The CBB :: View topic - Hilda's Revenge (Part II) P30 24/07/08 Completed!

Thanks Mary I am wondering what Nell is going to find in her bedroom!!!

I await developments with anticipation, and a box of plasters at the ready - if Nell carries on at this rate, there are going to be casualties all over the place!

A sudden suspicion made her go and check her bed, but it wasn’t there, either.

...I'm glad to see that even if her boot was missing a lace, her unknown assailant had stopped short of putting any foreign bodies inside them!!

I'm glad to see that even if her boot was missing a lace, her unknown assailant had stopped short of putting any foreign bodies inside them!!

Think my money is on Hilda as the instigator too, and will look forward to finding out if I'm right.

I also google "damp bed testers" to see if they actually exist :oops:

(hey, you brits have some weird things) :wink:

“Oh, nothing too important, then,” murmured Hilda. “I would hate to think it was school post you’d lost.”

Though I think this one might be more appropriate this time. :witch:

Nell won't find any relief until Hilda does play her last card, that is certain!

Mary thanks and I still think this is the most appropriate :witch:

“Perhaps you were too weak with hunger to press it properly,” offered Vi, closing the door behind Nell

Oh Hilda, how much longer are you going to keep winding Nell up? :lol:

And Mary, how much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? :lol:

Poor Nell but ... cards on Sunday??? :shock:

She'll get struck down next and then how much of a birthday will she have? :shock:

...the girls promptly collapsed into their pillows, writhing with unseemly laughter.

Were they all in cahoots?

By the way, I’m thinking of instituting the system of Head’s Reports over here – and guess who’ll be the first on the carpet?

I don’t know what’s wrong with you all this lovely day but if anyone else comes knocking on my door for anything, anything at all, they might not live to tell the tale.”

Poor Nell. Whats the betting her Journals won't be there

Talk about the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. If this keeps up, my hair will fall out, Gill!”

...a close observer might have noticed something a little strange about her need to keep biting her lips.

They're wicked, all of them!
Merci, cherie.

Poor Nell, it isn't improving is it?

"...Our photographer will be along at your convenience to take photographs of you in your bathing costume…"

and more at your earliest convience,please

"The blackguard!” she shrieked as she pelted up the stairs. “The sneaky snake in the grass! The perfidious, double-dealing, tricksy scoundrel! I will never forgive her for this. How could she…?”

Such language from a dignified headmistress....

The perfidious, double-dealing, tricksy scoundrel!

Two nights running do you, Katya?

And now I have a somewhat disturbing image of Nell as Gollum :shock:

Fancy going for a hat-trick? :wink:

If I must, she sighs. :poke:

Pokes Katya!

“They not only broke the mould after they fashioned you, they buried it very, very deeply in a dark hole and concreted over it, just to keep the world safe.”

Calm blue-grey eyes stared up into incandescent grey ones. “Mmmm! My minions did do rather well, didn’t they? I couldn’t fault them,” she teased provokingly. The hands round her neck tightened.

.... superb denoument - but I'd still like to be reassured that the evening of Nell's birthday will be pleasantly spent - surely Hilda has a special meal planned, at least??? :lol:

and I'm sure we'd all like to hear about it :twisted:

'Tis only mid-afternoon yet - the evening will come soon enough!!

"...I sat in my study awaiting updates of your reactions and encouraging them when they started to feel sorry for you.”

Nell was looking steamy again. “Like a spider in her web,” she said caustically. “They say the female of the species is deadlier than the male – they must have had you in mind when they coined the phrase.”

“And what about the bed tester? It may only be small but it’s very hard and my backside has not been the same since I leapt on that gift of yours….”

Their ideas were all their own, I promise, though they did ask for help with the grammar!”

Nell surveyed Hilda’s calm face and twinkling eyes. “I thought you’d deserted me for another,” she teased softly. “No time to come for coffee, not a whisper of a birthday wish. You just upped and left….”

Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made.
(Robert Browning)

What you see here, what we have together – it’s forever and a day, and for all eternity.

Hilda and the staff are, indeed, thoroughly wicked, the poor woman must have thought she'd slipped into an alternative universe!

Everyone should have a Nell Wilson in their lives.

"Have you taken to reading the dictionary just lately?”

“Living in close proximity to you is giving me bad habits,” retorted Nell...

Everyone should have a Nell Wilson in their lives

I, Hilda Mary Annersley, being of sound mind, do promise to accompany Helena Margaret Wilson on any trip she may care to make into the desert, even if I have to cuddle up to any number of camels. I even promise to ride said camels. The words written at the front of the book apply even to deserts.

“You leave me to look after my bony protuberances, Nell Wilson – as well as my accoutrements.” Hilda’s voice softened. “No, if that’s where you want to go next, then I’m game. The promise is forever. But this....

“You leave me to look after my bony protuberances, Nell Wilson – as well as my accoutrements.”

There was a long moment of sweet appraisal and affection, broken only when Hilda cleared her throat...

“A book about deserts!”

But what are the words written at the front of the book? Please put me out of my misery.

Nell knew there was nothing more to be said. They read each other’s hearts and that was enough, and more than enough.

Surely there are no restaurants on the Platz?

