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Among the Heath and Harebells
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4017
Author:  Róisín [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:31 am ]
Post subject:  Among the Heath and Harebells
A small dapper woman sat in the back of the carriage and read her book earnestly. It had been a long drive from Rockhampton, but she had had plenty of ‘Elsie’ to keep her going. She was a teacher and missionary, and found the slight novels a great aid in illustrating her morals to her young heathen subjects. A knock on the roof of her vehicle signalled that they were within a few miles of their destination, and she folded the book neatly and proceeded to make herself tidy. The stray hairs she tucked in were gray now, but her eyes gleamed brightly still with all the vim and enthusiasm of life. When she had completed her toilet, she folded her hands neatly together, and waited. Soon they would be there, and she wondered what she would find.

The horses walked tiredly in through the outer boundaries of the small plantation. She peered out the window and saw that many parts of it were gone to ruin. There were no crowds of workers here, as there had been in her father’s day, although she could still see the odd Chinese man hunched over his labours. She was frowning thoroughly by the time they pulled up before the dilapidated house. Her man stood down and opened her door, nodding respectfully. She gathered loose grey skirts together and stepped daintily into the dry Queensland earth. She indicated to her man that he was to rap the knocker. Presently, the door opened.

“Miss...! Is it you?!” an old woman gasped incoherently.
“Yes, Nelly, it is I,” answered Esther Russell. “I’ve been making a tour of the lower part of the country and thought to call on the old place. Is the Master in?”
“No, no, Miss, he’s away out working in the fields tonight – tis the lambin’ season. But come away in, come away in.”
Miss Russell shook out her sun parasol and acquiescd graciously. She stepped over the threshold and allowed her old nanny to show her to a guestroom, and to make her comfortable. It would soon be night, and she could see Stephen tomorrow.

***

Full marks to anyone who can guess the crossover!
Author:  Mona [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:45 am ]
Post subject: 
Good start, Roisin, thanks. I've no idea what the crossover is though!
Author:  keren [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:25 am ]
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A range of things from 7 little austalians to jane eyre come to mind!
Author:  Travellers Joy [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:36 am ]
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Or Gone with th Wind!
Author:  Róisín [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:46 pm ]
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Wuthering Heights :D
Author:  Travellers Joy [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:00 pm ]
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Of course! The 'heath' should have tipped me off! :roll:
Author:  Alison H [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:03 pm ]
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Oh I should have guessed that - the combination of heath and Nelly!!

Intrigued as to how it's going to fit in with the Venables family (it is them, isn't it?), though.
Author:  keren [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nelly made me think of that, but then I thought that they are all dead so who could it be?
Author:  roversgirl [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for this! I think I need to find a copy of Wuthering Heights...
Author:  Róisín [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:08 pm ]
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It was late already when Nelly Dean showed Miss Russell into her bedroom. Nelly had been surprised to see her old charge, but she knew better than to let it show, or to question the fastidious spinster. She disappeared to bring some soup and some bread. On her return, she bid Miss Russell goodnight, promising that they should speak more fully in the morning.

Esther ate her bread and soup daintily with one of the Elsie ‘Roselands’ sagas propped up before her. She made notes as she went along, stopping to think every so often about the application of a particular moral. Finally, exhausted, she combed through her hair, slipped into a fresh white nightgown and took herself into bed.

Tired though she was, she found it hard to sleep. She frowned to herself. It was always like this, the first night in a new and strange bed. The house was creaky and made unexpected noises. There were dingoes about in the bush. She could hear scrabbling and squeaking from overhead. Sighing, she set her teeth and resolved to sleep. She would count sheep, yes, that was an idea. Soon she was dozing fitfully.

The night wore on in its usual peaceful manner. But though Esther slept, she did not rest. As soon as she had fallen fully asleep, dark images had crowded her mind. She felt herself in that bedroom again, with the creaks and the rattles of the wild Australian outback pressing in through the thin wooden walls of the ranch house. The windows shuddered in a hot night breeze. In her sleep, Esther pulled her arms about herself more tightly. In her mind, she gazed, horrified, at the windows, knowing that something was out there. A very small, very thin, hand rose slowly up the pane and began to tap. Then another appeared and did the same, then another and another. Esther saw three faces looking in at her. They were horribly thin and very young. But they were saying something.
“Let us in, please let us in!” cried one in a reedy voice.
“Don’t leave us outside!” whispered his brother.
The third, smallest one, simply kept tapping, voicelessly, hopelessly.

Esther woke herself with the sound of her own screams.

***
Author:  Alison H [ Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
That bit of Wuthering Heights always gives me the creeps :roll: . Can't wait to see how all this is going to fit together - assume Stephen Venables will be Heathcliff?
Author:  leahbelle [ Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
Ooo, very eerie! Thanks, Roisin.
Author:  Róisín [ Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:09 pm ]
Post subject: 
She shivered as she pulled her knitted blue bedjacket tightly around her shoulders. Though the dawn was creaking through the panes of glass, and its soft rays offered a light comfort, she could not rid herself of the image that had woken her. She sipped from her glass of water, but it tasted like dust.
“I must begin the day,” she thought to herself, and slipped shakily down to the floor so she could kneel, and pray. Her head was heavy.
“Miss Russell,” came a voice from the doorway. “Miss Russell, are you feeling ill? You look pale.”
Esther smiled. “Good morning, Nelly. Yes, I feel a little weak, I’m afraid I slept badly. I say, don’t bring me breakfast, no, I’ll dress and be in presently.”
Nelly nodded and left for the kitchen.

