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“I feel like I’ve fallen into a dream,” Casey said to Naomi after the door closed.

“I felt that when I first came here,” the other young woman said. “I still do. Now as to what garments you’ll need …” Her eyes narrowed. “We’ll start with a split-skirt riding outfit with a shirt and a jacket for warmth since it’s winter. Then a simple morning gown so you can try to become accustomed to wearing a skirt. Of course you’ll need a ball gown since the annual Christmas ball is just a few days away.”

“I’ve never had so many garments made at once,” Casey said, alarmed. “It’s too much! I can’t imagine needing a ball gown when I’ve never been to a ball.”

“You’ll need an evening gown even if you only stand against the wall of the ballroom looking lovely and mysterious like a shy Cinderella,” Naomi reassured her.

“I’ll feel foolish attending when I have no idea how to dance,” Casey argued.

“Then it’s time you learned,” Naomi said imperturbably. “Dancing is great fun.”

Casey hesitated. “I just recalled that I had dancing lessons when I was quite small, before I was ten. I enjoyed it then, but I remember nothing now.”

“You may find yourself remembering some of the steps. If not, it’s easy for even a novice to manage a simple reel.” Naomi hesitated, then said, “You won’t like the next thing. You’ll need stays.”

Revolted, Casey said, “Stays? Why do I need to torture myself?”

“Stays are needed to make the gowns fit properly, but well-made stays won’t torture you,” Naomi assured her. “I have an excellent corsetiere. Her stays will feel different from wearing unstructured garments, but they won’t hurt, I promise.”

Casey gave the other woman a miserable look. “Is all this necessary? Corsets, evening gowns, and who knows what else?”

Naomi met her gaze. “No, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But in order to decide if you wish to be female, you must give it a fair try. Which means wearing female garments long enough to be comfortable with them.

“If you then decide they’re not for you, the clothes will make splendid castoffs for some other woman and you can return to male garments. You wouldn’t be the first woman to dress like a man to have more freedom. But I do think you should try being a woman, or you’ll always wonder who you really are.”

Casey drew a deep breath as she considered Naomi’s words, remembering when Cameron asked if she’d ever dreamed of dancing at a ball in silken skirts and flirting with young men. Now she imagined dancing with Cam, being held in his strong arms as her skirts whirled around her ankles.

The thought made her blush and look away from Naomi. “Your words are wise. As a child I was quite fine with being a girl. I really do need to learn if that is still who I am.”

“Good!” Naomi said, pleased. “Some other things to consider. Might you like to have your ears pierced? Earrings are pretty and feminine.”

Casey gasped sharply and her hands immediately flew to her ear lobes.

“You needn’t have your ears pierced,” Naomi said immediately. “Now or ever!”

Casey exhaled and her hands dropped to her sides. “My mother pierced my ears not long before she died. She put in a pair of her own gold studs. I was so proud of them. Then …” Her voice stumbled. “When my father threw me from the house, he jerked the gold studs out because gold is valuable. When I left, my ears were bleeding.”

“Dear God!” Naomi gave her a swift hug. “What a monster! Is he dead? If he isn’t, can I send one of my brothers to make sure that he is?”

Casey gave a choke of laughter as she hugged Naomi back. “I don’t know if he’s dead or alive, and I really don’t care. But remembering that makes me want to have my ears pierced!”

“Very well, that can be done tomorrow to give your ears time to adjust to them. But I do think that earrings will look lovely with your delicate features.”

“Delicate features?” Casey looked into the tall pier glass mirror. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Naomi said firmly. “You’ve spent years trying to look like an unmemorable young man. How you see yourself now will be changing.”

Casey moved closer to the mirror to study her face. Naomi was right. Her features now seemed more delicate and feminine. “Have you ever done this before? Helped a person change from one gender to the other?”

“Not a situation exactly like yours, where someone has lived for years as the opposite sex, but I’ve worked with others who want to change how they look. I quite enjoy helping people do that.” Naomi circled around Casey, studying her head. “Your hair is a bit short, but with a little trimming it will look girlish.” She ran her fingers through Casey’s hair. “Is your hair colored? It doesn’t feel quite natural.”

Casey brushed a curl from her cheek. “Yes, as a child I was very blond and it was rather distinctive. When I was taken in by my foster father, we both thought it would be safer to have nondescript hair, so I’ve been using a brown rinse ever since. Jamie said the color could be washed out with vinegar. I imagine my natural hair has darkened over the years.”

Naomi looked closer at Casey’s scalp. “The roots of your hair are light. Perhaps not as light as when you were a child, but definitely blonder than the brown shade you’ve been using. Rinsing the color out will also leave your hair softer and shinier. This is going to be very interesting! Cameron won’t even recognize you.”

“I’m doing this for me, not him,” Casey said firmly. Which was … mostly true.

“That’s wise. Now let’s look at some fabric samples to see what suits you,” Naomi said as she produced a box containing a number of differently colored squares of cloth.