Chapter 2

My name is Alice Mary McConnell and I’m a teenage girl, wondering what my future holds for me. I don’t wish for things any longer. After a week of getting used to seeing the new me in mirrors, and learning to move around in a nightie, I was almost ready to face the world.

Today, I was in the passenger seat of Mums’ company car, on the road from Ramsgate to Brighton. I could look down and see my smooth legs in front of the hem of my skirt, feel the softness of the camisole and blouse I was wearing, and marvel at the touch of my hair on my neck and shoulders whenever I looked to the side. About the only thing that was giving me trouble right now were the new shoes that I had left the hospital in. They were so far away from what I used to wear; I was finding it hard to accept them as proper footwear.

My new case, with a basic set of clothes, was in the boot, alongside Mum’s overnight bag and the bag of oddments and toiletries that I had used in the hospital. My new purse was in the new shoulder bag that Mum had brought in for me. It also had a small range of the make-up that I had been given in the hospital salon, some items that I never thought that I would ever need in a million years, and a brown envelope with my life savings in.

We took it easy and stopped for lunch at the White Rock Hotel, looking out over to the Hastings Pier. For me, it was three firsts. One was having a hotel meal as a girl, two was being able to order something that I wouldn’t have normally eaten, and three was washing it down with a small glass of white wine.

Actually, make that four firsts. When we had sat at a table and were looking at the menu, a guy came over with a notepad and asked us if he could get anything for us ladies while we decided what to eat, Mum ordered the wines and he smiled at me as he turned. Being polite, I smiled back. When he was far enough away, Mum giggled.

“First day in the world and you’re flirting already!”

“Just being polite, Mum, as you brought me up to be.”

“Man to man, a smile is being friendly. Girl to boy, polite plus a smile is flirting.”

“Oh, joy! Do I get a book of rules to follow?”

“No, love, you just learn from experience. Only flirt when you want to attract a guy, or when you want him to do something for you.”

“It certainly worked today.”

She looked up to see him coming back with our glasses on a tray, along with a basket containing two hot rolls and little containers of butter. He put them on the table and told us to wave when we wanted to order.

After we had eaten, she paid the bill, and he asked me for my number. I told him that I didn’t have a phone at the moment and was only passing through. He watched as we went out to the car. Mum laughed.

“First conquest, Alice. You’re already a man magnet, just like your sister.”

“Unlike my sister, Mum, I have plans for a career, rather than marriage.”

As we left Hastings, I thought about the boy in the hotel.

“Mum, is my mobile in the case?”

“It is, but without the chip. We cancelled the connection. When you’re in the shops in Brighton, you can get it reconnected with a new number in your own name.”

“OK. I understand. What about into the future, won’t there be anyone who will ask about me?”

“We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out. You’ll be missed when football starts in the next term, but you’ve completed the exams, so nobody will question that you haven’t gone back to school.”

She handed me her own phone.

“Glorias’ number is there. When we get onto Kings Road, by the pier, send her a text to say that we’re close. Parking outside her place is terrible, so they have a plan for us.”

We skirted Eastbourne by staying on the A27 and I could see the Long Man as we passed Wilmington. The trip was becoming an adventure. At Falmer, we turned to go into Brighton. I prepared the text and found Glorias’ number to send it to, pressing send when I saw the pier in front of us.

When we turned into Cannon Place, Aunt Gloria and Uncle Maurice were standing at the kerb, a corner before the hotel. Mum pulled up and popped the boot lid. Uncle Maurice pulled out our bags while Aunt Gloria helped me out of the car. She leaned into it and gave Mum a plastic card. When she closed the door, Mum drove off and turned into the big carpark. Gloria looked at me.

“Well, Alice. Welcome to your short period of training. I wondered if it would work, but, seeing you, it’s going to be easy. You’re the image of your sister at around the same age. It’s uncanny. Morrie will take the bigger bags if you grab that small one.”

We walked around the corner to the front door. The park across the road was almost as I remembered it, with more growth and a beautiful show of flower beds. We went inside and Gloria did the guide thing.

“Morrie will take your case up to your room and take the overnight to your mothers’. She will be in one of the guest rooms overnight, while you’re on the top floor with us. This floor has this hall and to the right is the breakfast room with the kitchen behind it. To the left is the lounge and bar, with downstairs toilets, a laundry room and storeroom behind it. Upstairs, each of the next two floors have four rooms, all ensuite. At the top, we have our bedroom with a small sitting room and office. You get a bedroom of your own, ensuite of course. The last room up there is our dressing room and general storage. Every floor has a cleaning cupboard with a vacuum and a linen cupboard.”

“This isn’t what it was when I was last here.”

“Quite right. We had a lot of thought during COVID and rejigged our business plan. We don’t cater for tourists any longer. We have a number of contracts with the companies that operate shops across the road. We provide high class accommodation for their executives and representatives. It’s year round and gives us a good income. Across the road there’s four floors of parking and we have ten reserved spaces, with eight paid for by the eight biggest companies to ensure that they will have priority parking. There are sixty shops, and our occupancy rate is better than fifty percent every week of the year. The glory is that we only run as a bed and breakfast, with the lounge used by guests in the evening. It’s a very odd week if we have anyone in residence between Saturday morning and Sunday evening. They all work office hours, so leave here after breakfast and get back after they’ve eaten dinner.”

“That sounds like the rooms can be looked at every day, and serious cleaning on Saturday.”

“Quite right. With ensuites, there’s no pee pots to worry about. The clients are usually middle and upper managers, so are very tidy. They do sometimes bring in a companion for the night. We charge at double rates anyway, so it makes no difference to us. You will be working with Jan. She comes in at about nine to do the rooms. If you’re up early, you can help me with breakfast. The rooms only take a few hours, so you’re free from then until five. We have a family dinner and then prepare the breakfast room for the following day. Morrie will show you how to operate the bar in the evening.”

She showed me through the ground floor and one of the upper ones, using a keycard on the door. Skipping the next floor as identical, we arrived on the top floor, and I was shown my room for the rest of summer. It was quite large, with built-in wardrobe and a nice big bed. My case was on a purpose-built shelf, and I added my bag of toiletries. She left me to put my things away. Putting my empty case under the shelf after I had filled drawers and hung my meagre range of outfits, I picked up my bag and added my phone to it.

Going downstairs, there was a door open with Mum humming to herself. I popped my head in, and she joined me to go down to the ground floor. We found Gloria in the lounge, checking the bar stock and Mum told her that we were going to explore the shops.

Mum knew the way to the escalators, and we went up to the first shopping level. We strolled, arm in arm, into the biggest, brightest and most beautiful shops that I had ever seen. It was like being in a wonderland. We found a Vodaphone shop on that level, and I took out a contract for connection only, just needing one of their chips put in my own phone. I paid six months with cash. They gave me a card with a website to contact when I had an email address to send the invoices to.

We noted the location of the NatWest Bank for when I had my new ID, and spent some quality time in Victorias Secret, a first for me but much needed as I didn’t have a lot of underwear or sleepwear. It was daunting at first, but Mum was very patient as I dithered. When I left, I was wearing a bra, ‘for girls who haven’t fully developed’, with another three in the shopping bag with the rest of my purchases.

As we strolled, Mum stopped outside the EE Store.

“That old laptop you’ve been using, love. That will be a bit past it for advanced studies. Let’s have a look in here and see what we can get you. Your Dad can use your old one for his work. You didn’t leave anything incriminating on it, I hope.”

“Just schoolwork and research for essays, Mum. Easily wiped. The access code is in the top drawer of my old desk.”

“When I get home, we’ll power it up and delete your email address, so that you’re unreachable.”

When we were back outside, I had a computer bag hanging off my shoulder, with an Acer Aspire sixteen inch with sixteen gig RAM and five/twelve gig of SSD memory. It had been eight hundred pounds, which Mum had paid. I also had paid cash for the bag, keyboard and mouse special, and a subscription for MS 365 for a year, becoming an EE registered customer. Once I was online, with a new email address, I could activate the 365 and send my new contact details to the family desktop.

Back at the hotel, I put my things in my room and then went down to the kitchen to help with dinner. That evening Uncle Maurice showed me how to pour beer, use the spirits cups, and keep a record of the drinks supplied. No money changed hands, but I was told to look out for anyone exceeding the usual drinking, as they would be reported to their company, and they knew it.

It didn’t take very long for me to get the hang of it, allowing my Uncle to go off and do other things. Mum was helping Gloria in setting up the breakfast room, so I was alone in the lounge with four executives. The two men played poker for matches, while the two women watched the TV show. I had a stool that I could perch on, so it was reasonably easy. After the guys had gone to their rooms to do their office work, both ladies sat on stools in front of me and we talked.

I told them that I was helping my Aunt out before going to Benenden. One had gone there, and I learned a lot about my future that evening. When they had gone to their rooms, I tidied up and collected the empties on a tray to take into the kitchen for a wash. When I brought them back, I stacked them, tidied the room and turned off the TV. Uncle put his head in and told me that he would put the lights out. Mum had already gone to bed, so I went up to my room.

When I had closed the door, I was alone for the first time in nearly three weeks. I undressed and put on one of my new nighties, a very different sensation to the cotton ones that I had been wearing. I sat in bed with the laptop, powered it up and checked out Windows Eleven, which was new to me. Using the hotel internet connection, I played a few games of FreeCell before I turned off and made ready for bed. After my cleansing, I set my phone for an early alarm. I may as well start as I mean to go on. When I switched off the light, there was a glow from the streetlights in the room. I laid and contemplated my day. It had been a roller-coaster, that was for sure. All of a sudden, I had become an adult, with a closer bond with my mother than ever before. I must have smiled a lot in the night, as my cheeks felt tired when the alarm buzzed.

In the morning, I was showered, dressed, and downstairs in good time to help with the client breakfasts. I wore a simple top and plain black skirt, getting the waitress job. When they had finished, including Mum, the three of us had our own breakfast. I walked with Mum to the car and hugged her before she left. She dropped me off after she had gone through the barrier, and I took the card back to Gloria.

When Jan arrived, we looked in all the rooms with the doors open, changing the bed linen and pillows, then vacuuming and tidying. Lastly, we looked into the rooms where the doors had been shut, with one still containing the clients’ case. We remade the bed and tidied up. Further cleaning and changing would be for when they had left. Jan and I worked well and took the linens down to the laundry to put through the washers and driers, folding the dry loads from yesterday to put back in the linen cupboards.

I wandered over to the shops again, just looking. After my time in Victorias Secret, it was easier to wander around the dress shops, just looking, feeling and trying things on. That afternoon, I discovered what I liked, and a few assistants told me what I may like but wouldn’t suit me, explaining about skin tone and body shape.

On Saturday, I was ready when Gloria came with me. I took her to show her what I had found, and it didn’t take long before we had spent a bunch of the money that Mum had left with her. I now had enough to need another suitcase.

At the end of the following week, there was an envelope in the post for me. It was my new birth certificate. That afternoon, I went to the shops and opened up a bank account with Natwest, depositing most of what I had left in my bag. I gave the hotel address as my current abode, and they would post me my new debit and credit cards.

That took a week, and I was then able to go online to notify EE of my credit card to pay for further subscriptions. I also went on to the Vodaphone website to do the same for my phone. I could now activate the 365 and start using Outlook, although I only had my family to talk to at the moment. Mum and Dad arrived next Saturday and took me out for dinner with them. We caught up with what we were all doing. Dad got serious as we were drinking our coffee.

“Alice, love. There was something that happened during the week. One of your teachers went to the hospital and asked to see you. He was told that you weren’t there and had been taken away. He jumped to the conclusion that there must have been something really wrong and tried to contact you by phone and email. Of course, the phone wasn’t connected any more, and the email bounced. When I was asked about you, I said that you weren’t around any longer and that we were now alone and thinking of selling the house to downsize. The upshot is that they put a notice in the local paper, this morning, in memory of a good student and team player.”

“So, the Alec is dead! Long live the Alec.”

“That’s right. Nobody asked us when or where you were buried, so, as far as the school is concerned, you’re no longer with us. That means that when you visit us, it will have to be as our niece until we’re away from there.”

I proposed a toast to absent friends and we all took a sip and grinned. My new life was now free to live. They went home on Sunday afternoon, and I worked through the remaining weeks in the hotel, wandering the city shops, the pier, and the local tourist sights.

Next time I saw Mum, I was waiting by the side of the road with my luggage beside me, at the spot where we had been dropped off. I had said my byes to my Uncle and Aunt, who told me that I would be welcome back any time. When Mum stopped, she popped the boot lid and I put my cases, my computer bag, a sports bag and a small cosmetic case in the back. I closed the boot and got in the car, leaning over and giving her a kiss on the cheek before I did up the seatbelt.

“Hello, Mum. This is going to be interesting.”

“Good morning, Alice. It’s amazing, but nobody could ever tell that you haven’t been a girl since birth.”

“That was the point, wasn’t it?”

“It was. The thing is that you’ve taken to the life as if Alec had never been here.”

“Alec. Alec who?”

“How did you get on with the guests?”

“They were good. I now have a purse loaded with loyalty cards. Miss Foster from the sporting supplier got me into her shop and kitted me out with tennis gear. They took some pictures of me in various tennis poses that will be in their shop windows next summer. She gave me some money and a full outfit, including a couple of good racquets that the assistant assessed as being right for my size and strength. He said that looked like I had good arm strength for a girl.”

“That’s good. They do tennis at the school. They don’t have a football pitch, so you’ll have to take up something to keep fit. Any boys bother you.”

“It depends on what you mean by bother, Mum. I met a few while I was exploring the town. A couple bought me lunch. I would always tell them that I worked evenings in a private bar, so proper dates were out. One or two were happy with a kiss. There was one boy, Wayne, who I met up with, more than once, and we had quite a pash session in the ghost train on the pier. I won’t miss any of them and really did enjoy the experience.”

“I see that your hair is really nice. Different colour?”

“Two hours in the salon this week. A bit more up-market than Ramsgate Hospital. It seems to be growing quickly. I’m as smooth as a babies’ bottom, all over. I hope that the school doesn’t mind the ear studs. I’m still getting used to them.”

“Some bling as well, I see.”

“Yep! Genuine bling from genuine bling shops in the Lanes. All look like a thousand, but nothing over a fiver. It took a while to get the hang of wearing a couple of rings, and I sometimes can feel them, even when I can see them on my bedside table. I’ve got a china finger that they all sit on. Actually, there is one ring that’s real. Real gold plated. Wayne gave that to me on the Friday before he went back to Huddersfield. That was from the twenty quid tray in the Lanes.”

We had a good talk as we rode along, stopping for lunch at the Royal George in Hurst Green. From there, we stayed on better roads to Hartley, and then cut east towards Benenden, turning left to go to the school. We were here in the week before the start of term. It was to give us both a full tour, put my things in my room, give us the uniform list, and sign the paperwork.

When we arrived and sat down with the assistant head, I found out that although I was at Benenden, the sixth form college was in a separate complex called Echyngham House. I would be sharing a room with two other girls in the Beeches Boarding House. Mum would be with me overnight, as we needed to go to the on-site Stevensons shop to get my uniforms. We were told that sixth form had a lot of leeway with uniforms, with the usual outfit being a pale blouse over a short, dark, skirt.