“What a sight it is to see little Esther again,” she thought. Nelly was still inclined to disbelieve that her visitor had come at all. It could get very lonely while the men were out working on the fields, and she was glad of company. But Esther!

Esther Russell had been a dear baby, Nelly remembered, and a careful and considerate young woman. Nobody had been surprised when, still a girl, she had declared herself for the missionary path. Bound by the rule of her chosen order, she had cut herself off from all family and home connections. Nelly knew that James Russell Snr had only seen his sister six times in the last thirty years, and she remembered that during those precious visits, nothing had been permitted to spoil Esther’s stay. The secrets they had kept from her! Nelly smiled sombrely at the memories.

Esther herself entered then, interrupting Nelly’s reflections.
“Oh, don’t bother to lay an extra table, Nelly,” she ordered. “Just set breakfast in the kitchen and we can break our fast together.”
“Yes, Miss Russell,” answered Nelly. “May I ask, if you feel healthy enough? Because you don’t look it, ma’am.”
“I’m afraid I may be taking a ‘flu. Should I worsen, I will stay a little longer, but I do hope that that may not be the case. Nelly... Nelly, I’ve only been here once, as you know, when James and I visited with Father as children – when Father first bought the place out here. It seems... changed... a little. Nelly, I feel as though much has happened in this place. No, I can’t explain why I feel that way, but I do. Nelly, can you tell me something of what has happened here?”
Nelly listened to this stumbling speech in silence.
“You’ve been gone a long time, Miss,” she replied carefully.
“Please don’t feel you need to protect me, Nelly. Father did that for long enough. I know there were things that went on, and that I wasn’t told. Surely we have both grown old enough to be able to tell the truth, at this stage?”
Nelly considered and then nodded slowly.
“All right then,” she said. “You’d better sit down, ma’am.”

***
Author:  PaulineS [ Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
So is Esther Jem's aunt?

Thanks this is interesting,
Author:  Mona [ Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:52 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Roisin. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.
Author:  Róisín [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:17 pm ]
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“Soon after you left for your training, ma’am, your father died,” began Nelly. Esther nodded a little impatiently – she knew these basic facts! - but Nelly was getting on in age and she needed some time to tell her tale.
“I transferred my service to your brother, James Snr,” continued Nelly in her high, old voice. “It was an easy enough matter, as James moved into the homestead, and life continued much as it had done under your father. James married Mary fairly quickly, and along came baby Margot and then little Jem. I always said that your parents gave this world two very Christian little babies – first yourself, going in for the mission’ry work, and James too, he was forever doing little acts of charity. He’d read psalms to the younger servants, aye, to give them a semblance of eddication. And our Christmas boxes were always full. There were families in the village who wouldn’t have survived without the genoros’ty of your brother, ma’am, and that’s a fact.
“We all put up with these kinks in his character, and we smiled about it patiently, but one day, one day that was dark while being sunshiney too, if you know what I mean, ma’am... well, one day, he brought home this chile...”

Esther’s eyebrows rose at this – she had never heard of her brother bringing home a foundling. She listened eagerly as Nelly spoke.

The day had been that weird, stormy kind of a day that Nelly had sought to describe. James Russell, businessman, had been signing over some properties in the Liverpool district.
“Damn Merseyside,” he had cursed aloud. “Always full of this damned grey rain.” His suit was drenched from just the walk between carriage and office. His solicitor had grinned at his wet arrival.
“Why on earth don’t you take on one of these new-fangled motors, sir?” the young dandy had asked.
“I will leave,” answered Mr Russell gruffly, “that kind of innovation to my son’s generation. It certainly doesn’t belong in mine.”
“You have a son?”
“Yes, Jem, he must be coming up to eleven now. Eton next year, by gad.”
“Of course, of course. Now, let’s see those forms then, shall we?”

The business had been long and tediously drawn out, as business usually tended to be for James Russell. He could think of many better things to do with his time, but no better way to fund those things however. When an hour had passed and most of the numbers had been accounted for, and cheques signed, he had been glad to see the young assistant fold everything up in a briefcase and bid him farewell. James delayed only long enough to fit his old-fashioned hat squarely on his head before stepping out onto the street. Immediately, of course, the usual tow-headed urban urchins surrounded his feet, begging coarsely. He threw them a few silver pennies and tried not to watch them scramble desperately in the gutter mud.
“What has the world come to,” he thought to himself. “One cannot even see the white of the skin of these children, beneath that street grime.” He glimpsed sombrely back over the little crowd as it reluctantly dispersed. Then, suddenly, (perhaps because he had just been thinking of white skin, or perhaps for some other reason entirely) he caught a flash of pale amid the grey. There was a boy sitting on some steps beneath the bridge. He sat alone and upright and, possibly most curiously, he seemed entirely uninterested in the pursuits of the other street children. In fact, he seemed to be gazing at James Russell just as earnestly as James Russell was gazing at him.

