May Queen Book 1 by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2024 Madeline Bell One day your life is just, well life, the next has Daisy in it!

Two hours later I collapsed onto the sofa in the family room. Whilst nominally C of E, religion just isn’t my thing so to sit through an hour of hymns, prayers and readings isn’t on my to do list. I wondered why St Swithun’s was so full but that was answered by the Rector’s ten minute eulogy mourning Amanda, I couldn’t help myself but to join in with the general round of snuffling and tears.

Afterwards we then had to introduce Daisy to anyone and everyone not in the Red Lion last night. How many more times will I need to repeat the whys and wherefores of my presence, Johnny’s absence and my impending coronation? Who knew it could be so exhausting.

It didn’t help that Mum’s ‘find you something to wear’ turned out to be one of her summer dresses. It was at least quite demure, reaching below my knees but I still felt quite exposed as it swirled about in the breeze. Then of course I had to wear the matching shoes, strappy kitten heels apparently but even that low heel had me feeling very unsteady.

The finishing touches, some bits of Mum’s jewellery, a fixing of my too bright hair and some Sunday appropriate makeup (i’m not doing this every day, you’ll be learning to do your own!) completed the picture. And now, after all that, I get told to put something on to go shopping, and not jeans! Is this what I signed up for?

"Come on Dais,” Aunt Clair chivvied, "Get yourself changed, your Gran will be here soon.”
"Okay, but what am I ‘sposed to wear?”
She sighed deeply before answering, "You’ll probably be trying stuff on so keep it simple, you’ve got that denim skirt and one of those t shirts?”
"Skirt?”
"It won’t kill you, you’ve survived that dress this morning.”
"But, but...”
"No buts, now scoot.”

I was never going to win the ‘argument’ so I heaved myself free of the sofa and headed for my room.

"And hang that dress up,” Aunt Claire called after me.
 
The skirt had been a bit of a sop to Aunt Claire, I’d nixed at least three others as we trawled Retford but she was adamant I would be getting at least one such garment. Its not like I’d actually have to wear it, I reasoned, so when she asked, ‘pink or blue’, I replied blue and a scrap of denim joined the pile. But now I was gonna have to wear the damned thing.

‘Okay Dais, you can do it.’ I extricated myself from the sundress – once I remembered the side zip, grabbed the first top on the pile in the dresser’s top draw which, turns out was a pale pink thing with cap sleeves, oh well, a shirt’s a shirt. I found the skirt in the next drawer with the assorted leggings, shorts and single pair of trousers.

In my head it was quite a demure, knee length garment despite being, well, a skirt. In reality it was short with a capital S, I held it against me and it ended far too far above my knees, not even halfway down my thighs. I can’t wear this, well, clearly I can wear it but seriously, out in public?

Do I put something else on but Mum was adamant about the skirt.

"Dais,” Jake called up, "Its on the table.”

Damn, I’ll have to put it on, when she sees it she’ll make me put something else on, I can at least argue my corner. I quickly tugged it into place, the back to front button fly had me confused for a moment, there certainly was a lot of exposed smooth skin hanging out of the bottom. The t shirt, of course, got snagged on ‘my’ bra but at least that covered everything you’d hope.

My hopes of a reprieve were however, short lived. When I reached the family kitchen, I was greeted by ‘that’s better, you’ll fit right in Dais’ from Mum and nothing more than a ‘pass your plate' from Dad. Looks like I’m wearing this denim pelmet to Lincoln then.
 

My parents, aka Aunt Claire and Uncle Dave, always try to make Sunday lunch a family affair, the Sunday staff are in, Alex and his lacky Gordon look after the food side of things, we get to enjoy whatever roast is on this weeks menu. This week it was weird, usually my plate, like Jake and Dad’s will be loaded, Mum having a smaller portion but today I got the same as she. Not only that but Aunt Claire admonished me to eat ‘more ladylike’, isn’t this all going a bit far?

On the other hand, I did get out of taking part in the clean up and I was even almost ready when Gran arrived to take me ‘shopping’. What we are shopping for or even why, I’ve no idea but I’ve learnt in the past not to question these things. On the plus side I wouldn’t be joining the table staff, well at least until we get back from Lincoln.

"Come on Dais, your Gran’s waiting,” my ‘Aunt’ chivvied.
"I can’t find my wallet or my phone.”
"All in here,” she waved a small black member of her burgeoning handbag collection, I swear she gets another one every week.
"Um, thanks,” I allowed accepting said receptacle.
"Go, you know what she’s like if she’s kept waiting.”
"See you later then.”

I climbed into Gran’s car, literally, she has one of those huge new Range Rover’s, goodness knows why, her and Gramps have a bungalow on Eakring Road, the nearest this behemoth gets to offroad is a trip to the car boot at Carburton once a month.

"Ready?” she asked even as I pulled the seat belt into place.
"I guess, where are we going?”
"Lincoln, didn’t your mother tell you?”
"It’s what she said but to be honest I’ve been struggling to keep up.”

With a growl of tyres on gravel we departed the car park, yeah, Gran drives like a WRC driver, fast and furious.

