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elen_nareTitle: Misinformation
Chapter: 11
Fandom: Chalet School series
Rating: T
Length: 1137 words
(See Chapter 1 for full header).
Previous | Alternate Ending
Two weeks later
Freudesheim was, for once, quiet. The younger children were playing in the garden, watched by Con and Margot, home from school for the weekend; Jack was working in his study; Joey was upstairs, sorting through old baby clothes with Rosa’s help; Anna was baking for afternoon tea; and in the sitting room, Len was trying to learn from her Auntie Hilda how to crochet.
The rare peace was suddenly shattered by the sound of the doorbell. Len jumped violently at the sound, rudely disturbed from her work, and looked ruefully at the resultant mess.
“Oh, bother! I’ll have to unpick all that, and I was just starting to get the hang of it! Excuse me a second, Auntie Hilda, I’ll see who’s at the door.”
She hurried away, and Hilda took up her brevet-niece’s work to see how badly it had fared. Despite Len’s complaint, she found it hadn’t really been too damaged by the startled jerk the girl had given the needle. With a little help, it wouldn’t take Len very long to put it right. She looked up as the door opened, ready to tell her so, and the words froze on her lips.
“Dr Travers, would you mind waiting here while I fetch Papa?” Len asked the man she was showing into the room. She turned to leave, then remembered her manners and added hastily, “This is Miss Annersley, she’s our headmistress. Auntie Hilda, this is Dr Travers, he works with Papa.”
With that, she vanished, and Dr Travers stepped forward. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he said, nodding at her.
“I’m afraid I can’t say the same,” replied Hilda in her frostiest tones.
The man looked dumbfounded. “I beg your pardon? I would imagine I have offended you in some way, but I’m afraid I don’t see how, since we have never met.”
“Ah, perhaps you didn’t hear Len. I am headmistress of the Chalet School. Does that make things clearer?”
“I’m not entirely sure I follow you, madam,” Dr Travers replied, beginning to look worried.
Hilda gave him the same look she would bestow on a particularly stupid pupil, pleased at the obvious discomfort it produced. “I see I shall have to speak more plainly. You are correct in stating that we have never met; however, you are well acquainted with Miss Wilson, my co-Head. I presume you have not forgotten the matter you were both recently involved in?”
“Ah. That. I didn’t know anyone else was aware of it,” Dr Travers said slowly, glancing at the door as if wondering where Len had got to. Hilda suspected - rightly, as it later turned out - that Jack had deliberately delayed her, to give Hilda a clear field.
“You thought Miss Wilson would neglect to inform me of something that seemed certain to envelop the School in scandal?” she asked, incredulity in her voice. “Naturally, she came to me the moment she knew of the situation. I suppose this is in itself sufficient to explain why I find it anything but a pleasure to meet you.”
“I - erm - I believe I owe you an apology,” he answered, distinctly flustered. “I assure you, I had no intention of harming the School; I was merely acting as I believed to be correct.”
“I accept that, though I must remind you that you are responsible for all direct consequences of your actions, regardless of your intent. However, it is not on behalf of the School alone that I am angry with you. You see, Miss Wilson is not only my co-Head; she is also one of my oldest and dearest friends. Though perhaps I should not have said that to you, given your habit of drawing conclusions from chance remarks? After all, that the Head of a girls’ boarding school should count another woman as a dear friend is most unusual, and deeply suspicious.”
Not even Nell could have bettered the cutting sarcasm of her tone, and Dr Travers flinched at it. Without giving him a chance to answer, Hilda continued inexorably, her voice icy. “You would have ended Miss Wilson’s career in public ignominy, destroyed her reputation, and dragged her name through the mud. Worse, you would have done it all deliberately. Dr Travers, I find your actions disgusting, and I do not care to be in the same room with you any longer. Please excuse me.”
She rose to her feet with great dignity, at the same moment as the door opened to admit Jack Maynard. One look at his face convinced Hilda that he’d been listening in. His expression was noncommittal, but his eyes were sparkling with suppressed joy. His timing, too, was just a little too good.