Without stopping to consider, James found himself striding purposefully towards the bridge.
“Boy, do you not care for money?” he asked, gruff still, but in a kindly way. “What is your name?” The boy had sharp, lively black eyes set in a thin white face that nevertheless possessed a strong, straight chin. He didn’t answer immediately and when he did, his tone was indifferent.
“Venables,” he muttered. James could see that it was hunger that had drawn so much from him – that if circumstances had been different, he could have expected a much cheekier reply.
“And your Christian name?”
“Stephen,” came the stumbling answer. Why did this man care? Stephen had heard stories about rich men and poor boys, though he had not, so far, been exposed to any such dangers. James could see what was running through the boy’s mind, and he took out his wallet, not to offer money, but assurance.
“I mean you no harm, Stephen Venables,” he said quietly. “Look, I have a son, just a little younger than you. His name is Jem – this is a pencil drawing of him that his mother did recently. And I have a daughter, and a wife, and a big house some way away from here. I have a position free, for a young man, to come and work in that house. Do you think you could fill that position for me?” He held out his hand and helped the boy to his feet. Stephen, seeing no other option, took it, and walked away with him.

***
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
I hope Jem doesn't start acting like Hindley Earnshaw :shock: !
Author:  Mona [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
This is getting really interesting. Thanks Roisin!
Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Roisin. So we are in the North West of England, I had thought we were in Australia, forgetting the large sheep estates in the North which I knew in my youth of the other side of the Pennines
Author:  Róisín [ Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
PaulineS wrote:
Thanks Roisin. So we are in the North West of England, I had thought we were in Australia, forgetting the large sheep estates in the North which I knew in my youth of the other side of the Pennines


Nelly and Esther are sitting in Queensland, Australia, as they talk. Nelly is telling Esther about events that happened in the past, in England, however. Sorry if that wasn't clear!
Author:  PaulineS [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
Roisin You made it clear, but I was tired last night and only read the new post, so did not realise that we had changed country in going back in time.

Thanks for making me realise I need to keep awake when reading drabbles
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, Roisin. Looking forward to seeing what happens to Stephen.
Author:  Róisín [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
“Daddy, Daddy! You’re home!” cried Margot, her curls flying as she ran to meet the carriage at the gate. Her little brother Jem puffed a little more slowly behind her, manfully trying to stretch his legs as long as hers would go.
“What have you brought us, Daddy?” Both her eyes and Jem’s looked hopefully at the figure emerging. James was very fond of his children and he beamed upon them. He had missed their exuberance.
“Many things, as usual,” he laughed heartily. With great show, he drew a riding crop from his sleeve, as a magician would draw an improbably long silk scarf from his hat. Margot squealed and clasped her hands together.
“Oh Daddy, how wonderful,” she exclaimed. “You remembered!”
“Of course I did, darling. Now, Jem,” James winked at his son. “This is quite heavy, be careful, yes...” Jem received a large book into his hands. It was an encyclopaedia of medicine, brought right up to date and published in 1900. He traced the spelling of the title reverentially with his fingers and then gazed at his father with a look of pure gratitude. Then he and Margot turned, as they usually did on receiving their presents from James’ business trips, to go and enjoy themselves in their little cubby. But their papa called them back, smiling.
“You have forgotten your sweets,” he chided, bringing two pound bags of fudge from his greatcoat pocket. “And there is but one more thing...”
Margot and Jem watched open-mouthed as their father stepped out from the carriage and led a grimy-faced, wretched-looking specimen of a boy out and down the carriage steps.
“This is Master Stephen Venables, children. Stephen, that lanky young woman is my daughter Margaret and this boy is James Jnr – we call them Jem and Margot for shortness’ sake. I have decided that Stephen will be your brother. Now, run away while I bring Master Venables up to the house to meet your mother.”
With this startling speech, Margot and Jem slid away. They were used to the various tricks of charity that their father performed, but this was something else entirely. Neither spoke til their reached their private hut, a space formed in a great gorse hedge on the borders of the garden. Her riding crop almost forgotten, Margot arranged her sailor suit skirt more daintily and then folded long summer-tanned legs beneath it.
“I say, Jemmy, what do you think of it all?” she cocked her head in a manner of musing.
“I do wish,” replied her brother in his clipped young accents, “that our Father was more like the other boys’ fathers sometimes.”
“Surely he can’t be expected to live with us,” continued Margot. She had barely heard Jem reply. “I mean, surely Daddy means him to work as a boot boy, or some such.” Jem shrugged.
“How old is he anyway? He’s taller than I am... I say, Jemmy, we shall have to give him a chance, you know. It wouldn’t be fair not to.”
Jem nodded and his blue eyes shone in earnest. “It’s not his fault that our pa has done such a crazy thing as take him in. We can talk to him, at any rate. He may know some jolly useful things!”
Margot laughed at the turn of her little brother’s thoughts. She pulled his ear and called him a mischevious scallywag.
“I’ve just thought,” she said suddenly. “Well, you’re off to Eton soon – even if you don’t like ‘masterstephenvenables’, you won’t see him so very much.”
A loud gong interruped their confab, its music drawing them reluctantly to their feet and towards the house for their dinner. They raced each other up the lawn, hugging their new toys and chewing pieces of fudge, eager to meet this new entity.

