Your Wish Come True: Chapter 8 -- Professional Help free porn video

Many thanks for the positive feedback so far. I really appreciate the effort of those who have made comments. This chapter contains a rather detailed description of a luxury maisonette apartment in Belgravia, which some people may find boring. Sorry if this is the case. The apartment actually exists and I really like it, and it's my fantasy after all, so here it is. The electronic gadgets described are also real, but they are taken from a different apartment. _______________________________ Chapter 8 Professional Help She makes some wonderful discoveries, but it's not all good news MANDY sat in the doctor's waiting room leafing through a magazine. She was feeling rather nervous. This would be the first time she had really encountered anyone she knew apart from Emma. There had been Brian on the phone of course, but this would be the first time anyone she knew apart from Emma had actually seen her. And she was feeling a little self- conscious about her waxed body, which continued to live up to its promise of heightened sexual awareness. Even sitting there in the waiting room she felt the sensation of her underpants against her labia acutely. She did not really know what she was there for, except that Emma had said she should get a check up from a gynaecologist. In fact she had decided that she had better go on the pill, so perhaps she needed to see a doctor about that. There was a lot to being a woman that she simply had no idea about, but a dread of pregnancy was her most obvious anxiety. It was ten o'clock, and the waiting room had several people in it. Mandy had arrived about a quarter on an hour earlier in order to be prompt, but the others were all ahead of her it seemed. She had had to fill in a patient registration form, which had not been easy since she was unsure about some of the questions. She wished Emma had come with her. To her surprise Cynthia Ball asked to see her as soon as she had finished with the previous patient. The doctor looked surprised when she saw her. Then she gave Mandy a rather cold look, and told her to come into the examining room. Mandy noticed once again how much bigger people now seemed as she followed a much taller Cynthia, whom she recalled as being of just average height. "How can I help you, Miss Vero?" she said, sitting at a desk and indicating Mandy into a chair. Mandy was trying to be agreeable. The woman at the reception desk had responded to her friendliness very warmly, but she had the impression that Cynthia somehow disapproved of her. She began to dread the reaction to the waxing, if she ever came to examine her. "Call me Mandy, please. Umm, it's just a check-up, really. To see if I'm, er, normal." "Have you any reason to think you are not normal?" asked Cynthia. Mandy considered the question. The fact that two days ago she had been a middle aged man was pretty good reason to think she wasn't normal! "I just don't know," said Mandy. "I think I need to go on the pill," she said. "I'm sure you do," said Cynthia. "Alright then. Have it your own way. We'll have a consultation." She looked at the patient registration questionnaire for the first time. "Is this correct that you haven't had your first period?" she asked Mandy. Mandy had truthfully answered "never" to the question about when her last period had been. "That's right," said Mandy. "I see you've never seen a gynaecologist before," Cynthia said again. "When was the last time the doctor gave you an internal examination?" "Umm, never," said Mandy. "How old are you?" asked Cynthia. "I was seventeen on Monday," Mandy said, thinking this was the best answer. "Seventeen," said Cynthia, rather coldly. "Congratulations. Come up here to the examining table then." Cynthia asked her to change into a gown and Mandy climbed onto the table. Cynthia put Mandy's legs into stirrups which held her legs wide open. Cynthia put on a pair of examining gloves. "I'm going to give you an internal examination," she said, lifting up the gown. She pursed her lips when she saw Mandy's denuded pubic area. "I'm going to gently feel inside with my finger before I use any instruments." Mandy felt Cynthia drawing open her labia. Then suddenly Cynthia stopped and went over to her desk where she sat down in the chair. She seemed to have been overcome by something. Mandy felt worried, but right now she couldn't move without taking her feet out of the stirrups. She twisted herself up to see Cynthia. "Is there anything wrong?" she asked. "No, there's nothing's wrong," answered Cynthia. "Umm, am I okay?" asked Mandy. Cynthia didn't answer at once. "When you rang me yesterday," Cynthia began rather carefully, "you said you were a friend of my husband's. Yet he tells me he has never met you." "Oh, sorry," Mandy said, beginning to wish she had been more careful about what she had said about Brian. "I'm really a friend of Brian's-- that is Mr Ball's--colleague, Derek Ross. I'm a client of their firm, I think, and Brian--Mr Ball--is taking over from Mr Ross." "Why did you say you were a friend of my husband's then?" asked Cynthia. "Well Mr Ross is a friend, so I suppose I thought he would probably be too. It was a stupid thing to say. It seemed true enough at the time." Mandy was trying to think of a reasonable way to put it. "When was the first time you spoke to my husband?" Cynthia asked. This was a difficult question to answer. Mandy could hardly tell Cynthia she had known Brian for years. "I suppose it was on the phone, yesterday. After I made the appointment with you, actually," Mandy answered. "That's just what Brian said," Cynthia remarked. She was silent for a few moments, seemingly gathering herself together. "I must apologise, Mandy. I'm afraid I've been a little distracted during our consultation. Shall we continue with the examination? You mentioned going on the contraceptive pill. I gather you haven't taken it before." "No," answered Mandy. "I'll talk to you shortly about that. Are you planning on getting married?" "Good heavens, no!" said Mandy. "Am I right in assuming that you intend becoming sexually active in the near future?" asked Cynthia. That was a good question, Mandy thought. She wasn't sure of the answer. "It's more a sort of precaution, really," Mandy said. "No-one wants to risk getting pregnant." "The fact that you haven't had your first period yet will be a factor in using oral contraceptives. I think we need to do some further investigation about that, just to rule out anything serious. I also want to talk to you about your first time with genital sexual intercourse." "You want to know about my first time?" Mandy was getting worried about what she should say about her first time, and wondered why this nosey doctor wanted to know about it. "I want to talk about when you have your first time," Cynthia said patiently. "Your hymen is quite thick and will almost certainly cause some discomfort." "My hymen--," Mandy repeated. "Of course! I'm a virgin!" "If you want to put it that way," said Cynthia, "though you can still be a virgin without an intact hymen. I don't intend to get into a discussion about that, but I do think you should consider stretching your hymen. Unless you have a particular wish not to of course, for religious or cultural reasons for example. The choice is yours, but I do recommend it." Cynthia looked at Mandy as though she didn't think that would be a factor in her case. "Your hymen isn't abnormally thick, and