White Chocolate 21 [Divide and Rule]
Title: Shadows on the Wall
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): White Chocolate #21 (whimsy)
Toppings/Extras: Whipped Cream + Rainbow Sprinkles + Fresh Fruit: Peaches (“Today begins ten days of intuitive rapport. People tend to know what others are thinking without anything being said when Jupiter opposes Neptune. Don't play games tonight! Emotions aren't to be tampered with under the Scorpio Moon. Couples, beware of picking someone's weak spot and saying what will hurt the most.”)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1601
Notes: 1927; Elizabeth Long, Julia Graves, Hanne Beck. (The Whipped Cream was meant for the Summer Challenge, but I didn't quite get there in time.)
Summary: There are many things that Elizabeth can’t fight, but she is at least excellent at tackling imaginary evils.
***
“Julia hasn’t been unwell, too, has she?” asked Elizabeth, casting a concerned eye towards the elder of the two children currently in the room. Hanne hadn’t mentioned it, but the young girl was noticeably paler than usual. On previous occasions Elizabeth that had seen her, she’d always seemed a happy child, but today she’d only had a muted smile for Elizabeth. “Or was it only the worry over little Rudy being so unwell lately?”
Hanne looked up in surprise. “I expect so,” she said. “She’s so fond of him - she fusses over him more than I do.” She frowned for a minute as she got up from the chair. “Miss Cornwell did say the other day that she was being tiresome about bedtime, but that’s not unusual, is it?”
“No,” said Elizabeth, but she thought: Oh, Hanne. It would, of course, at this point be deeply ironic for her to criticise however: she’d hardly even seen Edward this year - only twice, and it was already April.
“Anyway,” Hanne continued, “I must take Rudy upstairs again now, but you will stay a little longer, won’t you? It’s been much too long since we’ve seen you.”
Elizabeth nodded and didn’t explain that was because Hanne, being Hanne, no amount of discreet warnings had been enough to prevent her blithely talking about John and Edward in the presence of Elizabeth's awkward second husband, Hugh. It was, after all, Hugh who was being unreasonable, not Hanne. “Perhaps,” she said, with a smile for the girl, “in the meantime, Julia can show me round the garden?”
Elizabeth waited while Julia led her across to the most important part of the garden - her own little patch that Mr Keynes the gardener had let her have. Then she sat down on the low stone wall beside the rockery and patted the space beside her for Julia to join her.
“Now,” she said, “I’m going to make a guess. Do you mind?”
Julia shook her fair head, looking instantly interested.
“Well,” said Elizabeth, “is there something frightening you in the night? Something in your room, or a nasty dream, perhaps?” With Rudy’s illness, the latter would hardly be surprising, she thought - people marching up and down the stairs at all times of the day and night to disturb her, worried adults and vague explanations, and being kept away from her little brother.
Julia looked down hastily and shook her head. Then she said, slowly, “Miss Cornwell said I was being silly.”
“Is it your brother?” asked Elizabeth. “That’s not at all silly, you know, darling.”
Julia looked up again in sudden relief. “He told me what it would do and now it is - it’s trying to get in!”
Elizabeth had a moment of complete incomprehension before she realised that Julia must mean her other brother, Christy, who was six years older and exactly the sort of age to think it a great joke to tease his little sister. She was careful to bite back any hint of a smile, however, and said, “Well, then, you’d better explain it to me properly and we’ll see what we can do.”
It took a little while to get things clear - a not-yet-five-year-old narrator was not the most coherent source - but eventually she extracted the tale of how Christy had told her that ivy was evil; that it was poisonous and ate houses and smothered people, and Julia had been scared of the ivy creeping across the back of the house ever since, and last week, she said, it had started banging on the window and trying to get in. She had, it seemed, tried to explain to her governess one night, but Miss Cornwell had told her briskly that that was nonsense and ivy didn’t do that, but it hadn’t stopped Julia being scared.
“Oh, dear,” said Elizabeth and then stood, bending back down to offer Julia her hand. “Still, don’t worry. Ivy isn’t really as bad as Christy thinks, and I’m sure we can put a stop to that sort of mischief quite easily.”
Julia took her hand, and they walked back down the garden in search of Mr Keynes, whom they’d said hello to as they passed earlier. Elizabeth felt fairly confident that if he was willing to give Julia her own patch to play with in the garden that he would probably happily move trimming the ivy up his list to save her the fright, as long as it was within his power. It had most likely only been left so long with everybody being distracted over little Rudy.