He made no mention of having heard anything, however, merely saying breezily, “Hullo, Dr Travers! Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve been looking at those tests we did on Herr Gries - shall we adjourn to my study to discuss them?”
“Yes, I think that would be best,” Dr Travers replied rather faintly.
“Right - oh, Hilda, I sent Len with a message to Joey, she should be down soon. How’s the lesson going?”
“Very well, she’s picking it up nicely,” Hilda said with a smile.
“Good! Ah, here she is.” He stepped aside to let his eldest daughter in, then continued, “We’ll leave you to it, then. If you’d come with me, Dr Travers?”
The other man followed him, turning back at the door to say rather nervously, “Good day, ladies.”
“Good day, Dr Travers,” Len replied politely. Hilda merely inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement, and he left the sitting room, quickly closing the door behind him.
“Shall we continue, Len?” Hilda asked the girl, who was looking rather surprised at the coldness of her response to the doctor.
“Yes, let’s!” Len replied enthusiastically, forgetting the exchange, then pulled a face as she picked up her crocheting. “I suppose I’ll have to unpick most of it and start over? It’s a shame, I was getting on quite well - at least, I think I was,” she qualified, looking at her honorary aunt for confirmation.
“You’re doing very well for a beginner,” Hilda replied warmly. “It’s not so bad as you think, either. Let me have your work, and I’ll show you how to fix it.”
…
Though Hilda steadfastly denied it, Nell would always insist that the dressing-down she had given Dr Travers that day played a definitive role in the man’s decision, announced not long after, to request a transfer to the Welsh branch of the Sanatorium.
Regardless of the cause, the request was made, and speedily granted by Jack, who, most reprehensibly, danced down the entire length of Freudesheim’s hall with Joey after telling her the news. And with Dr Travers’ departure, peace - or, at least, relative peace - returned to the Gornetz Platz.
Chapter: 11
Fandom: Chalet School series
Rating: T
Length: 1137 words
(See Chapter 1 for full header).
Previous | Alternate Ending
Two weeks later
Freudesheim was, for once, quiet. The younger children were playing in the garden, watched by Con and Margot, home from school for the weekend; Jack was working in his study; Joey was upstairs, sorting through old baby clothes with Rosa’s help; Anna was baking for afternoon tea; and in the sitting room, Len was trying to learn from her Auntie Hilda how to crochet.
The rare peace was suddenly shattered by the sound of the doorbell. Len jumped violently at the sound, rudely disturbed from her work, and looked ruefully at the resultant mess.
“Oh, bother! I’ll have to unpick all that, and I was just starting to get the hang of it! Excuse me a second, Auntie Hilda, I’ll see who’s at the door.”
She hurried away, and Hilda took up her brevet-niece’s work to see how badly it had fared. Despite Len’s complaint, she found it hadn’t really been too damaged by the startled jerk the girl had given the needle. With a little help, it wouldn’t take Len very long to put it right. She looked up as the door opened, ready to tell her so, and the words froze on her lips.
“Dr Travers, would you mind waiting here while I fetch Papa?” Len asked the man she was showing into the room. She turned to leave, then remembered her manners and added hastily, “This is Miss Annersley, she’s our headmistress. Auntie Hilda, this is Dr Travers, he works with Papa.”
With that, she vanished, and Dr Travers stepped forward. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he said, nodding at her.
“I’m afraid I can’t say the same,” replied Hilda in her frostiest tones.
The man looked dumbfounded. “I beg your pardon? I would imagine I have offended you in some way, but I’m afraid I don’t see how, since we have never met.”
“Ah, perhaps you didn’t hear Len. I am headmistress of the Chalet School. Does that make things clearer?”
“I’m not entirely sure I follow you, madam,” Dr Travers replied, beginning to look worried.
Hilda gave him the same look she would bestow on a particularly stupid pupil, pleased at the obvious discomfort it produced. “I see I shall have to speak more plainly. You are correct in stating that we have never met; however, you are well acquainted with Miss Wilson, my co-Head. I presume you have not forgotten the matter you were both recently involved in?”