The site tour was done with us in a golf buggy, with a driver and a guide. We got to see everything. The place was huge! There were complexes for boarders, classrooms, an entertainment centre, laboratories, cookery kitchens, enough tennis courts to be an alternative venue for Wimbledon, and a full-size running track. The entertainment centre was the base for music, dance and drama classes. The list of Advanced Level Subjects was longer than the full curriculum of my old school.

With my results, I was encouraged to sign on for more than I thought that I could do. There was a combined English Language and Literature. Physics and Biology were certain, along with Maths and French, all of my higher scores. One that was new was Further Mathematics, and another that we discussed was a general Business subject, which had some computer content, as they didn’t do a computer course.

I was also given a list of the co-curricular activities to look at, just something to fill the weekends as a boarder. I caught a glimpse of the fees, and it took my breath away. That evening, as we were getting ready for bed in the room that I would call home, I sat on the bed.

“Mum. I saw the fees today. Sending me here will cost sixty thousand a year without extras. That’s getting up to a quarter of a million for the three years. Can you afford that?”

“Darling. We wouldn’t be doing it if we couldn’t. We had no further education costs for your sister, and the only costs of your schooling, so far, has been uniforms and books. Between us, your Dad and I earn close to that every year, and we save a regular amount. With our savings, we can afford to send you here. More to the point, can you afford to not be here. This school was founded in nineteen twenty-three. Princess Anne came here, most of the daughters of the peerage are old scholars, pupils go on to be famous doctors, lawyers, politicians. You name it, a Benenden girl will be near the top of the tree. You’re an exceptional girl with a first-class brain. This is the place to get the first-class education and one hell of a contact book.”

“OK, I get the reason. If you find it hard, I can always drop out.”

“No. If you’re doing well, we’ll make sure that you go the distance. The results will be well worth it. You may even get a career without needing to do university if you make the right contacts. We discussed this at length and decided that this was the best way to ensure your success in life as our daughter.”

The next day, we bought the school-approved clothing for a sixth-form girl and Mum left to go home. We were both a bit teary when we hugged. She said that they would be in their new home by Christmas and to stay here for the breaks up to then. I was worried that when I was taken home, it would be to some large caravan in a park full of them.

Over the next couple of days, I explored the school more and met up with some of the other girls who had arrived early. I spent some time on the running track to see if I still had my speed. I spent some time in the gym on their machines, and I was attracted to a tennis court where a few were playing. Invited to join in, I told them that I had the kit but was a total amateur. A half an hour later, I had joined them and started to get the hang of it. My speed and agility, plus my arm strength, were points in my favour. By the end of the session, I was told that I just had to join them whenever they were playing.

Just before the beginning of term, I met the girls that I was sharing with. Clementine was a budding model and daughter of a baron. Geraldine was the daughter of a lawyer and a bit more down to earth. Both were a year older than me and had arrived in BMW sports cars. Clementine looked as if she had been chosen to advertise the brand. They made me feel like the poor relation, until we got talking about boys, clothes and drink. I wasn’t a drinker, but the hotel bar had taught me a lot about the brands and the differences between them.

On top of that, they both played tennis at club level, and it only took me to beat one of them in a serious game to be considered an equal.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 3

Here I am in my first term of sixth form at Benenden, a very well regarded and expensive school for girls of good breeding. Why my parents decided that it was for me is too far out of left field for me to contemplate. I, a child of two middle-class office workers, sharing a room with the daughters of a peer and top lawyer.

Lucky for me that I was brainier than they were and could help them in the class work that we shared. Neither would be any good with Further Maths. The other lucky thing was that I had proven, somehow, to be a good opponent on the tennis court, which really surprised me as I had never played before arriving here.

Over the first couple of weeks of term, I had developed a regular habit of getting a run on the track or working out in the fully equipped gym, mainly building my leg and upper body strength. Weekdays were for classwork and study; weekends were exercise and as many games of tennis as I could find. My speed on court, combined with my stronger arms were a great help. As I played, one other of my skills came into focus.

My ability to think ahead of the play kicked in as I played opponents more than once. I could begin to predict their shots, just as I used to be able to predict the moves of back line players in football matches. I was building up a memory of their ‘tells’ when they were trying to set up a winning shot.

The school was to be my home, and I began to feel that it was just that as I got to know the other girls and the teachers. By just being here, my past wasn’t questioned. The fact that I had only arrived to do the Advanced courses wasn’t out of the ordinary, as there were several others from overseas who had come to get the schooling before going on to finishing schools across the world.

One thing that they did do that wasn’t expected, was to kick you out for one or two weekends a term. They were called exeats. The first one was coming up and I asked the other girls what they usually did. They knew that I didn’t have a car, which meant that a parent would need to come and pick me up.

Geraldine went into our bathroom with her phone, coming back with a grin.

“You’re in luck, Alice. My folks will be home that weekend. You can come and stay with us. We have our own tennis court but can go to the club if the weather’s good. Father will probably be going to play a round of golf.”

So, on my first experience of an exeat, I was sitting in the passenger seat of her BMW on the Friday evening, on the way to Godalming, in Surrey. As we got further from the school, the more relaxed she became. We talked a bit and then she put the radio on to a pop station. There was a song that we both liked, and we sang along with it at the top of our voices. For me, this was another new experience, being happy with another girl that I would never have expected to know. Perhaps my mother was right, and she could be the first name in my contact book.

Her home was large and welcoming. Her family were smiling and happy to see the two of us. I had my own room with ensuite. I went to bed after dinner and a talking session with Geraldine and her mother, her father going to his study to read up on a case.

In the morning, we two were in our tennis outfits with our bags for racquets, bottled water and towels, plus a new outfit for lunch. Her father took us to the West Surrey Golf and Tennis Club, where he had a round booked with his friends and we had a two-hour court booking for ten-thirty. We sat and watched others play while commenting on their skills. About ten, a guy came over and said hello to Geraldine.

“I see that you’ve bought a visitor, Geraldine.”

“Yes, Tony. We’re at school together and play regularly. I think that we’re about even on wins, but we don’t keep count.”

“You must be good, Miss. Geraldine was the Junior Champion here.”

“I really don’t know how good I am. I only took the game up in the week before term started.”

“That’s interesting. I’ll watch you playing. Have you ever played doubles?”

“A few times with the other girls.”

“I’ll see how well you two are and put together a couple of opponents, if you don’t mind, Geraldine.”

“That could be fun, Tony.”

When he left, she spoke quietly.

“When he sees you play, he’ll get a couple of the adult women doubles players to test us out. I’ve seen him do it before. Hold back a bit on your serve and we’ll have a ding-dong match, best of three games of six sets, OK?”

When we were called to a vacant court, we warmed up with five minutes of serving and hitting. I could see Tony and a few others watching. She served for the first set, which she won six four. We got into our match and ended up with her winning two – one, with the last point giving her the win.

Tony brought a couple of women onto the court and Geraldine gave me a wink. I was introduced to them, and we tossed for first serve, which we won. As we stood at one end, she grinned.

“These two are the current ladies doubles champions. You take first serve and unleash your power.”

Tony called play and I served at full power, my first for the day. It surprised everyone except the two of us. We took the first set to love. In the end we won the match on a tiebreaker in the third game. We had gone way over our allotted time on the court and there was quite a crowd watching as the game had progressed and there was some applause when we took the win. Geraldine hugged me before we went to shake hands with our opponents.

We went for a shower and dressed for lunch, Geraldine bubbly with her happiness at our win. We had lunch with her father, who had finished his round in time to see our last game, and Tony, who was very serious. He wanted us to enter the regular county championships, but we had to tell him that school came first, which made her father happy. By the time we finished lunch, her father had agreed to fund us to spend a week of the half-term, in October, with Tony giving us further coaching.

Later, back at the house, I tried to get him to take my payment for my part of the week.

“No way, Alice. This is the first time I’ve met you and you’ve impressed me. Geri has told me how you help her out with some subjects, and I’ve seen how you two get along so naturally. I’d rather help you, while helping her play better. We had that Clementine here a couple of times last year. Snooty little minx who thinks that her looks will give her a career. You’re welcome here whenever you like.”

Sunday, we all attended the Godalming Minster church, and I was taken with the stained-glass windows, made by William Morris, and tuned the sound out. I was absorbing the ability to appreciate beauty that I had resisted in my early years. After lunch, we were back on the tennis courts.

This time, we were both guests of the ladies we had beaten yesterday. Geraldine drove us there as her father needed to get back to London and his apartment for an early call at the Old Bailey. We played singles, on separate courts, in earnest. They were out for revenge.

It was a hard workout for both of us. Geraldine went down with two tiebreakers, while I won against my opponent, six-four in the last game. After we had redressed, we met up in the main clubhouse, where I found out that both of the ladies had played in pro-am competitions. My opponent, June, losing in the first round of this year’s Wimbledon as a qualifier. She promised to help me when we came back for further coaching, as she said that there were a few things that I could improve on with my serve.

We went back to school that evening, after an early dinner, both getting hugs from her mother. We sang along with the radio on the way, laughing at our interesting weekend. That next week, I found out where Geraldine had been spending two evenings during the week. She had been playing drums with a group of girls and dragged me along to try out as a singer.

It turned out to be a good time and I was invited to join the group. They had been a straight foursome, with the bass player doing the main singing. I was given a sheaf of lyrics to get acquainted with and told that we would be playing at a social before the end of term, in the last week of November and before the exam week.

I was coming to realise that being a full-time boarder was what made the difference. We didn’t get distracted by outside influences and stayed in the bubble of study. I wondered if this was how the girls trained to be full-time society wives and mothers. It certainly worked towards all of us keeping up our academic standards.

When the half-term holiday arrived, Geraldine and I had bigger bags for a week away. I had bought two extra tennis outfits in Benenden colours. We left on Saturday morning and took it easy until Monday at the club. Over that week, we both improved our game. Geraldine worked on her volley game and was urged to study her opponent as they played, to predict plays. I worked on my serve for the first two days until my arms were tired. It appeared that I was a little loose in my stature and needed to make my body like a coiled spring as I tossed the ball up. The rest of the time, I was introduced to creating spin. At school level, nobody used it.

At the end of the week, we played the same doubles pair again on Saturday afternoon, with a crowd watching, including Geraldines’ parents. We won in straight sets, which pleased her folks and made me realise just how much better we were both playing. That was the last weekend of the season, as the courts were de-netted for the winter. At school, outside play was also suspended, with just a single indoor court set up in the gym for the few tragics to keep playing.

With less tennis, it was more classwork and singing. Running was out, with gym work and a treadmill taking its place. On the exeat weekend before the social, Geraldine and I joined the other three band girls in London to look for simple outfits for our performance.

We went up to the city on the Friday evening. I was glad that she knew the way, as I was hopelessly lost as soon as we got to the outskirts. Up until now, the closest I’d been to the big smoke had been a weekend in Canterbury with the high school. The apartment tower had a car park in the basement, and she had the pass code to get in. The family apartment had two spaces, with her fathers’ Bentley in one.

In the apartment, I was staggered at how big it was. I had a room to myself, looking out the window to see the lights of the Shard along the river. As it was just her father here, dinner was take away, delivered. I had protested often enough about paying my share to keep the peace.

Breakfast was continental style which didn’t need a lot of washing up. We left on foot to meet the other girls, walking across Blackfriars Bridge and alongside the river, past Kings College and then into Covent Garden. The others had already been around and had declared that most of the other shops were too expensive, too good for the stage, or too tailored. We met with them outside of the Free People store.

I wasn’t certain, as most of the stock looked like something from a middle eastern bazaar. There was, however, a rack of lightweight dresses that looked like long, cape-sleeved tee shirts. They went from black to white with a number of other colours. As I was to be out front, I preferred the orange but was overridden and ended up with white one. Lucy, the lead guitar, chose the orange, while Tina and Martina, the bass and rhythm, went with light green and light blue. Geraldine took the red.

We all changed into one each and stood in a line in front of a mirror to check ourselves out. It wasn’t over the top or overdressed and silver tights would look rock and roll with all of them. We each bought two of the dresses. It was almost a strange experience, going girl shopping and taking close to the first thing we’d seen.

We walked past a number of other stores and then kept on going until we reached Carnaby Street. There, in a shop called Office, we found reasonably priced plain tan trainers at fifty percent discount.

I had been wearing a sweatband as my hair got longer, to keep it from falling in front of my eyes as I played tennis. In Carnaby Street, I saw a shop selling hair products and there, in the window, were a number of springy plastic things that would do the same thing, so I said that I was going to get a range, as they were cheap enough. The girls followed me in and browsed. The assistant asked what I was looking for, so I pointed at them.

“Ah, you want some Alice bands. They are good any time of the day, in colours that match a range of dresses. I’ll do you a special price if you take a dozen assorted.”

Lucy laughed and called to the others.

“Girls, we’ve been trying to find a good name for the group. We have Alice out front now, wearing one of these. If we wear them as well, we can just call ourselves ‘Alice Band’.”

We all bought a dozen each, which made the lass happy. Then we found a hosiery shop and got the silver tights. After that, we went to the Flat Iron for an expensive steak meal. With a group hug we parted company, with the two of us walking back towards the river, across Waterloo Bridge and back to the apartment, stopping to put our purchases in the car before going up to the apartment.

Seeing that it was so close to the end of term, we had bought some books with us to revise. We did that for the rest of the afternoon. The two of us had a light meal as her father came out of his bedroom looking statesmanlike for a Chambers Dinner. That evening, we watched one of her collection of Genesis concerts, followed by another of an Eagles show. I could see that she liked bands where the drummer is a lead singer. After a light breakfast, we left her father snoring and packed the car to go home. The apartment was serviced, so I was told to leave the room as is.

We drove back to school, almost ready to see the term out. We stopped at a market and bought gifts for Christmas, getting gift wrap to finish them off. Before we got to the evening of the social, we had gone through the whole show one evening in our outfits, with some girls from the drama class filming us for posterity. That’s when I discovered that the social was truly social, with an influx of lads from a partner boys school. The evening of the show was a wonderful experience. We had played our music with a couple filming, but it was another thing to play in front of several hundred.

We were the plainest dressed in the whole place. The rest of the school were in their finery, with the older girls sporting diamonds. The lads were from a similarly high-class school, so were all well-dressed and polite guests. The evening started with tables loaded with finger food and tureens of fruit drinks. We mingled with the others and then congregated with our sixth form friends, telling any boys who wanted to book a dance that we were the band.

When most of the food had gone, the tables were taken away, rubbish picked up, and we went up on the stage to start the entertainment. Geraldine had cut pieces of plastic sticky back to put ‘Alice Band’ on her bass drum in the same colours as our dresses. We were on stage for nearly three hours, in forty-minute segments with breaks. We had a lot of fun, played better than we had before, and my throat held out, but only just. I was croaking a bit on the Sunday and sucking lozenges.

After that weekend, we were in serious mode for the term exams and getting ready for the Christmas holiday after that. Mum would be picking me up on the Saturday, while my room mates would be leaving on Friday afternoon. The exams took place with the usual quiet desperation of students knowing that this could be the point of no return if you flop. The Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after that, however, were set aside for individual meetings with teachers, to learn what we needed to do better with in the Spring Term. After Geraldine had been seen, she came back and gave me a big hug, thanking me for my help. Clementine merely thanked me with a peck on the cheek. When it was my turn, on Friday morning, I went into the office and took the seat as offered.

“Miss McConnell. I have to congratulate you on many fronts. We took a chance admitting you with your background, but not only have you been an excellent student, you’ve integrated into our student body as if you were born a princess, of which we’ve seen more than a few. You’ve made a lot of friends here without dropping your excellent scores, even with the large number of subjects that you’ve taken on. Keep on like this, and I can see you graduating as one of our best girls.”