Her eyes were luminous and Nell knew there was nothing more to be said. They read each other’s hearts and that was enough, and more than enough

....Nell knew there was nothing more to be said. They read each other’s hearts and that was enough, and more than enough.

They read each other’s hearts and that was enough, and more than enough.

Lesley wrote:

]Surely there are no restaurants on the Platz?

There must be, Lesley, coz Mary told us that they went to one not so long ago :lol:

. . . can't remember the occasion, though :oops:

- was it Hilda's birthday?

“Yes, marmee,” said Nell, flourishing a large white square in the air before tucking it into her bag. “Can we go, now?”

“You can – but whether you may is an altogether different matter!”

It was in Turning the Tables, Ruth - the drabble about Hilda's 21 years as Head, the drabble which precipitated Hilda into an orgy of revenge on Nell! Nell took her to Interlaken, to a French restaurant. And of course there was that fabulous restaurant that Hilda took Nell to in the Auvergne. Um, you might find she has slightly different ideas this time....

“Stop hiding,” was all she said, but Hilda understood.
***
“You look lovely,” said Hilda quietly...

Now that they are both dressed for 'out', may we learn where they are going for dinner, given that this is Sunday and we are on the Platz?

“Hilda!” she whimpered. “Hilda, where are you? What are you trying to do to me? What is it?”

Hilda sauntered forward. “It’s a car, Nell.”

Hilda said nothing in reply, simply opened the door, ushered Nell through, then stood back to watch what she would do…

She was not disappointed. Nell walked out into the sunshine, heard a babble of voices in the distance, looked that way – and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Hilda!” she whimpered. “Hilda, where are you? What are you trying to do to me? What is it?”

"...They can’t all have got lost or had exciting adventures and been rescued by stray doctors..."

"...You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” she asked in sudden alarm.

Nell shook her head and laughed. “Only my pride! ..."

Please do something where Rosalie and Gill plot something equally devious for Hilda! Not now, obviously, but some time in the future - and thank you for a very funny story!

Hilda grinned in sympathy. “Poor man,” she murmured. “He must be wondering what’s hit him, with Nell in this mood. Maybe I should go to his rescue.”

She waved her arms wildly in the air as she spoke, nearly hitting Hilda on the nose, and those closest to her giggled at their lively Headmistress’s antics.

“It’s beautiful, Hilda,” whispered Nell, hugging herself in her excitement. “And you’re beautiful, too, doing this again for me. After all, today is only an ordinary, unremarkable birthday. And I guess in this day and age, even a fiftieth birthday should have been celebrated quietly, not blazoned abroad as you did last year. You really do take your own words to heart, don’t you – the ones about spoiling each other?”

... And uh, good pun there, Mary. Mileage indeed! *snorts*

I'm so glad Hilda is back to being her insistent self again.

Nell . . . gradually became aware of something odd.....

The restrained elegance of this one, large as it was, appealed to her far more than the exotic voluptuousness of the bright green and gold car of the year before, though Nell had revelled in that one for its sheer outrageousness.

Love this, Mary, although slightly at the line about the handcuffs. 'Twas a time that would have led to a freefall into the gutter.

All I ask is that you mind your glad rags. That jacket won’t take any kindlier to oil or grease than Jack’s uniform will – or than Matey will, come to that! If Jack gets so much as a spot of oil anywhere, we’ll never hear the last of it. So just for once, take care!”

“No! Tell me we’re not! You wouldn’t! You can’t be parading us in front of the school proper as well…”

“Well! Go on! I know you! You were itching to get under that bonnet a little earlier, as much as Jack is now. All I ask is that you mind your glad rags. That jacket won’t take any kindlier to oil or grease than Jack’s uniform will – or than Matey will, come to that! If Jack gets so much as a spot of oil anywhere, we’ll never hear the last of it. So just for once, take care!”

Shouldn't be too oily if they're just looking, should it?
'Course they might not be able to resist a bit more.

...especially between two people who, on the surface at least, seemed so different. Different personalities, different interests, even different faiths. Yet rather than being repulsed by those differences, we seemed to rejoice in them, as though we were both intrigued by how much we could like, and yes love, someone who was so dissimilar. It took some time before we even recognised just how close we had become, a near tragedy in fact.

Nell’s eyes glowed. “I think it’s the very differences that cement us, dear girl.”

Hilda gazed lovingly at Nell's vivid face, and recalled her own musings during the carriage ride in the Auvergne the year before. She had thought then that their opposing natures only enhanced the complexity of their relationship and gave it added lustre.

Perhaps I should remind you that the Bible tells us to forgive our enemies, not our friends

“Thanks so much for giving me the chance to see inside her engine, Miss Annersley. It is sooooo different from the school cars. Perhaps you could….”

“No, Jack,” the two women replied in unison.

Nell waggled her black eyebrows at her. “Bit like their Headmistress, really! Miss Prunes and Prisms personified!”

“Beaten?” cried Nell. “Hah! You cheated. You practised in secret. Perhaps I should remind you that the Bible tells us to forgive our enemies, not our friends.”

and underneath all the fun and banter is that meeting of hearts and minds which.... makes Hilda know so unerringly what will give Nell most pleasure.

