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elen_nareTitle: Misinformation
Chapter: 9
Fandom: Chalet School series
Rating: T
Length: 1045 words
(See Chapter 1 for full header).
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“Nancy?” Kathie said suddenly, raising herself on one elbow. There was no reply, and Nancy’s eyes were closed, but Kathie was fairly sure she wasn’t actually asleep. “Nancy? Are you awake?”
“Just. The question is, why aren’t you asleep? It’s late, Kathie,” Nancy mumbled sleepily.
“I know, I’m sorry,” Kathie replied.
“Never mind. What is it?”
“It can wait till morning, I suppose...” Kathie began, suddenly feeling guilty about keeping Nancy awake.
“Then you’ll just worry about whatever it is until then, and I’d rather not have you tossing and turning all night. It’s not exactly restful, my dear.”
“Do I really do that? I’m sorry... you should tell me to go back to my room if I’m disturbing you,” Kathie replied contritely.
“Not a chance! I’m not cutting down on the few times we get to be together, especially not today. Stop worrying, I’m not that sleepy really, I was just being lazy.” Nancy smiled up at Kathie, who was relieved to see there truly wasn’t much sign of sleepiness in Nancy’s face. “Now, tell me. What’s on your mind?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking...”
“I wouldn’t! It’s a dangerous business!” Nancy teased, and Kathie stuck out her tongue. She wasn’t going to be diverted now she’d started, though.
“Shut up, idiot. What do you think Bill was going to say today? After I asked if they were going to fire us, she started of with ‘is it likely’, remember? But the Abbess cut her off.”
Nancy shrugged as well as she could while lying down. “Who knows? Probably that we should have a better opinion of them, or something like that. They really were incredibly decent about it, you know. I’m glad Dr Jack managed to sort everything out.” They had caught Miss Annersley just before Abendessen and asked about it, and had both been very pleased to hear everything had gone well.
“I am too,” Kathie replied, smiling at the thought, but not allowing it to side-track her. “But Nancy, I’ve been thinking... Bill was mad that Dr Travers was spreading rumours about her, but she never actually said it wasn’t true.”
“Where are you going with this?” Nancy asked, sounding completely puzzled, and Kathie nearly gave the whole thing up. If Nancy, who’d known everyone at the School for years, didn’t see what she did, wasn’t it likely she was completely mistaken? She couldn’t just let it go, though. Now she’d thought of it, she simply had to tell someone - and who would she tell if not Nancy?
“Well... it’s just... she does spend an awful lot of time here, and she and Miss Annersley are so close, I wondered - ” she said in a rush.
“Bill and the Abbess?” Nancy cut her off, sitting bolt upright. “Kathleen Ferrars, are you out of your tiny little mind?”
“No I’m not!” Kathie retorted indignantly. “It was just an idea, there’s no need to get so worked up... You don’t think it’s likely, then?” she finished in a small voice.
Nancy opened her mouth to reply, then shut it again. When this performance had been repeated three times, Kathie said tentatively, “Nancy?”
“Shh, I’m thinking,” was the answer.
“Well, can’t you think lying down?” Kathie asked plaintively after a few seconds. “You’ve pulled all the bedclothes off, and it’s not that warm...” she made the pout she knew Nancy could never resist.
Sure enough, her friend smiled back and lay down again, staring intently up at the ceiling. After what seemed like an age, she turned to Kathie, her expression one of sheer amazement.
“Do you know,” she said slowly, “I think you might actually be right. It does make an awful lot of sense, though it’s so strange to think about it. I’d never thought about them like that before!” Frowning, she amended, “Well, I think I did wonder about Bill - among other people - once, when I first realised I liked girls. I was looking for other people who might be like me, you see.” Kathie nodded in understanding. “It was too weird to consider properly, though... It felt almost rude, somehow. But the Abbess?”
“It’s just a nickname, she hasn’t actually taken a vow of chastity,” Kathie pointed out, and Nancy giggled.
“You’re right, of course. I don’t know why, but somehow the idea of either of them having a... well, a love life... is so odd!” Nancy blushed at the thought.
“It’s probably because they were your teachers,” Kathie replied sagely. “Part of you still sees them as you did when you were a schoolgirl.”
“That makes a lot of sense. Such wisdom for one so young!’ Nancy teased, cuddling up to Kathie. “Now let’s see if you can answer this: how do I look either of them in the eye now you’ve planted this notion in my head?”
“Just as you did before, idiot! It’s just a guess of mine, I don’t actually know anything - and might I remind you, they definitely know about us! If you’re going to be embarrassed by anything, that’s what I’d pick.” Kathie was blushing a little herself as she said that. It was so strange to know that their secret was, as far as the Heads were concerned, a secret no longer.
“You have a good point,” Nancy conceded. “What did I do to merit such a brilliant partner?”
“I thought I was ‘out of my tiny little mind’?” Kathie asked, filling her voice with pretend offence. Pulling as far away as possible - which wasn’t very far, given they were sharing a bed - she crossed her arms and glared at Nancy with all the force she could muster.
Nancy smiled back, entering the game. “Oh, darling, did I insult you? How can I possibly apologise?”
She moved closer to Kathie, who rolled over, turning her back on her lover, since she couldn’t keep the glare up any longer. She gasped suddenly as warm hands touched her, remembering too late that to turn her back on Nancy was a bad idea - or an excellent one, depending how you looked at it. “That,” she said unevenly, “is a very good start.”
“A start, hmm? I’ll have to keep going until I’m completely forgiven.”
There was very little coherent speech - or, indeed, thought - in the room after that.
