Postby KP Presents » Wed Jul 01, 2015 1:39 am
As we walked along the long corridor, I was amazed at the whole look and feel of the place. I mean, when we visit Holderness Manor you can see how old it is, but we don’t have real suits of armour standing there, with the swords. I kept wondering if we were in an old movie or an episode of Scooby Doo, and the armour would start to move...
“Boo!”
Yes, I jumped and then stared at Cassie, who was giggling like mad as we walked further down, and past large portraits. Some of them did look like Gerri, so this was obviously the family history, but when we passed the picture in Tudor costume I realised just how old this family was.
In fact, the strange thing was the lamps. Gerri smiled as she said “Because a lot of films have hired the Manor, we can easily hide things like the lights to make it truly authentic.”
“Ah there you are,” Lord Markson said as we entered the large dining room, “please, sit – Mrs Danvers, can you start to serve please?”
“So how well did you know our grandparents,” Alicia said as we were eating the main course.
Lord Markson smiled as he said “Well now – how much do you know of what your grandparents did before he became Lord Holderness?”
“Not a lot – in fact, all we really know is they worked for the government.”
“And what about your grandfather, Jenny?”
I could see Jenny and Cassie exchange a look – they have this thing in their family called the Craig Compact, where they don’t talk about certain things.
“All I can say for certain,” Jenny eventually said, “was that it was dangerous, and our Aunt Cassie did the same thing.”
“Mostly true,” Lord Markson said, “we helped out with a few things here and there.”
“Is it true you saved our grandfather’s life,” I asked, not sure if it was the right thing to do. He looked at me, then at Alicia and Angela, before he said “yes” and put some more food into his mouth.
“What happened,” Alicia asked as he put his knife and fork down, and wiped his mouth.
“Okay,” he eventually said, “how much do you know about what was going on in Africa in the 1970’s?”
We all looked to Angela, who said “A lot of revolutions and upheavals, the last real vestiges of the colonies becoming their own masters I guess.”
“Fair enough – well, towards the end of that century your grandfather and I were based in one of the friendlier of those countries, when we had word that another colleague was in some difficulties in Uganda. The sort of difficulties which meant getting him out of them had to be done – shall we say, quietly?
“So your grandfather and I had to travel across country to where this colleague was, slipping unnoticed across the border. It was very important nobody knew we were there, or that this other colleague as there. We travelled at night, and slept during the day, so it took at least two days to get to the rendezvous.
“When we got there, we met the friend, and we were about to set off back when, quite by chance, two army soldiers on patrol came by. We ducked down to hide, but as we did so I managed stupidly to step on some branches – however, by the time the patrol had found your grandfather and our friend, I had managed to slip away under cover of the dark and the bush.
“He could speak a little of the language, so they both stood with their arms raised and he started to try to talk to them. The capacity for talking to an obvious European, however, was a little low, so they shouted something and then aimed their guns at the other two. I think they both had the same thought at that time, but something else happened instead?”
“What,” I heard myself say excitedly.
“Me – I had made my way behind the two soldiers, and managed to subdue both before they could carry out their threat, and we escaped back over the border.” Looking over at Cassie and Jenny, he then said “your grandmother was very pleased to see him back as well, I can tell you.”
“Wow,” I said as Patty looked at Lord Markson. “So did you know James Bond as well?”
“No,” he laughed as dessert was served, “but I did meet Ian Fleming once.”
He then told us a few more stories, each one stranger than the first, before he said “why don’t you take the girls into the drawing room, Geraldine – I have something I want to show them.”
As we walked along, we heard Alicia say “this is where we had to stand for the reception line of the grand ball – was all the film made here, Gerri?”
“A lot of the location scenes yes – and a lot at Pinewood. Actually, we still have quite a lot of the costumes here in storage.”
“Wow,” Rachel said, “I’d love to try them on, if that was possible?”
Gerri looked at all of us as we sat down, and then said “Well, we could have you all dressed up to watch the film tomorrow, if you want, but it could be a little uncomfortable...”
“If Alicia can do it, so can I,” I said firmly, my two cousins shaking their heads as Gerri said “All right, all right – I’ll sort something out.”
“Now then,” Lord Markson said as he came in, carrying an old brown leather briefcase, “have a look at these.”
He sat down and opened the case, before he passed round a series of photos.
“Oh my,” Alicia said, “is that really our grandparents?”
“It most certainly is,” he said as I saw the picture of a young man and woman, the man in an officer’s uniform, the woman wearing a brown dress with gloves and a hat. I could certainly recognise my grandparents, and the second woman in the photo looked like Miranda Craig.
“So that’s our grandfather,” Cassie said as she looked at it with Jenny.
