LADY ANN'S FOLLY: Catch Up & Chapter Eleven - Part Three

We haven't seen Lady Ann for a little while, what with my illness. Considering there's a lot going on at the moment, let's take a moment to catch up with who is now who...

The original Lady Ann and Burt swapped places, leaving Ann as a stable hand and Burt as a right cultured lady.

Ann then swapped places with Mavis, Burt's slutty tavern wench girlfriend.

Ann is trapped as Mavis while Mavis (as Ann) has gone to Nockton Vale with Richard Hurley.

Meanwhile, Hattie, Ann's sister, has hatched a plot to get revenge on several people in her family.

She has become her father, Howard, the Earl.

The Earl is trapped in the body of Nellie, a common lady's maid.

Elizabeth, Howard's wife has become Reggie, a little boy and Reggie has become Elizabeth.

The original maid, Nellie has taken on the role of Hattie.

Confused?

You will be. You ain't seen nothing yet!

3 

Elizabeth continued to feel mortified as the picnic things were set up. Every adult towered over her, servants and family, and though there was some loose deference from the servants, really she was looked down on by all.

She had to run one way and then the other, trying to avoid the long legs of the quickly moving adults. It was bewildering. She still couldn’t fully grasp what had happened to her. Could it really be true that she had been transformed into a child? And not just a child – a boy! And not just any boy! She had long seen Reggie as something of an irritation with very few redeeming qualities – someone to put up with while she was spending time with her brother and sister-in-laws. To find herself in the body of someone she thought so little of was simply awful.

She stumbled under the feet of one of the cook and the grumpy lady huffed noisily, struggling not to drop her tray of food.

“Really Reggie,” said Geraldine, her new mother. “Come away from the route everyone is using.”

Elizabeth flushed and did as she was told, hating the fact that she could be told what to do as well as the fact her limited perspective had not warned her to do so herself. She hated being a child but at least she had her own mind. How much worse it would have been if she had taken on the real Reggie’s ways instead of her own.

The boy in question was over by the water’s edge pretending to be her and the sight of him in her body and clothes was infuriating. Elizabeth wanted to march straight over there and denounce him. She would have done if Howard hadn’t suggested she play along for now. She was greatly frustrated by that. She didn’t understand her husband’s reasoning but she had to trust it. Surely he had a plan to return her to her rightful form. In time he would reveal that plan and effect the change. Somehow...

“Reggie; go and play dear,” said Geraldine.

Elizabeth’s face fell. “No thank you. I don’t want to.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion boy,” grumbled Patrick. “Get away and stay out of mischief. We’ll call you when the food is ready to eat.”

Elizabeth couldn’t imagine anything worse than having to run around like a child. Instead she loitered while Felicity ran ahead with a large ball.

“Reggie!”

She jumped with alarm. Patrick was glaring at her.

“What did I say to you?” he said.

Elizabeth quaked to look up at his stormy face. “That I, uh... That I should go and play.”

“So what are you doing standing there you ignorant little twerp then?”

“Sorry father,” she said, hating having to use that term. She hurried away toward Felicity, anxious to put as much distance as she could between her and her new father. She’d always been fond of Patrick but he was a terror for this new diminished perspective.

“Hurry up Reggie,” called Felicity, holding the ball ready to throw. “We won’t have time to play.”

Elizabeth scowled at being told what to do by the little girl. “I’m coming,” she complained.

“Catch!” Felicity threw the ball and Elizabeth made a half-hearted attempt to catch it. It sailed past her, bouncing, and she was forced to give lacklustre chase.

“Daddy!” cried Felicity. “Reggie isn’t playing properly!”

“Put your back into it boy!” snapped Patrick.

Elizabeth hurried to go after the ball, frightened she’d have another smack if she didn’t. She picked it up, surprised how heavy it was, and threw it in Felicity’s general direction. It bounced weakly and didn’t make it all the way there. Elizabeth regarded it forlornly but Felicity was growing agitated.

“Daddy!” she called. “Tell Reggie to stop being silly. He can throw much better than that!”

“Reggie!”

Elizabeth jumped with fright and looked back at Patrick. “Yes father?”

“You’ve been moping about all morning and I’m sick of it. You’re this close to going over my knee. Now stop being a baby and play properly with your sister.”

She bobbed her head anxiously. “Yes sir.”

Felicity picked up the ball and threw it her way. Elizabeth frantically reached for it; missed and then chased after it as fast as she could, desperate to avoid another telling off. She grabbed it and looked round to see if she was going to get shouted at. Felicity was sighing testily but no one else was watching anymore.

She squinted at Felicity and concentrated as hard as she could, then threw the ball that way. This time went a bit better but still wasn’t perfect. It went wide and Felicity was forced to run and grab it.

“That was pathetic Reggie,” she snapped.

Elizabeth caught the frown of disapproval coming from Patrick.

I wish I could throw as well as the real Reggie, she said to herself, eager to avoid this condemnation. She was starting to wish she had inherited his mind as well as his body so that she could at least avoid being told off. That wasn’t the case though. She hadn’t taken on Reggie’s ways in any way.