“Thank you, Miss. This has been a wonderful experience and a lot more fun than I had expected.”

“On top of that, other activities are classed as co-curriculum. Your input to the band at the social has been noted, with all five of you getting high marks for what was a very professional performance.”

“Thank you, Miss. It was a lot of fun for us, as well. I can’t see me going back on the stage after I leave here.”

“Nevertheless, the Alice Band will be called on over the next few years for other events. We do go to socials in other schools. Now, the PE teachers have remarked about your training.”

“It’s to help with my tennis, Miss. I only took it up before the start of term but seem to have a talent for it. I enjoy playing, and I enjoy the competitive nature of the sport.”

“We have been contacted by Geraldines’ father. He has been spoken to by the professional at the West Surrey Club. They have asked if you can be given a special dispensation towards the end of next June, along with Geraldine. They want to enter the two of you into the Eastbourne Tournament, which is a qualifying event for entering the qualifying days for Wimbledon. It will mean both of you having to take the exams in the days after the exeat in mid-June. If you don’t qualify, you’ll come back to school for the last couple of weeks. If you do, term will be over while you’re playing. Geraldine has agreed to this.”

“No wonder she gave me a big hug, Miss. I’ll agree, if it works for the school as well.”

“Alice, if we have a couple of our girls in the first-round doubles at Wimbledon, it will make a lot of very influential girls very happy, including the Princess Royal. If either of you are in the singles, it will be a first for Benenden.

“No pressure then, Miss.”

“We have discussed this, and there is an extra incentive. If you qualify for the first round in either the singles or the doubles, there will be a ten percent reduction in fees for the rest of your time here. For every win, another ten percent comes off. Would that help?”

“It would make me happier, Miss. I was shocked when I found out how much this was costing my parents. I’ll have to find out if I need to stay amateur or go pro to qualify.”

“Geraldine said the same thing. She will find out and let you know before the local season starts.”

“That would be good. If we do get in, it’s going to mess with our future education.”

“Only if you let it, Alice. You’re bright enough to take the odd couple of weeks to play enough tournaments to keep you ranking. The Tour is really only a small number of Grand Slams and regular WTA events. Most of the other players burn themselves out with the regional events to make money. You’ll have the skills and the contacts to make your own way without tennis, if you have to.”

When I left the office, I went and sat by a window, looking out over the park-like grounds as others came and went, until Lucy came out and sat down beside me.

“Well, Alice. This is a funny situation we’ve got ourselves into. We turned a bit of fun into marks towards our passes. I expect that Geraldine was happy.”

“She was so happy, she couldn’t tell me why. I thought that she was pleased that a few of her subjects had improved. The two of us are going to have a long talk before she leaves, that’s for sure.”

We both stood and hugged.

“Merry Christmas, Lucy. Are you getting a new guitar for Christmas?”

“That has been asked for, something vintage and very expensive. Merry Christmas to you, Alice. It’s truly a pleasure to know you.”

“You too, Lucy. Give my love to Tina and Martina when you see them.”

“You too, when you see Geraldine.”

We strolled back towards the Beeches, waving to Clementine as she drove off without looking at us. I saw Geraldine packing her car so gave Lucy a hug then walked over.

“I’ve just had one hell of a shock, Geraldine.”

“Which one, the Alice Band success or the tennis. I thought that was a wind-up before it sunk in. In six months’, we’ll be working our butts off to do what’s been asked. I’m going to have a good talk to my father when I get home, setting us up like that without asking.”

“I’m told that you agreed.”

“Of course, I bloody agreed. One would have to be stupid to miss a chance to play Wimbledon! I’m just mad that they dragged you in as well. You’re not even a member of a club, for goodness sake!”

“That can be rectified, couldn’t it.”

“It takes a nomination and a vote, plus there’s a fee.”

“So?”

“Don’t tell me that you agreed as well.”

“How could we play in the doubles if there’s only one of you.”

She shrieked and hugged me so hard that I thought my ribs would break. A few of the other girls, walking past, gave us odd looks. One called out.

“When’s the wedding?”

We were laughing too much to answer.

That night, alone in the room, I thought about the first term in such a remarkable school. I had a dream where I was standing on centre court while the world number one was being handed the trophy. When I looked around, expecting to see the other ball-girls, I discovered that I was standing alone, with my own trophy at my feet.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 4

I had the Saturday morning before Mum would arrive. I tidied up the room, made sure I had everything in my case and what I was leaving was properly hung and folded. It was a cold day, and I was warmly dressed in jeans and a sweater. I had begun wearing slacks and jeans in the evening as the weather chilled.

It was now six months since I had collapsed in pain and I was in a totally different world where some of my old skills were being used in new ways, while my brain seemed to be working better. I wondered if not thinking about being out of synch had boosted its capacity. Although I wasn’t studying computer science, we were touching on computer usage in the Business course. Sometime down the track, so I was told, we would be developing our own business model. That was interesting me more than coding and software development now. I couldn’t see any of the girls at this school being a nerd.

My laptop was locked away in my locker, full of research, essays and notes. We all tended to work from the screens, but I could take it to the library and print anything through the Wi-Fi link there. The only pile of papers in my room were the lyric sheets. I expect that we’d have to learn some new material in the following year.

It was getting near noon, so I carried my case down to the front entrance, then went back to put a jacket on and close the room. I sat on my case to wait, still thinking about all the changes in my life. Today, there was going to be yet another. Mum had emailed me a picture of the new family home. It was a far cry from the house we used to live in. That had been ancient and cramped, with uneven floors and a lane outside barely wide enough for a normal car, which was why Dad would drop Mum off at her work instead of her taking the company car home.

The new home was inland from Deal itself, on the enigmatically named The Street in Sholden. It was a bungalow and fairly modern. They had sold the Sandwich house for seven hundred and ten, buying the new one for five seventy-five. The old place went furnished, because none of the old stuff would have sat square on a flat floor, so they had splurged on new.

Her last phone call had been while they were sitting in a pub, just a few minutes’ walk away, having fish and chips with a drink. She had said that there was a convenience store at the corner of the main road, off-street parking for two cars at the front, with access down a lane to a rear alley with a garage at the end of the garden. All in all, it sounded like heaven. My only problem would be to grow to like being there, seeing that Mill House was the only home that I’d known before. They do say that the only constant in life is change. For me, my life had been constant for sixteen years with just slight alterations.

I saw her car coming towards me, so stood and shook myself mentally to enjoy her company after such a long time. She popped the boot lid, and I loaded my case in, then got in the front seat, leaning over to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi Mum. Long time, no see.”

She patted my leg and smiled.

“Is this tomboy time or just the cold?”

“No tomboys in this place, Mum. We’re all dainty girls of high-class breeding.”

She giggled and started to drive back to the main gate.

“So, Alice, love. How has it been?”

I laughed and started to sing.

“Where do I begin, to tell you all that’s there to tell, the story of the term that’s gone, or else the joys that I befell.”

“That’s new, you have a lovely singing voice.”

“That has been remarked on, Mum. It wasn’t too bright after three hours singing with the band. We were the entertainment for the social in November. You have to love it. A posh girls school and they import a few hundred boys from a posh boys school for a dance. I do have a video of our dress rehearsal for you to see.”

“It sounds like there’s a lot more to tell us. Keep it until we get home, so you don’t have to tell it twice.”

She started to give me more details about the house move and the people that lived around them, mainly a younger set than before. She told me that there had been a short memorial service for the old me at the high school, according to her old hairdresser, who had been full of condolences for Mums’ loss.

We stopped for lunch at a lovely old pub outside of Ashford, called the Swan and Dog. All exposed beams and trimmed with holly. Repleted, we got on the M20 which took us to the coast at Folkstone with a jiggle through Dover then a lesser road directly to Deal. With all of her time in sales, she certainly knew Kent and Sussex like the back of her hand. On the way, I told her about the other girls that I shared with, as well as the ones in the band. I told her about my trip to London. She nodded when I spoke about Geraldines’ parents and his profession.

“Looks like you’re starting to make those connections, already.”

“I haven’t met Clementines’ family yet. He’s a baron and the family estate is in Bedfordshire. She went to high school with Geraldine. She’s a real pain in the butt, sometimes. Talking about the fifty rooms and the pheasants. She may have been talking about peasants, we do tend to zone out when she’s rambling. She may be well bred, but she needs a lot of help. She dashed off yesterday without saying cheerio. I wonder if she got the hard word at the interview.”

“Interview?”

“More like a review, really. I had mine yesterday. I was told that if my results continue as they are, I may graduate as one of their best girls. We’ll keep that from Dad, I wouldn’t want to raise his hopes early.”

“Quite so. How’s that Business course going?”

“That one is interesting. Where everything else is learning about known things, it takes us into a world where there are basics and then there are the things that you can take bits and control them. We’ll be creating a real-life business model and honing it. A lot of the girls have family businesses that they’ll be working in, so are discovering ways to improve them. A few are thinking about things that are totally at odds with their background. One girl has a family with a chain of dress shops but has her focus on starting a florists.”

“What about you?”

“Not sure, yet. There could be things in my future that will determine what my business will be, but I’ll keep that for when we’re home.”

When we arrived at our new home, I was happy to see that the street was wide and the gardens mainly well-tended. Three months in a manicured environment had skewed my appreciation of my surroundings. We parked behind Dad’s car, and he came out to welcome me home. I gave him a hug.

“Hello, Daddykins.”

“Hello, yourself, Poppet.”

We carried my things in, and I was shown my room. It was lovely, painted in a pinkish red with a new bed covered with a colourful throw. I put my handbag on the bed and hugged them both.

“Thank you, this is wonderful. I was worried about leaving the old life behind, and this room proves that it was a good thing.”

We went into the modern and bright kitchen and sat at the table while the new electric jug was heating up. Over the next couple of hours, I had to relate my experiences at school, tell Dad about the other girls and what I knew about their families. He was amazed by me singing with a band, so I went to my room and found the DVD of our dress rehearsal.

“We can watch this when we get a chance. We did play with more enthusiasm when we were in front of six or seven hundred kids. There’s something else that happened to me that is very strange.”

Dad looked worried and Mum just smiled.

“What’s that, love?”

“When you left me there, Mum, I was wandering around and there were a few of the early arrivals playing tennis. They asked me if I’d like to join them. Now, I already had the full kit, including a racquet. One of the guests at the hotel had taken me over to her shop and outfitted me for pictures. They will be in the sport shops in Spring, and she gave me the outfit. When I rejoined the girls, I found that it didn’t take me long to give as good as I got.”

Dad grinned.

“If they don’t do girls’ football, tennis will be a good sport.”

“It is a good sport, Dad, and I’m good playing it. My speed and agility help me get around the court, and I’m beginning to outthink my opponents. Geraldine took me to her home one weekend and we played at her club. We played a game and then the club pro got us playing doubles with their ladies champions. We won. The next day, we played singles against the two women, and I beat my older and more experienced opponent who had played at Wimbledon. In the half-term break, I stayed with Geraldine for a week and we both got extra coaching that her father paid for. We both improved and we played the two women in a doubles match where we beat them, hands down.”

Dad was taking this all in and thinking.

“There has to be a ‘but’ to this story, love. Something else happened, didn’t it?”

“We all have reviews of our term before we left. I was told that both Geraldine and I have been asked to enter the Eastbourne tournament next June. The school is prepared for us to sit the exams before the rest of the students, so that we can do that.”

They had gone very still. Dad was still turning it over in his mind.

“I seem to remember that Eastbourne is part of the womens’ tour.”

“It is, and a good placing at Eastbourne may give you a wild card for Wimbledon.”

Mum gasped and I nodded.

“Exactly. The club pro is sure that we can do well in the doubles, and also thinks that we could do well in the singles as well. There is something else that I was told.”

“What could be bigger than being asked to play top-line tennis?”

“The school has offered us a ten percent discount on the remaining fees if I qualify for Wimbledon, plus an extra ten percent for winning my first-round match. My maths tell me that it’s six thousand a win for each year. It appears that they’re very keen to see a British Benenden girl on the courts there.”

I sat back as they were thinking. Finally, Mum smiled.

“If you play Wimbledon, will you be able to get us tickets?”

“I really don’t know. There’s a lot that I have to find out before then. We have five months to put a plan together. I need to find out the fees to enter Eastbourne, and what any prize money there is. I’ll also have to see if I play as a junior or in the open class. Then there’s whether I need to register as a pro so that I can keep any money that I may earn, or what the tax man leaves me. Tony from the tennis club will be able to help, but there’s things that I can get off the web, if I look.”

Dad had eaten at the pub, so we had a light tea and watched me on the DVD. It was interesting and my folks thought that we were very good. I slept in what was now my own bed for the first time as a girl, in our new home. The parents had an ensuite, so I had the bathroom to myself. We had a heat-on-delivery water system, so there were no problems about running out of hot water. This place was ticking boxes on a regular basis.

Next day, we drove into Deal to stock up for Christmas and get cards for friends and relatives. All those that went to Sandwich were signed by my parents. The one to Brighton was from all three of us. Mum also took me to the doctor that they were now patients of and signed me up as their daughter. I expected that if questions did get asked, it was best to tell the truth. I doubted that anybody from Sandwich would link a tennis player going to Benenden called Alice McConnell with a football playing dead guy from the high school.

I had a lovely two weeks at home, reconnecting with my parents in a closer bond than ever before. Everything they did these days was designed to be easy. They both took holidays while I was there, and we explored Deal together. We did Walmer Castle and Dover Castle. We had a booking for three at the pub for Christmas dinner, so there was no extra cooking at home. We stayed up late to see the new year in watching the fireworks. I wondered whether Geraldine and her family were in the apartment with a front row seat.

All too soon, Dad was driving me back to the school, with me giving him directions. I was getting there a few days early to settle in again. I showed him my room and introduced him to Geraldine, who had arrived that morning. I gave him a quick tour of the school and he was dutifully amazed at its size and its beauty. After he left, Geraldine and I sat down to discuss the future.

She told me that Tony had nominated me for membership of the tennis club, seconded by June, the one that had helped coach me. There would be a meeting before I was admitted, but she said that after my good playing it was a certainty. Once I had that membership, I would be able to get an Advantage Account with the LTA. That would give me a world tennis number and other discounts on clothes and equipment. Club membership would be reasonable, and the LTA membership would be thirty-five pounds a year. I could get the LTA membership without being in the club, but future tournaments would be easier if I had a club base to train at.

There would be another competition that we would have to enter before we could have a go at Eastbourne. That was in Tunbridge Wells over Easter, during our holidays. Getting a good result there would set our rankings and also give us a background that would help us enter Eastbourne, which she told me has womens’ doubles with WTA ranking points.

She was excited about it all. I laid down some ground rules. If we had two evenings a week with the band, we would do two in the gym, to toughen her up a bit. Actual playing, for a while, wasn’t important, as long as we played a lot more before Easter.

On top of that I demanded that she work on the academic side as much as last term, so that the school doesn’t regret their generosity. We still had some of the afternoon, so we changed into gym clothes, and I introduced her to the evil machines. We worked out for a couple of days until the first day of term.

The odd thing was that Clementine didn’t appear. We checked the wardrobe by her bed, and it was empty. Two days later, Geraldine had a postcard. It was from Clementine. She was in the Seychelles on a photo shoot, wished us well and said that she would be in the Sports Weekly later in the year.

