,

I waited nervously while the girls went off to get ready debating in my mind whether this was really something that I wanted to do. I was on the point of changing my acceptance of what they had talked me into, going to get changed and cleaning off the makeup. However it wasn’t too long before they both came out dressed and made up for a night out, it was a surprise to see them both wearing dresses, usually they were in jeans and tops or jumpers, they had made a big effort and I didn’t want to disappoint them.

“You two are looking really attractive tonight, at least it will mean that people will be looking at you rather than at me.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself Rowan, with a bit of practice they won’t know which one of us to look at first. It’s a warm night we shouldn’t need coats as we will only be walking from the car park into the pub. Like every girl, you need a bag though, you can borrow this one for tonight, it goes with your outfit. We have already put in the bits and pieces that every girl needs, all you have to add is your wallet, you’re paying tonight as a thank you for our services.”

Worried that I would easily be recognised as a fake. I followed them warily into the pub. Although it was full we managed to find a free table, Kirsty and I sat down and Morag went to the bar to order a bottle of wine and get some food menus.

“I wasn’t comfortable walking over to the table, I felt that everyone was looking at me.” I whispered to Kirsty.

“Get used to it, when three attractive young women walk into a pub, all the guys lining the bar will be having a good look, they’re looking at you with admiration, or lust, or both, and the women are checking out your outfit, hair, and makeup, it’s all perfectly normal. Just relax and enjoy your night out with the girls.”

Morag came back a few minutes later with the menus, and was soon followed by the barman with the wine, soda water and glasses, who she told us with a grin was called Jack that he lived locally and was single.
“Ladies, what can I do for you.” he asked as he poured the spritzers for us, causing the girls to giggle at his choice of words.

Rather than my normal 8oz sirloin steak and chips ,I followed the lead of the girls and chose something lighter, a seafood lasagne with side salad, giving Jack a friendly smile as I
ordered.

“That wasn’t too hard was it? You even spoke to him like a girl, a bit husky, but it came across as sultry rather than masculine. A few days doing things as a girl with us and you will soon start to mimic the way we talk and express ourselves.”

“A few days with you as a girl, I thought this was just for tonight?” It suddenly dawned on me what they were planning.

“Not at all. Now we know that you can pass as girl, Jack just accepted you as you seem be, we need to work on the details. You are now a girl for the rest of the week, next week, and the following weekend, you have 21 years of learning about being a girl which needs to be crammed Into the few days left before the funeral.”

I enjoyed the meal and the chat which carried on throughout the evening, although it was a totally different atmosphere from from my normal nights at the pub with the boys. I had a good time once I managed to relax and not worry about how I looked or acted. We stayed at the pub until the wine was finished, chatting about life in general, the girls seemed to be ignoring my problems and just talked about the usual things that interested them, drawing me into the conversation whenever they could. After they sent me to the bar to settle the bill, with a reminder for me not to forget my bag, we left giving Jack big smiles and goodbye finger-waves to go with the tip we had left him.

“Right Rowan, time for your next lesson, the nighttime beauty regime. Go and get those clothes off and put away, don’t just throw them on the floor next to the bed as you usually do, put on the sleep set I have left on your bed, and come back out, we will show you how to remove your makeup and put on night cream to moisturise your face while you sleep. Boys have it easy, they just throw their clothes off and tumble Into bed, maybe brushing their teeth if they feel like it.”

Suitably cleansed, moisturised and with my hair tied in a bunch, I went off to my bed to wonder about what delights they had planned for me tomorrow, and dream about how the highs and lows of the past day were changing my outlook on life.

I awoke the next morning, initially confused as to why I was wearing girls clothes and smelling of perfume, but the events of the previous day soon came back to me. I needed a dose of caffeine to wake me up properly, and wandered to the kitchen still in my sleepwear to switch the kettle on for a brew and put some slices of bread in the toaster. The smell of the toast must have drifted through to the girls’ bedrooms and they soon joined me.