As for Nell

Quote:

Perhaps I should remind you that the Bible tells us to forgive our enemies, not our friends

MARY!!!! It took me a minute to get it, but now I shall shamelessly steal it - I like it lots!

“Some of them need scarifying,” replied Nell darkly. “Did you see his trousers? He must have been poured into them. Goodness only knows how he gets out of them.”

“A tin opener, perhaps,” chuckled Hilda.

“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked. “Somewhere that’s always open, I think you said. Curious…”

Nell gazed at her with loving eyes. “But we teach the children about the magic of Father Christmas. We tell them fairy tales. This was no different. The car and the occasion demanded something a little out of the ordinary – so I gave it to them. And it was a joy to watch, especially when the little one went looking for your wings. He had you tagged as one very special lady, just as I do!”

.....though certainly she knows that they will have a sumptuous dinner at the end of it.

. . . deep affection hidden beneath the fierce banter

“It’s your fault, with all that talk of magic and fairy princesses,” she accused her friend. “You’ve conjured this up out of thin air. If I should blink, the house and gardens will disappear, and just end up as one more of your many practical jokes.”

Hilda lifted her head and gazed on the ever-present mountains all around, the eternal snows of the mighty peaks gleaming silver in the soft light.

And, now when do we get to see more of the sumptuous surroundings?

“He’s not around at the moment, but he told me to make you feel welcome so let’s go on through. Perhaps you can return sometime and meet him. For I shall tell him he has missed a rare treat, that you are two most discerning women and appreciate everything you've seen and done.”

The wooden floor was highly polished and shone like the lake itself. Nell glanced at Hilda and grimaced. One could so very clearly see her thinking that she must be careful not to hit the deck again.

I feel as though we've strayed into a different story - Le Grand Meaulnes, perhaps?

And to think people regard me as the irreverent one. If only they knew!

PS Wonder what is in Sinclair's special cocktail?

Impossible only means that I haven’t yet found the solution.

We’ve been so very lucky in our lives, Nell.

Can’t hold her drink at all, I’m afraid.

and Sinclair waited so expressively, thought Hilda to herself

do please give her the ingredients or she’ll keep experimenting on me until she discovers the right mix, and I will find myself constantly under the table

I too have begun to wonder whether 'Sinclair' and 'Sir' are one and the
same

She always gets what she wants in the end, and no one ever realises just how much they’ve been played. Deceitful, I call it. Most people just call it charm.

the aroma emanating from the house was redolent of England and comfort

Am also astonished at Sinclair's dexterity - am imagining him with three hands

“Eat your fish and chips, do, and stop being so soppy and sentimental. It doesn’t suit you.” Hilda’s lovely voice might have been tart, but the eyes were softly blue and very tender as they beamed across at Nell…

“Oh, eat it as is, dear girl,” chuckled Nell. “I might even use my fingers, seeing as they were invented before forks,” and she proceeded to pop a golden chip into her mouth then close her eyes in pleasure. “Mmmmm, cooked to perfection, Sinclair. How does he do it, love?”

“Please don’t ever change, Nell,” pleaded Hilda, smothering a laugh at Nell’s expression. She proceeded to copy Nell, though they did resort to knives for the battered fish

Memorable and different, infuriating and downright dangerous, but flawlessly planned and executed….

still shaking her head and laughing at the ridiculous contrast of it all. As she had said earlier, it never did to relax too much around Hilda. That quiet demeanour hid the workings of a truly intelligent and original mind.

Memorable and different, infuriating and downright dangerous, but flawlessly planned and executed…. What else, when it’s Hilda Annersley at the helm?” Her voice softened. “You know me far too well, love, and always seem to divine what I need or want before I do so myself.

They must enliven every corner they visited.....

The two women weren’t talking, he noticed, just standing arm in arm, but there was an aura of sweet contentment about them that was very moving. Not many people he knew seemed as happy with their lives as these two lovely women, or as willing to share what they had with others. He wondered where and how they had come by their wisdom and understanding and self-possession. He would give much to have them as friends.

One glance told him how right he had been. Such peaceful faces, at ease with themselves and with each other and the world at large…

thinking to himself how quiet the place would seem without the grace and vivacity of these two friends, once they had departed. They must enliven every corner they visited.....

“Brioche,” he murmured, “coated with….”

“Marmalade,” cried Nell, as she swallowed another morsel. “Really strong marmalade…. And there’s cream as well….But I can taste something else, something in the currants…” She frowned, trying to pinpoint it.

“Well, it’s come to something, when you don’t recognise your own favourite tipple,” declared Hilda indignantly.

“Whisky?” gasped Nell, in some surprise. She took another mouthful, let it linger on her tongue, then nodded and sighed. “My mother never made it like this,” she complained.

I love Nell holding her knife and fork and like a child waiting to dive into her food. Very apt and can just picture it.

“My mother never made it like this,” she complained.
“She probably had the somewhat strange idea that half a pint of whisky and half a pint of cream wouldn’t be good for you,” said Hilda with some severity.
Nell gulped and sat up. “She’d have been right,” she said blankly.

Hmm, I seem to know that recipe!

". . . With no other person, man or woman, could I have found what I have found in our friendship, Nell. An equal partnership, indeed, and I have been supremely blessed each and every day of it.”

