Passionfruit 24, Prune 7 [Divide and Rule]
Title: These Foolish Things
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): Passionfruit #24 (I am part of all that I have met), Prune #7 (somebody stop me)
Toppings/Extras: Pocky Chain
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 700 (7 x 100 words, at least according to MS Word)
Notes: 1924-1960; Edward Iveson, Elizabeth Iveson, Caroline Sheldon, Daisy Long, Marie Werner, Peggy Venn, Julia Graves, Emily Iveson. (Warnings for passing references to abandonment, divorce, death, infidelity, suicide.) Pocky Chain for the summer challenge. (I meant to post some other pieces first, but I need to stop tweaking these drabbles now!)
Summary: Edward Iveson and the women in his life.
***
1924: Mother
“You’re sending me away,” he said, finally breaking his sullen silence on the station platform.
“I’m sending you to school,” said Mother, tugging his jacket straight in lieu of a kiss goodbye. “There. And in summer you’ll stay with your cousins - you’ll enjoy that.”
“He made you.”
Mother sighed, lifting her head to watch as the train came in. “Ned, darling, it’s more complicated than that.”
One couldn’t cry on a train too full of other boys, so he stared out of the window hard. It didn’t matter what she said; she’d sent him away and didn’t want him back.
*
1935: Caroline
“I’m sure it was just down here,” said Caroline, leading him by the hand as they walked through the copse. They reached a clearing awash with bluebells, nearly over now and faded almost to lavender, but there were still vivid blue patches
Edward smiled, but turned to her in concern. “Is everything all right?” he asked. “Last time you seemed -”
Caroline shook her head and caught hold of his hand again. “No, no. I was being silly that day. I promise.”
“In that case,” said Edward, “I’d better say what I was going to then: will you marry me?”
*
1936: Aunt Daisy
“The truth is,” his aunt said, “people do the most foolish things, and not only for love. Trust me, there’s nothing so feather-headed or stupid that someone somewhere hasn’t attempted or believed in. Fiction’s very misleading, you know - everyone always has reasons in stories. In life, even the most sensible person will have a fit of folly at least once every ten years.”
“Even you?”
She smiled. “Oh, even me. Though rather less than most, I’d like to think. So, Ned, next time -”
He shook his head; it was much too soon.
“Next time, choose your wife more carefully.”
*
1938: Marie
Edward was at the theatre, as instructed by Marie’s message, and not paying much attention to the play. This was all wrong, he thought. When he saw her, he’d tell her so; he’d end it.
She met him in the interval, wearing a smile and a long silver dress. He knew then he wouldn’t say anything, and when she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, her nearness was almost painful.
“Edward, honey,” she said, amused; catching his expression. “You don’t have to, you know. It’s your choice.”
She was right, but it just didn’t feel true any more.
*
1940/1943: Peggy
“Tea, sir?” she said, putting a cup down on his desk, and smiled as he glanced up to thank her. Then she leant forward; conspiratorial. “Only for heaven’s sake, don’t tell the others. I want to finish some of that filing.”
He laughed. “It’s our little secret.”
One of the other secretaries told him, in the end. “Did you hear, sir? Peggy’s dead. Awful, isn’t it?” At his silence, she added, “You know - Peggy Venn. Don’t you remember her?”
“No, no,” said Edward, recalling the work days she’d brightened, and also two strange, secret nights, “I remember.”
He wouldn’t forget.
*
1950: Julia
Edward returned from three days away in Scotland at a tedious conference, arriving back in time to make it worth going to Diana’s party, ostensibly to speak to Mr Morley, but truthfully to escort Julia home.
“How was everything?” he asked, ushering her in through the door.
She put her arms around him in the hallway. “Oh, dreadful. Each day was an age and I don’t know how I lived through it. Why did you go away again?”
“Julia!”
“Oh,” she said, glancing upwards from under her lashes; a gleam of amusement stealing through, “you think I’m not being serious.”
*
1960: Emily
It was all very well to decide in the abstract that removing oneself was the best solution to the current difficulty (and now they’d gone this far, it was, he knew) but harder to hold true to that when faced with the reality of leaving Emily as well as Julia.
He’d never known why his mother had sent him away; he didn’t want to cause Emily to have to ask similar questions all her life. Julia would understand enough; he hoped she would be able to explain.
