They returned to the Gables, yet within moments of arriving, Amber was back.
“Are you sure this is who you want to be?” Jenny asked.
“Oh yes,” she replied with the most beautiful smile.
Jenny shook her head. So be it.
Over the next few days, they had a complete clear out. All of Rhona’s clothes went, as did everything in the attic that Amber didn’t want, and Jenny could see no value in keeping.
Amber wanted to learn how to cook, and so Jenny showed her all she knew, which wasn’t an awful lot, so they had fun learning together. For an eight year old, she was remarkably bright and mature. Yet, all the solemnity of Andrew had vanished. When they were alone, Jenny asked Amber to practice some of her gifts, so together they learned the extent of her power.
She had no difficulty in reading Jenny’s mind, no matter how far away she was, nor whether she tried to concentrate on keeping her out. She could lift and move objects as large as a car, or as small as a postage stamp.
However, it was her changing abilities that impressed Jenny the most. Amber could become anyone she wanted to be. All she needed was a photograph or a single sighting of her target, and she could create an almost perfect replica, male or female, or even of any race.
She had Jenny in fits of laughter, as she ‘became’ nearly all the boys in her class at High Beeches. She couldn’t increase her bulk to become the chubby Simon Reid, or the taller boys. So she was restricted to using whatever mass she actually possessed. Jenny was amazed at her ability to even get the voice and mannerisms down to a tee. The girl felt that with time and practice she could increase in size, but it was too hard for her at the moment.
“How do you manage to get such a good likeness?”
Amber shrugged.
“I just think that I am them. Every time I meet someone, I imprint their personality in my mind, and somehow I can just become them whenever I want to. Obviously, I have to become the person I remember, and make allowances for any time that has elapsed since I met them last.”
To prove a point, she turned into a reasonable facsimile of Charlotte Lowe, and Jenny remembered Gareth. Amber immediately realised that this caused Jenny some pain, so she apologised and changed back.
They talked about Amber’s schooling. The girl was adamant, she was not going back to being Andrew, and was not going to return to High Beeches.
Jenny didn’t want to force the issue, but realised that if they stayed where they were, the chances of being exposed were greater. With this in mind, she spoke to Mr Pegram and told him that the Gables was too big and expensive to run, and she wanted to move to a smaller home. He understood, and told her to wait until Probate was completed, and then as executors they would arrange the sale of the Gables, and the purchase of somewhere more appropriate.
Jenny wrote to Mr Hammond and informed him that Andrew was not going to be returning to High Beeches, and would continue his schooling elsewhere. This was no reflection on the school, but personal circumstances were such that it was no longer appropriate for him to return to a boarding environment.
Probate was completed by the 7th December, and Jenny immediately put the Gables on the market.
She and Amber went to Abingdon, as she had heard that the Manor was a good girls’ school, and Amber expressed a wish to be at the same school as Charlotte.
Jenny saw the headmistress, Miss Welch, who gave them a personal tour of the school. Jenny explained that she was a teacher, and that she had returned from Singapore reasonably recently.
The fees were not insignificant, but Jenny believed the estate had enough to cover them. She was relieved to find that the junior half of the school also had boys, so such fees to the Manor could come from the estate, with no questions needing to be raised. She was determined that when it came time for Amber to change schools, she would foot the bill, thereby obviating any need for the solicitor to know about the change in gender.
She went to an estate agent, from whom she obtained details of a small cottage on the Radley Road. It was a three-bedroom house, slightly larger than the one she still owned in Wallingford. The owners were emigrating and wanted to be out by Christmas. She made a decision, contacted the current tenants of her cottage and asked them if they were willing to purchase the property they were renting from her.
To her delight, they were, so she was able to buy the new cottage with what she made on the old one, with a few savings thrown in. No mortgage was necessary, and so the estate was left intact.
The sales were made, the contracts exchanged, and completion was planned for the end of December. That was only a few weeks away.
The Gables had some lovely furniture, but it also had some real junk. Jenny was at a loss to know what to do, and how to sort through what to take and what to sell.
Her relationship with Amber was that of mother and daughter. Amber was in the habit of calling her ‘Mummy’ all the time, and this had come from her, and not from Jenny. It was something that just happened, which thrilled Jenny, as she adored the little girl.
The little girl was getting bigger, so the clothes she had were now all getting too small. So, on a Saturday, Jenny took her shopping in Abingdon.
Her feet had grown, so they went to the shoe shop in Bath Street. Jenny half hoped that Gareth and Charlotte would be there, but she was disappointed that she’d heard nothing from him, so wondered why.
Amber had her feet measured and she was now a size 12 - narrow.
As she was trying on some shoes, Jenny heard a familiar voice.
“Good God. Talk about déjà vu?”
She looked up to find Gareth and Charlotte standing there. Suddenly there were large smiles all around, and Jenny’s heart almost missed several beats. He was wearing a pair of casual brown corduroy trousers and brown brogues, with a large brown pullover and a heavy navy coat. He looked drawn and tired, but his smile warmed her and she found herself blushing.
Gareth sat down beside Jenny, having to strongly resist the urge to kiss her. Charlotte squealed with delight and ran over to Amber. They carried on from where they left off, several months ago.
“I meant to get in touch with you, but I have been so busy and I went and lost your phone number,” he said.
“So have we. Amber’s granny died, so we are moving to Abingdon. Amber is starting at the Manor next term. We are in the middle of sorting through stuff before the move.”
“Gracious. How awful for you. When do you move?”
“I get occupancy on the 21st, so it doesn’t leave us much time.”
“Do you want a hand?” he asked.
“I’d love a hand, as I’m stuck with the furniture. The place we are moving to is smaller, so I have to decide what to take and what to sell.”
“Well, I’ve just got back from a rather long tour of flying stuff into Germany, so have three weeks leave. Why don’t I come round after I’ve dropped Charlotte off at school on Monday? It’s her last week, and there is the carol service on Friday.”
“That sounds fine, but I really don’t want to put you out,” she said.
He looked into her eyes.
“It’s no trouble. I’d like to help. I’ve missed you,” he said.
Jenny looked down. Going red.
“I’m sorry. I know we hardly know each other, but I have thought about you often,” he said.
“So have I,” Jenny admitted quietly and he laughed.
“Besides, I kept being nagged by Charlie to find Amber again. So I will be in her good books for a while.”
Jenny smiled.
Amber came over.
“Mummy, can I wear these red ones home, and those black ones for school?” she asked.
“If you must. Are they comfy?”
“Yes, very,” she said and sat down next to Gareth.