Chapter: 9
Fandom: Chalet School series
Rating: T
Length: 1045 words
(See Chapter 1 for full header).
Previous | Next
“Nancy?” Kathie said suddenly, raising herself on one elbow. There was no reply, and Nancy’s eyes were closed, but Kathie was fairly sure she wasn’t actually asleep. “Nancy? Are you awake?”
“Just. The question is, why aren’t you asleep? It’s late, Kathie,” Nancy mumbled sleepily.
“I know, I’m sorry,” Kathie replied.
“Never mind. What is it?”
“It can wait till morning, I suppose...” Kathie began, suddenly feeling guilty about keeping Nancy awake.
“Then you’ll just worry about whatever it is until then, and I’d rather not have you tossing and turning all night. It’s not exactly restful, my dear.”
“Do I really do that? I’m sorry... you should tell me to go back to my room if I’m disturbing you,” Kathie replied contritely.
“Not a chance! I’m not cutting down on the few times we get to be together, especially not today. Stop worrying, I’m not that sleepy really, I was just being lazy.” Nancy smiled up at Kathie, who was relieved to see there truly wasn’t much sign of sleepiness in Nancy’s face. “Now, tell me. What’s on your mind?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking...”
“I wouldn’t! It’s a dangerous business!” Nancy teased, and Kathie stuck out her tongue. She wasn’t going to be diverted now she’d started, though.
“Shut up, idiot. What do you think Bill was going to say today? After I asked if they were going to fire us, she started of with ‘is it likely’, remember? But the Abbess cut her off.”
Nancy shrugged as well as she could while lying down. “Who knows? Probably that we should have a better opinion of them, or something like that. They really were incredibly decent about it, you know. I’m glad Dr Jack managed to sort everything out.” They had caught Miss Annersley just before Abendessen and asked about it, and had both been very pleased to hear everything had gone well.
“I am too,” Kathie replied, smiling at the thought, but not allowing it to side-track her. “But Nancy, I’ve been thinking... Bill was mad that Dr Travers was spreading rumours about her, but she never actually said it wasn’t true.”
“Where are you going with this?” Nancy asked, sounding completely puzzled, and Kathie nearly gave the whole thing up. If Nancy, who’d known everyone at the School for years, didn’t see what she did, wasn’t it likely she was completely mistaken? She couldn’t just let it go, though. Now she’d thought of it, she simply had to tell someone - and who would she tell if not Nancy?
“Well... it’s just... she does spend an awful lot of time here, and she and Miss Annersley are so close, I wondered - ” she said in a rush.
“Bill and the Abbess?” Nancy cut her off, sitting bolt upright. “Kathleen Ferrars, are you out of your tiny little mind?”
“No I’m not!” Kathie retorted indignantly. “It was just an idea, there’s no need to get so worked up... You don’t think it’s likely, then?” she finished in a small voice.
Nancy opened her mouth to reply, then shut it again. When this performance had been repeated three times, Kathie said tentatively, “Nancy?”
“Shh, I’m thinking,” was the answer.
“Well, can’t you think lying down?” Kathie asked plaintively after a few seconds. “You’ve pulled all the bedclothes off, and it’s not that warm...” she made the pout she knew Nancy could never resist.
Sure enough, her friend smiled back and lay down again, staring intently up at the ceiling. After what seemed like an age, she turned to Kathie, her expression one of sheer amazement.
“Do you know,” she said slowly, “I think you might actually be right. It does make an awful lot of sense, though it’s so strange to think about it. I’d never thought about them like that before!” Frowning, she amended, “Well, I think I did wonder about Bill - among other people - once, when I first realised I liked girls. I was looking for other people who might be like me, you see.” Kathie nodded in understanding. “It was too weird to consider properly, though... It felt almost rude, somehow. But the Abbess?”
“It’s just a nickname, she hasn’t actually taken a vow of chastity,” Kathie pointed out, and Nancy giggled.
“You’re right, of course. I don’t know why, but somehow the idea of either of them having a... well, a love life... is so odd!” Nancy blushed at the thought.
“It’s probably because they were your teachers,” Kathie replied sagely. “Part of you still sees them as you did when you were a schoolgirl.”
“That makes a lot of sense. Such wisdom for one so young!’ Nancy teased, cuddling up to Kathie. “Now let’s see if you can answer this: how do I look either of them in the eye now you’ve planted this notion in my head?”
“Just as you did before, idiot! It’s just a guess of mine, I don’t actually know anything - and might I remind you, they definitely know about us! If you’re going to be embarrassed by anything, that’s what I’d pick.” Kathie was blushing a little herself as she said that. It was so strange to know that their secret was, as far as the Heads were concerned, a secret no longer.
“You have a good point,” Nancy conceded. “What did I do to merit such a brilliant partner?”
“I thought I was ‘out of my tiny little mind’?” Kathie asked, filling her voice with pretend offence. Pulling as far away as possible - which wasn’t very far, given they were sharing a bed - she crossed her arms and glared at Nancy with all the force she could muster.
Nancy smiled back, entering the game. “Oh, darling, did I insult you? How can I possibly apologise?”
She moved closer to Kathie, who rolled over, turning her back on her lover, since she couldn’t keep the glare up any longer. She gasped suddenly as warm hands touched her, remembering too late that to turn her back on Nancy was a bad idea - or an excellent one, depending how you looked at it. “That,” she said unevenly, “is a very good start.”
“A start, hmm? I’ll have to keep going until I’m completely forgiven.”
There was very little coherent speech - or, indeed, thought - in the room after that.
