some basic gymnastic routines, a bit like cheerleaders, lifts and leaps, that sort of thing.”

“If that’s what you want to do, I’ll go along with that, I can teach you the traditional stuff but I’ll leave it to Mel and you to bring in the variations.”

“Does that mean that you will act as our coach? Is that allowed or do female teams have to be all female including the coach?”

“I don’t see why not, I am prepared to give it a go if you all are prepared to work with me.”

“What about your involvement with the Morrismen, will they be ok with you doing this? Kathy questioned.

“What they don’t know won’t hurt them, and if they do find out I’ll learn to live with it. Do any of you play musical instruments, preferably a squeeze-box, accordion, fiddle, or even a penny-whistle, it is always better if there is some live top-up to recorded music?”

“I haven’t played for a while but I learned classical violin, however I always preferred the more lively fiddle music, I’ll start practising again,”Jan quickly volunteered, followed by Tina, “I’ll dig out my flute and see if I get get the knack back.”

“Ok, can someone book the village hall for an evening practice session.“

A week later John and Kathy arrived at the village hall to find it had been booked by ‘The ‘Morrisettes Ladies fitness and dance class ‘and thinking they had got the dates wrong were about to go back home, when Mel ran out to get them,

“I didn’t want the men to find out what we were doing so I picked a booking name that they wouldn’t be interested in, come on in and you can get us started.”

“Ok Ladies, let me show you the basic steps, then you can do it slowly with me and the try again to music.”

“There you are Ladies do you think that you can manage that?”

“Just a minute John. Firstly can you stop calling us ‘Ladies”’, I think we would all prefer ‘girls’, it makes us feel younger, you are one of the group now and that is how we refer to each other.” Laura interrupted. “Secondly with those baggy trousers you have on it’s difficult to see some of your leg movements clearly. Can you not put on leggings like most of us are wearing and you will be easier to follow. When we were dancing on shows most of the male dancers wore them at rehearsals .I have a spare pair here that should fit you if you are willing to give it a go, and you will be better off wearing a loose top when we have warmed up.”

John left to change into the more suitable dance clothes, and went back into the main hall where he was welcomed with a chorus of giggles despite feeling self-conscious embarrassed and a bit uncomfortable. As he led them through the basic steps he realised that he was about the same size as most of the group and in the outfit Laura had loaned him he looked almost as if he was just another one of the girls.

After that the session went well and the girls soon picked up the basic routines from him, and all were still enthusiastic agreeing to meet again in two days time. As the hall had been booked as the “Ladies fitness Class’, Laura and Mel finished the session with some general aerobic exercises and fitness movements with John joining the main group of girls following the lead from Mel and Laura.

“Hang on Kathy, I’ll get changed before we leave.”

“Why bother, you’ll need a shower after that, just go home as you are. Nobody will see you wearing leggings and a girl’s top and even if they did, they would just think you are one of the girls at the fitness class.”

Two days later John and Kathy were getting ready for the next training session. “John, why bother having to get changed at the hall, just put on your leggings and top that you wore last time, I washed them to give them back to Laura so they are nice and fresh. Also, last time your collar-length hair ended up all over the place and a mess with all the jumping around doing the aerobics, that’s why most of us used scrunchies or bands to keep our hair in place, let me brush yours back and tie it in place.”

“Its fine in the hall but I will feel a bit embarrassed arriving there dressed like that.”

“Look, what’s to worry about, the other girls have already seen you in the outfit and they’ll realise why you have your hair tied back, you are in with a group of girls, I’m sure that nobody will think anything about it.”

“Ok, if you think it’s best but any catty remarks and I am leaving.”

“One final thing, with that top and the wooly jumper you are wearing over the leggings, you haven’t any pockets for your keys and money and other essentials, let me get you one of my shoulder bags carry things in.”

“I suppose I don’t have any choice, do I? Let’s hope none of the Morrismen see me as we walk down to the hall.”

John warily entered the village hall to start the training session, worried as to how he would be received. However. Kathy proved to be correct, none of the girls made any remarks about the way he was dressed or when he hung up his bag along with his wooly jumper and after a bit of chat they started the training session . Having mastered the various basic steps they then started on some of the simpler routines and dances. Rather than being a fringe member of the Morrismen John found that he felt comfortable in the company of the girls and soon relaxed, began to be at ease with them and really enjoyed himself.

At the end of the session. Jan and Tina came over to talk to John as they were about to leave.
“We’ve been practising with our instruments and have picked up the knack again, can you give us an idea of some of the tunes we need to learn? We are going for a drink to talk about it, can you and Kathy join us for a while?”

“I’m not really dressed to go anywhere, I didn’t bring a change of clothes with me.”

“You’ll be fine as you are, we are all in leggings with chunky jumpers, you just look like one of us, particularly with your hair tied back like that, nobody will recognise you, particularly if you put on a bit of lippy.”

“Why not John, there’s some lipstick and mascara in your bag, I didn’t bother to clear it out, It’ll only take a minute to fix you up.” Kathy joined in.

“Ok, but I.m not going to the pub in the village, we need to go over to the Plough in Maydon, nobody knows me there.”

They had a pleasant drink in there, John joined the other girls in a glass of wine as they chatted about the music. “Could I get you another drink girls.you all look dressed as if you have been to a fitness class you could probably do with another drink?” asked the barmaid when she came over to collect the empty glasses.

“We’re just off to the loo, can you sort it out please J..ayne?’ Laura cheerily asked as the three of them left John sitting at the table.

“You’re right we are part of a dance team just starting up in Mayfield, The Morrisettes, and are just planning what we will do next. Another glass of the same each please.” John replied trying hard to mimic the way the girls spoke.

“It’s cheaper by the bottle rather than four glasses, do you want to just do that?”

“That’s fine, do you want me to pay now, I’ll dig my wa___ purse out of my bag”

“No you’ll be fine Jayne, when you leave will be ok.”

The girls came back just as Amy the barmaid was leaving. “All sorted girls, Jayne has ordered another bottle for you.”

“Well done Jayne, we told you that you would be seen as just another girl, just relax and live in the moment. You actually sounded quite girly too, a bit breathy and husky, but still believable. Keep this up and we’ll have you wearing a skirt next time.” Tina joked causing giggles from the others, bringing an embarrassed blush to John's cheeks.

It was left to John to go to the bar to pay for their drinks and as he fished in his bag for his wallet and credit card he suddenly couldn’t remember whether his full name was shown or just his initial, but luckily it just said ‘J Irwin’ not ‘John’. and Amy accepted it without question. “Thanks Jayne I hope to see you girls in here again, it makes a change from the blokes that are our usual customers.”

“John that is the most relaxed that I have seen you in company for ages, you really fitted in as one of the girls tonight.” Kathy teased as they lay in bed later.

“Ok, but let me prove that it was just an act and really it is John in here with you.”

The more time John spent with the girls in the dance team, the more he identified with them rather than with the Morrismen and finding the time to be involved with both was becoming more.difficult. Eventually he decided that he would leave the Morrismen as he knew that he would not really be missed as he was never one of the social group in the team. That proved to be the case, nobody really tried to coax him into staying, and once he left none of them kept in touch, whereas the girls welcomed him with open arms.

He soon found that spending so much time in the company of the girls, and none with any males, that he had unconsciously begun to adopt their ways of talking and expressing themselves and at their after-training pub visits he was usually just accepted as another one of the girls just fitting in with the group and chatting away along with the others.

One day he got caught in a heavy rain shower, once in the house he threw off his soaked clothes into the dryer before remembering that most of his casual clothes were already in the wash. He was now so used to the leggings and the girls’ vest tops that he wore for the dance sessions that he thought nothing of digging into the laundry basket to get them out along with one of Kathy’s woolen jumpers and wearing them around the house until his stuff was ready again. He brushed out his hair to let it dry, just leaving it hanging loose to his collar at the back and down over his cheeks .

John was just finishing one of his designs, when he was surprised to receive a call from a number he did not recognise, and assumed it was a potential new client. “Good afternoon Irwin Interiors how can I help you.” He politely answered.

“I’m looking for a designer to look at the house I have recently bought in Alderney Edge to see what can be done to freshen it up. I don’t need any major changes to the structure or layout, just bringing the fixtures and fittings up-to-date and brightening it all up, is that something you would be interested in?”

“That’s exactly how we work. Obviously I realise that you will have some ideas your own that I can work around with some of the current trends in finishes and styles. When would be convenient to meet?”

“I’ve get some salon appointments tomorrow, and I’m sure that you know how long that can take, it’s so demanding what we girls have to suffer for our beauty, and I am at the spa the day after. I’m having some of my some of my girl friends around for drinks in the afternoon the next day. Could you come round in the morning to have a look around, show me some examples of your previous projects and give me your initial thoughts? If we decide we can work with each other maybe you could stay to join us, you never know some of them might be interested in your work, after all, us girls have to stick together.”

John suddenly realised that he was on a video call and he was obviously being mistaken for a woman. looking as he did with his loose shoulder-length hair and feminine wooly jumper and the speech mannerisms that were now becoming his normal voice. He became flustered wondering whether to correct this misunderstanding but decided to buy some time by just letting it go.

“That sounds fine, please give me you name and address and I’ll see you about 10:00 if that’s alright with you. I’m Jayne Irwin by the way.”, he said digging himself into a hole.

“Amanda Barclay, I’ll email you my address, I look forward to meeting you on Thursday Jayne.”

To be continued.

Following his discussion with Amanda, realising what he had done and the problem he now had, John’s mind was in turmoil the rest of the day and he could hardly wait for Kathy to get back home to tell her what had happened.

When she had finished laughing at the thought of him on the video call being mistaken for a woman Kathy took in how he looked and was dressed. “I can see why Amanda made a mistake, if I didn’t know better I could easily mistake you for a girl with your hair hanging loose like that over your cheeks. and wearing that jumper You will have to call her in the morning and tell her the truth, and she’ll either laugh it off or want nothing to do with you.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, it sounds a really lucrative contract and she seems like someone I could relate to and work with. Also, she promised to introduce me to a few of her friends, which could bring in even more commissions.”

“She didn’t promise to introduce YOU to her friends John, she said that Jayne could join them for drinks and a chat, I doubt that she and her friends would be so welcoming to John. Thinking about it, there is another option.”

“Tell me then, I’ve been wracking my brain all afternoon to try to come up with a way to get out of this successfully.”

“Jayne could go to meet her, discuss the project and do a bit of networking for future commissions.”

“I’m sorry, how can that work, I don’t have enough time to coach someone in what to say and how to explain things.”