shouldn't cause any long-term trouble, but it's still very much intact and rather narrow and may be quite uncomfortable your first time. I would say it could be quite painful." Cynthia added in a solicitous tone. "It's very rare to find someone your age with such an undisturbed hymen." "How do I stretch it?" Mandy asked. "Well, you can stretch it yourself of course, with fingers for example. Many girls do. Normally it weakens or ruptures naturally over time, though not in your case. You can purchase dilators. They may be a help in your situation. You use them yourself to stretch the hymen at your own pace. It is gradual and should be painless. I don't think surgery is warranted as it does require a period of recovery of a couple of weeks. Cynthia explained how to stretch the hymen with fingers and also what to do with dilators. Then she talked about contraception. She was reluctant to prescribe contraceptive pills when Mandy hadn't had her first period. Cynthia continued Mandy's internal examination, this time using an instrument she said was called a speculum, taking great care to be gentle. Mandy flinched when she felt it enter, more because of the cold of the metal than the tightness, though it did feel uncomfortable. Perhaps Cynthia was right about the stretching. Then she took Mandy's feet out of the stirrups and got her to sit up. She checked Mandy's breasts, gently feeling every part of them in circular motions. It was far from unpleasant. Mandy remembered she had always found Cynthia a very handsome woman (at least Derek had), and her gentle caring touch now was very reassuring. Cynthia noticed Mandy's tattoo. "Ah, 'zhen'," she said (pronouncing it 'tshen'). "Sorry?" said Mandy, not understanding. "Your tattoo. I speak a little Chinese. It says 'zhen'," answered Cynthia. "At least, that's what it would be in Mandarin." "Oh yes, my tattoo! I hope it doesn't mean anything awful," said Mandy. "I can't speak any Chinese I'm afraid. It could mean 'idiot' or 'spank me' for all I would know." Cynthia smiled slightly at this. "It means 'actual', or 'true'," she said. "Like, 'real'," said Mandy. "That's what it's supposed to say." "Well I'm pretty sure that's what it does say," Cynthia went on. "And may I say I think it is very sensible of you to use a stick on. So many girls who get tattoos regret it later." "Oh, no," Mandy blurted, "it's real. I mean, it's a real tattoo. I think. It doesn't come off." "Well, if you say so," Cynthia sounded doubtful. "It's just that many of my patients have tattoos, and I never saw one as sharply drawn as that. The ink usually bleeds into the surrounding skin tissue slightly. And it's very dark, isn't it? I hope I didn't offend you. It's a very interesting tattoo, I'm sure." Cynthia took Mandy's blood pressure. At a hundred and fifteen over seventy, Cynthia said it was excellent. She measured her height; she was exactly five foot one without shoes, or a hundred and fifty-five centimetres. Her weight was just under forty-two point two kilograms, or about ninety-three pounds. That was six stone nine. Her body/mass index was seventeen point six, which Cynthia said was considered within normal range for her age, but that in her view she should try to gain a little more weight. She asked Mandy about her diet, and seemed rather sceptical that Mandy seemed to eat whatever she wanted, especially chocolate. She made a note about this on Mandy's card. She wanted to see Mandy in a week to examine the hymen and do a pap smear. She saw Mandy out, in a much friendlier mood than when she started. Mandy regretted saying she hadn't had her first period. Cynthia had naturally assumed that she had always been a girl and was still waiting for menstruation to begin, and had told her a lot about ?menarche? which had sounded quite complicated. But Mandy was sure her body was that of a normal eighteen year old and that it was only a matter of time before she had her ?next? period, and that it was only because of the quirk of her circumstances that it would be her first. Twenty-eight days was when it was supposed to happen, she remembered. It was probably due around 16 April. She would have to be very careful she supposed. She would check out fertility on the Internet. Suddenly Mandy remembered she didn't have a computer at the moment, so she would have to see about getting access to one. Mandy had her appointment with Brian at two o'clock. She had time for lunch and to get started dilating her hymen. She bought a dilator pack from a chemist shop and headed home, hailing a cab in the rain. MANDY unpacked the dilators. There were four long very smooth pointed moulds, and a handle which attached to the one being used. There was a tube of lubricant and a soft pouch for it all to fit into. She read the instructions carefully. It was simple enough. She just had to use the moulds to stretch the hymen by gradually increasing the size until the largest one fitted comfortably. Mandy applied some lubricant. It felt cold, but nice. She screwed the handle onto the smallest dilator mould. It was quite small, only about three and a half inches long and about three quarters of an inch in diameter at the bottom, about the width of her thumb. She put some lubricant on the mould, and carefully inserted it into her vagina. It went in easily, quite painless. She moved it back and forth, trying to enlarge the space without tearing it. She tried it at different angles, and this she found somewhat pleasant. As it touched the vagina wall she thought she felt some agreeable sensations but it was hard to be sure whether this was the cause or she was just becoming generally aroused. By combining this with touching the labia and clitoris she began to feel a warmth spreading. She lay on her side on the bed, and moved the dilator in and out, while with her other hand she gently rubbed her clitoris under its hood-like flap in a circular motion. Dianne had liked this, and since the transformation she had learned herself how pleasurable this was. She began to move her pelvis back and forth. By holding the dilator further up she could apply pressure to her clitoris and pubic bone while transferring her spare hand to her breasts. She kneaded and squeezed her breasts and nipples, feeling them become harder and more sensitive. She decided to try the next sized dilator. She unscrewed the handle and attached it to the next one up. This was just over four inches long and maybe a bit more than an inch in diameter at the bottom. There was no need for lubricant now. She was feeling very wet. She carefully inserted it into her vagina and it went in less easily. She moved it around again, trying to stretch the opening. Mandy decided to try the next sized dilator. It was about five and a half inches long and about one and a quarter inches in diameter at the bottom. Mandy inserted it gingerly and was able to put it in just as far as the previous two, but moving it round felt quite tight. It was beginning to hurt just a little. She just let it stay there for a while, not moving it too much. Her arousal was gone. After a while she removed it from her vagina. It had a small trace of blood on it. She decided that would be enough for her first session. SHE was a little early for her appointment with Brian. She had intended to choose something mature and understated, but had somehow ended up wearing a totally cool outfit that was wild and girly at the same time, with a touch of punk. She had black and dark