“Ah. That. I didn’t know anyone else was aware of it,” Dr Travers said slowly, glancing at the door as if wondering where Len had got to. Hilda suspected - rightly, as it later turned out - that Jack had deliberately delayed her, to give Hilda a clear field.
“You thought Miss Wilson would neglect to inform me of something that seemed certain to envelop the School in scandal?” she asked, incredulity in her voice. “Naturally, she came to me the moment she knew of the situation. I suppose this is in itself sufficient to explain why I find it anything but a pleasure to meet you.”
“I - erm - I believe I owe you an apology,” he answered, distinctly flustered. “I assure you, I had no intention of harming the School; I was merely acting as I believed to be correct.”
“I accept that, though I must remind you that you are responsible for all direct consequences of your actions, regardless of your intent. However, it is not on behalf of the School alone that I am angry with you. You see, Miss Wilson is not only my co-Head; she is also one of my oldest and dearest friends. Though perhaps I should not have said that to you, given your habit of drawing conclusions from chance remarks? After all, that the Head of a girls’ boarding school should count another woman as a dear friend is most unusual, and deeply suspicious.”
Not even Nell could have bettered the cutting sarcasm of her tone, and Dr Travers flinched at it. Without giving him a chance to answer, Hilda continued inexorably, her voice icy. “You would have ended Miss Wilson’s career in public ignominy, destroyed her reputation, and dragged her name through the mud. Worse, you would have done it all deliberately. Dr Travers, I find your actions disgusting, and I do not care to be in the same room with you any longer. Please excuse me.”
She rose to her feet with great dignity, at the same moment as the door opened to admit Jack Maynard. One look at his face convinced Hilda that he’d been listening in. His expression was noncommittal, but his eyes were sparkling with suppressed joy. His timing, too, was just a little too good.
He made no mention of having heard anything, however, merely saying breezily, “Hullo, Dr Travers! Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve been looking at those tests we did on Herr Gries - shall we adjourn to my study to discuss them?”
“Yes, I think that would be best,” Dr Travers replied rather faintly.
“Right - oh, Hilda, I sent Len with a message to Joey, she should be down soon. How’s the lesson going?”
“Very well, she’s picking it up nicely,” Hilda said with a smile.
“Good! Ah, here she is.” He stepped aside to let his eldest daughter in, then continued, “We’ll leave you to it, then. If you’d come with me, Dr Travers?”
The other man followed him, turning back at the door to say rather nervously, “Good day, ladies.”
“Good day, Dr Travers,” Len replied politely. Hilda merely inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement, and he left the sitting room, quickly closing the door behind him.
“Shall we continue, Len?” Hilda asked the girl, who was looking rather surprised at the coldness of her response to the doctor.
“Yes, let’s!” Len replied enthusiastically, forgetting the exchange, then pulled a face as she picked up her crocheting. “I suppose I’ll have to unpick most of it and start over? It’s a shame, I was getting on quite well - at least, I think I was,” she qualified, looking at her honorary aunt for confirmation.
“You’re doing very well for a beginner,” Hilda replied warmly. “It’s not so bad as you think, either. Let me have your work, and I’ll show you how to fix it.”
…
Though Hilda steadfastly denied it, Nell would always insist that the dressing-down she had given Dr Travers that day played a definitive role in the man’s decision, announced not long after, to request a transfer to the Welsh branch of the Sanatorium.
Regardless of the cause, the request was made, and speedily granted by Jack, who, most reprehensibly, danced down the entire length of Freudesheim’s hall with Joey after telling her the news. And with Dr Travers’ departure, peace - or, at least, relative peace - returned to the Gornetz Platz.
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Date: 2013-08-06 10:01 pm (UTC)I wish someone would release the books in e-reader format - I'd love to read them again.
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Date: 2013-08-07 12:57 am (UTC)Girls Gone By Publishers have three ("School at the Chalet", "Chalet Girls in Camp" and "Chalet School in Exile") plus a fill-in, but they're 7 pounds each, which seems a bit steep... *looks wistfully at Camp and curses stupid economy and awful exchange rates* ;)
Bettany Press have a few fill-ins, but only a non-Chalet book by EBD.
ETA: completely off topic, but your icon is brilliant!