"With no other person, man or woman, could I have found what I have found in our friendship, Nell. An equal partnership, indeed, and I have been supremely blessed each and every day of it.” ......
Theirs was that union of hearts and minds and spirits she had mentioned, a union that exerted no undue force, made no selfish demands, offered each of them the freedom to be who and what they were, with nothing held back. A union that was now so strong and vital it could encompass anything.

“It’s no wonder you never married,” Nell began softly. “He’d think he’d found himself some quiet, gentle, biddable woman, with a smattering of intelligence – and then wham! You’d smack him right between the eyes, when he was least expecting it. And you’d look so unthreatening that he would wonder forever afterwards if he had dreamed it.”

"As ours is,” echoed Hilda, gently. She took Nell’s hand in both her own, held it lightly. “And always has, from the moment we found how much we needed each other. With no other person, man or woman, could I have found what I have found in our friendship, Nell. An equal partnership, indeed, and I have been supremely blessed each and every day of it.”

Ever the imp of mischief, Nell suddenly smiled across the table. “Nobody would ever again tell you what to do, did you say, dear girl? Does that apply to Gwynneth as much as anyone else, or is she somehow exempt from your embargo?”

a union that exerted no undue force, made no selfish demands, offered each of them the freedom to be who and what they were, with nothing held back.

He’d think he’d found himself some quiet, gentle, biddable woman, with a smattering of intelligence – and then wham! You’d smack him right between the eyes, when he was least expecting it. And you’d look so unthreatening that he would wonder forever afterwards if he had dreamed it.”

he died, alone and far from home and from love, leaving me to grieve alone, with no one to be my home any more.

With no other person, man or woman, could I have found what I have found in our friendship, Nell ... She smiled at her friend, her life’s companion, her other self ... Theirs was that union of hearts and minds and spirits she had mentioned, a union that exerted no undue force, made no selfish demands, offered each of them the freedom to be who and what they were, with nothing held back.

...But I fancy true equality in any relationship is still a very rare and precious thing, and I have Gaudy Night running through my head again:
Miss De Vine to Harriet Vane:
"You needn't be afraid of losing your independence, he (Wimsey) will always force it back on you. If you ever find any kind of repose with him, it can only be the repose of very delicate balance"

“It is magical and marvellous, and all laid on just for your benefit. "

The air was very still, the water flat and mirror-like, reflecting back the opalescent shades of evening as the blue sky melted into marshmallow clouds of pink and lilac and apricot, all edged with gold, the sun still shining behind them. The eternal snows across the lake were tinged a most beautiful, translucent pink for long, solemn moments. Heaven itself could have been no more beautiful, nor more sweetly peaceful.

“It is magical and marvellous, and all laid on just for your benefit."

P.S. Could you explain the flannel idiom please?

(Flannel for me is just a soft cotton cloth, associated with warm nighties, outdoorsy shirts, lined jeans, and, in older American novels, clothing for the poor. Also in British books there seem to be face flannels, which I visualize as ordinary terry washcloths.)

They considered, then shook their heads. The cocktails had been enough and they did have to teach, and behave as sensible Headmistresses, in the morning.

Thank you, abbybufo: that helps. Good thing you went into detail, though, since "waffle" to me means "to avoid coming down on one side or the other," either because one is still trying to find a balance or for diplomatic/political reasons, while persiflage is more a pseudo-insulting sort of banter. It sounds as though flannel is falling more into the banter category.

(Sorry for interrupting, Mary.)

Kathy_S wrote:

Actually, Kathy, *flannel* can also mean small bribes or compliments and Nell was using it here to mean Sinclair's gentle compliments and blandishments to the pair of them - as well as his banter, as Ruth so rightly describes. I would have got here sooner, but had only just seen your comments when Ruth very kindly popped up. :roll:

Sinclair realised how totally aware of each other’s foibles and eccentricities they were, but also how mindful of each other’s needs.

“Why would it melt? A cake is a cake is a cake, solid once baked!”

“Not when it’s an ice cream cake!” crowed Hilda in triumph.

“Oh, how wonderful! I get my ice cream after all,” cried Nell in delight.

She stopped and frowned suspiciously at the cake, as though it were a naughty schoolgirl, up to no good.

Anything might happen out here tonight

We do still need to know whose house this is, and who Sinclair is - and 'Sir' if they are really two separate people.

More to the point - what did Hilda notice that made her give that tiny smile a few posts ago, and which presumably confirmed her suspicion that there were two Sinclairs?

.....Sinclair had been standing quietly by, feeling almost like an intruder as they exchanged their thoughts, but now he gently set slices of the ice cream gâteau before them. He cleared his throat to attract their attention. “Eat! Before it melts and you have to drink it. I’m all out of straws in the kitchen at the moment, I’m afraid….”

TWO Sinclairs :?:

This is worthy of Agatha Christie, Mary! Dying to know how Hilda cottoned on, and am feeling sorry for poor bemused Nell - and poor bemused us, for that matter. However do you think it all up??? :wink:

Might know you'd think of something this confuzzling. :lol:

...and am feeling sorry for poor bemused Nell - and poor bemused us, for that matter. However do you think it all up???

