Swiss Mail - Chalet School fanfic

[elen_nare]

Title: Swiss Mail
Fandom: Chalet School
Rating: G
Length: 1775 words
Content notes: Set during "The Chalet School in the Oberland".
Author notes: Thanks to xsabrix for betaing! Written for the "Communication" challenge at fan_flashworks
Summary: Letters between Hilda and Nell.

My dearest Hilda,

please excuse the subterfuge of a letter-within-a-letter, but I thought the rest of the Staff would want to hear the news of St Mildred’s - if they don’t, they should! - and there are some things I’d rather weren’t passed around. Can I continue to use this method?

As you’ll see in my other letter if you haven’t read it already, St Mildred’s seems to be off to a good start. We certainly have many more girls than I’d bargained for! Do you know, I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing? I know you always want a school to start well, and to grow, but I’d rather have just had our own crowd, for the first year at least. It would have felt more like a single school - this feels like several in one. I suppose they’ll come together and be one school eventually (like when St Scholastika’s joined us - do you remember?), but it’ll take time. I just hope we don’t get any real nastiness springing up. At least we can’t complain of boredom, or having nothing to do!

Oh, but I miss you so much, my dear. Especially at night - I can see your blushes on reading that! Well, I can’t say I don’t miss you that way, too, but it wasn’t what I meant. You see, my days are so full with all the business of running a school, I’m simply too busy to miss you most of the time. I notice your absence, of course, and I would love your help and advice, but I’m too run off my feet to dwell on it. It’s when I sit down to unwind in the evenings that I really miss you, miss talking to you. There are times when for two pins, I could tell Madge she can find herself another Head, and persuade her to send me back to St Briavel’s! (Don’t worry, I haven’t any intention of really doing such a thing. If nothing else, I know that she’d be certain to fix on you as new Head, and there’s hardly any point in us switching places, is there?)

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so maudlin. I’m happy most of the time, I do enjoy the work and I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to do it - and what an honour it was. I just get lonely sometimes. Still, it’s only for a term - and when I remember the last time we were separated, I can only thank God that I still have you, safe and sound. You are being careful not to overdo it, aren’t you? I know it’s been several years since the accident, and you’d say I worry too much if you were here, but I know you, Hilda. The school won’t fall down if you step back and rest occasionally! Promise me you’ll take care of yourself, or I shall set Matey on your track.

I’m sure you want to know what Switzerland is like, but I don’t know where to begin. The Oberland is well beyond my powers of description, even if I spent a year on this letter (and I certainly don’t have the time to spare for such an undertaking!), so I’ll simply say it’s beautiful, and must be seen to be understood. You know the Alps of Tirol, of course, but these are different. I’ll try to go out with my Kodak soon and take a few snaps to send you, but I can’t possibly do the place justice, so you’ll simply have to come and visit me in the holidays. Besides, the air would do wonders for you; and if, as seems likely, the San moves here, the School is sure to follow. It’s practically your duty to come and inspect the lie of the land, as it were!

I won’t suggest you come these holidays, though; I’m sure you remember the winters in Austria, and the days of being trapped inside by blizzards, well enough! Besides, Madge and Joey will probably still be in Canada, but I know the Bettanys would never forgive me if I whisked their Auntie Hilda away at Christmas. (The Easter holidays are another matter...) But after Christmas, do let’s go away somewhere. It’s probably horribly selfish of me, but I want to have you just to myself for at least part of the holidays. I want us to have some time on our own to simply be ourselves, without any worry about appearances or anything of the kind.

Still, that’s several months in the future, so I’m getting slightly ahead of myself. Who knows what may happen? Do think about it, though. You don’t have to decide right away! I’ll miss the next post if I don’t finish this now, so I’ll end it here.

All my love, always,

Nell

PS: I dare say several parts of this letter have had your hand itching for your red pen (and yes, one of them was deliberate. Can you guess which?). Well, correct it if you really must - we can’t have you taking out your annoyance on the Middles’ essays!