grey striped thigh high leggings underneath a black micro-mini skirt which showed the light tawny skin of her upper thighs. A black and white striped ?Deb? sweater with too long sleeves was worn over a white shirt with a black ?Aldo? belt. She wore high heeled ?Chinese Laundry? patent leather platform shoes and carried a cute denim ?Jomark? bag with a design of skulls and hearts in white and pink stencilled on outside pockets. She had taken off the black hooded jacket with grey fur trim she had worn against the cold and rain. She had pulled her hair back and gathered it loosely behind a wide black velvet headband, so that some blond strands still fell across her face, but most of her straight silky hair was off her shoulders and down her back. It accented her slimness and made her look quite slight. She had put a number of silver rings on both hands, and of course still wore her nose ring and smaller earrings, but she had large pink and red heart- shaped earrings as well. She wore a silver charm bracelet and a funky necklace of hot pink and white beads. She had come by tube from the same station she had travelled from every day for years, Gloucester Road, taking the District Line to Monument, then walking the short distance underground to Bank to change for Chancery Lane on the Central Line. But the experience was completely different. Of course the trains were far less crowded at this time of day, but that wasn't it. Both men and women had been looking at her. At first she had felt self-conscious but within a few minutes she was enjoying the attention. So much so that whenever she caught the eye of someone looking at her, she held their gaze and smiled. Sometimes they looked away, but mostly they smiled back. The smiles were infectious. By the time she reached her stop the whole carriage was filled with smiling, good-humoured people, despite the cold, damp London day. Try not to look people in the eye when travelling on the Underground, she had always been told, but she was ignoring that advice completely. She continued smiling at people as she walked the familiar path to the office, the awkward gait of two days ago long gone, keeping a moderate unhurried pace. But in fact she was feeling rather nervous. She was curious about what she would learn about the identity she seemed to have been thrust into, and she was also thinking a lot about Brian. She was really looking forward to seeing him, and she desperately wanted to make a good impression. He was one of her oldest friends, she supposed, and yet she could never tell him who she really was. There was sadness and a strange excitement in her mood which was hard to fathom as she waited in the reception area. Once again she noticed how the world had grown bigger. Penny now seemed much taller. She had been friendly but a bit condescending when she arrived, speaking in a voice she had never heard Penny speak in, a voice with neither deference nor the flirtatiousness she sometimes used. Her manner was solicitous but a bit over-familiar. Penny had called her "Darl" when she first arrived. It made Mandy anxious, and unsure what tone she should respond with. She smiled self-consciously and Penny returned her friendliness with a warm smile of her own. As she sat waiting, she chewed on her lower lip and played with the zipper on her bag. "He won't be much longer, dear," Penny said after a few minutes. "By the way, I love your earrings," she added reassuringly. Mandy blushed and muttered her thanks. This was all just so surreal. Just then Brian appeared. His presence and his voice arrived together as he swept towards her. "Miss Vero? Brian Ball." She stood up and offered her hand, which he held for an instant. She forgot to offer a manly shake, as she always did with Brian, but left it limply in his hand. It felt large and strong and hard compared to her own, and it took her by surprise. She felt dwarfed by his height as he seemed to loom over her. She barely reached his shoulder, and she was wearing three-inch high heels. His voice was deeper than she ever remembered, and seemed to command her attention. She had never noticed before how kind his eyes were. And he looked really fit. For his age. "Would you like to come this way?" he asked. She followed him down the familiar corridor to the panelled meeting room, the one usually used for important clients. It was lined with old books--legal books and also general reading--and had comfortable leather chairs and a huge partner's desk with a Georgian gilt inkstand on it. It was exactly what a successful established legal office should look like, but it bore little resemblance to the rather spartan individual offices of the firm's solicitors. "May I offer you once again my sincere condolences, Miss Vero," Brian began when they were seated. Mandy had been anticipating some sort of opening like this. "Do you mind me asking what you know about what happened?" she asked. "I know all about it," Brian said unhelpfully. "I won't pain you by going over it." "No, really," Mandy insisted, "I want you to tell me exactly what you know about me, if you could." "Well, if you insist," Brian answered. He paused as he gathered his thoughts. "I understand you were born in Malta and grew up there with your parents on their island estate. You were schooled by a governess," he referred briefly to the notes on his lap, "Rebecca Marsden. You were their only child and are the sole beneficiary of their estate." So I'm definitely an orphan, Mandy thought. "So you know what happened to them?" she asked. "Yes," answered Brian, "it is a terrible tragedy. You must feel your loss greatly, but if you hadn't been in England at the time you may well have perished with them." "May I see what documents you have about it, please?" Mandy asked. She knew that if she asked directly he could hardly refuse, and the story so far was much too sketchy. Brian hesitated, and finally relented. It seemed he liked to be in control. "Certainly," he said, and selected some documents for Mandy to read. There was a translated police report of a fire. It had destroyed the entire house on the island of Gurdien Adjad, owned by Flavio and Eva Vero, on the twelfth of March. They and the governess Rebecca Marsden, together with four others--servants at the house--had all perished in the fire. The only daughter, Miranda, was in England at the time looking at courses of study to continue her education. The family's solicitor in England, Derek Ross, was giving her assistance, but there was no record of where she was staying until a margin note, dated the previous day, recorded her address as the same as Derek Ross's. Unable to contact Miranda, her parents" funerals had taken place on Monday. The family had been rather reclusive. Although born in Malta and having Maltese as well as Italian citizenship, Miranda was a British subject and travelled on a British passport. Her mother was English, and Miranda had been brought up and educated privately entirely in English. Her father was a multimillionaire, owning Internet and IT companies. There was very little about Miranda's activities in England, except that she had applied for and obtained a provisional driver's license so that she could learn to drive. She had lost all her documents (including the provisional driver's license, which didn't become valid anyway until her seventeenth birthday) when her bag had been stolen in the street the same day as the fire that killed her parents. A copy of the police