No one, but no one, fools Hilda Annersley ... She has the well-honed instincts of a Rottweiler, and senses mischief a mile away. I get away with nothing. The girls get away with nothing. So why on earth should you? Just be glad she doesn’t bite – much!

That’s what you’re good at, dear girl – watching, listening, learning. It’s how you get inside people

“That’s what you’re good at, dear girl – watching, listening, learning. It’s how you get inside people, far more than I ever do"

please Miss, I want some more!
On tenterhooks here, and it isn't comfortable.

(I have a very small bunny sitting here now... may I send it to you?)

A wonderful unravelling of clues - worthy of Sherlock Holmes.
But Mary dear, shouldn't I feed the bunny up while you finish this? He'll be so much bigger then....

Author:	MaryR [ 28 Jan 2008, 20:55 ]
Post subject:	Hilda's Revenge (Part II) P30 24/07/08 Completed!
I know! I know! I too thought this was done and dusted long ago. But on those long journeys to Wales Hilda has been whispering to me - even nagging me! So I've given in to her. I do hope you'll forgive her.... To find Part 1 click here - Hilda's Revenge, part 1 Several months later “Nell! Nell, wake up!” The figure in the bed groaned, turned over and pulled the covers over her head. The voice spoke again, crossly. “Nell Wilson, wake up this instant!” Another groan, and then Nell sat up so suddenly that her head banged against the chin of the person leaning over her. Swear words could be heard ricocheting around the room, followed by an indignant squawk from Nell. “What on earth do you want, Grace? It’s six o’clock on a Sunday morning…” “Sunday morning be blowed!” grunted Grace Nalder, rubbing her chin gingerly. “Goodness, Nell, I knew you for a hard-headed woman, but not that hard! I’ll be black and blue. We’ve had a burglary – I think!” “You think?” asked Nell blankly. “Don’t you know?” “Well, a banging noise woke me up just now and I tracked it to your office. The window is wide open.” Nell leapt out of bed so fast she caused another collision, sending tiny Grace Nalder tottering against the bedside cupboard. “Nell Wilson, you’re a danger to life and limb,” she muttered, rubbing her hip and watching her Headmistress struggling into dressing gown and slippers. “God help any burglar who gets in your way! I woke you up because I don’t know if anything’s missing. You’re the only one who can tell me that.” “Which is why you woke me up so unceremoniously, I suppose,” muttered Nell crossly. She stalked out of the room, trying her belt tightly round her waist. Grace followed her out, only to be used as a punch bag yet again when Nell hastily rushed back into her room. She seized her walking stick, rushed out again and ran lithely down the stairs, followed much more sedately by her colleague. She did pause near her office door to listen for any abnormal sounds, but seeing the door was wide open she stormed in brandishing the stick. “Don’t you think you’re overdoing it a bit?” asked Grace as she strolled casually into the room after Nell. “No one attacked me when I came in here earlier, and I’m only thimble sized, to say the least. So why would any self-respecting burglar then hang around to be set upon by a wild Amazon wielding a stick?” Nell turned and glared at her, but Grace simply shrugged and added scathingly, “He’s long gone – if he was ever here. The only one who’s dangerous around here is you.” Looking rather shame-faced, Nell laid the stick carefully on her desk and scrutinised the window and sill behind it. “No sign of a forced entry. Let’s see what we can find.” She proceeded to examine her room inch by meticulous inch in her usual, methodical fashion. Finally, she stood up from examining the skirting boards, dusted her hands and looked at her colleague. “We’re both being silly. The window mustn’t have been fastened properly last night. There’s nothing missing and no sign anyone's been here who shouldn't be. I’m going back to bed.” Suiting the action to the words, she moved to the door, where she turned back and added, “Anyway, we have nothing that anyone would want – except the girls, of course. And there are days when I feel burglars are more than welcome to them.” With which reprehensible comment she marched off. Grace grinned at the retreating back in a most mischievous manner before sauntering off to her own quarters, humming happily under her breath....

Author:	Lesley [ 28 Jan 2008, 21:12 ]
Post subject:
Ooooh, like it - now has Grace set something up there? Thanks Mary - pleased those long journeys have awoken this once more.

Author:	Elbee [ 28 Jan 2008, 21:37 ]
Post subject:
Most intriguing, what is about to happen....? Thanks Mary, an unexpected but delightful surprise

Author:	Elder in Ontario [ 28 Jan 2008, 21:51 ]
Post subject:
Oh-oh - now what? I can see all sorts of intriguing possibilities, but will settle myself patiently to await the next bit.... Thanks for the unexpected surprise Mary - and a most welcome antidote to my unequal struggle to write two reports, each around 500 words, which have taken me all day and aren't finished yet!!!

Author:	PaulineS [ 28 Jan 2008, 21:53 ]
Post subject:
Thanks Mary I am wondering what Nell is going to find in her bedroom!!!

The CBB http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/

Hilda's Revenge (Part II) P30 24/07/08 Completed! http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4006

Author:	linda [ 28 Jan 2008, 22:51 ]
Post subject:
PaulineS wrote: Thanks Mary I am wondering what Nell is going to find in her bedroom!!! Me too!! Lovely to see this back again, thank you Mary, so glad Hilda is keeping you busy on your long journeys.