Lunch break gave us time to go to the housing office. We showed the lady the card and she pulled out the file.

“Clementine did not have her fees for the Spring Term paid before the deadline. For any more information, you’ll need to ask admin, although I doubt that they’ll tell you anything more. We will not need that bed until the first term of next year, when we’ll put someone else in with you. I’ll organise to have the bed removed, which will give you more room.”

We walked back to the dining area and sat down. I took Geraldines’ hand.

“When she left, she didn’t even wave back when I waved to her.”

“I was surprised at her leaving like that. I was so excited about the news that I wasn’t really thinking too much. I’ve known her for years. We were in high school together. She must have loaded her car while we were doing something else. I saw her with just a small bag that went in behind the seat.”

“Did she say anything about her review?”

“Just that she had improved with a couple of subjects. Probably the ones that you were helping her with. She only just scraped through the minimum to come here, and I expected that being the daughter of a peer would count for something. There’s one good thing to come out of all this.”

“What’s that?”

“We can be ourselves. I can play my CDs and we can sing along without getting yelled at.”

“She was a bit strident, at times.”

When we had the extra room, we spread out a bit and settled into the routine. Study more until the better weather, learn more material with the band, exercise to increase arm and leg strength. We had two exeats this term, the first came round quickly. In late January, we were in Godalming on the Friday night, with an appointment at the Golf Club on Saturday morning.

There, I paid my dues to be a member of the West Surrey Tennis Club and received a membership card. After that, both of us filled out the forms, on-line, on their computer, to apply for membership of the LTA and get our Advantage account. Geraldine hadn’t needed this to play club tennis, but the competitions that we were now aiming for were not for amateurs. We both transferred the thirty-five pounds for Play plus, which would give us a World Tennis Number, discounts, and entry into the ballot for Wimbledon tickets. There was also the services of a physio courtside, if we needed it.

Tony had contacted a friend in Tunbridge Wells. He said that he would hear the opening date for entries before anyone else and submit the two of us into the singles and doubles list. He would add a recommendation letter, which may help. There was a pecking order for places. It would cost us about thirty pounds for every round that we played in, so could get expensive if we kept winning. There was no prizemoney, just trophies and, more importantly, ranking points, which would help us for a chance to get into Eastbourne.

The one thing about all this that made my heart beat a little faster was that we could both enter as adults, being over fourteen. We could enter as under eighteens, with that being an easier way to win, but wouldn’t give us points. As Advantage players, we were classed as pro entrants. We both put the school as our place of residence.

That afternoon, Geraldines’ father said that he would attend with his account card, and pay for every round that we played, as we could pay him back out of what we may earn at Eastbourne, assuming that we were accepted.

Back at school, we kept up our routine. Neither of us left during the half-term break in February. We studied and revised, we ran the treadmill and worked the gym machines and, best of all, we had the hard floor tennis court to ourselves for the week. With the Tunbridge courts being tarmac or clay, and the fact that they had floodlights if they needed them, playing on a hard floor indoors was very helpful.

We had an exeat in the middle of March and went to the club for a final hit-out with our experienced friends. We had both been accepted as entrants, in both the singles and the doubles. This would mean a lot of playing on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, as long as we kept winning. Hotel accommodation had been booked for us, now six strong, with us, Geraldines’ parents, Tony and June, I was starting to wonder if it was all worth it, seeing the cost. Her father kept telling me that it was all right, but I still worried.

We finished school on the Friday and drove to Godalming, then went to our hotel on the Sunday. At the tennis club on an early Monday morning, we were given our first matches. We were both in the first group, seeing that we were unknowns, and our first doubles match was set for the early afternoon. If we got through the morning matches, we would be back tomorrow.

There were portable changing rooms and we changed into our Benenden outfits for the day, then had a hug for luck before going to be allocated to a court. I was truly alive, with the feeling that I had during that winning football match and breezed past my first opponent in straight sets. I was sitting with our team when Geraldine joined us, having won as well. We went and showered and changed to have an early lunch.

Changing into our second outfits for our doubles match, we found ourselves facing a pair of older players. They had the look of experience, but that also made them complacent. We took the match, two-one, with me hitting ten aces.

After that, the organisers told us that there weren’t many doubles teams, but a lot of singles, so could we play another doubles match after tea, under lights. They would rework our singles a bit later on Tuesday. That evening, we progressed to the womens’ doubles quarter final on Thursday morning.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we continued our progress through the lower rounds, two games each on Tuesday, and one each on Wednesday. Wednesday was my seventeenth birthday, but I didn’t mention it for fear of upsetting our flow. In the quarters on Thursday afternoon, we were playing each other. That wasn’t what we wanted, but it had to happen sometime. Whatever happened, one of us would get a quarter finalist medal to add to whatever we would get for the doubles.

On Wednesday evening, we had dinner at a restaurant. Tony and June were buoyant, telling us that we had done better than they had expected. Getting into the quarters would give us some healthy ranking points, and our next opponents will be harder to beat, seeing that we would be playing some regular LTA players. Geraldine said what we both thought.

“We have three matches between us and the doubles trophy. One of us has three matches to the singles trophy. Over our half-term break, we were playing ten matches a day. I think that we can go further.”

On Thursday morning, we arrived in good time for our doubles match, against players a good ten years older. June reminded us that we had beaten her and her partner, so age didn’t mean a guaranteed win. They were strong players, but I had the better serve. These games were on the best courts, so there was seating for spectators, with shouts of encouragement between plays. They took the first in a tiebreak, but we wore them down in the second with a six-four. They lifted in the third, and were four-two up, but we got our second wind and won the next four games to take it out at six-four. They were gracious in defeat and told us that they were pleased for us, being so good as unknowns.

In the afternoon, Geraldine and I had a ding-dong battle, taking close to three hours to finish. We played about ten advantage point sets, with all three games decided on a tiebreak. I ended up, using up the last of my energy with a cross-court ace to win. We hugged at the net, and she told me that it had been the best game of her life. Many told us that it had been the best game of the season, so far.

We both had early nights after a hot bath with salts to ease the muscles. In the morning, we had our semi-final in the doubles, and our opponents had seen what we could do. After our singles match, we were no longer unknowns, and Tony reported being spoken to by the organisers of other tournaments and even had cards from sponsors who were interested.

Friday was bright and shiny. I was down to my original outfit from Brighton, and Geraldines’ Mum was heading into Tunbridge to put our school outfits through the laundromat. Geraldine had her old club outfit, so we looked a bit more normal when we got to the club. Now we were into the serious part of the tournament, there were more spectators and several stalls. I stopped dead and June bumped into me when I saw Miss Foster standing by the store stall, with a life-sized picture of me, wearing the kit I was now in.

We went over and I said hello. She looked startled.

“Alice. How are you. More importantly, what are you doing here?”

“I’m playing, Miss Foster. When you took that picture, I’d never held a racquet. Since then, I’ve taken the sport up and my friend and I are in the womens’ doubles semi this morning. I’m playing the singles semi this afternoon.”

“That’s fantastic! Take this marker and sign your picture. Do you have a manager?”

“No, but Tony, here, is the pro at the West Surrey club where I’m now a member, and he’s been helping us get this far. The lady is June, who was eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon, last year. The elegant gentleman is my double partners’ father, who would be very happy to discuss business with you if you want. We need to go and sign in.”

“Pop along then. Now, sir, can we talk about business?”

Geraldines’ father was smiling.

“Run along, girls, leave this to me.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 5

As Geraldine and I made our way to sign in, she wanted to know how I was advertising the tennis gear with a life-size picture.

“It was something that happened during summer. I was working with my aunt at her hotel in Brighton, which is the overnight home for executives for the shops in the big centre across the road. They wanted someone to model for them and I got some money, this outfit and two racquets out of it. It was a bit of fun at the time.”

“You do realise that your bit of fun has given you a fast entry into tennis sponsorship, don’t you?”

My reply was cut short as we reached the organisers. They wanted us to stand with our opponents for a picture to be taken by a tennis magazine, before we got all hot and sweaty. Our opponents had around twenty wins on the tour between them and were supremely confident.

Geraldine whispered for me to giggle a lot, which we did. The other two were trying to look serious and obvious winners, while we were giggling and smiling a lot for the camera. When we went out and beat them in a tough game, the picture was printed in one of the magazines after Easter, under the banner of the ‘Smiling Assassins’.

We would be back on Saturday in the final, so guaranteed a trophy and ranking points, win or lose. Our ‘team’ were all smiles when we caught up with them. A deal had been done, with the two men teaming up on Miss Foster. One with the tennis knowledge and one with courtroom experience. June told me that Miss Foster never stood a chance. She wanted us on board, come hell or high water, and she got us at the price our champions negotiated. We were sponsored!

Not only were we sponsored by the sports store chain, but we also found out that after a number of phone calls, the clothes brand that I was already wearing, the racquet maker and the very well-known shoe supplier had bought into the deal.

One of the singles semis was in progress, so we were taken behind the display and kitted out with a fresh outfit and new racquets for our finals tomorrow. I was up for my semi in the afternoon, after the other doubles semi, so got another kit to put on after a shower. Today, the men were playing their matches on the main court, as usual, and the finals would all be played on that one on Saturday. The players in the age brackets were all playing their finals today, on outer courts.

We had an early lunch with our ‘team’, who were all smiling, especially Geraldines’ mother, who had returned with our freshly washed outfits only to find that we didn’t need them. They would be consigned to training matches, as we would be wearing our sponsors outfits in any future tournaments.

We all sat in the stand and watched to see how our likely opponents in the final played, making notes on their ‘tells’ when setting up set plays. They finished their match in two sets, and we had, by now, noted the winners style. Tony was serious.

“They’re good, they’re experienced, but look at their posture at the moment. Two sets and they’re both tired. Take them to a tiebreaker in the first, and you’ll knock them over in the next two.”

That evening, at dinner, I asked Geraldines’ father how much I owed him, and he laughed.

“Alice. The deal we struck with the sponsors has enough of a cash content to pay for this whole weekend. Transport, hotel, meals, everything. June has volunteered to be your manager for the rest of this season, seeing that you won’t be playing a lot of matches, so she will receive the money in an account that she will set up in both your names. I’ll give her my account later. Eastbourne will be another day, but there, so I’m told, there is no fee to play. In fact, there is a small payment to every player for being there, on top of any prizemoney. You will both get around three thousand US dollars each.”

Tony grinned.

“The good news, girls, is that one of the organisers is here, and he had a short talk to me while you were watching the other semi. He has assured me that he’ll push for the two of you to be on the qualified list as Promising British Players, which will put you into the first round. If you get to the final, the runners up get nearly thirty thousand dollars to share. Singles is the same amount.”

When I fronted up for my singles semi, there were several photographers waiting to take our pictures. June was with me to stave off the questions, telling the reporters that we would be available for the press after the final, should they still want to talk. My opponent had a name with more consonants than vowels, had been into the top ten but was now just inside the top fifty in the rankings. We posed for the pictures, but she didn’t offer a hand as we parted to go to our own ends.

It took me two and a half hours and a tiebreaker in the last to wear her down. As I walked off the court, the organisers took me to the clubrooms to have a urine and blood sample taken, with a female nurse checking my body. They were apologetic and said that It was usually only done after the final, but that my opponent had insisted that ‘no teenage girl can serve at a hundred and ten miles an hour’, which I had achieved, according to the display, more than once.

That evening, we were visited at the hotel by the LTA physio, who had us stretched out on a mattress in one of the empty rooms, one at a time, to give us both massage and manipulations. We were given big packets of salts and told to go and have hot baths with them. The lady told us quietly, that the LTA was very keen to see a couple of local girls do well.

I know that after the bath, I slept like a baby. Breakfast for two of us was energy-rich and we watched the others tuck into a full English with envy. Today, we were playing our doubles final first, so would start at nine. The mixed doubles followed, then the men. There was an hour for lunch, with the ladies singles before the men. The presentations would take place after each match.

When we arrived, Geraldine was given an envelope for being a losing quarter finalist. It was a voucher for three hundred pounds at one of the womens dress shop chains and could be spent at the shop in Godalming. We were introduced to the crowd with full pomp and ceremony and had five minutes to warm up with our serves.

We started playing at ten past. They won the first service game and, at a quarter to ten, they took the set on a tiebreak. Tony had been right. We won the second six-four and the third six two. We hugged and went to shake hands with our opponents, who were gracious enough to tell us that we had done well.

The presentation was slick. The losers were given a pair of small trophies, and everyone clapped. We were presented with larger trophies and there was a big one that we held up to the cheering crowd. That one would have our names on and stay with the club. We left the court and went directly to the clubhouse, where we were both tested. After that, we showered and changed into dresses that we had bought to use with the band. They seemed to fit this occasion.

We had lunch with our team and Miss Foster, who told us that our outfits were selling well. Geraldine tucked in, but I was restricted to a proper diet to give me stamina for the match this afternoon. My opponent was formidable, in the top twenty rankings and on form. I wasn’t certain that I could beat her, but I intended to give her a run for her money.

That afternoon, I lost in a big game. I did enough to gain respect, taking one set off of her, but she won a tight first set, wearing me down with relentless power in the third. As I went to shake hands, she surprised me by giving me a big hug and whispering in my ear.

“See you in the final at Eastbourne.”

We stood to accept our trophies. I had a close replay of my dream, in that I stood with a decent sized trophy at my feet as she took the big one. She was asked to speak and was good enough to say that I had made her work as hard as a Grand Slam, and that I had a great future. She had to go to testing, but mine was considered done in the morning. After we had both changed, we had a press conference and then hugged again as we parted. I’m sure that she would be there, at the other end of a court I’m on, into the future. I also knew that I needed to work on my fitness before Eastbourne.

We had nothing to hang around for, so we thanked the organisers and left, Tony carrying my singles trophy and us girls with our doubles ones. We packed up the cars and gave Tony and June hugs and thanks before going back to Godalming for dinner and a good night of rest. That’s if we could get to sleep. On the drive back, I was told that Geraldines’ parents were Sandra and Walter, and that I was to use their names.

When we went back to school, a week later, we took our trophies with us to show the others. Not that we needed to tell them where we’d been. The newspapers had photos of us in the sporting section, with stories about Alice McConnell and Geraldine Fitzwilliam. One even had a picture of us in our Benenden outfits in an earlier doubles match, with the headline, ‘Are these the faces of Britains’ future?” The zinger was that, below it, their cartoonist had drawn us in Victorian gowns in Benenden colours, racquets held, with Tony and June behind us in Japanese gear. The caption for that was, ‘Watch out! The Two Little Girls From School are Here!’

When we went up to our room, it had been decorated with the pictures and the cartoon from the papers with a note on one bed that told us to see the head as soon as we had arrived. We unloaded our bags and took the doubles trophies with us when we went to the office. There, we were hugged and congratulated , given tea and biscuits and told that we had brought a lot of publicity to the school. We were even given a framed letter on St. James Palace letterhead, thanking us for our efforts and wishing us luck for the future, signed by the Princess Royal.

Back in our room, I took a picture of it on my phone and sent it to Mum. She had rung me during the week, when she had gone to the local store and seen my picture on the front of a magazine, frozen in mid-serve, with the story of a girl who had been playing the game for a year beating some highly ranked professional players. She had haunted the store, buying everything about us that she could.

I also sent one to Aunt Gloria. My phone now had more numbers stored than any time in my life, from family to the team and direct lines with the sponsors. Geraldines’ was much the same.

