Chapter 11

Mum and John were with us until Saturday, turning the visit into a couple of days exploring the city, a place that was bringing Mum out of her small-town life, now ready to embrace a new future with the man she loved.

Sally and I went with them at times but gave them plenty of space to be themselves, away from the usual crowds in Braintree. I think that those few days did something to them, as our time here had done to us. It allowed them to fully sense that there was another world, with other opportunities. It was a mother that I remembered as a toddler that left us that Saturday. She smiled more than I had seen for the last dozen years. John seemed to have gained a new sense of purpose as well.

On the Monday afternoon, the five of us flew business class to New York, where we were taken to our hotel in a stretch limo. Over the course of the two weeks, we had meet and greets in each of the four fashion outlets, and a couple of fashion shows in each place. We met a lot of their customers, some at every occasion, and signed so many ‘special event programs’ that we all had stiff fingers. We ate well, we saw some of the sights, and we were treated like queens.

From there, it was first class to Tokyo and more of the same. Many weeks later, we had a short flight from Paris to Gatwick. For Sally and I, we had been to places we had only read about in schoolbooks, had met a lot of influential people, and had earned sixty thousand pounds while we were being royally looked after. The five of us had been taken to parties and made a lot of contacts. We met upper management from other manufacturers of clothing, shoes and accessories. I had a plastic sandwich bag with about fifty business cards in when I unpacked.

I hadn’t taken my phone with me and turned it on when I had some time. There were several notifications of missed calls, many from private numbers, but a few from one I knew. I rang it to speak to Mum.

“Hi, Mum, We’re home again. What’s up?”

“Did you have a good trip?”

“We did. There was a lot of walking up and down with fabulous clothes on, answering a lot of questions and fending off brash guys whose only reason to talk to me was to get me into bed with them. We had three experienced models to give us tips on how to do things, and we got pretty good with it.”

“That’s good. The reason I rang earlier, was to see if you can find time to come to our wedding. It will be at the registrar in Braintree next Saturday at three. Reception at the hotel we went to on your first night after Christmas, and then we’re off on a honeymoon to Devon where we’ll be looking at properties. John is keen to follow through with his artistic plans. He has done a few pictures and he’s quite good.”

“All right. We’ll organise a car and driver and stay at the Travelodge Saturday night. I’m so happy for you. Anything special for a wedding gift?”

“Hold off until we get somewhere to live, and then you can get us a toaster or something. Just a card will be all that will be needed, for appearance sake.”

“All right, we’ll see you there on the big day. It’s not every day your mother gets married.”

We had a little time of to recover from the trip. I went into the stationers and got a card to give to Mum and a card holder to store all the business cards. We spoke to Jerry about getting a car for the weekend to go to Braintree. He volunteered to drive us in one of the company cars as long as we supplied food and accommodation. We booked two rooms at the hotel and then looked through our wardrobe for something to wear at the wedding and reception. We were, after all, now famous models.

The only other thing that happened was a meeting with Mavis, which Yvonne also attended. It had been noted how strongly the press were supporting me, with constant reports from our trip and photos from some of the shows. We were now four months into the six-month contract, and Yvonne was working to secure our future. The four main outlets were behind us, and we didn’t need to say very much as a deal was thrashed out.

The result staggered us, as we would get ten thousand a week to the end of the contract, and the next one would see us as faces of the outlets for the next two years, at two million a year, each. All four companies, as well as the store, were extremely happy about Theone and the attention she had attracted. When we signed the contracts, we would both get a hundred and fifty thousand as a signing bonus.

With our future confirmed, we postponed any ideas about a family until the end of the two years. One thing that we were certain of was that we would be working hard over that period, with fashion shoots and shows. We were booked for Milan, New York, Paris and London, as well as Tokyo, Dubai and Shanghai. Prada was the biggest contributor to our income, and we were to be highlights in their shows more than the others, also featuring their top-end, Italian-made shoe range.

On Saturday morning, Jerry picked us up and drove us to Braintree, possibly for the last time. We checked into the hotel and left our bags in their store, as we wouldn’t be able to get the room until after three, so were already dressed for the wedding. We went and had lunch in Fowlers Farm, maybe overdressed for the venue and getting a lot of attention. I was in full Theone mode today, and that created a scene wherever we went. It certainly created attention at the Registry Office, where the local paper had a reporter and photographer to record the wedding of a local businessman, not expecting that the brides’ daughter would attend. Sallys’ parents had been invited, so it was good to catch up with them as well.

After the wedding, we checked into our rooms, gave Jerry money to get his own dinner at The House, and freshened up. He escorted us to the reception, basking in the attention of some of the locals taking pictures of him with a famous model on each arm. It was an interesting event, with the two of us treated as part of the wedding party. Bernard didn’t attend, John telling us that his son wasn’t happy at his father transferring his attention to ‘that woman’.

Everyone who we wanted to meet were at the reception, so we left the hotel after breakfast and said our silent goodbyes to Braintree, for ever. The announcement of our new contracts hadn’t been made yet, so the attention was still around the campaign that was still running.

On Monday morning, we were in Milan for Fashion Week with the three girls, and then we were at the airport to fly to La Palma, to join the four guys for the photo shoot. The weather was perfect when we arrived, met by Manny and his crew, who had been there a week, looking for suitable sites. Outfits and accessories had been airfreighted in and were in a leased storage shed, along with the hired bus and the vans that the crew had driven there with their gear. Manny admitted that it had been like a paid holiday, driving through France and Spain and then onto the ferry to the island.

We spent March in sunshine and summer outfits, going to a different site every couple of days. We worked, but not that hard, having enough time to get things perfect without the stress of a time limit. Us girls made sure we got a nice tan but used the power of lotions to keep us from burning. There’s never been a fashion advert where the model has peeling skin.

When the shoot was wound up, we had a big dinner in our hotel to celebrate. The next day, the other models flew back to England. Sally and I were staying on for a few days and helped Manny and his crew pack up. He showed us some of the pictures that he really liked and emailed them to our laptops in London. When they were on the ferry back to the mainland, Sally and I were heading for the airport. We were flying to Florence, where we were to be met by someone from Prada. We would be spending a couple of weeks visiting their manufacturing sites. It was really interesting, seeing the clothes being made, talking to designers and seeing sketches for the autumn, winter, and even next year’s fashion ideas.

I was particularly interested in the shoe factory, with my years working with a boot last in the Kiosk. I had several good conversations with the production managers about shoe design and manufacturing methods. In my time in the Kiosk, I had several pairs of high-end shoes brought to me that were impossible to renew, because the leather sole was the whole of the sole, and a resole was impossible unless you were a fully equipped cobbler. I joked that the company may lose some money by making shoes that would be able to be easily repaired but may gain more customers from a less rich clientele.

At the end of that visit, we were driven to a place that has its own legendary status. We walked the runways for four days of the Monte Carlo Fashion week, wearing some of the outfits that we had worn during the shoot last month, as it was aimed at resort wear. We had a few days back in London when we signed the contracts.

After that, we were back in Florence as guests of Gucci, to look at their factories. While we were there, we met with some of the upper management of the holding company, Kering, which also owned Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ginori 1735 as well as Kering Eyewear and Kering Beauté. They were keen for us to transfer our allegiance and were disappointed that we had committed ourselves for another two years. They said that they would talk to the other partners and see if we could wear some of their other ranges outside of Britain.

We had a few weeks back in the store, looking good and talking to customers in the concessions. Then we were off again, back to Florence for the Pitti Immagine Uomo, as hostesses for the big trade show for menswear, which some of our employers also sold.

A week later, we were back again for the Pitti Immagine Filati, another trade show aimed at showing yarns and materials.

A few days later, we were in Paris for the Haute Couture Week, in fabulous fashions and meeting a lot of other professional models, some nice, some not so nice. We had another couple of weeks back in the store, and then we were off again to visit Prada stores in America, firstly a week in Miami, another week in Las Vegas, and then a fortnight in Los Angeles.

For all of August, we were in Europe and further north, starting in Copenhagen, followed a couple of days later by Oslo, and then Stockholm before back to Amsterdam. It was a hectic time, with just a couple of days between events. We were scheduled to be in New York for their fashion week in the beginning of September, but things had changed, and I was unlikely to be allowed into the country with my old passport and my new identity.

Sally was, by now a well-respected model in her own right, having been in so many shoots and shows with me, so she went off to New York while I stayed in London, helping our employers to prepare for the London Fashion Week. I caught up with missed calls and unanswered emails. Mum and John had found a place to live in Saint Just, Cornwall, on the Cape Cornwall Road and within a couple of miles of the rugged west coast. There was a thriving artist group in the area, several galleries, and they had fitted in well.

There were other calls that were mainly from scammers, but there were a few emails that were worth replying to. A couple from the contacts that we had made. One of the problems in the industry was the imposition of tariffs, so dropping the sales to the USA and messing up the trade between almost everywhere. I wasn’t the only one being barred, with others unable to work in the US due to their sexuality, while others it was due to their politics. The whole world of trade was shifting, and the fashion business wasn’t avoiding the fall-out. I had been invited to talk with a group of Prada managers after we had finished the Paris show in the beginning of October, before we did another winter and spring shoot at the end of that month. That one would be the first anniversary of our career. I forwarded that one to Mavis, with a note asking her what she thought. We had a talk while at the venue for the fashion show. Mavis told me to go and see them but to talk to her on behalf of the other partners before I committed to anything.

Sally came back from the New York show with all the gossip. Nobody in New York was happy with the way things were going. The numbers of tourists in town was at an all-time low, and the prices of everything was going up, even things locally made, as local producers took advantage at the lack of cheaper opposition.

The London event was weird and wonderful as usual, with many trying to capture the imagination for the following year, and as usual, most falling short. We mainly showed the outfits that we would wear in the shoot in a month or so and they were well received. The following day, we were in Milan for their show, mainly wearing Prada and the same outfits with a few extras. After that, it was Paris again, the last big show of the year, where we mainly wore Chanel and Dior.

We flew from Paris to Florence to attend the meeting. When we walked in, we were both greeted warmly and sat at the conference table. One of the upper management stood up and spoke in Italian. We had an interpreter between us.

“Today, we are here to talk about the troubles that recent trade problems have brought us. We are losing sales in the US, as well as countries that are behind them with the trade wars. We don’t know what to think, as we may come up with a solution to find that the goalposts have been shifted again. When Harriette was here, some months ago, she spoke to one of our line managers about making shoes that could be easily re-soled and heeled. For a while, he thought that it was a joke, but passed it on to a sales manager who thought about it. Harriette, how did you think of this?”

“I spent three years in a kiosk, doing engraving and shoe repairs. Most of the shoes that were brought to me were the usual that could be given a new life. Some had been bought at op-shops with the purchaser thinking they had a bargain once they had been repaired, only for me to tell them that they were worn out and that the sole was an integral part of the design. I would have to advise them to find a cobbler with the tools and experience, or else return them to the factory. Most would just drop them in a bin on the way out.”

“Have you anymore that you’d like to add?”

“Yes. I’ve had several talks with the manager at the shoe concession in the store, and I’ve had a look at the stock. You, like Louboutin, do very nice shoes with a life of the leather sole. I know you do some shoes with replaceable soles, but as I said, they need to be returned or worked on by a specialist. Good cobblers aren’t easy to find these days, and the market is usually served by booths in shopping centres. You may get a new group of customers who want to keep their shoes for a lot longer if you marketed a line with easier repair. I thought that you could make a shoe where the leather sole is attached to a thin synthetic layer and can be removed and replaced. Heels are easy, but the sole is the problem area.”

“That sounds doable. What do you guys think?”

One of them raised his biro.

“It’s a reasonable idea, sir, but we’ll lose new shoe sales if they can get them repaired at booths.”

“OK. Harriette?”

“If the customer is treated as someone special, they would buy again without looking around. If you had someone in the store who has been trained, you just need a last in a back room, plus the usual tools. As far as stock goes, you’re only repairing your own product, so you only need those spares, and you don’t have to supply the soles outside the company. By getting the soles in larger numbers, you can lower the cost. Now, if the customer had walked in wearing those shoes, they would be in the store, in stockinged feet, while the repair is being made. What else will she do but try new shoes on. You could even make the repairs free, or the cost taken off future purchases.”

“Point taken. How about production?”

One of the others grinned.

“It would take a while to add the equipment, sir. We can make the product in the same way, just replacing the usual sole with one that will take the extra layer. We’ll need to extend the line with machinery to add pre-glued soles, and then a station that cures the glue. Beyond that, it’s much the same.”

“Timeline?”

“Twelve to eighteen months to make the changes. The machinery will need to be designed, built and tested. We’ll also need to find a good glue that will hold strongly, but also be able to be overcome to do the repair. I’m sure that there are plenty on the market already.”

“What will we tell the franchise managers?”

“We could trial it in one of our outlets and see how it plays out, hand making a small run of shoes and having focus groups discuss it. Then roll it out where it can do most help. A lot depends on how well they feel when they’re worn.”

“OK. I’ll talk to the money men to work out a budget. If we hand make a number, we can have them worn in parades next year to see how they work, and more importantly, if the reporters pick up the difference in looks. I think we’ll have lunch. We’ve done well, this morning. Thank you, girls, for coming to talk with us.”

Before we left, they gave us a dozen pairs of shoes, six in my size and six in Sallys’. Back in London, we had a short break before a photo shoot on the spring and summer store collection. We didn’t have to go far, as it was to be shot in Carlyle’s House, in Chelsea. It wasn’t as grand as the venue last year, but was chosen to reflect the new world situation, and to show elegance without ostentation. It was a full week, with our usual models, and we spent the rest of the year in the store, ending with the carols by the tree.

Sally and I clubbed together and bought a car, an Audi Q3, keeping it in the under-store garage. We took the odd weekend away from Knightsbridge, going down to the southern coast for a little time away. Seeing that we had been working for a little over a year, we were told that we would have three weeks off after the close of business on Christmas Eve. I contacted Mum and arranged to go to Saint Just for a couple of weeks.

We booked two weeks at the Commercial Hotel, so as to not be a burden on the others, as Mum had advised me that their spare room was being used as a studio. We were to be Harry and Sally Sharpe for the whole week. In the weeks before the break, I went around to the menswear outlets to buy some boxers, shirts and jeans, ‘for some cousins’ One Saturday, we went to another shopping centre with me in a male wig and I got a couple of good knits and a leather biker jacket, as well as a couple of pairs on new shoes and a pair of boots if there was snow on the ground.

Christmas day, we had lunch in the executive dining room, with a different feel from last year. We were now considered as ambassadors for the store, with our big list of contacts and our closer friendship with our employers than the usual model. We had another year and a bit with our contract, and there were murmurings about the renewal. I wasn’t so sure that Theone would be as interesting to the press by then, and we were starting to think seriously about our life from that time. Yes, the career had been fun, as well as hard work and a constant need to be looking like a successful top model. I was sure that something may come along to fill our time.

Sally removed the brows and lashes on Boxing Day, replacing the brows with more manly bushes, and the short wig was glued directly to my scalp, so I needed to wash it every few days. We packed our cases for the holiday, Sally with a range of warm clothes, and me with just my male items and a toiletry bag with new male deodorant. I had also been speaking to Manny about a good camera for a total amateur and that was now wrapped in my new pyjamas. We locked the apartment and took our bags down. Sally went and got our car, and we loaded the bags in and set off.

We had allowed two days to travel to Saint Just, and we spent that night in the Kings Arms Hotel in Dorchester. The next day we arrived at the Commercial Hotel. This was going to be the longest period of me not being Theone. I was finding the clothes a bit heavier and coarse, so Sally gave me a camisole to wear under the shirt, which helped.

The two weeks in Saint Just was like being on another planet. John took us around to the various special places where he and others liked to paint. I took lots of pictures of the scenery and our group. We were taken to the various galleries. Mum even had a few for sale. New Year was sitting in the hotel lounge, watching the fireworks on the TV. We explored the local area, from Lands’ End to Truro, had lots of meals in lots of places, along with lots of laughs. It allowed John to come to grips with me, as Harry, and not a famous woman.

On the Friday before we left, Sally and I were taken to the Registry in Truro, where we were married, with Mum and John as the witnesses. They took us to a good restaurant for a very small reception. This was something that we would keep very quiet, with the main memento being our certificate and the pictures that John had taken on my camera.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 12

On our way home, we spoke about setting down roots of our own and talked about places where we would like to live. When our contract expired, we would lose the use of the apartment unless we re-signed, so would need to get a place of our own. Of course, by then we would have over four million in our banks. We had only splashed out on the car and a few trinkets, and our expenses were all paid for by the employers when we travelled.

We already knew what we were expected to do during the year. When we returned to work, we would be in Paris for the first Haute Couture for the year. Then Sally would be in New York for the first two weeks of February, while I helped set up our London Week after that. We would go directly from London to Milan and then back to Paris in early March.

It all played out as expected, with the odd day off between shows, and a whole new range of looks to promote. We had a week in the store between Milan and Paris. After Paris, we were into another shoot for the summer collections, over the end of March and into April. This time, there were another two teams and an extra three female models joining the group that had worked together last year. The three were all new to the business and I could tell that they wouldn’t take long to be taking centre stage.

The shoot was a lot of outfits for younger girls, and Sally and I tended to be given the more mature clothing. We didn’t mind, we were getting paid whatever they wanted to show us in. We were based in Seville, in southern Spain and travelled to other places to get the pictures. Marbella, Malaga, Calahonda, Grenada, the scenery was wonderful and the buildings perfect for the aims of the shoot. We had a great four weeks and were then back in London.

As we moved through the middle of the year, the new models went to the lesser shows, while we did more modelling in-house. In the beginning of July, we were back in France for the second Haute Couture show of the year. In August, we were asked to attend a special event at the Bicester Village. They picked us up at the apartment and took us to the Premier Inn at Bicester, near Oxford. I was wondering if we had really hit rock bottom by doing a show in a shopping village. When we were taken across the road, we discovered that it wasn’t like any other village we’d ever seen.

It was an up-market discount outlet. Not only was there the biggest Prada shop in the country, but there were outlets that rivalled the list in the store, from Gucci and Vivienne Westwood to Louboutin and Gina. It was a lot to take in as we did our walk-through. I almost had a giggle as I walked by Dior and Versace, Lacoste and Valentino.

Over a full month, we did fashion presentations in Prada, Dior, Gucci, as well as those in the same family as Gucci; Vivienne Westwood, Saint Laurant, Bottega Veneta, McQueen and Brioni. We were well accepted, we had fun, we helped sell a lot of products and we met a lot of nice people from more ordinary backgrounds than those in the main stores. It made me think that my shoe idea would gain traction here. I ended up with a lot more business cards for my collection.

We spent a lot of time with the manager of the Prada store, looking at the displays and discussing fashion trends and the worries about world trade. He told us that he had been in charge of the store for last fifteen years of the thirty years since the first part of the village opened. I took a special note of the layout towards the back, with the storerooms and the delivery area. I kept my thoughts to myself. If this was typical of the layout, usual with an international company, there would be room for a small repair area.

In September, we were back into the Fashion Week cycle. Sally was off to New York again, while I spent time in the store and helping out with our London Week organisation. After London, we were in Milan, followed by Paris once more, into early October.

After Paris, we were asked back to Italy to see what was happening with the shoe idea. They had made a large batch of shoes which they had been showing to focus groups to get the idea of what would work. They had also worked on the best glues and solvents to make repair easy. For what they had learned, they hadn’t spent a lot. That would come when they put out tenders for the appropriate machinery. So far, we were told, it all looked as if it was likely to be an interesting addition to the product line. We were given a couple of pairs of the trial product to take home and use, with a questionnaire to fill in every week.

The rest of the year was almost identical to the previous one. We did a photo shoot for next seasons’ lines, once again holding back on the extravagance. This time, we were in Oxford, and were given access to some of the university buildings. That took up three weeks, with the new girls carrying more load. Mavis told Sally and I to mentor them, with an aim of grooming them to be as capable and amenable as we are. The store was hedging their bets in case we didn’t re-sign.

The end of the year saw the new girls take the place of the other three in the carol singing. They complained a lot about this not being what they signed on for. We had to tell them that the store was their employer, and if it wants them to sing, then they ask, ‘what tune?’ There would be plenty of time for them on the runways around the world next year. After the first week, they settled down and did what was required of them. Their time was just around the corner, and the next round of Fashion Weeks will see them hoping for a day off.

We all had Christmas lunch together, with Sally and I knowing that it would be our last one here. Mavis announced that she was going to retire at the end of the financial year, with Carol taking her place. After the meal, we were having a drink and Carol came over to us.

“In all my years of working with models, I can tell that you’re thinking that this is the end of the line for you. Are you going to re-sign?”

“I doubt it, Carol. We’re becoming yesterdays’ news very quickly. These new girls reflect the sign of the times. We’ve had a good run, but Theone is old hat, and there may be another out there waiting to be front page.”

“What are you going to do?”

“We want to start a family.”

“Right! I keep forgetting that you’re still all boy underneath. You’ll have the money, granted, but you’ll need something to keep you interested, after the last couple of years.”

“Something will come up, I’m sure. Maybe in the next three weeks while we’re on holiday we’ll have a brilliant idea.”

After Christmas day, we got the car out and went down to Cornwall, to visit Mum and Stepdad. When we came back, we brought a couple of their paintings back with us, purchased from one of the local galleries. After that, we had an Uber take us to Heathrow, and we were off, in first class to Milan, where we were picked up by a driver and taken to Sonder Manzoni Apartments, were we were taken to our room for the stay that we had been invited to.

We left our bags in the apartment and the driver then took us the rest of the way to the headquarters of the Prada Group. The first room we walked into was the executive dining room, where we were wined and dined in a group of senior managers, who all spoke English and asked us about our career and our hopes and dreams. I felt as if we were in a job interview, which was made clear that afternoon. We were ushered into an office of the Managing Director, who sat us at seats overlooking the Via Antonio Fogazzaro. We were given a glass of wine, Italian, of course, and he sat beside us and smiled.

“Harriette and Sally. I have been following your career with interest. You leapt into the limelight with your wonderful ability to be any model we ask for, within reason and within your physical dimensions. You have never been directly employed by the Group, but you have both been friends of Prada, with your appearances and, so I’m told, your input with our shoe division.”

He took a sip of his drink.

“What I want to talk to you about is your plans for when your current contract ends, at the end of May. Can I ask what you intend to do?”

“We don’t know, sir. We’re slowly becoming last year’s news, and there are some new girls who will take our place in the store by that time. We want to start a family and settle down. I can’t see us doing the rounds of the fashion weeks for years to come. We fell into this life almost by accident, but it was never part of my childhood dreams. I suppose that Sally would have thought about it, as any girl would.”

“Would you consider working for us?”

I looked at Sally, who smiled and nodded, so I looked back at him.

“We would certainly consider it, sir. It depends on what you have in mind.”

“You both spent some time at Bicester, last year. The manager of our store there was very impressed with both of you and your calm attitude and attention to detail. He told you, I expect, that he was approaching retirement. If he retires at the end of the financial year, would you, Harriette, shadow him from May to the end of June, and then promote one of the staff to manage the store while you remain as the overseer. You would be a member of our management group and well paid.”

“That would certainly be something that I’ll think very seriously about, sir.”

“That’s good. Now, Sally. Last year, we bought Versace, and there is a store in that village as well. The staff there will be expecting some changes. We’re thinking of keeping them all on, including the current manager, but we’re toying with the idea of having an upper manager to help them integrate with our group. Say, someone with a strong fashion background, such as a famous model who has done the hard yards but is still young enough to adapt to changing times. Will you consider that?”

Sally was flustered and looked at me with eyes wide. I smiled and nodded.

“That’s a surprise, sir. That would give me time to start a family, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course. You won’t have to be in the store all day and every day, just to be on hand to hold hands and give guidance. There will be changes to the range, and you’ll be expected to come to Milan on a regular basis to see what’s coming up. You’ll both be expected to sit with our team at several of the big shows. If you agree, with your background, you’ll also act as the overseer of the L’Oreal store in the village. Now, if you want, I’ll be here to talk to all week. Take your time, talk to our marketing guys, talk to our designers, talk it over and come back to me with your decision before you leave. If you say yes, we’ll supply background information for you to read up on the history and aims of the Group. Thank you for coming to see us and I look forward to speaking with you again. Let my secretary know when you’re ready.”

We left his office, and his secretary asked us if we wanted the driver or would we rather walk back. Seeing that it was only a few hundred yards, we opted to walk, so we could talk on the way.

“Tomorrow, there will be a couple of the managers from Florence. They asked me to ask if you brought your questionnaires.”

“We did, and will wear the samples when we come in. They have been very comfortable.”

“Can you come back around ten? The receptionist will call the managers that you’re here to take you to the meeting room.”

“All right, we’ll be here.”

We went down to the ground floor and the receptionist gave us a wave as we walked into the open air. To hell with appearances, I hooked my arm with Sallys, and we strolled, quietly, in the afternoon sunshine.

“What did you think of that, love?”

“It was certainly a lot to take in. You the overseer of the Prada store and me overseeing the Versace and the L’Oreal stores. You do realise that we would be more than just managers; we would be the eyes and ears of the Group in the Village, as the managers with direct access and frequent visits here.”

“That’s how I read it as well. You don’t get one of the top executives to do interviews with store staff, although he did sound like he has a good grasp on what is happening.”

“If we do take it on, we’ll be able to buy a place nearby. We’ll need to check the area out for good schools and see about doctors for when we have a baby.”

“You sound as if you’re ready to say yes.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re not. If I was a betting girl, I’d give you odds that the guys from Florence will tell us that the shoe experiment is a going concern, and that Bicester will be the first outlet in the UK to have a workroom installed. I saw you checking out the back area.”

“It would be a good career move, to get us away from the modelling and the inevitable fact that others are coming along to take our place. For what they’re asking of us, I can’t see the salaries being under a hundred thousand a year, plus expenses paid.”

“Once upon a time, that would have been so far in the sky, I would never have thought that I would earn that much in five years. On top of what we’ll have by the time the contract finishes, we’ll be set for life.”

We got back to the apartments and went up to ours. On the way, we asked the concierge about meals, and he gave us a folder with places that delivered. We stripped off, made love and then showered, with the air conditioner keeping the temperature at a level where we could remain naked.

