As Francis Bonnefoy dressed as "Lady Francine" and Arthur Hindley Kirkland greeted the other nations, Francis was a bit uncomfortable in the corset and panties. He squirmed a little to try to get a bit more at ease.

"Don't fidget for heavens sake." Arthur whispered "You're supposed to be a sophisticated lady."

Francis scowled at him in annoyance. He could have said something back but didn't want to make a scene so he just smiled and did his best to curtsey when someone else entered.

"The Kingdom of Spain." Announced Mr Townsend, as Spain's 1828 counterpart entered with a flourish. He immediately shook hands with Hindley. "Senor Kirkland, You keeled my fathere..!" he uttered vengefully "Prreparre to diee!" he said looking quite serious. Francis looked worried for a moment as did Hindley but then the Spaniard laughed and jokingly slapped Hindley's face a little. "You really thought I was serious Senor!" he said and then turned to Francis. "Senorita… " He uttered in a low sensual voice. "My name is Antonio Diego Carriedo… what is your charming name beautiful laaaydee?"

Francis went red, not sure where to look as Antonio too his hand, bowed and kissed his fingers. Hindley, looked a little jealous, and removed his hand from Antonio, just as he had done with Gilbert.

"This is Lady Francine, my consort…" He said loudly as if warning him off. "That means she is with me Diego…" he hissed.

"It is a shame that you have all of the beautiful womens…" Diego replied and winked at Francis before entering the hall. Francis just stood there having gone quite red.

"Ahem.." he coughed. "My… your friends are um… quite forward aren't they Hindley?"

"Maybe a bit too forward." He growled in reply. "How dare they?"

"Are you a little jealous hm?" Francis asked with a chuckle.

"They ought to keep their hands off you that's all." Hindley uttered in anger, as the next guest arrived.

"The Empire of France…" Announced Townsend. Francis felt himself tense up immediately. This was going to be the biggest test of all. Could he fool his 1828 counterpart? Francis Marcel entered in a flourish of blue silk, frills and fluff, with big lacey sleeves and rings on his fingers, looking very high and mighty. Once again he said hello to Hindley first.

"Oh there you are Angleterre…" he sniffed turning his nose up at him. "Dowdy as usual pfft…" he uttered but when he saw Francis there he stopped and stared oddly at him. For a few moments he was silent as he gazed at him. "Angleterre… perhaps you have some taste after all…" He said and raised a brow. "Honhonhon…" he uttered. "Mademoiselle, it is a joy to meet you… " he said as he entered into Francis' personal space, taking his hand and kissing his way up his arm, much to Francis' embarrassment and Hindley's sheer annoyance and anger. For a moment his mind wandered into the dark realms of "France on France" action but he quickly dismissed those thoughts.

Hindley pushed him away from Francis and it was obvious how angry he was by now. "Take your damn hands off her Frog…" he growled.

"Jealousy will get you nowhere English Pig Dog!" he said moodily. "However… I compliment you on your taste in beautiful women…" He said "She will be mine before the night is out…" He said with a saucy smile.

"She wont!" Growled Hindley. "Now get your French backside in there with the rest of them." He snarled. Francis Marcel smirked and pranced into the room with the others taking advantage of the banquet.

"Am I really like that?" Uttered Francis, hyperventilating. "That is insufferable… " He said genuinely wondering if he ever came across in such a way.

"Ugh I hate him." Hindley hissed. "Bloody Francis Marcel…"

Francis chuckled to see Hindley so wound up about his friends. Things were certainly different in this day and age.

Moments later Roderich Amadeus Edelstein, Austria arrived with a small orchestra who would be providing some entertainment for the evening. He too seemed utterly obsessed with Lady Francine as were the rest of the nations who showed up. Only Hungary and Ukraine seemed to be not obsessed but they did want to girly giggle with Francine. She became quite the talking point in the party as Francis did make a rather pretty girl. Throughout the banquet the men were looking at him in a hungry way, as they all thought he was a female. Francis kind of liked the attention and was actually starting to like wearing the clothes even if they were a bit tight.

"Kirkland's new Freuline is so hot…" Gilbert said as he admired her shapely bottom. "She could do so much better zan him I think." He said referring to himself. "Perhaps someone who is Vunderbarr." He said "Like me."

"Zat pretty lady would not look twice at you…" Francis Marcel replied "She is most certainly French… I can tell the French anywhere…" he said. "Look at her… straight out of the Moulin Rouge.."

"I hope you aren't saying that about my consort." Hindley said as he joined the conversation. "A warning to you gentlemen, stay away from Lady Francine or you'll have to answer to me." They turned away from him shaking their heads. Hindley was way too overprotective of his woman. Meanwhile Francis was with the girls chatting away.

"Are you really going out with him?" Hungary asked the lady she believed was Francine.

"How did you meet him?" Ukraine asked.

"Oh it was…" Francis thought for a minute. He couldn't tell them the truth… he improvised.

"I met him at the candy store, he turned around and smiled at me, you get the picture?"

"Yes we see…" Ukraine and Hungary replied eagerly listening to the story.

"That's when I fell for the leader of the pack…"

"Oh my…" Ukraine and Hungary said in unison.

Hindley scowled and looked over at them wondering what they were giggling about. He wished to high heaven he'd never thought of this ridiculous idea of dressing Francis up like a girl. Everyone actually believed he WAS a girl. Besides which that dress he was wearing used to belong to Alice, and he kept imagining that Francis was actually Alice. This was a really really bad idea. The worst was yet to come. After the banquet, there was to be some entertainment from the ladies that Hindley had forgotten about. He hadn't briefed Francis that they would either have to sing or dance or something. Finally he managed to get him on his own, and pulled him to one side.