Author:	abbeybufo [ 28 Jan 2008, 23:26 ]
Post subject:
Mary you are amazing! I've just discovered this - Why didn't I know about it before - and have read it through at one sitting. Well, it means you'll have to wait even longer for the next bit of New Ideas, but there we are... I have chuckled, squeaked and wept through it all - it is of course, as others have said, made even more poignant with the foreknowledge of ND Thank you Mary. So glad that your trips to Wales have had a positive outcome in this respect, even though the reason for them has been less happy. Waiting eagerly to discover what it is that Nell will find when she returns to her room Ruth

Author:	Fiona Mc [ 29 Jan 2008, 04:08 ]
Post subject:
Have just discovered this too and am glad you were inspired to write more so I could discover it. Thanks Mary

Author:	Cath V-P [ 29 Jan 2008, 12:09 ]
Post subject:
This has a distinctly fishy aroma to it! Poor Grace, attacked not once but twice by Nell, although it seems she may deserve it.... Seriously, I'm delighted to see that further inspiration has struck, and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Author:	Sarah [ 29 Jan 2008, 12:39 ]
Post subject:
Yippee!!!! You've posted it!!!! Looking forward to more soon Mary!

Author:	Squirrel [ 29 Jan 2008, 13:05 ]
Post subject:
giggles That is wonderful Mary! What next? Poor Grace, and poor Nell. What's going to happen in the morning? Thanks Mary.

Author:	Katya [ 29 Jan 2008, 19:04 ]
Post subject:
Oh fantastic - more of this! What a treat! Very pleased I'm at home to read it as it comes! I await developments with anticipation, and a box of plasters at the ready - if Nell carries on at this rate, there are going to be casualties all over the place! Merci bien, cherie, and I look forward to more...

Author:	MaryR [ 30 Jan 2008, 20:52 ]
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Katya wrote: I await developments with anticipation, and a box of plasters at the ready - if Nell carries on at this rate, there are going to be casualties all over the place! Good idea about the plasters, Katya. Though I think you may find, later on, that it is NELL who has need of them! ....Grace grinned at Nell's retreating back in a most mischievous manner before sauntering off to her own quarters, humming happily under her breath. Nell meanwhile jumped straight back into bed. “Blast and dammit!” Those and other epithets once more flew round the room. She had landed on something extremely hard, and it hurt! Warily she pulled whatever it was from under her – and stared blankly. “My damp bed tester! But my bed doesn’t need testing! How did it get here? ” She frowned in some suspicion. Someone was up to something! But Grace Nalder had been with her the whole time so it couldn’t have been her – could it? Maybe they had poltergeists! She placed the tester on her bedside table and looked at the clock. She was far too wide awake to sleep now. Deciding to make a cup of tea instead, she padded back into her sitting room, replaced the tester on the little table where stood all her antique brass scientific instruments, examined the window nearby for forced entry marks but found nothing, and plugged in her small kettle. She got out a cup and saucer then reached into the cupboard for her tea caddy. The next moment her head had joined her hand inside the cupboard and she was glaring in fury at the empty space where her tea caddy usually reposed. Now what? Mystified, she searched all her other cupboards, shelves and drawers, but no tea caddy. A sudden suspicion made her go and check her bed, but it wasn’t there, either. She stood staring round the room. Had she lent it to someone? Not that she could remember! Never mind, she would institute proceedings later. For now, she needed a drink! But as she reached for the coffee tin, a sudden thought struck her. It was Sunday – nothing to eat and drink before Mass. Ugh! “I might as well go to early Mass since I’ve been up so long already. That means at least I'll get some breakfast fairly soon. This is a brilliant start to my birthday, I must say,” she murmured in absent irritation, then a light went on inside her head. “Silly woman! Where’ve your wits gone? Of course - it’s your birthday! Now… let me think… I remember I received some cards yesterday. I’ll open them, cheer myself up!” She went to her small desk and once more gaped in astonishment. No cards! But she distinctly recalled leaving them there the day before. She checked all the drawers. No cards! She stood up, biting her lip. Had they had burglars after all? But why would they want cards - and a tea caddy? No, after last year’s surprise birthday extravaganza from Hilda, she would have suspected her before she suspected any burglar. There had been that little matter of someone winding Hilda up about a desert trip. But Hilda was sound asleep over in the school proper at this time of the morning, not wandering around the Platz in disguise as a burglar. Hilda liked her sleep! Nope, it must be careless cleaners – or the said poltergeists. She’d check her study when she was dressed, see if she had left the cards there instead. Though she was sure she hadn’t! Giving up the mystery for the moment she looked out of the window. It was such a lovely, clear, Autumnal morning that she decided a solitary tramp might clear her head. No sooner said than done with Nell Wilson! Donning trousers and a thick sweater, she ran lithely downstairs to the mistresses’ cloakroom to put on her walking boots and jacket. She unearthed the former, slipped her feet into them, bent to fasten them – and cursed loudly again. One of the laces was broken! Yet she knew she had left them both in pristine condition last time! She hared back up the stairs, found a spare lace and hared back down again, feeling thoroughly at odds with the world. However, once she was out in the fresh air and breathing deeply her bad humour slipped away and she marched along briskly, enjoying the moment.....