We did, however, put the towelling robes on that we found in the bathroom, and sat with a glass of wine to discuss what had been said. I led off.

“I expect that we’ll have to learn more Italian if we take it on, so that we can talk the talk to the factories and managers.”

“We’ve been lucky that most of the head office have English. It is, after all, the language that most of their customers understand.”

“When we were talking to the shoe production guys in Florence, I could understand the Italian they used for some of the tools and methods because I was able to follow what they wanted to say. It would have been gobbledegook for you, I expect.”

“And there I was, marvelling at your mastery of the language! We’ve been in enough Italian restaurants to order from this menu.”

We chose what we wanted, and she rang the restaurant and ordered. When she was asked for the delivery address, she was told that the meal was being charged to the Prada account. When she put the phone down, I grinned.

“Now, which one of us has a mastery of the language? It’s just that we don’t have qualifications. I doubt that it would take six months for us to be able to converse normally.”

“All right, that could be the case. There’s one other elephant in the room about this move, and that’s the obvious one that they want Harriette, or better still, The One to be in charge. That will mean that you’ll be working as a woman for the rest of your life.”

“I’ve been dressed as a woman for more than ninety percent of the time since we arrived in London that first day. It was an odd feeling at first, but I’ve grown to be comfortable in the clothes, and comfortable being accepted as a woman. Even to the point that I need a cami on under the male clothing as I find it scratchy. The only worry that I have is what our child will make of having a daddy in a dress.”

“By the time she is old enough to ask that question, she would have grown up in a world of dresses and cosmetics. She would think that her parents are normal. If you’re back to Harry at home, that may be the thing that makes her wonder.”

“You talk about her as if you’re sure we’d have a girl.”

“Hey, look at us, both top models, having a boy would be sacrilege!”

“It would be a lot easier if I stayed in character and she grew up with two mummies.”

“That would be the easiest way. We could glue the red hair and make Theone a permanent person. That would stop any accidental exposure of you as Harry in normal business. There’ll be places to go, and people to see, and you, as Theone, will have more authority than Harry Sharpe.”

“I guess you’re right. It would fit the additional picture in my passport. It’s not as if we’d have to go trawling in op-shops to find clothes for me. If I stay the same size, I’ve already got enough to last me years. It will take a big van to move out of the apartment. I guess that days like today will be a thing of the past. How will that affect us?”

“Have you ever heard me complain when your long hair covers my head when we’ve made love with you in Theone mode?”

There was a knock on the door, and I went to the bedroom while Sally picked her bag up and went to answer it. I heard her thank the delivery person and then she called me to come out to eat. The meal was delicious and a couple of glasses of wine later, we were in the big bed and talked about the offer until we drifted off to sleep.

Next morning, we again dressed like top models, wore our test shoes and made sure that we had the questionnaires in our bags. There was enough in the kitchen for a ‘continental breakfast’ and we strolled back to the office to be there at ten. By that time, we were almost committed to agreeing to work with the Group, but not until the other factors had been discussed.

The guys from Florence took us to a meeting room, where there were a few others, including a couple of women who looked like they may be part of the sales force, by the papers and flyers that were on the table in front of them. The main man that had spoken to us before opened the conversation.

“Thank you for being here. Did you bring your homework?”

We handed him our filled in papers. He looked at them and smiled.

“This is almost exactly what others have reported. How often have you worn the shoes?”

“As much as we could. We have them on today and have worn them as our everyday wear when we travelled. The slightly thicker sole makes them easier to wear over a long day.”

“Excellent! I can tell you that it has been agreed that we will move into production of a limited range, aimed at the clients that may not have the resources that our richer ones have. In deference to you, Harriette, it will be known as the ‘Theone Range’ and advertising will be along the line of ‘The One Shoe to last you a Lifetime.’ If sales take off, we may use ‘The One Shoe to Rule Them All’. We will only add them to stores where we have the biggest sales through the internet at first. That will mean that Bicester will be the only store in England to carry them.”

“We thought that it would be likely. I did have a look at the back area there, are other stores built to the same floor plan?”

“Mostly, when we’ve built new ones. The concessions, of course, are limited by the store that they’re in. We’re in the process of adding to our production line in Florence, as well as building a new manufacturing facility in America to avoid the tariffs. That one would be useful, even if the tariffs are lifted, as it would avoid supply chain problems. Connie has some advertising material that we’ve put together to show you.”

One of the women handed us a stack of flyers to advertise the shoes. Theone, and The One, were heavily promoted. I looked at him.

“If I’m not mistaken, sir, all this looks as if it won’t work unless we’re working under the Prada Group banner. We were asked to think about working for you in Bicester, yesterday, but this would be a whole new level, with it needing me to be the face, and foot, of the shoe.”

“Absolutely correct, Harriette. I have been authorised to instruct you that you would be paid the same as your current contract if you agree to join us. Sally would be on her current salary with her new role, adding her support of you as you both travel the world to promote the line, as well as the rest of our shoe and bag range. We think that it’s very likely that the two of you will be integral to our new promotions, especially the Versace and L’Oreal lines. You have the brains, experience, and the star quality to make good ambassadors of the Group. I hope that it helps you when you next see our Managing Director.”

“It certainly will. Now, are you going to tell us about the new production processes and the likely layout of the work room in the stores?”

We were with them for more than an hour after that. With the discussion being a mixture of English for the normal conversation and Italian with the specialised engineering and procedures, which I had already been able to pick up from previous talks in Florence. After that, we moved to the executive dining room for lunch. We sat with the two sales ladies, who were very excited about putting together a world-wide promotion of a completely new range, something that doesn’t come up every day. They had good English, and we were able to understand each other. I did realise that these two would be integral in the promotion and we needed to be on the same page as them if we were to make it work. They were thinking that the initial push would be over two or more years to make the Theone brand a household name around the world.

When we had finished eating and talking, Connie and her friend, Isabella, offered to show us some of the sights of Milan that we wouldn’t have seen when we’d been here for shows. While we waited for her to bring her car to the doors, Sally and I had a very short conversation, and I asked the receptionist if she could talk to the Managing Directors’ secretary to organise another meeting with him. She said that there would be a note delivered to the apartment with a time.

Connie and Isabella took us to the big cathedral, and then to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, where we wandered familiar shops and caused a stir. I may have thought that my star was fading, but the two of us out among normal Milanese shoppers, showed us that we were still high in their regard.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 13

We had dinner with Connie and Isabella in a small restaurant where they were known and talked about the likely campaign. They had a lot of experience and had already mapped out the likely destinations of our travels, following the European, and then the world-wide advertising.

What surprised us was when Connie looked around and lowered her voice.

“Harriette, we will organise an Italian passport for you. It will be a proper one, with a new picture and the magic ‘F’. It will be in the name of Harriette Edwina Sharpe. You will have the contact address of an apartment that you will be using whenever you come to Milan, which will be often. It will be official and will allow you to enter America in a couple of years, about the time we’ll be ready for that market. Hopefully, most of the craziness will be less by then. There will be another, easier one, for Sally.”

“If you can do that, Sally is now legally Sally Sharpe. We’ve been married for a year.”

“That’s news! I expect that we’re now part of a very small circle.”

“You’re only the fifth and sixth to know. Not even Sallys’ parents have been told.”

We got to know the two women over the meal and wine. They had worked for Prada since they had graduated from the School of Management, part of the University of Milan. They had spoken some English since learning it in High School, and it had been helpful in organising promotional material for outside of Italy. We were told that the office were all betting that we would sign a contract, which they had heard would be for ten years.

Back in our room, I had to give out the laugh that I had been holding inside. Sally wanted to know what was so funny.

“We have an appointment with the MD tomorrow, yet we have been given all the information we needed to decide today. We’ve been told that our pay will be the same as our current contract, and it would be for five years with a second five as an option. I’ll be expected to remain in character for all those years, and we’ll be travelling as much as we have been, but this time in the audience.”

“Don’t forget, we’ll be expected to be picking up on trends and new directions while we’re doing all this, as well as keeping an eye on the Village stores.”

“So, we’ll just have to make sure we keep records. I’ve never kept a diary, but it will come in handy. This is all so exciting, something that gets into you, being part of creating trends, rather than following them.”

“And creating a completely new brand of shoes.”

Next morning, we walked over to the office and were shown into the office, where the MD greeted us with a smile.

“Welcome back! Have we fed you enough information to decide?”

“You have, sir. I don’t think that there was much left to say.”

“Just one thing that you’ll need to do before May, and that’s to learn some more Italian, so that you can talk to the workers in our factories and offices. We’ll supply you with a program for your laptops, and there’s a teacher in London, who’ll visit you in Knightsbridge on weekends to listen to how you’re getting on.”

“We do have a smattering already.”

“More than a smattering, if I’ve been informed correctly. Now, I have a pair of forward dated contracts. If you sign them today, you’ll get new laptops with encrypted communications software. We’ll be able to keep you informed of developments with our plans for the different facets of your future responsibilities.”

“If you allow us to read the paperwork, sir, we’ll sign.”

“Very good. My secretary has them and will show you to a quiet space where you can read. Take your time. When you’re ready go back to her and she’ll call me to come and witness your signatures. If you have any problems with how you’re being treated, give her a call to sort things out.”

We were given the contracts and went off to look through them. They were dated on the day after our current ones finished and were for five years, with an option to continue for another five. We were to be employed as ‘Promotional Ambassadors’.

“If we sign these, we’re committed for up to ten years.”

“It’s a guaranteed future.”

“Not fully guaranteed, as there is a clause about termination for conduct intended to cause distress to the Group.”

“The way we’ve been treated, I can’t see us doing anything that bad. So far, it’s all as we’ve already been told, the overview of the Bicester stores, but as direct employees of this office, as well as the promotions and consultancy duties. I haven’t seen anything about a clothing allowance.”

“We’ll have to look good for the whole ten years, and we’ll be earning enough to afford to buy what we like, rather than what we’re expected to wear. Of course, we can always give ourselves an employee discount.”

“Discounted clothes, shoes, handbags and cosmetics, that’s every girls’ dream!”

We went through the papers, word for word, and then went to see his secretary. After we had signed, the MD took us to the executive dining room where all the others were waiting for us. He announced that we were now considered as part of the team, and to be given all the information that we would need. We had lunch, with a lot of chatter in both Italian and English. When we left the office, we had a pair of top-of-the-range laptops with new email addresses and a contact list of all the people we would need to know, safe behind a password.

Our driver took us to the apartment and waited until we had packed. We were taken to the airport where we had been booked on a flight back to London. We were waiting to be called as we slowed down, mentally.

“An interesting day, love.”

“It sure has been, Harry. It’s life changing. We’ll be busy for ten years after May.”

“We’ll be busy for the months up to May, love. It’s the first part of the new season, and we’ll be mentoring the new girls, as well as any others that they’ve signed. It will be good practise in developing our management skills.”

“Do we tell Carol that we’re definitely not re-signing?”

“It would be good to do, between us, allowing her to properly plan for the summer and beyond.”

“We’ll go and say hello when we get back, before the others return. We’ll have to talk to Yvonne as well. I’m not sure if we would still be on her books after May. If we keep the Equity cards, in order to model some of the new products then she would probably insist that we’re still on her books, even though we hadn’t been employed through her work. I wouldn’t mind if she’s still there, behind us. I suppose that we’ll need some models in the Village sometime in the future.

We were called to board, and with us deep in thought it wasn’t that long before we were in an Uber and on the way back to Knightsbridge. We let ourselves into the apartment and just unpacked, put our things away and changed into nightwear. We had enough tinned stuff in the kitchen and made a light meal, before turning my old laptop on and searched for a nice area to live near Bicester.

It didn’t take long to find a wonderful property, just out of Bicester, in Wendlebury. It was beautifully decorated, with four double bedrooms and four bathrooms, plus outside buildings, a good garden with outside entertaining area. It was Grade Two listed and was one and a half million. We emailed the agent, asking for a viewing.

Two days later, we went towards Oxford in the car, and met the agent at the property. It took our breath away, being a great house, with a fair amount of land and lots of car parking. Obviously, there had been plenty of interest. The vendor wouldn’t accept any offer based on the result on our own property selling, so we told him that we didn’t have that problem. We also told him that we were cash buyers and would like it sold with the furnishings, seeing that it would save us having to fill the house ourselves.

He took our details and told us that he would get back to us. When we left the house, we checked out the route to the Village, which took us up Wendlebury Road until we went onto the A41 via a roundabout, which took us directly to the Village. If we carried on past the Village and into Bicester, there were several schools, with a primary not far from a secondary.

We didn’t bother to go into the Village, it wasn’t time for another visit. We went to Oxford and the Royal Oak, near the university, a place we had discovered while we were on the shoot here. We had a big meal, so that we wouldn’t have to cook or buy in that evening. We looked at the brochure for the house.

“What did you think of this, love?”

“I loved it. Four big bedrooms, and one with a bathroom that rivalled the two-person one in the apartment. We would have the ability to keep one room for guests, and two for our children.”

“We’re now having more than one?”

“There’s twins in my family, but not in my generation, so be prepared.”

After the meal, we rang Yvonne to see if there was anyone in the agency. Robin answered and put us through. We made an appointment to see her on Monday. I think that she guessed it would be about our contract, if Mavis had been talking to her.

Over the weekend, we stayed in the apartment, looking at the new laptops and starting to take in the wealth of information they contained, including starting the Italian course. We only went out to eat in one of the outlets in the store, or at our usual pizza place. On Monday morning, with just this week to go of our holiday, we went over to the store and sought out Carol, catching her in the salon area, where she was overseeing make-overs for fresh-faced young girls, who were excited at seeing us within touching distance. We asked her for a short, private, conversation, and she took us into the waxing room.

“You have news for me, I expect.”

“We do, Carol. We definitely will not be re-signing in May.”

“You obviously have a future mapped out.”

“We have. We will be starting, the day after our contract ends, as employees of the Prada Group. On top of overseeing their stores in the Bicester Village, we will be actively promoting the products within the Group, including Versace, L’Oreal, Prada clothing, and especially a new range of Prada shoes which will be advertised as the ‘Theone Range’ and only available, for a while, through Bicester directly or by internet.”

“Wow, that’s some future. You’ll be working directly for Milan?”

“We will, and also with the shoe division in Florence. We’re expected to learn Italian before we start.”

“If they’ve named a shoe line after you, they would have to have offered you plenty to sign on.”

“They did, including an apartment in Madrid to stay at when we join them. It was a very attractive package.”

“I’ll bet. I’ll let Mavis know. I think that she didn’t expect you to be with us after May. You’ll probably be talking to us about Prada things in the future. Does Yvonne know?”

“We’re seeing her this afternoon, to see about us continuing with the agency. We’ll need to keep our Equity cards if we do any shoots or shows.”

“All right. Now, you’ve seen the new girls. We’ll go out and tell them that you’ll be mentoring them for the first round of shows, along with the other three. Sally can take these three to New York, while you can see to teaching the second-year ones about actually working on setting up our London show. You may, or may not, get to walk yourself, but I expect that Prada will want you on the runway. By the time the first round of Weeks are over, we’ll have you mentoring all six in a shoot for the summer range, which will be in Northern Italy this year, in the Tuscan region, so you’ll be able to slip away to meet with your new employers if you want. You’ll have a week of holiday racked up, so you’ll have that week off before the final date of the contract. How long is your contract with them?”

“Five years, with an option for a further five.”

“Wow, again! That’s a real guaranteed career. They must have a lot of faith in you both. Congratulations. I’ll organise a farewell dinner before you finish.”

She took us back to the salon and properly introduced us to the other three girls and told them that we would be their mentors for the first part of the year. We had lunch in the Grill and then called an Uber to take us to the agency.

When we walked into the agency, Robin leapt up to give us both hugs, and wouldn’t let Yvonne know we were there until she had taken a picture of us, similar to the big one in a frame beside us, of that magazine cover where I’m looking over Sallys’ head as Veruschka.

When we were shown into see Yvonne, she also hugged us and asked Robin to organise drinks. There was some talk about how well we had done since we were last in her office, some two years before, and then she smiled.

“Now, you haven’t come in just to chat about old times, have you.”

“No. We’ve both signed contracts with the Prada Group that start the day after our existing one with the store finishes. We’re not going to be models, as such, but are Promotional Ambassadors. We’ll be starting out as overseers in the Bicester Village. I’ll be looking after the Prada store and Sally will be looking after Versace and L’Oreal. Over the second half of the year, we’ll be putting a new line of easily re-soled shoes into the Prada store there, with a small workroom. They will be rolling out similar set-ups in selected stores, starting in Florence. They’ve called the shoes the Theone Line, because they stemmed from an idea that I threw out over a year ago.”

“That’s heavy! You’ll be the foot of the campaign?”

“Probably not. But I will be going around the world to promote it. We won’t be modelling as a career but may be asked to show off some of the lines, the Prada with me and the Versace with Sally. We were wondering if we could keep the Equity cards if we’re not professionals.”

“It sounds as if you’ll continue to be professionals, considering that you’ve both mastered the trade and will have to look good for some years. You’re wondering about my commission, aren’t you?”

“Well, yes. We’re to be employed at managerial level, without any mention of our agency commission on the contracts.”

“I’ll just have to bite the bullet and spend less, then. If you’re running the stores, you may need models. How about us coming to an agreement where you’re on my list as clients, and we supply any extra models you may need in this country?”

“That would be good. I was thinking that we could start a ‘Bicester Week’ with all the fashion stores putting on parades. If we propose it, we can say that we’ll organise all the models.”

“Now you’re thinking like a businesswoman. I like the idea. I’ll like it even better if you name one of the shoe styles after me.”

We had a laugh, some more talk, and then went up the road to the Lord Raglan for lunch, now clients of the agency. It was very different from before. We weren’t new kids on the block any longer, and there was a steady stream of other patrons wanting to tell us how much they loved us in the magazines. We had our pictures taken to be added to the celebrities and other models behind the bar.

When we returned to the apartment, we started making a list of things we will have to do. We knew what we would be doing with work. We had the Paris Haute to start, with us taking the others over. Then it was Sally in New York with three of the others, while I introduced the other three to the more ‘behind the scenes’ aspect of working for the store.

After London, we were in Milan and back to Paris. After Paris, we would mentor all six girls in Tuscany for a month, then we would be back in the store for two weeks before using our week holiday to move from the apartment. A lot depended on whether we got the house.

We still had the rest of this week and the weekend before we went back to work, so buckled down to learn Italian, calling the teacher to come and see us on the weekend, to see where we stood and to guide us with other study.

On Monday, we saw Mavis, who had been brought up to speed, and she authorised our mentoring duties over any modelling, unless we were particularly asked for. We got the six together with Carol to plan the Paris Haute show, and to make sure the three new girls all had valid passports.

The days passed, we did the shows, I made sure that the three models were well taught in what makes a show happen as we helped set up our London show. By this time, they had discovered that it wasn’t all being pampered and dressed; that only happened if you were one of the popular freelance models, not house models for the store.

When we were in Milan, we had a large group from Prada in the audience. Sally and I sat with them and quietly discussed how things were going. We were getting updates on the new laptops, so were well versed in developments. The Paris Week was our last in this job, and our charges all got rave reviews, with us making sure that they looked like they enjoyed being there.

The shoot was good. There were three teams, and we were busy keeping up with who went were, wearing the right outfits and made-up properly. Sally was kept on the ball with that side of things, while I did a lot of handholding and pep-talking. By now, everyone knew that we weren’t going to be around, and the six girls would be carrying the load. I think that by the end of the shoot, they were ready for it. Manny took a lot of candid pictures of the two of us looking managerial for his scrapbook.

We had been contacted by the estate agent at the end of February, that the vendor was happy to sell at the advertised price, with the furnishings included. We would have to supply our own linen and kitchen things, but we would be able to sort those out in the last week. We asked if he had used a cleaning and gardening service, which he had, seeing that the property was vacant. We asked him to extend those services until the end of June, and to add the cost to the bill, along with all the extras. He sent us the invoice, which we paid from Sallys’ account with me transferring half from mine to hers. He sent us the keys and deeds by registered mail. We now had our home!

Our last couple of weeks in the store were bittersweet. We had a dinner with Mavis and some executives, where they thanked us for what we had achieved. We spent time walking the entire store, talking to the concession holders. We packed up our cases and took them to the house one weekend, storing the contents and bringing them back for another load. We shopped in the store for bed linen and kitchen things, taking it all down to the car to store.

The last Friday was a lot of kisses and tears, and then we were out of there. Saturday, we took more things and what had been put in the car to Wendlebury and made up the beds, storing the rest of our clothes and setting things out in the kitchen. We didn’t have everything that we needed, so went into Bicester to get food and gadgets. We found an electrical store and bought a big TV, with a soundbar, to be delivered and set up on Tuesday. Saturday night, we slept in our new bed, christening it. Sunday morning, Sally put her remaining birth control pills into a drawer in the bathroom. We then went back to Knightsbridge.

Monday morning, we took all our remaining things to the car, checked that we had only left the things as they were when we had arrived, and Sally drove the car out of the underground car park, while I took the apartment keys into the security entrance to leave. I got into the car, and we left London behind.

Over the rest of the year, we were busy. Sally and I went to Milan to be welcomed into the Group and given our ID lanyards and letters of authority. We were shown the apartment there that we would use. Back in Britain, we introduced ourselves in the Village. Sally had meetings with the Versace and L’Oreal staff, while I was introduced to the Prada staff. I told the manager that I wasn’t going to be full-time, and to promote the best assistant to take over the managers’ position, while I would oversee some changes. I got them in one morning before opening time, and told them all about the new shoe line, asking for a volunteer to be trained in sole and heel repair.

We had contractors in to fit out one of the storerooms and I had a look at the lasts that had been installed. They were specialised, with a top bar that carried a heat pad that would come down on the new sole to cure the glue quickly. I had one big meeting in Florence, where we finalised the new range. There were ten different upper designs, with different strapping set-ups and a few that showed your toes. There were different colours in each design, but all the soles were the same, in an olive green. We named the ten styles, and I was able to name one the Yvonne. Another was Sally, and there was a Connie, but the rest were names chosen by focus groups, all with different initials.

I was fully trained in the repair process, which was quite simple. The spares would be supplied in boxes, marked with the initial of the style and one of twelve different sizes. I trained up our new part-time cobbler, and we had our first delivery of the new range to set out. The advertising kicked in, with our store as the only place in the country to see the new product. The initial campaign was around the green aspect of not throwing out worn shoes, with the tag line, ‘Saving Humanity, One Sole at a Time.’

Sally had been right, as she gave birth to twin girls in April. We had to employ a nanny for their first year, as we were away a lot of the time, but things settled down after a while, and we were home a lot more. In the Village, we became well known and well accepted, as there had been plenty of magazine covers with one, the other, or both of us featured. We were asked to join the Village Management Committee and offered to organise a fashion week, with a single runway in the middle of the Village, with us supplying all the models. It was very successful; we all had a good time and we all sold heaps.

By the time the first five years whipped past, we had established the new shoes as the ones for life, with the other brands having to scramble to catch up. Sally had reorganised both Versace and L’Oreal stores to be stronger contenders in all the markets around the world. Our girls started primary, and Sally didn’t sign the second five-year option. I did, now the main earner in our family. Our house had become a home, one that we were proud to live in and to invite guests to stay.

We had Sally’s parents stay with us for a month, with Sally taking them around the area, and them spoiling the girls rotten. We had John and Mum stay with us as well, with young Alan. They loved the house and painted pictures of it for us to put on the wall next to the others of theirs that we had. We settled into life with me as an executive, heading off to visit other stores, and us taking the girls to various fashion weeks around the world. Of course, they grew up steeped in in fashion and glamour, but were both good students with it. By the time they were in high school, they were the most stylish in their year, and happy to be known as the twins with two mothers.

Our daughters both became successful models and married millionaires that they had met in Madrid. I stayed as Harriette for the rest of my life, only changing the wig for a silvery one as I got past retirement and we moved to Marebello, where we joined a small enclave of other ex-Prada millionaires. I often thought about a particular day, many years before.

Mum had just the one extra child, my half-brother. They came to visit us when he was six, and I went into the Village with her, my two, and young Alan. As we walked along the main walkway, shopkeepers would come out and talk, sometimes with a gift for the children. Mum had to stop and giggle.

“What’s up, Mum?”

“I just had a vision of that time you and Sally came back to Braintree, and we went around the Village. That day, the two of you were feted by all the outlets. Today is so similar that the old adage came to mind. ‘You can take the girl out of the Village, but you can’t take the Village out of the girl’.”

“Funny you spoke about a girl, Mum. We’re happy with our two and won’t try for anymore. We’ve been talking about me going the whole way. I’ve been living like this for nearly ten years, and it wouldn’t be a surprise for anyone if I took my next holiday in hospital.”

“That would make things easier, all round, but do you really need to do that? You’re a beautiful woman, a famous model and already a successful businesswoman. Nobody even considers you as being less than a wonderful woman. I even don’t think of you as anything but my daughter. Don’t take the chance on seeing the surgeon, darling, you’re never ending up with ear or nose hairs, so how you look now will be how you look later. The only thing that an operation would fix is something out of sight.”

“I guess that you’re right, Mum. It’s not as if I want to utilise any new plumbing as it should be used. We still have a good time in bed. I just thought that I should make the body fit the clothes.”

“You’ve made the clothes fit the body for years, darling. Just enjoy life, enjoy those girls of yours and enjoy what you do. There may be a time for serious changes, but what you’re talking about isn’t needed for you to be you. You’re wonderful the way you are. What you’re suggesting may even be something that you find you don’t like. It’s one thing to invert your willie but reversing that operation won’t be a fast fix.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 2

Friday morning, I was awake and dressed early. During breakfast, Mum spoke about the pictures.

“How did you feel about the last ones, love, with you in a dress. I have to say that you looked every inch a model.”

“Mum. I’ve gone through the bulk of my life knowing that very few people look like me. I’ve never met another hairless guy. Some have spoken about Yul Brynner, but I looked him up and he shaved his head for a part and kept it because it made him look exotic. Wearing a dress, once I got over my own fears, was just that. It wasn’t much different from walking back to my bedroom in a dressing gown after a shower. What was different and wonderful was the feeling of having hair brushing my ears in the first set, my shoulders in the second, and having it in full view in front of my eyes in the last. Now, that was something that I’ve never experienced before.”