report was appended. It really had been a series of tragic events for a teenaged girl away from her family. And she had turned seventeen in the middle of these awful circumstances. Mandy had to remind herself that this was her she was reading about. Or at least she assumed it was her. She still hadn't worked out whether she had become someone else (in which case had someone else become Derek, maybe the ?real? Mandy?) or whether Derek had been transformed into Mandy and this was an identity that had somehow been created for her. Perhaps it didn't really matter. Had her parents been real? There were no pictures of them in the file. It was hard to relate to these people she had never met. She handed the documents back to Brian. He began to explain the extent of the fortune she had inherited. There was a property in Belgravia: a newly renovated exclusive four bedroom two story maisonette apartment designed by a currently sought after architect in a period building. It was valued at nearly ?9 million, but of course property prices in Belgravia are always notoriously high, so it was hard to know what to expect. There was a Country House in Oxfordshire called Beckley Hall, mainly nineteenth century but dating back to the fourteenth century and another part from the sixteenth century. There was an apartment in Paris, and one in Rome. There was the island in Malta where she was supposed to have lived, but the house of course was destroyed. Eventually there would be an insurance payout, and decisions would need to be made about what to do with the ruined property, whether to rebuild or sell it. There was a 116 foot luxury motor yacht nearing completion in Viareggio in Italy by Azimut Yacht Builders under a contract worth ?16 million. Only the final million euros or ?680,000 was left to pay. There were stocks and shares and business interests in Italy, Malta, the United States, the Philippines, Malaysia and the UK. Taxes incurred in probate would be minimal in Malta (unlike in the UK), although there would be some duties to pay on her father's British assets. She could expect an annual personal income after taxes and certain expenses of about ?900,000. This would be substantially higher if she ever took up some executive role or directorship in one or more of her late father's businesses. But there were some unusual conditions in her father's will. The will provided that if both her parents died before her eighteenth birthday (they had died exactly a year and one week before her eighteenth birthday, as it was recorded on her passport and other documents), she would not have control of her inheritance until she had successfully finished school, even if she should turn eighteen in the meantime. In such an event she was to be enrolled in a school under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church and would not inherit fully until she had been deemed by the school to have passed and satisfied the requirements of graduation. Until this happened her assets were to be held in trust and she would be under the guardianship of a person, agreed on between her and the executors, who must be at least twenty-one years of age. This guardian would have absolute discretion over Mandy's allowances from the trust, which were to be generous. This condition would pertain so far as the estate was concerned even after she reached the age of legal majority, until she had finished school. "It seems strange," Brian went on, "that having been exclusively privately educated, your parents would have set such store on your finishing school in the event of their deaths." It didn't seem strange at all, thought Mandy. Her mind was reeling. She was beginning to remember that she had specified very clearly in the questionnaire at wishcometrue.com what her ideal should be. ?Finishing senior high school? was what she (that is, Derek) had put. That was what she had put and that was what she had to do. It made perfect sense, in the weird logic of this nightmare. Is it such a nightmare? she asked herself. Just think, Mandy. If only you can graduate from school, you'll be incredibly wealthy, young, beautiful! Is it so dreadful to be a girl? This could actually be very cool. Trust me, we could have a lot of serious fun! What she was telling herself was absolutely true, she assured herself soothingly. You're a very lucky girl. You shouldn't worry so much. All this frowning is spoiling your looks. Now, show Brian your best smile. She noticed Brian was looking at her with some concern. She smiled at him brightly. She smoothed the hem of her skirt. She thought she could feel herself blush. "That's better!" said Brian, returning her smile. "Don't worry, Miss Vero, you'll come through all this." There you are! she told herself. He'd much rather see you smiling. I'm sure he likes you much better like this. You like him, too. You do, don't you? Yes, I do. He's really nice. The effort to examine the ramifications of her new circumstances too closely gave her the beginnings of a headache. She gave her head a shake to try to clear her thoughts. She tried to analyse and comprehend her circumstances in the methodical and cautious way Derek would have approached it, but the only really clear thought she could articulate was: This is so amazing! Brian was talking again. "The executors of your father's will in Malta, that is your late father's attorneys, have agreed with us that since you have been virtually raised as English, you should complete your schooling in England. The good news is that since the school year ends in July, I suppose you only need to complete one term of school to satisfy the conditions laid down in the will. Provided your education is up to standard, of course, and you can complete the work. "Your results according to Maltese records are very good, and I imagine will be recognised as equivalent to GCSE results for the purpose of enrolment for A Levels in Britain. Under the terms of the will you only need to gain an E grade in your A Levels, that's forty per cent I understand, in order to be said to have successfully completed secondary school. But with your results so far I'm sure you will do much better than that, and I gather you have already been looking at courses of study in Britain. "There is the question of your minority, but it's the condition about finishing school that needs to be addressed first, so that there is no encumbrance on your inheritance when you turn eighteen. "We have already approached, on your behalf, an excellent RC co- educational school who in view of your exceptional circumstances are prepared to enrol you in their sixth form. This is very generous of them and I don't believe they are expecting any more than the final term's fees in return." The reality of having to go back to school and pass exams in a system and to a standard which was utterly different from the one in Derek's day was beginning to dawn on Mandy. This could be a lot harder than she thought. She didn't know how to cope with school these days or how to act. She didn't know what she needed to know, or should already know. It had been years since she had studied any maths, for example. She didn't know what it was like to be at a girl's school. She didn't really know yet how to be a girl! How was she going to do this? How could she complete her entire modern education in a term? Who could advise her? Where could she turn for help? "Have you any idea who my guardian will be?" Mandy asked. "According to the