“Just take a look at yourself, you are beginning to look more like a Jayne than a John and when you are out with me and the other girls you even sound like you are one of us. We have a couple of days to work on you to get you even more convincing. You can get your hair styled, we can find you some decent clothes and with the wonders of makeup you should easily pass for the real thing. What do you say, is it to be John losing the contract or the lovely Jayne wowing Amanda and her friends with your design proposals.”

“It might work for one day, but if I get the commission it will mean that I have to pretend to be Jayne for at least six months while the project is carried out, or even longer if it leads to more work from her friends.”

“That’s what you have to get your mind around, you will not be pretending to be Jayne, you will , to all intents and purposes have to become Jayne, not just dress and look like Jayne but think like her too. If you don’t mind me saying without you taking offence, you are a long way towards that already. The other girls usually call you Jayne now at the dance training sessions and in the pub afterwards, that’s how they are beginning to think of you. If you turned up at our next training session wearing a skirt they probably wouldn’t even notice, other than to comment on how nice you looked.”

“Would you not mind, I mean it’s not normal behaviour for a husband is it?”

“I’ve sort of got used to it, it has crept up on me gradually, I’m sure that I could live with it.”

“What do we need to do?”

“ Let me give Jan a call and see if she can fit you in at her salon tomorrow, the sooner we start the more you will get used to the new you and the less chance there is of you changing your mind.”

“Jan says that she has no appointments until 9:30 tomorrow. She reckons if you get there for 7:30 she can have you looking more or less like any other of her customers before her staff or clients arrive, and she can then spend the rest of the day dealing with all the other treatments you need.”

“How did she react when you told her, was she not embarrassed?”

“Far from it, she said that she was half-expecting you to give something like this a try sometime soon and that she sees it as a challenge. She says not to worry, you should just enjoy your first time getting pampered as a woman. To save time so that she can quickly get you looking half decent before anyone else arrives, we need to go up to the bathroom to get rid of all the hair on your arms legs and body.Luckily you do not have much facial hair, she says that she can quickly deal with that with her laser in the morning.”

Half an hour later his body tingling with the shaving of previously untouched areas, despite Kathy liberally finishing him off with moisturiser John went to get dressed but found that Kathy had left out a silk short pyjama set that she said would be gentler on his tender skin which he hesitatingly put on, finding it mildly sensuous, before going back downstairs.

“You know what, even as you are now I could easily take you for a Jayne, that sleep set suits you and the silk really highlights your smooth skin, When you walk down to the salon in the morning you need to be presentable as Jayne, so there are a few little touches that I need to deal with tonight. Jan will do your eyebrows properly tomorrow but I need to trim them and thin them out a bit before you go, they are far too bushy to be acceptable walking to the salon. Your lips are quite thin, normal for a man, but need to be a bit fuller to look more feminine, let me apply some plumping lipstick which if you leave it on overnight should puff them up a bit and give a nice cupids bow for your lipstick. Finally, and I promise it’s the last thing on my list, Jan will do your nails properly in the morning but I need to clean up the raggy edges a bit, push back the cuticles and give them a light coat of polish.”

“That all took a long time, you seem to have done most of it, what’s left for Jan to do?”

“You don’t know the half of what you will be going through tomorrow, you will be there most of the day for Jan to work her magic. Anyway we need to be up early in the morning so it’s time for bed Jayne, and for tonight you are Jayne so don’t let the sensation of the silk on your bare skin give you any ideas.”

Kathy made sure that they were up at 6:30 to get John dressed and presentable for the salon visit. Dressed and presentable meant John wearing a skirt blouse and sandals, panties and padded bra, with just a light touch of makeup. Kathy had been right trimming his eyebrows and applying the plumping lipstick leaving it to do its work overnight, his lips were now much fuller than normal and when they left for the salon anyone that took any notice of them just looked on Kathy and Jayne as just two young women on their way to a busy day at work.

When they arrived Jan was already there and ready for them. “I think that this is going to work Kathy, Jayne is already really passable and I haven’t even started on her yet, leave her with me and you run off and sort out the other things we talked about. Ok Jayne, go in the back and take off all your clothes and put on the smock you’ll find in there, I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“All my clothes?”

“Yes, ALL your clothes !”

“Do all your customers have to strip completely?”

“No, even when they get the full body wax treatment they keep on their undies most of the time but you need special treatments. Firstly we need to deal with your male bits, that is a flimsy smock and we don’t want a tentpole to suddenly make an appearance, There’s something like a dancers gaff in there, you should be able to figure out how to use it to position your penis back between your legs and hold it firmly in place, when that’s done put your knickers back on and call me in.”

A few minutes later he left the changing room to see a grinning Jan.“Ok Jan I think that’s sorted, are you happy now?.”

“That’s a lot better, you could even wear a bikini on the beach and nobody could tell.Now lie down, we need to deal with the other half of your bikini, you need breasts to complete the transformation. I’ve found some breast forms that are about the right size for your build, I’ll put them in place and you just hold them there for a short while until the glue sets.”

“I didn’t realise that they would be permanently fixed, I thought that they would just slip into a bra.”

“They aren’t quite permanent, but as I know Kathy told you, you have to become Jayne as long as is necessary, and what better way is there to constantly remind you that you are now a woman than to feel the constant movement of your breasts. Ok they should be fixed now, stand up and let me see how you look. Hmm, a few minor adjustments at the edges and they will pass as the real things. That’s you now turned into as near to female as I can manage and pretty convincing you look too, now put on the smock and we’ll go back into the main salon, where I can treat you like any other of my clients and work my magic on you. As far as any of my staff out there are concerned you are Jayne a friend of mine, getting the full treatment for an important meeting where you need to impress your clients, and nobody will know who you really are”

For what seemed like hours Jan and Hannah, one of her senior stylists worked on Jayne, eyebrows thinned and shaped, laser treatment to remove the light facial fuzz, cleansing and exfoliating face masks, and endless processes to style and put soft waves and sun streaks into Jaynes hair, fingernails extended shaped and painted, toenails painted to match.

“Ok Jayne, as I do your makeup I want you to listen carefully as I talk you through each process, it’s important that you learn how to do this yourself, if you get this commission out in footballers’ wives’ country you will have to do it yourself every day and touch it up as needed.”

As she finished off Kathy returned carrying bags of clothes and gasped as she saw the results of Jan’s handiwork. “OMG Jayne you’re looking gorgeous, this is definitely going to work, let’s get you dressed and off home to try on these things that all the girls have donated for your new wardrobe. I think you’ll be impressed, I am jealous of some the stuff they have given you. You obviously don’t need that padded bra anymore, I have bought you a few of your own, a girl never has enough. We all moan about how they pinch but really none of us could do without them as you’ll soon learn.”

“Thank you ever so much for what you have done Jan, we’ll have to reward you with a meal out sometime.“

“Didn’t Kathy mention that we are all having a girls' night out this evening to celebrate the new you and let the rest of the team meet the swan we have created from the ugly duckling. See you later and try to keep your makeup and hair decent, I want them to meet you looking immaculate.”

Back home it was a chance for John to come to terms with the fact that if his plans worked out he would be Jayne for the foreseeable future and he had better get used to it and get his mindset to accept it and start to think like the rest of the girls, he kept repeating his mantra ‘I am Jayne, I am a woman.’

“Now you are settled in Jayne, we need to start working on how you present yourself, your posture , gestures and improving your voice. After spending so much time with the dance team you have already picked up a lot of our habits, so that is a good start.

I noticed on the way back from the salon that you tended to walk with your shoulders slouched forward, you are obviously not adjusted to the weight of your breasts yet. To balance the weight of our breasts, girls have a natural posture of an arched back, you have to learn to copy that and keep your shoulders back, stick out your chest and push out your boobs, don’t hide them, be proud of them they are probably the most noticeable things that will make you standout as a woman.

Secondly you still have a bit of a manly stride, take shorter steps and once you get your heels on you will find that will become more natural as well as giving a bit of sway to your hips as you walk. Otherwise you are doing really well, I can’t believe how you have turned out. Come on, let’s go for a walk in the park around the lake and practice what I have just said, put on your coat and the black shoes with the chunky heels and we’ll see how you get on with them, and don’t forget your bag, a girl rarely goes out without one, we need somewhere for all our essentials, and you won’t believe how many things we consider essential.”

After a pleasant walk they stopped at a café for coffee and cake, Kathy insisting that Jayne went to the counter to place the order.. “Don’t be shy and embarrassed, as far as the waitress is concerned you look just like any other of her female customers, you were fine your first time out at the pub with the girls and you now look even more convincing.”

“That was a lot better, you are beginning to just walk as you should without thinking about short steps and shoulders back, you are a fast learner. While we are here it’s time for your next lesson. Sit more upright, you are leaning forward in your chair and take smaller bite of the cake, chew it slowly, don’t bite off and swallow big chunks. Let’s go, It’s time to get home and start getting ready to go out to dinner with the girls.”

‘“So soon, surely there’s plenty of time yet?”

“It’s alright for you, your makeup and hair will not need much done to them, but I will need at least an hour to get myself sorted, you will soon learn how much work is needed to make us girls beautiful, even a casual look is not as simple or quick as it sounds. Besides we have to sort out something for you to wear tonight. There is a lot of decent stuff in the bags the girls gave me, but we’ll have to find something to suit your image. As an interior designer Amanda and her friends will expect to see you in a slightly over-the-top outfit, to go with the look that Jan created for you, probably something flowery and flouncy, a bit on the eccentric side. We’ll have a rummage through the bags to see what we have got.”

“There you are Jayne I think that is the perfect outfit for your image, that vivid lime and primrose mid-calf wrap-dress really suits you, It’s very feminine but quite practical too. While I am getting ready give it a press, but be careful you don’t scorch it, and change your shoes, put on the black court shoes with the 3” heel, you’ll be wearing them tonight and you need to get used to them. They will tend to push your body forward, don’t forget what I said about walking, keep your shoulders back and your chest proudly out. Wear those shoes all the time to get used to them, if you manage them when you go for your interview in footballers wives country they’ll all be wearing 4” or 5” heels so you should probably do the same.

Kathy and Jayne were the first to arrive at Mayfield Court hotel where they had booked their meal, and were soon followed in by Trudy and Tina, who looked around before spotting Kathy and both gasped a deep breath when they realised who was sitting next to her. “God you look amazing Jayne, Jan told me that you had turned out pretty good, but I never expected you to be this good, you look gorgeous.” gushed Tina as they exchanged cheek kisses. “You are really one of the Morrisettes now Jayne, welcome to womanhood.” Trudy whispered as she gave Jayne a big hug and kiss. In all the time that John had been with the team, not once had he been included in the girly welcome and goodbye hugs but now it seemed that Jayne was accepted as a full member of the group.

