The Rise of Rachel Price T-Girl Pt. 28

"That was me when I was younger. I was protesting against Greenham Common. The Americans were putting nuclear missiles there. We lived around the base, just women protesting. It was a big thing back then. I was full of zeal. Then I met your father. Can you believe he was actually working at the camp? It was a real Romeo and Juliet moment. He kept saying that. One morning in a bitter winter, I was trying to dig a pit for a latrine. It was freezing cold, the ground was like concrete. He was on guard, and he let me go in and use the military one. Then he took the shovel and dug the hole for me. We weren't supposed to talk to each other, so he did it all with gestures. After that we had to do it in secret. Strange how you meet people."

As Gwendoline talked, she pointed at a picture of a younger Richard in a military uniform. There was another young woman with her hair all wrapped up, smiling in a huge fluffy coat. It was hard to believe this was the same neat woman that had been there before for her.

"Why did you say fiancé before?" Rachel asked.

"I may be old, but I can recognize an engagement ring on the wrong finger when I see one. My eyesight is bad, but I can see stuff like that. Also, the nice man asked if your dad or I or both could make it to a wedding. Sorry, have I spoiled things?"

Rachel looked on. "No, no, not at all."

"Liz said she always wanted to be wed in the local church. It's only open one weekend in four now. I tell Richard if he wants to be buried there, he has to die near the end of the month."

Gwendoline put the teapot on the tray and poured the milk into the jug.

"You do know what I am?" Rachel said.

"You're my daughter," Gwendoline said and then had Rachael carry the tea through to the living room.

Levant was looking at his phone while Richard slept.

"He fell asleep. Is that okay?" Levant said, looking up.

"Yes, yes," Gwendoline said, sitting down.

The rattling of the cups woke Richard.

Richard woke up and asked, "Who are you?" to everyone.

"I'm your wife, Gwendoline," Gwendoline said, putting her hand flat on herself. She said it in such a matter-of-fact way. He nodded in recognition.

"Hi, Dad. I'm your daughter, Liz," Rachel said slowly and clearly. "I've come to visit. This is my boyfriend, Douglas." She pointed at Douglas, who held out his hand to shake it again.

"Liz," the man said, "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you. I've got this memory thing. It's really good to see you. I've missed you so much," he said charmingly.

"It's good to see you both, Dad. How are you?" Rachel said.

"You... you've grown," the man said. He reached out, picked up the photo, and looked at it, then looked at Rachel.

"It is you," he said, surprised. "Sorry, my memory isn't what it used to be."

They drank tea and repeated some of the conversations. The cups were old, with pink Chinese drawings on them. The china was as thin as Gwendolyn's skin.

When they were finished, Gwendolyn said, "Liz, would you like to look around your old room?"

Rachel smiled. "Sure, Mum. Err, people call me Rachel."

"You'll always be Liz in this house," Gwendolyn said, showing the way.

Walking slowly up the stairs, Rachel was introduced to a room that had been rearranged once a long time ago. Rachel looked out of the window and, after asking for permission, took a photograph or two. There was something tiny and quietly timeless about it. A monument to the light that could have been. Rachel looked around the room; once it had been a small girl's, she saw some drawings on a desk. Everything had been neatly tidied up in one final act of mothering. Then the room had been left as a monument to a life which held such potential. Rachel tried to keep the image of the room in her mind, she could remember it vividly, with light beams coming in from the window and the dust dancing in them. She could smell the yellowed sheets now, creeping with age as the house had been. Another large, black, irregular wooden beam went overhead, and then a few more fairy lights were pinned to it. There were some words cut into it.

"Look someone has carved some their initials into the beam" Rachel said. Near by Rachel saw the EP on another beam.

"Those letters are over 300 years old. Many parts of the house date back to before your country was born," Gwendolyn said.

Rachel could feel a tear forming.

"It's all very sweet. I'm sure Liz would have had a wonderful life," Rachel said.

Gwendolyn smiled as she opened the door to go downstairs. "That is the best part about this deal. I get to see what could have been. Now, mind the stairs. If you remember, you fell down them when you were seven, and that bump never went away."

After returning, it was clear that Levant wanted to get going. Charlie came out from the car and, with a fairly professional camera, began taking more pictures of Rachel and her new family. Rachel took a couple of selfies.

"So you know what to do if someone comes asking questions," Levant said to Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn nodded. "Phone the number on the mantelpiece. The one the nice man left. He left instructions to invite people in but not to answer any questions until he shows up."

They were now standing outside, and the sun was up, revealing roses in the garden.

"Rachel, one more thing," Gwendolyn said.

Rachel approached her.

"If there's anything I can do to help, I've left you my number," Rachel said.

Gwendolyn took a deep breath. "If you make me a promise, I want to make you one, Rachel."