provisions of the will it must be agreed between you and the executors. We are authorised to act on their behalf in this matter. You might consider Mr Ross, once we ascertain his whereabouts." A shadow seemed to pass over Brian's face. He recovered himself quickly and went on, "Or I could investigate some means whereby we might appoint someone, even though you have reached legal majority in this country. I could continue to represent your legal interests, but it would not be appropriate for me to act in the role of guardian, I think." He seemed momentarily uncomfortable. "Do you have any suggestions?" "Yes," said Mandy. "Would Emma Ross be eligible? She's twenty-one. She could act with your advice about the money side, and she's really the only friend I have in England. Apart from Mr Ross," she added hastily. "Yes, Mr Ross would probably be best, all things considered. As for Emma, I've known her all her life and she's a young lady of impeccable character and application. But I do think an older person would be more suitable. This is a position of some responsibility," Brian answered. "There is Emma's mother, Dianne Ross-Henderson, a very competent solicitor at another firm." Mandy's head swam at this suggestion. "I think I would be very uncomfortable with that," she said, trying to control her alarm. "On account of Derek--Mr Ross. The will says twenty-one," Mandy said tentatively, "so Emma should be old enough." "Perhaps you're right. I'm prepared to consider it," Brian declared, "if Mr Ross is unable to do it." Mandy beamed at Brian. He returned her smile in such a way that Mandy was sure it was virtually settled. She knew that Derek was not going to be in a position to act as her guardian! "Now, I have some documents to give you, to replace the ones which were stolen," Brian said. These were her passport (the copy of which she had already seen), her UK Provisional Driver's License and a copy of her birth certificate. Brian had also arranged for a new bank account and credit cards to ?replace? her stolen cards which were supposedly subsidiary cards to her father's credit accounts. She signed the documents, and they were witnessed by Brian. He handed her four new credit cards of different sorts, which she signed and placed in her new purse. "We can authorise an immediate allowance of ?20,000 a month and a credit limit of ?200,000. Your guardian, once one is appointed, will determine how this will be spent. Anything beyond this will need our approval as representatives of the executors. But it should only be until you turn eighteen, you having already completed the school year in the previous July," Brian said reassuringly. Mandy certainly hoped so. She was feeling less confident by the minute about going back to school. "Of course," Brian continued, "when you do have absolute control of your inheritance, after probate and taxes of course, you should still rely on advice. It is a considerable fortune." Mandy was still thinking about going back to school. "What happens if I don't pass my exams?" she asked. "Nothing happens," Brian answered, "it's just that nothing will change. You could repeat the year, I suppose. But you must remain at a catholic secondary school, with your funds controlled by a guardian, until you can graduate." "What if I keep failing," Mandy asked, "year after year, for ever?" "Well, you couldn't do that. It would be up to the school whether you could even repeat sixth form at all, though in the circumstances I think they would allow it. It could be possible to contest the conditions in the will as unreasonable. But that is always expensive and a burden on the estate. And even with such a large estate I would not advise it. My advice is to do your best this term and finish school and then you can look to the future." As a lawyer (or at any rate former lawyer!) Mandy knew Brian was giving good advice. Nevertheless, she nodded rather doubtfully. "But now," Brian continued, "I think I should advise you to leave My Ross's house and take up residence in the Belgravia apartment. I would like to take you there now, if it's convenient, and hand the place over to you. We can organise guardianship in due course. After all you are nearly an adult according to British law, so in practical terms it is only a financial guardianship. And until a guardian is appointed I can make provisional determinations. But I don't think you should stay at Derek's--that is, Mr Ross's--while we don't know his whereabouts. You also need to speak to the police about what you know. You haven't heard from him, I suppose?" Brian asked hopefully. "I've seen nothing of him since I woke up on Monday," Mandy answered truthfully. "I have told the police, and I want you to know as well, that Mr Ross has not touched any of your estate at all. He hasn't even drawn an allowance to cover your expenses while you have been staying with him. I thought you should know that, in case anyone makes any accusations against him. I must say it was unusual of him to have a client staying with him. And more so that none of us was aware." Brian made the last remark rather under his breath. They finished signing documents and Brian accompanied Mandy out of the office and into the sunny but chilly street where they caught a cab to Chesham Street, Belgravia. "I CAN'T imagine how you must be feeling, losing your whole family," Brian said with feeling as they rode through the busy streets in the back seat of the black London taxi. Mandy noted the tone of real sympathy in his voice. "You must be finding it very difficult starting a whole new life in a strange country, with so few friends." "I almost feel as though I've lost everything that made me me," Mandy said. "Miss Vero--" Brian began. "Call me Mandy, please," Mandy interrupted. "Mandy." Brian paused and continued. "These conditions in your father's will. They may seem rather bizarre and restrictive, but they might prove a blessing in the end, if you will allow me to say so. They will give you time to adjust and grow into your new life. You will be spared the necessity and the temptation to make any important decisions for a while. I think the breathing space could well be just what you need, if you can allow yourself to trust others to look after your interests. I hope you will not resent my reflecting on your situation in this way." Mandy was silent while she digested Brian's little speech. What he had said made a lot of sense. Perhaps there was some benign force at work here. After all, she had got her ?wish?, even if what she had intended was quite different. "No, I don't mind at all," she said eventually. "I think there could be a lot of truth in what you just said. Mr Ball, I am very glad to have you advising me." "Please, call me Brian," he said. The taxi had taken them along Piccadilly to Hyde Park Corner where they turned off the roundabout into Grosvenor Crescent, which took them into Belgrave Square. Chesham Street was just on the other side of Belgrave Square with its well-kept private gardens in the middle. But in the nature of things in central London, with its one way streets, in order to come up Chesham Street the right way, they had to go in the opposite direction straight out of Belgrave Square again and down Upper Belgrave Street, then left at Hobart Place which became King's Road, straight through Eaton Square Gardens, and right at Eaton Place which soon became Chesham Street. It was a quiet rather narrow street with severe but genteel looking