“Hi Rowan that smells good, pour me a coffee please.” Said Morag sleepily. “I see that you are still in girl mode, which is handy as we have a few things to do today, if you are going to be staying as a girl until after the funeral. If last night was anything to go by, I don’t think you will have any problems with being picked out as an imposter.”

“To be honest when I first went out with you both, I was so nervous, but after the meal and glass of wine I just relaxed and didn’t really think about how I was dressed, I really enjoyed my night out with you both and I think I can live with life on the pink side for a few days.”

“That’s my girl, but in that case we need to change a few things and we need to go shopping. First, when you have finished your coffee, before you get dressed, go to the bathroom, have a close shave, and then do your legs arms, pits, and chest, I don’t want to see any hairs on your body when you come back out. It might be a good idea to finish off by rubbing moisturiser over all your shaved areas, it will help to sooth any stinging.”

“That’s much better Rowan you look even more feminine now. Sit down and I’ll do your makeup, but you need to watch and listen carefully, you will have to learn to do it yourself. All done, now go and get dressed, just put on the clothes from last night, except you can now wear just plain tights, they will look better with your skirt than the black ones, I’ll throw a pack in to you.” Kirsty told me as I went off to my room. “The girls are enjoying this too much.” I thought but didn’t say anything to them, and went to get dressed.

“You can’t keep borrowing stuff from us, we need to get you some things of your own. Now you are in a fit state, we can introduce you to the delights of shopping for girls.” Kirsty passed me a light jacket as it was quite a fresh cool morning. “Put that on, don’t forget your bag, and we’ll be on our way.”

I lost track of the number of shops we went in and tried on clothes, some of which I bought, along with many that went back on the racks. By lunchtime I was ready to go back home carrying all the bags, with a lot more clothes that I would need for the next few days, a formal black dress and jacket for the funeral, a couple of skirts for casual wear, and a half-dozen tops and blouses, along with a selection of bras and panties, tights, costume jewellery and many varieties of makeup items.”

“One final thing before we go back home,” said Kirsty as she dragged me into yet another shop while Morag went off somewhere on her own “you need to get your ears pierced, no self-respecting girl our age does not wear studs, rings, or drops.”

Back at home I was putting all my new clothes and accessories away, wondering when or if I was ever going to get the need to wear most of it, when the pair of them came in grinning broadly.

“One last touch, which will help you fit in better. Take off your top and bra and lie down, we have something for you”. Morag put her hands on my shoulders to keep me still, while Kirsty quickly placed and held something cold and sticky on my chest. “Just lie there for a minute and you can then get up.”

It was a strange feeling when I stood up and looked down at my chest to see two heavy firm breasts hanging there. “That’s a lot better girl, you can throw those bags of rice back in the jar now, those falsies will easily stay in place for the next few days and through the funeral, and for as long as you like afterwards, I’m told that the glue is quite strong and almost permanent. Put on your bra, I’ll adjust the straps to fit you better and then you can get dressed again.”

“ Did you have to do that Kirsty, and what do you mean ‘the glue is almost permanent’ and where on earth did you get them?”

“Rowan, get it through your head, for the immediate future you are living as a woman, and women have breasts. You’ll get used to them, but if they ever need to come off I have a bottle of the solvent for the glue hidden away where you can’t get to it. When you were getting your ears pierced, Morag went off to a specialist lingerie shop for them, you’d be shocked at some of the things some women use to improve their looks.”

Over the next two weeks I had a crash course in womanhood, dress styles, makeup techniques, how to deal with social situations and unwelcome attention, mixing with people as much as possible in shops, restaurants and pubs, and gradually adjusted to my temporary new life. I quickly got used to the ways I was walking, talking and presenting myself, gaining confidence all the time. After the first night when I had trouble getting to sleep trying to find a comfortable position with my new breasts, I rarely even noticed they were there, they became as much a part of me as all the other parts of my body.