But he knew he should have been able to find some other way.
***
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): Passionfruit #24 (I am part of all that I have met), Prune #7 (somebody stop me)
Toppings/Extras: Pocky Chain
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 700 (7 x 100 words, at least according to MS Word)
Notes: 1924-1960; Edward Iveson, Elizabeth Iveson, Caroline Sheldon, Daisy Long, Marie Werner, Peggy Venn, Julia Graves, Emily Iveson. (Warnings for passing references to abandonment, divorce, death, infidelity, suicide.) Pocky Chain for the summer challenge. (I meant to post some other pieces first, but I need to stop tweaking these drabbles now!)
Summary: Edward Iveson and the women in his life.
***
1924: Mother
“You’re sending me away,” he said, finally breaking his sullen silence on the station platform.
“I’m sending you to school,” said Mother, tugging his jacket straight in lieu of a kiss goodbye. “There. And in summer you’ll stay with your cousins - you’ll enjoy that.”
“He made you.”
Mother sighed, lifting her head to watch as the train came in. “Ned, darling, it’s more complicated than that.”
One couldn’t cry on a train too full of other boys, so he stared out of the window hard. It didn’t matter what she said; she’d sent him away and didn’t want him back.
*
1935: Caroline
“I’m sure it was just down here,” said Caroline, leading him by the hand as they walked through the copse. They reached a clearing awash with bluebells, nearly over now and faded almost to lavender, but there were still vivid blue patches
Edward smiled, but turned to her in concern. “Is everything all right?” he asked. “Last time you seemed -”
Caroline shook her head and caught hold of his hand again. “No, no. I was being silly that day. I promise.”
“In that case,” said Edward, “I’d better say what I was going to then: will you marry me?”
*
1936: Aunt Daisy
“The truth is,” his aunt said, “people do the most foolish things, and not only for love. Trust me, there’s nothing so feather-headed or stupid that someone somewhere hasn’t attempted or believed in. Fiction’s very misleading, you know - everyone always has reasons in stories. In life, even the most sensible person will have a fit of folly at least once every ten years.”
“Even you?”
She smiled. “Oh, even me. Though rather less than most, I’d like to think. So, Ned, next time -”
He shook his head; it was much too soon.
“Next time, choose your wife more carefully.”
*
1938: Marie
Edward was at the theatre, as instructed by Marie’s message, and not paying much attention to the play. This was all wrong, he thought. When he saw her, he’d tell her so; he’d end it.
She met him in the interval, wearing a smile and a long silver dress. He knew then he wouldn’t say anything, and when she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, her nearness was almost painful.
“Edward, honey,” she said, amused; catching his expression. “You don’t have to, you know. It’s your choice.”
She was right, but it just didn’t feel true any more.
*
1940/1943: Peggy
“Tea, sir?” she said, putting a cup down on his desk, and smiled as he glanced up to thank her. Then she leant forward; conspiratorial. “Only for heaven’s sake, don’t tell the others. I want to finish some of that filing.”
He laughed. “It’s our little secret.”
One of the other secretaries told him, in the end. “Did you hear, sir? Peggy’s dead. Awful, isn’t it?” At his silence, she added, “You know - Peggy Venn. Don’t you remember her?”
“No, no,” said Edward, recalling the work days she’d brightened, and also two strange, secret nights, “I remember.”
He wouldn’t forget.
*
1950: Julia
Edward returned from three days away in Scotland at a tedious conference, arriving back in time to make it worth going to Diana’s party, ostensibly to speak to Mr Morley, but truthfully to escort Julia home.
“How was everything?” he asked, ushering her in through the door.
She put her arms around him in the hallway. “Oh, dreadful. Each day was an age and I don’t know how I lived through it. Why did you go away again?”
“Julia!”
“Oh,” she said, glancing upwards from under her lashes; a gleam of amusement stealing through, “you think I’m not being serious.”
*
1960: Emily
It was all very well to decide in the abstract that removing oneself was the best solution to the current difficulty (and now they’d gone this far, it was, he knew) but harder to hold true to that when faced with the reality of leaving Emily as well as Julia.
He’d never known why his mother had sent him away; he didn’t want to cause Emily to have to ask similar questions all her life. Julia would understand enough; he hoped she would be able to explain.
But he knew he should have been able to find some other way.
***