last bit - I must say I didn't realise the phone call hint would arouse so much interest 
Part 4 – Return to the Chalet School
It was her mother. Her father had been offered a sabbatical and they were taking a long holiday back home to England. Would Mary like to go with them?
To Mary’s delight, Joan asked whether there would be room for her as she always wanted to see Europe. The two girls had finished their training course and were looking forward to being fully fledged tour guides the next year. What better way to celebrate then a trip together?
The next few weeks were spent pouring over maps, planning trips from London and designing an itinerary for their extended journey on the continent.
But at the back of Mary mind was one thought – should she visit the Chalet School?
She wavered back and forth throughout the voyage to England.
After all she’d been out of touch for so long that she didn’t even know whether her form had all graduated, she may not even know anyone. But Mrs Maynard will be there, she thought wryly. She’ll always be there.
On the other hand, she was curious to see the School from a different perspective. Part of her also wanted the school and the mistresses to see the ‘new’ Mary and how she had changed.
Finally, standing on the verandah of the small London terrace house her parents had rented, she decided.
“Joan, do you mind if, when we arrive in Switzerland, we make a small detour?”
****
The school looked exactly the same – the large central chalet with the maze of corridors leading off to smaller houses. The large playing fields for cricket and tennis. The gardens with a gorgeous array of flowers and rocks.
However, the normally serene gardens were buzzing with activity.
“Something’s happening,” Mary said slightly puzzled. “Looks like …” Out of the corner of her eye she saw girls in fancy dress carrying loads of books and assorted embroidered cloths. “Oh my Lord! It’s the sale.”
“A sale?”
Mary explained, groaning slightly to herself. She had hated the annual sales – all that effort to pretend to like what she’d bought and wearing ridiculous clothes.
Suddenly she laughed and shook her head. “Well, we’re here. Might as well go in.”
“It looks like fun,” Joan said. “But those clothes are strange.”
“Fancy dress. The Chalet School always has to hold ‘themed’ sales.” Seeing Joan’s puzzled face, Mary grinned. “I’ll explain later. C’mon. This will be fun.”
She and Joan walked in and started touring the various stalls as girls ran here, there and everywhere. They stopped at an embroidery stall where Joan picked up some delicate handkerchiefs.
“No buying till the opening,” a shrill voice piped up.
“Sorry,” Joan said, putting it back.
“Don’t be cheeky, Celia.” A tall girl with dark hair plaited and wreathed around her head came into view, her blue eyes looking stern.
She put the junior in her place then turned to the two girls. “Sorry about that,” she said to Joan. “The real selling doesn’t start till after the opening but we could hold it for you if you like.”
Joan smiled and nodded. At the side, Mary watched this entire exchange with fascination. She had recognized the girl as soon as she had spoken.
Josette Russell put the handkerchiefs to one side with Joan’s name on them. “I haven’t seen you here before,” she said with a friendly smile. “Are you visit… Mary? Mary Woodley?”
“Yes,” Mary said laughing. “I knew it was you at once, Josette. How are you?”
Josette answered looking amazed. This was Mary Woodley!? This happy laughing girl with bright sparkling eyes. The Mary she remembered – well, actually she didn’t really remember much about her beyond a permanent sullen expression.
She stood talking to Mary and Joan before she was called away. “Sorry, the head girl’s work is never done,” she said. “But I’ll find the gang. They’ll be so happy to see you again.”
Mary doubted that, but it was kind of Josette to say so. But soon she was meeting all the old gang again, catching up on all the gossip and receiving their compliments on how well she looked.
Mauve Bettany was particularly interested in the fact that Mary was a tour guide and asked dozens of questions, before confiding that she too was interested in being a ‘lady courier’ as she called it.
She saw Joey Maynard who exclaimed in delight when she saw Mary. Mary was touched at Joey’s genuine admiration and realized that she had been far too hard on her in the past by dismissing her as ‘that irritating woman with too many children’.