The afternoon before the funeral, we drove over to a small Inn we had booked into for two nights, so that we didn’t have to rush to get to the church from Aberdeen, and so that we could relax after the funeral and reception. On the way we stopped not far from the Lodge at the Grant Centre in Duthil, where I managed to find a Clan Grant brooch that I could use to pin to my coat a corsage of a sprig of pine, the Grant Clan emblem, adorned with orange rowan berries as my personal symbol, and a scarf in the Blue Grant tartan, I felt that I owed it to Aunt Elspeth to show my allegiance to her and the clan.

When we arrived at the inn where Kirsty had made a booking she went to reception to sign us in and I noticed that the landlady and her seemed to be having a long conversation during which she kept looking over to where we were sitting.

“What was all that about Kirsty you seemed to be chatting to her like a long lost friend?” Morag asked.

“Oh she was just being friendly, asking why we were visiting. When I told her we were there for the funeral of the Laird, she wondered what was our connection to Lady Elspeth, I just replied ‘one of my friends is a distant relative, and we’ve just come along to keep her company’.Let’s group and get settled our rooms.”

Later when we went down for a meal and drink, the landlady came over to us.

“Hi, I’m Jeannie Fraser, welcome to my Inn,” Looking at me, she continued, “and you must be Elspeth’s relative you have the look of the Grants of Dulnain about you, I have often been up to the Lodge and have seen all the portraits of the lairds down through the generations from Isobel to Elspeth and there are remarkable similarities, your red hair and pale complexion are unmistakeable.”

“You guessed right, I’m Rowan Grant, she was my Great-Aunt. I haven’t been to the Lodge or seen Aunt Elspeth for many years since I was a young child, I must have a look at the portraits and see for myself,”

“Anyway, I’ll probably see you tomorrow at the service and the reception, enjoy your meal girls.”she left us with a cheery smile.

After a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast we went up to our rooms to get dressed for the funeral. Wearing my black mourning clothes brightened only by the orange rowan berries on my corsage, I walked with Kirsty and Morag to the church and was surprised by the number of people gathering there, Aunt Elspeth was obviously well-liked and respected.

On the way into church for the funeral service, I was drawn aside by Mr Cameron, my Aunt’s lawyer.

“Rowan, is that you? With that shock of red hair you are recognisable even though you are dressed so differently, you are so like your Great-Aunt when she was younger. I’m glad to see that you decided to come, I need to have a word with you later about the terms of the will. If you want to discretely blend in at the back of the church that’s up to you, but can I suggest that you and your companions sit in the family pew at the front, there will be no other close relatives attending today. You will probably get a lot of questioning glances and hear whispers, but I assure you that it will be because the rest of the congregation will all be wondering if you are the lost heir, not because of how you are dressed. If it is allowed, can I say that you are looking really attractive and faultless, the spitting image of the photographs of your Great-Aunt Elspeth when she was your age.”

He was right, as Kirsty, Morag, and I made our way to the family pew we drew a lot of interest, many people looking our way, whispering to each other trying to place who we were. Mr Cameron followed us and sat down next to me.

“Rowan, as there was no-one else to do the job, I was ‘volunteered’ to read a service lesson and give the eulogy, would you like to do either of them yourself? I won’t introduce you as the heir to the estate, just as a distant relative come to pay your respects on behalf of your family.”

I looked over to the girls, who nodded back at me. “That’s fine Mr Cameron, I’ll read the lesson, but I don’t really know enough about Aunt Elspeth to do the eulogy, and can I please call you Alistair, your full name sounds ever so formal,

I didn’t really need the bible to give the lesson, it was Psalm 23 ‘ The Lord is my Shepherd’ which had been drummed into me at Sunday School in my childhood, the traditional text, not the modern version, and I was able to deal with it without too much nervousness.