Author:	Squirrel [ 30 Jan 2008, 20:57 ]
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Ouch! That all sounds most upsetting. Poor Nell! It's all going wrong tonight. But is Hilda safely tied up at the Chalet proper? I wouldn't count on it one instant. I'm glad she feels a bit happier out in the fresh air. What next...? Thanks Mary

Author:	abbeybufo [ 30 Jan 2008, 21:00 ]
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My money's on Hilda, too

Author:	Elder in Ontario [ 30 Jan 2008, 21:07 ]
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Curiouser and curiouser - I can well imagine why Nell is feeling so bewildered at the way her things have 'grown legs' in this unexpected way - but I'm glad to see that even if her boot was missing a lace, her unknown assailant had stopped short of putting any foreign bodies inside them!! Think my money is on Hilda as the instigator too, and will look forward to finding out if I'm right. Thanks for brightening up my afternoon, Mary.

Author:	Chelsea [ 30 Jan 2008, 21:37 ]
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I read "sauntering off to her own quarters" as "somersaulted off to her own quarters" - which was quite the mental picture. I also google "damp bed testers" to see if they actually exist (hey, you brits have some weird things) Thanks for the update!

Author:	di [ 30 Jan 2008, 22:45 ]
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Lovely to see this appearing again - and who's playing tricks on Nell? I also suspect Hilda, but where is she hiding? I'm sure we'll soon find out. Great writing, Mary

Author:	PaulineS [ 30 Jan 2008, 22:46 ]
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Chelsea you might need one for your stay in the UK, if you are traveling North. By the way to southerners North is north of Watford Gap (Oxford might be easier to find on a map). To the Scots south is south of the border!!!! Mary how can Nell think Hilda is still in bed at the other end of the Platz after her previous experiences unless the Matrons are involved as well as Grace.

Author:	Lesley [ 30 Jan 2008, 23:16 ]
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My money is on Hilda too! Thanks Mary

Author:	linda [ 30 Jan 2008, 23:53 ]
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The mystery deepens. My money's on Hilda too!!!! Thanks Mary

Author:	Katya [ 31 Jan 2008, 00:58 ]
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MaryR wrote: A sudden suspicion made her go and check her bed, but it wasn’t there, either. Snort! Thank you for a jolly good chuckle, my dear! This lovely, dry humour is just what I need after a long day of cleaning the kitchen. More, please, whenever you can! smiles sweetly Elder in Ontario wrote: ...I'm glad to see that even if her boot was missing a lace, her unknown assailant had stopped short of putting any foreign bodies inside them!! Snap - my thoughts exactly! And Mary, it's quite alright - I'm perfecty happy for anyone to use my plasters!

Author:	Fiona Mc [ 31 Jan 2008, 06:52 ]
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Elder in Ontario wrote: I'm glad to see that even if her boot was missing a lace, her unknown assailant had stopped short of putting any foreign bodies inside them!! Think my money is on Hilda as the instigator too, and will look forward to finding out if I'm right. That was my thoughts exactly. Thanks Mary

Author:	leahbelle [ 01 Feb 2008, 15:13 ]
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My money's also on Hilda! Thanks, Mary.

