LADY ANN'S FOLLY: Chapter Six - Part Nine

Hattie set her book down on the chaise longue in her bedroom when she realised that for the last page and a half she hadn’t been taking in what she’d been reading, maybe even longer.

She was thinking instead about ideas she’d had regarding the pendant and her desire to see them acted out.

She knew what she wanted to do now and in the hours since making that decision she’d allowed her quiet mind to work out the best way to go about it. It was a little complicated but she was sure that it would all come together smoothly now, as long as she maintained control. All it would take were several steps, that night and the following day, to put it all into place and secure her revenge.

The first one was, admittedly, a little precarious, but she felt confident that it would transpire as she expected it to. She would have the pendant and keep hold of it. She would never let it out of her sight.

It was a questionable decision to allow herself to be changed as well; surely it was; but it was the only way she could see to put her plan seamlessly into effect and to be able to maintain overall control as it proceeded.

And she wasn’t above admitting to herself that the idea of becoming someone else for a couple of days really was remarkably exciting; titillating even.

To dress in another person’s clothes and to present oneself as that person to others. To have their face and the sound of their voice. Nothing in her life so far could match that for sheer newfound delight.

And her transformation wouldn’t be like the others that had occurred so far. She would get to sip from the cups of two different people: become not one but two others before the night was out... if she dared to go through with it.

She sat up, placing her feet together on the floor. She sat with almost still thoughts like that for a full ten minutes, her mind ticking over at a very shallow level, staring into the middle distance. Then she came back to herself.

She did want to do it. She knew there was an... element of danger, but it was minimised because of the care she had taken to design her strategy. There were a few wild cards in the mix but none that were likely to cause much difficulty.

She stretched, smiling to herself, imagining the second change in particular; relishing the possibilities that would present themselves. But the first change was going to be remarkable too. She was looking forward to that one almost as much.

As much as what she would do later to those she felt had wronged her?

Perhaps.

But truly, she longed to settle those scores more than anything. She giggled and then gave a full throated laugh to think of the hijinks that would result from her activities.

She wished she could do it all now and see it play out, but she couldn’t. She had to wait until the time was just right. It was a shame that part of it couldn’t really take place until the next morning, but it was important not to rush. She still had time to review her plan and weed out any inconsistencies. She wasn’t a fool. She knew that it would be senseless to rush glibly in as her sister had done.

Hattie shook her head. How could Ann have been so idiotic as to trade places with a stablehand for two whole weeks? Clearly, the longer spent in a new form, the more that form’s inclinations affected the new owner. Becoming Burt was like stepping wilfully into a deep mire. She should have known there was no way to get herself out. Why, it amused Hattie greatly that she was the only one with the power to save Ann from her dirty fate. And where was the rush in that? Let “Burt” muck out the stables for a while longer. “He” clearly didn’t know any better anymore.

But on the other hand she had no particular desire to have a filthy stablehand or a barmaid for that matter outstay their welcome within the Neville family. Once Hattie had had her fun she would set everybody back in their proper bodies and send the peasants back out to their hovels where they belonged.

Yes. Effect the change and then explore it for no more than a day: that was the plan. Nothing could go wrong within those parameters because insufficient time would go by for much in the way of personality alteration to occur.

Hattie paused, thinking it through one more time.

Was she really sure she was going to go through with this?

Yes. Yes she was.

She was going to do it and see it through to the bitter end.

She was entirely confident that nothing untoward would deviate her from her objective and that she would be back in her own body by no later than Thursday morning.