"Everyone thinks you're a girl." He hissed. "I can't believe it worked…"

"That's a good thing right?" Francis replied as he twirled his hair. "The girls have been talking about you, apparently you're quite the catch."

"What?" Hindley exclaimed looking clueless for a moment. "Anyway, I forgot to tell you, the ladies always sing or dance after the banquet, I thought I'd better warn you. Can you sing? Can you dance?"

Francis thought for a moment. "Oh.. oui.. do not worry Mon Cher, I can do the singing and the dancing." He said "I will not let you down."

"Alright… just do what you can." He said and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. "I'm sorry I put you through this… I love you."

"Is not a problem Mon Cher…" Francis said with a wink. "I am only wishing these undergarments were not so tight." He chuckled.

After the banquet everyone sat down around the table to see the entertainment that the ladies always provided. First up was Ukraine, who sang a delightful melody, although it was clear that the men were more interested in her breasts than what she was singing which although delightful, was out of tune. Even so they all applauded her talents. Then Hungary went up and did her dancing and singing, which were both very good and she too received an ovation. Then it was the turn of lady Francine. Francis handed some music sheets to Roderich, he'd been rummaging through some of his things and found it just in time for his turn. Roderich handed it to the small orchestra to play, as "Lady Francine" stood in front of the men.

"Madames et Monsieurs…" he began being as ladylike as possible. "Monsieur Bonnefoy will be very familiar with the dance I am about to perform." he said. "The Can Can… popular in the city of Paris…" he uttered as the orchestra began the music.

Hindley watched wide eyed as Francis began his high kicks and cartwheels in front of everyone, shamelessly showing off his underwear, for all to see.

"Oh God…" he uttered, his head in his hands. "No Francis.. not this…" he whispered.

The men were mesmerised, all leaning forward to catch a glimpse of Lady Francine's underwear or maybe her lady sandwich as she performed the Can Can amazingly. It was such a physically demanding dance and very sexual. They were all taken with her, even though it was clear that packed in her undergarments was not a lady sandwich at all, although they didn't seem to mind somehow. Hindley went red, not just with embarrassment but with anger.

Francis danced with incredible precision, giving whoops and shrieks into the bargain, as the orchestra played the music. Everyone clapped along and it was wonderful. However Prussia turned to Spain and in an audible whisper said "There may be more to Kirkland's new Freuline than we first thought…" Clearly he'd twigged that she was not a lady at all. Or at least it seemed that way. Hindley overheard them and didn't know what to say or where to look. Soon most of the men were either sitting cross legged or turned sideways, as they were clearly being turned on by this highly sexual dance that Francis was performing. The only thing was, the knickers and corset were just too tight and restrictive to his movement, however he thought he would end the dance in the right way, by doing the splits. He jumped up in the air and landed in a perfect split, only the knicker elastic couldn't take it and it snapped. Francis sat there, fully aware of what had just happened but couldn't do a thing about it.

Hindley had enough. He angrily dragged "Lady Francine" away from the orchestra and through to the next room as he struggled with his unruly knickers which were half way down his left leg by now.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?" Hindley yelled. "I wanted you to be a sophisticated lady, not a bloody French tart!" he roared.

"Ow.. ow…" Francis uttered "I was just dancing… what is the problem? Hindley?" he asked and then neglected to tend to the knickers which then fell at his feet.

"You completely humiliated me in there!"

"W…what?" Francis gasped not understanding. He was only dancing, he didn't realise that Hindley would be offended or embarrassed. "B…but they liked it… you saw…"

Hindley picked up the knickers and dragged "Lady Francine" up the stairs to the bedroom. He threw Francis in there and threw the knickers at him. "Don't let me see or hear you for the rest of the night you bloody French whore!" he roared. "I swear to God!"

"Hindley, what is it? Stop! Why are you doing this?" he cried "I'm not a whore I was only dancing… I was doing what you wanted…"

"The fucking Can Can?" Hindley yelled. "SERIOUSLY? YOU THINK THAT'S ALRIGHT DO YOU?" He screamed. "I will not have you soil my dear Alice's memory… by … being so disgusting…"

"Alice?" Francis gasped, suddenly feeling both afraid and hurt by that comment.

"Those are her clothes you are wearing after all." Hindley replied. "Don't you come downstairs all night… they are leaving in the morning… but I don't want you anywhere near them. Got that!" He yelled as he left the room, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

Francis couldn't believe it. He'd never seen Hindley so enraged, and why did he mention his deceased wife Alice? A horrible thought entered Francis' mind as the tears started to flow. Was Hindley trying to turn him into his dead wife? Was he trying to make him into Alice? He sat at the dressing table and took off the dress, and the corset and everything else that made him feminine, wiping his face with a cloth to remove the make up. Tears were flowing thick and fast. He'd given up his life in the future to return to 1828 to be with Hindley, and it was all a big lie. Hindley just wanted his wife back. Francis' heart slowly broke as he realised the truth of it all, and he couldn't stop crying, it was quite the worst pain he'd felt in a long time. "Hindley why?" He wept. "Why did you do that?"

Hindley had to take a moment to recover before he went downstairs, as he was so angry with Francis for doing such a thing. Angry and hurt. How could he soil Alice's memory by performing the Can Can of all dances. He couldn't see past his own anger at that point. However he returned to the banquet and gave the excuse that Lady Francine had retire to her boudoir due to a headache.