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!

 
My face was sorted, Gran’s cavernous handbag seemingly containing enough cosmetic type stuff to stock a reasonable sized chemist. Then it was off to one of the many coffee shops at the top of Steep Hill, a short walk from the parking below the castle walls. I must admit that I was more than a bit self conscious, tugging the hem of the, my skirt, did nothing to lengthen it and after a smirking rebuke from Gran, I gave that up.

Of course, it being a warm day I was far from the only wearer of a short skirt although there were plenty of equally or in some cases, more exposing shorts abroad too. Pretty much any female under thirty seemed to be out to flash as much leg at the big yellow globe as possible. Once I’d got over the initial embarrassment of how I appeared it was actually a bit of a non event and, well, a bit liberating having a bit of breeze around bits usually insulated by layers of trouser and boxers.

I received a bit of discrete etiquette from Gran, how to sit to avoid giving a show, what to do with my bag, take smaller bites, use the cup handle, little things but, I realised, stuff that girls are obviously taught or learn that boys don’t need to know. But Gran was determined to buy me some ‘stuff’ so we set off down the hill to Lincoln’s bustling shopping area. Most of the shops are located along the High Street, about half a miles worth offering pretty much all the major chains and a few more ‘boutique’ options.

It’s not a place I’ve been often, Gran however seemed to know where everything was and who had some specific ideas of where Daisy should be shopping. Blue Banana looked interesting but no, I was whipped past to take in the delights of the Waterside Centre and the markets just over the river. Gran at least knew she was a bit out of touch of teen fashion, unlike Mum, Aunt Claire, so after failing to find anything in about six stores we found a seat to regroup.

"It was simpler when I was your age,” Gran noted, "There were loads of small trendy shops everywhere.”
"I’m sure there still are some.”
"Not like there used to be, you sure about that dress in H&M Dais?”

To be fair, as dresses go it wasn’t that bad, and of those I’ve had to try on its the one I dislike least. Not that I want to wear a dress of course but if I did I suppose it would be a contender.

"We could just go home?” I suggested hopefully.
"Nope, we’ve come to get you something nice to wear, I’m not giving up that easily.”
"How about I go look on my own, if I can’t find anything we’ll go back to H&M.”
"You’ll be alright on your own?”

Would I? For the last hour or so I’ve been trailing around Lincoln without issue, well after my initial hemline disquiet. It’s not like I’m a little kid is it?

"I’ll have my phone, if I find something I’ll call and you can come and see.”
"Hmm,” she looked thoughtful, "How about this, I give you some cash then we meet up in say,” she checked her watch, "An hour back here, dress or no dress?”
"I guess that’d work,” well it’ll be easier to not find something anyhow.
She pulled out her purse and proceeded to pull out several bank notes, "Fifty pounds Daisy, find something you like, that you’ll wear, only proviso is not jeans, something nice. You can spend it all but it has to be for Daisy, deal?”
"Deal,” I agreed as she passed me the bank notes.
"Put those safe, you could get yourself something a bit more Daisy than that scraggy wallet whilst you’re about it.”
"Yes Gran.”
"Okay, four thirty back here.”
 

I had a mind to go back up the hill to that Blue Banana place but instead I thought I’d take a gander around the back of the markets. I watched Gran heading towards Marks & Sparks then took myself down the side of the Corn Market to the street behind. The shops were a mix of small businesses selling everything from hardware to sports trophies, not all were even open on a Sunday and some looked like their closure was terminal.

The shops ran out near the inner ring road so I turned back for a look the other way, towards the river. I’m not sure quite what caught my eye, certainly the window display was, erm, interesting, a variety of ‘edgy’ clothing taking centre stage, framed by bags, shoes, jewellery and, well more stuff. Well it was worth a look right, I could at least tell Gran I’d been in.

As Johnny I would never have dreamt of going into such a place, as Daisy it was still a bit, well, nerve-wracking. The shop was narrow but stretched back a fair way from the street and no space was left unfilled. I wandered through, past racks of clothing, shelves of footwear and other stuff of which I had no idea of its purpose.

"Looking for anything in particular?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin, in fact I did jump and landed up tangled in a rack of, what turned out to be dresses.

"Sorree,” the cause of my extreme reaction offered as she came to my rescue.

To be honest I was in such a state of shock that I was free of my entanglement long before my brain could come up with any sort of reply.

"Are you alright?” she fussed as I rearranged my clothing to something resembling order.
"I think so.”
"I didn’t mean to surprise you like that, Esme by the way.”
"Daisy,” i offered in return, "I wasn’t exactly paying much attention to things, no harm done.”
"If you’re sure? So you looking for anything in particular?”
"Sort of, my Gran’s given me money to buy a dress, she reckons I should get one for ‘occasions’.
"That sounds a bit ominous.”
"Tell me about it, they’ve already signed me up to be May Queen which is bad enough.”
"May Queen?”
"Yeah, its a big deal in Wellow, the village I come from, my friend Mand was supposed to get the job but she was killed in a car crash last week.”
"Sorry about your friend.”
"Thanks,” I allowed, my eyes welling up a bit at the telling.
"And you’re the understudy.”
"Something like that,” I agreed.
"So you got any idea what style of dress you want?” Esme queried.
"None whatsoever, I don’t do dresses,” I told her, not a lie, I don’t do skirts either but I’m here wearing one.
"Not even for school dances?”
"Nope.”
She took a deep breath, "Stand over there and turn round so I can see what we’ve got to work with.”
"Erm, okay.”