We were now getting into the third, and last term of the first year. Summer term was when we had to work hard and get ahead of our classmates, seeing that we would be taking the exams before them. We had a holiday in late May, which we spent at Godalming, going to the club every day we could and playing anyone who wanted to take us on, even some of the guys. Tony got a few friends in to test us, which improved our game. We had kept up the regime at school, two evenings Alice Band, three evenings gym, with trackwork when the weather was good. We were both fit, had muscles on muscles, but still looked like genteel ladies. I was now filling my bras with growing parts of me, and we would go into the village to get some time in the local salon.

Geraldine thought that I should learn to drive, so we went into the examiner’s office in Godalming while we were there and I took my learners permit exam. That allowed us to put plates on the BMW and I got some time behind the wheel. On weekends, on a court at the school, we would play each other in fifteen set games to improve our stamina. It made me realise how lucky we had been in Tunbridge Wells, with the lack of playing before the Easter.

I had told my parents that if I did all right at Eastbourne, I would very likely be playing for most of the summer to build up points and, hopefully, my bank balance. We now had some in our joint account, from the sponsorship, which would fund the expenses, as long as we didn’t go overseas. Just in case, I applied for a passport.

June was a very busy month. Geraldine turned eighteen and we put on a show in the entertainment building, the school organising a social and getting in a DJ. Of course, we were asked to set the band up and play for a while. That was a lot of fun and a good escape valve for the pressures that had been building. The two of us were only going to about a third of our usual classes, now being given the class notes in advance and studying in the library or our room. We were excused the exeat in mid- June to get extra studies in and took all of our exams in the week afterwards.

Straight after that, we loaded the BMW with our cases of normal clothes and our playing gear and drove to Eastbourne, with me sharing the driving on the more open roads. There, we checked into our hotel to meet Tony and June. This time, we knew what was ahead of us and were as ready as we could be. Tony already had signed us in and had our first-round match details. Geraldine would play first at ten on Monday. My first match was mid-afternoon. Our first-round doubles was at seven, taking advantage of the summertime evenings.

That evening we went for a run that June had mapped out, to loosen us up and make sure that we were up to scratch. We were both on a special diet for the week, or as long as we kept winning.

We could walk from the Grand Hotel, where most of the players were staying, to Devonshire Park where the event was being organised. This was a whole different world, with ten outer courts and two main courts with tiered seating. It was almost like playing Wimbledon. Both Tony and June had played here before and met a lot of friends as we wandered around. What we didn’t expect was the number of fans who wanted our signatures on clothing and hats.

The store had a big stall where we were welcomed. There were now two life-size photos, one each, in poses that we had done with the new outfits at Tunbridge. Geraldine had to go off and play her first match, while I had to hang on having selfies taken with fans. When I did get away, she was into her second set with the first won. She breezed past her opponent, and they shook hands. I gave her a hug when she came off court and she went off to shower and change.

Because we had pre-qualified, we had a much easier time, just one match each and one doubles. She would be in the draw for tomorrow. I had a ‘healthy’ lunch and started to psyche myself up for my own first match. My opponent was in the top one hundred and had been there for a few years. As soon as I knew who she was, I asked June for any information she may have.

When I walked out onto the court and put my big bag on the bench, I was already working up some aggression which was what June had told me was the only thing that my opponent couldn’t handle, which was why she had stayed at around the same ranking. I needed to play like someone several hundred places above my current ranking. I did that with my first serve, which she hardly saw as I could now get a hundred and twenty miles an hour, regular as clockwork.

I took the first set six-two, and the second six-love. She stalked off court, grabbing her stuff while I was waving to the small crowd that had watched. It was a good result, as it gave me extra time to recover. I showered and changed into a fresh kit to be ready for our doubles. We had played these girls at Tunbridge and were sure that our extra training would make it easier. It was, in two sets on one of the main courts, seeing that we were Tunbridge Champions, with an appreciative crowd.

On Tuesday, I was on court later in the morning, and Geraldine was on another court at the same time. We both had players who had been on the circuit for a few years, and they were now wary of both of us. Both matches went to three sets, with us both winning the last, so progressing to the quarter final. Tony told us that if we got no further, we would be taking away nearly six thousand dollars.

That evening, our doubles match was on the main court again, which was starting to feel right with the crowds and the encouragement. We were up against a couple of French girls, who would talk rapid French during the play. Little did they know that we both understood them, so it didn’t take long to overcome them in three sets.

The hotel had a spa, and the LTA physio met us there that evening to give us a working over. Tomorrow, we would be playing for keeps and a decent payday. The next morning, the crowds were big and the atmosphere electric. I was starting to feed off the vibe and I think that Geraldine was feeling the same. Today, things were turned upside-down. The women and men played the doubles in the morning with the mixed doubles. Seeing that there were four matches in each group, we used all twelve courts, with a draw to see who used which one. This time, we were put on an outer court, with all the matches starting between ten and half-past. Everyone had been playing once or twice a day, by now, and it was starting to show with the ones that hadn’t followed the training regime slavishly. Our opponents had one who looked as if she was fond of cakes, so we targeted her by making her run around. Her partner tried hard to make up for that, but we managed to win in three sets, without any tiebreaks.

In the afternoon, there were just the eight matches, so they were all on the two main courts, starting at twelve and going into the evening, if required. They alternated with men on one and women on the other, changing with subsequent matches. We were scheduled later, to give us time after our doubles.

We weren’t playing each other this time, and my match was before Geraldines. Mine went the full three sets, with every set to tiebreaks. I was tired but my opponent was tireder, losing her footing trying to reach the ball after a three-minute volley exchange, going down heavily and so losing the match. I went to the other side of the net and helped her to her feet as her trainer came over to check on her. She thanked me for being a good player and a good person as the crowd were still applauding. I felt like everything had been sucked out of me.

I slowly walked back to my bag and took a swig of my bottled water, wiped the racquet handle with the towel, then picked up my bag to leave, while the applause started to die away. I turned and waved to the audience, who gave me a cheer. It had been a tough match, and I was feeling the strain, but I maintained my smile until I was out of sight.

I took my time in the shower and redressed in a normal outfit. With the length of my match, Geraldine would have started hers, so I went to see where the team was sitting at the other court. I saw them walking towards the catering and caught up with them.

“How did Geraldine do, that must have been a quick match.”

Tony grinned.

“Six-four, six-four. Like taking candy from a baby. You got the tough one. So, tomorrow, you have the doubles and the singles semis. This is where it really gets hard. If the later matches go as I expect, you’ll be the only non-seeded players in the last four of both the doubles and the singles. You head back to the hotel and get into a salt bath, you look as if you need one.”

“Thank you, doctor. I’ll see you in the dining room later.”

“Healthy dinner and then a run. Wear your track suit.”

I strolled towards the exit, being stopped for selfies and asked to sign shirts. I expect that it had been the column inches after Tunbridge and the notion that we were up and coming. When I got to the hotel, I ran a hot bath with the salts and laid in the water with the hot air helping to clear my head.

When the water was a lot cooler, I got out and dried off. I put on my running outfit, laid on the bed and went to sleep. What woke me was my phone.

“Yes?”

“Alice, where are you?”

“In my room. I followed orders and had that bath, then fell asleep after I’d dressed.”

“Come on down to the dining room, you need to eat. I think that you may need some hydrolytic drinks after that match of yours.”

“See you in a few minutes.”

A half an hour later, after some food and several glasses of hydrolytic drinks, I was starting to feel like my old self. After the meal, we walked instead of a run. Along the beach and back, with me now drinking water. When I turned in, I was up three times in the night to use the bathroom.

The next morning, I had a proper breakfast while the others fussed over me. June was worried that I had overdone things. Geraldine was upbeat.

“Alice, if we get no further, we’ve done well. The courts were abuzz with talk about how you helped your opponent back onto her feet. I heard some say that you’ve put good manners back onto a court. If we lose, we lose, but we will have done our best. I couldn’t have got this far without your help to get me fit.”

Tony put his hand on my arm.

“She’s right, Alice. Between you, so far, you’ve earned about forty thousand dollars. That’s a fair chunk for a couple of first timers here. There’s no shame in going out in the semis, it will get you both invited to the qualifying days for Wimbledon.”

“Tony, friends. I hear what you say. I’m still going to do my best. That match, yesterday in the heat, really got to me. I need to have more than just water in my bag on court. I now know what my limits are, so will work that into the plan. Do we know who we’re playing today?”

“You, Alice, will be playing the one who beat you at Tunbridge. Geraldine has one of the middle European girls. Both are seeded. In the doubles, you’re up against a pair of Australian girls who are doing this side of the world for the first time. Their rankings are good from winning a lot of matches at home and in Asian tournaments. They’re strong, but their game is fairly conventional. They only have one party trick that I’ve noticed. They play a long game in a rally and then drop one short to bring one to the net, then lob into the vacant half behind them. If they do drop in a slower ball, the back player needs to get to the centre line ASAP.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 6

The crowds were back, and the atmosphere had turned up a notch. This all made me feel alive. There were hundreds of fans here today to see us play. The other three doubles teams were specialists, while the other six singles players were all highly ranked. I knew that Tony was right, there would be no shame going down today, but we had worked hard enough to give it a good go.

The first people I saw as we arrived were my parents, waiting for me. I hugged them both and introduced Tony and June to them. Dad had already met Geraldine, but Mum hadn’t. As we were talking, Geraldines’ parents arrived and there were more introductions. We all walked into the complex together. Like Wimbledon, there were small sections set aside for the players’ team, so our folks would get courtside seats with Tony and June.

Our doubles match was the second one, so we left the others to wander and take in the vibes and watched to see the play for a while, until we had enough to give us pointers in how we should play whichever team won. We caught up with the parents having a chat with Miss Foster and a few other executives at the stand. As soon as we arrived, there were fans wanting us to desecrate their purchases with our sharpies.

When we heard the announcer say that the next doubles match will start soon, we all went to our places. Our enlarged team to their reserved seats, and us to the courtside entry, with our opponents, waiting to be announced, something new for us. The announcer called that this was the second semifinal to decide the other team for the final and we were walking out onto the court, following the umpire and linesmen, who, of course, were largely ceremonial now with the electronics.

There was a big roar as we went to our allotted ends and had a few minutes warming up with serves. The balls were all collected up, the umpire was in his chair and the crowd went quiet as asked, before the one word was said that made the adrenaline surge.

“Play”

They had won the toss to serve first and the first set went with serve until we were on five all. That’s when we broke their service game and went six-five up. I was serving for the set and used every ounce of energy I could, putting down three aces. They got one back, but we weren’t going to give away set points like that. On set point to win the set, they tried the short ball trick. Geraldine went to the net and returned, and I don’t think that they were even looking at us when the lob came our way. I was already under it and hit it back between them before it bounced.

We could see, in the second set, that they had been demoralised by the failure of their most successful play. We took the second game to love and broke their serve in the third. After that, it was just holding on and not making any mistakes. The crowd was right behind us and getting louder with every point. When Geraldine blocked a return and dropped the ball where it was irretrievable, the place erupted.

We went and shook hands and waved to the crowd, who seemed delirious. When we got to our team, there was a lot of hugging and kissing. June was in tears and told me why everyone was so excited. We were the first British pair to be in the doubles final at Eastbourne since it had started in seventy-four. Of course, the press were all over us and had to be reminded that we both had singles semis to play. Miss Foster and our sponsors were over the moon. No matter what we did tomorrow, we were in the record books. Tony said that this alone would guarantee our acceptance into the first draw for Wimbledon.

After testing, we were allowed to use one of the members-only rooms to relax and have a shower. Then we had the physio in to work on both of us, telling us that it was a privilege to be there. My match was first, with my nemesis from Tunbridge. Like then, we had a ding-dong battle that had more advantage plays than any game I had been in. The crowd was loud, but she did take me down again, with a long tiebreak in the second set. This time, she came to my side of the net as I stood there, panting, and hugged me.

“See you in Wimbledon, hopefully in the final.”

“Looking forward to it already. Next time I may beat you.”

“The way you’re playing, you just could.”

Geraldine also lost but took her opponent to three sets. Considering that the winner was several hundred places ahead of her in the rankings, the scoreline was respectable. Our parents joined us for dinner, where we were happy, in spite of our losses. Being in the doubles final was a good result, and Tony told us that it would add close to another thirty thousand dollars to our winnings, just for turning up, which made my parents look surprised. I don’t think they had realised what this could lead to.

We did everything we could to prepare for the final. We had the baths, we had the physio in the evening and in the morning before the match. We ate well, were up at dawn to go for a light run along the promenade, getting waves from dog walkers. Our sponsors had been busy since our win and had new tops with the Union Jack on the sleeve. We even had new racquets with red, white, and blue handles.

There were only the three matches on the main courts today. The mixed doubles in the morning, followed, in the afternoon, by our match, then the men. The womens’ singles and the mens’ singles were on Sunday. The two of us did our duty for our sponsors, signing and standing for selfies for an hour. We met up with our enlarged team before our match, the two sets of parents getting on well. June told us that she had received a text to say that we would be getting a bonus from the sponsors, the amount being dependant on todays’ result. Tony told us that we were definitely into the first round in the Wimbledon doubles but could also get wildcards for the singles.

It was a good job that we had prepared for the match but weren’t prepared for the support from the packed crowd. Although our opponents were well above us in the rankings, they were Europeans, and the roars we got when we won a point, compared to the polite applause they got when they won one, may have been something that had never happened to them before. We thrived on it, and it gave us the extra energy we needed to beat them in three long sets. We were the champions!

The presentation was almost a wall of applause as we received our trophies. The money would be paid later. The men had to wait until we cleared the court, and we then had to go for testing first, before showers, hugs, and dressing in good outfits, in Benenden colours, supplied by our sponsors, with the logos on one side and our names on the other, under ‘Doubles Champions, Eastbourne’ and a Union Jack next to the school shield. It was ostentatious but we wore it with pride. If we did nothing else, we had put our names into the record book for posterity and fulfilled our duty for Benenden.

Walter took a picture of us and sent it to the head at the school. Mum was busy with her phone, taking lots of pictures. We had lunch at the clubhouse, in the members’ dining room with a lot of past players, both male and female in attendance. As far as they were concerned, the other finals were all foreigners, and our success was the highlight of the tournament.

In the afternoon, there was a press conference with it being filmed for the evening news. When asked about our plans, we both said that we would be playing Wimbledon, but other matches depended on what was easily available during summer and our school holidays, as we had another two years to complete our advanced courses.

Of course, the question was asked about dropping school and chasing the money. I just looked daggers at the questioner. Geraldine was the one to speak.

“For what? Work hard for a few years, give a lot of the money to the tax man, flirt with serious injury or mental problems for the rest of our lives? No amount of money can replace a real life that has a meaningful content. We have two years to pass our advanced courses, and then we could play for another ten. Then, when we have some money, we can do something worthwhile. We can use our brains and our education, rather than fitness and brawn.”

One reporter had been sitting with a smirk on his face. As the others ran out of steam, he looked straight at me.

“Miss McConnell. I wonder if you can tell us about your early days. All I can find out about you is only the last year. According to your birth records, you were born as Alec McConnell and lived in Sandwich. Will you hand your trophies back, now?”

That caused a stir. I sat, with no sign of dismay or guilt on my face. I held my hand up for quiet.