After the service and burial we all made our way to the Lodge, an imposing granite stone-built country house, rendered as protection against the often harsh winter elements experienced in the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains. Inside, the Great Hall and the other main reception rooms were dressed in typical Scottish Baronial style, dark Jacobean panelling or tartan tapestries on bare stone walls adorned with the heads of stags, rams, bulls and Golden Eagles, and collections of weaponry arrayed everywhere. It was quite sombre but it had a charm of its own, I was glad to see it even though it would not pass to me, and I wondered if I would ever be back again.

Throughout the reception Alistair acted as the host, along with Hamish McBean, an old family friend who acted as Aunt Elspeth’s estate manager when she was too frail to manage it all herself. Alistair called the girls and me together to meet Hamish, who’d volunteered to show us around the Lodge as It was the first visit for us and we had come a long way.

“Have a good look around girls and I will speak to you all later.” Alistair smiled as he left us with Hamish.

Hamish was the perfect tour guide giving us a potted history of the house and family, identifying the family portraits which, unusually, were mainly women, but I supposed that was to be expected given the family history.

He stopped in front of one large portrait of a striking woman riding a horse surrounded by weapon-bearing warriors. “Does she remind you of anyone Rowan?” He asked, causing the girls to start giggling. Staring back at me from the portrait it was as if I was looking in a mirror, other than the length of her long wavy flowing red hair she was almost my twin. “That’s Isobel Grant the first woman appointed as Laird many centuries ago. Lady Elspeth was particularly proud of her, even though she had a lot of respect for all of the strong women that followed her later. Lady Elspeth would have been glad to know that Isobel’s genes live on in you. OK Ladies, let’s go back to the Great Hall, people will be starting to drift away soon and Mr Cameron would like to discuss matters with you.”

“Rowan, are you happy for me to discuss the issue of your inheritance in front of your friends or would you prefer to talk in private?" Alistair formally asked, back to his role as a lawyer rather than the genial host he had been throughout the day’s events.

“I would like them to stay, they know as much about what is going on as I do, and they have been very supportive to me.”

“ I’m sorry, that is just the lawyer in me ensuring client confidentiality, and I now look on you as my client. Your rights in this matter are still not clear, I am continuing to go through the documents in relation to rules of succession, and whether there is a case for challenging your Great-aunt’s strict terms in her will but, as I am sure you are aware, the wheels of justice turn very slowly. If I can make a suggestion, unless you and your friends are in a rush to get back to Aberdeen, why not stay here for a few days, it will be easier if we need to meet, and it will give you the chance to get to know more about your heritage and the Dulnain estate.”

I looked over at Kirsty and Morag, whose eyes had lit up at the suggestion and they eagerly nodded their heads.

“That sounds a good idea Alistair, but we are only booked in the Inn for tonight, we’ll have to sort something out.”

“That’s not a problem, you can stay here in the Lodge, I’ll get Mrs Mackintosh the housekeeper, to prepare rooms for you, and Hamish can take you down to your Inn to collect your things. Don’t worry about problems with your bookings at the Inn, Jeannie Fraser who runs it is Hamish’s sister. Up here in the highlands, everybody knows or is loosely related to everybody else, incomers excepted.”

By the time we got back from collecting our things from the Inn, Mrs Mackintosh had everything prepared for us with freshly laundered bed linen and the radiators turned up to full heat to warm the rooms, which had been on tick-over since Aunt Elspeth died. She left us to get changed out of our mourning clothes and went off to the kitchen to prepare something for an evening meal.

The bedrooms were dressed much less formally than the Great Hall and reception rooms. There were no stuffed animals anywhere and there was still a lot of dark panelling, but the rooms were softened and brightened by the throws on the bed and cushions on the chairs all covered in the modern red and green Grant tartan. After I had freshened up, put my clothes away in the wardrobe and drawers, and got dressed in a denim skirt and chunky warm woolen jumper. I collected Morag on the way and we went to Kirsty’s room.

“What do you think girls, are you happy with your rooms?”