“It was amazing how well you looked in the last pictures. Your smile was real, and there are so many other things that can be done to enhance your image. Earrings, painted nails, stockings, heels. They’re all additional items that weren’t added. No doubt, you may be asked to pose with them one day.”

“That would mean me looking totally like a woman, and the ears would be permanently pierced. That would look funny on a bald man, don’t you think?”

“Love, those male wigs aren’t that expensive. I’m sure that you could get one at a discount and wear it every day. That way, you would be able to mix with the rest of the world.”

“If you say so, Mum. I’ll wait until I hear from Janice again. She may come back and tell me that it was all for nothing.”

“Don’t be such a pessimist, Harry. Those pictures are the beginnings of your portfolio, mark my words!”

We locked the ‘box’ and Mum walked off to work while I rode towards the Village. Oddly, Uncle Bill was already in the kiosk when I arrived.

“Good Morning, Harry. I’ve come in to check things are still good. Your mother rang me yesterday to tell me that she had broached the idea that you’ll have to look for another job soon. I’m sorry about that. I should have spoken to you earlier, but it’s a matter of profit or loss.”

“Yeah. Janice from the salon told me about having to earn enough to pay your way.”

“I plan to close the kiosk for a month then open over the festive season, and then close it again until Easter. The Village admin will allow those times to be rent free. At the moment, you may have noticed there aren’t the crowds that we’ve been used to.”

“What about me?”

“It’s not usual to pay casuals holiday pay, but I spoke to my accountant about it. He told me that I should have paid you as a full junior, seeing that you’ve been working five days a week for more than three years. This isn’t my only site, and I’ve been skirting the law with all of them. I plan to pay you for the holidays that you should have been given, that makes it nine weeks to cover the three years you’ve worked here, and worked well I might add. I will need you to sign that you agree to that payment as a full payment of what you’re owed.”

“I can do that, seeing that you gave me a job in the first place. What about my immediate future?”

“I’m about to put up a sign to say that the kiosk will be closed after Sunday until Christmas. If you want, you can work through to Sunday afternoon. I’ll come by to take away any valuable items as well as the banking equipment. You’ll see the money in your bank tonight for wages to then, and for the nine weeks. If you have anything you want to make using the equipment, do so before I close down.”

“There’s nothing I need to do, Uncle Bill. Thank you for employing me for the three years. Only Tuesday, I was standing in the kiosk and feeling that there’s nothing out there that I can do. Today, I have something in mind, and having some time may be all I need. Mum knows what it may be, but we’re saying nothing until it happens.”

“Look, Harry. You should have gone on to get higher education. You have the brains for it if you wanted to apply them. I know that you’ve had your looks as brakes on your thinking. You’ll never do as well as you can unless you take your foot off those brakes and start thinking of yourself as a person with skills.”

“Thank you, Uncle Bill. I’ll keep it in mind. Do you want me in the kiosk now?”

“Spend the morning as you like. I’ll continue to tidy up until twelve. If you come back at one as you normally would, you can take it through to closing time. On Sunday, I’ll see you about four, and we can make sure the kiosk is secure.”

I nodded and walked away, thinking that my Uncle may be in hotter water than he was letting on. Nine weeks pay would be enough to buy me a phone, something I hadn’t needed while I’ve been a recluse. I had to laugh.

“The Horrible History of Harry the Hairless Hermit.”

I was passing the bookstore, and the owner was at the door, trying to be a customer magnet.

“What was that, Harry? Is it a Holmes story that I’ve never heard of?”

“Just a passing thought, Jim. My Uncle is closing the kiosk in the quiet times until the Christmas rush. I’ll be finishing on Sunday afternoon.”

“That’s a pity, Harry. I’d give you a job here if I could afford it. I’ve seen how you work, and how you have your customers all leaving with a smile.”

“Thanks for the thought, Jim. I may have something on the go for me. It’s all up in the air at the moment, so I can’t talk about it.”

“Best of luck, Harry. I’ll come over to the kiosk and leave you a little parting gift.”

“Thank you, Jim. You don’t have to, but I appreciate the thought.”

I walked to the salon and walked in, bold as brass. Sally saw me and spoke to her customer and then came over to me.

“Harry, what’s up?”

“I just popped in to let you know that my Uncle is closing the kiosk for a while, and I finish on Sunday afternoon. I’ll be back between twelve and one and will be in the kiosk until closing.”

“OK, I’ll tell Janice your news and I’ll see you for lunch. Go to the Pizza Express and order a large Hawaiian pizza and we can share it. I’ll get the drinks.”

She smiled and put her hand on my arm, and then went back to her customer. I walked to the tech store and looked at expensive phones for a while, and then went to BB’s and sat with a large coffee to think about my future. If Janice had someone I needed to see, I would be able to do so after Monday. It was an odd feeling. I should be gutted at being out of a job, but instead I was looking forward to doing something to move forward. I’d give the photos a week and then start looking at other things. Perhaps, once it was known that I was available, some of the managers in the Village outlets may talk to their home office to let them know that there was a great shop assistant looking for a job. I had to smile at that thought.

There must have been some kind of secret system in the Village, as I had a few other outlet managers come up to me while I was sitting there. All were sorry about my situation, but I could tell that they were also on the edge of shorter hours or closing on weekdays. When I finished my coffee, I strolled over to the swimming centre and watched the real swimmers training for a while. There was no way that I had that level of commitment.

I got back to the Pizza Express at ten to twelve and ordered the pizza, finding a seat at an empty table. I was still waiting when Sally walked in with Janice, who came to give me a hug.

“You poor boy! This makes everything much more urgent, but also makes things far more doable. I sent your pictures to my old agency in London, and Yvonne rang me as soon as she looked at them. She wants to see you next week, after I could convince her that the pictures were all the same person. Come over to the salon when you close this afternoon and I’ll give you the details that you’ll need to get to Yvonnes’ agency. It will be train to Liverpool Street and underground to St. Pauls, the nearest station. If she wants you to work for her, she’ll send you to get an examination from the doctor down the road. He’s a good guy and has seen everything, but I doubt that he’s seen someone like you.”

She smiled and left us to our pizza, which had just been called. I went and got it while Sally ordered a couple of coffees. At this rate, I’ll still be awake when the alarm rang on Saturday. As we shared the pizza, we talked about things. I told her about all the nice things that had been said to me that morning. She told me that it was all earned, and I blushed.

“Harry. If you go into the city on Tuesday, I can go with you. It’s my day off.”

“I’d like that, Sally. My uncle will be paying me some back pay he owes me, so lunch will be on me. It’s odd. At the beginning of the week, I was feeling down, and now I feel as if I’m on the edge of something fantastic. I decided that I would give the photos a week before I started looking at anything else, but I’ll reset that for a week after we’ve been to the agency.”

When we had cleaned up the pizza and finished the coffees, we both stood. On a sudden impulse, I put my hand out and Sally smiled as she took it. We walked, hand in hand, back into the Village and she allowed me to give her a hug at the salon. I walked back to the kiosk, now keen to see the end of the weekend. The afternoon dragged with me reduced to calling out to people if they wanted their shoes looked at without charge, in case there was anything needed to be done. Two pairs needed new soles and heels.

One customer agreed and sat at the seat I had put out while I worked on their shoes. At five, Uncle Bill turned up with the paperwork I needed to sign to let him off the hook with ripping me off for three years. I signed, he smiled, and I made the resolution to make sure I read the small print in future. That’s when I realised that I had taken the job without seeing any print of any size.

I arrived at the salon and Janice opened the door for me. Sally was still there but the customers had all gone. We sat in her small office as she wrote out the directions on a piece of paper and clipped it to a photocopy of a page from a directory. She handed it to Sally.

“I’m told that Sally will be coming with you, Harry. That’s going to be a good thing as Yvonne asked me who did the work on you, and now wants to talk to Sally. Who knows, it may be the turning point for both of you. It couldn’t happen to a nicer couple. Now, the first train from the main station to London is a quarter to six and runs every hour. The return would be from four, every hour until nine. The fare is over sixteen pounds each way, but you can book a return for under thirty. Your appointment with Yvonne is at ten-thirty, and she may take you to lunch if she likes you. I would aim at meeting at the Freeport station at half past seven to get the quarter to eight down.”

Sally nodded.

“I’ll book the two tickets on-line, Harry. I’ve been into the city with my sister. I think that we both have a multi-trip for the underground with a few on them. I’ll borrow hers as well. If you see your bank on Monday, draw some cash and you can pay me back when we meet on Tuesday.”

“That will be good, Sally. I have to admit that the only time I’ve been to the city was by coach on a school outing to the Tower.”

“OK, Harry. If you need to hold my hand, I’ll let you.”

We left the salon together, with Sally putting the papers in her bag. I stood still and tried to conjure up enough courage.

“Sally. This is something I’ve hardly ever done before. Would you like to go to the Cineworld tomorrow night. Your choice of picture.”

“I’d love to go to the pictures with you, Harry. I’ll look up the choice and let you know the time and screen tomorrow.”

She kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand, then walked off to the South exit. I went to the North, where my bike was chained to the bike rack. I was in a haze as I rode home. Mum was already home when I arrived. I locked the garage and went in.

“Hello, Harry, love. How was your day?”

“Other than your brother telling me that I finish on Sunday afternoon, and then having to sign an agreement which might just keep him out of court, it was all peachy, Mum.”

“Sit down and tell me all.”

I told her about her brother and his ‘oversight’ when he employed me. Then I told her that he was paying me to Sunday afternoon, plus nine weeks holiday pay. She sat and listened.

“He may be my brother, but this is not good. I knew that he has always been a bit loose with his business dealings, but if he’s being looked at close enough to pay you out, he may be in more trouble. I won’t say anything, but if he comes to me for money there isn’t any to give him. What else happened?”

“I have an appointment with an agency in London on Tuesday morning. Sally will be joining me in the trip, as the agency wants to talk to her as well. One other thing. I’m taking her to the pictures tomorrow night, and Uncle Bills’ money should be in the bank in the morning.”

Mum sat back and laughed.

“You’re so precious, love. You go years without even talking to a girl, and now you’re taking her to the pictures and going for a day in the city with her. She must be special.”

“She is, Mum. She was the one who worked on me for the photos. I realised that I trusted her to do the right thing. We had lunch today and we talked a lot. I like her, and I like being with her. I know that it may seem sudden, but I think that I’ve broken through the shyness barrier. It may have been being seen in a dress that redefined my outlook.”

On Saturday morning, the first thing that I thought of was that next Saturday the kiosk will be shut, and I would know some more about my future. I showered and dressed and then checked my bank account. Sure enough, there was a full nine weeks pay plus this week to Sunday. The numbers almost swam on the screen. It was certainly a good boost, but not if I wasn’t adding to it by Christmas.

I thought about the phones I had seen yesterday and realised that I would need to look for something a lot cheaper. I rode into the Village and chained my bike, then opened up the Kiosk for the day. Surprisingly I was busy, mainly engraving gifts. I wondered what they would do when the kiosk closed for a few weeks. Sally and I met for lunch, and she told me what we would be seeing. After we had eaten in Wildwood, we were going to see ‘Wicked’ which I didn’t mind, and she had booked a pair of seats in my name. Before we went back to work, I asked her where I could get a new woolly hat, and she helped me pick a couple. There was no way that I would be wearing the Fast Fix one after tomorrow.

After I closed the Kiosk, I went home, stripped, and had another shower. I chose the best outfit I could find and polished up my shoes. Sally had told me that she lived within walking distance of the Cineworld, so I was going to leave early and walk to Wildwood. It was a nice walk, a bit on the cold side, but I had a good fur-lined coat which I sometimes wore on the bike.

We both arrived at Wildwood within minutes of each other and I stood outside to watch her walk towards me. She had leather jeans and a faux fur coat, and her hair flowed free. I believe that this may have the very first time in my life that I could hardly breath. She grinned as she walked up to me, and I put my arms around her. We kissed lightly, for the first time, and I told her that she looked fantastic. She was kind enough to tell me I looked good.

We had a nice meal and then walked the short distance to the Cineworld. I collected the tickets, we got some goodies at the sweetshop and waited to go into the cinema along with a crowd of others. During the film, I put my arm over her shoulders, and she leaned in on me. By the time the credits rolled we had kissed again, this time seriously.

After the film, I walked her home. We crossed the railway line on the bridge next to the Village and she led me to a nice house on Putter Court. I was taken in and introduced to her parents, the Foremans. There was a few seconds of silence when I took my woolly hat off, but they soon accepted me for who I was. Sally had told them all about our trip to London on Tuesday, and I think that they just wanted to meet the guy she would be going with. We had a cup of hot chocolate and talked about what I expected at the agency. I could be quite honest when I told them that I didn’t know what to expect.

Sally escorted me to the door, and a little way from the house before we stood and clung to each other in a long and passionate kiss. I was walking on air as I went to the bridge and then home. The brakes were now well and truly over-ridden. Mum told me to wash the smile and the lipstick off my face when I got home, but I could tell that she was smiling as she said it.

Sunday arrived, my last day in the Kiosk. It was almost a relief to be up, dressed and on my bike to the Village. I opened up and was immediately given a pair of shoes for new heels. When it got to lunch, I closed and put the sign up, then went to meet Sally at BB’s. She was joined by Janice and the other girls with the salon closed for half an hour. I found that my new ease with Sally had multiplied itself with the others, and I was able to talk freely, discuss the movie and talk about my future without speaking about Tuesday, which was still between us.

That afternoon, I was visited by several of the outlet managers that I had spoken to, with most bringing something from their shop as a gift. Jim gave me a copy of ‘How to Make Friends and Influence People’. Mary, from the gift shop, gave me a new woolly hat with ‘I’m an Essex Boy’ on it, which I swapped for the Fast Fix one. There were a few bars of chocolate and one odd one from the shop where I had bought my new woolly hat. It was a bobble hat with ear flaps, which would be impossible to wear under my bike helmet.

I refused to take on any work after three, telling any customers that we would be closing the Kiosk for a few weeks, and that there wouldn’t be enough time to do what they wanted. A little after four, I was alone and put the shutters up and tidied things. I used one of our bags to put all the gifts in and left my keys on the counter before pulling the door shut. Uncle Bill was just arriving, so I told him that everything was tidy, there were no undone jobs and that my keys were inside. He shook my hand and I walked away from the Fast Fix Kiosk, hopefully for the last time.

I was outside the salon when Sally came out, and we kissed and arranged to meet at the Freeport station on Tuesday morning. I rode home, feeling that I had been released from the jail bars that I had erected around myself. I knew that when I visited the Village, there would be people that I could talk to who liked me for who I am.

At home, I put the chocolates in the kitchen and the other things in my room. I helped Mum make our dinner and then got my laptop going and researched mobile phones. The closest place to us was the big Tesco store, but they only sold new phones. I had a look at other places in the city centre and decided that I could easily buy a Doro phone for seniors. I could tell them that I was buying on behalf of my poor grandmother who was house bound.

On Monday morning, I rode the mountain bike into the town centre where my bank was very close to the Fonehouse. I withdrew some money for Tuesday, and went into the phone shop, coming out with a seniors’ Doro that just took calls and text. It cost me well under a hundred pounds, and not the many hundreds that I had seen advertised elsewhere. I had it put onto BT and paid the first month with an ongoing automatic payment.

I then went to the library to read as much as I could about modelling, surprised at the pictures of men and women of all sizes and shapes. I looked at one book about supermodels and gulped when I read the quote about not getting out of bed for less than a million pounds.

I rode home with my phone and set up the numbers of the people that I knew, which wasn’t many. Mum had a mobile, we had a home phone, Sally had given me hers, as well as the salon. Beyond that, there were no others that I could think of. A very sorry state of affairs for a twenty-year-old.

On Tuesday, I was up and ready to leave before Mum came down for breakfast, so I got hers, gave her a hug, told her the number of my new phone, which she entered into hers, and then I was in my warm coat, my new hat, and walking towards the Village, but skirting it to get to the Freeport station. There were a few waiting for the train when I arrived, and I realised now why the car park this side of the Village was always full.

Sally was warmly dressed as well, and we sat together to wait for the train. I gave her the thirty pounds that I owed her, and she showed me the tickets, which she would keep safe in her bag. When the train came in, we got on and found a seat. Then we were off to London and our talk with the agency. It was warm in the train, so we took our coats off and sat very close together. An hour after we had boarded, we arrived at Liverpool Street Station, put our coats on and checked that we had not left anything.

Then, we were off the train and walking to the platform gates. Next would be a couple of underground stops before we would arrive at St, Pauls. I was feeling nervous but excited at the same time. Would an adventure start today, or would it be just a day in the big city with a girl that I now cared about.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 3

It didn’t take long to get to St. Pauls and the walk to the address we had been given didn’t take long either, considering that when we came up from the tube station the building was only on the opposite corner.

We walked across the road and along until we arrived at the main doors. It was still only around ten, but we went in and looked at the board inside to find the agency. We didn’t have enough time to find a café, so went up to the first floor and went into the reception. A very smart girl was at the desk.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m Harry Sharpe and this is Sally Foreman. We were told to see Yvonne.”

“Oh, good, you’re early. Yvonne hoped that you would be. Follow me and I’ll take you to her.”

We followed her along a corridor to a door. She knocked and put her head inside.

“Yvonne, your appointment from Braintree are here.”

“Send them in.”

She opened the door wide and ushered us into the office. It had a good view to the street outside, but the windows must have been double glazed as it was quiet. She stood and came around her desk to greet us with her hand out to shake.

“Thank you for coming. When Janice sent me those first pictures, I thought that she was playing a game. It took a while for her to convince me that the model was just one person. Seeing you in person, Harry, I can begin to see what she meant. Take a seat and tell me about yourselves. Robin, can you rustle up some drinks and biscuits, please? Coffee all right for you?”

We took our coats off and hung them on the backs of the chairs. When I took off my hat, Yvonne came over and took a harder look at my face.

“I see that you look after your skin, Harry. Did you thoroughly cleanse him, Sally?”

“I did that first thing, ma-am. He does have a good complexion. It could be that there have never been hairs damaging it.”

“I agree. Now, Sally, tell me about yourself and your training. Janice has said that you’re one of the best.”

Sally blushed and told her about her qualifications, from starting in a salon as a general hand and going to night school to get training, and then on to working in the Village. As she spoke, we had our coffee and biscuits. I was asked my side of things, and all I could say that I had worked in the Fast Fix Kiosk since I left school, and that the photo session was the first time I had posed. All that didn’t take long. Yvonne picked up a folder.

“I’m going out on a limb here. I have a client in today, between half past eleven and noon. She is the one person who says what happens on photo shoots for her employer. I’ve known her for years, and I think that you, young man, may just be able to make her sit up and beg for you.”

She passed the folder to Sally, who opened it and looked at the photo inside. She looked up.

“That’s a picture of Zoe Hamilton, quite some years ago. She was everywhere when I was small. I so wanted to look like her, along with all my friends.”

“Correct. My client was the main employer of Zoe, and they had a good working relationship over twenty years. My question is how close can you get Harry to that picture, given an hour and the bounty in my agency wardrobe?”

Sally looked at me, then back at the picture.

“How close is close, Yvonne?”

“Identical, including all the jewellery and hair style. You can cut a wig if you need to. Brenda, our in-house artist can help you. When she agrees that you’ve got it, she’ll take you to the studio where the pictures will be taken. I’m sorry, Harry, but the next time I see you on my screen, I want you to be another Zoe. If you can do that, there’s a contract for each of you.”

She buzzed Robin, and we took our coats and followed her to another part of the agency where there were no nice views to be had. She showed us into a mini salon, where another girl was waiting.

“Hello. I’m Brenda and I’ve been told to assist. What are we doing?”

Sally gave her the folder.

“Yvonne has told me that I have to recreate Zoe Hamilton, using Harry as the base model.”

“If you can do that, I’ll kiss your feet!”

“Be prepared to kneel, Brenda. We have an hour. Harry, I’ve brought a gaffe for you. Strip off and put it on. No time to delay. Brenda, tell me where the clothing store is, and I’ll look for something close to that dress while you do a cleansing on his face. Oh, Harry, this picture is showing that Zoe was wearing drop earrings, so we’ll be piecing your ears for the sake of our future.”

Brenda told Sally where to go to look at clothes and then grinned.

“Come on, lad, get naked. I’ve seen anything you have to show me, but never hairless without a Brazilian first.”

I supposed that I had expected this sometime, so just shed my clothes, adding them to my coat in the corner. I faced away from Brenda to put the strange thing she had called a gaffe on and arranged my tackle so that it was secure, if not that comfortable. She sat me on the chair and repeated the things that Sally had done to cleanse my face but went down as far as my nipples this time.

Sally came back with a dress on a hanger, and something that looked lacy. She checked with Brenda, looked at my shoes, and was off again. When she returned, she started looking at all the bottles and powders on the vanity and chose some. Then she picked up a hand-tool that looked like a small gun.

“Brenda, can you give his arms and legs a cleansing, and I’ll do the ears. Then you can do all the nails while I work on the face. When we have that right, we’ll get him dressed and will need a wig to match the picture. Yvonne said we can cut one to suit.”

“She must be smelling a big booking then. We usually just style the wigs. All the ones we have are too expensive to mess with.”

I just sat there, quietly wondering if it will work. If it did, there were contracts promised for both of us. If it didn’t, I could wear earrings if I wanted. It may or may not be a barrier to my next job interview. There again, it would be a help if I was going for a job as a woman. Over three quarters of the workers in the Village were women and there was a bit of turnover.

I sat still and breathed slowly, feeling slightly sleepy but not wanting to miss what they were doing. Sally worked on my face, adding brows and both top and bottom eyelashes. Then she worked with brushes, lotions and powder until she was happy, checking with the photo every few minutes.

“Brenda, we need to plump. Do you have a kit?”

“Right here in the cooler, Sally. I have to say that I wouldn’t have believed this but I’m almost ready to kneel.”

“Is there a stats sheet on Zoe from that time?”

“There is, it states that she was five-nine, and never wore anything higher than three-inch heel in normal living. That’s why she looked like an Amazon when she wore higher heels.”

“I picked three-inch blocks, so that Harry isn’t teetering, so that will work. Harry, hold your head very still. I’m going to plump your lips and you may feel a little prick. It will make you very kissable, which I’ll take advantage of later today.

I suffered in silence as she did things around my lips. Brenda had finished working on my toenails and was now cleaning my fingernails.

“How strong for the nails?”

“Go the whole hog. We can always cut them back if need be. Then we’ll get you dressed, Harry, and finish off with the jewellery and hair. After that, it’s time to pose for your supper.”

When I was allowed to stand, I was warned that I may poke myself in the eyes if I wasn’t careful and they helped me get dressed. I say dressed, but all I put on was a pair of panties and the dress, which they made sure didn’t touch my face when it was slid over my head. Sally grinned at me and gave me a wink and then sat me in the chair again, making sure that I swept my skirt properly. The earrings felt odd as they dangled and brushed against my neck. The necklace felt heavy at first, but I slowly got used to it. The rings that adorned my fingers were something that I had never thought I’d wear.

The wig was checked against the picture and this time I was fitted with a skull covering which had a sticky band that held it firmly in place. When the wig was placed on my head, they fussed around for a few minutes to secure it with pins and did some snipping before declaring me a success. I could see the hair that flowed to the front. Zoe must have been a natural redhead as the wig was almost like a fire on my head. Brenda and Sally had a hug, and both hugged me when I stood up, towering over the two of them in heels. I had been a couple of inches taller than Sally, but the heels put almost a full head higher.

With one each side to make sure I didn’t fall off my shoes, I was taken to a photographic studio where a guy took me by the hand and stood me in front of a screen. Over the next twenty minutes, he called me Zoe several times and I was posed, including one that mimicked the photo Sally had been given. At no time was I near a mirror and wasn’t able to gauge how well we were going, but all those around me seemed happy.

After that, Brenda took us to a small room with an urn and the makings. We sat and relaxed. I was given the folder to look at more closely.

“If you’ve made me look like this, you’re both miracle workers.”

“You’d better believe it. Why did the photographer keep calling you Zoe? He had worked with her in her later career and to him you were her younger self, come back to haunt the catwalks.”

Robin came in, giggling, and went to a communication unit to flick a switch. She put her finger to her lips to keep us quiet, as we listened to the conversation in Yvonnes’ office. The other woman seemed very friendly, and they talked about how the business was doing. Then Yvonne must have turned her computer screen so that the visitor could see it.

“What do you think of this, Mavis?”

“That’s a picture of Zoe when she had just started out. She was certainly a looker in those days. Why are you showing me this?”

“That’s not a picture of Zoe, Mavis. That’s a picture that was taken here in my studio, less than thirty minutes ago.”

“Never! I’ve got to have this girl in the shoot. Is she on your books?”

“Not yet, but she will be. It all depends on what you’re prepared to pay for her services.”

“Top rate. She has that lean and boyish look that took Zoe to the top.”

“Funny that you say that, Mavis. This is a picture taken last week and sent to me by Janice from Braintree. You remember Janice, she was one of my best earners for years.”

“I remember Janice. Are you telling me that this bald lad is now that ravishing girl?”

“Correct. Here are a couple of other pictures that were taken last week, showing how easy it is to make him look like almost anyone you need, depending on your campaign.”

“Amazing! If it wasn’t you, Yvonne, I’d think that I’m being wound up. I have to see this wonderful person, as well as the one who was able to create her. How long did that take?”

“The two of them arrived before half past ten, so they had an hour, with Brenda helping, seeing how complete the make-over was. I’ll give Robin a buzz to bring them in.”

We heard the buzz and Yvonne asking her to take us to the office. Robin flipped the switch.

“That’s your command. Follow me, you too Brenda.”

We followed Robin back to the office area and she knocked on the door and opened it.

“Your model and her cosmetic miracle workers, Yvonne.”

“Can you bring in a couple of extra seats, Robin, please.”

We all walked in and were all given hugs by both Yvonne and Mavis. Yvonne was smiling broadly.