“You only have a fraction of the story, sir. It is true that I was designated as a male at birth. I did live in Sandwich and go to school there. In high school I played football in a trophy winning team. I had finished my fifth form exams when I collapsed in great pain. When I woke, I was as you see me now. I am not transgender, as you wrongly assume. I was born as a hermaphrodite, always having all the reproductive organs that you find on any woman. I had collapsed due to my first period not having all of the passage required to remove the blood. Once that had been rectified, I could carry on my life as it should have been. I have a womb, I’ve developed natural breasts, I suffer from periods, and I fancy boys, although I’ll make an exception with you.”

There was some laughter.

“If you had not jumped to conclusions and had looked further, you would have found another birth certificate, issued a while ago, with my new name and as a female. I can supply you with paperwork signed by my surgeon and also several affidavits signed by experts, that declare that I was girl with an oddly shaped urinary system.”

“What about your strong serve?”

“I’m glad that you brought that up. When I was younger, I trained for playing football. When I took up tennis, I’ve been using the excellent gym equipment at Benenden to build up my leg and upper body strength. Being there is almost like living at a training camp, but with academic subjects thrown in. Geraldine and I worked on the same equipment leading up to Tunbridge Wells and to this. A disgruntled opponent complained about my serve at Tunbridge, and I was tested after that match. I gave a urine sample, and they took blood. I was even bodily examined closely by a doctor, all over. You would think that any discrepancy with my hormones would have been picked up back then. I haven’t been asked about anything after several tests since. I’ve been open with you, and I now formally warn you, and any other member of the press, that if there are any suggestions that I’m transgender, there will be legal ramifications.”

Walter cleared his throat.

“I am Walter Fitzwilliam. I am a lawyer in criminal law, and I will pursue any case that Alice cares to launch. You can look me up. That will tell you how good I am at my job.”

In the silence that followed, I spoke again.

“My parents are in the room. I’m sure that they can give you details of my younger days, should you want them. We never hid my past, merely didn’t argue when others assumed that Alec had died of his medical problem, which many thought to be a burst appendix. For me, Alec had, indeed, died, and Alice was born. So, any more questions?”

The lights went off and the room cleared. I sat there, now worried how my best friend was going to take the news. We both stood and I turned to her, seeing the tears in her eyes and expecting the worst. She grinned and hugged me.

“Alice, that must have been a terrible time for you, having to run around with a load of smelly boys!”

“Not all of them were smelly. They were all a bit too rough around the edges for my taste. I only have one real sad thing about those days.”

“What’s that?”

“I was absolutely crap in competitions at peeing up a wall. Found out why when I woke up in the hospital. My willie had been designed to pee downwards, rather than up.”

She hugged me and we giggled together, still friends. We went and checked out of the hotel. Sandra and Walter would drive their car and the BMW back to Godalming. We would be leaving today to check into our hotel in London and wouldn’t need the car, so would be travelling with Tony and June in their cars. I hugged my parents and told them I loved them. They told me that they were glad that I had the bravery to tell the truth. They now had to go home and face their old contacts and say that they were just keeping quiet until I was settled in my new life.

Walter gave his daughter a hug and told her that he would see us in London. He turned to me.

“Alice. To us, you were never anything but a lovely girl who is a good friend. I can understand your reasons to keep your background quiet, and also commend you for laying it on the line today. There will be some who may say that you’re a boy in a dress, and that’s something you’ll have to face in the future. With all the legal ramifications around transgenderism, you sit on that fine line between being a girl from birth and one that was mis-assigned. I know a colleague who would work pro bono on any case you may launch. He would welcome the chance to rewrite the laws.”

“Thank you Walter, for that and for standing up for me. I’m sorry that I never told you about my past but, as far as I was concerned, the original me was dead. They even had a memorial service at my old school.”

He chuckled and hugged me, followed by Sandra. They followed us to the hotel, where we made sure there was nothing in the BMW that we needed. The trophies were locked in the boot for safe keeping at Godalming. We checked out and loaded our bags in the other cars. I would be going with June and Geraldine was with Tony.

The trip into London was good, with a stop for fish and chips at one of the roadside cafes. Our little convoy arrived at the hotel late that evening. We were given our door cards, and our bags were taken to our rooms. The girl at reception was all smiles and wanted autographs on her blouse, under her jacket. On the way up to our rooms, Tony told us that we had been given singles wildcards for round one.

I had a good shower when I had undressed. Then put my nightie on and got into bed. It took a while to get to sleep. The day had been one to totally turn my life over again. The fallout from the press conference would have to be faced. The win had thrust us into a spotlight that was much brighter than we expected. I did get sleep, eventually.

We had the Sunday to rest and recuperate. The size of the fields, being a Grand Slam with a hundred and twenty-eight entrants in each section, meant that this was a two-week event. The first matches on the outer courts started at eleven on Monday, but our first matches weren’t until Tuesday. Our first doubles match was on Wednesday.

We went for a run Sunday morning, working out the stress of last week. We were in the Rose and Crown Hotel, a three-star place that suited us, booked by June who had stayed here when she had played at Wimbledon. It was only a minute or two to a large park where there was enough room for a good run. We were within a thousand metres of the venue, which would help loosen us up by walking there.

In the afternoon, we were in our latest playing kit with our new racquets, on the practise court along with a lot of other players. We had a two-hour slot, with me playing June, Geraldine playing Tony, and them offering advice. We finished off playing them in a doubles session. There were photographers who took pictures, but we weren’t bothered by questions.

On Monday, we walked to the venue and joined the throng to have a good look at the place, going in through the players entrance. We went to see the organising office and got our official player and team lanyards, plus extras for our guests when we were to be on court. We were given our timetable for our first rounds, and the draw. We were on different sides of the draw, so there was a slight possibility that we could play each other in the final. With the draw paper, it was a mass of boxes with lines connecting them, so we could check the results and see who we would be playing next. Tony had an app on his phone to be able to follow the results in real time.

Our first matches were Geraldine in the morning and me in the afternoon, both on an outer court. Our first doubles match was Wednesday afternoon, on the Number One Court, which had been decided because of the numbers who would want to see us, the first British team to win at Eastbourne. We wandered around, finding our sponsor stall, where we spent some time being photographed by fans.

We were given bags with new outfits for our first matches, our new look for here. It was a great design, not stupid or ostentatious but almost classic in shape with pleated skirts. We were in all white, with white headbands and shoes. The only colour allowed was a one-centimetre trim, with ours being red, white, and blue, in five-centimetre strips. We also had new, white, sports bras and frilled panties.

I phoned Mum and told her my first game times, and that there would be ringside seats for them. She told me that someone from the school had seen the news on TV and had rung Dad, asking for my new phone number, which he had given them. We went back to the hotel for lunch and were on the practise court again in the afternoon.

On Tuesday, we went in early, in normal outfits, with our big players bags making us stand out, so getting pictures taken on the way. Geraldine went off to prepare for her first round on Number Four court, the same one that I would play on in the afternoon. The three of us were on the sideline to watch. She, like me, was up against a qualifier in the first round.

She won in straight sets. We met up with her after she had showered and changed and had lunch at one of our bigger sponsors’ suites. In the afternoon, I was facing another qualifier and beat her in three sets. On the way out, we stopped at the stall to show ourselves, walking back to the hotel with fresh kit in our bags for our doubles match tomorrow.

That evening my phone buzzed and I answered.

“Good evening, Alice here.”

“Good evening Alice. This is Mister Brown from your old high school. I’m calling to apologise for someone here making assumptions without getting the facts. It was quite a moving memorial service, though.”

“That’s all right, sir. As far as I was concerned, Alec was dead and never really had lived. I was living a part that I had been told I should be playing while always wondering why it felt wrong. After I left hospital, I was taken to my Aunts’ hotel in Brighton, to learn a new role that felt natural. I know that my parents never meant to deceive anyone, they were just giving me time to adjust.”

“And adjust was what you’ve done brilliantly. We’ll be adding you to our old scholars achievement list. By the time the school term starts, there will only be those who were in third year while you were here, and to them, your old name will only be a vague memory. If you’re ever our way in future, please drop in.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll do that.”

On Wednesday, we were playing our doubles match in the evening, so spent the day stretching and doing a light run in the park. I had to hand it to June, the hotel may not have the glitz that the bigger players would be staying in, but it did allow you to relax and exercise.

That evening was a revelation. We were playing on the second most famous court in the country, in front of a packed house, many wearing outfits that could have graced the Last Night of the Proms. We were cheered as we were announced, and we had been joined by both sets of parents in our courtside seats. We had prepared for this and were ready for whatever happened.

Our opponents were seasoned players, not qualifiers, and gave us a hard time. In the first set, they had broken Geraldines’ service game, and had got to two-one up. I had been loosening up my service arm during the day, with my first serve for the set hitting a hundred and twenty, and the receiver in the stomach. That slowed her down a bit, and we went from one down to winning the set six-four.

The second set was a battle of wits, with all four of us running all over our sides of the court. They got us in the final tiebreak point, but the damage had been done. They were tired and we weren’t. The crowd could sense blood in the water, and the noise for each of our point wins was deafening. We took the third set six-four and shook hands with the losers, then waved to the crowd after we shook hands with the umpire.

When we left the court, we were approached by one of the organising committee.

“I’m sorry to do this, girls, but we have orders to take you straight to the testing rooms. There will be urine and blood taken for a full examination. Alice, there will be someone there to give you both an ultrasound examination. The LTA has asked for this so that they can issue an independent report. I know it’s an imposition, but you can understand that they want to cover every base.”

“That’s all right, sir. I’m glad that they’re thinking right. That press conference has caused some to question my gender. I saw a few in the stands with rainbow scarves. I don’t want to become a poster girl for the transgender, as it would be a problem for my playing, as well as for the school.”

It took an hour for us to be tested and then shower and change. When we got out, the crowd had gone home and there were six people waiting for us with worried looks. Geraldine grinned.

“Daddy, guess what. They took an ultrasound on Alice, then did one on me. You’ll be happy to know that neither of us are pregnant, but have perfectly good means to be so, one day.”

That made them all smile, and we left the venue, our parents going to their cars and the four of us walking back to the hotel. Tony was the first to ask.

“You were a long time. That’s unusual for a first-round match.”

“The LTA wanted enough done to prove conclusively that we weren’t something we’re not for an independent report. They took enough blood for us to get a badge.”

“That will be for the A and B samples, the full WADA route. They weren’t taking any chances. The first results will be out by the end of next week, if they prioritise them, so that you can play in the finals if you get there.”

“Any idea what our schedule is, now?”

“Tomorrow, you both play the round two singles games. They’ve set them both in the afternoon, one after the other, on Court Three, which has spectator seating. It appears that you two are drawing crowds now. You’re both up against wildcards. Alice, your opponent is making a comeback after having a child. Geraldine, you’ll be taking on one who had a knee reconstruction last year. They won’t be easy matches.”

He was right. My match went three sets, all hard fought, but I prevailed six-four in the last to continue. Geraldine had really learned a lot and made her opponent run around and work her damaged leg, winning in straight sets. In both matches, we had a strong support from a noisy crowd and our beaming parents in courtside seats.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 7

Friday was our round three matches in the singles. We were now getting into playing seeds and high-ranked players. I knew that we had done as well as most would have expected, even if they wanted us to do better, As first-timers, getting to the third round was considered good. We were, however, determined not to go down without a fight.

Our two matches were, again, on Court Three, with seating and a crowd. This time, we had two extra guests in our reserved place. Walter had been contacted and had gone to the main gate to give them the lanyards and had led them to their seats. When I walked out onto the court, I waved at the crowd and then turned to my team and gave a special wave to the head and assistant head of Benenden.

My match was in a hot and muggy afternoon. After my previous scare, I was being strict in my hydrating regime and had extra bottles in my bag, which I drank from at every end change. My opponent, somewhat older and cockier, wanted to just put me away as quickly as she could, which was her downfall. We were in the third when she fainted, with me leading by one game after two long sets.

I waited as she was being worked on and the crowd was quiet. It wasn’t how I wanted this to end, but end it did, after ten minutes with her being revived and then throwing up into a bucket, her coach spoke to the umpire and the match was declared mine. I was into round four, surviving to take on the second week.

Geraldine fought hard and took the match into the third set and a tiebreak but went down to a player that we had read about in many magazines, who was gracious enough to give her a hug on court. That evening, we had dinner with our guests, at a good restaurant.

Walter was told about the incentive that I had been offered, also extended to Geraldine. Her school fees for the following year had been reduced by forty percent with her being accepted for the tournament in both the singles and doubles and winning two rounds of the singles. They smiled and said that further reduction may happen with our final places in the doubles.

Mum asked about me and was told that my fees had been halved by reaching the next round. I had to smile to myself, knowing that I had already earned enough to pay my own way from now on, without any of this prizemoney. Our efforts at Eastbourne would see around ninety thousand dollars added to the account that June had opened for us. That was around thirty-five thousand pounds each. Not bad for a couple of teenagers.

On Saturday, we would be playing our second round in the doubles, again in the evening. Our opponents were a team that we had beaten at Eastbourne, so we had high hopes. My next singles match was on Monday afternoon. In the morning, June knocked on my door.

“You’re up for a light lunch, the Benenden ladies will pick the two of you up at eleven. They said to wear the dress with the logos from the photo that they were sent. I’ll tell Geraldine, be downstairs in good time.”

That sounded interesting. I had a second shower. made sure that I looked good, checked out my armpits, brushed my hair and dressed in my best underwear. The dress was still good, after only being worn the one time, and I spritzed a little perfume to walk through. I was sitting by the main entrance, after having a talk with Wanda, our happy receptionist, when Geraldine joined me. Seeing us both in the iconic dresses, Wanda just had to get a selfie with us, taken by one of the other staff.

Spot on eleven, a car pulled up outside. We went out and saw our school principals in the front, so got in the back seat. They both said ‘good morning, girls’ and we replied in kind.

“Today, girls, you will be lunching with one of our old girls, the Princess Royal. She left a message, last night, to set this up, while you’re still in the competition. It isn’t formal, so no curtsey needed, just a nod of the head when you first meet her. She will be ‘Your Highness’ then ‘Ma-am’, unless she tells you otherwise.”

We were trying to take this all in as we pulled up at St. James Palace and suited doormen opened up the car doors and helped us out. We were led by a very handsome fellow in a military uniform, to a sitting room, where the Princess rose to greet us all. She knew the head and assistant from many meetings, and insisted, after the first formal greetings, that she was ma-am. She then introduced us to the other woman who had risen, an executive of the LTA. We were all sat in very comfortable seats and the two of us were asked about ourselves. They all had seen the TV coverage of the after-final press do in Eastbourne, so were particularly interested in my feelings while I was classed as a boy.

The two of us relaxed and the conversation turned to our tennis experience and our plan for completing our studies, which were praised as being very good. The Alice Band was mentioned and discussed. One thing that rocked us was that the only other students who had gone on to sporting fame had all taken part in Olympics. There was the Princess, herself, a member of Team Britain in Equestrian, another that had been a heptathlete, and one who had a very short career as an alpine skier. We were firsts and had put ourselves into the record books already.

The butler came and declared that lunch was ready, and we sat in a dining room that could obviously held a banquet but was now set up as a smorgasbord, with health options for us, seeing that we were playing later. After lunch, we were sitting with tea and a cheese platter. The Princess called for a footman and whispered to him. He came back with two jewel boxes.

“Geraldine and Alice. I have here a memento of this visit. It’s a token of my thanks to you for giving my alma mater a national and international standing. If you do nothing else with your lives, which I doubt, you will always be held in our esteem.”