***
Author:  Travellers Joy [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
:D :D
Author:  PaulineS [ Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
Margot's response to her first meeting with Steven Venables.
Author:  leahbelle [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, Roisin. Looking forward to seeing how Stephen is accepted.
Author:  Róisín [ Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Mrs James Russell was a kindly soul. She had kept introductions with Stephen very brief, and had sent him off with her housekeeper as soon as humanly possible, for a scrub-up. Mentally, she was already planning a shopping trip for the things he would need.
“A new outfit, for starters,” she mused aloud. “And some strong walking shoes – the children practically live out on the heath in this season. Oh, and some handkerchiefs of course... Ah! Darlings! There you are!” This last was to Margot and Jem as they arrived in for tea, freshly washed and combed and tidied. Mr Russell followed seconds after and then the family sat down together.
Jem bit into a crumpet while Margot poured for her mother.
“Where’s Stephen?” she asked. Jem looked up, curious too.
“Nelly is attending to him,” replied her mother briskly.
“Where will he sleep?” inquired Jem, as it occurred to him.
Mrs Russell frowned – her thoughts had not planned this far ahead. She smiled in a capable manner. “I’m sure Nelly is already sorting that out, dears.” Mrs Russell put great faith in her old housekeeper.
Tea progressed as peacefully as it normally did, and afterwards the children were turned loose outside again. Jem elected, however, to stay inside and hide away in a corner of his father’s study with his new book. Nothing daunted, Margot shrugged on a cardigan and skipped out into the garden. Spring had most definitely sprung on the moors and there were splashes of colour everywhere. Purple violets and yellow primroses lit her path as she walked. She was aiming for a brook at the end of a neighbouring meadow. A swan had made a nest there and Margot had come into the habit of checking on it every so often, to see if the eggs had hatched. As she drew closer, she stepped more softly, not wanting to arouse suspicion in Mama Swan, who could be very indignant of Margot’s presence.
She gasped. There was the nest, still with its full complement of eggs. And there was the swan leaning forward and nibbling daintily from that boy’s hand! Margot watched for a minute and then coughed gently. Stephen looked up and saw her. Without making any sudden movements, he contrived to let the swan finish the breadcrumbs and then let her know that that was all he had. She waddled back towards the water, and Stephen rose from his crouching position to stride over to where Margot stood.
Margot waited for him to speak. She had expected him to apologise, or be somehow defensive about his presence in their house. But he was silent.
“I say, she’s always frightened of me,” she said, nodding towards the big white bird.
Stephen shrugged slightly.
“She’s got to know that you don’t mean trouble,” he said quietly. Margot looked up into big, darkly-lashed eyes. Suddenly Stephen’s whole face changed as he broke into a smile. His eyes lit up and dimples were creased into his cheeks. “Not,” he grinned. “That I think you look like trouble.”
Margot giggled.
“Can you show me how?”
Stephen’s face had returned almost as quickly to its usual solemnity and now he frowned. “I don’t want your papa thinking I was getting you into danger.”
Margot shook her head of bubble curls vigorously. “Oh, no, he wouldn’t think that. Daddy always likes us to try new things and explore nature,” she assured her new friend. “And he’s been down here with me himself, twice, to see if the eggs have hatched.”
Stephen’s face cleared and he nodded. Evidently, there were more breadcrumbs in his pocket, for now he took some out. He reached for Margot’s hand and tipped some into her cradled palm. Putting one finger to his lips to warn her to be quiet, he took a round-eyed Margot to the water’s edge. Mama Swan swam curiously back to them. Stephen took Margot’s hand and gently opened it, crooning comforting noises to the bird as he did so. Margot’s whole body tensed nervously, but she felt safe with Stephen and soon relaxed into it, smiling at him in wonder.

***
Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thank you Pat. The Stephen described here is kind and gentle.
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:09 pm ]
Post subject: 
That was a lovely scene. Thanks, Roisin.
Author:  Róisín [ Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
The spring days passed and Margot and Stephen grew into firm friends. Once he understood that she was interested only in his friendship, that she had no other agenda, he behaved more naturally. Every day they took to the hills and Margot showed him all her favourite spots – the biggest cherry blossom tree, the hidden bluebell grove, the peak with the most commanding view of the moors. Stephen talked about his past life only reluctantly, so Margot never really found out how a city boy knew so much about taming animals, or building camp fires, or catching fish.