“You’re joking aren’t you, this is luxury, I could get used to this.Have you seen the views from the windows up to the forest and the moors with the mountains beyond?” Kirsty gushed.

“It would be a dream if you could get your inheritance sorted out and this place became yours, you could even convince me to move in here with you.” added Morag. “It’s a shame that it’s only the small matter of your manhood that is stopping you becoming Laird of all you can see.”

“My manhood isn’t that small and I am quite attached to it, thank you very much.” I replied causing us all to fall into fits of laughter.

We made our way down to the kitchen to find Mrs Mackintosh laying out a long oak plank table, and about to serve large bowls of a thick stew and rustic home-made bread.”

“I thought you might like something warm and filling after the chill in the church and at the graveside, the buffet that Mr Cameron organised was fine for what it was but it was not the same as a hot hearty meal.” She placed three bowls on the table, one for each of us.

“Aren’t you joining us Mrs Mackintosh?” I asked wondering why she was leaving us after serving the stew.

“Although I got on well with The Laird, she had her place and I had mine, and even in her later years she preferred to eat alone.”

“Don’t be silly, Mrs Mackintosh, get yourself a bowl of stew and come and join us. We can’t keep calling you that, what is your first name?”

‘Thank you Miss Grant, I’d like that. I’m Fiona.”

“No more Miss Grant either, I’m Rowan and my friends are Kirsty and Morag.”

“The venison stew was absolutely gorgeous Fiona, and along with the thick chunks of bread was exactly what we needed.” I thanked her after we had all cleared our plates.

“The venison is from the estate, the red deer spend the day roaming up in the hills you can see from your rooms, the Monadhliath Mountains, but it gets awfully chilly up there and they usually come down to the lower levels at night. You will probably see some of them if you look out later. We grow most of the vegetables in the walled garden so everything is very fresh, it makes all the difference to the taste.”

“Any chance of another helping Fiona.” Morag asked.

“Feel free dearie, do you want to serve yourself or do you want me to get it for you”

“You stay there and relax you’ve done enough today, I’ll just help myself.”

“From your voice Rowan, you are obviously a lowlander, but would you like an after-dinner wee dram. This area, the Spey Valley, is famous for the Uisge Beatha, ‘The water of life’, or whisky as you probably know it, and Grants down the valley at Dufftown are one of the largest and more famous distilleries. As well as the more commercial brands, they produce a few rare special brews, and The Laird has quite a selection in the cellar.”

Over a couple of glasses of a delicious 50 year old single-malt from the Grants distillery, Fiona enthralled us with stories about the life of Aunt Elspeth. She had served as housekeeper for over 20 years, mostly on a daily visiting basis, but for the last few years when Aunt Elspeth became more frail and after Fiona was widowed, she moved into the Lodge full-time and became as much a companion and carer as was needed.

“We don’t know what will happen when the new Laird takes over, Hamish and I are both of an age when we should be considering retiring, but it will be a wrench if we have to leave the estate. Hamish and his wife Elizabeth have a cottage on the estate as well, which goes with the job. If the new Laird is decent they will make some suitable arrangements for us, but if it goes to the National Trust or such-like, when they take over they will bring in a whole new team and we will probably be required to leave.”

“I’m sure that you have no need to worry, Fiona, Mr Cameron told me that he is trying to sort out what happens to the estate and will soon be in a position to go forward, one way or another.” I tried to reassure her.

It was getting late and it had been a long stressful day, the whisky was getting us drowsy, so we helped Fiona clear up before we went off to our rooms, to bed.

It took me a while to fall asleep, my mind was in turmoil, the house and estate would be a dream life if Mr Cameron could manage to somehow work it so that I could inherit, and if so I decided that I would ensure that Fiona and Hamish were not casually cast aside.

The silence of the wild countryside was only disturbed by the occasional roar of the stags and the barking of the hinds as they came down from the hills, totally different from the bustle and traffic noise of life in the city, and eventually I fell into a long and deep sleep.

To be continued.