She gave us each a box, which we opened. Inside, were identical necklaces, on short chains that could be worn like a chocker. There was a design that would be worn at the throat, that looked like a belt around a cross on a white shield. The enamel work was magnificent. I looked at her smiling face.

“The motto is one that I believe fits you like a glove, Alice. That is a replica Garter Circlet, and the motto translates as ‘Shame be to him who thinks evil of it.’ You may well be on the receiving end of other people’s wrath in your life. That motto may help to shed malice like water off a raincoat. If you put them on, we’ll have an official photo taken, and then I’ll let you two amazing girls go to get ready for your match this evening.”

“Thank you, ma-am. We’ll wear them tonight. Hopefully the organisers won’t make us take them off for not being white enough.”

The Princess smiled.

“I’ll give them a call and tell them that the block is still at the Tower.”

We were all smiling as we were escorted out to the car. Geraldine held my hand on the way back, hard enough to almost hurt, but I didn’t say anything. We had both been overwhelmed by the experience. Our other hands were at our throats, feeling the magnificent gifts.

We were dropped off at the hotel and went up to our rooms to change into running outfits. June joined us for our regular run in the park. We didn’t say anything about our lunch until she asked.

“Interesting lunch?”

Geraldine laughed.

“Very. There were six of us at the table and it was lovely. There was a healthy range for us, and the service was impeccable.”

“Where was it.”

“St. James Palace.”

“What! Did you meet Anne?”

“The Princess was our hostess. The sixth person was LTA. It was very pleasant. We had a long talk and found out that we’re forging a new path for students. If we follow the other three sportswomen, we’ll be in the Olympics. That would be interesting.”

“The next one is twenty thirty-two, so you would have finished school and have played enough to be considered for the team.”

I snorted.

“Do you realise how crazy that sounds, June. Us playing for England!”

“Is it much crazier than the two of you playing the second round of doubles at Wimbledon. Get through this match and the next and you’ll be going on court in the quarter final. When I first saw you at the club, I never thought that I’d be here as part of the team.”

“You’ll always be part of the team, June. You and Tony are our rocks that keep us grounded.”

We had a light tea and went up to get dressed, putting our fresh playing kit in the bag and making sure that our racquets felt right. We walked to the venue with June and met up with the other seven who were now our team. The first thing that Mum saw was our short necklaces.

“They look nice, where did you get them?”

“They were given to us at a nice lunch with Princess Anne, Mum.”

She started to grin and then saw that I’d been serious.

“I’ll talk to you later about that, my girl. I’ll want everything. Did you take any pictures?”

“There was one taken, by an official photographer. I expect that we’ll see it later. I’ll send you a picture.”

We were back on Number One Court, under lights, after the men. Today, there had been a lot of games played, the juniors’ boys and girls singles round one, the rest of the round three singles and the first round of the mixed doubles. We were the last match on the day, so may go until after midnight, but very few had gone home.

When we gathered at the entry of the court, eventually, we met up with our opponents and all had a group hug before we followed the officials out onto the court. They had played well when we had beaten them and were now determined to play better and even the score. Nothing was said about our small piece of jewellery, so we walked out onto the court to cheers.

We had the first service, and I showed them how much faster my delivery was. It ended up as a straight sets match, with us winning six-four, six-two. At least we would be in bed by one. We all went to change, still friendly, with one of our opponents commenting that it was great to be playing in front of such a loud crowd this late at night.

Tomorrow, I would be playing my round four singles match, and our next doubles match was on Monday, again in the evening. We showered and changed and walked back to the hotel with June carrying a bag with my fresh outfit for my next game, and the two of us with our lucky charms back in boxes in our bags.

I wore mine again on the Sunday morning, but it didn’t bring me luck. I went down in three sets to an American woman who was built like a wrestler and moved like a ballerina. As we shook, she grinned.

“Congratulations, kid. You’re the first to take a game off me in five tournaments. I must be losing it.”

I was fussed over when I met with the others and tried to show that I wasn’t too upset. For a beginner, I had done well. June reminded me that I had won over a hundred and forty thousand pounds for getting as far as I had. That made me think that it may be time to take my driving test and get a car.

Both sets of parents were staying on to see us play the next doubles match, with mine staying until we were knocked out or won. With the teams still in, I didn’t hold any thoughts of lifting the trophy, not this year.

Our next doubles match wasn’t until the evening of Monday, so I had a good bit of time to relax and get the kinks out. That afternoon, the two of us went for a run and some stretching exercises in the park. When we got back, I was following Geraldine when Wanda called me over. Geraldine was in the lift when I went to the desk.

“Miss McConnell, there are a couple of ladies in the lounge who want to see you. I told them that you were out for a run, and they said that they would wait. They looked like a mother and daughter.”

“Thanks. Wanda. They may be fans, but I’ll see them. I haven’t advertised that I’m staying here, the only ones who have this address are the organisers, in case I was needed outside the planned times.”

I walked into the lounge, sweaty as I was, and stopped dead when I saw the two. One was around ten or so years older than me, and the other looked like a picture of Mum as a teenager. The older one stood.

“Hello, Alice. I hope you don’t mind but I asked the organisers where you were staying this morning. We were watching you play, and I was trying to link the girl you are now with the toddler that I last saw before I left home.”

“Teresa! My god! This is wonderful!”

I went to her and hugged her hard.

“This must be your daughter. She’s the image of Mum as a young girl.”

“This is my daughter, yes. Enid, say hello to your famous Auntie.”

Enid had the best smile.

“Hello, Auntie Alice. I’m sorry that you lost this morning. You must be gutted.”

“No, Enid. I didn’t expect to get as far as I did, truth be told. We still have the doubles to go. Geraldine and I will be playing tomorrow night. If your mother allows you to stay up late, you can sit in special seats beside the big court. That would be exciting for you.”

I straightened up and took Teresas’ hand.

“Does Mum know that you’re around?”

“No. I’m afraid to see her. I left without saying goodbye. You were just a toddler. It was that story about you actually being a girl all that time that gave me the nerve to come and see you.”

“I remember those days. Mum and Dad were beside themselves for weeks. They said that you left a note, but I never saw it.”

“I wrote that I was eloping. The thing was that I was really running away with another girl from high school. We went north and worked at any job that came along until we could afford a decent flat. I went and signed on for donor IVF and had Enid. The problem was that Sal couldn’t see why I had wanted a baby and couldn’t get used to being a normal family. She left me and the last I heard of her was a postcard from Scotland, telling me that she was working on those drilling rigs.”

“Where are you living now?”

“Here, in London. I work as a receptionist in one of the big hotels, and Enid is in high school close by, so I can drop her off and pick her up again. She sits beside me and charms the guests until my shift finishes. Today is my day off and Enid is playing hooky.”

“Look, Mum and Dad are at the Cannizaro House, on the other side of the park where we exercise. If you come up to my room, I’ll have a shower and get dressed. We can walk over there and talk some more. I can ring Mum and tell them to hang around. They would be resting after lunch, I expect.”

“All right. With you beside me, I now have the bravery to face them. Finding out what you went through and how you’ve made something of your life has made me realise that I may have a vestige of the family backbone.”

We went upstairs to my room, which was, thankfully, reasonably tidy. I got Teresa to get them a tea from the tiny kitchenette and popped to Geraldines’ room. There was a muffled call to come in when I knocked. I went in and opened the door of the ensuite.

“Geraldine, my long-lost sister has turned up. When you’re dressed, can you pop to my room and talk to her. I need a shower. When I’m ready, we’re going to see my parents.”

She pulled the shower curtain back a bit.

“Sister, since when did you have a sister?”

“She’s twelve years older than me and left home when I was five. Her name is Teresa, and we haven’t heard from her from that day to this.”

I went back into her bedroom and called Mum.

“Mum, it’s Alice. Can you hang around your hotel, please. I’ll be coming across the park in about half an hour with someone who wants to talk to you.”

“All right, dear. I’ll sit by the window. It looks out over bits of the park.”

Back in my own room, I made sure that they were settled. Enid was reading a book with one of the hotel biscuits in her hand, Teresa was sitting on the bed.

“I’m heading to the shower. Geraldine may pop in. She’s my doubles partner and my roomie at school.”

“All right, Alice. The more I see you now, the more I think back and realise how girly you were as a toddler. If I hadn’t left, I may have been able to get you helped long before you nearly died. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry about anything, sister. We can’t change the past, so there’s no sense regretting any of it. Mums’ expecting us in half an hour, so I’d better get under water.”

I had a quick shower and dried off, then put the robe on and went into the bedroom. Geraldine was sitting next to Teresa.

“There you are, at last. Teresa, I swear that Alice could shower all day if you let her.”

“All right, already! Let me dress and we’ll be away.”

I got out a bra and pantie set and put them on. Enid looked at me and smiled.

“Nice undies, Auntie Alice.”

“They are nice, Enid, love. They were one of my first things that I bought after I came out of hospital. I’ve grown to love shopping and try on a lot more outfits than I used to.”

I found a nice dress and matching shoes; made sure I had everything I needed in my bag. We all left the room and went outside, walking across the park. We were in a line, Geraldine on one side and Teresa on the other, with Enid between us, one hand holding her mothers’ and the other holding mine. We got towards the other side of the park, and I could see the upper floors of the hotel. We had left the park and walked into the hotel car park when Mum came rushing towards us, bawling like a baby. She almost knocked Teresa on her back with her arrival and started showering her with kisses. Enid looked up at me.

“Who is that mad woman, Auntie?”

“That, Enid, is your mothers’ mother, your grandmother.”

“Cool! I never had a grandmother before. Do I get a matching pair, with a grandfather?”

“You do, Enid, and here he comes now. He doesn’t get carried away like your grandmother.”

We managed to get everyone into the hotel lounge, Mum and Teresa chattering away at a thousand words a minute, with Dad looking on with tears in his eyes. Geraldine and I got drinks for everyone and sat it out until the flow petered out. That allowed Dad to hug his oldest daughter and kiss her cheek. That’s when the concentration turned to Enid, their very own grandchild, ready and probably willing to be spoilt rotten.

We had dinner at their hotel, and things calmed down. Teresa told her story. In more detail, and Mum took it all in with the occasional, ‘that must have been terrible, love’. Geraldine and I helped Enid choose from the menu, telling her what the foreign names were in a real language. Our waiter asked us if we had decided on what we wanted to order, in what had to be a cockney accent using badly pronounced French, so the two of us ordered in rapid French, then repeated it in English when he looked at us blankly.

Mum looked across the table.

“I didn’t send you to that school to make fun of people, young lady.”

“Just using one of my special powers, Mum. Besides, Geraldine made me do it.”

Geraldine gave me a playful slap on the arm, and we giggled. Teresa looked on in wonder.

“How on earth did you miss seeing the Alice within, Mum?”

“Maybe we were just working too hard. She wasn’t a worry; self-sufficient, cleaned, cooked for your Dad when I was away and did the laundry. She was just handy around the house. You used to do the same before you left.”

“That was because I was your oldest daughter, Mum. Alice told me to leave the past in the past this afternoon. Can we try to reconnect?”

“Teresa, love. We’ve moved to a nice bungalow in Deal. There are more power points in the kitchen than the old house had everywhere. We have decorated a room for Alice, but she may not have the time to stay with us this summer, now she’s hobnobbing with royalty. It is the tennis season and Sandra told me that she was almost part of her family. Why don’t you and Enid take a break and come down for a few weeks this summer?”

That led to a few more tears and another hugging session. After dinner, there was an exchange of phone numbers, some more hugging, and the four of us walked back across the park, with Teresas’ arm through mine and Enid holding Geraldines’ hand. Mum and Dad had given Teresa their lanyards for Wimbledon, telling her that there was their favourite show on TV tomorrow evening. We hugged at Teresas’ car, ‘an oldie, but a goodie,’ so she said.

We stood and waved them off, standing outside the hotel. Geraldine laughed.

“That Enid looks so much like you, she’ll be able to play you in the film that they’re going to make.”

We went in and up to our rooms. I got ready for bed and then laid in the dark, thinking about things. I had spent twelve years of my life wondering why my sister, who I had loved unreservedly, had just left me alone, just when I was believing that we were more alike than different. Perhaps she was right. If she had stayed, I may have developed into a more girly boy. That would have made my school days even worse than they really were.

The next evening, with our courtside team including my niece jumping up and down as she shouted encouragement, and my long-lost lovely sister watching, I unleashed some of the fastest serves of my life, with one very close to the best women in the world. It was a long match, into the early hours with advantage points galore. We wrapped it up in a tiebreak to finish the third set, with all of us players having a group hug on courts as the fans went wild.

When we came out of the locker rooms, only Tony and June were waiting for us.

“Your sister had to get the little one home. She had worn herself out leaping up and down. Sandra and Walter had to head off to their apartment, he said that he had a big case starting tomorrow. Your teachers thanked you for the experience, but they were needed back at the school to ensure that the last few days of term go smoothly. They all wish you luck for the quarter final.”

“Seeing that half of the team that we’ll be meeting is that American who took me out of the singles, we’ll need as much luck as we can get.”

We walked back to the hotel in the early hours. Our quarter final was on Wednesday, so giving us a day off. It was to be played on the Centre Court, hallowed ground for tennis players. If we didn’t win, we would have added another seventy-five thousand each to our bank accounts and would had played a championship match on the most famous court in the country.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 8

With the next day clear, we took our time with breakfast and then the two of us wore our special dresses to walk to the venue to spend most of the day doing our duty for our sponsors, posing for pictures, signing brand new clothing and talking to fans, many who had seen that interview and were interested in my story. I held nothing back. There were a few who looked at me angrily, but the two men from our clothing sponsor were big enough to have them leave us alone.

At the end of the afternoon, we had become friends with Miss Foster, now Marilyn, and two executives from the clothes and shoe brands. They all agreed that our next match may be our last for this time, but assured us that we would be back, better prepared. We were each given a special playing outfit. It was the all-white with the trim but had the logos on one side and our names on the other, with a Union Jack on one sleeve. They were in new carry bags with our names on, together with all the other outfits that we had alternated, freshly laundered.

After a series of photos with us in the Eastbourne dresses for future use, we carried our bags back to the hotel, smiling for those fans wanting selfies. Geraldine giggled.

“Do you realise that there are more pictures of us out there than a hundred albums of our parents’ memories.”

“It is weird. I was thinking. There’s still the rest of the next week before school finishes, I wonder if it would be a good thing to show our faces if we lose tomorrow. If Tony and June are heading home, we can be dropped off at your house. The Eastbourne trophies are in your car. It may be nice to let the other girls see them.”

“That’s a great idea. I expect that there’s something else, knowing you.”

“You’ll see for yourself tomorrow. The woman who knocked me out of the singles is one of the pair that we’re playing. I looked her up on my phone and saw that she had spent a lot of her childhood learning ballet. We could talk to the head and see if we can do dance next year. Her balance showed me up as almost flat-footed, even with my agility.”

“I did some dance when I was younger, most girls do, but it would be a good idea for you. Do you really think that we’ll be knocked out?”

“The odds are definitely not in our favour. Those Americans have been playing for years. We may take a set off of them and make them work, but it’s unlikely that they’ll let us win. They’ve taken out the doubles crown in five out of the last eight tournaments that they’ve played. Any of the other pairs and I would be saying that we had a chance to get to the semis, but with them, all we can do is our best. The one that beat me told me that I was the first to take a game off of her for a while.”