"Sure, Mum, what is it?" Rachel said.

"We've got no one to leave the house to. I don't know how long your father's got, but thanks to you and your fiancé, I don't have to worry about the future anymore. If you can promise to keep it in the Price family, you know, look after it... then I think Richard and I would be delighted to leave it to you in our wills."

"That's very generous. But you don't have to your helping us enough," Rachel said.

"Use it as a holiday home or something. Just treasure it. Remember us when your here," Gwendolyn suggested.

Rachel nodded. "That's very kind of you. You're going to be around for a long time yet. We fly everywhere, so if you're okay with it, I'll stop by when I'm around."

"I would love to hear about your adventures. I hope I can make it to your wedding, both of us if you're quick," Gwendolyn said.

Rachel's throat felt a little sore as she thought, "Yeah, we have plenty of time to talk about this." She realized what would happen when she broke the bonds with Levant in a year's time.

Gwendolyn pointed. "Do come back when you can. Have a look around the village if you have time."

Richard approached, seeming quite elated like a balloon with the interest and activity around him. The cottage behind looked gentle and from another more civilised era. She could see why Richard had fallen in love with the place.

"Yes, yes, have a look around the village. Do you see the church? Do you remember telling me how you always wanted to get married in the church? That feels so long ago now, doesn't it? My daughter," Richard said very pleased.

After long farewells, Rachel and the others got back into the limousine to return to London.

Rachel felt emotionally drained by the entire experience. Being so young, it was difficult to know how to feel. Were Douglas and Levant exploiting them, or had they given an old couple a daughter they lost a long time ago? Rachel found it very difficult to grasp the truth at this point. It was odd seeing her fake family. Like she had fallen from another dimension and was trapped in a new reality.

Rachel wondered how she felt about having a fake family. It felt like she was going slightly mad. The fake parents were just too much. She could see people going 'who would got the effort of getting fake parents? They have to be real'. The detail was too extreme and elaborate. Levant was offering something very strange, a new beginning, an new origin, if she wanted she could change genders and have a family who loved her. Not accept her but actually have no memory of Denver. They would never feel betrayed or wonder about what could have been, she would just be their lost daughter. Rachel couldn't figure out why Levant had done this.

Then for a second she had a paranoid thought about what Douglas was doing.

"You okay, Rachel?" Charlie asked touching Rahcel's stocking covered leg.

Rachel turned away from the window. "I'm fine."

"Well, we leave tomorrow. Then we'll fly to New York for a stopover," Charlie said. "Then you can meet Logan in person. He's dying to meet you, he can't wait."

"Last surprise of the day," Levant said as the car pulled off. He pulled out a wrapped box about the size of a thin, flat book. Rachel's eyes shot up; she knew a CD case when she saw one. Had he managed to do it?

"Don't open it here. Wait until we stop." Levant said.

They drove for ten minutes without retracing their previous route.

"Close your eyes," Levant said. Rachel complied, and he gently placed a scarf over her eyes. The car came to a stop. Levant helped her out, and Rachel held onto the box with one hand. She was turned around.

"Ready?" Levant asked.

"Yes," Rachel replied, wondering how he could make the experience of opening a game so much better.

"Happy Birthday, Rachel," Levant said.

The blindfold was removed, and Rachel opened her eyes to behold the ruins of a castle. It was eerily picturesque, a sight that would forever be etched in her memory. Despite all the games, this was far smaller yet far more spectacular. She had never believed such castles existed beyond books or games. The castle had crumbled, but remnants of its structure still stood. Nestled among them was an old Elizabethan-style house with windows featuring a mosaic of small panes set on a diagonal. The building was covered in ivy.

"I will never forget this moment for the rest of my days," Rachel said, then paused. "Quite a fixer-upper, though." She said as she passed a pile of stones from the high wall.

Slowly, Rachel approached the castle. It felt quite strange to stand next to something so ancient. This pile of rocks had stood and been crafted long before any modern records of her family existed. It seemed to be the complete opposite of Levant. Despite its decrepit state, the castle exuded an authentic essence, which was rather reassuring. The walls were cold and irregular, each individually hand-cut. They began to walk around, discovering what used to be a hall but was now covered in grass. The castle's central area featured windows and had a somewhat inhabitable appearance. It was connected to a small Elizabethan-style building made of bricks. Grass, weeds, and remnants of history were scattered throughout the area. Rachel stumbled upon the remains of what had once been a moat. They proceeded to enter what used to be a grand hall, now devoid of a roof and exposed to the elements.

"We could have a reception here," Levant announced.

"But would the owners mind?" Rachel asked.

Levant shrugged and smiled, glancing at the ground. Rachel sensed that something was amiss. "We are the owners, or rather, you are the owner. Happy birthday, Rachel," he said. "Oh, and when we fly back, I want to stop off in New York. I thought while you were there, I could introduce you to my sisters and mother."