“Sit down, you three. I have to tell you that you achieved more that I could have expected. How do you feel, Harry?”

“A bit odd, Yvonne. I didn’t expect to have so much done that can’t be undone, but I’m glad that it’s made everyone so happy.”

“Harry, if you sign with the agency, you will need to stay looking like this as going back to your original look will not be good for the client. That means that the client will need to pay you a premium for your inconvenience. Right, Mavis?”

“I hate you, Yvonne, but you’re so right. Harry, is it? How do you feel about becoming a top model, the face of one of the best fashion stores in the world?”

“I don’t know, ma-am. It’s not something that I dreamed about when I was putting soles and heels on a customers’ smelly shoes. Last week was my first time in front of a camera. As you can understand, by seeing the first picture Janice took, I wasn’t the most photogenic guy around. I was born hairless, and have been hairless all my life, which is why I was called Hairy at school. Today has been an interesting experience, and I’m going to need time to get used to having hair, let alone wearing a dress.”

“I understand. If you say yes, you have a day to get your act together. On Thursday, we start a photo shoot at Kenwood House, just north of London. It’s a range of high-class outfits for the very rich. You have two choices. Go home and we’ll pick you up before the sun’s even thinking about rising. Or you can stay here in London, spending tomorrow with my dresser getting yourself a complete wardrobe and be picked up for the shoot at a decent time.”

“Mavis, I do have to tell you that Harry comes with his personal cosmetician, Sally. So, any deal is the two of them as a package. If you want Harry, you look after Sally as well.”

“Bloody hell, Yvonne. You’ve brought a big gun to a knife fight. You know I want Harry, so I’m at your mercy. All right, email me the contract this afternoon and I’ll talk to the money men. Make sure that you send the pictures, and they’ll roll over for me to rub their tummies. Where will you put them up?”

“I was thinking the Chapter House in Camden Park for starters.”

“Sounds good to me. Look, kids, sort out what you want to do, and Yvonne will let me know where to find you. Do you have any idea about a number, Yvonne?”

“I was thinking ten as a package with a revue in six months, plus outfitting for both as a starter gift. You won’t want them looking scruffy when the press come around.”

“That works for me, see you tomorrow, I hope.”

Mavis stood and left us wondering what had happened. Did we have a future, did we even have a job? I looked at Yvonne.

“Can you please tell us what’s going on in plain language?”

“Harry and Sally, you have a career as a model and make-up artist with this agency. For six months, you will each be paid five thousand a week with the agency taking ten percent. If you stay in London, we’ll put you up in a hotel in Camden Town, an easy run Thursday morning to go to the shoot. If you’re staying, Mavis will organise a car for you on Wednesday when you’ll be taken to the store where you’ll be outfitted with a range of clothes to suit everyday living, from the skin out. Now, I know that this is a big decision. I’ll take Brenda and leave the two of you to talk about it. My phone is yours to call your folks before you tell me if you’re staying. I’m taking you to lunch up the road and this afternoon you’ll both be seeing our doctor to ensure that your both perfectly healthy. I’ll give you a bonus this week, Brenda. That was a good job well done.”

She stood and left the room with Brenda. Sally and I sat for a few moments.

“Looks like we really did it now, Sally.”

“We sure did. I want to stay, what about you?”

“We’d be stupid to walk away from that sort of money, let along thousands worth of clothing. I need to ring my mother at work and let her know.”

“I’ll give my folks a call. I primed them for me moving out, but I never thought it would happen so quickly.”

I stood by the window as she rang her home and talked to her mother, giving her the basics of what we’ve been offered. Then she called Janice to say that she wasn’t going in for work on Wednesday and would be at a shoot for the rest of the week. It wasn’t a long conversation and she put the phone down.

“Mum told me that she loved me and was proud of me. Both of them told me to take good care of you.”

I called my mother and told her the same basic facts, and that I wouldn’t be home tonight. I put the phone down.

“She told me that she was proud of me and to take good care of you as well.”

“Right then. We didn’t bring any luggage, so will need to pick up some stuff to tide us over until tomorrow.”

“I’ve got some cash and my card. I reckon Yvonne will give us an advance if we ask for it.”

I opened the door and saw Yvonne coming back. She came in and sat down.

“So, what are we doing?”

“We’re staying.”

“Right then. I’ll get my admin to write up a contract for each of you. If you remember where the outfit store is, Sally, go and find something dressy for yourself and a good coat for each of you. We’ll be just walking up the road to a pub where I’m a regular. Prepare to be looked at and talked about. After lunch, I’ll have your doctor’s visits set up. We walk past his office on the way. Harry, what name do you want to use. I would take Zoe, but that may be a bit too obvious, and who knows who you’ll look like next week.”

“How about Harriette, then you can still call me Harry.”

“Works for me. Go get ready. Leave your stuff in the salon room. Sally, pick Harry a bag so he can carry his personal items, and I suggest that you find some tights, it’s nippy outside.”

Sally led me to the clothing store. It was a large room with racks of clothes and loads of shoes. There was a chest of drawers and Sally found a load of packets of tights. She had me sitting on a seat to take my shoes off and she showed me how to roll them on, very carefully. There was a big mirror, so while she found herself a dress and changed, I looked at the stranger that I had become. The girl that I saw would have been too good for me to even talk to. I looked like the girl in the photo, a stick figure in a good dress with amazing red hair. It worked for her, and there’s a company now betting that it would work for me.

When Sally was ready, she rummaged among some assorted bags and came up with one for me that had a shoulder strap and we found coats that fitted us. Back in the salon, I folded my original things, put my phone and wallet in the bag and wrapped the rest in my old coat. Sally looked at the things on the vanity and added some items to both our bags, like powder and lipstick. She spritzed us both with perfume and we went back to the reception area. I could tell by her smile that she was loving every moment of this.

Looking good, we joined Brenda and Yvonne to go for lunch. For me, it was when the doors of the lift closed that I got the shakes. When they opened again I would be walking out into the real world in a dress. Sally was holding my hand and felt my tension.

“It’s OK, Harry. When they see you, they will be looking at a stunningly good-looking woman out with her friends. I’ll give you twenty to one that all you’ll see are smiles or lustful glances. Be brave, my hero, this is your real future about to begin.”

The doors slide open, and she tugged me out into the world. Yvonne stood to the other side of me.

“Smile, Harry. It makes you shine like the sun and there’s no way you’re ever going to be questioned. When we get our lunch, remember to use the fork, it’s a temptation to use your nails to poke at your food.”

That made me laugh. I could feel the talons I’d been given, and the picture was truly believable. We went through the main doors and onto the pavement. The sound and sights of the world crashed in on my senses. I could smell the cars, even the odd person we passed. I was able to walk with the shoes and it became more natural as we got further along the road. Yvonne pointed out the door to the doctor, and then we crossed the next road.

We passed a sandwich place and went into the Lord Raglan pub. We put our coats on a coat stand. The barman gave Yvonne a wave as she led us to a booth. I wasn’t all that hungry and didn’t trust my lips yet, so opted for a soup with wholemeal bread. The others had salads. All four of us were brought white wines without them ordered. Yvonne grinned.

“Ben knows what my girls drink, Harry. I must say that you’re taking this well. When you and Sally come back from the doctor, I’ll have paperwork for you and then Robin will take you H & M on Cheapside. You’ll be able to get enough for a couple of days and nights. You won’t need a lot, as Mavis will be outfitting the two of you tomorrow. There’s a Tesco next to the office where you can pick up cleaning and teeth brushing products. I’ve booked separate rooms for you at the hotel, but that can be changed if you want.”

“Thank you for all that. Sally and I have only really known each other for a week, so separate rooms will be acceptable, especially as I’m not looking like her boyfriend at the moment.”

Sally put her hand on mine and squeezed.

“You can be my girlfriend for a little while. There’s lots of scope with that arrangement.”

I looked at her and blushed. Brenda giggled.

“Awww! She’s so cute when she reddens.”

“Thanks, Brenda, I think. This is a whole new world for me. I’ve read stories that said that girls say a lot of personal stuff when they’re alone, and I now have to believe it.”

Yvonne laughed.

“You’ll know more when Brenda does her impersonation of the scene in the film. Having a real ‘When Harry met Sally’ moment will be hilarious. Don’t do it now, Brenda, save it for another time.”

Sally smiled.

“Perhaps we can do it as a threesome, after Harry knows what it represents.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 4

A middle-aged lady came out with our meals. As she set the soup down, she looked closely at me.

“Well, I never. Are you raiding the history books, Yvonne? This one looks like Zoe when she was starting out. I had a picture of her during that time in my room at university. We all wanted to be Zoe Hamilton, but I could never be tall, red, or skinny, enough.”

“She’ll be working for the same outfit, Jill. She has her first shoot in a couple of days.”

“Good luck, girl. Don’t you touch that soup until I bring you a proper napkin. You wouldn’t want to stain that dress.”

After she had handed me the napkin and I had laid it over my lap, I looked at Yvonne.

“University graduate and waiting on tables?”

Yvonne looked stern, and then grinned.

“Lesson number one, Harry. First impressions can be deceiving. Jill has a degree in accounting. She married Benjamin and they got a job managing a pub. It’s called the Flowerpot and is in Maidstone. They built it up to the point where they were making good money. They put a deposit on buying the licence here. This is their dream and also their home. Jill does the books, as well as for the sandwich bar. Never judge a book by its cover, something that you’ll be subjected to in time to come.”

I took a bite of the delicious bread and picked up my spoon. I was wondering how you could make enough to buy into a London pub when you’re managing one in Maidstone. I wondered if Jill and Ben may have been growing something more lucrative behind the Flowerpot. I kept the thought to myself as I figured out how the hell I was going to eat the soup. When I tilted my head forward, as I normally did, the hair tried to go for a swim in it. I ended up sitting on the edge of the seat, head erect with my hair pushed behind my shoulders and taking care not to overload the spoon while wiping the bottom on the bread before it cleared the bowl.

Not looking down at the table, I was able to look at the other patrons, most of them looking at me. This was something that I was used to in my days as a freak. Now, though, if anyone saw me look towards them, they smiled rather than a scowl. The meal was great, as much as I needed at the moment. When we were finishing our wine, Yvonne looked at Sally.

“Sally, although you’re listed as Harrys’ cosmetician, I expect you’ll be on the shoot. It’s likely that they’ll rope you in to wear something in the background. You’re certainly pretty enough. Mavis won’t let a chance go by to make her outlay work. I’ll organise for both of you to have membership of Equity. I have applications in the office and am authorised to issue temporary papers.”

We left the pub and walked back towards the office, Yvonne pointing Sally and I in the direction of the doctors. We went in and gave our names, and the receptionist told us to sit and wait. Sally and I were alone, so I held her hand.

“It’s a different world, isn’t it?”

“You bet, Harry. Even sitting here is different. In Braintree I have to book an appointment with the doctor weeks before I knew I’m sick.”

“And getting membership in Equity on the same day will be interesting.”

Sally was called in first and I read a fashion magazine as I waited. It did give me some idea of what to expect on Thursday as I looked at the pictures of beautiful people in beautiful clothes, posing in an impossibly beautiful house. That was when I saw some pictures that made me freeze. There were well dressed models with elegant men behind them, with one or more arms around them. In a couple of days, that may be me, with a guy breathing on my neck. I captured the thought as Sally came out with a smile.

“You’re next. He’s kind of cute and he has his very own hand warmer.”

I stood and gave her the magazine.

“Look at the pictures. They look like what we’ll be doing on the shoot.”

I walked into the office. The doctor was entering something on his computer.

“Sit down, Miss Sharpe. I’m just entering my notes on Sally. You two have certainly lit a fire under Yvonne, if her voice on the phone was anything to go by.”

He finished entering, and then punched another couple of keys. He turned the screen so I could see it.

“Yvonne emailed this picture this morning, with a note that I could prove to myself by taking that wig off. Sally has told me that there are twenty pins holding it on, so I just need you to confirm that this is you.”

“It is me, doctor. I’m told that it’s genetic, and my grandmother told me that she had seen one of my ancestors looking the same. I do not have a single hair on my body.”

“Has anyone suggested hormone treatment for it?”

“No. When I was born, I’m told that Mum was informed that there was nothing that could be done. In my years, I can only remember seeing a doctor to get vaccinated. I think that the school bullies were afraid of hitting me, in case it was contagious. They just called me Hairy Harry.”

“Right. Today, we won’t do anything special. I’ll listen to your chest, take blood pressure and heart rate as the base line. Then we’ll get some blood and urine to see if everything else is good. It’s what I do for Yvonnes’ girls and boys. Take that coat off and let me start.”

He did, indeed, have a little air blower to warm his hands as he went about his business. I was warming to him as we chatted while he worked. In the end, he took some blood and sent me into another room to fill a pee bottle, which was rather easy, considering that I hadn’t gone since Liverpool Street. There was another container he wanted filled. It took me several minutes to fill it, thinking about Sally. It wasn’t the first time I had thought of her in this way. Once I had done that and got decent, I washed my hands and took them back to him.

“Thank you, Harry. I’ll get in touch with Yvonne if there’s anything I need to see you about. I’m usually available should you want to see me. Yvonne has sent me your details, so you’re now listed as a patient. I don’t see much of her staff, as you all eat healthy and keep fit.”

“I’ll try to follow their example, but it’s a completely new world for me.”

He asked a bunch of questions about smoking, drinking, taking hormones or other drugs.

“How long have you been passing as a woman?”

“Since eleven, today. That photo that she sent you was taken last week, before Sally was tasked to try and change me into someone else. Today, Yvonne gave her a photo and told her to create the person you see in front of you. Leaving the office, wearing a dress, was the first time I’d been seen by anyone outside the group that made me.”

“Have you worked on your voice for long?”

“No. My voice is as it’s always been. When I used to make phone calls to someone who didn’t know me, they would often call me Miss. Those that I speak to, face to face, just accept me as a soft-spoken guy.”

“Harry, I take my hat off to you. Yvonne has had other transexuals working for her, both pre-op and post-op, and you’re up there with the best of them on your first day. Good luck with your new career. If you need any specialist advice, I have a big list of doctors I can call.”

When I left his office, Sally put her arm through mine and we walked to the agency. There, Yvonne had contracts for us to sign. I read mine carefully but saw nothing bad, so I signed. We would be getting five thousand a week, less ten percent and tax, for six months. After that, we would either be out of a job or have our future contract renegotiated. It all depended on how well we did in that time. Make a splash and we would earn more. Belly flop and we were back in Braintree with some money in the bank.

I was then back in the clothing store with Sally, to be changed into something more normal for a girl going shopping. I ended up in a skirt and blouse, with a woollen jumper. Sally measured me and wrote it all down. The shoes were replaced with lower ones that she called pixie boots, and we put the coats back on to join Robin on our shopping expedition.

That was a whole new experience. We tried a lot on, but only ended up with two skirts each. They were matched with two blouses and a new woolly jumper as well as two pairs of shoes and a normal winter coat to replace the furs. The lingerie department added panties and bras, mine with a pair of fillers, as well as more packets of tights and nighties. A quick stop at Tesco’s got us toothbrushes and paste, and our own wet bags for the toiletries were added, all chosen by Sally.

Back in the office, we changed into our new outfits and Sally checked our make-up. We both got a sports bag with the agency logo on to put our extras and the items we had arrived with. We waited by the main doors while Yvonne went to the basement to get her car. When she pulled up, we put our bags in and got in the car.

On the way to Camden Town, she told us that we would be pampered on Wednesday. Mavis would pull out all the stops to make us happy, but to make sure that we didn’t end up with so much that it would be difficult to carry. She parked outside the hotel and took us in, with her card being used to pay for four nights and meals. Then, she gave us hugs and left us.

There was a message for us when we got the door cards. We would be picked up at ten on Wednesday morning, and to dress casually but keeping up appearances. We took that to mean that the replica Zoe was to be on display. We took our bags up to our rooms and put our things away. I left my original clothes in the bag and put that in the wardrobe.

Alone, I stood in front of the mirror and took stock of who I had become during that day. Between now and Saturday, I was Harriette, a Zoe Hamilton replica, and was expected to act the part as if I had done it for years. It was a daunting prospect, but not impossible. I sat on the bed, making sure I didn’t wrinkle the skirt, and thought about whether I was good with all this. I had seen the money and signed the papers, so I had to follow it through, if not for my own sake, but for Sally as well.

We were to be together for six months, and her mother had been good with that. I wondered what she and my own mother, would think of how I looked now. I put my hand up to my ear, which now sported a stud, rather than the drops. The simple silver chain was certainly lighter than the previous necklace, and the outfit seemed much more ‘normal’ than the elegant dress I had worn that day. There was a knock on the door, and I opened it to let Sally in.

“I’ve just been wondering if this is a dream, Sally, and I’ll wake up as a hairless freak.”

“If it’s a dream, love, we’re both dreaming the same one.”

I smiled as what she called me registered in my brain.

“What now?”

“Now, we wait until later to both ring home and lay everything out for our families. But now, I want to see if those lips of yours are as good as they look.”

I put my arms out and she closed in, holding me and kissing me. It was, to me, the oddest feeling, knowing that we were both wearing skirts, and that her lipstick tasted different from mine. The feeling on the lips was very different, as I seemed to be more cushioned than the last time that we had kissed like this. We continued for a few minutes, and then she pulled away.

“Here we are, alone in the big city. There’s a bar downstairs where two girls can get a drink, already paid for. And then we can eat a good dinner. You must be hungry with just the soup.”

“It wasn’t the soup, so much. It was the way I had to hold myself to stop the hair going for a swim.”

“I saw that. It also made you look more like the regal way that Zoe carried herself. Come along, I’ll retouch those gorgeous lips and we’ll go downstairs and find a kind barman. You’ll have to learn to redo your own lipstick before too long. You have a lot to learn, Harriette Sharpe, but I’ve seen you learning things quickly.”

We went downstairs, our keycards in our bags, along with all the other things that I was coming to learn were indispensable. In the small bar, we charged a couple of glasses of wine against the rooms and sat to discuss where we went now. We were both well aware that the first six months would set us up for life, as long as we did everything as asked with a smile for the camera.

While we were sitting there, we were approached by a couple of travelling salesmen, who were friends that worked for opposing companies. They were interesting companions, with a lot of funny stories about their lives on the road. Sally intimated that we were a couple, and they didn’t take that badly, remaining entertaining and pleasant until we said goodnight to go up to our rooms. Sally gave one a cheek kiss and I followed suit with the other. On our floor, she said that she would help me get ready for bed.

In my room, she removed the wig and the skull cover. Then she showed me how to clean off all the make-up without poking my eyes out and leaving the brows and lashes in place. With the clothes properly hung away and the underwear removed, I was helped to put the nightie on and she kissed me.

“I’ll knock when I come back. Don’t go away.”

I sat on the bed, able to see myself in the vanity mirror. A bald boy in a nightie looked back at me. There was a knock on the door, and I let Sally in, wearing her own nightie under a hotel gown. She was kissing me before the door was fully shut, and we were in bed together not long after. I wanted her, but wasn’t in a rush, not after this afternoon in the surgery. She showed me what to do, woman to woman, and then what to do in a more conventional way. I was taken to heaven and back again, twice.

We fell asleep in each other’s arms, only waking to relieve ourselves. She kissed me and put the gown back on, leaving me to go to her own room. It took me a long while to go back to sleep. When I did wake, it was to the sound of the alarm beside the bed. It was six in the morning and I remembered that she had told me to shower with the gel she had bought and then dress myself. She would be in to take me back to looking like Zoe.

I got out of bed, took the nightie off and padded into the ensuite to do my business and shower. I took my time, luxuriating in the warm water and breathing the heady smell of the gel. Whatever else happened today, I would smell good. After I had dried myself on the softest towels, I used the new underarm roller bottle and went back into the bedroom. I realised that being bald had always relieved me of the bother of hair drying, and the amount of hair on that wig would take ages to get right.

I dressed carefully for a day in the city. The gaffe was a necessity and I now had fresh panties. I put a bra on for the first time, having some trouble getting it fastened. With the fillers, I looked at my reflection with interest. This was certainly a different look.

Sally had told me that I had to wear the slip that we had bought, as it would allow the outer clothes to move without catching on my skin. There was so much to all this that was new, but I could see the logic. Of the two skirts I had, I had worn the black one yesterday, so would wear the ivory one today. But first, I needed to put the tights on, following the method I had been shown. The blouse was Royal Blue, and very silky. It took a while to button it up, as the buttons were on the wrong side and my grip was terrible because of the nails. I learned to cope by using the balls of my fingers more than the ends. The skirt was quite tight.

I had just finished dressing when there was a knock on the door. I let Sally in, and she gave me a quick kiss before examining me.

“You’ve done well, Harry. I’ll just undo a few of these top buttons. Us girls need to flaunt our lovely necks, and yours is amazing for a boy. Hardly any Adams Apple and a defined dip in the middle that makes this all possible. Sit at the vanity and I’ll create Zoe again. Follow what I’m doing in the mirror and try to remember it all. You’ll need to be able to do it yourself one day.”

For half an hour I followed her every move as she prepared my face and then proceeded to add a touch of colour here and there, line my eyes, mascara the lashes, redden my lips and then put the skull cover on. She shook the wig to allow the fall to settle into shape before putting it on and used pins to attach it firmly to the head cover.

“There you are, Harry. All good and nearly ready to go. I’ll get you to do some of this yourself tomorrow, but we can be easier on the look as I’m sure they’ll have something in mind for the shoot.”

She put the pair of ivory shoes at my feet and then turned away.

“I’ll go and get my bag. Make sure that you have yours when we go down. I’ll help you when we get ready to leave. If there’s a car coming, you’ll only need your new coat.”

We went down and ate breakfast, then I looked at my watch.

“Mum will be having her breakfast. I forgot to call her yesterday. Are we going home over the weekend?”

“I think we’d better.”

We went back to our rooms to brush our teeth and make our calls. I was sitting at the vanity when I rang home.

“Good morning, Sharpe residence.”

“Mum, it’s Harry. I’ve got a few quiet moments and had to call you again.”

“All right, dear. How are you this morning?”

“I’m good. I had a good night and have just had most of a full breakfast. I’m in my room, and we’re being picked up by car at ten. I believe that we’re going shopping at the clients’ store.”

“That sound interesting. You do need some new trousers.”

“Actually, Mum. I’m sitting here in a long wig, with a Royal Blue blouse and what I’m told is a pencil skirt. I’ve been given a contract to model as a replica of Zoe Hamilton in her early years.”

“This, I have to see!”

“We have a photo shoot tomorrow and Friday. If we finish early enough, Sally and I can get a late train home. If I give you a call, can you pick us up at the main station. We may have a couple of cases.”

“You’d be travelling as a couple of girls?”

“That’s one of the stipulations. I have to stay in character for the six months of the contract. They’re paying five grand, so I’d better follow instructions.”

“Five grand for six months, that’s hardly modelling money!”

“It’s five grand a week, Mum.”

There was a few moments of silence, and then I heard the scrape of a kitchen chair.

“Did you say five thousand pounds a week?”

“Less ten percent to the agency. That’s to be renegotiated or finished at the end, depending on how well we perform.”

“Have you been outside in the clothes?”

“We walked to a pub yesterday for lunch, and Sally and I had dinner with a couple of very entertaining salesmen last night.”

“They suspected nothing?”

“Not one idea, other than the usual, crossed their heads, Mum. We even gave them a kiss on the cheek when we went up to our own rooms. Sallys’ phone can take pictures. I’ll get her to take a selfie and send it to your phone. Anyway, I’ll give you a call on Friday to let you know if we’ll be on the train. If not Friday, it may be the Saturday morning. Love you, Mum.”

“Love you too, daughter.”

I pressed the exit button and looked hard at my reflection. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d told my mother that I loved her, and now, less than twenty-four hours of looking like Zoe Hamilton, I had told her easily. I decided that they must put additives in the shower gel.

I picked up my bag, put the phone in it and checked that I had everything. I would need to look at something to replace my grubby old wallet. I had the door card, so popped it in the bag as I left the room. Sally was just coming out of hers, so we went down towards reception.

“Sally, can you take a selfie of us to send to my mother, please?”

“All right. There’s a couple of big mirrors in reception. We can take one that shows us full length.”

In reception, we faced a big mirror, and she took more than one picture. I gave her Mums’ mobile number, and she sent her the best picture. Then she sent one to her mother and another to Janice, with the message, ‘ready for another day’.

We were still waiting for the car when my phone chirruped. I saw that it was my mother.

“Yes Mum.”

“Tell me the truth. Was that picture of you or two other girls?”

“Didn’t I tell you what I was wearing when I spoke to you earlier?”

“So, the one in blue and ivory, was you?”

“Got it in one, Mum. How do I look?”

“Amazing. Got to go now, call me when you’re coming home. I’ll slaughter a fatted calf.”

“Don’t have that kind of appetite now, Mum. A salad for me now. Call you when I know, Bye for now, love you, Mum.”

“Love you, Harry.”

The car arrived and we had the back doors opened for us by the staff. When we were comfortable and belted, the driver spoke as he drove away.

“Good morning, ladies. It’s a pleasure to be driving for you this week. I will bring you back today and will be picking you up on Thursday and Friday to take you to the shoot. It will be a lot earlier, I’m afraid. We’ll need to get to the shoot around seven, so that things are ready to start by eight. You’ll get lunch from a food truck and should finish the internal pictures by five. If the outside light is good, there may be more pictures in the sunset.”

“Thank you for that, we seem to have been chasing our tails since yesterday morning. A little advance notice is a lot better. I’m Sally and this is Harry, the main model on the shoot. What’s your name?”

“I’m Jeremy, or just Jerry. I’m at your service while you’re working on the campaign. I work in security at the main store but was lucky to get this job. I’m afraid that a lot of the security don’t like working with models.”

“Snooty bitches?”

“Usually.”

“That’s not our way. Up to Sunday, we both were working retail, so expect us to be keen to be made aware of what’s going on.”

“That’ll be a good. The next two days will be a six ‘o’clock pick up. The hotel will do early breakfast to your rooms. Are you staying on after Friday?”

“We’re thinking that if we can get back here in time for an early dinner, we can get the train from Liverpool Street in the early evening, if we can. Otherwise, we’ll need to get one on Saturday morning.”

