As we left the store, arm in arm looking, I think, the best we could ever look, The Dress caught my eye again. I could hear it calling me and it was no good, a few minutes later, I left with it, determined to wear it at the first posh do I was invited too.

As we returned to St Marks to collect the car, we both kept looking at our reflections in shop windows and I think we even turned a few heads.

Yes, it had been a splendid day’s shopping–I hoped the first of many.

And now the story continues…

We arrived back in Penmarris rather later than we hoped. I had wanted to see Katie about those emails I had received from Olivia and Nigel, but now that would have to wait until the morning.

Jo had kindly dropped me off and helped me cart my bags into the cottage. Then after a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, she went off home. I wondered what reaction she would get from David and the girls when she arrived home all glammed up. She promised to ring me later to let me know. I had given her my new mobile number so there was no excuse not to keep me updated.

After putting the shopping bags on the bed, I made myself a cup of tea and sat on the balcony drinking in the view as well as the tea. As usual, the seagulls were making their presence known by their cacophony, not helped by a fishing boat entering the harbour.

Gazing at the sea, I wondered how stormy it got during the winter. My butterfly mind flipped to stories I had heard about William Turner, the famous English landscape artist who was said to have tied himself to the mast of a ship in order to experience the drama of the raging sea. I tend to take stories like that with a pinch of salt as there is little evidence that he actually did it, but I liked the sentiment.

I imagined myself being on the wild shore, foam and spume racing toward me, hitting the rocks in a torrent of violence; sucking the breath from me, all in order to paint the wildness of nature. No doubt I would be wearing something white, long and flowing for dramatic effect. Then I remembered that I couldn’t swim, so I would have to look on from afar, probably with binoculars.

I sat there for quite a while, calming myself down after the excitement of the day. It was true that today I had felt more of a woman than ever before. My hair looked wonderful and the makeover that Veronica had given to me gave an insight as to how I could look always if I did things right. Okay, I didn’t have her skill, but I did have time now to perfect the mysteries of applying makeup the proper way. I would go to the makeup classes and hoped I would be able to recreate Veronica’s work sometime soon.

It was starting to get cooler and the gentle breeze was making me feel that I needed to go in. I shut the doors, and went down to the kitchen. After washing my cup, I looked in the fridge and realised that I didn’t have much to eat unless I fancied corn flakes.

I grabbed my cardi and went out of the cottage and down to the harbour. There weren’t so many people about now, the day trippers having all but left and I assumed that the locals were more or less tucked up at home or in one of the two pubs. There were a few people walking their dogs, but that was about it. Oh there were some kids on the beach still playing football, no doubt trying to emulate Mark Hurst or some other star but other than that, it was quite peaceful.

I went into the fish and chip shop and ordered a cod and chips (haddock was off) and waited on the bench outside until the order was ready. As I waited a man hurried by and then stopped.

‘Hello again.’

I looked up and saw that it was Doctor Sinclair. ‘Hi,’ I said, ‘you seem to be in a rush.’

‘I am really, I’m going to be late for tea again; the wife does have a go at me sometimes.’

‘The joys of marriage, I suppose. But I thought that she was a doctor too. I’d have thought that she’d understand if you were late occasionally.’

‘Well, to tell you the truth I have been in the Toad and Tart and got talking to a few cronies and you know what it’s like–time flies.’

‘Well, there’s no excuse then. You have to go and confess your sins to your wife and throw yourself on her mercy.’

‘What mercy? She’s a hard woman.’

‘Not too hard I hope, I need to speak to her in the next couple of days.’

‘What, professionally?’

‘Yes.’

‘Right, okay, pop along to the surgery and sign up when you’re ready, we give free lollypops to good girls.’

‘What about boys?’

‘They prefer sticks of rock. Anyway I had better go, see you anon.’

‘’Bye.’

He rushed off just before I was called in to collect my takeaway.

I returned home as quickly as possible, as I wanted to eat the fish and chips hot. In very few minutes, I was tucking into to the heavenly smelling and tasting food and before long was quite full up as they always give you far too many chips–not that I was complaining.

As I had eaten direct from the paper, I had saved on washing up and I put the wrappers in the rubbish bin. I grabbed one of the two remaining cokes from the fridge and sat down on the settee. I really needed to sort through the clothes that I had bought, and even though I felt somewhat knackered, after finishing my drink, I went upstairs. There I unpacked the multitude of carrier bags and folded or hung up everything, promising myself that I would try them on in the morning; then I decided to get ready for bed.

I was reluctant to take off my makeup, but wanted to preserve the way it was done before removing the evidence. Then I had an idea.

I had my camera in the bottom of the wardrobe, so I got it out, set it on a shelf, and put it on timer mode. Then I went into the bathroom, brushed my hair and refreshed my lippy from the basket of goodies that Veronica had supplied.

As soon as I was ready, I returned to the bedroom, clicked the camera button and hurried around so that it would take a picture of my face. I had just got into position, when the flash went off. I had a look at the photo it had taken on the screen at the back of the camera and saw that I had a lovely picture of some hair and one of my ears. So I repositioned it carefully and clicked the button again.

This time, I managed to get into position just in time and the flash fired again. Looking at the picture, I was quite pleased. Just in case, I took three more and then was satisfied that I had all I needed.