“Oh, now,” said Mr Keynes when he heard. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? I’ll have to show that old ivy who’s boss and then you’ll have nothing more to worry over.” He looked over at Elizabeth. “I was waiting to have a word with Mr Graves about it - but I can get up there and get that bit over the nursery window this afternoon, no problem at all.”
Elizabeth thanked him and then glanced down at Julia. “And there we are. Mr Keynes will sort it all out for you. I’m sure Christy knows lots of things but he can’t possibly know as much about ivy as Mr Keynes.”
“No,” agreed Julia, and then she let Elizabeth lead her back into the house, looking at least a little more like her usual cheerful self.
“I saw Anne the other day,” Hanne said, as they made their farewells in the hallway. “She told me that Edward stays down there now, even in the holidays. I’m so sorry - and I’ve been talking and talking about all my worries and hardly stopped to ask -” She stopped and squeezed Elizabeth’s hand and then, evidently feeling that wasn’t enough, leant forward and hugged Elizabeth, not letting her go, even though Elizabeth merely stood there, unable to respond. Hanne kissed her cheek and then drew back. “You poor darling - how awful!”
Everybody else Elizabeth knew either avoided the topic or couldn’t help the accusation in their voice when they spoke to her, but Hanne had only sympathy. Even while Elizabeth acknowledged that with gratitude, she felt something almost like terror running through her. “Don’t,” she said, breathlessly, shaking with the effort. “Hanne, don’t, please.”
They had reached a workable status quo these days, and nothing must break that: Edward was happier with the Longs in Kent than he could ever be with her now and barely even wrote, and if that hurt her unbearably, that wasn’t important in comparison to his well-being. Things had evened out; she could help Hugh, the others could help Edward, and she couldn’t complain about what was her own doing. She accepted that and mustn’t dwell on anything else. Hanne’s instinctive sympathy and affection threatened to break through the protective shell and if that happened, Elizabeth was sure she would fall down and never get back up again. She had never been used to showing her emotions; she was frightened at the idea of what would happen if shamed herself by crying now.
“If you ever need to, you must come to me,” said Hanne, being as stern as it was in her to be. Elizabeth gave her a brief, awkward embrace in return before pulling away. She knew Hanne meant it, but she didn’t think, even if she ever tried to leave Hugh, that Harold Graves would want to be involved in such a scandalous business. “Oh, why must people be so difficult? John should never have died, you know!”
That was so very Hanne-like that it lost any sting it should have had, and Elizabeth drew herself up, managing a wry smile. “I’ve always thought it was thoroughly inconsiderate of him, too,” she agreed and watched the humour of it pass Hanne by entirely. “But then, I don’t think he meant to do it.”
She made her excuses, and promised to come again as soon as she could, but at the doorway, Hanne caught at her arm suddenly.
“And I do think that Anne should know better than to -” Hanne stopped and waved her free hand. “Because - honestly -”
Elizabeth edged away, not wanting to know what her very nice sister-in-law thought of her these days, which was presumably what was getting lost in Hanne’s indignation.
“I know you think I’m silly,” said Hanne, “and I daresay I am sometimes, but I do know some things. You were so very kind to me when we first met, and you looked after Daisy and Ted for all those years, and, now, see, you haven’t even been here half an hour before you’re being far too patient with Julia when she’s been so naughty with poor Miss Cornwell all week - I don’t know how anyone could think you would ever be unkind to your own little boy.”
Elizabeth thought about pointing out that Edward was fourteen now and wouldn’t be at all pleased at that inaccurate description, but she only shook her head at Hanne. “I have to go, Hanne. I don’t think you’re silly, and I do appreciate the sentiment, but - please, it is so much better not to talk about it.”
“I think there’s far too much not talking about things,” said Hanne, “but I won’t be a nuisance, Elizabeth.” She had to stop and turn, much to Elizabeth’s relief, as Julia ran up behind her in the hallway, hugging her. “Oh, darling, what is it?”
Julia was triumphant. “It’s all better now, Mother! Mr Keynes has killed the ivy - and he’s going to burn it up on his bonfire!”
“Oh,” said Hanne blankly. “And that’s good, I take it?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said. “It is!”