“That may be the best. Friday night, the trains aren’t the best places for a couple of beautiful girls. I’ll be able to take you to the station. That way, you can stay on for the after-shoot get-together. Mavis will organise that. She normally has a slideshow of the best shots. If you ask her nicely, she may even email the file to you as a keepsake.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 5

I was looking out of the window as Sally and Jerry were talking. This was a whole new world for me. Every view was new and different. They continued and I listened with half an ear.

“There’s a lot of new things to learn. It’s pretty exciting.”

“I’m told that it gets more like work, the longer you do it.”

“As I said, Jerry. We’ve both worked in retail. We’re not afraid of work. All I hope is that others treat us well.”

“You’ll be all right. Mavis has put together a good crew. You’ll find that most of them will be wondering if you’ll fit in or be snooty bitches.”

“We’ll do our best to fit in, Jerry. What’s the plans for today?”

“You’ll be met by Carol, who will be your personal dresser. Not just today, but also on the shoot. She’ll do her best to outfit you. When I’ve driven other models, they’ve left with five or six suitcases. With two of you getting the treatment, I may need to put a trailer on the back.”

“Not us, Jerry. We’ll stop when we consider that we’re right. We’ll need to get it home over the weekend.”

“The hotel will store anything you want to leave. The rooms are on the agency card until you’ve finished, with our company getting charged. You could leave your things in the room. They won’t be touched. If the shoot is a success, Mavis will be taking you on a tour of store. Anyway, when we leave the store today, I’m to take you to the agency first. I’ll drop you off and park around the corner. Robin has a unit that will call me to come and get you.”

“It all seems so well sorted out, Jerry. We’ll put ourselves in your capable hands.”

When we got to the store, which took up a whole block, we had to wait as a door rolled up and we were driven into an underground garage that was huge. It was obviously also the receiving area, going by the trucks backed up to loading docks. Jerry parked next to what looked like a reception area, and through the window we could see a lady standing and smoothing her skirt. Jerry was out and opening the door my side, with the lady opening for Sally.

“Good morning, Harriette and Sally. I’m Carol and I’ll be taking you around and getting you kitted out. Thank you, Jerry, they’ll be in the executive dining room when you get the buzz to collect them.”

“Right, Carol. I’ll be waiting. See you later, girls.”

“See you, Jerry, have a nice day.”

Carol led us into the reception room and to some lift doors, which were already open.

“Come along, girls, I’ll take you up to the lingerie. I have seen the shoot at the agency, so I already know what will suit you, Harriette. We’ll have to use some trial and error with you, Sally. If you point out the sort of things you like, we’ll start from there.”

In the safety of the closed lift, she lowered her voice.

“Harriette, I’m fully aware of your particular, and very unusual normal appearance. This will be kept between us, so none of the others except Mavis have any idea that you’re not exactly the gorgeous model that you appear to be. Sally and I will do our best to make this little session as easy as we can make it.”

The lift stopped and the doors opened to a vista of female underwear. My tackle twitched and I willed it to be good. Over the next hour, we both ended up with enough top-line garments to last a month on a desert island without a washing machine. Things that were chosen were spirited away for collection later. Carol had taken each of us into a changing booth and carefully measured us, so no trying on was required.

That came next in the outer wear section, where we tried on a veritable warehouse load of dresses, skirts, slacks, jeans, blouses, tops, and other things too numerous to comprehend. Carol was taking careful note of those things that were chosen. We found out why in the shoe department, where she could tell the assistants what colour was needed. Carol had decided on our core colours. Mine was shades of blue to black, similar to pictures of Zoe that I had noticed were still on the walls. Sally was dark pink through to red, which really made her look good.

We spent a short time looking at coats, just picking out a neutral one each, and then a selection of handbags and purses. Then it was into the executive dining room for lunch with Mavis and the bosses. By this time, we were dressed to impress, with the H&M purchases whisked away with our new things.

I managed to get through the lunch without spilling anything and I think the executives were happy with what their money was getting, for now at least. Our last stops for the day was first the jewellery department for a small case of shiny gold things, a new watch, and then the cosmetic department. There, Sally told the girls what colours she had used on me, and what colours worked best for her, and two cosmetics cases were put together with the smaller jewellery cases installed in them as well.

Over the whole time, nothing was said about money. Nothing we tried on had a tag, so, if you had to ask the price, you were obviously shopping in the wrong place. Carol explained that we would be the faces of the campaign, which was to start two weeks before Christmas and run through into the spring, which is why we ended up with so much stuff. When it came to an end, I needed a good sit down and a cup of tea, which was how we found ourselves back in the executive dining room with me happy to be off my feet for a little while, as I had finished the shopping in heels to match the dress.

When Jerry collected us, he had changed the car for a bigger one to carry the cases. We had three each, all Samsonite roller cases. Sallys’ were light red, while mine were blue. The cosmetic cases were to be carried. Carol told us that she would see us in the morning and Jerry took us to the agency.

We didn’t say much during the trip. I think that we were both shell-shocked from the intense pace of the shopping. Actually, gifting would be a better phrase. I had more value than most women would spend in three lifetimes in my suitcases, and all done as if it was normal. We were really going to need to perform to justify their faith in us. I say ‘us’ because Sally was being treated the same as I was, so I expected that she wouldn’t be as far in that background as first suggested.

We got out at the agency and Jerry drove off. We went in and up in the lift. When we walked in, Robin stood to hug us both.

“My word, you both scrub up well. Yvonne said for you to go straight in.”

We went to her office and Sally knocked on the door. When we were told to enter, we went in. Yvonne also stood to hug us.

“I see that you’ve both been through the first test. It may have been just shopping, but Mavis now has a dossier on both of you with what you look good in and how quickly you can change outfits. This will help her at the shoot, as well as any runway shows.”

She got us to sit and opened up a folder on her desk.

“Here are the Equity cards for each of you in your own names. Without those there would be no work for you tomorrow. Here is your notification of a bank deposit. We didn’t discuss this before, but better models get a signing bonus when they sign a contract. As you would probably expect, it’s the client who foots the bill.”

I looked at my new union card, and then the deposit slip.

“Is this amount correct?”

“It is. The normal signing bonus is a months’ salary. The numbers must seem huge to you now, but you’ll get used to it. Anyway. I expect that you’ll want to go home over the weekend. Mavis has spoken to me, and there’s an apartment in Knightsbridge that you can use when you come back on Monday. If you pack everything and check out on Saturday, Jerry will take you to the station and take the unwanted bags to the apartment. He’ll give you his direct number so you can call him to tell him the train you’re on.”

We sat there and took it in. It seemed that now we were considered models, we had ‘people’ to attend to our every need. It was a strange feeling of being shepherded by a large silken pillow of kindness. Before we left, she had us fill out applications for the passports that neither of us had need for in our previous life, with mine in my own name. I supposed that Yvonne knew what she was doing. I signed as H.E. Sharpe. Then we went to the studio, where some passport photos were taken. I was told that they would use the original ‘before’ shot of me taken by Janice. Yvonne told us that ours would be delivered to the agency within two weeks, with our occupations being listed as fashion models.

Back outside, Jerry pulled up and we got in. He took us back to the hotel and tipped the lads who carried our cases up to our rooms. All we needed to carry were our handbags and the cosmetic cases. We stopped by the big mirror and take another picture to send to our folks. This time we looked like a pair of successful models in outfits that probably would have cost more than our entire wardrobes at home, including the wardrobe.

Sally left her cases in her room and followed me into mine.

“Can we stop for a little while, I’m getting dizzy?”

“We can get a few hours of rest, Sally, but I rather believe that the next two days will be full on. We can take a break before dinner, though.”

“Not before we sort out these cases. Today has been every girls dream. To go into that store and be treated like a princess was wonderful, but dreams don’t tell you how exhausting it would be.”

“What do you want to do about the cases?”

“If we’re going to an apartment after the weekend, we don’t unpack. We just need to get enough out for the trips to and from the shoots and to go home with. So, we’ll go through yours first and hang the things we need. We’ll use the first things we got for the train trip, so that we don’t stand out as girls with a lot of money. If we go into the Village on Saturday or Sunday, we can buy a few normal things for when we’re not on duty.”

“Agreed. What do you suggest for the shoot, then?”

“Slacks for the first day, with a top and a coat. They’ll have all the things we’ll need there, even underwear if it makes a difference with the intended picture. We’ll leave your old things in the case.”

I undressed carefully, so as not to mess anything up. After the full day of trying things on and being shown all the different ways you do things to preserve the clothing, I had got quite adept at this. We opened the three cases and found that they had been packed with a lot of methodical care. Sally reached into the one with all the underwear, pulling out a box.

“Before you put your nightie on, I’ve been told to put these on you. They’re false breasts. Not large ones, about an A or small B, I think. All the bras that were chosen were to be in the right size. It will mean that you’ll genuinely need to wear a bra, and Carol will have all the right things for the next couple of days, without you needing those loose fillers.”

“You’ll glue them?”

“Yes. I’ll need to take them off every couple of weeks to clean your chest, but it will save any chance of your secret being discovered.”

She reached back into the case and pulled out another closed box and opened it up.

“Here are some clean gaffes. They look a bit closer to your body colour than the pair I bought for you. But, there again, I hadn’t seen you in the flesh at that time.”

She lifted a pair of slacks from one of the other cases and hung them in the wardrobe, followed by a matching jacket.

“That will do for tomorrow and the trip back. A skirt for Friday, I think, seeing that there’ll be a party after.”

She also found four sets of bra and panties, putting them in a drawer.

“With what we had from H&M; we’ll have enough for the weekend. There’s a pair of jeans here. If you put them on with a top, we can be respectably casual for dinner. There’s boots somewhere, probably in a plastic bag.”

“Thank you, Sally. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“Likewise, Harry. If I hadn’t come with you, I’d be working on my last client for the day. As it is, I’m standing here in I don’t know how many hundreds of pounds worth of dress, thinking about getting you ready for the shoot tomorrow, and likely, from what Carol has said, being in it as well. I’ll send our latest picture to your mother and the others when I’m changed, and then we’re going to go downstairs and relax.”

She gave me a kiss, which was odd, in that I was standing there in a bra and panties. She smiled and left me to sort myself out. I went into the ensuite to use the toilet and then looked in the mirror, seeing that I needed to rework my lipstick.

I went back into the bedroom and looked at the open cases, the things on the bed and the cosmetic case. There was lipstick in my handbag, so I got it and went back to the mirror, trying to remember how I’d seen Mum touch up her lips. After that, I found the jeans and the boots, and chose a top that looked all right. I closed the cases and stored them in and next to the wardrobe. The cosmetic case went in as well. I was wearing gold studs and a gold chain that I had been given, with a gold bracelet and just two rings. One was a plain band on the left hand for ‘protection’, and the other was quite intricate on the right. Nothing had been given to me that would snag, as Carol was being very careful with how I appeared.

My phone rang.

“Harry speaking.”

“Harry, darling. I just got another picture sent to me. My word! Don’t the two of you look grand. You look like you’re ready for a posh party.”

“With all the other things we saw today, Mum, that’s normal day wear with the crowd who shop there. Nothing has a price tag. It was amazing. Sally and I ended up with three suitcases full. We’re going down for a drink and dinner, and then getting an early night as we’re being picked up before dawn tomorrow.”

“That’s for the shoot, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It will all be totally new for both of us. It looks like Sally will be in some of the pictures, as we’ve both been given a lot of things, including Equity cards and a signing bonus that made Uncles’ payment look like small change.”

“What! On top of the salary?”

“That’s right. We’re likely to be back home around ten or eleven on Saturday. I don’t know how much of a rush Sally will be in to see her family but plan a lunch for the two of us somewhere nice. My treat.”

“All right. I’ll make sure I don’t need to go to work. Are you going back to London on Sunday evening?”

“No. We’ll be catching a train on Monday morning. We’ll be picked up here, so we’ll either get a taxi or walk to Freeport if the weathers’ nice. I’ll just have a sports bag to carry.”

“All right, love. I’m looking forward to seeing the new you and finding out about this photo shoot. It just seems so wonderful. I’ll wait for your call on Saturday morning. Bye for now.”

“Bye Mum, love you.”

I sat there, thinking about things until Sally knocked on my door. When I opened it, I saw that she had chosen a similar outfit to mine. She was also carrying a nightie and dressing gown.

“I’ll leave these on the bed for later, darling. That was a good choice of top. You’re really embracing the new you and you’re picking things up so quickly!”

I grabbed my bag, and we went down to the small bar for a glass of wine or two before a good dinner. We didn’t have any company and went upstairs to my room after dinner, organising wake-up calls and light breakfasts to our rooms for the next two mornings. That night, she didn’t clean my face before kissing me. She didn’t remove the wig, either, so as I was over her, as connected as I could get, my hair hung down over her face as she dug her nails into my back. When we kissed, a few seconds later, we were inside a mass of curls which made it all the more sexual.

Sometime later, she cleansed my face and chest, and I laid on my back for her to position and glue the false breasts. Then we both put our nighties on. She added her gown, picked up her clothes, kissed me and went to her own room to get some sleep. I removed the wig and head cap, then got back into a rumpled bed and tried to settle.

The phone woke me in the early hours, and I was told that my breakfast would be delivered in thirty minutes. That gave me time to get to the ensuite, get showered and dressed. I had just fitted the wig when there was a knock on the door. It was a girl with my breakfast on a tray. I put the tray on the small table by the window and pulled the chair around so I could eat. After that, I put the tray outside the door, went and brushed my teeth and sat at the vanity.

Sally had said to keep it simple, as whatever we did would be reworked to suit the shoot, but I did try to add those highlights that made me look like Zoe. The small amount of mascara and eyeliner, the touch of blush on the cheeks, and, of course, the generous application of lipstick. When I let Sally in, she inspected me, made a few slight changes, and made sure that the wig was secure. Before we left the room, we hugged and wished each other a good day.

We only had to wait a few minutes before Jerry arrived. There weren’t any doormen, so we opened the car doors and got in.

“Good morning girls. Time to get real today. I’ll drop you off. Carol has my number to call me when you’re winding up.”

He respected our silence as he drove us. It wasn’t that far to Kenwood House in Hampstead. We entered through a pair of stone pillars and along a driveway to an imposing entry. There were several cars and three vans already there with people milling around.

“Looks like Carol has been waiting for you, girls. Good luck.”

“Thanks, Jerry. See you later.”

We got out of the car, and he left as Carol came over to us.

“Good morning, girls. Mavis is inside and I’ll take you to her. She wants to get everyone on the same page to start with. She’ll start when we have everyone assembled.”

She led us into the house, and then through elaborate rooms and corridors to what was normally used as a lunch area for visitors. Today, it was set up as a changing area and make-up station. We were seated at a big table to wait. I looked around. Being a public area, there were signs for toilets, a number of vending machines and a counter, behind which a couple of guys were unpacking boxes.

Mavis finished talking to a guy with a goatee beard and came over to sit with us.

“Good morning, girls. Sally, you’ll be helping Carol with the make-up to start with, and then she’ll work on you. We’ll be using only the cosmetics that we sell, which you have in your cosmetic cases. I’ll give out more detail when the others join us. There’ll be three other girls and four boys. They’ve worked with me before, so know what to expect. We have three camera teams, so will do a lot in a short time. Rest up, there’s a pile of coins on the table by the vending machines, help yourself.”

She left us to go off to manage some other detail, and we sat quietly as we were joined by the others. We introduced ourselves as they arrived. Sylvia, Anthea, and Veronica were every inch professional models, and were wary with us until we talked a bit. Charles, Brandon, Noel and Marcus were all as camp as a row of tents, but still manly enough to make ones’ heart race. Two of them had been in the pictures I had seen in the doctors’ waiting room. Mavis rejoined us.

“Right, kids. Today and tomorrow are straight forward. We will do all day wear and visitation wear. Tomorrow, we do party and ball gowns. If the light is right, we’ll do some outside work in front of the park façade in the afternoon. Carol has the schedules and will be starting up as soon as I’ve finished this. We have three teams, so you’ll all be working at once and changing as soon as your team is happy with what they’ve got. Sally will be assisting Carol with the initial dressing. As always, do the best you can, and we’ll be able to applaud the result tomorrow.”

Carol took Sally under her wing with Sylvia and Anthea in the chairs, sketches of the required look in front of them. Carol told me that the first outfits were on a rack, so Veronica and I went to get Sylvia One and Anthea One, hooking the garment bags on the screens. Then we went off to get Harriette One, Sally One and Veronica One. When the others had been worked on, they took their bags to other screens to change. While this was going on, the guys were across the room getting worked on and changed with their own make-up artist.

The first two went off with two of the guys, and I was worked on by Sally. While I was changing, Sally was being worked on by Carol. Veronica was taken away with one of the guys, and the two of us were eventually taken to where our team had set up with the last guy. Our setting was the library, with many nooks, crannies and chesterfields scattered around.

The three of us spent an hour being posed among the books, which was the reason that we were clad in casual but studious clothes. At one point, I was being shown something in a book, with Brandon with one arm around my shoulders and his other hand pointing something out. There were other pictures with Sally and I sitting on a chesterfield, with Brandon sitting on the armrest, books in our hands. It was one pose after another and then we were told that it was all good.

We went back to the lunchroom and found Sally Two and Harriette Two, changing and putting the first outfits into the garment bags. Then we were joined by both Noel and Marcus and taken to a lounge room. It was huge, with portraits around the walls. We were in similar skirt suits, me in a powder blue, and she in light red. The guys were in sports coats and cravats.

That session had us sitting as individuals, pairs, or as a whole group. At one point I was pictured looking out of the window with Noel standing close behind me with his arm around my waist. Sally had a similar picture with Marcus.

Our next session was longer, with me, Sally, and Anthea with three of the guys in the long walk, lined with portraits and porcelain. Our outfits for this was the start of the better clothes. The guys in suits and us girls in good dresses. Then, all us models were back into what we had arrived in, and another rack of better outfits replaced the first one.

After that we stopped for lunch, with it supplied by a caterer who arrived with his truck and served it in the lunchroom. All of us were seated, and there was a lot of chatter. Mavis went around to the different teams to see how they were getting on with what was scheduled.

So far, it had been pretty good. After lunch, we were reworked in the chairs and dressed in gorgeous outfits. All of us stayed together, moving from room to room, with all three teams working the room. There was a huge mix of poses, with one to all nine of us in front of the cameras. If these outfits were just for visitation, tomorrow was going to be interesting.

We spent the later part of daylight outside, in front of the lovely façade. It was a good job that they weren’t close-ups, as the goosebumps would have to be airbrushed out.

After that we were all back into normal clothes, and Mavis told us that it was going well. Jerry picked us up. On the way back, I asked him if he would join us for dinner, if he knew somewhere nice. He stopped at The Engineer. We had two of the share plates between the three of us and I paid with my card.

We were tired when we got to the hotel, so Sally kissed me and removed the wig, leaving me to do everything else.

“Goodnight, my love. We’ll have a lot to talk about on the train home. See you at first light.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 6

I put the nightie on and went to the toilet, washed my hands and got into bed. I laid there for a while, thinking about the day. I had spent almost the whole day following orders. When to smile, when to look bored, when to look haughty. There was quite a number of times I was asked that last one.

With my height, plus heels, I was easily the tallest in the group. The four guys would be taller if I stood without heels, and I felt that they were setting me up to emulate the aura that Zoe had cultivated. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I had seen Sally take the orders with outright glee at being there. It was no wonder she was tired.

What really worried me was that I had spent my whole life being different, weirdly different. Now, I was moving towards a different style of different, one where the difference was to make people look at me with envy, the way I had sometimes looked at others. It was totally the other side of the coin, and it was a side that I had no experience with until today.

I was wondering about tomorrow and slipped into sleep, to dream that I was in a carriage, being taken past waving crowds and the love was almost like a solid thing. Then I was standing on a headland, looking over a raging sea that was crashing against the cliffs. Of course, I woke up needing a pee.

When I went back to bed, it seemed like only minutes before the phone rang with my wake-up call. It must have been longer than minutes, because as soon as I got out of bed, I needed another pee.

When Sally knocked on the door, I was showered, dressed and had done my best with the make-up. She attached the wig and secured it.

“I hope that they have another one we can use, as this one will need washing soon. We can sort that out when we’re in the security of the apartment.”

“There’s a lot we’ll be able to do then. We’ll each have a weeks’ worth of knickers to wash.”

“You’re absolutely amazing, Harry. A girl for three days and you’re thinking like one. Come on, we need to hustle.”

I put the tray in the corridor and collected my coat and bag. Jerry was a bit more talkative on the way in. Maybe the fact that we had conversed about a lot of things over dinner the night before had convinced him that we weren’t snooty bitches.

The shoot today was different. We were all dressed for a party and us girls made up with strong colours. We were all in the Great Hall, with a boom box pumping out dance tunes. The three cameramen took sections of us, asking for movement and expressions, and we did our best to look like rich young things having fun. We did that with three changes of outfit, and then it was lunch.

The afternoon had me in a new wig. It was the same colour as the other but was upswept and festooned with pearls. They matched the pearl jewellery and the fabulous silver gown I was poured into. The guys were all in tuxedos. We were back in the Great Hall and had to stand as if we were dancing, with the guys holding us while we tried to balance as a crew member attached a clip on a thin wire to the hem, so making it look as if we were moving. There was only one change of dress during the afternoon, seeing how long it took to set up every shot, but that would end up with ten dresses being shown.

When we were back in the clothes and hair that we had arrived in, Mavis got us all together and opened a few bottles of wine. She proposed a toast.

“To the successful completion of the shoot. Well done all of you!”

There was a big screen, and she showed us a sample of the pictures. Those cameramen were brilliant, capturing a moment in time that looked as if it was real life and making it look inviting. I was amazed that it looked as if we all were at home in the big house. Carol sat with Sally and I and told us that all the pictures would undergo some work before they would be seen in public.

“The ones from today will have background added, Streamers and balloons for the morning, and glances of a string quartet for the afternoon. When you see the final result, you’ll be wracking you brain to remember when you were at that wonderful place.”

“It’s all about creating an appearance then.”

“Exactly. I don’t think that I’m talking out of turn when I say that the two of you were magnificent for your first shoot. I’ve spoken to the three crews, and they all say that it’s a pleasure working with you. They weren’t sure what to expect and were a bit worried that we’d need to repeat the shoot next week.”

“Any idea of what’s happening next week?”

“Monday is all about getting you settled into the apartment. It’s a good one, two bedrooms with separate lounge and kitchen. There’s a small laundry but it’s also serviced by a cleaning service, so it’ll be looked after while you’re away. After that, I think that Mavis will want your input into the campaign launch. Store visits with the press in tow, visits to our suppliers to assure them that they’re doing a wonderful job, interviews for the magazines that will carry our adverts.”

“We’ll be earning our keep, then.”

“You bet. There’ll be quiet days and there’ll be busy days. I can’t guarantee that you’ll get regular days off, and you may be on deck for a couple of weeks at a time, with enough time off to recover. The life of a top model and the face of the campaign is hard work, but well worthwhile. Was there any one outfit from the shoot that you felt at home in?”

I thought back.

“That light blue skirt suit yesterday was something that felt right. It was easy to wear.”

“What about you, Sally.”

“Actually, I was thinking that the red one from the same session was lovely. Harry is right, they were easy to wear and could be seen at most occasions.”

“Right, they’ll be in their garment bags and in the car when Jerry takes you to the hotel. I’m proud of you. Many models would choose something very expensive in order to sell it later.”

“That’s not who we are, Carol. I think that we’ll wear those outfits when we visit the Village and see our friends there. They don’t scream ‘look at me’ but they’re obviously something that you don’t normally see in Braintree.”

Before Jerry came to pick us up, we were approached by all of the other models. Veronica said what they all thought.

“When Mavis said she was getting someone special, we all thought that it would a famous model who would treat us like dirt and upstage us at every chance. You two have been wonderful to work with and we’ll be happy to see you again.”

Marcus had a different slant.

“I have to thank the two of you for the way you allowed us to be your support without trying to block us from the lens. We’ve worked with a lot of models who hate homosexuals, and the way that you allowed us to touch and hold you made these two days special. I may be gay, but I do appreciate a lovely woman.”

On the way back to the hotel, Jerry told us to be ready for nine, so that we can get the train at ten, which would get us into Braintree at eleven. He suggested that we get a train coming back which would get us to Liverpool Street about eleven on Monday. That, he said would give us time to be shown the apartment and get ourselves lunch at one of the nearby cafés. We would have all afternoon to settle in, and then would join Mavis and the campaign team for a meeting at ten on Tuesday.

Back in my room, we spoke about what we would be doing on the weekend. It was obvious that we would be staying at our own homes and would both take a taxi to the main station on Monday morning. We agreed that Mum could drop Sally at home and meet her parents, and then we would meet at Wildwood for a late breakfast on Sunday, before presenting the new us to the Village.

That sorted out, we packed the agency bags with what we were taking. They had thoughtfully put some plastic bags in, which were packed with our laundry and put in the cases. We each had an H&M outfit for each trip, with our new coat, nightwear, underwear, and fluffy slippers for the evenings. The two garment bags had the skirt suits and shoes for Sunday. Sally suggested that we took our bigger handbags with shoulder straps that we could put over our heads and carry under one arm.

We went down for dinner and then retired to my room for a few hours in bed, with me keeping the wig on until we were sated. That was the first time I told Sally that I loved her, and she told me that she loved me as well, both of me.

On Saturday morning, we had a later wake-up call, and I was ready when Sally knocked on the door. She checked me out and told me that I was learning quickly. Not so amazing, considering how many times I had been worked on over the last three days. With repetition, comes recognition.

We went down to breakfast and arranged for someone to collect our bags. We were getting ready to leave when a couple of lads turned up with a trolley. All six bigger bags and the cosmetic cases were loaded on, all locked and checked, and went down with us in the lift, both lads blushing as we smiled at them. We were dressed for travel, with a garment bag in one hand and the agency bag in the other. We signed the accounts for the rooms and the trolley was wheeled out to where Jerry was waiting. The cases went in the back, with our travel bags on the back seat between us, and he took us to Liverpool Street. On the way he was chatty.