Rachel opened the box to reveal a set of building ownership documents and a CD containing digital archives about the castle and old brass a key.

"Oh fuck" Rachel said realising what this meant.

*************************

New York

Rachel was disappointed when she didn't see Hunter waiting for them at the airport in New York upon their arrival. She speculated that he might have been gathering evidence or working on the people Levant knew. Eventually, she hoped to have an opportunity to be away from Levant's watchful gaze and access an unmonitored internet to find out more. The FBI or IRS case was currently progressing slowly through court proceedings, with constant delays. It appeared that if you had enough money and lawyers, you could effectively hinder any investigation. People often overlooked the fact that the FBI was not just of an entity, but made of individuals with jobs and careers. Individuals like Hunter would be driven to pursue the case vigorously in order to achieve a significant victory for their professional record. If the delays persisted, the agent leading the case would likely get promoted and move on, leaving it behind. The new agent would be thinking about what they could do to promote themselves and might de-prioritize the case. With this certainty in mind, Levant felt at ease about returning.

Disappointed, Rachel made the decision to immerse herself back into the role of a socialite. The more Levant believed he had control, the less he would anticipate. If Rachel were to be honest with herself, she found that the more she pretended, the happier she felt. Qatar had been a nightmare that she needed to put behind her. Rachel put together a small stash of jewels and expensive jewelry, along with the necessary documents, creating an emergency fund in a grab bag. If she ever needed to leave, she knew where to find it. The bag also contained her favorite lipstick, duct tape, and a small vial of perfume, just in case of emergencies.

On the way back, they stopping in New York for a week. New York was a blast. They dined in the most exclusive restaurants, and Rachel enjoyed the fact that she could understand the waiter, well, mostly. Charlie had been with them and then stopped off for the day to recover, and they all had dinner with Logan.

Logan's photographs didn't prepare you for his intense presence. Even when relaxed and casual, you couldn't help but thrill at his aura. You could see why Logan was being screen tested for the lead role in a Superman reboot. Rachel and Charlie went to see one of Logan's performances and they met up with Levant for dinner after wards. Logan was playing Captain Wentworth in an adaption of Jane Austen's books.

Logan's talent as an actor was undeniable. Whether portraying a brooding romantic lead or a charismatic action hero, he had the ability to breathe life into any character he portrayed. His performances were a delicate balance of vulnerability and intensity, leaving audiences spellbound and yearning for more. He just hand to walk on stage. Standing tall and confident, his well-toned physique exuded an air of strength and hot masculinity.

As they walked through the music festival of neon advertising which was times square Rachel saw Logan and Charlie looked totally in love, and it was clear Denver was never even remotely in contention. Over dinner at Aureole, Logan sat opposite Rachel; his smile overwhelmed her. He kept touching her leg. Even though he knew about Denver, you wouldn't have guessed it from the way he acted. His smile was a steampress and it could contort any heart to the shape he desired. Logan was wonderful company, he was clearly pretty smart, he laughed at Rachel's jokes and she at his. Rachel felt like a complete lady and finally understood Samantha's decision to "play for the other team" for once -- anyone would.

Later Charlie had approached Rachel and discreetly asked if, with a certain billionaire's permission, she might be willing to sleep with Logan and herself. Rachel found herself crumbling at the thought. She was officially gay now and even had a couple of new London sex toys to prove it. The prospect of sleeping with Charlie and now Logan was a two-for-one deal not to be missed. Perhaps once they had got the principle pass Levant Rachel might sleep with Charlie or Peter again. Rachel thought of Logan's delicious eyes while Charlie coaxed her into saying maybe.

While they were there, the Levant Hotel in New York was holding a training contest. When they arrived, Levant repeated the "find-a-man-bring-me-a-girl" training exercise. It was being repeated with another intake of high-flyer managers. Levant had been invited to judge, and Rachel was naturally invited along. Rachel looked at the young girls around the table and wondered if that was how she looked a year ago--stupid, naive, worried, desperate to please. Some were obviously in drag, some loving it. The winner was easy to spot: short, bubbly, good-looking, and fairly natural. Rachel asked why he did it, what were the managers learning from this? Levant's one sentence answer defined it all 'They were learning the subtle and necessary art of persuasion'.

Before leaving, Levant announced he wanted to have dinner with his mother and sisters near Boston at the Levant family home. Since the incident, Rachel was in no position to refuse. She tried her best, but Levant would hear nothing against it. So the deal was struck: further experimentation with Logan and Charlie could be had, but at the cost of a trip to Boston and a trial use of the prosthesis pants. Whether this was the best moment to deploy the prosthesis was a question, but for anyone who had seen Logan's sapphire-blue eyes, the answer was pretty obvious.