Free House Rules by G.C. Scott Page A

woman they shout for attention – attention which you should avoid until you have had more practice in acting the part. You would stand out like a peacock on a lawn.’ She put back the two bright dresses and chose a pale beige and a pale blue one in their place. ‘Protective coloration,’ she told him. ‘Now try to make similar selections from among the separates. And look for long sleeves and high necklines, unless you want to shave your chest and arms.’ Ingrid left him alone again, moving about the shop and hanging up again the things her customers had tried and rejected.
    Eventually the selections were made and approved. They moved on to the underwear section. Here Richard had to confess he was at a complete loss. ‘You choose,’ he asked Ingrid, and watched with a growing sense of excitement as she chose three panty corselets, three slips and several pairs of dark tights for him.
    ‘Why these?’ he asked, pointing at the corselets.
    ‘Because you need something firm underneath to prevent your pretty cock from bulging too conspicuously and giving the game away. Not many women can manage an erection. Now, take all this through into the back and go upstairs. I’ll come as soon as I close the shop for the evening. And if you really want to make me happy, make some coffee and something to eat for us both.’ Obediently Richard went up into Ingrid’s living quarters with the clothing. He set it all down on the sofa in her front room, which looked out over the street. For a while he watched the people coming and going about their business. He heard the shop door open once or twice more, and the muffled sound of voices from the ground floor. But eventually he became bored and began to explore the apartment. He found where Ingrid kept the broom and the vacuum cleaner, and, just as he had done in Helena’s apartment, he set about tidying up.
    He decided to leave the kitchen for last, and turned into her bedroom. There he saw her ‘facilities’, as Margaret called them. There was a ring set into the floor with a chain and padlock, just as there was in his room back at the country house. But the chain was considerably shorter. He saw that anyone fastened there would be unable to reach the bed, and he wondered if he was going to spend the night on the floor.
    There were only a few of Ingrid’s things lying about. She was apparently a much neater housekeeper than Helena. As he began to put the underwear into the proper drawers on the bureau, he noticed a framed photograph of Ingrid and Helena. It looked recent, and he picked it up to examine it more closely. On the back was written, ‘Kiel. Summer holidays.’ The date was two years ago. He set the photograph down thoughtfully and continued clearing up. How did Helena and Ingrid come to know one another?
    Back in the front room, he listened to the voices from downstairs, and decided he could take the risk he knew he was going to take anyway. He opened Ingrid’s writing desk and began to search for more photos. In the middle drawer, placed casually, not hidden, he came across a thick and well-thumbed photo album. He opened it and found more photos of Helena. They ranged in age from toddler stage through to the present. In some of them she was alone. In others Ingrid and a strange man smiled out of the picture with her. In still others Helena and Ingrid were together.
    The obvious conclusion was that the two women were mother and daughter, or at least aunt and niece. Richard thought he heard a step on the stairs, and he hurriedly put the album back in the desk and closed the drawer. But no one came, and with a huge sense of relief he stood up and went into the kitchen to prepare something for the two of them. While the coffee percolated, he tidied away the few dishes and cups on the draining board. He had made a platter of sandwiches by the time Ingrid finally did come up the stairs. She found him sitting in an armchair in the front room with the food ready on the