“When I picked up the car this morning, Carol told me that the management are very happy with the shoot and are looking forward to the launch next week. I know that it won’t be very much time to Christmas, but they’re aiming for the buyers to be preparing for the next years’ season. Any sales prior to Christmas will be a bonus. There’s already a Christmas gift campaign running.”

At Liverpool Street, he dropped us off and we both gave him a hug before he got back in the car and left us. We found the right platform and gave our return tickets, after buying a single ticket each for Monday. Neither of us were certain when we would be back in Braintree again.

The trip home was surreal for me. Here I was, in a skirt and blouse, looking like a girl. It was a far cry from my appearance on the way to London last Tuesday. It made me wonder if I had packed my woolly hat somewhere. If it was cool on Sunday, I could always wear the bobble hat with ear flaps that I had been given.

We talked about the last few days, and how everything had happened in a rush. The week had thrown both our lives on its head. We had futures in our careers as well as in our private lives. Sally told me that I should be able to do my own make-up on Sunday morning, but to get my mother to remove and replace the wig. I asked her about something that was secured and could be washed, so she told me that I could get one that would be glued to my head.

When the train arrived at the main station, we got our things and got off, going out through the gate to find my mother standing next to our car. I had wondered about this moment, but she broke into a smile and rushed over to hug me.

“Welcome home, Harry. My, you haven’t changed a bit!”

She gave Sally a hug and a ‘so pleased to meet you’ and we put our things in the back. There was a line of taxis, so I went over to the first one in line.

“Excuse me. Can I book you to pick me up and bring me here on Monday, in time for the train at ten?”

“Certainly, Miss. What address?”

I told him the address and he wrote it down. Sally had noticed and was organising the second taxi in the same manner. We got in the car, both in the back seat. I saw Mum look at us in the mirror as she left the station. Sally gave her the directions and we went to her home. Mum pulled into the short road and stopped. Sallys’ parents came out while we were getting her agency bag and garment bag out. Sally did the introductions. They both gave us hugs without a trace of restraint. Like Mum, they had seen the photos that Sally had sent. We were invited in for a cup of tea and were there for half an hour. Sally and I had a long hug before I got into the front, next to Mum.

“I’ve booked us in at Fowlers’ Farm, Harry, seeing that you’re taking me to lunch. We can talk about your week with a glass of white wine, which, if I’m not mistaken, will be your drink of choice.”

“How did you guess, Mum? It seems that that’s the only thing that girls drink. On Tuesday, when Yvonne took us to lunch, it was delivered to the table without asking.”

“It comes with the territory, love. When you want something outrageous, you order a daiquiri. A couple of those could have you slurring your words if you don’t have anything in your stomach first. Now, tell me about you and Sally. I expect that you’ve shared a bed.”

“I admit it, Mother dear. I am no longer a virgin. Does that make me a black sheep, or just a very happy person?”

“Person? Not boy? Where are you now?”

“I’m a boy who looks good as a girl. So, I have to act like a girl. I’m a girl who looks like a famous model and have just spent two days working hard in a fashion shoot. So, not only do I have to act like a girl, but I also have to act like a model. Next week we’ll be setting up the campaign launch and I’ll wait to see if I’m presented as the next Zoe Hamilton or as a hairless boy who can look like anyone you like, given enough cosmetics.”

“I can see how you’re conflicted. You do look remarkably pretty.”

“As was said yesterday, it’s all in the appearance. I will need your help tonight to remove the wig. I don’t know how many pins there are, but it would probably stay on if I was on a trampoline. I’ll also need it reattached Sunday and Monday. It’s the only part of this that I need help with.”

“You’re good with make-up?”

“This face is the one that I applied myself this morning. I’ve been made-up, retouched, enhanced and cleansed so many times in the last four days, you just can’t help picking up the logic of the process. It’s the same with dressing myself. On Wednesday, I think I tried on about fifty different outfits.”

“What about at the shoot?”

“We had a dresser for that. She knows about me, as well as the agency and Mavis, the campaign leader at the store.”

“Are you staying in that hotel when you go back?”

“No. We checked out this morning and our driver has taken our cases to an apartment in Knightsbridge where we’ll be staying.”

“Cases?”

“I was given enough of everything to fill three Samsonite rollers, and have a cosmetic case stuffed with top-line lotions and potions. I’ll leave you some of what’s in my bag. It’s good gear, but not as good as I’m supposed to use from now on. The garment bag has an outfit that I wore in the shoot, which was given to me. Sally has one similar.”

“So, this isn’t just a holiday, then.”

“I’m sorry, Mum, but I don’t know when I’m coming back next. About the only thing I’ll be taking will be my laptop. I’ll be dressing like this for six months, and I’m not sure whether that will continue afterwards. The agency doctor told me that he has a long list of specialists that he can call on should I want to make this more permanent.”

“That would be drastic, as well as expensive.”

“I know. Anyway, how’s Uncle Bill?”

“Don’t go there, Harry. I was contacted by the authorities on Thursday, wanting to know about his three companies, seeing that I’m listed as a director of all three. It took me a while to convince them that it was the first I had heard of it. It appears that his books have payments to me every three months as directors fees. I have to get my bank statements and see them next week. That brother of mine is going straight to jail without collecting the hundred pounds.”

“When we get home, I’ll go online with my bank and transfer ten thousand to you. It’s half my signing bonus and will help you out.”

“You don’t have to do that, Harry.”

“I want to, Mum. It’s the least I can do for you. If nothing else, it will allow you to get a good dress for your next hot date.”

We got to Fowlers Farm, and she parked. It felt odd to be swivelling to get out the car and make sure my bag was hooked on my shoulder. She led us in and was greeted.

“How can I help you, ladies?”

“I have a booking for Sharpe.”

“This way, ladies, your table is over here near the window. Can I bring you any drinks?”

“Two dry whites, please.”

We had a lovely lunch. It would have been years since we’d sat like this. Today, we talked as two adults discussing things. I told her about my week in detail, with all the detail that I thought she should know. I told her about my feelings with having hair to care about, and the fact that I can waggle my eyebrows, despite the glue.

I spoke about my love for Sally, based on my complete trust in her, and that she was a model as well, on the same money as me. I told her about all the people we had met, and about our day in the store being given things. She didn’t fully understand until we got home, and I took the skirt suit out of the garment bag to hang up.

“That must be worth a couple of thousand pounds, love!”

“This, Mum, was the cheapest outfit I wore on the shoot by a long way. Sally has a red one. We plan to wear them on Sunday to go and see our friends in the Village.”

“Can I come?”

“Of course you can. It will be an interesting visit. I wonder if any recognise me, other than Janice and her staff, that is.”

During the afternoon, I spent most of it in my room, tidying up and putting things away, making room for me to hang my new things. I put all my crap into boxes and took it down to store in the garage. Before I closed the doors, I sprayed both bikes with oil, to keep them rust-free for an extended time. It would be a while before I would be riding again. I hoped that I could get a swimsuit and swim while we’re in London. Sally would be in that.

Later on, I helped my mother dress, as we were having a visitor. I loaned her some of the better cosmetics and then she told me to get ready. The visitor was bringing his teenage son, and we were going to the Caesars and Dolphin for dinner, for me to meet my possible stepfather and brother. Talk about the week being throwing new balls in the air. I went back to my room and thought a bit.

I hadn’t brought anything good, except the suit, and I didn’t have time for a shower, so I stripped off the blouse and skirt, putting on the outfit that I had planned for Sunday. This was one time that a girl would wear the same outfit for two days. I stood in the bathroom and did as well as I could with a Saturday night face.

When the knock came, we were both looking good, and Mum had a wicked grin on her face. She opened the door, and the guy gave her a good kiss. He wasn’t anyone that I had met before, but the son was a lad who had been a year behind me in school. He had been one of the ones who delighted in calling me a freak.

I smiled as bright as I could, the father smiled as well.

“Maureen, why don’t you introduce us to your charming daughter.”

“John, Bernard, this is Harriette. She’s home for the weekend after a fashion shoot in London. Harriette, this is John Taylor and his son, Bernard. We’re ready to go, John. We’ll get our bags and join you in your car.”

In the house I whispered.

“That bastard Bernard used to call me a freak!”

“That was then, this is now. If you can fool him, you’ll be doing well. I don’t really mind if John and I don’t go any further but do your very best to be my beautiful daughter.”

We got our coats and bags and went out to the car. John had the front door open for Mum, and Bernard had the back door open for me. We got in and they got in beside us. John drove us to the main road east, stopping at the restaurant. I put my big bag next to me on the seat, making sure that Bernard had to keep his hands to his side of the car.

The meal was good and the conversation interesting. John was well off and a director in the injection business. He was a nice guy. His son, however, thought that his shit didn’t smell, and showed himself up several times. I hardly had to say a thing, as they were both working overtime to impress us.

When we were dropped off at home, Mum thanked John for a nice evening and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I tried out my haughty look and ignored the son, who didn’t have enough nerve to even shake my hand. Inside, we waited until we heard the car going away, and collapsed into giggles. When Mum caught her breath, she smiled.

“That went well.”

“I think it was a nice meal, John’s a nice guy and I wouldn’t be upset with him as a stepfather. If Bully Bernie is part of the package, I don’t expect to be staying with you in your new home.”

“That was the first time I had met the little shit. You spent four years in high school with him! How on earth did you stand it?”

“I ignored him as much as I could, and he wasn’t the only one to call me a freak.”

“That suit looks beautiful. It made you look so good; a woman asked me if you were a model when I was in the toilets. I told her that you had finished a photo shoot yesterday and to watch for adverts in Vogue or Tatler.”

“I’d leave it for you, but I doubt if the top will fit. I’ve got stick-on boobs, but they’re only a small B cup. Why don’t you try the skirt, though.”

We went upstairs and removed our outer clothes. Mum tried the skirt and it fitted nicely. She said that it was a pleasure to try on. I gave her the ivory H&M skirt, which also fitted her.

“There you go, Mum. Keep that one and I’ll see what else I can get for you. Now, let me get cleansed and in my nightie. Then I’ll transfer that money while you work on the wig for me.”

In my nightie and my old dressing gown, I carried the laptop downstairs and sat at the kitchen table to log into my bank account. With my payment from my Uncle, I still had over twenty thousand, so transferred ten to Mums account. She had removed the wig and the head covering, so kissed the top of my head in the way she used to when I was smaller.

I kissed her cheek and hugged her.

“Goodnight, Mum. I love you.”

“Goodnight, Harry. I love you too. You’ve made me so proud of you with the way you’ve accepted all of this. You do make a magnificent woman, the daughter I never thought I’d have.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 7

For a while, as I snuggled in my old bed, I thought of the absurdity of going out on a double date with my mother. That was followed by the other absurdity of me giving her one of my skirts. I had a little chuckle as I went to sleep, in my own bed and in my family home.

In the morning, I was up before Mum, the regime of the shoot still strong. I showered and dried, and padded back to my bedroom to prepare for the day. I had new underwear, tights, and the pressure to be as good as I could. I took my time dressing, up to the point of putting the suit on again.

I was in my old dressing gown when Mum walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Harry. Couldn’t sleep?”

“Holdover from the shoot, I’m afraid. We had a wake-up call at five to be ready on set by eight. Never let anyone tell you that modelling is standing around looking beautiful.”

“If you say so, dear. What are we doing now?”

“I’m not hungry after two big meals yesterday. How about we just have a piece of toast and leave room for breakfast with Sally. Then, can you please re-attach the wig after I’ve done my face and dressed.”

“Sounds good. I was looking at that wig when I took it off. It’s human hair and would have cost hundreds.”

“The numbers are just that, Mum, numbers. Not how many meals would it pay for, or how many starving people it would feed. These people work in millions, anything less is chump change. It’s hard to get your head around, so, for now I’m not even thinking about it.”

We had our slices of toast and a cup of tea, and then we went upstairs to get ready. I went into the bathroom to use the mirror in there, a mirror I had usually only glanced at to make sure that there weren’t remnants of toothpaste on my chin. Now, it was integral in my morning preparations.

I put the skirt suit on again, with another blouse that I had brought home, just in case of spillage. Mum sat me at the kitchen table, and we re-attached the head covering, making sure it was taut and well stuck. Having removed the wig, she knew where all the pins should be. She brushed it, carefully, to make it bounce and we put our coats on.

The weather was bright but chilly, so she warmed up the car first while we fetched our bags. She parked around the station side of the Village, and we got out. Sally was already in Wildwood when we went in, a cup in front of her. She stood up and hugged me, whispering that she had missed me. She gave Mum a hug as well and told her that the ivory skirt looked good with the red top and boots.

We had a cooked breakfast, taking our time to let the Village stores open and get their heaters going. Sally had spent her Saturday at home after we had left, with other family members dropping in to say hello. Mum told her about our dinner, giggling when she said that it was a double date. Sally looked hard into my eyes.

“Tell me more, Harry. Was he nice?”

“He was a complete little shite, my love. You would have been a couple of years ahead of him in school, but he was known as ‘Bernie the Big-Headed Bully’ when I was there.”

“That little shit! A couple of the juniors in the salon had spoken about him. He was too scared to pick on girls, but their brothers had a hard time. Did he recognise you, or more to the point, did he go for a goodnight kiss?”

“No to both. When we got home, I channeled my best ‘Haughty Zoe’ and he never even said goodnight. Mum and I took a while to gain our equilibrium, we were laughing so much. She has to work with his father, who was really a nice guy.”

When we had finished breakfast, we popped into their toilet to check our teeth and redo the lipstick, and then went into the Village. They had the hot air blowers going full blast, so it wasn’t that bad in the walkways. We strolled around, going into shops and looking at things. We all bought some items that caught our eye. Many recognised Sally and asked how she was getting on. She told them that she had gone down to London with Harry and had found a job as a cosmetician in a model agency. A few recognised Mum and asked how Harry was doing and if he had any luck with getting a job.

Mum was diplomatic, telling them that I had gone down to London and got a job in retail. It wasn’t totally the truth, but close to it. Some asked me what I did, so I told them that I was a budding fashion model that Sally had invited to see where she had worked, and that she and I had become instant friends during a two-day fashion shoot.

We walked into the salon to the sound of squeals from the girls, startling a couple of elderly ladies getting their weekly blue rinse. Janice came out of her office at the sound and immediately gave Sally a big hug.

“You’re looking good, girl. I’m sorry to have lost you to the big smoke, but you’ll always be welcome here. I’ll bank your holiday pay next week. Now, introduce me to your friends, one has a similar taste in suits.”

Sally grinned.

“Janice, say hello to the star of the photo shoot last week. This is Harriette and her mother, Maureen Sharpe.”

Janice looked closer at me, and the penny dropped.

“Good Lord! This beauty is that blank canvas we sent off with you on Tuesday. Did you create this look this morning?”

Mum was the first to reply.

“She did it all herself. She could always pick up things quickly.”

“Come on into the office, you three. You can tell me all about it, in private, and then you can buy me a coffee and cake, Sally, seeing that you’ll be under contract by now.”

We went into her office, which had just enough seats, and Sally and I related our time in London, starting with our arrival on Tuesday. It was odd to put it all into context, as it had passed by in a blur as it was happening. It was lunch time by the time we had explained everything, so we left our shopping bags in her office and went to BB’s for coffee, cake and a sandwich.

Mum was looking at me, her drink untouched, so I quietly spoke to her.

“What’s wrong, Mum?”

“Nothing, love. It’s just that hearing the details of what you’ve done over just a few days has made me realise what a huge thing the two of you have done. When you go back on Monday, it’s going to be a while before I see you again, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so. We’ll only be an hour away on the train. I’m told that the apartment has two bedrooms, so there’ll be somewhere for you to sleep if you visit. We could go shopping together.”

“So, you’ll be sharing a bedroom then?”

“Probably, although we may use the separate rooms to store our clothes, I doubt that even a Knightsbridge apartment has a wardrobe big enough for what we’ve been supplied with.”

“I like Sally, if she’s the one for you then you’ve done well. Make sure that you don’t mess with her career by getting her pregnant.”

“That hasn’t been talked about yet.”

When we left Janice at the salon, we went into the central walkway, which looked oddly empty.

“The Kiosk has gone!”

Mum headed for the information booth and admin office. Inside, she demanded to talk to whoever was in charge. An older man came out of his office at the kerfuffle.

“Can I help you ladies?”

“Yes, you can. What has happened to my brothers’ kiosk. I was told that it was to be closed until closer to Christmas, not taken away!”

“Mrs. Sharpe, is it? Just the person I was hoping to talk to. Come into the office.”

We followed Mum in, and she took the only spare seat. Sally and I stood by the door, close enough together that our hand holding was hidden. He sat at the desk and pulled a folder out of a drawer.

“Mrs. Sharpe. On examination of our accounts, your brother is now three weeks behind with the site rent. We haven’t seen him, or that young lad who works there, for a week, so we’ve moved the kiosk into the maintenance area until things are sorted out. I have the original contract here, and it shows you, madam, as a director of his company, and a guarantor for any outstanding funds.”

My mother took the paper and looked at it.

“Right! Number one. I was told by the authorities that are looking into his finances, that I’m listed as a director of his three companies and was being paid a directors fee. Number two. I am not, and never have been, a director in his dealings and have received no payment. Number three. That signature is not mine and, if you like, I can show you official cards in my purse that will prove it. Number four. I really don’t care what you do with the kiosk. You can use it for a pop-up client if you want. If you repossess it for unpaid bills, I won’t stand in your way.”

“I get your drift, Mrs. Sharpe. Can you tell me where the young lad is?”

“My brother laid him off and paid him out. He went to London on Tuesday and got a good job in retail and is happy there. If you’re after keys to the kiosk, then ask my brother.”

“We would, if anyone could find him. I’ve tried to ring him but all the numbers I was given aren’t connected. I’ll decide, right now that we will repossess the kiosk over unpaid accounts and will get a locksmith in to get inside. Then we’ll ask around to see if anyone is interested in a pop-up for the festive season. Thank you for being so forthright and understanding. I know it’s your brother, but he isn’t in a good light, right now.”

We filed out and stood where I used to work while Mum cooled down. I said that I wanted to look at books and went into Jims’ shop. Among the biographies, I found one on the life of Zoe Hamilton, so took it to the counter. Jim smiled as he rang it up, and more so when he looked at the card that I had given him to pay for it.

“Looks like you’ve read that book I gave you.”

“It has had a positive effect on my life, Jim. It did point out that you made more friends if you made yourself easier to know. The number of people that have told me that they like me in the last week have been impossible to count.”

“Looking as good as you do, now, I can understand it. Is this the future you?”

“As long as they keep paying me, it is.”

I opened the book and found a picture.

“Yesterday, Sally and I were in a photo shoot, and we recreated this picture in the Grand Hall of Kenwood House. The results will be in the magazines in December. Do you see some likeness?”

He looked at the picture and then at me.

“Bloody hell, girl! You could be her daughter.”

“That’s the main reason I look like this and will do for six months. You’re the first one to have recognised me, the only one with an older card reader. All the shops we’ve been to have had touch and go.”

“It sometimes pays to keep the old ways. I wasn’t going to spend money that I didn’t need to spend. I’ll be having a big discount sale up to Christmas, and then I retire for good. I believe that they’re looking for your uncle.”

“They’re not the only ones. I think that the companies office are after him, but we were just told that he’s not contactable by phone.”

“Times are tough, but some of us keep going. You look after yourself, Harry. When I see you in the magazines, I’ll raise a glass to you and remember the wonderful person that I’ve come to respect, and now stand in awe of.”

“Thanks, Jim. I might get back sometime, but my next few months are going to be hectic.”

He put the book into a bag, with my receipt, and I smiled my farewell. I went off to find Sally and Mum, who were in a store that sold swimming costumes. As we knew our sizes by heart, we didn’t have to try anything on. Mum paid for three costumes. A bikini for Sally, and one-piece costumes for us. I wondered if we would find a pool which two girls would be happy in.

We went back to the salon where Mum was ushered into a vacant chair while I helped Sally give her a make-over. We took all our shopping bags back to the car and discussed dinner. With us all looking good, we went to the one Village restaurant that we hadn’t been to before, La Piadina, where we had a good Italian meal with wines.

After that, we dropped Sally at home, with the two of us having a hug and promising each other that tomorrow we would be back together. That evening, I packed my things to take back to London, especially my laptop in its own bag. I sat while Mum watched TV and read the book on Zoe. She hadn’t been a nice person once she was famous, and the haughty look was her natural one. She had married three times, the second only lasting months and destroyed by her delving into drugs. Starting out with getting addicted to weight-reducing pills and then opiates to reduce her constant pain, mainly a result of falling off a runway while intoxicated.

It made interesting reading, as well as a good lesson in how not to live your life. When I looked at the pictures, there were more than one that I could pick as an example that had been followed last week. Mum and I shared a hot chocolate and chocolate biscuit time before we went to bed. I was already packed, with the skirt suit folded into the sports bag in its garment bag. I would see if I could get it cleaned when we were back in London.

In the morning, I woke early, went to the bathroom and showered. I dressed to travel, in a pair of my old slim leg jeans that didn’t make me look too boyish, set off with a tie-dyed top that I had bought on Sunday. I packed small things in the laptop bag and my shoulder bag. I used a couple of the shopping bags for the rest. All I needed to do was to wrestle it on, and then off the train. After breakfast, Mum attached the wig and we had a long hug with a few tears, as she left to go to work. I carefully washed and dried the dishes and put my bags by the front door. All too soon, there was a beep outside and I went out, using two trips to put the bags in the taxi, made sure the door was locked and then rode away from my family home in the taxi, possibly for the last time.

At the station, there was a handy trolley near the drop-off area, and I loaded my bags on it after I had paid the driver. Sally arrived in her taxi, and we piled her bags on top of mine. We pushed the trolley onto the platform and sat on a bench waiting for the train. We had both opted for jeans to stay warm.

“How was your morning, love”

“A lot of tears.”

“Same with me. We’re starting a very new career today. It will make the shoot seem easy.”

“At least we’ll have today to settle into whatever place they’ve got for us. We’ll need most of that time to unpack those cases.”

“I told my Mum that we would have two bedrooms, so there would be a bed for her if she wanted to visit.”

“How did she take that?”

“She told me to have a talk with you about not getting pregnant.”

“It’s all right, I’ve been on the pill for a few years. If we aim for a family, I’ll stop taking them.”

“I’m wondering if it may have been a mistake coming home, but then think about all the people that we’ve met, some old and some new. I’m amazed at how well Mum accepted me as I am, and how much closer we are.”

“It’s typical mother daughter connection. I’m closer to my mother, although some have said I’m daddies’ girl. I’ve brought my laptop but left my printer.”

“Same here. We can buy a new printer if we need it, although we may not have a lot of time to be on the net. I’m sure that there are nerds that work for the store who have been creating our own web sites and social media pages. I wonder what name they’ll use for me, and how they’ll explain it all. You realise that there are a lot of people in the country who will be appalled at a model being a boy in a dress, no matter how good I look.”

“We just have to wait and see how they work it.”

“I read most of the book about Zoe last night. Everyone so far, wished they were her or lusted after her. She was one totally stuffed up person, and nobody remembers that, just the appearance. She was a druggie, couldn’t hold her booze or her men, yet she’s remembered as a goddess of the catwalk. I’ve got it in the shopping bag if you want to have a look.”

“I’ll do that while you look at the countryside going by, while thinking about our future. I’m just taking it a day at a time.”

“With you next to me, love, I’m happy to take it a night at a time, without you leaving me to mess up your own bed.”

“Hold that thought, lover, here comes the train.”

We managed to get our bags on the train, and they took up the seat across from us, so making sure that we remained private. Luckily, it was after commuter time, so didn’t get told to move them. I sat by the window and looked out while Sally read the book. As we were approaching London, she put it in the shopping bag.

“That was interesting. There’s a lot there that we should be careful that we don’t repeat. Nothing was said about what Mavis had to do in her life. It skates around her time with the store. That was a good buy, love, and we’ll need to talk every night about what we’re being asked to do.”

At Liverpool Street, there was a porter with a trolley, close to where we unloaded our bags, and he cheerfully loaded then on and walked us through the gate. Jerry was there and led us to the car, tipping the porter and opening the doors for us to get in. We left the station and he drove us to Knightsbridge, pulling up outside the Knightsbridge Apartments in Hans Crescent. As I got out, I noticed a Lalique store across the road.

Jerry went into the main doors and came out with a luggage trolley and loaded our bags onto it. We had our shoulder bags and shopping bags and followed him inside. In a big lift, he pressed five and we were going up.

“You’re in Five A, which means that there aren’t any people above you. There are residents under you, so don’t tap dance on the hard floors in heels. Otherwise, this will be your home for the next six months or longer.”

The doors opened to a short corridor with just two doors, one marked A and the other B. He reached into his pocket and gave Sally a ring with a few keys on it.

“There you go, welcome home. It’s a deadbolt lock, so a full turn.”

Sally put her shopping bags down and unlocked the door, then stood aside to let him wheel the trolley in. I followed as she picked up the bags and joined us, closing the door. Jerry took the trolley to a pair of doors and parked it in the space between them.

“I’ll leave this here so you can sort yourselves out and explore the apartment. The fridge and cupboards have been stocked. There’s a list of places that deliver meals by the phone. It’s a silent number and there are some programmed in the quick dial. There’s me on mobile and the security office, and Mavis on mobile and her office. We’re the only ones likely to be calling for a few days. I’ll see myself out. If you want to explore across the road, give me a call and I’ll guide you through the back areas.”

We thanked him for his help, and he left us. I opened up one of the doors to see a large bedroom with a huge bed. We went in and looked out of the window, which looked out on the rear of the apartments. There was a huge walk-in wardrobe with my blue cases sitting on the floor. That led into a twin vanity, twin shower, twin toilet ensuite. I then realised that one that I thought was a toilet was actually a bidet.

Opening the other door, we saw a mirror image, only this one looked out across Hans Crescent to our workplace. Sally laughed.

“That’s what I call being within walking distance.”

The walk-in had her red cases in it.

“So, lover. One room with all our things, or two rooms.”

“I vote for one.”

“Motion carried. Go and get your bags and we’ll sleep in here, overlooking a beauty salon, by the looks of the signs.”