******

My dearest Nell,

this letter-within-a-letter scheme is excellent. You can, and you may, continue to use it. (I know that was the deliberate error you mentioned. While I’m on the subject of your postscript, I may as well add that I would never correct your letters. I know a futile effort when I see it!) I’m not entirely sure the double envelope is necessary, though. I wouldn’t pass your letters on without reading them first, and Rosalie wouldn’t open anything from you. Even if you forgot to add a sender’s address, I know she’d recognise the scrawl you call handwriting! I expect Gillian wouldn’t open a letter from me, either.

I’m glad to hear that St Mildred’s first term started well. I understand why you’re worried about the amount of girls, and the variety of schools they come from, but I’m sure they’ll come together soon. It isn’t as if you had any Middles to run ridiculous feuds, as ours did when St Scholastika first arrived at the Tiernsee! Although on the other hand, dealing with the Middles and the Balbini twins did help to unite our prefects... As you say, it will take time. I wouldn’t worry too much about nastiness among the girls; you have plenty of sensible people who’ll stop that sort of thing before it gets out of hand.

Our own term has started fairly quietly. Even our latest firebrand, Emerence Hope, hasn’t done anything so bad as to be sent to me, so far. I’m enjoying the quiet while it lasts; between the Staff’s reports, and the way the prefects act around her, I’m sure I shall have to deal with Emerence sooner or later. Loveday Perowne is proving to be a fine Head Girl. It was a pity we couldn’t choose Bride, but it would have been asking for trouble when Peggy had just held the post. Someone would have been sure to make silly remarks about it, and it could have hurt Bride badly. In any case, Bride seems happy as Prefect; I don’t think she has any idea she was considered for Head Girl, and if she does she’s not resentful in the least.

I miss you too, darling. The office seems far too large these days. I keep looking up to ask you something, then remembering you’re not here. I don’t think I’d ever realised just how much of the work you did. I understand exactly what you mean about the nights, too, they’re by far the loneliest times. I wish I could be there with you, or that you were here with me. Still, I don’t think we’ll be separated for too long; if St Mildred’s is the success I know you’ll make it, I predict we’ll be following you to Switzerland soon. I take as much comfort as I can from that, though it doesn’t seem enough sometimes.

There is something singularly galling in being lectured about by taking care of myself by you of all people. Might I remind you, dear, that you returned to work a mere five weeks after that accident, with your leg still in a plaster cast? You needn’t worry, I’m being careful. Don’t you dare say anything to Matey! She watches me like a hawk as it is. I may as well admit that since term started, I’ve been suspecting you of asking her to keep an eye on me. I’m glad that doesn’t seem to be the case, but did you by any chance have words with Rosalie before you left? Words that included “take as much work out of Hilda’s hands as you can”, but didn’t include “don’t work yourself to death”? If you did, I’m not impressed. She seems determined to overwork herself into bed!

I have every intention of visiting you as soon as I can, there’s no need for such a barrage of arguments! I do agree, though, that these holidays might not be the best time for it. The Alps can be beautiful in winter, but I don’t particularly wish to be snowed in for days on end. Easter is far more appealing. Until then, I’ll look forward to your photographs.

You’re quite right in saying we should speedily be demoted from “Auntie Nell” and “Auntie Hilda” to Miss Wilson and Miss Annersley if we missed Christmas! Mollie may be glad of a helping hand then, too. Don’t say anything to Peggy, but I know Dick is getting very worried about her. I wish Jem or Jack were here to advise them, and encourage them to consult specialists. They’re both such happy-go-lucky people, I’m afraid they might leave it too late. I can’t really say anything about it, though, so I must just pray and hope for the best.

After Christmas, we’ll certainly have a holiday by ourselves. If you’re horribly selfish for wanting it, then so am I! Is there anywhere you particularly want to go? If you’d like it, perhaps we could go to your cottage. Do you know when you’ll be arriving in England? I thought I could go and meet you in London. I can easily find some business to take me there, and it would probably be best if our first meeting was reasonably private. We do have to keep up appearances, especially in front of people connected to the school, and I’m not sure how restrained we’ll manage to be after a whole term apart.

I love you, Nell.

Yours forever,

Hilda