I pulled all the curtains and made sure that everything was locked up. I had this weird feeling that Nigel or one of his henchmen would come and get me and drag me back to Olivia; well this was one fly who wasn’t going to get caught up in her spiders web again.

After filling the bath and adding some bubbles, I sighed as I slipped into the warm water. My aches and pains drifted away gently as I lay there, making me feel very relaxed.

Recalling the day, I smiled at the blossoming of Jocasta. For so many years, she had hidden herself away from being beautiful behind a curtain of hair that virtually obscured her pretty face because of scars she had received when she was a child. Seeing her blossom after having her hair and face done was wonderful to see.

Then there was me. I was amazed at how a different hairstyle and a proper makeover had transformed me. Before, I always worried that would be “clocked” and laughed at and ridiculed for being something that I was not. Now I could see that I looked as well as felt like a woman. I wasn’t a helpless case and I could function as a girl and above everything else, not be seen in any way shape or form, as a man.

I got out of the bath and went to look in the mirror. After wiping the steam off, I took one final glance at my painted face and then cleaned it all off with a sigh. Soon my skin was clean and slightly shiny again. I searched among the goodies Veronica had given me and applied the recommended night cream. It had a delightful fragrance and was absorbed into my skin very easily. I thought about counting my fine lines and doing it again in the morning, to see if any had vanished, but I was too tired.

I wondered whether I should use the removal solution for my breasts, but decided that I would remove them for a breather the following night. They weren’t itchy or anything and in fact, felt very much part of me. I looked forward so much to having my own and wondered how sensitive they would be.

I slipped on one of my new nighties; it was peach coloured, strappy and went down to my calves. It felt like liquid on my skin as I slipped it on and was very sensuous. I turned on the bedside light, switched off the main one, before slipping under the covers, sighing as I relaxed in soft warmth.

I almost dropped off and then remembered that I’d said I would ring Jo, then looking at the time, I wondered whether I might interrupt something if I rang now. No, I would leave it until tomorrow. Anyway, come to think of it, she said she would ring me. Maybe she was busy tonight.

I picked up my favourite well-thumbed Pride and Prejudice paperback and was soon engrossed in the more genteel time of and Elizabeth and Darcy. But even the delights of Jane Austen weren’t enough to keep me awake so I turned off the light and went to sleep.

There was a crash of thunder that seemed to be directly overhead and it jolted me awake somewhat violently. Checking my bedside clock, it told me it was two in the morning. I could hear the rain lashing the bedroom window and I could almost feel the spume-laden wind battering the side of the cottage.

I got out of bed, put my dressing gown on and went to the window; pulling the curtains aside, I gasped; the sight would not look out of place in a fireworks display. Through the rain-lashed windows, I saw lightening forks flashing into the sea and on the cliffs on either side of the bay. The thunder was rolling around the cove almost continually and even in the dark, I could see waves crashing on the rocks, the white foam clearly visible even at this distance.

Seeing nature in its raw state like this reminded me of how small, insignificant and weak humanity was compared to the forces of nature. I certainly would not want to be at sea, lashed to a mast in the middle of something like this, just for the sake of my art.

After about twenty minutes, the storm began to move away up the coast and things seemed quieten down somewhat, although the wind still seemed rather strong.

I took off my dressing gown and climbed back into bed. I was wide awake now so I read a bit more Jane Austen. I was cringing rather at the antics of Mr Collins and his desperation of trying to land a wife from the decidedly dysfunctional Bennett household when I was interrupted by banging coming from downstairs. I ignored it for a minute or two, but then it got too much, so getting out of my warm bed again, I went downstairs. The noise was coming from the kitchen and when I opened the door, I saw, even without the light being on, that the kitchen window was open. I knew it had a dodgy catch and had made a mental note to ask Mr Pearson to try and fix it for me.

I shut the window and put a heavy saucepan up against it, hoping it would hold and then made my way back to the bedroom. I was tired again and knew that I would probably be able to get back to sleep fairly quickly.

Rubbing my eyes as I entered the bedroom, yawning, the thought of my nice warm bed was almost overpowering. Then mid yawn I heard it…

‘Meeoow–’

There on the bed was a cat–a black cat–a black cat with white patches on its face and paws. It was small, little more than a kitten, its white paws like little booties and he or she looked soooo sweet.

Pussy looked up at me and meowed again. It wasn’t scared, I could tell that as it lay on its back, paws in the air and started to purr loudly.

‘Well, little one, did you come in through that open window?’ I said rubbing its tummy.

I noticed it was wearing a collar so I looked at the disk. It said: ‘Tammy Silverton Penmarris 256923’

‘Miss Silverton–it must be one of her cats,’ I thought.

‘Okay, Tammy, you can stay the night because it’s too late to ring your mummy, but tomorrow, I’ll ring her, just in case she’s worried. Okay?’

I could swear she nodded, but it might have been my imagination. I went to the bathroom, grabbed a towel and dried off Tammy, she wasn’t too wet so I assumed that she had been under some sort of shelter during the worst of the storm.

I switched the light off and Tammy settled down. I went to sleep to the sound of purring coming from my new friend.

Please leave comments...thanks! ~Sue

My thanks go to the brilliant and lovely Gabi for editing and pulling the story into shape.