Jem had buried himself in his new medical encyclopaedia, but the day did finally come when he had exhausted it of all possibility. He pushed his reading glasses into a corner of his father’s desk and streched out his young, childish limbs in preparation of getting up and going to find his sister. Jem and Margot had spent most of their childhood with just each other – there being no suitable companions for them in the nearest village. He looked forward to school, and all the chums that that would bring! Now, he ran out the side door of the great house, calling Margot’s name. He saw Nelly feeding the chickens in the yard.
“Nelly, have you seen Margot?” he asked her.
Nelly threw her head up, vaguely gesturing that Margot had gone out of the grounds and onto the moors. Jem thanked her and, surmising that Margot had gone for a solitary walk, rushed back into the kitchen and stuffed two ham rolls in his pockets, before running out again.

He heard their voices before he met them. Margot was telling Stephen about her last governess, a woman who spoke in the broadest Yorkshire accent and who had a funny limp. Her impression was spot-on, and Stephen was doubled-up with mirth. A strange feeling came over Jem as he watched. He felt somehow outside of this exchange, as if something – his youth? – excluded him from their banter. At any rate, when he entered the grove where they sat, he didn’t know what to say. He took the rolls out from his pocket.
“Er, I didn’t quite know that there would be three of us,” he stammered.
“Oh, darling, that’s fine,” smiled Margot. She took one, and promptly broke it in two, offering Stephen half. He grinned at her, then thanked Jem for bringing the snack. Jem frowned.
“Well, I was just on my way,” he muttered. They didn’t try to stop him, and he strode off. He wasn’t quite sure what was wrong, or why he felt so funny all of a sudden. Jem kicked a tree stump as he marched back towards the house.

***
Author:  Alison H [ Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
I can definitely imagine Jem acting like that as a boy.
Author:  PaulineS [ Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:36 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update.
Author:  Róisín [ Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
“I don’t like him, Nelly,” said Jem. He was sitting up in his favourite kitchen chair watching the housekeeper as she shelled peas. Every so often, he would slip a hand out and help himself to some of the tiny sweet green things. Nelly, used to her young master’s moods, worked steadily on.
“It’s your dear father’s wish that he be here,” she replied. Somehow, this made Jem feel worse. He knitted his brows and a childish pout took over his usually handsome young face.
“Now, dearie, don’t be looking around like that,” chastised Nelly. She pulled one of his blonde curls and his face relaxed into a laugh again.
“That’s better,” she said.
“I don’t care what you say though, Nelly dear,” said Jem. “I just don’t want him here. I wish Papa had never brought him here. He’s... he’s...he’s taken Margot away from me!” This last was in outburst and surprised Jem himself as he said it. Spurning Nelly’s comforting arms, he jumped down from his stool and ran from the kitchen, trying desperately to stop the tears that were so suddenly threatening to fall.

Nelly looked after him, her old eyes crinkled in concern.
“At least he’s away to school soon enough,” she said to herself, wrapping her shawl more closely around her shoulders against the sharp breeze.

***
Author:  PaulineS [ Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
Roisin Thanks for the update
Author:  Róisín [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
[Six months later]

Jem pushed his last shirt into the trunk and then prevailed upon his friend Edward to sit on the lid so that he could close it.
“Prees won’t like that if they catch you,” uttered that young man, chewing a toffee vigorously. Jem shrugged and grinned.
He was delighted to be going home for the summer hols. School had been absolutely topping, but he had missed home. His birthday came in termtime and this was the first time he had been away for it.
“Come on Russell, Hodges can take it from here!” called Edward, referring to their dormitory prefect.
“Righto, Ned, on my way!”
Jem and Edward ran down the back stairs to check on the arrival of the coaches that were to take them to the nearest train station. They joined the mill of other boys of their age. Some of the boys, like Edward, had been at School since the age of eight – Jem was considered, at twelve, to be quite the latecomer. But his father had tutored him well, with Margot’s governess taking him in some subjects too, and he had been well able to hold his own in class.

The journey took an hour on the coach and then two hours on the train. Only some older boys were going in the same direction as Jem, so he pulled down his schoolcap low over his brow and buried himself in a Boysown comic. He fell asleep too, under the bright sunshine that burned hotly through the train window. At last, he could see the moors begin to roll by on the horizon, and soon they pulled in to the last stop. Daddy was there to meet him with a pony and trap. Jem rushed up to his father and gruffly greeted him – imagine a twelve year old boy wanting to cry! He coughed heavily and soon he was in charge of himself again. Mr. Russell noticed and smiled to himself but said nothing. Once he had Jem settled up beside him, he started the pony at a walk.

“Enjoy term?”
“Oh yes!” answered Jem eagerly. There followed a mostly one-sided conversation where Jem described every class, subject and master in the greatest detail. He meant to go sternly in for the Sciences, he told his father. Mr. Russell let him talk. Better let Jem have his head for the moment, because he could foresee ructions in the Russell household that evening, when Jem learned of the plans that lay ahead.