I did as instructed, feeling like a right prawn and half expecting to be called out as a lad.

"Hmm, not much on top but slim legs.”
"Is that good?”
"The legs yes, the boobs, we just avoid anything that needs too much flesh but we can work with it.”
"I don’t want to put you to any trouble,” in fact I’d as soon leave right now.
"Its no problem Dais, you mind if I call you Dais?”
“’sokay,” I allowed.
"Like I was saying,” Esme went on, "Its been a quiet afternoon, I’d rather be sorting you out with a frock than sit twiddling my thumbs until closing time. Do you know your sizes?”
"Not really, eight or ten? I think the one in H&M was just labelled small.”
"Let me get my tape, have a measure up, we’ll have a better idea then.”
 

"What do you reckon?” Esme asked, stepping back so I could see myself in the mirror.

She obviously had an eye for this stuff, over the last thirty minutes I’d been zipped, buttoned and laced into half a dozen dresses that suited my ‘small frame’. Bearing in mind my experience and lack of desire to own any of them, ‘we’d’ narrowed the choice to a yellow polka dot affair with a knee length full skirt and the shorter, more fitted affair in white I’d just been laced into whose ruffled top hinted at boobs I didn’t have.

I twisted about, curious to see the fit despite myself.

"I think I prefer this one.”
"It does suit you Dais, you’ll need heels of course but it looks a winner to me.”

It did look ’cute’, if that girl I saw earlier was wearing it, I’d go as far as ‘hot’, me? Well I suppose given the circumstances looking ‘cute’ is a sort of win. At forty five pounds, reduced from eighty, it was a bargain I guess, two of my try on’s had been dismissed on price, how can a dress cost so much?

I blew the hair off my forehead and made a decision.

"Okay, lets do it.”

Esme grinned, I don’t know whether she gets commission or anything but she seemed genuinely pleased to have made a sale. Remembering Gran’s admonishment to get a more ‘Daisy’ wallet or purse, I added a very pink thing adorned with embroidered daisies from the sale bin to my haul, it tipped the total just over Gran’s fifty pounds but after what has already been spent on Daisy, it’d be churlish to not contribute the couple of quid shortfall from my own funds.
 
"You found something,” Gran noted when I reached our rendezvous.
"Er yeah,” I confirmed, "You bought something too?”
"I got you that dress from H&M just in case. So what did you get?”

I pulled ‘my’ new frock from the box that Esme had carefully packed it in and held it up.

"Esme says it needs heels but it’s a good fit and sort of covers up my erm, deficit up top.”
"Esme?”
"The girl in Pink Soda where I got it,” I explained, "She was a great help finding something.”
"Well I’m impressed Dais,” she checked her watch, "I reckon we’ve just got time for shoe shopping before everywhere shuts then we’ll get a drink before we get you home.”
"Shoes?”
"No time like the present.”
"Don’t we need to return the dress to H&M?”
"You don’t like it?”
"Well kinda, I guess.”
"So why do we need to take it back? Now come on, time’s a wasting!”

The shoes actually went quite quickly, we already knew the colour and Gran thought ten centimetres was quite high enough for someone my age. I tried on several pairs before we both agreed on a Mary Jane style with a two centimetre platform and a chunky heel – not dissimilar from what some of the girls wore to school except for colour and heel height. Another forty quid into the Daisy pot.
 

We walked back up Steep Hill before I was directed into the Magna Carta for our drink where I was directed to utilise the ladies to put on my knew dress and shoes. It was pointless to argue, well I got as far as ‘really?’ but I knew I couldn’t win so shrugged and set off to do as I was bid. Without a ‘dresser’ it took a little longer to put on and adjust but I returned to the lounge in under fifteen minutes feeling even more like all eyes were on me than earlier.

Of course, Gran had ordered us a ‘snacking platter’ to share, think a ploughmans lunch cut into tiny pieces, and white wine spritzers. My parents are licencees, hell I live in a pub so its not like I haven’t had alcohol before but Gran ordering it for me, in a pub, takes things up a peg.

"Are you sure this is okay?” I whispered across the table.
"Who’s to know? Dressed like that you don’t look fifteen any more, I’d say anywhere up to twenty.”
"Twenty?”
"Okay, nineteen,” she grinned.
"Everyone’s looking at me.”
"They are looking at a very pretty girl wearing a very pretty dress, not something you see so much these days.”
"There are lots of pretty girls,” I told her.
"But when did you last see one in a nice frock?”

She had me there and she knew it.
 
© Maddy Bell 04.08.2025