***
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): White Chocolate #21 (whimsy)
Toppings/Extras: Whipped Cream + Rainbow Sprinkles + Fresh Fruit: Peaches (“Today begins ten days of intuitive rapport. People tend to know what others are thinking without anything being said when Jupiter opposes Neptune. Don't play games tonight! Emotions aren't to be tampered with under the Scorpio Moon. Couples, beware of picking someone's weak spot and saying what will hurt the most.”)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1601
Notes: 1927; Elizabeth Long, Julia Graves, Hanne Beck. (The Whipped Cream was meant for the Summer Challenge, but I didn't quite get there in time.)
Summary: There are many things that Elizabeth can’t fight, but she is at least excellent at tackling imaginary evils.
***
“Julia hasn’t been unwell, too, has she?” asked Elizabeth, casting a concerned eye towards the elder of the two children currently in the room. Hanne hadn’t mentioned it, but the young girl was noticeably paler than usual. On previous occasions Elizabeth that had seen her, she’d always seemed a happy child, but today she’d only had a muted smile for Elizabeth. “Or was it only the worry over little Rudy being so unwell lately?”
Hanne looked up in surprise. “I expect so,” she said. “She’s so fond of him - she fusses over him more than I do.” She frowned for a minute as she got up from the chair. “Miss Cornwell did say the other day that she was being tiresome about bedtime, but that’s not unusual, is it?”
“No,” said Elizabeth, but she thought: Oh, Hanne. It would, of course, at this point be deeply ironic for her to criticise however: she’d hardly even seen Edward this year - only twice, and it was already April.
“Anyway,” Hanne continued, “I must take Rudy upstairs again now, but you will stay a little longer, won’t you? It’s been much too long since we’ve seen you.”
Elizabeth nodded and didn’t explain that was because Hanne, being Hanne, no amount of discreet warnings had been enough to prevent her blithely talking about John and Edward in the presence of Elizabeth's awkward second husband, Hugh. It was, after all, Hugh who was being unreasonable, not Hanne. “Perhaps,” she said, with a smile for the girl, “in the meantime, Julia can show me round the garden?”
Elizabeth waited while Julia led her across to the most important part of the garden - her own little patch that Mr Keynes the gardener had let her have. Then she sat down on the low stone wall beside the rockery and patted the space beside her for Julia to join her.
“Now,” she said, “I’m going to make a guess. Do you mind?”
Julia shook her fair head, looking instantly interested.
“Well,” said Elizabeth, “is there something frightening you in the night? Something in your room, or a nasty dream, perhaps?” With Rudy’s illness, the latter would hardly be surprising, she thought - people marching up and down the stairs at all times of the day and night to disturb her, worried adults and vague explanations, and being kept away from her little brother.
Julia looked down hastily and shook her head. Then she said, slowly, “Miss Cornwell said I was being silly.”
“Is it your brother?” asked Elizabeth. “That’s not at all silly, you know, darling.”
Julia looked up again in sudden relief. “He told me what it would do and now it is - it’s trying to get in!”
Elizabeth had a moment of complete incomprehension before she realised that Julia must mean her other brother, Christy, who was six years older and exactly the sort of age to think it a great joke to tease his little sister. She was careful to bite back any hint of a smile, however, and said, “Well, then, you’d better explain it to me properly and we’ll see what we can do.”
It took a little while to get things clear - a not-yet-five-year-old narrator was not the most coherent source - but eventually she extracted the tale of how Christy had told her that ivy was evil; that it was poisonous and ate houses and smothered people, and Julia had been scared of the ivy creeping across the back of the house ever since, and last week, she said, it had started banging on the window and trying to get in. She had, it seemed, tried to explain to her governess one night, but Miss Cornwell had told her briskly that that was nonsense and ivy didn’t do that, but it hadn’t stopped Julia being scared.
“Oh, dear,” said Elizabeth and then stood, bending back down to offer Julia her hand. “Still, don’t worry. Ivy isn’t really as bad as Christy thinks, and I’m sure we can put a stop to that sort of mischief quite easily.”
Julia took her hand, and they walked back down the garden in search of Mr Keynes, whom they’d said hello to as they passed earlier. Elizabeth felt fairly confident that if he was willing to give Julia her own patch to play with in the garden that he would probably happily move trimming the ivy up his list to save her the fright, as long as it was within his power. It had most likely only been left so long with everybody being distracted over little Rudy.