***
Author:  Alison H [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:56 pm ]
Post subject: 
Oh dear, sounds like trouble's brewing ...
Author:  PaulineS [ Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:53 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update
Author:  Róisín [ Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
Jem knew something was different as soon as he entered the main hall of the big house. Margot was waiting with her mother in one of the smaller sitting rooms, and Stephen was there too, standing rakishly against a dresser. Jem greeted his mother and then sat down to wait. Something was up.
“I’ve had a letter from my solicitor,” began Mr Russell, clearing his throat. “I knew that my father had held land in Australia, but I didn’t know that he was still in possession of it when he died. It’s been a legal tangle to sort out the ownership issues but now these have been tidied up, the land is ours. It’s a large ranch in Queensland and, well, I’d like to go out there and see what it is like myself. My father worked on it for a period and, well...”
Mrs Russell smiled comfortably for the children.
“Of course, we couldn’t let Daddy go off alone!”
Jem’s head was reeling. Mr Russell noticed this. “Jemmy will stay in Eton, of course. Couldn’t interrupt that. Margot and Stephen will come with us. Don’t worry, Jem, we’ll have you out for vacations.”
“And we do hope to be settled back home again here in less than five or six years,” added his wife.
“So that’s it,” Mr Russell rubbed his hands together. Relieved that that interview was over, he nodded and smiled, then strode from the room. Mrs Russell, eager to distract Jem, asked him to show her his report card and to go through the new things he would need for next term with her. Left alone in the room, Margot sat very still, hoping that the tears would not fall. It was a big change and she had a fragile nature. She hardly noticed Stephen approaching – he could see how she felt and he ruffled her blonde curls gruffly.
“Cheer up, chuck,” he said. “Chin up. What an adventure it’ll be for us!” Margot grinned bravely and nodded.
Author:  PaulineS [ Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Jem. He is staying at school, but so far from the rest of the family. He will not be able to see them at Christmas and Easter. It has the potential to make the relationship with Stephen even more difficult.

And separating Margot and Jem will make their relationship even more difficult in future.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Mar 09, 2008 11:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Jem :( .
Author:  Róisín [ Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:50 pm ]
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Jem got through it somehow. He dolefully watched Nelly and her team of staff packing the Russell family valuables away into trunks, and generally closing up the big house. He tried to spend much of his time outside, as he used to do with Margot, but Margot always seemed so busy these days with Stephen. Jemmy tried to keep out of Stephen’s way. He didn’t have anything against the chap as such but thoughts couldn’t help thinking themselves into his young head. Stephen was going to Australia with Mummy and Dad and Margot, not Jem. Stephen was being shown how Mr Russell’s various businesses were run, not Jem. Why, Stephen was in the cubbyhole right now with Margot! Jem was sure of it. Their cubbyhole.

He frowned and tried to shake off the negative thoughts. It wasn’t gentlemanly, it wasn’t fair. He ran his fingers through his reddish-blonde curls and turned his thoughts towards the school project he was supposed to be preparing.

*

School kept Jem’s mind very busy for the next few years. With his family away in Queensland, he threw his attention in full to the coursework. Everyone at school knew that he was headed for medicine and his science masters in particular thought that they had never seen such dogged hard work. If there was a scholarship or a prize going, James Gilbert Russell Jr was always the name called out. He spent summer holidays at either his housemaster’s or at his friend Ned’s. Letters and parcels came frequently from Australia and Jem thought often of the day when they would return. Although he would still board then, he would at least go home to the moors in vacation time. Imagine! he thought to himself. He would be in one of the senior forms then.

*

The stay in Australia took longer than the Russells expected. After seven years, the ranch was still not doing well, and James was reluctant to leave it and return home. In spite of his naturally good business sense, he had attached a romantic notion to the old place, and in the end had pinned all financial hopes on the Queensland farm. Jem had been out with his Aunt Esther exactly twice, for lengthy stays of two months at a time, and then he had returned to school in England. Mr Russell worried about Jem quite a bit. He worried about the unexpected nature of Australian weather. He worried about the political situation in Europe and whether he would be able to return. In brief, James Russell worried himself to death. Seven years after he had begun at Eton, an-almost-19-year-old Jem was sitting down to a Prees meeting when there was a tap on the door and a summons to the headmaster. There he was told that his father had died, and that he would have to leave for Australia immediately.
Author:  PaulineS [ Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Jem. left behind and with a loss of money on the farm. I wonder if the business in Engalnd coped without the owner. Will there be money for his medical education?
Author:  leahbelle [ Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Jem.
Author:  KathrynW [ Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Róisín, have only just found this but it's an excellent idea for a crossover and I'm really enjoying it!
Author:  Róisín [ Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:17 pm ]
Post subject: 
It was hot in the Australian winter-time. Everything was topsy-turvy in this country, this country that had taken his father. Jem’s eyes welled up again – they did that so easily these days.

“Almost there, Jemmy,” said his aunt softly. They had travelled from England together for his father’s funeral. Aunt Esther still used that old childhood nickname and this irritated Jem slightly. Everything irritated him slight in this dry heat. He slapped another mosquito away from his cheek.

Margot ran out to meet him. It had been two years since they last set eyes on each other and she hadn’t changed much. She was still slight and fragile-looking, although her skin was drier and browner in this climate. Her mop of blonde bubble curls were bleached-looking. She caught his hands and collapsed into him.
“Oh Jem,” she faltered. Jem looked down at her and hugged her tightly. The tears threatened to fall again and he squeezed his eyelids shut. Something hard was building up inside of him – he purposely cultivated it so that he had some defence against this soft show of tears. Margot hugged her aunt, then she slipped an arm around Jem’s waist and they walked up the rest of the driveway together, leaving Esther to pay the coachman.