terraced houses. It was not quite as grand as Eaton Square at the bottom of the street, or Belgrave Square more or less round the corner at the top of the street, but it was still an opulent area. Brian directed the taxi driver to a row of large, rather plain, white stucco terrace houses near the start of the street on their left hand side. There were three houses in the row, each with its own entrance, although Mandy knew that at least one of the houses had been divided into apartments. It looked as though the whole row might now in fact be a single development. There were uniform topiary trees along the length of the first floor open terrace for the entire row, and window boxes beneath all the raised ground floor windows. Brian found the right number, paid the taxi driver and they proceeded towards the row of houses. Brian remarked that there were two parking spaces right outside, as well as a lock-up garage in Eaton Terrace Mews around the corner attached to the property, a tremendous bonus he said. There was also membership access to the gym and heated swimming pool facilities of the Sheraton Belgravia Hotel just at the top of the street in Chesham Place. He went to the central entrance of the building beyond which a marble tiled lobby leading to a number of apartments had been created. The porter's office was also here. Intercom buzzers for the different apartments in the building were placed just outside the street entrance, one a bit different to the rest, which had a small video screen rather than a button. However, they pressed the one for the porter, who came to greet them. Brian introduced himself and then introduced George (as he had discovered the porter was called) to Mandy. George welcomed her to the building and offered his assistance in anything she needed. Mandy gave George what she hoped was her sweetest smile in thanks. They went into the entrance lobby and proceeded to the front door of the main apartment. There was another video screen and security device in front of this door. The maisonette apartment had been let until recently, Brian explained, as the London base of a wealthy art dealer, but it had been vacant for a few months while it was renovated and refitted. The former tenant, an Italian, had actually been a consultant in the refit, apparently not realising until recently that Mandy's father was intending to start using the house himself. It was the biggest apartment of the building, although the two either side had their own street entrances. This apartment had a private entrance as well, he explained, two in fact, below the outside area stairs, each with its own security device. Brian had a plastic card like a credit card, which evidently served as the key. Rather than swiping it through some device he touched it against a pad (just like an Oyster Card for the Tube, thought Mandy), which opened the front door, and they stepped inside. Brian cleared his throat. "Controller, lights on," he said rather self-consciously and a soft electronic ?bleep? sound came from somewhere. Immediately the hall was filled with light from recessed halogen spotlights. He looked at Mandy with satisfaction and appreciated her look of astonished wonder. "Controller, all lights on," he said with a flourish of his hand. Again there was the soft bleep and at once the lights in the apartment beyond came on, affording a glimpse of the huge spaces within. Mandy laughed and clapped her hands at Brian's trick. She commanded the lights to go off and on herself a couple of times. The outside of the house had given no clue to what was within. The apartment was very modern and big spaces had been created which bore no relation to the original architecture. It was full of light and smooth gleaming surfaces and exquisite modern artworks as well as occasional tribal artefacts from various cultures, antiquities and some classical pieces. They were all objects which went well with the clean lines and simplicity of the apartment. The layout was very open, with every room it seemed offering some glimpse of the entire apartment, yet all the spaces were also clearly defined in their functionality. It was obvious that everything was of the highest quality. The entrance hall was very simple, with a white marble floor and white walls and ceiling. Marble steps led down to the rest of the apartment. The hall contained an enormous mirror of modern design and a glass hall table. Beautifully finished dark reddish brown double wooden doors (mahogany? wondered Mandy) opened straight ahead, and another pair of doors of the same lustrous wood opened on the left opposite the glass table to a large reception room. The space that could be glimpsed straight ahead was filled with natural light, and the top of a circular sweeping staircase to the floor below was just visible. They went that way into the apartment. They entered a very large space, obviously at the centre of the apartment, which the other rooms and spaces opened out of. As large as this space was, it served as a gallery overlooking an even larger space, two stories high, which was the downstairs reception area. Bluish glass barriers served as railings. Above this two-story space, as well as the adjacent dining room further down the hall, the ceiling was glass, letting light flood in. Modern abstract paintings, wall plaques and sculptures decorated the walls and tables. There were some beautifully made simple chairs here and there, and some indoor plants and trees in enormous pots. There was a black leather love seat further down the hall, and a medium sized black ?Steinway & Sons? grand piano (as Mandy later noted) near the low solid white wall which circled round and became the banister for the staircase. Turning back from the hall, the main living room was arranged into two living areas. It had light coloured polished wooden floors. The larger space near the far windows overlooking the street had a higher ceiling than the rest of the room. There was a large plain white carpet under three modern white leather sofas with large cushions of black and white. A big square coffee table of dark wood was in the middle, with art books and a large decorative ceramic bowl of irregular shape on it. The tall windows had taupe coloured curtains. Recessed ceiling lights were supplemented by black-shaded table lamps between the sofas. A large abstract painting in three long horizontal panels in grey, blue and pinkish hues was on the wall on the right which faced the door to the entrance hall. The wall opposite this to the left, the one adjacent to the entrance hall, had a fireplace of modern design with a very large chrome-framed mirror stretching to the ceiling above it, and two wide built-in bookcases painted the same colour as the walls on either side. The nearer living area, which opened into the sunlit hall, was panelled in a light oak-coloured wood with a silky finish of similar colour to the floor. A long sofa, ottoman and armchairs faced towards a big wall- mounted flat-screen television. There were built in cabinets beneath this, and cabinets behind some of the panelling. A smaller coloured screen stood on the top of the cabinets, which Mandy later discovered was one of the many controller consoles of the apartments automatic functions, and could also be used to access the security system and internet and even e-mails. A light coloured hall table behind the sofa had what looked like Etruscan pottery and sculptures arranged on it. "Controller, TV