“Oh, now,” said Mr Keynes when he heard. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? I’ll have to show that old ivy who’s boss and then you’ll have nothing more to worry over.” He looked over at Elizabeth. “I was waiting to have a word with Mr Graves about it - but I can get up there and get that bit over the nursery window this afternoon, no problem at all.”
Elizabeth thanked him and then glanced down at Julia. “And there we are. Mr Keynes will sort it all out for you. I’m sure Christy knows lots of things but he can’t possibly know as much about ivy as Mr Keynes.”
“No,” agreed Julia, and then she let Elizabeth lead her back into the house, looking at least a little more like her usual cheerful self.
“I saw Anne the other day,” Hanne said, as they made their farewells in the hallway. “She told me that Edward stays down there now, even in the holidays. I’m so sorry - and I’ve been talking and talking about all my worries and hardly stopped to ask -” She stopped and squeezed Elizabeth’s hand and then, evidently feeling that wasn’t enough, leant forward and hugged Elizabeth, not letting her go, even though Elizabeth merely stood there, unable to respond. Hanne kissed her cheek and then drew back. “You poor darling - how awful!”
Everybody else Elizabeth knew either avoided the topic or couldn’t help the accusation in their voice when they spoke to her, but Hanne had only sympathy. Even while Elizabeth acknowledged that with gratitude, she felt something almost like terror running through her. “Don’t,” she said, breathlessly, shaking with the effort. “Hanne, don’t, please.”
They had reached a workable status quo these days, and nothing must break that: Edward was happier with the Longs in Kent than he could ever be with her now and barely even wrote, and if that hurt her unbearably, that wasn’t important in comparison to his well-being. Things had evened out; she could help Hugh, the others could help Edward, and she couldn’t complain about what was her own doing. She accepted that and mustn’t dwell on anything else. Hanne’s instinctive sympathy and affection threatened to break through the protective shell and if that happened, Elizabeth was sure she would fall down and never get back up again. She had never been used to showing her emotions; she was frightened at the idea of what would happen if shamed herself by crying now.
“If you ever need to, you must come to me,” said Hanne, being as stern as it was in her to be. Elizabeth gave her a brief, awkward embrace in return before pulling away. She knew Hanne meant it, but she didn’t think, even if she ever tried to leave Hugh, that Harold Graves would want to be involved in such a scandalous business. “Oh, why must people be so difficult? John should never have died, you know!”
That was so very Hanne-like that it lost any sting it should have had, and Elizabeth drew herself up, managing a wry smile. “I’ve always thought it was thoroughly inconsiderate of him, too,” she agreed and watched the humour of it pass Hanne by entirely. “But then, I don’t think he meant to do it.”
She made her excuses, and promised to come again as soon as she could, but at the doorway, Hanne caught at her arm suddenly.
“And I do think that Anne should know better than to -” Hanne stopped and waved her free hand. “Because - honestly -”
Elizabeth edged away, not wanting to know what her very nice sister-in-law thought of her these days, which was presumably what was getting lost in Hanne’s indignation.
“I know you think I’m silly,” said Hanne, “and I daresay I am sometimes, but I do know some things. You were so very kind to me when we first met, and you looked after Daisy and Ted for all those years, and, now, see, you haven’t even been here half an hour before you’re being far too patient with Julia when she’s been so naughty with poor Miss Cornwell all week - I don’t know how anyone could think you would ever be unkind to your own little boy.”
Elizabeth thought about pointing out that Edward was fourteen now and wouldn’t be at all pleased at that inaccurate description, but she only shook her head at Hanne. “I have to go, Hanne. I don’t think you’re silly, and I do appreciate the sentiment, but - please, it is so much better not to talk about it.”
“I think there’s far too much not talking about things,” said Hanne, “but I won’t be a nuisance, Elizabeth.” She had to stop and turn, much to Elizabeth’s relief, as Julia ran up behind her in the hallway, hugging her. “Oh, darling, what is it?”
Julia was triumphant. “It’s all better now, Mother! Mr Keynes has killed the ivy - and he’s going to burn it up on his bonfire!”
“Oh,” said Hanne blankly. “And that’s good, I take it?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said. “It is!”
***