Jayne went up to the bar to set up a tab on a credit card and ordered some wine. As she returned to the table the others arrived together and there was more of the ritual greetings, and compliments about how Jayne looked.

After the first few minutes when all the conversation was about Jayne and what a wonderful job Jan had done, things settled down to a pleasant meal, just a group of girls on a night out. Other than the sultry voice, Jayne was indistinguishable from the other girls and was at ease in their company even when they were discussing personal problems with their husbands or female medical problems, as far as everyone was concerned Jayne was just another one of their group and nothing was off limits as would normally be when John was in their company.

Jayne was quite happy to pick up the bill for the meal as a thank you for their acceptance of her and the help they had given her. With lots of wishes of ‘good luck at the interview’ and the usual goodbye hug and kiss session, Jayne was glad to get home, kick off the heels and relax with Kathy.

“How was your first day as Jayne, you survived and nobody picked you out as a fake, how do you feel?”

“To be honest at first I was consciously checking everything I was doing, but after a while, particularly when we walked round the park, it all just went to the back of my mind and I enjoyed the afternoon out. The girls were amazing last night, they seemed just so accepting of me, I really enjoyed the meal and their company.”

“They were accepting because they now see you as just another one of the team, another one of the girls. They were comfortable talking in your company about the problems with their men and
all their menstrual, fertility and other female problems , that is because they now see and think of you as Jayne, they wouldn’t have raised those issues in the company of a man. You now just have to learn to be at ease in the company of any woman, not just those who know you, particularly as hopefully you will be joining a girls’ drink party up at Alderley Edge in two days time. Tomorrow when I am at work, I want you to go into town, go shopping, go into the cafeterias, talk to as many women as you can, find out what they like and dislike, listen to the way they talk, watch how they use lots of hand gestures to emphasise the points they are making, forget all men v women issues, you now have to consider yourself as a woman and act think and respond accordingly. Speaking off which, although is a shame to ruin a lot of Jan’s brilliant work we need to clean off this makeup and get ready for bed, come on upstairs Jayne. As you now have breasts and your man bits are all tucked away, I’ve left out a nightie for you, it’s only cotton but you will find it much more comfortable than John’s normal pyjamas.”

“Kathy we have a problem, I knew that the breasts would stay in place but it looks like Jan has also glued the gaff to me, I can’t get it off.”

“Yes, she told me about that, it should free itself in a couple of days the glue isn’t as good on the fabric as it is on the breast forms, they can stay in place for weeks, but don’t worry, I’m told that you can still carry out all your bodily functions. Just sit and relax like a good girl and the flow will come. As I keep saying for the next few days you need constant reminders that you are now Jayne, put your knickers back on put on the nightie and get into bed, It’s been a long trying day, we both need our beauty sleep.”

To be continued.

Chapter 2 was off-line on Topshelf for a few days. If you missed it, it is now up and available again. Gill

When they woke in the morning it took a few moments for John to get his mindset back in place and resume life as Jayne, mentally calling the mantra ‘I am Jayne, I am a woman’ adding.’I am her, she is me’. She quickly went downstairs, still in the nightie, put the kettle and toast on to prepare breakfast for Kathy, quickly gave her hair a brush and went to the loo, suddenly realising the changes that had been made and that she now had to sit down for a wee and wipe herself afterwards to soak up the dribbles.

“Morning Kathy, I’ve made the coffee, put out a bowl of muesli and made some toast, do you want anything else.”

“No that sounds great, us girls have to watch our figures, and it may be a good idea if you have the same and don’t smother the toast with butter and marmalade like you normally do, just scrapings of each. Do you need a hand with your makeup before I get ready for work.”

“No, I should be fine, Jan gave me clear instructions and a pot or tube of everything she used. She said not to use as much as she used on me yesterday for the night out, tone it all down a bit and if it doesn’t look right clean it all off and start again.”

Kathy stared at Jayne and burst out giggling. “What’s the matter Kath, what have I done wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong honestly, it’s just seeing your breasts wobbling around under the nightie reminded me of the times when you encouraged me to shake mine around dancing in the bedroom, saying it was a turn-on, It’s payback time for you Jayne, give me a jiggle.”

Jayne responded with a jiggle of her breasts, a swivel of her hips and a twirl causing the hem of the nightie to rise up exposing her thighs. “Is that good enough Kathy, but that’s as far as we can go, I’m still stuck in the gaff, remember.”

After Kathy left for work, Jayne spend some time getting the makeup looking decent before getting dressed to go into town, There was a mid-length denim skirt in the pile of clothes that had been donated to her that fitted snugly, along with a fluffy patterned v-neck wooly jumper and thick black tights, which all went together as casual enough for everyday wear, but dressy enough if she met anyone. As instructed she put on the 4” stilettos and practiced walking around the house until she felt comfortable and safe wearing them, or at least as comfortable as shoes like that were ever likely to get. Borrowing one of Kathy’s light summer coats and stocking her handbag with the essentials, although Kathy had already seen to most things, Jayne quickly looked out of the door to make sure no neighbours were around before setting off for the bus into town.

Jayne spent most of the day wandering through the shops chatting to people as she browsed through clothes and beauty product displays asking or giving opinions and several times joining a lone woman at a cafe table and chatting about life in general. As John he would never seek out conversations and kept to himself, but as Jayne she felt much more at ease in company and began to realise some of the things that had been missing from John’s life all those years.

Back home Jayne pressed the dress she would be wearing for her interview with Amanda Barclay, checked that there were no stains from the night out with the girls and hung it up for any minor creases to drop out. She had got used to the 4” heels but decided that was as far as she would go, anything bigger would have to wait for another time. She put a large lamb shank in the slow cooker along with potatoes carrots, with seasoning and spices and left it to look after itself while she went to prepare her presentation to Amanda the following day.

Whilst samples of past projects was just an easy pull from the database, finding any details of Amanda’s house was more difficult, but after visiting and searching a half-dozen estate agents websites she found some floor plans and brochure images which could form the basis of some initial proposals. Using morphing programs she quickly produced a portfolio of before-and-after images of the main areas of the house, adding notes describing the proposed changes, printed everything off and clipped it into a binder, satisfied that she had done as much as could reasonably be expected to do at this early stage.

She had just finished off and tidied up the kitchen after checking that the lamb was cooked when Kathy arrived home.

“Wow, something smells nice, you’ve prepared dinner and it doesn’t smell like your normal curry, pie or bolognese.”
,
“If madam cares to get changed and relaxed with a glass of wine, dinner will be served in about 20 minutes, stripped lamb shank, casseroled seasonal vegetables and duchesse potato whirls.”

“You have been a busy girl, I could get used to coming home to something like this, Jayne should’ve made an appearance a long time before now if this is how I’m going to be looked after.”

They enjoyed the dinner, chatting away over a bottle of Malbec. “What did you get up to today then Jayne, did you go into town as I suggested.”

“Yes, and I quite enjoyed myself. Usually I would have given people a wide berth but today I approached them and opened conversations and most people were glad to have a chat. There are a lot of lonely people out there, particularly the elderly whose families have moved away or are too busy to visit or even call them, many of whom have led really interesting lives and have lots of memories to recount. The more people I spoke to the more confidence I got that I was totally acceptable as Jayne, and it has really helped me feel more comfortable about my meetings tomorrow. When I got back I put the lamb in to cook then sat down and prepared my portfolio for Amanda. Do you want have a look and tell me what you think, I still have time to make minor changes.”

“That looks good to me, I love Edge Lodge and its location. I would move into that house tomorrow exactly as it is, i don’t see why she wants to change it”

“I shouldn’t say this as it keeps us in comfort, but some people have more money than sense. A lot of it is oneupmanship, they feel that they have to have all the latest gadgets and follow the style trends in the magazines and TV makeover programmes. The fashion trends in interior design are like those in clothes, the new season brings new must-haves. As you can see from the portfolio, I am not proposing changes just for the sake of new trends, but only where they will enhance the comfort and appearance of the property.”

“I like that last sentence, unless Amanda turns out to be a bit of a giggly airhead you should tell her that. Most people do not like to get ripped off not even those with more money than they know what to do with.”

“Come on let’s get ready for bed, I know that you are a bit tied up at the moment thanks to that sticky gaff, but a kiss and cuddle will still go down well.”

Just before the agreed time of 9:30 Jayne arrived at Edge Lodge with butterflies in her stomach with two worries on her mind, how would her proposals be received, and how would she be received and accepted as Jayne. She pulled up just before the entrance gate, nervously fluffed up her hair and freshened her lipstick, changing from her driving flat shoes into her heels before nervously driving up to the entry system intercom.

“Good morning this is Jayne Irwin here to meet with Mrs Barclay.”

“Fine, I’ll see you in a few minutes if the damn gate mechanism decides to work properly this morning, it has been playing up recently. If nothing happens I’ll come down and turn off the controls.” A cheery voice boomed out of the intercom. The gate system was obviously on its best behaviour and smoothly opened allowing Jayne to drive up to what was a misnamed property. Rather than a small Lodge it turned out to be an imposing mansion, the estate agents details did not do the property justice. She pulled up at the canopied main door, smoothed her dress and jacket to flatten any wrinkles from the journey and was just about to ring the bell when a woman about her own age, immaculately dressed and made up, opened the door and welcomed her with a friendly smile.

“Right on the dot Jayne and please call me Amanda, Mrs Barclay makes me sound like my ex mother-in-law. Come on through to the Orangery and I’ll arrange for Sally, who comes in daily to help around the place, to bring in the tea and nibbles, or would you prefer coffee?”

“Tea will be fine thank you Amanda.”

“Ok that’s that organised, please sit down and tell me a bit about yourself before we get down to business.”

Jayne swept the skirt of her dress under her as she sat down onto, or rather sank down into, a huge luxurious chair opposite Amanda, who was lounging on a matching sofa.

“I’m a sole trader, I am the total staff of Irwin Interiors, if you decide to let me work with you, it’s me you would be dealing with, not a junior designer like a lot of the bigger companies would use.”

“You don’t have to tell me that Jayne, you’re the fourth company I’ve interviewed this week and all the others would pass the work down the line to junior staff, I prefer to deal with the person whose name is on the bank account I’m sending money to.”, Amanda already seemed to be warming to Jayne.

“I totally agree with you, this is obviously a very personal project for you and things run a lot more smoothly when there is a personal relationship between the client and their designer who you can respect and who treats you fairly”, Jayne continued.