“Yeah – that’s how I remember him,” Jenny said with a smile as we next saw a photo of Grandpa, Cassie’s grandfather and Lord Markson together.
“And this,” he said as he passed round a letter in a clear plastic folder, “is the letter of commendation I got for the rescue I told you about.”
Yes, I admit it, I gawped at the letter, just as Jenny and Cassie stared at another one he handed to them. And then I couldn’t stop myself from yawning.
Gerri could see what I was doing, as she said “let me see if your rooms are ready yet,” and stood up, walking out of the drawing room for a minute.
“Would you excuse me if I went to bed, your Lordship,” I said as I looked at him.
“Of course not – you must all be very tired,” he said as Gerri came back. “I will see you all tomorrow morning.”
When I got to the room I was sleeping in, I saw something laid out on the bed, with a note pinned to it. It was from Mrs Danvers, who said that as we would spend the day in Victorian clothes, we should sleep in the same costumes the girls wore in the film as well.
I looked at the long white nightdress, and then stripped and put it on. It came to the floor, and had long sleeves with lace cuffs. It also had a top that was designed to mimic a shawl, with a gathered part under my chest.
It felt very comfortable actually, and I was very tired – very very tired, as I lay down and my eyes closed almost instantly....
Saturday
“Good Morning, Miss Suzanne.”
I slowly opened my eyes to find Mrs Danvers at the side of the bed, placing a glass of milk at the side of the bed on a small table.
“What time is it,” I asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
“Just after six – Miss Geraldine and Miss Angela would like you to shower, and then start to don your costume before they come in.”
“All right then,” I said as I sat on the edge of the bed and drank the milk, “thank you Mrs Danvers.”
“Miss,” she said as she turned and left the room. She was wearing a white blouse and a knee length grey skirt with shoes, so I knew she probably would not be dressing up. I finished my milk, grabbed my wash bag and a towel, and then went into the shower.
When I came back, there was what looked like a short sleeved white nightdress on the bed, as well as a pair of white stockings and brown ankle boots that laced up the front. Now, normally boots or trainers or whatever I had on my feet would be the last thing I would put on – but these had to have been placed there for a reason, so I put on the nightdress. It had short puffed sleeves, and certainly was comfortable – as were the stockings.
“Morning Suzie – I need you to put the boots on as well now – you’ll understand why in a few minutes.”
I looked at the door as both Angela and Gerri came in, accompanied by Mrs Danvers – but my oldest cousin and her friend looked very different. Angela was wearing what appeared to be an off white blouse, buttoned up the front, and a very large grey silk skirt that really did flow out from her waist to the floor. She also looked thinner somehow, with a black sash round her waist, and a funny looking jacket the same colour and material as the skirt, with sleeves that were open below the elbow. Her blonde hair was covered by a peach coloured bonnet which was loosely tied under her chin.
Gerri was wearing a tartan patterned dress, which flowed just like Angela’s, and had a black sash round the waist, as well as a dark chocolate brown jacket. A bonnet of the same colour was tied over her hair, while she also wore a pair of off white lace gloves.
“Well, I’m glad the chemise fits at any rate,” Gerri said as the three of them put some things on the bed. “I shall wake Miss Patricia now, and make sure Miss Cassandra will be ready for you,” Mrs Danvers said as she left the room.
“We decided we should really go for it today,” Angela said, “so we’ll all be wearing the full outfits, just as Ali and I did. Now what you have on is the first layer.”
“So what comes next,” I said as I put on the boots and laced them tightly.
“Well, these,” Gerri said as she held up what looked like a pair of Capri pants – except they were white, baggy, had a gathered cuff, and appeared to be crotchless.
“They’re called drawers,” Alicia said as she helped me to put them on, and tucked the chemise into them.
“But they’re missing something...”
“Again, little cus, trust me,” Angela said as Gerri held up a white – well, it looked like a white flexible board, buttons in the middle and laces at the sides.
“What is that?”
“Oh this – this is what makes your waist thinner,” Gerri said, “a corset.
“Ready?”
I nodded as Alicia took the corset, and positioned it so that the buttoned front was against my stomach. As she wrapped it round me, I wondered what was going to happen – and then my breath was literally taken away as she began to lace it at the back, pulling tight as I felt my stomach being pulled in.
“You need to keep breathing slowly and regularly,” Gerri said as Alicia pulled it as tight as she could, and I felt not only my waist move in, but my chest move up as well.
“There,” Alicia said as she tied the final knot, “what waist are you normally Suzie.”
“Twenty four I think – why?”
“Well,” Angela said as she took a tape measure round, “you’re now nineteen inches. Ready to continue?”
Last edited by
KP Presents on Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:58 am, edited 2 times in total.