The relationship erodes, however, and Diana throws Nan into the streets. Although realising-and initially enjoying-that she is an object to Diana and her friends, Nan stays with her for over a year as "Neville", dressed in the finest men's clothes Diana can afford. She meets a socialist activist named Florence who lives near the boarding house, but before she can get to know her, Nan is hired by a wealthy widow with licentious tastes named Diana. She is solicited by a man for sex and begins renting, but dressed only as a man for male clients, never letting them know she is a woman. After spying the male costumes she took as her only memory of her time with Kitty, Nan begins to walk the streets of London as a man and easily passes.
They announce that the act is finished and they are to be married.Īstonished and deeply bruised by the discovery, Nan wanders the streets of London, finally holing herself in a filthy boarding house for weeks in a state of madness until her funds run out. Her return home is underwhelming, so she returns to London early to find Kitty in bed with Walter. The duo become quite famous until Nan realises she is homesick after being gone from her family for more than a year. Nan is initially horrified by the idea, but takes to it. Simultaneously, Kitty's manager Walter decides that Kitty needs a performing partner to reach true success, and suggests Nan for the role. Although Kitty and Nan acknowledge their relationship to be sisterly, Nan continues to love Kitty until a jealous fight forces Kitty to admit she feels the same, although she insists that they keep their relationship secret. Nan enthusiastically agrees and leaves her family to act as Kitty's dresser while she performs. They begin a friendship that grows when, after Kitty finds an opportunity to perform in London for better exposure, she asks Nan to join her. She becomes instantly and desperately enamoured with a "masher", or male impersonator, named Kitty Butler, who performs for a season at the local theatre. Nancy "Nan" Astley is a sheltered 18-year-old living with her working-class family and helping in their oyster restaurant in Whitstable, Kent.
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