“That sounds totally obvious to me but the attitude I picked up from the others was that they were the experts and I should let them get on with it and just send them a cheque every month. I found some of them quite patronising, but then they were all men, and following my divorce I am not particularly tolerant of them anyway. It’s a nice change to see a friendly female face that will think in the same way as I do. I am sure that you and I could get on. Tell me a bit about what you can do for me.”

“Obviously I’ve not seen the property and we have not discussed your personal tastes, but I have prepared a short presentation portfolio that I would like to go through with you. I believe that sophisticated powerpoint, or similar, presentations are a bit impersonal and I prefer to show you a book portfolio, Is it ok for me to sit next to you and we can go through it together.”

“Of course, but while you are up would you like to take off your jacket, you will be much more comfortable? Oh, I love your dress, it’s so bright and fresh, and just the right mix of professional and casual, where did you get it?”

“It’s just from a chain store I’m afraid, I can’t afford any fancy designer labels in the boutique shops.”

“Don’t put yourself down I couldn’t always afford what I have now, or a house like this either, this is all due to a substantial divorce settlement. I was determined to make the two-timing scumbag suffer for cheating on me, and the divorce cost him a pretty penny, but I’ll not bore you with the details, that’s not what you are here for. There’s Sally with the tea, let’s leave the brochure for a few minutes while we get to know a bit more about each other.”

For the next hour or so Jayne talked through the portfolio of her previous work and her initial proposals for Edge Lodge which were all enthusiastically received by Amanda.

“I really like your ideas Jayne and your approach that you will not be proposing changes just for the sake of new trends, but only where they will enhance the comfort and appearance of the property. Send me a copy of your normal contract and terms, I will get my lawyer to look over it, and unless there is a problem I look forward to working with you.”

“Thats wonderful Amanda there’s a lot of potential here, it’s a beautiful house, and I welcome the opportunity to make it even more beautiful.”

“That’s enough business for today, as I said in my phone call, would you like to stay to meet some of my friends that are coming over this afternoon, you never know, a bit of sisterly networking may drum up some more work for you?”

“That’s really good of you, I would love to stay, but not just to tap up your friends for more work, I look forward to meeting them in a social group as long as I will not be seen to be intruding.”

“Don’t be daft Jayne, you are more than welcome. While we are waiting for them to arrive let me give you the grand tour, and I’ll explain why I think it needs your expert touch.”

After the tour where Jayne came up with many more suggestions that Amanda received with enthusiasm, and a light lunch, Amanda’s friends started to arrive. Whilst Amanda was dressed smart casual, although very expensive designer-label smart casual, her friends had made a lot more effort and other than leaving the shop labels hanging out of their dresses, it could not have been more obvious that their outfits had not come cheap.

“Right girls this is Jayne she is going to help me freshen up this place and in her words ‘make it even more beautiful’, let’s all make her welcome, just treat her a one of our social circle, she’s not here to try to get work from you, we should be seeing a lot more of her, so let’s all get to know each other. Now, more importantly, let’s get the bottles open and the glasses filled and you can update me with all the latest gossip.”

The others were all near neighbours so the wine flowed freely, but Jayne had a long journey to get home so mainly listened and drank slowly as they all loosened their tongues. Jayne was surprised to find that although all of them were quite wealthy, mainly due to their husbands or fathers, it did not seem to make them any happier or content with their lives than the girls in the Morrisettes, they still had the same hang-ups and concerns.. Despite having only met them all a few hours earlier, when the time came for her to make her way home Jayne left to a round of hugs and ‘see you again’ wishes, and left feeling that it had been a successful day.

“You’re looking like the cat that’s got the cream I take it that it all went well with your presentation” Kathy greeted her as she walked in, “Sit down and you can tell me all about it, over a glass of wine,”

“It was all amazing Kathy, it’s a fantastic property it will be at least six months work probably even more. Amanda is a real character, a divorcee enjoying the fruits of her divorce settlement, we got on really well. I'm glad that I went as Jayne, if John had made the pitch it’s unlikely that my bid would have succeeded, she’s had her fill of ‘patronising and domineering men’ having been through a really bitter and traumatic divorce. She really liked the idea of a professional sisterly relationship with someone she could relate to and who could understand her worries and concerns.”

“You do realise that will mean that Jayne is going to be around for a while. Living as a woman for a few days is one thing but being Jayne full-time for the best part of a year is a much bigger challenge, are you sure that you could live with that?”

“Why not, you and your friends have put up with it for 30 years or so, I think that I can manage, Besides, apart from my life with you, I’ve never been happier. I have a group of friends that I get on really well with, who accept me no matter how I present myself and are only too willing to help me, I’ve never had that before. It has all given me a lot more confidence in myself, I was so at ease this afternoon among Amanda and her friends, people I had only just met, I never felt like that as John down at the bar with the lads.”

“It’s back down to earth tomorrow, we have dance practice down at the village hall, will you be going there as Jayne?”

“Why not? The girls have all seen me in a dress and full makeup, so leggings and a vest top should not raise any eyebrows, besides I can’t really hide what Jan has done to me , the hair, the brows, the smooth skin, not to mention the breasts and the changes to my groin, for the moment Jayne is who I am, I can’t keep changing back and fro.”

Nothing was said when Jayne arrived at the village hall, although when she took off her coat there were a lot of glances at her groin and at her breasts prominently shown off by the short tight training top and leggings that Kathy had bought for her. All thoughts of their previous coach John were forgotten as Jayne took over the training session and took the other girls through their routines.

“That’s my bit done for this evening, but before I hand you over to Laura and Mel for the aerobics session I’d like to say a few words. None of you have made any comments about my appearance tonight but I feel that I owe you all an explanation. As you know Jan gave me a makeover to help me pass myself off as Jayne to win a major commission to remodel a big house in Alderley Edge. I had an interview yesterday, and barring a major disaster the job is mine. However it means that I will have to present myself as Jayne for at least 6 months, probably more, so my boobs are here to stay and we thought it best if I adjusted how I look down below too. If any of you are embarrassed or offended let me or Kathy know and I’ll dress a bit more discreetly in future, it’s just that I thought that I would fit in better if I looked as much like you all as possible.”

“Woo, hello Jayne, you stay as you are girl” shouted Laura followed by cheers of agreement from all the others.’Next time we’ll all wear our leotards for the aerobic session including you, so it’ll be best to keep your dangly bits where they are.”added Mel.

Over the next few days Jayne prepared and sent the draft contract to Amanda, and became totally comfortable working as Jayne in full make up, usually wearing scoop-neck tops and trousers or leggings, but often wore a skirt, particularly if she planned to go to the shops or was expecting a delivery.

It was not long before she received confirmation of her appointment from Amanda and an invitation to visit the following Thursday ‘when the girls will be getting together again.’Jayne was now invited to be a regular at their get-togethers, coordinated with morning design meetings with Amanda. There was now no going back, John would have to be put on a back-burner for the duration of the work, while Jayne took centre stage.

To be continued.

John, now full-time as Jayne was kept busy organising the design and supervision of the works at Amanda’s, and spending most of what little spare time she had with the Morrisettes, she never really had much chance to consider how she was now living and just got on with things.

The dance training continued for the next two months until the Mayfield Morrisettes were capable of appearing in public, and they arranged to perform at the Maydon Harvest Fête. Jayne, although not in the dance team herself, went with them to keep a critical eye on how they performed, dressed in their new home-made costumes of white dresses and and black brimmed hats all decorated with floral ribbons and motifs, bands and bells. They performed their first two sessions, one of traditional Cotswold style. the other a regional clog dance, and although they were not perfect they were entertaining and the crowd didn’t notice the missteps. For their third and final session they started off in traditional style, but halfway through Jan and Tina stepped up the music rhythm and Laura and Mel broke into the modern dance and gymnastic routines that they had wanted to introduce culminating in Mel being lifted upright onto the shoulders of the others before somersaulting down and closing with a more sedate flourish.

It went down well with the general public and the girls were rewarded with cheers, whistles and loud clapping. It may not have been what the few purists in the crowd had expected and they tutted their disapproval but the girls were overwhelmed by the general applause.

As Jayne went over to join in the hugs with the girls, there was a tap on her shoulder. “Hi Jayne , it’s Amy from The Plough, have you got a minute?“

“Certainly Amy what can I do for you?”

“Since you told me about your dance group, I’ve been meaning to come over and join you all, but there always seems to an excuse not to. However after seeing that last routine I am more determined than ever. When I was younger I represented the county in gymnastics tournaments, I keep myself fit and can still do most of the tumbling routines, if you are serious about contemporary add-ons to your routines, I would be happy to join in with your girls.”

“We mainly stick to traditional stuff but Laura and Mel are keen to develop the gymnastic bits. I’ll call them over and you can have a chat to see how they could fit you in.”

Just as Amy left Jayne was approached by a rather ruddy-faced Jerry Ashton, the founder and bagman for the Morrismen. “I’m told that you are the bagman for that shower of dancers, what do you think you are doing, it’s bad enough that you women are even involved in Morris at all but that last routine is a travesty of everything that is traditional about Morris dancing.” He almost screamed at Jayne who was seriously concerned that he was about to have a heart attack.

“Just calm down, and please do not shout at me like that. Not that it’s anything to do with you, but I prefer the title team leader or coach, bagman is so sexist. I don’t believe that there is anything in the rules of the Morris Federation preventing us from incorporating a few individual and unconventional features into our routines.” she quickly replied with her anger growing.

“Besides if you had your way Ladies’ teams would not be allowed and we couldn’t call ourselves a Morris team. It’s time that you and your Neanderthal friends in the Mayfield Morrismen dragged yourselves into the 21st century and became a bit more flexible, then you might get a few more gigs. You might not have noticed but us women are involved in all sorts of things nowadays that you men always told us we were not capable of, and if the truth be known we are usually making a better job of it than you men ever did.”

He stepped towards Jayne almost face to face. “You cheeky little trollop if you were not a lady I would give you a good hiding.”

“If I were not a lady I would like to see you try, and If you were a gentleman you wouldn’t even think about it. Now toddle off back to your stone-age cave and leave us and our audience to enjoy the rest of the entertainment.”

His face went even redder, he stuttered and spluttered looking even more apoplectic, and everyone watching was really relieved when he turned and rushed off, barging people out of his way.

“Good for you girl you put him in his place” one of the women in the watching crowd shouted leading the others in cheering and applause, with even many of the men joining in too.

“Wow Jayne that was a full broadside you gave that Ashton idiot,.” Laura said as we all sat having a drink after our sessions were over.”

“I lost my temper with him, men like that really annoy me, they are always trying to put women down and control them, I am lucky that I can now live my life as a woman and stay away from people like him.”