Despite its recent financial losses, the ranch house looked well. Mrs Russell and Nelly had contrived to keep the place respectable – Mrs Russell had no mind to lose any of the social standing that she had held in Yorkshire. Jem saw that they had attempted to cultivate gardens. The home plants had failed in the harsher climate but the native Queensland flora was also beautiful. The dog that Jem had met on his last visit came bounding up, not noticeably dampened by the loss of his master.

“Down boy! Down!” for the first time since he heard the news, Jem smiled a little. He was such a dear dog.
“In here, darling. They’re all in the parlour.”
The room was gloomy, the blinds were shut. A long, wooden coffin stood on a pedestal and around it were arranged Jem’s mother, Nelly and Stephen Venables. Stephen looked blank. Mrs Russell broke off a quiet conversation about funeral food, to rise and greet her son. They hugged and both broke down again, crying briefly as the loss made itself new all over again. Jem bit down on his lip hard. He was the man of the family now, he told himself, he had to be strong for his sister and mother. Daddy was gone forever. Jem was now the only James Russell. Jem squared his shoulders and prepared to take on this burden.
***
Author:  Róisín [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
It seemed to Jem as if the whole local settlement had come to attend the funeral of his father. James Russell Snr was buried in a sweet little graveyard that nestled by a dilapidated old church. His grave was shaded by an enormous eucalyptus tree – in the heat of the day his mourners fully appreciated this pool of grey coolness. After a short service, the family returned to the homestead with some friends. Nelly laid out some food and some cold drinks, and the crowd talked quietly with each other.

“Jem, come and meet the Lintons,” called Jem’s mother. “This is Mr and Mrs Linton, and this is Edgar, their son. Thrushcross Grange is quite the nearest farm to us, I believe.”
Jem smiled sombrely and shook hands with the new people. He thought Edgar looked a fine fellow, a few years older than himself. It seemed that Edgar thought likewise, and the two spent a comfortable half hour discussing rugby. Margot approached their corner of the parlour with her hands full. Her eyes were full of the new sadness, but she grinned nonetheless.
“I saved you a ham roll, Jemmy,” she said. “And one for you, Ned.” Jem took the roll and laughed, and then watched, startled as Edgar leaned over and kissed Margot on the cheek. She blushed prettily and moved away, followed by Edgar’s gaze. Jem raised his eyebrows. He wondered even more when he glanced across the room and saw Stephen Venables scowling over at the little group. What on earth was going on here?

*
Author:  Alison H [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
Ah, I was wondering when we were going to meet Edgar. I always felt rather sorry for him in the book!
Author:  PaulineS [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update, I missed the last one so it was good to find two.
Author:  Róisín [ Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:33 pm ]
Post subject: 
As soon as he could, Jem wove through the crowds and found his way to his sister. She was tidying up some cups. When she saw him, she brushed a blonde curl away from her eyes distractedly.
“We can’t really afford proper help anymore,” she muttered to him.
“Never mind that,” frowned Jem. “What’s going on with you and Linton, eh?”
Margot blushed but stood up straight and met her brother’s eye.
“Absolutely nothing,” she answered him. “He... he likes me, that’s all. He’s made it quite clear in the past few months. Mummy thinks there may be a match there...”
“And will there be?” interruped Jem.
Margot’s eyes clouded over. She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it properly. It’s quite flattering, of course. And there’s no-one quite like Edgar out here. He’s ... refined. Yes, that’s the word.”

While she spoke, Margot’s eyes slid across the room to where Stephen was slouching against a dresser. Jem thought rapidly. If it came down to it, Linton would be a far more suitable choice for Margot than that Venables would. How that boy had wormed his way into Jem’s father’s life!
“I like him,” he said to Margot, abruptly.
Distracted, Margot asked “Who?”
“Linton.”
“Oh. Yes. Well. I like him too, as does Mummy.”
“What did Father think of him?” asked Jem.
“Daddy thought he was a little soft,” Margot twisted her mouth into a pretty, puzzled shape. “I’m not sure why. I say, Jem, I do miss Daddy so much.” She ended with a little, half-choked sob. Jem put his arms around his sister and held her close as she cried against his shoulder. He stared around the room and thought. There was a lot of matters to settle, now that he was at the ranch. And not too much time to settle them in, if he meant to return to England and read for his medical degree. Mentally, he tallied up the tasks that lay ahead.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Jem ... wondering whether or not Margot will go ahead and marry Edgar in this version. I hope not because the poor man really did get a raw deal in the original!
Author:  Róisín [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
Jem sat at his father’s desk and tried again to understand the scribbled book of accounts. His mother came in and left him a cup of tea but he barely noticed her and the tea went cold. Presently he became aware of the failing light outside and he stood up, pushing his chair away from the desk.