We carried our sports bags into that bedroom and put our laptop bags in the lounge that we had entered through. It also looked out over the road and had a work shelf with power plugs and internet connections. There was a printer underneath, and I opened a small cupboard to see spare inks and paper, as well as cables. We found the kitchen / diner with the fridge and basic cooking appliances. Then we set to unpacking our bags and cases.

The one walk-in easily swallowed all our things, with enough space to provide demarcation. As we hung outfits and put things in drawers, we were amazed at what we now had to choose from. We had tried on a lot of things last week, but I was sure that there were things that I had rejected at the time.

The rooms had obviously been designed for two women to share, as there were two vanity tables with enough room to unload our new cosmetics. When we finished, I stood at the window and looked down and to my right, along the pedestrian area.

“Hey, there’s a sign in that walkway that says Crazy Pizza. How about going out for lunch and getting some fresh air.”

“Sounds good. Let me touch up your make-up to highlight the Zoe before we go. There’s denim jackets among that stuff we’ve hung up. They’ll be perfect for a short walk with these jeans. You look like a tomboy in yours. Did you wear an old pair?”

“They’re almost new, and I didn’t want to leave them behind.”

We made sure that we had put everything away that should be put away and did a quick search of the apartment for a laundry, finding a washer and drier in a cupboard next to the fridge, with a pull-down ironing board and a cupboard with the iron and powder.

“It’s not a lot but will be good for our smalls.”

“I was wondering about getting the skirt suit cleaned. I’ve worn it three times.”

Sally laughed.

“You’re such a girl, but I love you.”

She gave me a key to the door, with another on the ring that was marked ‘After hours entry’. I pushed the trolley to the lift as she locked the door. Down at ground level, I left the trolley in a place that looked like its home, and we walked out and across the road, to get our first pizza of our new adventure.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 8

It was nice to be outside and together again after the weekend. The pizza place was clean and smelt good, but the prices on the menu made my eyes water.

“I’ve never paid thirty pounds for a pizza before, or fifteen for a glass of wine!”

“This is Knightsbridge, love, with the most expensive shopping area in England across the road. We can afford this now, so order what you want and to hell with the cost.”

“I think I’ll like the salmon one, that’s a bit different to what we get in Braintree.”

“We’ll get one to share, and a couple of glasses of white. My shout, you can get the next time we’re in here.”

“We’re coming back, then.”

“If this is the price of pizza, just imagine a main meal in one of the restaurants around here.”

“How’s your cooking skill, love?”

“About as good as yours, I would think, having lived with a cookaholic mother.”

I had to say that the pizza was delicious, the wine as good as it gets, and we were treated like a pair of princesses. With where we were, it could be entirely possible that we could be royalty in disguise. We were on our last slices when one of the cameramen from last week came in. He smiled when he saw us and headed for our table.

“Harriette and Sally, darlings. How are you both? I see that you’ve already found the best pizza around. They do have good ones in the store, but then you have to sit with a load of toffs around you.”

I smiled.

“Why don’t you join us, Manuello? We’ve nearly finished, but we have enough room for another wine while you eat.”

“Thank you, sweet thing. It’s Manny to you. I feel that I know you two now, having seen you close-up through the lens. That was a wonderful shoot, and the client’s happy as well, so I hear.”

“I’m Harry to our friends, Manny. We’ve been out of town over the weekend, so haven’t heard much about what’s happening, other than we have a meeting with Mavis tomorrow morning.”

“It looks like we’ll be doing some supplementary pictures as soon as you’re able to travel. We’ll have my crew and just you and the other girls beside the sunny Med. It will be the late spring and summer range, with that campaign overlapping the one we shot. I’ve been told to set aside all of March for that, before it gets too hot there.”

“Sounds like fun. We’ll get told these things tomorrow, I hope. The pictures we saw on Friday looked good. Carol said that they’ll be photoshopped before publication. Do they usually alter our looks?”

“No, dear heart! They wouldn’t dare mess with you. That would be sacrilege! It’s usually different backgrounds and subtle differences in colour tones to highlight the outfits. Enough to pull the customers in, but not enough to make them say that what they see wasn’t what was in the picture.”

He was obviously a regular, as the waitress brought him a calzone and a glass of red wine. He gestured to us.

“Juliette, dear heart. This is Harriette and Sally. They’ll be the stars of a new campaign and, I guess, are now living in one of the apartments across the road. Could you open up an account for them, so they keep coming back and don’t get seduced by the pizza place across the lane.”

“Will do, Manny. If they spend as much as you do, I’ll be able to retire early. Before I reach my card from the King, at least.”

She came back with a polaroid camera and took a picture of the two of us.

“This goes behind the counter, so you’ll be recognised when you come in. Don’t tell me your favourites, they’ll become apparent after a while.”

We sat with Manny and talked while he devoured his pizza. It was good to be talking with someone who didn’t have a stake in our future, other than being behind a camera and doing what he did best. He had been starting out when Zoe was at her lowest and wasn’t keen to say anything bad until I told him that we had read the book. Then he spoke about things he had heard at the time.

It was an interesting talk, and one that was very educational about the pitfalls of too much self-pride and belief in what the reporters were writing about your fame in the womens’ magazines. To last as a top model, you have to treat it as a job, not a lifestyle. Sally paid our bill, and we were about to leave when Manny asked us if we had done the introductory tour yet.

“We’re going to call Jerry to take us around this afternoon.”

“Have you been around the whole place yet?”

“No, we did most of a day with Carol getting kitted out, mostly in one or two departments.”

“That doesn’t take in the concessions. Before you call him, change into a pair of top models, or else nobody will take you seriously. The only women in that place in jeans are known to have more gold than Midas. Someone new in jeans is just someone who had got lost, or a brash tourist looking to spend just enough to score a shopping bag with the name.”

“Got it, Manny. We’ll go and glam up. Thanks for the advice.”

“If I hadn’t told you, Jerry would have sent you back when he saw you. I just saved you a bit of time.”

We went back up to the apartment and stripped off. We lathered each other in the double shower, used our hands and fingers to a good result, lathered some more and then dried ourselves on the fluffy towels. We chose black underwear from what we had been given, added sheer black hose, and then looked at the racks to find dresses that screamed success and sex. Sally had one in a very dark red that barely covered her chest and stopped just past her crotch. I had a similar one in a midnight blue. There were four-inch heels that matched. She made me up and reattached the wig, and I rang Jerry while Sally was doing her own make-up. He told me that we should go along the walk until we got to a door, marked ‘No Entry’. He would be watching for us on the CCTV and would open it for us.

Before we left, we transferred some of the contents of our bigger bags into smaller ones that matched the dresses. Sally grinned.

“What a life! We were given all of this to look good for the client. There must have been years of experience that had Carol choosing our outfits. Your red hair stands out against the dark blue, and my blonde enhances the red. No wonder we did well in the shoot.”

We covered our loveliness with the faux fur coats and went back out across the road, getting admiring looks from the few that were braving the chill. As we approached the middle of the building, a door between two shops opened and Jerry stepped out and waved us to enter. It was warm inside and he told us to hang our coats on pegs, along with others.

“This is the security entrance and is manned around the clock. We use facial recognition, and the system has you both now registered. Whenever you come to the door, look at the camera and it will unlock for you. If you’re just passing, it will relock in ten seconds, so don’t hang around to come in.”

As we hung our coats, he grinned.

“Either you’re aware of the dress code here, or someone has filled you in. There’s a lot to see. Where you were before is just the stores’ own brand outlet and the areas where they sell some of the clothing found in the concessions here. There’s a lot more to show you and introduce you to. Carol will be along in a few minutes to escort you around.”

When Carol arrived, she smiled and gave us both hugs.

“Follow me, girls, there are a few concessions that will be happy to meet you. All their managers will be at the later meeting in the morning.”

We were led around the complex for close to three hours, and I realised that, although we had been given very good things last week, they weren’t the truly expensive items that were available here. We had been given Samsonite cases, which were durable and good for models on the go, but there was a Louis Vuitton store that had much more expensive cases. We were wearing Gucci and Prada, but not the Chanel or Dior that was also sold here. We were wearing Rolex, but not the Cartier or Patek Phillippe.

Everywhere we went, we were greeted warmly, many commenting on the strange feeling of looking at a younger Zoe and also that they thought the campaign would have a special zing because of my look in the pictures. We had an early dinner with Carol in the grill and were given cards for the beauty salon that we could see across from the apartment. Our first appointment was tomorrow at nine.

That evening, we pulled the curtains, lowered the lighting and sat in the lounge, cuddling on the sofa, with the TV on but not being watched. We went off to the bedroom and christened the bed. I padded out, naked, about eleven to turn the TV and the lights off and went back to bed.

We had the alarm set for six and sat in the kitchenette with some toast and hard-boiled eggs, and then shared the shower again, but without the hanky-panky. We walked into the salon at nine and were given a once-over. We arrived at the security door before ten and it unlocked for us. The guy on duty gave us a sheet of paper with the directions to find the right place. With the tour yesterday, we had a good idea of where to go.

When we arrived in the office, Mavis gave us hugs and led us into a meeting room. There were a few already there that we had met on the shoot, as well as a couple of the executives that we had met in the dining room when we had been kitted out. We were shown our seats near the guys from the shoot, and the meeting started.

Mavis took charge and outlined what was happening now and into the future. There had been a campaign running for some weeks, with gifts being the main aim, from lingerie and trinkets to food hampers and teddy bears. Ours was to start next Monday, with adverts in the top magazines. There was a big screen and Mavis pressed buttons on a controller to bring up the artwork. Somebody must have worked over the weekend to get the beautiful results. There was to be four, full-page adverts, one each from each of the sessions from the daywear to the ball gowns.

I thought that they were beautifully done. Each new issue had new sets of pictures, and she showed us the whole six months, which had everyone who was at the shoot featured. I had the feeling that I had been told about, as the dance scenes looked like we were really grooving to a band. There was one that took my breath away, and it was with the three of us in the library. We all looked like we were rich students, doing the work even though we could afford not to. I could see a theme. You may be rich, but this generation does things to advance the world.

We were given a sheet with the times and places where we would need to be between this week and to two weeks into January, when there would be another meeting to see how things were going and make any alterations to the plan. I noted that all of us girl models were listed to be part of a carolling group during the week before Christmas, with some professional singers. I would have to call Mum and tell her that I’ll only have a few days to visit, trying to get to Braintree on Christmas day, if I could, coming back after New Years Day.

When the meeting closed, I asked Mavis about this.

“Do you have a driving licence?”

“Yes”

“You can take one of the cars, as long as the roads are open.”

“Thank you. I’ll see what the weather looks like closer to the date. If we have to stay here, then we’ll be warm and cosy.”

“There’s something else that I want to talk about when the others have left, so hang around, please.”

“Will do.”

Sally and I went to the drink machine and got cups of coffee. We stood out of the way as the room cleared. Mavis then came to get a cup herself.

“We have another meeting in ten minutes. We’ll be joined by the managers of the fashion concessions to talk about another shoot. It will be overseas and somewhere warm.”

We talked about the pictures we had seen, and I asked if we could be emailed the ones that we were in. She took a note of my email address and told us that she would send all the pictures we were in that were worth looking at. The others started to arrive, including Carol, and she went to welcome them and get them seated. She sat us beside her and started the meeting.

“Good morning, everyone. I think that you’ve all met Harriette and Sally. By now, you should have all received the advertising for the spring campaign, which they had a good input into. We’re here to get some groundwork started on the summer campaign, which will be shot on the island of Majorca in March, with a launch date of late April and running through to the end of June.”

We listened as they spoke about the ranges that they intended to push, and sorted out problems with clashing colours and designs, so that the campaign looked harmonious. Gloria, the manager of one of the lines waited until things had slowed down before making a comment.

“I can see Harriette in the evening outfits but have a harder time seeing her in the casual outfits. Yes, she has that look of a late-teen member of a good family, but I don’t want to push her forward too much. It would dilute her appeal.”

Carol spoke up.

“Do you have any models that you think would be better suited?”

“There are a couple, but not inside my budget.”

She named them and Mavis looked on her laptop and brought up pictures of them. One was even more androgenous than Zoe, with a pageboy haircut, and the other was from South America, with darker skin, a buxom body, and lustrous black hair. Carol looked at us.

“What do you think, Sally?”

“One’s pretty easy but the other’s a problem with such a skin tone difference. If we went that way, it would take a couple of weeks to bring the lighter tone back. But doable.”

Mavis looked at me and raised one eyebrow. I nodded and she took the bull by the horns.

“Ladies, what I’m now going to tell you must be kept a secret for as long as we can. Harriette didn’t always look like she does now. I’m going to show you a picture of Harry, the real person under that hair and make-up.”

She pressed some keys on her laptop and the original picture of me that Janice took came on the screen, with a collective intake of breath and a few ‘never in the world’ heard.

“This is Harry Sharpe. As you can see, he has no hair at all. It’s total and hereditary. I would ask Harriette to remove the wig, but I won’t embarrass her by doing that. What I will do is this. We have this week before the magazines are on the stands. I was going to organise a media launch but will put that off to Friday or next Monday. If you supply Carol with the outfits that you wanted to push, Gloria, we’ll get Harriette to look like the first one and visit all of you at your concessions this afternoon. She won’t be exactly identical, but close enough to make the readers wonder. If you want, she’ll visit you again, on Wednesday morning, as the other model, but not as dark. We could get a good look with foundation that would be all right for a shoot, but easier to remove than skin dye.”

The meeting wound up, with most coming up to me for a closer look at me, especially my ears and nose, where everyone else had hair, with more as they got older. Carol went off to collect outfits in my size, as others wanted to see their lines worn by a model who could emulate a current supermodel. When it was just the three of us again, I found my voice.

“I trust you to make me look like those others, but how will that affect me in my Zoe impersonation?”

Mavis took one of my hands.

“We’ll have to let the media know that you’re able to copy most of the tall, slim, models in the business. We can get one of the photographers in to document you being transformed. It could start today, with you being taken from the Zoe look, back to the basic Harry, and then being turned into the other model. You’ll still be Harriette on the books, and we’ll need to know before we make any announcements if you can pull off the different person that Gloria wants.”

“That South American isn’t slim, not even close, and we would need a photographer that we can trust not to send pictures to the media.”

“We have the facilities to make you any shape we want. Thigh pads, big breasts, whatever.”

I looked at Sally, and she took my other hand.

“Harry, the first one is an easy change. A different outfit and shorter wig will do the trick. All you need to do is bring a different attitude. The second one will take longer. It’s up to you to agree to try it, and then we bank the pictures to recreate in March. I’m a bit worried about the dark foundation in a hot climate, but I’m sure one of the cosmetic companies has solved that problem.”

“Surely other famous models will get upset at a newbie copying them. Why don’t we research others who are out of the game or dead to copy? Why poke the bear when there are bones to sift through?”

Mavis thought for a while.

“You’re right. There are plenty from the old days who you can bring to life. Twiggy would be almost too easy except she was a bit shorter. We’ll give Gloria and the others a hint of what’s possible this afternoon, and I’ll send them a message that it was for demonstration purposes only. While lawsuits get column inches, the management would not be happy.”

Carol came back with a couple of outfits and was told of the new direction. We went and had lunch, and then she then took us to a private room in one of the salons, where I went in as Zoe and came out as someone else altogether, with shorter hair that felt very light. The outfit was very teen oriented, and I brought a preppy attitude with me when we went to see Gloria and the others. The change worked for them, so a similar look was agreed on for the shoot. In the meantime, I would remain as Zoe.

We went back to the salon, and I emerged again as Zoe, with a new wig. Carol would organise for the old one to be cleaned and delivered to the apartment so we could alternate. I was glad that I wasn’t padded out to do the other model. The transformation was documented by an amazed Manny, using a digital SLR, and now someone else in the loop.

We had some time, so we sat in Carols’ office and looked for likely examples of androgenous models. Manny was very helpful, and he told us that he had been fascinated by fashion photography at a very early age. He told us to look into the sixties, when androgyny was rife. In the end, we had six names that looked doable, and printed a couple of photos of each.

Twiggy was certainly a slim girl, almost stick-like, at about Sallys’ height, with usually a short, silvery look hairdo. Jean Shrimpton was almost exactly my height, with long brown hair, which ranged from light brown to dark brown. Veruschka was certainly commanding. A good six inches taller than me with long blonde hair that ranged between a straw to ash tint. Peggy Moffitt was within an inch of me, with short raven black hair and usually heavy eye make-up that made her stand out. Two others were eventually rejected for different reasons. Colleen Corby matched my height, but her fame was for looking like the schoolgirl next door, while Pattie Boyd was far too well known.

We made the decision to base any future persona on Jean Shrimpton and Peggy Moffitt and Carol took us to see Mavis. Manny showed her the pictures of me as I looked for the concession managers, and pictures of the two models that Sally and Carol knew that I could emulate with a minimum of trouble. She authorised Carol to get all the wigs and outfits that would work for these and arranged for Manny to run a photo shoot on Thursday. She instructed us to give her a couple of good pictures from each of the looks, as well as a couple with me as Harry, a male model, as well as a pop star like the one that Janice had sent.

“When we see the media, I’ve no doubt that they would have looked at the fact sheet that was sent to the magazines with the advertising copy. If they’ve got their heads screwed on, they would have already tried to get a background on you two, and it’s not impossible that they’ve found a record of Harry but not Harriette. We’ll put together a package of pictures of Harrys’ abilities. It’s possible that some wag will come up with a new name. It could be like ‘Chameleon’. If it’s catchy, we’ll take it on.”

Sally and I went back to the apartment, and I looked at the list of places that did deliveries, picked one and ordered dinner, giving the name and number of my credit card. We had another early night, as tomorrow was going to be busy. I say early; we were early to bed.

Next day, I did a light look with the make-up, as there would be several changes during the day. Carol was talking to the security man when we walked in and put our coats on pegs. She then took us to one of the cosmetic concessions deep inside the building.

“This is where we’ll work. They have a room in the back where we can do the changes and take the pictures. Manny will be here soon. We’ve used it for emergency make-overs before.”

In the room, there was a rack with several outfits, and a proper actors mirror behind a large vanity that had several wigs on heads. She sat me on the chair and proceeded to remove the wig and headcover that I had put on, just twenty minutes before.

“We’ll start with another picture of you in the raw, so to speak, so we’ll take those studs out of the ears as well. Strip to the waist and I’ll use some solvent to remove those breasts. You’ll be a bit bigger with the last pictures, and then we’ll bring you back to being Zoe.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 9

Manny arrived with his camera and a flash with a power pack on his belt. He waited, with a big grin, while Carol and Sally brought me back to my basic self, with the brows and lashes removed as well. I posed for him with a copy of todays’ paper held in my hands to confirm the date.

It didn’t take long for the girls to pencil in eyebrows and liner on my top lids, then adding a normal mans’ wig in a mousey brown. For the next picture, wearing a suit and tie, I had the paper and a small card that had the number one on it. After the pictures were taken, I was transformed into a rock star, complete with one earring, long hair and a moustache, in bell bottom pants and a frilled shirt. Think Freddie Mercury with a pixie face and you’ve got it. For that look, I had the paper and a card with two on it.

For the next look, we moved into the female look, with the girls working with a photo. This time, I ended up with flesh coloured hose and heels, a mini dress and a long, light brown wig. I was back with the proper brows, lashes and jewels. When this picture was taken, I held the paper, hanging clasped in one hand but still readable, and the card with number three held as if I was standing in a pose in a ‘fashions on the field’ shot. This was the typical Jean Shrimpton memory.

Number four was a shiny black dress, over dark hose and a very heavy application of make-up around the eyes, topped with a short black wig and bright red lipstick. For this, I held the card and paper in one hand, so that the paper was still recognisable. This was the Peggy Moffitt look. After that, Carol wanted to try for another. The dark hose remained, but the heels were the highest that I’d ever worn, so it was lucky that all I needed to do was stand in them. While the other two had me with minimal breasts, this time we went up a couple of sizes, and I was in a smart cocktail dress with a long split up the side, with lots of jewellery and long, ash blonde locks. I sneaked a look at the picture that they were using, and it was taken from a Vogue article on Veruschka. For that picture, I held the paper and card, with me looking haughty and as if I was about to throw the paper away. Manny had wheeled a water cooler in for me to stand beside, to emphasise my height.

The last picture had me still holding the paper, and back into my Zoe persona, with the flaming hair, in a new outfit that had been chosen for me to wear at the meeting with the press. It was a retro-fifties dress with a big skirt and a simple bodice, but very colourful with a flower print, and I was back down to two-inch heels. Sally wore a similar dress and looked magnificent. Manny wanted a couple of pictures of the two of us.

After he’d left, Carol took these dresses to set aside for the meeting, and we were back into what we had arrived in. The process had taken all morning, so Carol took us to the Grill for lunch. She told us that the meeting had been set for Friday morning, and to come in early to avoid any scrutiny. We would be dressed and made-up before going to the conference room.

“There will be a screen showing a slide show of the campaign adverts. We’ll wait until we hear Mavis introduce you, and the picture on the screen will be the one from today of the two of you as you walk in. That will set the scene as you’ll look exactly the same, and the media would have arrived from the winter outside to see two radiant beauties looking like summer. These dresses are indicative of the sort of outfits you’ll be modelling in March.”

While we were in the grill, Sallys’ phone chirruped, and she saw a text for us to go to the agency to get some paperwork. We left the store and went back to the apartment to freshen up. We called an Uber to take us, then waited in the lobby until it arrived.

At the agency, we were greeted warmly by Robin, and she had small parcels for us. They were our new passports. I opened mine and it was a picture of the real me, but there was an extra page, with a picture of me as Zoe, with a declaration that I may be travelling with this look, as it was my appearance as a fashion model. The name and other details were correct. It seemed that the airports were using facial recognition, and it didn’t matter who I was made up to be, my face shape was unchanged. There was a sheet telling me what I must and mustn’t do approaching the barrier.

While we were in the area, we walked to H&M and did some shopping for more normal clothes. I had liked that ivory skirt and the range was more easy care than the other things we had been given. We would just have to make certain that we didn’t wear it to the store.

From there, we strolled down Bread Street to the Gordon Ramsay Pizza store where we had dinner, with a margherita and an idiot pizza which we shared. After that, we flagged a normal taxi and went back to the high life in Knightsbridge.

We had an early night, strictly for sleep as it was going to be a busy day tomorrow and we needed to be at our best. We laid there for a while, cuddling and talking.

“Are you ready for tomorrow, love, when it all hits the fan? Mavis is certainly making sure she has the answers at hand, even if she doesn’t instigate the discussion.”

“I think so. We’ll have to stay cool and steady. Our experience in retail should help us there.”

“I all depends on how the press push it. Will they be screaming at us or will they be more like real human beings.”

“They’re the press, love, humanity is merely a concept that others should follow. Perhaps the fashion press is more human than others.”

In the morning, we took care with our preparation and then walked to the store. As we hung our coats, Carol came in and took us to be changed into the dresses and make-up that we had been photographed in. Then, she led us to a meeting room with a dais and some chairs set out. There was a table set up on the dais, with a bunch of papers and three chairs behind it. There was a big screen between that and another door, which she led us to.

“We’ll wait in here until we get the word from Mavis to make your entrance. When you go out, stand for a few moments so that the press can see that the two of you are the ones in the picture. The press will have the main seats, but there will be the other models from the shoot in the room, seeing that it’s a launch of the campaign. I’ll be in this room.”

In the other room, we saw some comfortable chairs and a buffet with the makings for teas and coffees. By the door was a desk, with two screens and a computer.

“I’ll be here, making a recording of the proceedings. There are just two cameras, and I’ll switch between the one showing the dais and that screen, which Mavis has the controller for, and one behind you showing the rest of the room. It’s for internal records but was helpful some years ago when one of the press made accusations that the management didn’t like. The microphones are hidden in the light fixtures.”

We made ourselves comfortable, and waited until we saw Mavis come in, followed by the other models and then the press arrived. They sat and settled, and then Mavis opened the meeting.

“Thank you all for coming, this morning. The purpose of this is to launch our campaign that starts this week in the magazines and carrying on into spring. I’ll show you the full set now. Our usual models are on hand if you want to talk to them. There are two new models, and I’ll bring them in after this presentation.”

We waited as she went through each advert, describing the outfits and reiterating the manufacturers. There were a few questions about some of the new designs. Carol told us to get ready, so we stood by the door as we heard Mavis speak.

“Now, I promised that you’d meet our two latest additions to our modelling team. The campaign was their first photo shoot, so it’s certain that you’ve never met them before. This is the latest picture that they’ve posed for, in dresses that will give you all an idea of what the spring and summer range will look like. I give you Sally Foreman and Harriette Sharpe.”

Carol opened the door and we walked into the lions’ den. We stood beside the screen that showed us in the same dresses.

“Sally is twenty-one, is a fully qualified cosmetician and helped our Carol on the shoot. Before joining us, she had worked in a salon in Braintree. Harriette is also from Braintree, is twenty, and worked in retail in the same centre as Sally. Come on up to the desk, girls. We’ll take questions for Sally first.”

We stepped up and sat down, and there were questions for Sally, about her life, likes, and plans for the future. She refrained from telling them that she wanted to help the poor and needy, and then hold climate change back. I watched the press and noticed that there was one who was looking at me with a grin on his face.

When they had finished with Sally, Mavis asked if there were questions for me. The guy that had been watching me put his hand up.

“Yes, Alan. You have a question?”

“I do, Mavis. I looked at the names on the sheet that you sent with the advertising copy. I researched your new models and I found Sally on the census records but didn’t find Harriette Sharpe. I did, however, find a Harold Sharpe with the right age. What on earth is going on. You either have used someone’s name to hide the true identity of this girl, or else this is a very beautiful boy.”

Mavis looked at me and showed that she had the controller in her hand. I nodded and stood up.

“Thank you for the complement, sir. To answer your question in a way that you can all understand, I’d like you to look at some pictures. You may, if you want, call out the name of the model shown.”

Mavis clicked for the first picture, which was the Veruschka one. One of the audience called out the name.

“Quite right, sir. This is a picture of me, looking like Veruschka. You will note the card with the number and the newspaper that I’m holding. Those of you that still read the actual paper will note that it’s yesterdays’ edition.”