“Do you see yourself as a woman now Jayne, the way you attacked him it was if you now act and think like a woman?”

“I think that personality-wise I am more a woman than a man, not just the clothes and things, but being with you all I am more in tune with your attitudes and feelings than with those of annoying patronising men like him, and I’m glad of it, I have never been happier with my life.”

“As far as I am concerned you are as much of a woman as any of us and you don’t have to keep mentioning it, just forget about John and live your life in the present as Jayne. When we started out a few of us had some reservations about you being involved with us as we felt that a man in the group would be awkward and divisive at times, but you have slowly become one of us, and I like you better for it. Let’s all keep on with the routines we did today and show the men what we women can do. By the way, we’ve had a talk with Amy and she will be joining us, so we can do some even more exciting routines which will really upset the men like Ashton. She also said that The Plough always have a bonfire night party with a band and that she wants us to give a display, if that is ok with you coach.”

The rest of the team raised their glasses in a toast, “Jayne, truly one of the girls.”

“Do you mind if we join you?” Jayne looked up to see Amanda and Suzie, one of her friends she had met at her house, and quickly introduced them to the others.

“You girls seem to be having a good time tonight, and we really enjoyed your show. Jayne has told us so much about what you are doing that we thought that we had better come and have a look. Jayne has almost finished the house now and I am organising a ‘re-opening party’ for the neighbours and a few friends, doubling up as a pre-Christmas do. Can I talk you all into coming and doing a show for us, obviously you also have party invites. I would love it if you say yes.”

“Of course we will and please stay and have a drink with us, we’ve finished talking team business and are just sitting around for a chat.” Jayne waved at spare chairs for them to sit down and join them.

Amanda was the life and soul of the party and had us all in stitches telling lurid stories about her ex and what a wonderful talented woman Jayne was, much easier to work with than the men she had used before, the best decision she had ever made choosing a woman to advise her.

Lying in bed afterwards Kathy turned to John. “You really came out tonight championing the role of women and everyone now just sees you as a woman and rarely mention it anymore. You don’t want to be a woman do you?”

“I’m happy as I am. There are still some advantages to being a man, I’ve not got the gaff on, let’s take advantage of it.”

A week before the Plough’s party Trudy phoned Jayne to say that she had slipped and sprained her ankle and wouldn’t be fit for the dance routine.

“You’ll have to stand in Jayne, you’re the only one that knows the routines, Amy is not up to scratch yet and besides she will be managing the event and the bar, it has to be you.” Kathy told her.

“I know that I have coached you all, but I have never danced with the group.”

“Look we are not perfect we all miss a step occasionally, you will be no worse than the rest of us, probably even better.”

But I haven’t got a costume, I know that I am small and slim, but there is no way that I could squeeze into Trudy’s costume.”

“Not a problem we all made our own outfits, I still have some material left and I can soon knock up another one for you.”

“Ok but I want to be no different to the other girls, If you made your own dresses than I will make my own too. It’s ages since I used the sewing machine to knock up some curtains and pillow cases for one of my refits, but I’m sure that if you nudge me in the right direction that I will be able to cope.”

For the next few evenings Jayne worked away cutting out and tack stitching her dress. “Kathy can you give me a hand pulling it to shape and pinning it to fit snugly and I will finish the seams and start adding the trimmings and motifs.”

“Before you do that I’ve something for you. The dresses are all tightly fitted at the waist so they flare out at the hem. You are a bit bigger than you should be so I’ve bought you a waist nipper which should pull you in a few inches and look more natural, put that on first and it will make the fit of your dress better.”

Jayne squeezed into the cincher and had to admit that it did give her a narrower waist which even made the flare of her hips look more female too, which allowed Kathy to pin the seams snugly.

“I’ll just go and run the seams together properly put in the liner we can see how it fits.” Jayne returned a short while later, and gave a twirl “There you are, all done, what do you think?”

“I think that you have made a better job of it than I did with mine, and that cincher really gives you a more feminine figure, you should use one more often and you will probably be able to drop down a size in skirts and trousers. Just fit all the trimmings like mine and you’ll be good to go.”

“At the rehearsal a couple of days before the show, much to the surprise of the others Jayne arrived wearing the full performance outfit, as they had all agreed to wear their leotards for the aerobic session afterwards. “I thought that although I know the routines, I have never danced in costume, I want to get used to the feel of the swirl of the skirt, the snugness of the fit and the dancing shoes, as well as getting the timing right with the rest of you, let’s run through things and see how I fit in.”

When Jayne changed from her outfit into her dance leotard later and came back into the hall, she was met with whistles and catcalls. “OMG girl you are really getting a decent figure now, our fitness sessions must be having a good effect on you.” Mel smiled as she made the comment that they were all thinking.

“A lot of it is down to the exercises with you and Laura, but a bit of extra help from the lingerie shop has made a difference too, a girl needs all the help she can get, and I need it a bit more than most.”

They went through their normal routines at the bonfire party but for the closing dance Mel and Laura went off and quickly dropped their dresses to show their matching performance leotards and were joined by Amy to give a finale to the dance before giving a display of contemporary dance, tumbling, and acrobatics which had the audience, most of whom were already well under the influence of drink, in raptures shouting for more.

“Here comes trouble.” Jayne warned the others as they were approached by two of the Morrismen team as they were having a drink relaxing after the performance.

“We heard about the trouble a few weeks ago with Ashton, that man is a pompous character and we are all getting fed up with him and his bigoted attitudes. He is so full of himself, often insisting that as a former war hero he should be addressed by his title of Major. We really enjoyed your routines tonight and just thought that we would let you know that most of the Morrismen like what you are doing, particularly those whose partners are on your team, and you have our full support. We are even working on a few routines of our own to finish our sessions on a bit of a high. So now we will be competing with you for the local bookings.”

“Thanks Mike, thanks Harry, we appreciate that, we must all get together sometime and do a joint display.”Jayne replied quickly bringing their names to mind.

“That was great tonight girls, our next booking is Amanda’s launch party. I hope that Trudy will be fit by then , but if not I will fill in again.”

The next few weeks were hectic for Jayne getting Edge Lodge finished and doubling as a party planner and chief Christmas decorator for Amanda. Eventually everything was completed in time and the caterers took over setting up their marquee, food stalls and cooking equipment allowing Jayne to have a few days relaxing and Christmas shopping before returning with the Morrisettes to prepare for their show. Even though Trudy was now fit and back on the team and Jayne would not be performing, she wore her dance outfit to feel like part of the team rather than it’s leader.

While the others prepared for their performance Jayne accompanied Amanda on a tour to show Amanda’s guests the changes they had made to Edge Lodge and was widely praised by Amanda’s friends, getting two enquiries for new projects.

“You’ve done a wonderful job Jayne and you are so pleasant and easy to get on with, can you come and have a chat with me in the new year, I’d like your ideas on what could be done to my house.” Caroline, one of the usual guests at Amanda’s afternoon gatherings, drew her aside. “ I love the dresses you and your girls are wearing, where can I get one?”

“We all made our own, you won’t find anything like them in the shops, not even the fancy-dress outlets.”

“That’s a shame. Just between us girls, Charles needs a bit warming up in the bedroom sometimes, if you know what I mean, and a bit of dress-up helps to get him interested. I’ve tried wearing sexy nurse and policewoman outfits, but dairymaid I think will be more appealing to him. You said that you all made your own dresses, did you make yours?”

“A bit too much information there I think Caroline, you are normally quite quiet at the gatherings, but then we all have our secrets. I don’t usually do dressmaking but I am quite handy with a sewing machine, I often run up curtains, loose covers, duvet covers and things like that as part of my room designs.

“I definitely want to see you then about doing up my house, see you in January.”

The dance show went down really well, the traditional routines were enthusiastically received, but when Cyndi Lauper boomed out of the sound system with ‘Girls just want to have fun’ Laura Mel and Amy broke into their routines, the guests were amazed and staggered, It broke the ice of the formality and politeness of the party and there was much more of a buzz about the occasion.

“Thank you so much for what you have done to the house, and for helping the party go with a bang, I really appreciate it. I see you as much as a friend now as my interior designer, please keep in touch and you are more than welcome to keep coming to our afternoon sessions.” Amanda gushed as she gave Jayne a big goodbye hug when the girls were ready to leave.

“I’m going to be working with Caroline so I will still be around a lot, you don’t get rid of me that easily.”

Jayne and Kathy were able to enjoy a quiet Christmas to themselves apart from a pre-Christmas get-together for a meal with the Morrisettes. It was close season for dancing displays and nobody wanted their houses worked on over the holidays. It was a different time for Jayne, instead of the normal presents that John would have received, gifts from Kathy and from the Morrisettes were all more suitable for Jayne than John, perfume, jewellery, tops, chocolates and fancy goods, it was assumed that Jayne was here to stay.

A few days into the new year, Jayne arranged to visit Caroline to discuss what she could suggest to freshen up the decor in her house. Not really knowing what the interior was like she had been unable to produce a full portfolio of proposals as she had done for Amanda and just came up with ideas ‘on the hoof’ as they walked around the rooms, taking lots of photos as they went along.

“That was so interesting Jayne, I like your approach and was amazed at what you did for Amanda, pull together a presentation and a budget for me to agree with Charles, and unless he proves to be difficult consider yourself appointed.”

“How is Charles, you know following our conversation at Amanda’s?”

“He could definitely do with something to lighten him up.”

“Hold on a few minutes, I’ve got something in the car which might help.”

Jayne returned carrying two large boxes and passed one to Caroline. “There you are, see if that brightens him up.”

“Oh Jayne that is super it’s exactly what I had in mind.” She squealed, holding a rustic dairymaid’s dress against her body.

“Go and try it on, I guessed your size, I hope it fits, and there’s a mop cap and apron to go with it to complete the picture.”

She returned a few minutes later wearing the outfit with a big grin on her face, did a twirl and made a pose, hands on hips. “What do you think of that my darling, how about a roll in the hay.” she mimicked the local country accent, causing them to both have a fit of giggles.

“If this doesn’t do the trick something is wrong. What’s in the other box, is it another outfit?”

“Yes, but not for you, not directly anyway. I don’t know if Charles joins you in dress-up role-play, but it’s a man-of-the-soil costume, Rough knee breeches over knee-high socks, a linen blouson top open to the midriff, like Darcy coming out of the lake. I thought why should you not get a bit of excitement too.”

“Did you make these yourself, they’re amazing.”

“Of course, it would be a bit embarrassing to go into a shop to buy them.”

“What would you have done with them if I hadn’t appointed you?”