“I suppose that’s why the stall made use of us today. They looked as if they were selling heaps. It’s a good job we got sponsorship, at those prices we’d be playing in one outfit with the other hanging on rails in the bathroom. I like those new outfits they gave us. I think that they would be good to use at the club.”

We did our usual run and stretches on the Wednesday morning. Mum and Dad had invited us for lunch at their hotel, so we showered and changed, then walked there. They were waiting in the dining room at a table and Mum stood to hug us both before we sat down. I gave her back the lanyards for them to use today.

“This may be the last chance to see us play here this year, Mum. Our opponents are well and truly the favourites this match.”

“That’s a pity, dear. I was beginning to enjoy this hotel life and the tourist spots. It’s been a very long time since we have had a holiday. I hope you didn’t mind that I offered Teresa the use of your room.”

“Not a bother, Mum. I’ll be staying with Geraldine for a while. We will need to train at the club, and there’s a tournament in Hamburg at the end of the month and the Surrey Championships in August. June has already received invitations for us to play at both. After that, we’ll be heading back to school.”

“Just make sure that you find the time to come to Deal for Christmas.”

“Will do, Mum. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

After lunch, we went back to the hotel and did stretching exercises and leg squats until it was time for an early meal with Tony and June. June told us that our money from Eastbourne had come through, and that she would keep back half for future expenses and the taxman, then would deposit the other half into our own accounts. Our earnings here would be a bit less for Geraldine, but not by a lot. We told her to pay her and Tony for their time and expenses before anything else, as we couldn’t have done any of it without them.

We were on court earlier tonight, as it was being televised. We walked to the venue with plenty of time in hand and spoke to our sponsors and a few reporters. We were in our playing outfits, necklaces on, and standing in the entranceway to the court with our opponents with time to spare. Before too long, we were into a friendly conversation. Before we were led out to an enthusiastic crowd, we were Mel and Babs, and Geri and Al. If we were going to be eliminated, it would be by new friends.

We went to our ends and warmed up with some serves. Geraldine watched the others closely.

“You’re right, Mel is as light as a feather in spite of that body. We concentrate on Babs, when we can.”

They served first, and we won a few points, with the games going with serve until we had a chance to catch Babs out of position and broke their serve in the fifth game. The crowd went wild and had to be told to quieten down a number of times. I had our serve and was able to ace them a couple of times, taking the first set six-four. If the crowd had been crazy before, they gave us an opportunity to hydrate as we changed ends, waiting for them to be quiet.

They broke our serve in the third game, and we didn’t get it back, losing the set four-six. The third set was a humdinger. We played our hearts out and went to advantage in about half the games, ending up at six all, and going to a tiebreak. As we changed ends, I could see some in the crowd close to rapture. Our team were sweating, and Mum was swigging from her water bottle.

We had played more tiebreaks than they had, but it was their reputations on the line. Every point was greeted with tremendous applause and calling out. In the third set, the format is the first to ten points, but the win had to be two points clear. We took that set to fifteen-seventeen and the four of us had a group hug as the crowd were yelling and applauding. We had lost, yes, but we had gained the respect of the games mega-stars. We collected up our gear and waved to the crowd as we left the court. Our team were there to hug us and tell us that we were now legends. Mum and Dad told us that they were tired out and were going off for a sleep.

In the privacy of the locker room, I hugged Geraldine.

“Well done, friend. That was the best losing game I’ve ever been in.”

“Me too, Alice. We’re going to hear more after that than our two doubles championships combined.

“You could be right. When you turn your phone on, I expect that you’ll have a message from your father.”

When we had dressed, we left the locker room to a phalanx of reporters. One of the organisers was there and led us to one of the private rooms where the winning pair were waiting. We spent an hour with them praising our game and stamina. We found out that they hadn’t dropped a set in twenty doubles matches, let alone needing a tiebreak. We were declared as the future of tennis, which we told the reporters, yet again, that it wouldn’t be for another couple of years.

Leaving the venue was a problem. We needed Tony, June and a couple of the venue security to escort us back to the hotel, with us needing to sign their hi-vis once we were safe inside. We agreed to leave for Godalming in the morning, just after breakfast, so June settled our accounts. I had a problem getting to sleep, thinking about the match we had just played. It would be something that would haunt us for years, whatever we did now.

We were all quiet at breakfast. In a while, we would be on the road and heading back to almost a normal life. Tony told us that there would be a welcome home party at the club on Saturday evening and that we were the guests of honour. Geraldine declared that we needed good dresses. He laughed.

“You’d better turn up in the Eastbourne dresses. They are your look until you win another tournament.”

I was with June again and we loaded her car. Once again, it was our mini convoy on the road, this time heading south and the security of the big house. On the way, she told me about our next tournament.

“You have a ten-day total break, and we’ll fly to Hamburg a week from tomorrow, with the first round of the WTA event on the Monday, after the qualifying, which you leapfrog. The WTA matches are before the men every day. It’s a very small field, in total contrast to what you’ve just done. The doubles are only sixteen entrants, and the singles are thirty-two. You are both there as new kids on the tour and drawcards because of your wins originally, but even more so because of how you played Mel and Babs yesterday. Of course, the money for the WTA is stupidly low compared to the ATP. Total is two hundred and seventy-five thousand Euro against over two million.”

For the rest of my time, I was scrolling through my phone, trying to separate the scam calls and the real ones. There was one text from Sandra, telling me that my room was ready as soon as we got back. There was one from the head, telling me that they had watched the match on a big screen in the entertainment centre and that we should be prepared to be mobbed when we were next in the school. I replied to that one, just saying that we’ll be at the school on Friday, with our Eastbourne trophies. When we arrived at Geraldines’ home, Sandra came out and hugged us both, telling us how wonderful the match was, saying that she had cried when we lost by two points. June told her that she could hardly see through her tears when we had taken the first set.

We unloaded our things, hugged June and Tony, thanked them for everything and said that we’d see them on Saturday. The house was blissfully quiet after the noise of the last few weeks. Geraldine had seen the same text from the head and agreed with going into school on Friday. We had a light lunch and were both yawning, going to our rooms for an afternoon nap.

Two hours later, we were both bright as buttons and helping Sandra prepare the evening meal, which Walter had promised to be home for. I checked my phone again and there was a text from my sister, saying that they had been on the edge of their seats and Enid wanted to tell me how awesome we both were. I checked the local phone book and called a driving school, booking lessons for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, next week and giving the address where I was to be picked up.

Walter arrived home and we had another round of hugs. He had watched the match on the TV in the apartment and had recorded it. We had a pleasant evening, after a nice dinner with wine. Even after our nap, we both retired early.

In the morning, we had breakfast and made sure thar we were clean, tidy, wearing our necklaces and dressed well. Checking that the two doubles and the runner-up singles trophy were in the boot, Geraldine drove us to the school, laughing at the big ‘Welcome Home – Geraldine and Alice’ banner at the main gate. We parked outside the main building, picked up our trophies, and went in to see the head. The rest of the school were still doing the last of the exams, so we had a low-key visit, leaving the trophies in her safe keeping, to be displayed along with the Tunbridge ones that we had left earlier in the year.

She had a big parcel, with two framed pictures each, of the lunch with the Princess. One already graced the wall of her office. She told us that if we left one, it would be added to the wall of our room for us to look at next year. We agreed, and I said that it would be one of mine, as Geraldine had her home and the London apartment that cried out for one each.

We had a nice lunch, and then the head gave us each an envelope.

“These are your results for the end of first year. You have both done very well, especially with the other things that you had going on. Geraldine, with you now focussing more, you have improved across the board. Alice, you did keep up your standard.”

I took my envelope and put it in my bag. It would be impolite and unladylike to open it now.

“That reminds me, Headmistress. If you watched our opponents closely last night, you would have seen that Mel clearly showed poise and balance that belied her strong build. Her CV says that she did ballet dancing as a younger girl. We were wondering if we can join the dance group for some basic training. I felt flat-footed when I played her the first time.”

“Of course we can organise that. With your agility, I expect that you’ll only need one evening a week, which would cut into your other exercise evenings, but dance is just another form of exercise. There will be a note on your bed when you arrive in September. What are you doing for summer?”

“We have the Hamburg event from a week’s time, then we’re taking it easy until the last week of August, when we’ll be playing in the Surrey Championships. I’ll be taking driving lessons and hoping to pass my test, so allowing me to look for a car. There may be events that our sponsors want to have us at, but we have nothing organised. The one event that should be fun is tomorrow evening, at the club.”

She laughed.

“I can predict a lot of food and drink, music and dancing, with a big picture of the two of you in those Eastbourne dresses for you to unveil and sign. That will be followed by selfies into the early hours. It’s not every day that two players from the same club do what you’ve done in the last few weeks.”

That made me think. With everything else that had been going on, It never occurred to me how much it would boost the club. No wonder we would be celebrated tomorrow evening. Geraldine asked about our new roommate next term.

“That one has fallen through. Her father was deposed, and the family had to flee the country with whatever they could carry. Of course, he had put money in banks around the world, but, for the moment, staying out of sight is their number one priority. For the moment, you’ll remain as just the two of you.”

When we left the school, there were some other girls milling about and we waved to them as we slowly drove away. A little way further on, she pulled over and we put the plates on.

“Come on, Alice. Let’s go for a drive. Two anonymous girls in a sports car. Where do you want to go?”

“It’s funny. After all our hotel and restaurant meals in the last three weeks of living healthily, I really fancy a pizza. Let’s go into Tunbridge and find a pizza place.”

“Great idea! Drive on, young Alice, and let’s fall off the wagon for one meal.”

We found the pizza place, ate something unhealthy but enjoyable, then wandered the main shops, both coming away with a couple of outfits that would suit a couple of girls flying to Hamburg. We stayed at the house over Saturday, putting on our Eastbourne dresses for the party. It was as the head predicted, a lot of food and drink, a DJ and dancing, with the unveiling of a picture of us as taken after our big win. There were lots of selfies with us and most of the club members.

We joined the parents at their church on Sunday, creating a bit of a storm when someone recognised us. For the first three days of the week, we exercised in the morning, and I had driving lessons in the afternoon, with much of the time with me having to lose some of the bad habits I had developed. On Wednesday, I told the instructor to skip two weeks and that I’ll be trying to get to exam level after that, with him picking me up on the Tuesday.

On Thursday, we spent most of the day in our new training outfits at the club, playing each other and anyone else who were brave enough to stand at the other end, man or woman. On Friday, we had suitcases and our big sports bags on a plane to Hamburg from Gatwick. June was with us, but Tony was back at his main job with the club. Our Wimbledon money had come through and we had enough for all costs of the trip.

June was taking the job seriously and had booked us into a reasonable hotel within walking distance of the venue. The courts were red clay, similar to some of the other courts we’d played on. Our first singles matches were on Tuesday morning, against a two opponents that we’d never met before. Which meant that they had never met us, and our biggest reputation was losing a doubles match at Wimbledon. That also held true for ninety percent of the field.

We both breezed through our first matches in straight six-four sets. Wednesday, we won our two singles matches first thing in the morning and the doubles match later on, as the first match of the evening. Thursday, we repeated the three wins, all quarter final matches. Friday, our only match was the doubles semi-final. Saturday, we had the singles semi-finals, which we lost. My opponent was an Asian girl who was in the top ten but had been sick during Wimbledon. Geraldines’ opponent had a surname about fifteen letters long, with very few of them vowels. Sunday, we won the doubles final, first thing in the morning

We had done well for a week in the sun, taking away around thirty-six thousand Euro each. After that, we flew home and had most of a month before the county championships. I spent a lot of time with the driving instructor and passed my test.

Geraldine took me to the BMW dealer in Guildford where she had bought her car and I fell in love with a low-mileage four-twenty hardtop, in a deep red, a few years old and twenty-two thousand pounds. We rang June and organised for her to transfer the amount directly to the dealer with them giving it a pre-delivery service and clean. We went back, late the next day, and I drove away in my very first car, free and clear. When Sandra saw mine, she organised for a photographer to visit, and there were pictures taken of the two of us in our special outfits that were given to us after Wimbledon, with my red BMW, Geraldines’ blue BMW, and Sandras’ white one in the middle. Leaning against the middle cars’ front bumper was a framed page from one of the newspapers, with the bold headline of ‘The Future of British Tennis’.

Our next event, and the last before we went back to school, was the Surrey County Championships, to be held in London, at the All-England Community Sports Ground. This was for ranking points and titles only and began with the first rounds on the first Sunday, with the finals on the next Sunday. It was only open to players registered in Surrey, so that thinned the field to our advantage.

At the end of the week, Geraldine had added the County Championship to her CV, along with the two of us as the womens’ doubles champions. I had been knocked out by the girl that Geraldine beat in the final. As far as we were concerned, that was it for the year. Any matches in our break times were overseas or indoors. I had driven us to London for the championships and had been in touch with my Aunt Gloria beforehand. After we had finished with an evening in our hotel, with our friends joining us for a party, the next day I was driving us down to Brighton.

We did the text thing when we got near, and Uncle Maurice was waiting on the corner when we arrived. I popped the boot and Geraldine got out to point out the bags. He put them on the pavement and then reached in with the car park token. I went off to park. When I got back to the hotel, Gloria greeted me with a hug.

“Welcome back, Alice. My, haven’t you grown up and done well since you were last here. I’ve put the two of you in a twin room. Your friend told me that you share at school, so it works out. I’ll need it Thursday, though.”

“That’s perfect, Aunt Gloria. We will need to go then to get back to school in time for our first week of second year. I’ll pay your usual rate for the room.”

“Oh no you won’t. If you came here from a championship, you could put your playing kit on and both of you stand with me and your uncle for a photo. I’ve got a professional coming in on Tuesday morning. The picture will be fast-tracked so that you can both sign it, before it goes up behind the bar. We had the whole hotel full of guests watching you in that Wimbledon match, all of them you’ve met, and all of them almost in tears with that final point.”

“I’ll need to go back to the car and get our outfits from the playing bags. They’ll both need to go through the wash before the picture. Do you have a shopping bag that I can take.”

She found a bag and I went back to the car to retrieve the two outfits. I got them into the wash and went up to the room that we’d been given. Geraldine was looking out the window.

“This is swish, Alice. Better than most of the hotels we’ve stayed in.”

“That’s because it’s an executive hotel, for those visiting the shops. We’re getting it free until Thursday morning, in exchange for a selfie to go over the bar. This is where I met Miss Foster for the first time. Come along, I’ll take you over the road. It’s more than a parking station.”

I took her across the road and up the escalator into the wonderland of shops. We wandered around, having to stop for photos next to the life-size ones at the sports shop for quite a while as the staff had selfies and the public took the opportunity to join in. We got back to the hotel with more shopping bags than we should have.

Over the next few days, we relaxed. The photo was taken and was back in time for us to sign to be framed for its home behind the bar. We signed another for the photographer to go on his celebrity wall in his studio. I showed Geraldine around the sights and the shops of Brighton. We took my relatives out for dinner while Jan offered to come in and do the bar job, in return for her own selfie.

On Thursday morning, we packed and took our cases to the car, with another trip needed for the extras that we now had. My uncle and aunt hugged us both and told me not to be a stranger. Gloria came with us to the exit and was there to take the card as we came out, giving us a wave and air-kiss as we left for our drive to Godalming, with Geraldine at the wheel.

Marianne Gregory © 2026