The Heroine of Havisham Hall - Part 1

The news that Emily Quinn's meeting with several of her other wealthy friends, and in particular Jack's stunning performance in the role of Elizabeth, had produced an immediate promise to fund a new theatre and drama centre for the Stuyvesant Academy for Young Ladies, was received by Jack's mother with glee and no little excitement.   Since first arriving at Suyvesant with her young son, Gail Swanson had struggled to make her mark in her role as the drama teacher and, as if to add to her worries, Jack had found life difficult in a school which catered almost exclusively for girls.  It was only recently, when Jack - now nearing his sixteenth birthday - had started to reveal the feminine side to his personality, that Gail felt he was beginning to come to terms with his adolescence, albeit in a manner which clearly raised serious questions about his sexual identity.

Over the past few weeks Jack's life had become even more confused, with one of the other drama students, Pamela Quinn, who had been teasing Jack mercilessly in school, planning the production of her one-act play, "The Mistress and the Maid", in which she (and her mother and all the relevant school staff) had agreed that she, Pamela, should play the part of the Mistress while Jack played that of the Maid.

Although no formal rehearsals have yet taken place, a considerable amount of Jack's time has been taken up with "living his role" in a real life situation in the Quinn household.  His recent acclaimed performance as a sweet young girl in front of Mrs Quinn's rich friends, had not only confirmed his increasingly feminine persona in his own mind, but had also raised his standing in the eyes of all these ladies as an outstanding emerging actress who would make the perfect advertisement for the school's extremely high theatrical standards.  

With confirmation of the necessary funding for the construction of the drama school now being received, and an opportunity for Gail Swanson to visit some notable international theatre and drama school architects, Gail is frantically trying to arrange for someone suitable to look after Jack while she is away, possibly for several months.   We join her as she is making an urgent phone call to Mrs Emily Quinn.

"Hello, could I speak to Emily Quinn please."
"Yes, Emily speaking - is that Gail Swanson?"
"Yes, of course Emily, oh Emily, I just cannot thank you enough for arranging that meeting and obtaining all the funding for the drama school project.  I'm just so thrilled, and so is Miss Strang and everybody else here at Stuyvesant.  Thank you so, so much, we are all so grateful."
"Oh please don't thank me Gail, it was my pleasure, and anyhow it is your beautiful, talented daughter... I mean son... who made it all happen.   She, I mean he, is just so adorable - you must be so proud of her..."
"Oh I am, Emily, and I'm also just thrilled to have been asked to act as the founding Director of the School, I just never expected to have such an exciting opportunity."
"Gail, we all know how well qualified you already are for this role, and of course Stuyvesant do need someone of your calibre to lead the School, you know what high standards the Academy sets for all its activities.  And drama is such a high profile department for the girls, I am sure you will want to impress everybody with the standard of your first production in the new theatre - in fact my daughter is already putting the finishing touches to her own play, which she's now calling "The Princess and her Very Obedient Maid" and she hopes this might feature during the theatre's official opening next year."
"That sounds very interesting Emily, it would be so good to include a play that's been written by one of the pupils.  I wonder who would play the title roles?   We're going to have so much to think about, it's all so exciting Emily, and I'm starting straightaway with the plans, in fact I'm flying off to New York tomorrow to discuss some ideas for the design of the School and its theatre with one of the very top architects, which is why I wanted to talk to you this afternoon."
"Me?  Why me, Gail?   I'm not an architect!  What do you mean?"
"Well, it's about Jack, and the question of who is going to look after him while I'm away.  I was wondering, as you know him well, whether he might come and stay with you, and he does of course know your daughter Pamela very well..."
"Oh, I'm sorry Gail, I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to help this time.  I've decided to take Pamela away for a couple of weeks.   She's been getting more and more tomboyish, which is the last thing I want, as you can imagine, so I've booked to take her to France for the Paris Fashion Week.  I'm hoping it might help to teach her about becoming a lady, in the true sense of the word..."
"Oh I do understand Emily, of course you must take her away, it's just that I was hoping..."
"Now, please don't worry Gail, I'm sure we'll find somewhere suitable for your daughter - er, son - for the next two weeks, and then she'll be most welcome to come and stay for as long as you want her to.  My sister Georgina should be back from her latest travels by then, so we'll be at my country residence.  I'm planning to do a bit of entertaining this summer - you know, garden parties, country house weekends, that sort of thing, so it would be very good to have somebody like Elizabeth to give a helping hand.  And it's only about 30 miles away from Stuyvesant.  In fact it's also not very far from Gloria Havisham's place and, now I think about it, I expect Gloria might like to have Elizabeth join her for these next two weeks.  They did get on very well together when they met earlier  Leave that with me Gail, I'll call her right away..."