“I would have left them anyway, I have no need of them, we have our own games to play.”

The following morning Jayne received a text from Caroline “There will definitely be more visits to the milking parlour, thank you so much. I look forward to seeing your proposals for the house, and after last night I don’t expect any trouble from John in signing you up. Caroline xx.”

To be continued.

The following Thursday morning Jayne arrived at Caroline’s, now much more at ease than when she had first visited Amanda. Following the successful outcome at Amanda’s, and now much more comfortable in her feminine role she was quite looking forward to starting work on the designs and planning for the renovation work. She didn’t even reach the door before Caroline came rushing out giving her a big hug.

“Thank you so much for the outfits Jayne. As I thought it would be, Charles was putty in my hands and you and I have a blank cheque to do whatever we decide between us. Come on in, we’ll have a cup of tea while I tell you all about it.”

After a long discussion during which Caroline was a lot more open about her relationship with Charles than Jayne was really comfortable with, they settled down to business, discussing the portfolio of proposals that Jayne had prepared using graphic design programs to prepare ‘before and after' images for the main rooms of the house based on the photos she had taken on the previous visit. Most of the ideas went down a treat but following the improvement in their love life, Caroline and Charles had a lot more exotic, or should that be erotic, proposals for the master bedroom suite, which Jayne was more than happy to incorporate.

“Right Jayne, let’s get this all put away, and I look forward to receiving your final proposals and budgets. Amanda and the girls are coming here this afternoon, do you mind giving me a hand sorting things out before they arrive, while I go and get changed and freshen up?” Sorting things out meant chilling or opening the wine to let it breath, opening up the delivery of the ‘pick and mix’ pastries ,sandwiches, and treats delivered from the local delicatessen, and topping up the espresso machine, nothing too challenging.

Amanda, Suzi and the others soon arrived and Jayne was greeted by them all as if they had known her for many years. After Caroline had finished telling them what she was going to do to the house, ‘with Jayne’s help of course.’ she regaled them with the full story of the milkmaid and Darcy evening she and Charles had wearing the costumes that Jayne had made, along with lots of photos of them in costume, before and after the event.

“Wow, do you do something like that for all your clients Jayne?” Suzi quickly asked.

“Not really, but requests can be taken to make your life more beautiful as part of the commission to make your house more beautiful. Have you any special requests Suzi?”

There followed long giggly discussions of the various fantasies of each of the girls or their husbands and partners, most of which were tantalising and teasing rather than over-erotic. Jayne could have outbid them all with the story of the transformation from John to Jayne, but decided to leave that for another day, if ever.

As she left and was walking to her car, Suzi came running after her, almost falling from her 5” heels. “Jayne, I didn’t want to say too much in front of the others, could you make some costumes for me, but I will need you to be very discreet about it and the others must not know.”

“I promise that it will be between you and me, to be honest I was a bit uncomfortable and embarrassed with how open some of the girls were in there, the wine was flowing freely, but as they say ‘in vino veritas’. You can trust me, what would you want Suzi,”

“This will sound strange but I was thinking about Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.”

“That’s not too strange.”

“Please do not laugh, but the problem is that Peter Pan would be for me and Tinker Bell for Jeremy, he has a bit of a fetish for that sort of thing.”

Knowing that she was the last person that should be surprised by such fantasies, Jayne managed to keep a straight face and just calmly replied “Send me details of your sizes and any particular preferences then leave the rest to me, and there is no need for any embarrassment, we all have our own little peculiarities.”

When Jayne got back home she mentally switched back to thinking as John and sat with a glass of wine considering Suzi’s request and how it related to his situation. Despite now living as Jayne for some months, having discovered another cross-dresser it made him question whether he was acting as Jayne purely as a business commitment or whether deep down he was now living out a feminine side to his personality that had never come to the surface before. Over dinner that evening he raised the subject with Kathy, telling her about the request from Suzi and Jeremy anyhow it had made him think about what he was doing.

“Do you consider yourself as a man dressing as a woman, or do you see yourself now as a woman that is still partly a man?”

“Sometimes when I am getting on with my work or out with the dance team as Jayne, that is who I become, how I think, and how I act. But there are many times when we are sitting quietly at home watching TV or reading, I view things and think as a man would. For the immediate future I have too many projects lined up to drop my Jayne persona and it would be too difficult switching back and forth between Jayne and John. Unless I make a decision to return to being John with all the implications that would have for my clients, I can’t see a serious alternative to remaining as Jayne.”

“Whatever you decide to do, do not rush into it. Very few people know that Jayne is really John, and those that do accept it, or even forget about it and consider you as a woman. Don’t worry about me, I can live with you as Jayne or John. Like most male interior and fashion designers you have always had a bit of a flamboyant feminine streak, not too camp, but you are not exactly a butch rugby front-row forward either. I like that part of your character, it’s what attracted me to you in the first place. Let’s leave that discussion for another day, now what are you going to do about Suzi’s costumes?”

“I had a look on google and there are lots of places selling the costumes they want, but most of them are quite flimsy and only meant to be worn once or twice at a party or whatever. I think that if she and Jeremy like what I provide, then the chances are that they will get a lot of use, so I will pull together some outfits based on those on sale but make them much better quality.

For the next two weeks Jayne worked on the proposals for Caroline’s house, drew up the designs, finalised a budget for the work and for her fees, and sent them off for approval by Caroline and Charles. When she arrived for her meeting with Caroline there was already a signed contract sitting on the table giving the go-ahead for Jayne to start to organise things.
“Everything is fine, well most of your proposals are wonderful, but we would like to spice things up a bit more with the bedroom decor, maybe subtle hints at our ‘Dairy-maid and Darcy’ nights. But that’s all to do with the soft-furnishing and room dressing rather than the refurbishment and main decorations, we can work on that as we go along. We’re all meeting at Suzi’s today, are you coming along, you know us all well now and you are part of our little group?”

Jayne was now totally comfortable with all the other girls and enjoyed the afternoon with them listening to their gossip, and it was soon time for everyone to leave, but Suzi asked her to stay for a while to discuss a few things.

“Before you start Suzi I have the costumes you asked for in the car, let me fetch them and you can tell me what you think.”

“That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Jeremy was a bit cross with me for letting you know his secret and is worried that it will all get out. He’ll be back soon and would like to talk to you about it, have you got time to stay for a while?”

“”Suzi, you honestly have nothing to worry about. While we are waiting for him I’ll get the costumes and you can try on the Peter Pan one to see how it fits.”

Ten minutes later Suzi came back into the room dressed as Peter Pan, in a belted fitted lined short green tunic with a plunging neckline and triangular sawtooth edges to the skirt hem and sleeves, along with the green tights and the green and red triangular cap. For a moment Jayne’s brain went into John mode, and she thought that if that outfit did not do the trick, something must be wrong with Jeremy, whether or not he was dressed as Tinker Bell.

“Wow, you look delectable in that, I’m sure that Jeremy will love it, and it’s a perfect fit, hugging you in all the right places.”

“I’l keep it as a surprise for later, and go to get changed before he arrives.” Suzi giggled as she walked upstairs with a sway of the hips that Jayne had not seen as part of her character before.

While Suzi was still getting changed, Jeremy turned up and looked embarrassed as he walked in and saw Jayne. He looked a normal, if slightly small man, with no sign of any effeminacy or traces of his other self.

“Jayne, it’s good to meet you at last, Suzi has told me a lot about you, I just wish we had met in a less embarrassing situation. I was disappointed with Suzi when she told me that she had asked you to make a Tinker Bell costume for me, my occasional cross-dressing is very much an in-house occurrence, nobody knows about it, not even my family, and it could cause real problems for me professionally if it ever became public knowledge. Can I trust you to keep this a secret.”

At that post Suzi returned and after giving Jeremy a greeting kiss, sat down beside him.

“I see you have started without me. Jayne, I can only stress what Jeremy has just said, not only would it be embarrassing for him, but I am frightened about how Amanda, Caroline and the other girls will think of me accepting his fantasies.”

Jayne was deep in thought and after a moment he made a decision, took a sharp breath and looked up at them.

“You have nothing to worry about and to reassure you I will let you into a secret of mine. I am not who I appear to be, I hope it will not shock you when I tell you that I too am a man so I am unlikely to let out your secret as it could have serious repercussions for me if my other clients and potential clients got to know about it.”

Jeremy sat in stony silence, and Suzi looked at Jayne in amazement with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.”

“Thank you for trying to stop us worrying, but I don’t believe a word you have just said.” Suzi was the first to react, “I’ve known you for months and have seen and heard you with the other girls, there is no way that you are not a woman, you are far too feminine for that.”

“Thank you for that Suzi, but it’s true, I could prove it by stripping off, but I have no intention to do that and you will just have to take my word for granted. I’ll go for a walk around your garden for a few minutes to let you have a talk, give me a call when, or if, you want me to come back in.”

About ten minutes later Suzi came out to get Jayne, but before saying anything gave a big hug with tears in her eyes.

“That must have been so hard for you to tell to us Jayne, and I still can’t believe it, you will always be Jayne to me. Come back inside and tell me a bit more about yourself, Jeremy has gone out of the way for a while to give us a bit of a chance for you to tell me your story.

For the next half-hour , interrupted by lots of questions and comments Jayne told her how it had developed in training sessions with the Morrisettes, then confusion when Amanda first called with her enquiry about refurbishing Edge Lodge and how it all spiralled from there to get deeper and deeper into John becoming Jayne, both at work and socially with the dance team.

“Once Amanda had got to know you, you should have told her who you really are, she really liked the work you did and I’m sure that she would have just laughed it all off.”

“The problem is that I don’t know who I really am anymore. It has just become so normal for me to get dressed as Jayne, slap on a bit of makeup and just get on with things as if it is what I had been doing all my life. I am even Jayne when I am working from home by myself, I can’t remember the last time that I presented as John.”

“Well, all I can say is that you are making a really good job of it, even though you have been with the group of us at our afternoon girl-sessions you have never once shown any signs that you are not who you appear to be, the other girls will be as shocked and surprised as I am if they ever find out.”

“Let’s hope they never find out, I promised to keep secret Jeremy’s dressing up, and you promised to do the same about me.”

They were interrupted by the door opening and in walked Jeremy, or rather in walked Tinker Bell wearing the outfit that Jayne had brought. Although he looked a bit awkward , he was quite believable in the lime-green satin body-hugging ruched dress which was not much more than a halter-top bathing suit with a modesty panel skirt and matching starched gossamer wings. He had added sparkly opaque tights , obviously wearing a body shaper which pushed up the realistic looking breasts, which looked like they were trying to escape from the top of the cups. The look was completed by a wavy shoulder-length blonde wig and full make up.