on," Mandy said, suddenly having an inspiration. There was the soft bleep and the television came on, and full loud booming sound seemed to come from all around them, though no speakers could be seen. She grinned at Brian. "Controller, change channel," she said and nothing happened. "Controller, TV change channel," she tried this time, and after a soft bleep sound the program changed. "Controller, TV off," she said and it bleeped and switched itself off. Mandy was going to have fun with this later! She wondered what else worked by voice. Or how things worked if you didn't want to speak aloud. They went back into the hall and further into the apartment. In the stairwell was a series of very striking large abstract paintings in mainly blues and whites. They were suggestive of the sea and the sky, and complimented the sun and sky visible through the glass roof opposite, over the room below. On the right as they went further on was a large guest cloakroom and bathroom. A flat television screen was in here as well, set right into the marble tiles. They reached the dining room with its own glass ceiling. Mandy noticed it had a retractable electric blind. The floor was white marble tiles, the same as the hall and entrance. At one end, the dining room overlooked the lower floor vestibule, and at the other it overlooked a glass roofed indoor garden courtyard with a wall fountain, also on the level below. The dining table was of dark brown wood, beautifully made. The ten chairs around it matched the wood of the table but with light brown leather upholstery on the high-backed seats. There were more modern paintings on walls and side tables. Another flat television screen was discreetly placed against the wall on the one side of the entrance to the room, and there was another of those colourful control panels on the other side of the entrance. Back in the hallway opposite the dining room was a small semicircular bar. All the while during the tour Mandy had been expressing her pleasure and appreciation of the apartment and its tasteful furnishings, fittings and design. Brian was also enjoying himself. He had not seen the apartment before, although the agent had told him the secret of the lights. He had seen a great many large and impressive houses and apartments (indeed his own house in Chelsea was quite nice) but the style and elegance of this apartment set it apart. And Brian was also enjoying the company of this charming young woman. Not only was she attractive and intelligent, she was full of life and enthusiasm, and she listened to his remarks and opinions with a very flattering appreciation. If he was a bit younger (and not married, of course!) he could really go for her. Mandy laughed at Brian's jokes. She listened with great seriousness to his comments. She smiled at his witty remarks. She had a beautiful young body, he noted, which he had ample opportunity to appreciate as she constantly leaned over or leaned back and looked at him very fetchingly, completely (it seemed to him) unselfconscious about herself. Just beyond the dining room was a breakfast area, which overlooked the courtyard garden below and shared its glass ceiling. Adjoining this was the open plan kitchen. When she saw it Mandy gave a scream of delight. It was large, well planned and had everything one could desire. There were three cooking areas. The first had a gas range and oven as well as an induction stove alongside, with a big range hood over them both. Another area had a steam oven, a built-in microwave oven and a deep fryer built into the counter. Another area beyond the large counter had a wall with another oven and a steam oven and warmer drawer. There seemed to be about four different refrigerators and freezers, including a wine cooler/cellar cabinet. There was a built-in espresso coffee machine. There was also another of those control panels near the fridges and a scanner which she would later find out was for bar codes on groceries to assist in ordering food online as supplies diminished. The bottom cupboards were a dark glossy wood and those above an opaque blue glass. There were deep drawers for pots and dishes and plenty of storage space. The counters were light grey granite, and all the appliances including the range hood and dish washer were brushed metal. It had quite a big plasma TV on a swivelling device on the wall, which was also visible from the breakfast area. "Do you enjoy cooking?" asked Brian. "I love it," said Mandy. Derek had never liked to cook, except in the last week or so. But Mandy knew that cooking was something she loved. And eating. "You must let me make you dinner some time," she added. "That sounds lovely," Brian answered. "Perhaps you could dine with us some time as well. That is, my wife and I," he added a little nervously. "Oh, that would be lovely!" Mandy exclaimed. "She's my doctor you know. I had an appointment today. Such a nice person." "Was she?" Brian sounded both doubtful and relieved. "That's good. Well, we'll have to organise it. Shall we look at the rest of the house?" They went down the sweeping circular marble tiled staircase past the sky paintings to the lower floor. There were more artworks and a beautiful hall table at the bottom of the stairs, with another control console on it. Ahead was an archway leading to another room, and to the left was a mahogany door to the second bedroom, as well as a door to the hallway to the other bedrooms. On the right was a mahogany door to part of the master bedroom suite. A large white recessed bookcase reaching to the ceiling was underneath the stair landing, and a pair of very modern black leather reclining chairs and side tables. Passing under the archway they were in the glass-roofed area overlooked from above by the living room at one end, the dining room at the other, and the hall gallery on the long side. Facing them was a large wall extending through two floors with four large modern paintings, representing the seasons Mandy guessed, forming a single work of art. A large modern desk in dark wood with a soft black leather chair was against the far wall. Some occasional chairs and easy chairs shared the space with a couple of large abstract sculptures. There was a very big modern dark wood armoire or cabinet on the return wall to the left of the archway. Two bedrooms, one at either end, opened into this space through double glass doors. Mandy thought it was a bit strange having glass doors looking into a bedroom until she saw there were curtains just inside the doors if the occupants wanted privacy. The master bedroom was to the right and the second bedroom to the left. They decided to go to the master bedroom first. It was an enormous room, as big as two large bedrooms. There was pale mushroom coloured carpet on the floor and the walls were a slightly darker shade of the same colour. On the right as they entered the room were some closets. To the left were a black leather reclining chair and quite a large tree in a pot. The huge bed in the main space of the room was clearly made to fit three adults. How unusual! thought Mandy. You're going to have fun in here! she told herself. It was a four-poster canopy bed (the ?canopy? being part of the ceiling) of modern design in very dark wood with light grey curtains and off- white sheets and duvet. The pillows (six main ones, arranged in three lots of two, and a few more in different sizes and shapes piled up around them) were grey. Recessed into the canopy over