She looked across the car as we waited to join the main road, "They certainly did a number on you at the salon.”
"You could say that,” I agreed, "Mum gave them carte blanche and they took her at her word.”
"Not sure I approve of all the holes but I guess you need to fit in with your peers.”
"Only to take my exams and if I’m doing that at Wellow House I don’t even know anyone there.”
"The May Queen can’t hide away, you’ll have to interact with folk around the village for starters.”
"I guess so,” I allowed, "So um, what are we shopping for? Mum, Aunty Claire dragged me round most of Retford yesterday buying stuff.”
"That was just some basics to get you started, every girl needs her own stuff, nick nacks and things she just likes, it’ll look a bit weird to the other youngsters if you don’t have anything.”
"Can’t I just say I left it all in Devon?”
"Daisy luv, that’ll work about as long as it takes for you to say it, Johnny must have stuff right?”
"I suppose.”
"And if he was going away for a while he’d take some of them along?”
"Maybe,” I admitted.
"Well girls always take loads of stuff when they go away.”
"Dad’s always complaining about how much Mum takes on holiday.”
"And you, young lady, have arrived in Wellow with just the clothes you were stood in so today we’re going to start to put that right.”
"I haven’t got much to spend, I’ve been saving for the trip to Spain.”
"Don’t go worrying yourself about that, its about time your Gran treated her great niece a bit.”

By now we were on Tuxford Road, once we clear Kirton Gran will have her foot hard on the floor. I must admit, knowing the road and Gran’s driving, I rechecked my safety belt.
 
Its only about twenty miles as the crow flies from Wellow to Lincoln, only slightly less than Sheffield but the road route is a good five if not ten miles less on quieter, straighter roads. With Gran’s driving we were soon at Tuxford, we’d barely been going fifteen minutes when we joined the A57. Through Dunham and over the toll bridge and we were into Lincolnshire.

We don’t often go further than Mansfield or Worksop but of the three cities that Wellow sits pretty equidistance from, Lincoln is the smallest and most pleasant. We picked up a bit more traffic when we reached the Fossdyke but it cleared once we crossed Saxilby bridge and ten minutes later we were negotiating the traffic to reach a carpark. It was only as we were sat waiting at a pedestrian crossing that my brain suddenly jerked into gear.

There was a group of girls, four or five, obviously together waiting to cross, one of them stood out and, well my midteen libido went into overdrive, she really was a knockout, taller than her friends and slimmer. It was definitely Johnny fixated on this veritable goddess as she flicked her long straight blonde hair over a shoulder, much the same way Amanda used to. I might be considered a bit of a country bumpkin at school, living out in the sticks but I knows what I likes and she was it.

I watched as they crossed in front of us, did she look our way? Did she see me looking back?

"Dais?”

I let out a sigh, just my luck to find the girl of my dreams twenty miles away.

"Dais!” Gran repeated.

Which is when I went into meltdown. My brain suddenly made all the connections, even if she had seen me it wasn’t Johhny sat in the car, it was Daisy, Daisy with her own blonde hair, wearing her own short skirt over her own shaved legs. To the outside world I’m just another teenage girl, a fact, even if only a temporary status, my brain hadn’t caught up to but now it has.

 
I say meltdown, it wasn’t a descent into a blubbering mess in the footwell or anything so dramatic, no it was a diatribe of accusations against Mum, Gran, the Coven, the school, life in general and, and… Gran left me to it, concentrating instead on parking the car before turning to me and gathering me into a hug.

"There, there Daisy, what’s brought all this on?”

I managed to reduce tears to more of an ongoing snuffle but coherant words wouldn’t come, instead I snuggled closer into Grans embrace. I’m not sure how long we sat there, probably less than fifteen minutes, but I gradually calmed down and stopped sniffling.

"Feeling better?” Gran asked.
"A bit,” I allowed.
"If I didn’t know better I’d think our May Queen was starting her period,” Gran joked.

Even I could see the absurdity of that, which in turn had me giving a bit of a chuckle in reply.

"What’s brought all this on then?”
"I well, I saw those girls and one looked a bit like Amanda and I was thinking about, well boy girl stuff.”
"It’s what teenagers do,” Gran put in.
"I guess but then it hit me, Johnny might’ve had a chance but I’m not Johnny now, I guess it hit me all at once that for now I’m a girl just like her.”
"That doesn’t mean you can’t like other girls you know, just because you are a girl doesn’t mean you have to like boys.”
"You mean like lesbians?”
"You don’t have to be lesbian to prefer female company and I wasn’t suggesting that you, Daisy you, is anything other than a normal teen with raging hormones.”
"Did you?”
"Like girls? Well I certainly had a few close female friends, I still do but they’ve never been more than that.”
"Not even once?” I probed as only a teen can and will.
"Never occurred to me back then and now, well I still fancy your Grandad rotten, just don’t tell him,” she chuckled.
"I won’t.”
"So you feeling up to some retail therapy?”
"Maybe a little.”
"That’s better Dais, now come on, lets get you cleaned up, you look like a panda, then we’ll get a drink before we do anything else okay?”
"Yeah,” I concurred.

 
© Maddy Bell 04.08.2025