“Wow Bel, you look amazing, I can’t call you Jeremy as long as you look like that. Give us a twirl so we can see the full view.” Jayne managed to stutter out, Bel was even more convincing than Jayne felt that she was.

“Thank you so much for this Jayne, I’m looking forward to seeing how Suzi looks as Peter Pan. I’ll just go and get changed again and will be back soon.” Bel’s voice had even changed to a much for feminine lilt. “ Suzi, you must invite Jayne to stay for dinner, I would like to talk with her a lot more.” Bel left leaving Jayne and Suzi a bit awe-struck.

I wasn’t long before Bel returned but this time she was dressed in a scoop neck red cotton top and matching floral skirt. “By the way Jayne, Bel is purely for Suzi and I in private, I prefer to be known as Fiona or Fi when I am dressed like this.”

Jayne stayed for the meal and for a long chat with Fi afterwards. It felt strange to Jayne that she was talking to a man presenting as a very attractive woman and she realised how the girls in the Morrisettes must have felt the first time that she went out with them.
It was getting late when Jayne finally arrived home and barely had time to chat to Kathy about the day she had, and was particularly keen to tell about Suzi and Jeremy in their costumes. She recounted Jeremy’s childhood and how he developed at a young age a liking for wearing his sister’s clothes, leading to his now frequent times as Fiona in the privacy of their own home.

“John, once the girls got to know you, you started to become very comfortable as Jayne and now it’s sometimes hard for everyone to think you as a man, to them you are Jayne just another member of the dance team. Maybe Fiona needs to mix with people more, and get out of the house. Next time that you all meet up invite her and Fiona, and I stress Fiona, around for a meal sometime. It will do Suzi a world of good talking to me and how I have come to accept you as Jayne, and it will help Fiona to realise that she is not alone.”

When Jayne was in Alderley Edge a week later to discuss the refurbishment with Caroline she took Suzi to one side and asked if she and Fiona would like to come over for a meal, and told her that in a couple of weeks the Morrisettes would be performing in he summer festival at Bramall Hall, not too far away and that it would be good if they could meet up there and let her and Jeremy meet Kathy first.

It was a typical village fete, bands, displays, produce stalls, dog show and an opportunity for the locals to meet up in the grounds of the historic mansion, now open as a museum. The Morrisettes gave two performances of traditional Morris with a finale of the contemporary routine by Laura, Mel and Amy, and they were all sitting afterwards having a refreshing glass of beer when Jayne noticed Suzi coming over towards them with another woman who she did not immediately recognise. Realising that Jayne’s friend was really Jeremy, or more correctly Fiona, looking very comfortable is a floral summer dress, she left the group and went over to them.

“Hi, did you enjoy the show?’

“Wonderful, you were all even slicker than when you performed at Amanda’s party. Most of the villages around here have some sort of summer event, and from what we’ve heard you are going to get a lot more bookings.” Fiona surprisingly answered before Suzi, showing no sign of the shyness and reticence that there had been when Jayne had first met her.

“I’m having a drink with the girls on the team, would you like to join us and meet Kathy.”

“Thank you but no. It’s Fiona’s first time out in public and it will probably be too much too soon to be in with a crowd, but call Kathy over, I’d like to meet her.” Suzi replied for them.

Kathy came over when Jayne beckoned her and was shocked .when she was told who they were.

“Pleased to meet you both at last, Jayne has told me so much about you, and I must say Fiona that you are looking stunning, I would never have guessed about you.” Kathy gave a big smile as she complimented Fiona and gently patted her on the arm.

“Unless you came together with the other Morrisettes, pop over to the house later and we’ll get to know each other better. We’ll leave you to enjoy the day with your friends and we’ll go off and see the sights.” Fiona invited Jayne and Kathy with a charming smile.

As they returned to the Morrisettes Jayne noticed Amanda and Caroline walking towards Suzi and Fiona and was glad that Kathy and her had left when they did as she was sure that there would be a lot of explaining and discussions going on between the four of them.
.
On the way back home Kathy and Jayne had a long talk about how brave Fiona was, not being afraid of being seen in public anymore. Although the Morrisettes and most of their husbands knew about Jayne, it was not otherwise common knowledge and the conversation. drifted as to whether it was now time for Jayne to be more open about who she really was.

When they arrived home the discussion took a sinister turn as there was an envelope pinned to their door with the words ‘PERVERT TRANNY’ in large capitals written across it,

To be continued.

On the way back home Kathy and Jayne had a long talk about how brave Fiona was, not being afraid of being seen in public anymore. Although the Morrisettes and most of their husbands knew about Jayne, it was not otherwise common knowledge and the conversation. drifted as to whether it was now time for Jayne to be more open about who she really was.

When they arrived home the discussion took a sinister turn as there was an envelope pinned to their door with the words ‘PERVERT TRANNY’ in large capitals written across it,

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Stunned and shocked Jayne grabbed the envelope and they rushed inside, so as not to let any potential culprit who may have been watching see their reaction.

She ripped open the envelope to find a folded typewritten note inside.

“Your dirty little secret is out pervert. How will your neighbours who are not yet aware of what you are doing react and what will they think about those women, and I assume that they are all real women, in your alleged Morris team, who have gone along with your fantasy charade? One of your clients at Alderley Edge posted some details online saying what a wonderful remodelling of their house Irwin Interiors of Mayfield had carried out and how pleasant Jayne was to work with, how will she react when she finds out that her new best friend is actually a man? Will exposing you affect all the lucrative work you have lined up.? Only time will tell, meanwhile I will leave you to sweat it out and lose sleep, and will be in touch again soon.”

Jayne read it twice before passing it over to Kathy.

:I thought that things were all going rather too well, if this gets back to Amanda, Catherine and their friends I can’t see much more work coming from that area, and I don’t want the girls in the dance team to get picked on for going along with my pretence. I don’t know how to deal with this, we don’t even know who has sent the note.”

Let’s deal with things as they arrive, First things first, at the practice tomorrow, you must tell the girls that it will all probably become common knowledge and that they ought to be ready for when anyone has a go at them. Let’s leave your clients alone for the moment and wait for the next step from the person who wrote this.

At the end of the training session, Jayne told the team to stay and sit down as she had something to tell them.

OK girls, it had to happen eventually, somebody, who is anything but a well-wisher, has found out about my past as John and is threatening to make it common knowledge in the village, in the Morris world, and to my clients. I am worried that you all will be faced with abuse for knowingly associating with, in his words, a pervert and tranny. I am sorry if this will cause any of you any problems, and will understand if you no longer want me to lead the team.”

“Jayne, and as far as I am concerned that is who you now are, let me tell you that if anyone bad-mouths me, or starts criticising you, that I will tell them simply and loudly, and probably crudely, that they are an interfering bigot and that I would rather be in your company than theirs.” Laura was the first to react, as she came over to give me a sympathetic hug. One by one they all said and did more or less the same things.

“I really appreciate your support girls, but please do not do anything that you will later regret. Also, you had better tell your husbands and partners, if they don’t already know, because they are likely to be targets of abuse too.”Jayne was having difficulty holding back the tears. “If any of you hear anything or see anyone suspicious loitering near our house, please let me know, I need to find out who is behind this.”

When we arrived back home, Jayne gave a call to Suzi. “Hi Suzi, bad news I’m afraid. Someone has found out about me really being John and is threatening to tell my clients and ruin my business. Have you heard anything yet?”

“Not a thing, if I do hear anything I’ll let you know straight away. That’s awful, why would anybody be that nasty?”

“Somebody obviously has a problem with the way I am living my life. However, it is bound to come out sooner or later, it’s only a matter of time before someone accidentally says the wrong thing to the wrong person, I’m seriously thinking of either giving up with working as Jayne or alternatively being open and honest about it. How do you think Amanda, Caroline and the others will react if they found out the truth about me?”

“Look Jayne, everyone has accepted you as the person you appear to be and that they have made friends with, as well as employing you because of your talents. Obviously they will probably be shocked and maybe initially offended that you have lied to them, but I think that they will get over it. I am sure that any projects that you still have ongoing will not be affected, and probably anything you have been promised will work its way through, but whether or not they will recommend you to anyone new I’m not sure about. Amanda and Caroline were quite accepting of Fiona once they got over the shock and I’ll be surprised if they react badly towards you. Make an excuse to not come to the next get-together and I’ll find a way to sound out their attitudes towards cross-dressers without telling them about you, probably by being open with them all about Jeremy and his times as Fiona.”

“Thanks for that Suzi, you are a true friend. Let me know how you get on.”

Kathy had been listening in and had a worried frown. “What do you want to do, are you going back to being John or are you going to face the world as Jayne, with all the problems that will bring?”

“To be honest I don’t really know. I am personally happy and comfortable living as a woman, but there is a nagging worry about what will happen if it becomes public knowledge. Let’s see if we get any more threatening letters snd see what reaction Suzi gets from my clients and then decide how to react.”

A few days later There was another envelope pushed through the letterbox but by the time Jayne opened the door and looked out, there was nobody to be seen. Jayne ripped open the envelope and hastily scanned the letter inside.

“Are you sleeping well pervert or are you worried that your secret is about to be revealed? You have two days to comply with my demands or everyone will know what a weird person they are living next to or employing.

Next time I see you, I want to see the old you, John, not some grotesque parody of womanhood, you are to put all that behind you and go back to living a normal life.

You are to be open and honest with your clients, and I have now found several more in addition to Amanda Barclay.”
"

After taking note of the contents of the letter, and after a long discussion with Kathy, it was decided that the problem was not going to go away and that the threats would have to be faced down.

“Hi Suzi, it’s got even worse, we’ve had another threatening letter. When you talk to the others about Jeremy/Fiona, unless they rect badly and prove to be bigoted, which I don’t really expect, go ahead and tell them about me. Even if they are accepting there might still be a feeling that I have lied to them and that they cannot trust me to do business with them. I’ll just have to accept that.”

“Are you sure, you might still be able to stop whoever is threatening you in their tracks?”

“I’ve realised that it will come out sooner or later, if not this time, there will be someone else come along.”

“Ok , if that’s what you want. I’m meeting up with the girls tomorrow at Amanda’s, I will let you know how I have got on.”

Mid-afternoon the following day Jayne tentatively answered the phone, after seeing Suzi’s name on the caller display.

“Hi Jayne, what are you doing now, can you come over to Amanda’s? I’ve told them about you and they want to have a discussion with you, but don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

Although Suzi had reassured Jayne that there was nothing to worry about, when she arrived at Amanda’s house her head was full of all the thoughts that she had on the drive over, how they would all react, and how she would have to respond. There was not even time to have second thoughts as the gates were already open and as the car pulled up outside the house, Amanda came rushing out, took her hand, gave her a quick hug, and led her inside.