the bed was a flat television screen. The bed head consisted entirely of soft padded black leather. Dark wood side tables had off-white lamps on them. A black leather settee was at the foot of the bed. Large framed black and white sketches of nude figures, male and female, decorated the walls either side of the bed and there were some modern grey suede easy chairs and a reclining chair. Opposite the bed was a desk of dark wood and a grey suede covered armchair. A flat-panel television screen took up the wall above the desk. Whoever had chosen the decor had certainly been keen on their television, Mandy thought. There was also another control console sitting on the desk. A space with big built-in wardrobes either side forming a small dressing room led to a second doorway into the stair vestibule. Brilliant! Mandy exclaimed inwardly. It's practically a walk-in wardrobe! To the left of the desk, hanging displayed on the wall, was a beautiful Japanese kimono in black and white with pink blossoms. A large painted Chinese screen stood against the wall between the glass doors and the closet area. These were the only really colourful items in the room, which was dominated by black, white and greys. It was not a particularly feminine room, or at least not ?girly?, but at the far end was a large dressing table, littered with little boxes, bottles, containers, brushes and other paraphernalia. It was a very modern-looking piece of furniture of the same dark wood as the other furnishings in the room, very square and angular, with a large square shaped mirror framed in dark wood at its back with hidden recessed lighting. At the other end of the bedroom (directly opposite the double glass doors leading into the room) were more glass doors, looking into an indoor garden courtyard that reached up to the story above. They had already seen this courtyard from the dining room. It had a glass conservatory roof like the area they had come through, but it had an outdoor feel because of the plants and large trees in pots all around, and a pebble covered floor and a wall fountain. A table and three chairs were in this courtyard, and an ancient-looking bronze Chinese bell on the ground in one of the far corners. They discovered the glass ceiling could be opened to the air outside. The entire roof slid into a recess above on the command "garden roof open'. There were two doors to the right of the dressing table. They went through the one nearest the desk. It led into a huge dressing room. There were shelves and drawers and closets and shoe racks to right and left in a pale oak-coloured wood with a huge mirror filling the entire far end. Naturally there was yet another control panel recessed into the wall near the door. Mandy gasped. Gosh, I thought there already was a dressing room! she thought in astonishment. No, this is the woman's dressing room, she realised. The other one is for the master of the house. Or the mistress's boyfriend, Mandy smirked to herself. Or girlfriend. Or both really, there's enough space for a few of them! Brian took a sharp intake of breath. "This will take some filling up," he commented. "It certainly will!" said Mandy happily. The dressing room opened to their left into the master ensuite bathroom. This was not one but a series of rooms, finishing at the other doorway into the bedroom. Each of the rooms was tiled in warm golden Travertino marble. Just off the dressing room was a toilet, bidet and vanity basin beneath a big mirror with concealed lighting. Through a recessed sliding doorway were two double shower cubicles to right and left. Two DOUBLE shower cubicles! Mandy silently exclaimed with amazement, trying to imagine why this would ever be needed. Finally, through another recessed sliding door was the actual bathroom. It looked into the garden courtyard and had a doorway into the bedroom. There was a round Jacuzzi bathtub big enough for two or three people, approached by two raised steps all around. There was also yet another toilet, bidet and vanity unit with basin and mirror. Each of the master bathroom areas had flat television screens and touch control panels. In fact every room seemed to have either a flat television screen or a control panel or both. Mandy and Brian were both somewhat bemused at such an extravagant bathroom in a terrace house apartment. They proceeded to the second bedroom at the other end of the glass ceiling room. Brian suggested they call it the ?atrium? and the hall upstairs the ?gallery?. Mandy liked the idea a lot. Brian seemed very chuffed. The second bedroom was also large, with another huge bed designed for three, though this one did not have posts. The bedding was white linen with a black duvet on top. The furnishings were in honey coloured wood with fabrics of mushroom coloured velvets and suedes. It seemed a lighter room, with off-white walls and white ceiling. It had the same light mushroom carpet as the master bedroom. Built-in wardrobes filled the left hand wall with mirror doors in honey wood frames. Straight ahead was an ensuite bathroom. There was a Jacuzzi bathtub, toilet, bidet, shower unit and vanity unit with mirror, with white Carrera marble tiles. The room was decorated with paintings, sculptures and pot plants. There was a desk and chair against the wall between the two doorways and a flat-screen television. On the desk was a control console. Only now did she notice that each of the bigger freestanding control consoles had a removable remote control set into it, which also served as a cordless telephone. They came out of this room and went down the hallway to the other bedrooms. On the left were built-in cupboards and closets down the length of the hallway. Just before the bedrooms was a large utility room with clothes washing machine, dryer, laundry tub and closets which contained a recessed ironing board, and the inevitable control panel screen. The third bedroom contained a king-size bed of beautiful modern Italian design (Mandy somehow knew) in brown and black leather and chrome, with a dark brown leather bed head, and brown sheets and pillows with a gold and brown silk covered duvet. Bedside tables matching the bed had lamps with yellow lampshades. There was a desk, an easy chair, and at the foot of the bed a brown leather and chrome backless love seat. It had its own outside entrance down a little corridor, coming out behind the area rails beneath the steps at street level above. The ensuite for this bedroom was smaller, containing just a bath, toilet, shower recess, toilet and vanity unit with mirror and white marble tiles. The fourth bedroom was across the hallway. It was the smallest of the bedrooms, but as big as the main bedroom in her own--or rather Derek's-- flat. It had a king size bed on a grey suede base with white sheets and a grey duvet. Side tables and a desk were of light honey toned wood. There was a closet with mirror doors and several paintings and decorative objects. This bedroom, too, had its own outside entrance. The ensuite bathroom was similar to the one for the third bedroom except that it didn't have a bath. They made their way back to the atrium. "Well, this is cosy, isn't it?" said Mandy, leaning back against the desk. They both laughed. Brian suggested Mandy move her things into the apartment from Derek's flat straight away if she liked, and reminded her she needed to talk to the police about Derek's disappearance. He said good-bye and left her to continue surveying her new home.