Miss Annersley also found time to talk to her and again Mary was amazed at how pleased she was to see her. She slowly realized that the chip on her shoulder that she had carried the whole time she had been at the school had stopped her from really enjoying it. Sadly she faced the fact that she had missed out on everything the Chalet School had to offer by her own stupidity.
Then she smiled and shook her hair back – this was not the time for sad thoughts of the past.
She and Joan toured the sale, trying their hand at the games and competitions and even chose a list of names for one of Tom’s little houses. Though heaven knows what I’ll do with it if we win, Mary thought.
Then she saw her. The beautiful blue eyes, the perfect features and flowing golden hair. Vi Lucy.
“Mary! How nice to see you again,” Vi said carefully. “Josette said you were here.”
Yes, and you’ve been avoiding me, Mary thought. Not that she blamed Vi - she was sure both Vi and Barbara must have bad memories of her.
She took a deep breath – now or never. “Joan, do you mind if I talk to Vi for a minute. I’ll join you later.”
Joan nodded and asked no questions. This was the first person that Mary had not introduced her to and she realized that there was something very strange going on here. But she knew Mary enough to know that she would only explain in her own time.
“Vi, is Barbara here? I would like to talk to both of you.”
Somehow the three girls managed to find a quiet corner and after some small talk, Vi and Barbara waited for Mary to speak.
“Barbara, I want to apologise. I did a horrible thing to you back in your first term. I tried to get you in trouble because I was jealous of your friendship with Vi. The fact that I didn’t succeed was not because I didn’t try my hardest to hurt you. I’m really sorry.”
Barbara stared, slightly stunned. “Oh um … that’s all right. It’s nice of you to apologise. I’m sorry you have brooded over it for so long.”
“I always felt left out,” Mary said feeling she might as well finish what she had started. “You and Vi and the rest of the gang were so exclusive. It felt horrible to always see you go off together and know I wasn’t welcome.
“Now being back here, I realize that had I tried harder to be friendly, I could have been included more.”
Barbara took a deep breath. She realised that what was a faint unpleasant memory to her was a very large thing to Mary and she had to say the right thing.
“I’m sorry we made you feel that way,” she said gently. “I guess we were so happy with our own group that we didn’t notice who was being left out. But we should have tried harder to include you.”
“To include everyone,” Vi said, whose conscience had been pricking her the past few minutes. “I’m sorry too. I should have been friendlier when you were here.”
‘Well, I wasn’t a very attractive person then,” Mary said grinning at her. “I hope I am better now.”
Vi smiled back. “Well, judging by how everyone has been talking all afternoon about how you’ve changed, I would say you have.”
The three girls sat talking a while longer before Mary realized she’d left Joan on her own for far too long.
“Stay in touch,” Vi said. “We’d love to hear from you.”
Mary watched them walk away. Much as she knew Vi meant what she said, she knew she would never see them again.
But that was OK – she’d said what she had to say.
***
Few months later.
Mary was at her desk in Port Arthur, when Joan knocked on her office door.
“Mary, the group on Wednesday has decided to change the lunch to the new restaurant by the water. Can you help me book it? The manager really loves you,” Joan raised an eyebrow and grinned.
Mary smiled back and picked up the phone to call her boyfriend.
As they chattered, she toyed with the little model house that had pride of place on her desk.
THE END
(I’ve had to fudge the timeline a bit to make this work. But we are told that Mary was the oldest in her form by a year in Barbara. So I hope it’s not too unrealistic to suppose she had been working for a year, while her old form were still at school.
The sale they attend is the one described in Wins the Trick. Vi is definitely there as we are told she ran Tom’s house competition with Mary-Lou and Hilary Bennett while Barbara is still at the school as a prefect so I assume she would be in the thick of the sale.
I hope you have enjoyed this. Now I have to find another underdog to redeem. Phil Craven, anyone?)
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I'm glad she's had a better future now.... (if you know what I mean 
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