“Right Jayne, you are among friends here, We’ll talk in a while about how we have all got into this situation, but sit down, have a glass of wine, and we’ll tell you about our plan as to how to deal with this.” Amanda took charge of the discussions while the others just kept sneaking glances towards Jayne, trying to find a chink in her character.

The girls had come up with an idea about how to trace the blackmailer, and after adding a few refinements it was decided that Jayne should call the bluff and see what would happen.

“Ok, let’s put that to bed for the moment, you have a lot to tell us, Suzi obviously knows more than she has said to us. We were stunned when she told us about you, you are just so much a woman it is hard to believe that you aren’t. We’ve all only ever known you as Jayne, and have come to really like you and accept you into our little social circle of friends. As far as we are all concerned, and I speak for everyone here, you are Jayne, and always will be. You obviously need help and that is what friends are for, so if everything works out things can get back to how they were and we can start to enjoy ourselves again. Have another glass of wine while you tell us the full story of how you have become Jayne, and then we can get on with our normal gossip.”

After Jayne had filled in all the details, for the rest of the afternoon she was treated just as she had always been. No further mention was made of her situation, she was just another one of the girls in the group, even getting the usual round of goodbye hugs as they all left.

On the drive home, rather than the worried thoughts she had on the way to Amanda’s, she was in quite a good mood, everything had gone better than expected. There was now no need to worry about losing any projects with Amanda’s friends and their friends and neighbours, they all promised to continue to spread details about her talents and make recommendations to use her.

When she arrived back home, Kathy was waiting for her with a querying look on her face, desperate to know how it had all gone.

“I was almost in tears, they were all so understanding, and even after I had told them everything, they continued to treat me as just another one of the girls in the group. They had even worked out a plan as to how to deal with the blackmail. Give the girls in the dance team a call and let’s make arrangements.”

The next evening they all arrived at the local pub/restaurant in the village, all dressed up in their finery and with full evening make up, obviously out for a celebration. Jayne had made special effort to appear as feminine as possible, with her hair teased into soft curls and wearing a figure-hugging low-cut sleeveless cocktail dress and matching killer heels, there could be no doubt that she was ignoring the threats and was going to continue to present as Jayne.

After the meal their waitress bought in a large birthday cake, with pink candles along with bottles of champagne, and Laura stood up to make a toast. “Jayne, we have all got to love you as you now are, and although it’s not your natural birthday, this will now become the celebration of the birth of your new life, Girls raise your glasses to our new sister, Jayne.“

We knew that it would not be long before the word got around the village on the gossip grapevine, and carried on the celebrations for the rest of the evening.

As expected, when we arrived home with several of the girls to discuss what we had done, there was another note on the door. “You have chose to ignore our warnings and even flaunt yourself in front of the village as the parody of a woman that you have chosen to be. You will now have to face the consequences. Obviously most of your friends and neighbours will already have heard that you have outed yourself tonight and you will now have to face people every time you leave the house with them knowing what a pervert you are. Tomorrow your affluent clients will also know the truth and hopefully your business will collapse and you will no longer be able to continue in your chosen lifestyle. You were warned.”

“Thanks Laura and Mel, that’s what I was hoping for, now go and retrieve the footage recorded from the covert camera in the gatepost.”

Unfortunately although the camera was set on night vision, the person posting the letter was wearing a hoodie and could not be identified, except to say that it was definitely a man and judging from his height and build surprisingly was not who we expected it to be, Jerry Ashton.

It did not tale long for the blackmailer to carry out his threats, the following morning Jayne received calls from Amanda, Caroline and Suzi saying that they had received hate-filled rants on their phones from someone claiming to offer friendly advice to them to avoid further contact with the liar and cheat that they had employed to carry out work on their houses, and that despite appearances under all the finery and concealment Jayne Owen was in fact a man called John. Already prepared, the girls had all feigned shock and horror that they had been cruelty duped and thanked him for letting them know.

“The plan worked, it just needed you to provoke him.” Suzi told her. “Jeremy had arranged through a friend of a friend to put an interface and trace app on all of our phone lines and we have two numbers that originated the calls, Jeremy is now trying to find the matching names and addresses. How is it going over in Mayfield, have you had any reaction yet from your neighbours?”

“I’ve not been out yet, but Kathy was down at the village shop earlier and it’s all been a big non-event so far, no-one mentioned anything to her, people were either being discreet or were just completely unfazed by it all, to be honest I think a lot of people already knew or had had least guessed from seeing me around.”

Two hours later Suzi called again. “We’ve got the names for you, John Cassidy and Jerry Ashton, both in Mayfield, do you know them?”

“Jerry Ashton is the top dog in the Mayfield Morrismen, he has a thing about women not belonging in the Morris world and I embarrassed and humiliated him a few weeks ago when he mouthed off at one of our performances, that is not unexpected. I am surprised though at John Cassidy, he’s Ashton’s no.2, and although he was never particularly friends with me, he has never had a go at me either. Thank Jeremy for me, I’ll let you all know what I am doing about it.”

Jim, the pub landlord, called late evening saying that as Jayne had wished to know when Cassidy next visited, he was now there in the pub drinking himself stupid, looking miserable drowning his worries at the bar. Kathy and I went to have a chat with him and found him silent and morose, well the worse for drink.
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“What do you want, you have caused me enough troubles today” he turned and barked at them as they approached him.

“John, let’s go out into the beer garden, we need to have a private talk with you, I’m sure that you know what it is about, and to be honest, the fresh air will do you no harm.” Kathy calmly took him by the arm and led him outside.

“Why are you and Ashton hounding me, what have I done to deserve it all?” Jayne stared him in his eyes as she quietly raised the question

“Don’t be having a go at me, I had to deliver those notes, and make those calls, I had no choice but to do what Ashton told me to do, and I didn’t know at the time what was in the notes that I left” He replied after a long pause, looking miserable and worried.

“Why? Are you being blackmailed too, what does Ashton have on you?”

“Nobody knows this, so if I’m honest with you please keep it to yourselves. When I first came to the village after university, I got a young girl from the school where I teach pregnant. She was only sixteen so it wasn’t criminal but as she was in one of my classes it was against professional ethics and it was best to keep it quiet. Her family sold up and moved elsewhere, before it became obvious as to what had happened. One night, having had a few drinks after dance practice, I told Ashton, I needed to unburden my guilt and I thought that he was a friend. Since then he has held it over me, threatening to tell everyone that I am a paedophile, often asking for loans which are never repaid and always asking me to support him for election to being in charge of the various clubs he is a member of. So I am suffering as much as you are, although I don’t think that I would be forgiven and accepted by the villagers as easily as you have been.”

“Ok John, we’ll leave it at that for the moment, while we think what to do about Ashton. You’ve known him a long time, has he any secrets.?”

“Not that I know of, but whenever there is anything on the news and discussions in the pub about military operations he changes the subject, I think that there is something in his military history that he is hiding, it might be worth looking into if you know anyone who has contacts in the Army, MOD, or the British Legion.”

After a few phone Calls Jayne found that Charles, Caroline’s husband was chairman of the local branch of the British Legion and was able to freely access the service records of ex-military personnel. After a quick phone call he agreed to investigate Major Jerry Ashton of the Royal Hussars for her, and a few hours later he called her back and related what he had discovered.

That evening Ashton was surprised when he answered a knock on the door to see Jayne, Kathy and Laura.

“What do you want, you look like Macbeth’s three witches - hubble bubble toil and trouble?”

“I think that you had better invite us in, where are your manners? I’m sure that you will not want your neighbours to hear what I have to say.” Jayne snapped at him as she pushed him aside. “This is not a social call so there is no need to offer us a drink Jerry. Why have you been blackmailing me?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Come on Jerry, we have been talking to John Cassidy who has told us everything, including how you have been blackmailing him for a long time. Why have you been doing this to me.”

“Apart from the fact that you are a pervert who is trying to pass himself off as a woman and deserve to be exposed, you and your team the Morrisettes are making a mockery of everything that is traditional about Morris dancing. I want you to give up on all this nonsense and live a life without lies and troublemaking.”

“I’m not the only one living a life of lies am I Jerry? Since I found out that it was you that was blackmailing me, I have been looking into your background, and a good friend has checked your service record. Rather than having been a Major in the Royal Hussars, a war hero with a chestful of medals that you proudly wear at the Remembrance Day parades, you actually served as a corporal in the Catering Corps. The nearest you ever got to active service was ladlling out soup to the real heroes. You have no right to wear those medals, you were never even awarded the General Service Medal or Good Conduct Medal as you were given a dishonourable discharge for molesting a young male recruit in your unit. Is that the real reason that you have a bee in your bonnet about me being transgender, and being loudmouthed about LGBT perverts, is it all to conceal your own inclinations and the reason you delight in dancing in beribboned, flower decorated costumes.”

When Jayne had finished, the blood drained from Ashton’s faced he just sat there with his head in his hands for several minutes before finally looking up with tears in his eyes.

“What do you want, it will ruin my life if you make this common knowledge.”

“You made all sorts of demands as to how I should change my life, well I now have some of my own for you.

You will give up being the bagman for the Mayfield Morrismen and hand over to John Cassidy.

You will stop using the title of Major and will sell, or donate to the appropriate regimental museums, all those medals that you are not entitled to.

You will apologise to John Cassidy for the way you have treated him and involved him in your campaign against me and repay him for any loans you wheedled out of him.

You will sell up and leave Mayfield.

You will sign a full confession of what you have done, which will be lodged with a commissioner for oaths, which will be held confidentially by him until such a time as you chose to go back on these commitments.

Do you agree?”

“You do not give me any choice.”

Three months later Jayne and Cassidy led the combined team of the Morrisettes and the Morrismen on a parade through Mayfield to the village green where they put on a show at the Summer Fair. Since Ashton had resigned and left Mayfield the two teams had worked together happily at several displays, and all the past rivalry had been forgotten. Despite her past life now being common knowledge it had not affected her business and she had a string of projects to keep her and her newly taken-on staff at the renamed ‘Jayne Irwin Interiors’ busy for the foreseeable future. Amanda Caroline, Suzi and Fiona had travelled over for the event and to see their friend Jayne proudly perform in all her feminine finery.

Although it had caused a lot of heartache at the time, Ashton and his scheming had made Jayne face up to how she wished to spend the rest of her life and she had been readily accepted by friends and clients. Every dark cloud has a silver lining.

The end