Twenty minutes later, Gail was taking a call from Gloria Havisham.
"Hello, is that Gail Swanson, Gloria Havisham here, how are you I wonder?   And how is that adorable child of yours?"
"Oh hello, Miss Havisham, we're very well thank you.  What can I do for you, Miss Havisham?"
"Gloria, please Gail, please call me Gloria.  I'm Gloria to all my friends, and Madam to all my staff of course."
"Yes of course Miss Hav...   I mean Gloria."
"Now Gail, I understand that you are flying to New York tomorrow to set things in motion for the building of this wonderful drama school, and you are looking for someone suitable to look after young Elizabeth while you're away.   Gail, I shall be delighted to have her stay with us here at Havisham Hall.  We're only about forty minutes drive away and I've already instructed my driver, Maria Gonzales, to come and pick Elizabeth up from your place.   If you could just pack a suitcase for her, with the essentials - you know, night-dresses, lingerie, a skirt or two, and one or two tops.  No pants please - our housekeeper, who runs everything here, doesn't allow staff to dress in male attire - I can't even wear a trouser suit myself when I'm here, ha ha!"

Gail started wondering just what she would be letting poor Jack in for.  This did sound extremely feminising for the poor boy, and after all his recent experiences, how might he react?  But then she thought about how he had been showing a growing desire to reveal his feminine side.  Maybe he would welcome an opportunity to develop this side of his character.   Besides, time was fast running out for her to find an alternative home for him in the immediate future, and, with his prospective future acting roles in mind, she decided to go ahead and accept Gloria Havisham's kind offer.   She said farewell, put the phone down, and started to think quite how she would explain to Jack what he was now being asked to do.  Well, she thought, he has been saying he doesn't mind being a girl, he's just not sure about being a maid...

She called to Jack, who was still in his silk shirt and the pants with the rather feminine cut.  "Jack, can you come over here please.  It's good news dear, we've sorted out where you can go and stay while I'm away.  That nice Miss Havisham says she'll be delighted to have you right away.  There's only one thing, she apparently does insist that you're dressed as a girl while you're there.  Something about the need to keep it a single-sex household.  I know you won't mind that - you've got very good at it, haven't you, so good that Miss Havisham and her friends are making a wonderful investment in the new Drama School.   And now you'll have plenty of opportunity to show Miss Havisham what an accomplished actor you are, so long as none of the staff guess you aren't a girl.  Do you understand how important this is?"
"But I haven't got any girl's clothes, Mummy" replied Jack, not sounding half as worried about this turn of events as his mother had feared.  Maybe he really didn't mind all that much.
"Oh yes, you have my darling, for a start you have that lovely outfit Miss Strang found for you to walk over to Mrs Quinn's house in  - that beautiful peach blouse with the bow, and the lovely cream pleated skirt.   I'll ask Rose to look that out for you, and some suitable lingerie, and you'll be very comfortable in that for travelling in.   We'll also pack you a suitcase, although Miss Havisham says not to worry too much about changes of clothing, she'll have all the clothes you'll need while you're there.
"But I can't wear that blouse and that skirt again, they're so soft and silky and it's so embarrassing if anyone sees me" said Jack.
"All right then, I think the only other thing I can think of is to see if Rose can find one of the spare maid's uniforms.  Hopefully there might be one of those that fits you?   I wonder??" replied Gail.
"Oh, no, please don't make me turn up at Miss Havisham's dressed as a maid.  Whatever I do when I'm there, I really don't want to be a maid"
"All right then, it's the blouse and skirt, but you're going to have to hurry.  Miss Havisham's driver will soon be here to pick you up."
Gail promptly rang the bell for Rose, who readily agreed to take Jack and get him dressed in the peach blouse and the cream skirt.  Fifteen minutes later they re-appeared, with Jack looking - and feeling - even more feminine than ever before, thanks to some expensive seamed silk stockings and a pair of matching peach-coloured heels which Rose had managed to find from somewhere.  "Doesn't she look a picture" said Rose proudly as she presented Jack, now very much Elizabeth, to
Gail.
"My word, you get prettier every day, my darling" exclaimed Gail, noting the expert way in which his face had been freshly made up, his hair styled under the matching peach Alice band and the effect which the stockings and heels had on his shapely legs.   "Have you managed to pack his suitcase, Rose?" she enquired.
"Yes, Madam, I've put all Jack's favourite nighties, his nicest panties and bras and the girdle he likes so much, and a few spare pairs of the stockings in case he ladders the ones he's wearing.  And I've also put most of his favourite lipsticks and all his make-up into this little purse for him."
"Oh that is so thoughtful of you Rose, you really do think of everything don't you?   Jack, please thank Rose for getting everything sorted for you so quickly."
Jack looked reluctantly at Rose, who smiled triumphantly at Jack.   At that moment the sound of a large limousine could be heard entering the driveway and a large, well-built lady wearing a chauffeur's cap, and whose only semblance of femininity appeared to be a sturdy dark skirt, came to the door.
"I've come to collect a Miss Elizabeth Swanson on behalf of Miss Gloria Havisham" she said in a very formal tone.

(to be continued)