Author:	MaryR [ 01 Feb 2008, 17:01 ]
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Chelsea wrote: I also google "damp bed testers" to see if they actually exist (hey, you brits have some weird things) ! Don't be such a cheeky young madam! You think Hilda makes this stuff up? No one, but no one, could make those up! I found one selling on ebay and thought it was the ideal present for Nell! Idiosyncratic! Like we Brits, Chelsea! Once she was out in the fresh air and breathing deeply her bad humour slipped away and she marched along briskly, enjoying the moment. She should have asked Hilda along! But no doubt she would be seeing her later. Hilda Annersley never forgot such things as birthdays. Although Nell had been surprised, and not a little hurt, that Hilda had made no reference to birthdays at all, so far. Yes, they had agreed not to go overboard ever again, but complete silence on the matter was most unlike the girl! She looked at her watch and realised it was later than she thought. She turned round smartly and set off back the way she had come. She would have to go to Mass in her walking boots and trousers, rather than returning to school to change, which was a nuisance. No doubt some of the congregation there would frown in disapproval but they would have to put up with it. She barely made it in time, as it was. Father Vincent was walking onto the altar even as she slipped in the door. Glancing around for an empty seat, she saw to her surprise that Hilda was among the congregation. She slid surreptitiously into the pew beside her friend. “Whatever are you doing here?” she whispered. “Haven’t converted, have you?” Hilda gave her a withering look. “I have to be somewhere later and as St Mary's doesn't have an early service, I decided to come to Mass here instead – now hush!” Nell subsided, hurt. So much for birthday wishes! Hilda glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself, then concentrated on the Mass, while Nell tried to subdue her injured feelings and do the same. They made their way outside at the end of Mass and sauntered to the little gate that led from the chapels to the main school. Hilda looked at Nell and remarked nonchalantly, “You’re looking rather disgruntled this morning, my friend. Got out of bed the wrong side, did we?” “Got dragged out of bed early, you mean!” muttered Nell and gave Hilda an unexpurgated version of events, with much waving of hands and horrid grimaces. “Poor thing! You have had a morning of it, haven’t you? Perhaps you should go back and lie down to recover,” said Hilda sympathetically, but then turned the light of her keen eyes on her friend. “Cards, you said? What cards were those? Should I know about them?” Nell shrugged, suddenly coy about mentioning her birthday. “Oh, er... just postcards from friends and old girls… invitations… stuff like that.” She crossed her fingers inside her pockets. The keen light was extinguished, the blue-grey eyes once more benign. “Oh, nothing too important, then,” murmured Hilda. “I would hate to think it was school post you’d lost.” Nell’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re very cavalier about my personal mail!” “Not I, Nell! I’m not the one who lost it, am I?” Hilda responded, so smugly that Nell bared her teeth at her. “Put them away, please. I’m not your dentist, either. But I’m sure you’re right about all this missing…er…stuff. You’ll find the cleaners have moved it somewhere. Though that doesn’t explain my gift, does it? Hmm, I wonder - I know how fond you are of fresh air during the night, having frozen to death in not a few hotel bedrooms, so perhaps the tester just got blown into your bed.” “Your outrageous flights of fancy leave me reeling, as always,” gasped Nell. “No, you probably put a spell on the thing before you gave it to me last year – like the wicked fairy at the christening ball in Sleeping Beauty.” She suddenly began to look very alarmed and grabbed Hilda’s arm theatrically. “I won’t go to sleep for a hundred years, will I, now that thing’s been in my bed?” “Oh, Nell, you idiot!” laughed Hilda. “I hope not, because finding any Prince Charming around here might be a major problem! But you’re good at ferreting out the answers to locked room riddles, my dear – no doubt the result of all that detective fiction to which you are so addicted. So go ferret!” She glanced down at her watch. “Ah well, much as I have enjoyed this idle chit-chat, I must love you and leave you - places to go, people to see and all that.” “What?” gasped Nell. “But it’s my….” She stopped, abashed. What on earth was wrong with her? She never normally fretted about her birthday in this way. “It’s your what?” asked Hilda with a frown. Nell shook her head. “Nothing – ignore me. Have a good day, whatever it is you’re up to. You’re being very secretive, though, my dear Hilda. I thought we were partners.” If she was intending to get anything out of Hilda that way she was doomed to disappointment. The latter merely gazed at her inscrutably. Nell sighed, her shoulders drooping a little. “Well, will I see you later? Can you make time for a quick coffee together, so we can continue this idle chit-chat?” she asked hopefully. Hilda shrugged. “Perhaps! It all depends,” and with that she nodded farewell and trotted off. Nell watched her go with a fulminating eye. Some friend!

Author:	Katya [ 01 Feb 2008, 17:14 ]
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Oh, but this is brilliant! Poor Nell - and wicked Hilda! I do hope she puts Nell out of her misery soon, in whatever wonderful way she has doubtless dreamt up. I howled with laughter most of the way through, but particularly at this: Quote: “Oh, nothing too important, then,” murmured Hilda. “I would hate to think it was school post you’d lost.” Thank you for brightening a cold and snowy day, cherie!

Author:	abbeybufo [ 01 Feb 2008, 17:19 ]
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Lovely!

Author:	Elder in Ontario [ 01 Feb 2008, 17:37 ]
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Oh dear - how these two do love to tease each other - I can quite see Nell doing exactly the same to Hilda if this was Hilda's birthday!! Thanks for my day brightener, Mary - I'm not sure whether your weather is worse than ours today - it looks OK here just at this minute, but I fear we're simply in a lull between two threads of this storm!

Author:	Elbee [ 01 Feb 2008, 17:42 ]
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Poor Nell and wicked Hilda Thanks, Mary, looking forward to more soon!

Author:	Fi [ 01 Feb 2008, 17:45 ]
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This is wonderful Mary. at the banter between the two. I wonder why the famously perceptive Hilda is blatantly ignoring Nell's hurt feelings . I have to admit to sharing Nell's habit of sleeping with the window open. My housemates used to complain bitterly about the apparently "Arctic" temperature of my room. Thank You

Author:	Lesley [ 01 Feb 2008, 19:25 ]
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Well done Hilda - great wind up! Thanks Mary.

Author:	PaulineS [ 01 Feb 2008, 19:34 ]
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I wonder what Hilda is up to?? She is winding Nell up. I wonder how long she will let Nell rest before the she does something else to her. Thanks Mary. Though I think this one might be more appropriate this time.

Author:	linda [ 01 Feb 2008, 20:38 ]
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PaulineS wrote: Though I think this one might be more appropriate this time. My thoughts entirely Oh, Hilda, you are wicked!! How beautifully Nell is being wound up - Of course Hilda hasn't forgotten her birthday, as if she would!!! Thank you Mary, this is brilliant, you have had me in stitches with the banter between them!!!

Author:	Squirrel [ 01 Feb 2008, 21:03 ]
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Poor Nell indeed - and how wicked Hilda is being, just watching her squirm! How well she plays it as well. Nell won't dare to mention that it's her birthday, because she would feel that she would upset Hilda if she refered to it. Hilda is steering clear of the topic for as long as possible, because she has something else up her sleeve. The question is, what is it? Nell won't find any relief until Hilda does play her last card, that is certain! Thanks Mary - another one appreciating the laugh on a cold (though snow free) evening.