The transformation process is slow. He must first forget who he is. Not a captain. Not in the army. In order not to attract attention she must be a civilian. It will be impossible for him to completely forget his martial attitude; his Lisa Walsh will be a little strict, stiff, but this is England, it does not matter. A woman can afford to be a bit hard-edged. And then the attitude can be explained; she will have waged war, worked for her country like so many others during World War II.

As he endeavours to forget his rank, Blake works on his legs. This part does not disturb him at all and the pain of the too warm wax is almost pleasant. Fortunately he is neither too tall nor too wide, and finding a dress and tights his size is not complicated. What bothers him most is having to sacrifice his mustache. What one does for one's country! But after all, it will grow back, he comforts himself as he shaves.

Shaved fresh and smooth is a minimum, but will not be enough. He will need a good layer of foundation to mask not his wrinkles, as might a coquettish woman of his age do, but the traces of his facial hair.

First of all Blake gets dressed. Sheer tights, a dress with some corseting built-in, firm enough to hold a little padding and act as breasts - not too much! His objective is not to attract attention and a noticeable bosom would not match his athletic physique. Heeled shoes, not too high but still! It's been an eternity since he last tried to walk in pumps, but fortunately this is not his first attempt; otherwise it would not even be worth trying and he would have no hope of making the illusion work for a moment.

Makeup. This part is more familiar and while he lets the brushes work from his hairline to his neck, Blake tries to recall his school years and the theater club, that literature professor, so fond of Shakespeare - and of performances in that time's style.*

Blake reviews the procedure. First of all conceal who he is. The most common mistake men attempting to pose as women make is to do too much: they try to put forward what they think are women's peculiarities but forget to hide their masculine characteristics. Above all don't flaunt what you don't have and don't draw the eye to what should not be there either.

Hair should be fine. Blake tells himself as he puts on his wig. He does not have too much confidence in the fastening either - glue and sewing - and he thinks that he will not dare touch it too obviously. Eyes: those he can enhance. This he does by applying the "second" layer of makeup, colors. Nose: well, after all a woman is not necessarily beautiful, and at least his is not broken. Mouth is fine, but it should not be accentuated at the risk of drawing attention to the foundation on the bottom of his face and the reason thereof. A few cigarettes in his pocket to justify his teeth yellowed by tobacco. A scarf around his neck to hide his Adam's apple and there, the physical part is done.

Blake takes a look in the mirror, under the watchful eyes of his deputy and Commander Steele who watch his progress. For the moment, he remains a man; posing as a woman certainly, but certainly a man, no matter how good the disguise. Apart from his eyes and his hair he does not have many advantages, his Lisa Walsh will have to remain very discreet. The main dangers are the neck and the voice. He will have to be careful that the scarf remains in place and he shall never, ever use his real voice.

No need to make it too shrill, which would not be doable if he has to talk for any length of time. No, an almost "normal" voice pitch will suffice. Never a deep voice, which is men's tool of seduction, but just a voice barely raised, a near whisper. A discreet and shy Lisa Walsh then.

Discreet and shy. Just the opposite of his own cousin. Blake remembers their summers at Rowan House, the lessons of good manners that his aunt addressed to her daughter. Stand up straight! No elbows on the table! Only married women may do it to show off their rings!

Slowly he changes his attitude. Don't spread your legs! And if he has to spread his legs, never part the thighs. His Lisa Walsh has no chest to put forward and must be shy, so he tightens his shoulders a little. She must hide her neck, should she lower her head a little? Stand up straight! Not too much then. Smile!

He must still lose some assurance. He must not behave as if the world belonged to him but doubt every gesture, adapt to the people around him and meet their expectations. She will remain a decided woman, but will not be the center of attention of the whole room. Don't go looking for trouble! Pay attention to the people around you. It will be easy. Blake can well imagine the disaster if his disguise were uncovered, no need to tell him twice to be wary - of women as well as men.

For a moment Francis Blake sees his mother again, and his hands take on the attitude he remembers on their own. I'm Elisabeth Walsh, he thinks. He turns on his heels, a little unstable but not unbalanced, and reaches out to William Steele. "How do you do, sir? My name is Elisabeth Walsh."

The commander lets out a respectful whistle while David Honeychurch looks at his superior with unmistakable admiration.

"Well done, Miss Walsh." Says William Steele. "I think you're ready."

* Meaning with an entirely male cast. Of course Blake was not in a mixed school!