I glanced at Mavis, who was trying to hold back the laughter. She pressed the button again. Another one called out that it was Peggy Moffitt.

“Correct, sir. If you note that the number on the card is one back from the previous one, but it’s the same newspaper. A lot of what people remember about models in their day is the usual look with the hair and make-up. This next picture is one that most of you will remember.”

Mavis clicked the button, and the Jean Shrimpton picture came on the screen with some in the audience asking what sort of charade this was.

“It’s no charade, folks. If you look at the card, we’re back another number, and the paper is the same. All of these pictures are of me as tall and slim models of the past. I did get made up as one of the current models to show the management of the concessions here what was possible, thinking that I couldn’t pose as a younger girl.”

Mavis cut in.

“This is the original picture that I was shown, which was the only one I needed to get me to sign Harriette on as my new model. You would have remembered that I employed Zoe here for close to twenty years.”

She had the one that was taken in the agency. I looked at it and turned back to the audience.

“Now, sir, we come to the nub of your question. The next two pictures are closer to the real me, as you’ve guessed. Note the card number and the paper.”

Mavis clicked again and the picture of the rock star came on. There were murmurs and then she clicked again to show me in the suit and a boys’ hair.

“There is one other that we have to show you, and that is the bare facts of who I am. You were right, sir. I am Harold Sharpe, but not beautiful. In fact, most of my life I’ve been called a freak and avoided. I have alopecia universalis, which means that do not have a single hair on my body. With the skills that Sally and Carol have, I can be almost anyone.”

The last picture came on the screen, with me holding the same paper. There was a shocked silence, and then one of the women started to clap, followed by most of the audience. Alan stood up and bowed.

“I stand in awe, Harry. You’re one out of the box, I give you that. I doubt that there’s ever been a fashion model quite like you, and I doubt that there will be another. I was ready to write a piece about the campaign but wasn’t sure why it felt wrong. You’ve explained why you can look like any model around the same height and shape, and Any idea of scandal mongering has gone. Will you be using these other looks?”

Mavis answered that one.

“We’re planning the shoot next year to utilise whatever look we can to promote the garments. As you can see, these girls look good in this new line. A recreation of forties and fifties designs, which the garment trade will be pushing for the next summer. They are all light and airy, with consideration of any heat waves that the scientists tell us to expect.”

There were a few questions on how I came to be here, and then a dapper-looking man put his hand up.

“Yes, Quentin, you’ve been very quiet, today. I’m sure that you’re ready to bring us some enlightenment.”

“I am, Mavis. I was listening to everything in wonder and appreciation of what Harry had done by telling us up front about his true self. As well, I may say, about your own bravery to take the chance with him. If you continue to use the name of Harriette Sharpe, someone with less ethics to those in this room will find the truth and try to pull you all down. What I’m suggesting is that she is given a name that we can all take way today and use in our writing.”

“I’m sure, Quentin, that you do have a few ideas in that brain of yours, considering your degree in history.”

“I have a few, Mavis. If we think about shapeshifters from the myths and mysteries, there is Loki, from the Norse myths. He had a daughter, called Eisa. Then, in Celtic mythology, there was a coupling of Morrigan and the Dagda, which produced Adair, and some say Brigid. The one that I like is from the gods. There was Proteus, the god of the sea, and he had a daughter called Theonoe. If you use Harlequin, Chimera, or Chameleon, it’s too simple for someone so complicated.”

There was some discussion with other suggestions, but the consensus was that a version of Theonoe would be mystical enough. The final one was Theone. I didn’t mind that one. It would look interesting in print, a bit like The One, but pronounced Theeonee. After that, there was a general talkfest, with the two of us being hugged by the other models, both male and female, and most of the female scribes. The normal comment was how brave I was, as well as how good I looked in all the different guises.

By the time the reporters had left, Mavis had me booked in for interviews and photo shoots for the next week, with me insisting that Sally be included in all of them, as she was my personal cosmetician. After the room was just us, we had a meeting where all the models were told about the shoot in March. The men wouldn’t have much to do, just there to make the girls look good. The other girls were quite excited with the look being girly but with elegance.

Sylvia asked us what we were doing on the weekend, and we said that we didn’t have anything planned. Before we left, we had an appointment where we would be picked up at ten Saturday morning and spend the day with the other three models. Anthea had a car to take us around. The retro look of the new range had triggered a desire in the others, and we were going to hit a few vintage fashion shops, eat, drink and go to a nightclub in the evening.

We spent the rest of the day in the store, strolling around and being seen by the customers, passing large screens showing the advertising on rotation, so we were easily recognised as two of the models. We even had a few who wanted autographs, with me now signing as Theone. The concessions had us in their stores for about half an hour, each to talk to their customers. We met a lot of ladies with very posh voices, as well as a few bleached blondes who had strong accents. More than one manager told us that sporting wives may be brash, but they knew how to spend.

We had dinner in the Grill again. I was slowly working through a list of things I had never been offered in the past, and enjoyed most of what was offered. If there was anything that they thought may be a step too far, I was advised of what it was, and how hot it may be before they took my order.

On Saturday morning, we dressed carefully, with the thought that we may be changing often, and waited in the lobby until Anthea pulled up. We were in the back seat with Veronica, the smallest of the three. We started out in Soho and I was enchanted with the whole area. After Anthea had found a parking spot, we hit the Beyond Retro store, trying out various items and taking pictures on phones. I did lash out on a suede jacket with a pair of pixie boots that matched, and both of us bought a couple of dresses in sixties prints and bold colours.

We put our bags in the back of the car and then went to Vintage Threads, where I got a couple of really good skirts. With those bags in the car, we had lunch at the Noble Rot, where we shared a seafood plate and a meat plate, with wine to wash it down. The venue was small and cosy, and we were looked after well. By this time, we were all getting on as a group. OK, we had spent two days together at the shoot, but that was work and this was socialising.

After lunch, we drove the short distance to Covent Garden to raid the Blackout II shop, which specialised in vintage jewels and lingerie. We were quite a while in there, and then we went south of the river to West Norwood and the Cenci store that specialised in bags, belts and gloves, among other things. Loading the car with our last purchases, we walked to the Four Hundred Rabbits Pizza restaurant, which had an amazing menu of mainly vegan pizzas. We had a large vegan pineapple one and a large anchovy one to share. For me, the whole day had been a new and wonderful experience. I was out as a girl in a bunch of beautiful girls, and we laughed a lot.

Sylvia and Veronica shared a house in Dulwich, in Lovelace Road, opposite the All-Saints Church. It was painted in sparkling white. Anthea pulled up in the drive and we unloaded our bags. In the house, we shared the two bathrooms and the three bedrooms to freshen up and get changed. We were going out in total vintage fashion to make a statement. Sally was in charge of our make-up, and we all looked good. We put our two loads of shopping into as few bags as we could and put them in the back of the car with Anthea’s.

We called for two Ubers to take us to the Streatham Club, in the White Lion pub. It was an eye-opener for me, having never been to a place like it. There was a reggae band, who pumped out high energy music. We drank a bit and danced a lot, among ourselves and then with guys. We may have stood out as a bit different, but it didn’t decrease the interest in us as dance partners. It was pretty late when I was dancing a slow number with a guy and he proved, as he pulled me towards him by the posterior, that he was very happy to see me.

He did give me my first kiss from a guy before we left. I didn’t know whether I felt happy or angry but didn’t make a scene as I saw that Sally was exchanging saliva with the guy she was dancing with. We took Ubers back to the house, and Anthea drove us back to Knightsbridge. Whatever it was that had raised my libido, we made wonderful love before getting any sleep that night.

Sunday, we slept late and pottered around the apartment, putting our new things away. We were both building a nice collection of clothes that would be useful when we wanted to look normal. Well, as normal as a couple of models could be. In the afternoon, we both rang home, Sally on her mobile in the bedroom, and me sitting in the lounge.

Mum was keen to find out how we were doing. She was happier when I told her that I had the passport in my normal name, but with an extra page showing me as Zoe. She had a laugh after I told her about the meeting and my new name.

“You’re telling me to look out for Theone?”

“Some magazines should be out next week. Look out for the covers in the newsagent. We’re flat out with interviews and photo shoots next week, so will likely be in the ones in December. I’m going to send some pictures to your email. Manny, our photographer, has sent me a few that we did in the week to show my versatility, as well as showing the press the true me as a plain canvas to be painted with whatever you desire.”

I told her that we were likely to have the time between Christmas and New Year to come home and would email her with the arrival time. I sent her a selection of the pictures that Manny had sent me, and then did some research on train times on Boxing Day. There were no trains on Boxing Day, so I checked the next day and found that normal service was being run.

When Sally came into the lounge, I asked her if she wanted to go home after Christmas. She said that it would be nice, so I told her that normal service was operating from the twenty-seventh, with the return service operating from the second of January. We wouldn’t be travelling enough times to get a season ticket, so would need to get return tickets. We could Uber to and from Liverpool Street. On Monday, we confirmed with Mavis, that we were on holiday from Christmas Eve until the sixth of January.

Marianne Gregory © 2026

Chapter 10

The week was full on. We had Jerry take us to the appointments every day. We dressed in our special clothes, which usually lasted until after the interview and were then changed for outfits that their photographer had been supplied with. I started out every day as Zoe, but many of the pictures were me looking like someone else. Several wanted me to look like other current models, but we drew the line on that as being unethical.

After that, we needed the weekend to relax and settle. The rest of the time until Christmas was for the five of us girls joining five members of a choir that were regulars in the store. Jerry had given us a sheaf of papers with the carols that we would be singing, so we sat around for two days warbling.

On Monday, we dressed simply, as we would be kitted out for our performance. We found the other eight in the dressing room and changed into our outfits. Half of us were in red, and the other half in green, with pinned-on hats with a bell. We spoke to the choir girls, who told us just to mime if we couldn’t sing, and we were off to where the Christmas tree had been set up. Over the course of the day, we did a half an hour of singing and ten-minute breaks, sometimes in a long line around the tree, and sometimes in two lines of five in alternating colours. We had a half an hour for lunch and dinner and were on duty from ten until the store closed at night.

We were doing this every day until the close of business on Christmas Eve. We were spoken to by a lot of people that I recognised from the papers and TV news, and we collected a lot for charity, with some buckets arranged by our site. Us five models were highlighted by having several big screens around us, showing the adverts from the campaign.

That was changed one day as the pictures were of Sally and I, taken from one of the photo shoots we had done for one of the magazines. The five of us had to stop ourselves laughing whenever we saw it come up and the choir girls treated us with a lot of deference until they got over the shock. I suppose that it had to happen. The magazine had dressed me as Veruschka, in heeled platforms, making me around six foot four. Sally had been in flats, which made me ten inches taller. They had posed us with me looking over her head to some distant point, her looking at the camera with a smile, her left hand on my hip. They had given us a hoop, about a foot in diameter and painted gold. Me holding it with my left hand and her with her right. The caption read, ‘Meet Theone, The One to Rule Them All!!’ Inside with the interview, were pictures of me in various guises.

After that first magazine came out, I got back to the apartment to find that my phone had a missed call. I called it back. It was late but Mum was still up.

“Hello Mum, you rang.”

“Yes dear. I saw that magazine cover today in the supermarket and bought one. It was only that I recognised Sally but was amazed that the other one on the cover was you. Janice rang me after work, to tell me that almost every shop in the Village has it taped in their window. We’re all so proud of you two. How did they get you so tall?”

“They had me in heeled platforms, which gave me an extra six inches or more. I had to be held up if I tried walking anywhere. This game is all about appearances.”

“I tried to ring but there was no answer.”

“We’re singing carols in a choir in the store, until late night closing. It’s a lot of fun, and they did me up like the cover picture today, though not so tall.”

“Have you decided if you’re coming home?”

“We have from Christmas day until the sixth. We’re planning on getting a train on the day after Boxing Day and coming back on the fourth. I guess that we’ll arrive around eleven again. We’ll be singing until the doors close on Christmas Eve.”

“I’ll see you then, love you, Harry.”

“Love you, too, Mum.”

Carol and Mavis ran with it and for a few days, I was a tall blonde until the next magazine came out. That one had me back in the Zoe look with the headline, ‘Is this The One for the decade?’ So, I was back with the red hair after that until Mavis decided to alternate me in sync with the pictures on the screens. For the last few days, those of us in green all had red wigs, while the ones in red all had green ones. I really couldn’t count how many pictures of us were taken over the time.

On Christmas Day, we were all in the executive dining room for Christmas lunch, with turkey and all the trimmings. Not all of the management was there, but we were a happy group who toasted the success of the pre-Christmas takings. The choir had collected quite a few thousand pounds for the charity during our time, many of the donors dropping large denomination notes into the buckets.

Sally and I had received our first month payment, so we bought each other an engagement ring, nothing flash, but we liked them and were aware of what they meant. We got pendants for the three other models and a tie pin for Jerry. We gave Manny a voucher for his favourite camera store. We ate too much and drank some wine. Mavis gave us our schedule for January and February.

Sally and I, along with the other three, would be visiting the other stores that were here as concessions. It would take all of the two months, as we would be visiting places where they were all in the same area. After the March shoot, we would continue our visits, seeing that Dior, alone, had almost three hundred outlets around the world.

For the first part, though, we would be going to the best around the world, to New York and Fifth Avenue, then Tokyo and the Ginza District. Then it was the Dubai Mall of the Emirates, Milan Quadrilatero and then Paris and the Champs-Elysees. We would be spending two weeks in each city, meeting, greeting and modelling as required. Each of the four main outlets would be organising individual fashion shows, so we would be working hard and earning our money. We would have the best part of a week off before the March shoot.

What was interesting was that the four main brands had now brought into the campaign, with the adverts now going international, so the visits were now more than handshaking. We would all be walking the runway in fashion shows. On top of first-class travel for all five of us, Sally and I had been given a raise as a bonus for the immediate success. We were now on seven and a half a week.

On Boxing Day, we decided on what we were taking with us, and laid out our outfits for travel. Much of what we were taking was the H&M for travel, the vintage clothes for comfort, and some of our good things to show our new place in the world. We had big bags for all our daily things and cases for the rest. We had spoken to both families and had decided to stay at the Travelodge Hotel, not far from the station, and may rent a car for the week to visit. We would meet all the relations at a nearby restaurant, The House, for dinner, the day we arrived. Mum said that she was coming with John, and Janice would be coming with her husband.

Sally had made the bookings, being asked if she was the Sally Foreman, the model from Braintree, and we had been given the best room in the Hotel and a private area in the restaurant. It was a five-minute walk to the hotel. Their check-in time was three in the afternoon, so we could have an easy day and get the train at two. We made a lunch appointment at the Gaucho near the station, so we could have something to eat before we travelled.

On Friday morning, we waited for the Uber, and he took us to the Gaucho for twelve. I was wearing a shoulder-length black wig as a disguise, with the red one in my case. After a good plate of steak, we pulled our cases into the railway station and bought two open returns to Braintree.

We had to smile, as around the concourse there were posters for the current magazines around, and almost all of them had Theone looking out. None, however, had the wig that I was now wearing, so felt safe enough. Eventually, we went to the platform and got on the train to find a seat near a heater outlet. There weren’t many getting on, with most people happy to be home.

A little after three, we were pulling our cases to the hotel. It was brisk but dry, and we made good pace. At reception, there was consternation when I signed in as Harriette Sharpe. The receptionist went to the magazine rack and pulled out a couple of magazines for us both to sign, asking that I sign them ‘To Agnes, from The One’. She told us that the local paper had run a feature just before Christmas, about two local girls who had made such a splash in London. We asked her if she could keep the wolves at bay and not to broadcast that we were staying for over a week.

In the room, we unpacked and hung our good things. Then we stripped, made love in the nice big bed, and showered to get ready for the dinner. For me, it was back into the red wig, over a vintage red dress with flashy paste jewellery and the suede jacket from our shopping excursion. It was warm and comfortable. Down in the reception, Agnes had found her phone and wanted a selfie with us, getting the doorman to take it.

We walked to the restaurant where Sallys’ parents were waiting for us. We had a group hug and were shown to our table. As we were looking at the menu, my mother and John arrived, followed by Janice and her husband. We were hugged and kissed and then sat for a good meal. We were brought up to date with the happenings since we had been away.

The Kiosk had been used by a company selling Christmas baubles and party items. My Uncle had been tracked to Hamburg before the trail went cold. Business in the Village had been fairly good, considering the weather, and the replacement for Sally had settled in well. Mum and John were going steady and Bully Bernie had left home, certain that he was going to be a total success in his chosen profession. How far up the ladder you could get while selling vacuum cleaners was beyond my understanding, but he was out of our hair.

Mum was off until the sixth herself, so she offered to be our driver. Sallys’ family were going to be away for a few days leaving Monday, so we planned to see them at home on Sunday, and take up Mums’ offer on Saturday, when she would take us to the Village.

As we laid in bed, that evening, Sally had her head on my shoulder. I was almost asleep when she spoke.

“It’s odd, love. I feel that I’ve truly left home, now. We’ve been away and they’ve all got on with their lives. There’s a whole two months of their experiences that we’ll never share, even if they try to give us the details.”

“On the other side, my darling, we’ve done some things that it would be hard for them to comprehend. Hell! I’m finding it hard myself, and I was there at the time.”

“I’m the same. If we feel that way now, how are we going to feel after being around the world? The way we decided to stay here, rather than at our homes, wasn’t just our need to be together. I didn’t really want to sleep in my own bed, in case I woke up and it was time to dress for another day giving blue rinses in the salon.”

“I know how you feel. If I had gone home, Mum would have had to find homes for all the stuff she has probably put in my room. She never had enough space for all her clothes, so a lot was in cases. Logic would say that we’re not dreaming this life, but why take the chance.”

“I’m not sure that I can face the Village in the morning.”

“It’s just a place now, love. A place we know from before. One thing that will be different is that they’ll all be happy to see us, the locals with our pictures in the magazines, so we’ll be giving a performance, and giving it with a smile.”

“That’s one thing I love about you, Harry. It’s your positive outlook on life. You’ve been dragged into a world that you could never have even thought about. The only time that you’re truly Harry is in bed with me, but you’re always upbeat and drinking in the experiences like a sponge.”

“I would never have been able to do it until you came into my life.”

We lay there, in silence, until her breathing slowed, and my eyelids grew heavy.

In the morning, we dressed well after our breakfast had been eaten and the tray put out in the corridor. It was cold, so we went for leggings under jeans, tee-shirts under a blouse with a jumper and jacket over the top. I had my suede pixie boots and topped it off with the bobble hat with the flaps that I had been given on my last day in the kiosk. It may have been comfort over looks, but we were made-up as if we were meeting royalty.

When Mum picked us up, she told us that we both looked good and then she drove us to the Village. We were welcomed by the management, who were waiting for us to arrive and then it was almost a triumphant tour of the site, with every window having one of the pictures of us in the window, most with an extra sign proclaiming that the latest ‘big thing’ were two girls from the Village. We were photographed in every shop with the staff. The local paper was there to record our visit. We had to sign magazine covers, autograph books and a few shirts. Nobody wanted Harry Sharpe, though, they all wanted Theone.

Mum was pulled along in our wake, a smile on her face. When we had seen everyone that we had known, a lot that we hadn’t, and even more shoppers who had been told that we were there, we had lunch in Wildwood with our meals on the house if we would pose in front of the signboard, alongside the manager and chef.

We were sitting with our coffee when Mum asked a leading question.

“Is it like this in London?”

“It wasn’t to start with, Mum, but there were a lot of people who came to hear us sing after the first magazine hit the stands. We’ll be in fashion shows in high-class stores around the world until March, and then we’re doing a shoot for the summer range. After that, we’re back to a lot more shows in stores. Who knows, we may end up in a few of the major fashion weeks. The way that the press has embraced Theone is scary, it’s almost as if they invented her to give them something to write about.”

“You talk about Theone as another person.”

“She is at the moment. Right now I’m your son, who looks like your daughter, and who can look like other people. I’m the ‘Man with a Thousand Faces’, and I have to try to remember which one I’m wearing, so that I can act as expected.”

We were quiet and then I got serious.

“Mum, I don’t know when I’ll be home again. We’ll be busy for several months after we go back. I doubt that I’ll need my old clothes and keepsakes. I can’t see me riding my bikes any longer. Can you please see to getting rid of them. You may get a few pounds for the bikes, but the rest can go to the charity bin.”

“All right. It will make things easier for me. John is trying to talk me into living with him. He has a large place out of town that is crying out for a womans’ touch. You don’t mind if I sell the box?”

“Mum, I’ve moved on from the box and I’m happy for you to do that same. I could tell that you and John are happy together. Make sure that you let me know if you’re getting married, so I can try to attend.”

“Sally, are you seeing your family tomorrow?”

“We are. Then my parents are off to see my aunt and uncle in Norfolk for a couple of weeks.”

“How about John and I picking you up on Monday and going somewhere nice. I know that he’s keen to know the two of you better without others being around.”

“That will be good, Maureen. To tell you the truth, I think that Harry may be thinking the same as me. We may head back to London a couple of days early. We do have a lot to prepare for. No offence to you or my parents, but I think that we’ve left home.”

“I understand, girls. You’ve found your own places in life, and the old ways are behind you. The only thing I’ll say is that you will remember and revisit your roots, sometime in the future. I was born here, married here and have stayed here all my life. John has been talking about selling his shares in the moulding business and doing something else. It may be interesting to see where we end up. I’m still young enough to give him a child.”

When she took us back to the hotel, we hugged for a long time and I told her that I loved her and wanted her to be happy. I was quiet for a while, wondering about having a half-brother or sister, who also had a half-brother in Bully Bernie.

On Sunday, we were picked up by Sallys’ father, taken to her house for a talk, roast lunch, and visits from her extended family. Seeing that they were going to be away from Monday, we didn’t tell them that we may be leaving early. It was a pleasant day, with many of the visitors bringing magazines to sign. When we were dropped off, we went to our room and relaxed, using room service for a light meal. We talked about our plans for the future and broached having a family. Sally thought that we could do that in about a year, after the initial interest had waned, and when we had enough behind us to buy a home.

Monday morning, John and Mum picked us up and we were taken down to Maldon, where John had a place off Goldhanger Road, a Georgian style place with stables and paddocks behind it. We sat in the cosy sitting room and did a lot of talking. He was keen to get me on board with him becoming my stepfather, and I could tell him that it wasn’t a problem, not having any real memories of my real father. He drove us to The Jolly Sailor, overlooking the Blackwater, where we all had fish and chips and drank Ghost Ship low alcohol pale ale.

We spent the afternoon talking about things and we invited them to join us for a few days in Knightsbridge if they wanted. Tuesday morning, New Years Eve, we checked out of the hotel, much to the disappointment of Agnes, who wanted us to join her at a party that evening. John picked us up in his Jaguar, Mum by his side. Our cases were in the back with theirs, and we headed back to London in the warmth of his car.

On the way, Sally rang security and asked about parking in the area. She was given a code for the underground garage and a bay number, which she wrote down, passing it to the front seat. He had our address in his GPS, and had been to the city many times, so it was a good trip, arriving outside the apartments just before lunch.

We unloaded our cases and carried them up to the apartment, showing them the bedroom that they could use. Then, I went with John and guided him to the garage entrance, inputting the code and then guiding him to where the parking bay was. He locked the car, and we went to the door that we had first arrived at, nearly three months before, and went up into the store. Before we went back to the apartment, I took him to the Grill and booked a table for four for lunch. Wherever we went, the staff would wish me a happy new year, by name.

When we crossed the road and entered the lobby, he finally found his voice.

“I have to hand it to you, Harry. When Maureen was telling me about your time here, I never realised just how famous you’d become. OK, the magazine covers were great, but they don’t give you that reality that actually seeing you in your natural environment does. I can see now why Braintree isn’t home any longer. You’ve lifted well above that level.”

“Thank you, John. This is why we wanted to come back earlier. This is where we fit, for as long as it lasts.”

We had lunch in the Grill, after Mum had been coerced into wearing something good to match the environment. Then, we took them around the store, being greeted at the concessions and wished good luck for our travels. The store was closing early, and we called for an Uber to take us to a good vantage point to watch the fireworks, joining the crowds all rugged up to combat the cold. We didn’t get home until after two, and it was, I think, a better way to ring in the new year than a party in Braintree.

We all slept late on New Years Day and made our breakfast from what we had in the apartment, which was quite varied. John was thoughtful, while Mum went with me to try on some of the clothes of mine that would fit her, adding some things to her wardrobe.

We called an Uber to take us into Soho, where we had lunch and strolled around, Mum being amazed at how many stores were open. We stayed in the area for dinner, and then an Uber took us and our shopping bags back to the apartment. That evening, we sat in the lounge and watched some TV, until John asked if it could be turned off.

“I’ve been thinking a lot since we arrived. What I’ve seen has opened my eyes to another world. I’ve thought that I was well off, but there were people across the road, doing their shopping, who could buy the business out with their loose change. My partners have been talking about installing some new machines with robotic unloaders and programmed stacking. It’s a big move that will almost double our output, and I’m not sure that I’m ready to join the new century.”

Sally and I were holding hands and waiting for him to think through his reasoning.

“If I sell my share to the partners, sell the property in Maldon and the house in Braintree, I’ll have a few million to use on my future. Our future, Maureen, if you’ll marry me.”

He pulled a box out of his pocket and went down on one knee in front of Mum. She looked at the ring, then at us. I smiled and nodded, and she kissed him. Sally went to get a bottle of champagne that was languishing in the fridge and, when he had got to his feet, John made it pop as I came in with glasses.

I asked him what he had in mind.

“You know, I was always good at art in school but dropped it to concentrate on business. I inherited enough to buy into what is now ten times bigger than it was then. I was thinking that it would be nice to get a place further south, maybe Devon or Dorset, and get an easel and paints and see if I can do something saleable. With Maureen beside me, and the knowledge that I have the blessing of her only child, I’m ready to take the plunge. When we have a place to live, there’ll be enough to live well for a few years.”

Mum took his hand.

“I’ll have the money from my place, my darling. That will be another amount behind us. If we have a registry wedding, we don’t have to overdo the reception. Moving house will be as good as a honeymoon. I had the white wedding before, I don’t need another.”

Marianne Gregory © 2026