“There’s something missing, something confused,” he announced to the sitting room distractedly.
“What is it, dear?” queried Mrs Russell.
Jem frowned. “Daddy’s accounts book. It doesn’t add up. And some things, I just can’t find!”
“Ah,” smiled his mother. “Ask Stephen.”
“Stephen?! What the devil has Stephen Venables got to do with our accounts?” glared Jem.
Mrs Russell smiled patiently though her eyes looked tired and worn. “Your father was quite weak in his last few months, dear. There was... there was quite a lot that he couldn’t do. Stephen was here, he was able and he was willing to help out. Your father showed him what to do – and he did it, well.” She finished mildly.

Jem’s face blackened at the implied criticism of his absence. Didn’t they realise how important it was for him to continue in his studies? How awful a blight on the world the tuberculosis disease was? And no matter that Stephen Venables was present – he should not be playing such a large part in the Russell ranch or the Russell family. He was not, Jem reminded himself, after all, a Russell.

“Where is he?” he demanded of his mother.
“Out working in the fields,” she answered. “He’s overseeing the ploughing.”
Jem strode from the room.
Author:  PaulineS [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update. Wibbleing about Steven and the items missing from the accounts.
Author:  Alison H [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'd actually quite like to see a punch-up between Jem and Stephen :wink: .
Author:  Karry [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
The lintons? Any relation to Gillian and joyce?
Author:  Róisín [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
Karry wrote:
The lintons? Any relation to Gillian and joyce?


Nope :D Edgar Linton is from Wuthering Heights.
Author:  Karry [ Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:26 am ]
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They could be related somewhere along thelines - That could explain why jem and Magde took them in while Mrs linton was in the San!

Btw, I did recognise the Edgar Linton thing - just taking a leap of imagination with the names!
Author:  Róisín [ Thu May 01, 2008 8:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
“Venables!” shouted Jem, as he entered the east meadow. Stephen did not hear him at first but when he did, he nodded to the two Chinese men to continue their work, and then ambled over to Jem. Jem scowled. Who did he think he was? Anyone would think he owned the place, from his tone and his attitude. Then they were facing each other and Jem had to speak. He cleared his throat.

“Mother said to ask you about the accounts,” he began.
“Oh yes?”
“It’s the vet,” said Jem.
“Ah,” nodded Stephen. “And you’re wondering where the receipts are for May through to October?” Jem nodded.
“We were going through them the week before your father died,” continued Stephen.
“Who’s we?” spluttered Jem.
“The vet and I, of course,” answered Stephen calmly. “Well, as I said, we were going through them to try and balance up the costs and divide the...”
He was not allowed to continue. Jem’s face had been growing redder and angrier. “Those accounts have nothing to do with you!” he roared. “Do you hear me? This farm has nothing to do with you! You were brought here as a charity case, nothing more.” He breathed heavily, took the rake that Stephen was holding, and slammed it to the soil beneath them. “I am here now, I am taking charge. This is our farm, the Russell farm, and it has nothing to do with you!”

Jem spun around and walked away, in the direction of the house. Stephen Venables stood and watched him leave. The workers carried on with their labour at his back. In the last few minutes of conversation, Stephen had been first annoyed, then amazed, then angry. Now he stood with a peculiar expression on his face. He remembered where he had come from, yes, and why he was here. His eyes narrowed and his gaze followed Jem with a strange mixture of shame, pride and, most of all, determination.
Author:  Alison H [ Thu May 01, 2008 9:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
No punch up then :( :lol: ? Jem deserved a thump for carrying on like that!
Author:  PaulineS [ Fri May 02, 2008 11:45 am ]
Post subject: 
Stephen is right to be angry, but I have a snecky thought he may deserve it.
Author:  Róisín [ Wed May 07, 2008 3:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
Jem was brusque as he walked back into the house. His mother was in bed. She was still recovering from the death of her husband and the doctor had prescribed as much time at rest as she possibly could. Margot was sitting dreamily by the window that opened onto the flower meadow. She could see the English heath flowers that she and her mother had planted last autumn. In her lap lay some socks that she should have been darning. Now, she jumped, as Jem entered the room with a gusty sigh.

She didn’t immediately ask him what was wrong – she presumed that he was still in mourning, and dealing with it in his own way. But then he began to speak, and Margot began to look careworn and to feel worried.

“This... place,” Jem began. “Everything is a mess.”
Margot squeezed his arm chummily. “Calm down, Jemmy.”
Her brother inhaled deeply.
“There will have to be changes made,” he said quietly. “As it is, this ranch is operating at a loss. I don’t know why yet. I’ll find out. I don’t know how father ran things, but they will have to be done differently now.”
“Why not ask Stephen?” prompted Margot quietly. “Father relied on him quite a bit...”
At this, Jem jumped up from the window seat. He felt strange – as if they were all children again, and he was competing with his sister’s new best friend. He shook his head to disperse the fog of memory, and spoke heavily.
“I did not bring Stephen Venables here,” he said. “And I refuse to be responsible for the maintenance of a man older than myself. Why has he not found work elsewhere by now?” Jem asked, in consternation. Margot blushed but did not answer.
Jem continued, “He can stay if he likes, but it will be in the position of labourer. The Russell family is no longer a charitable foundation for the likes of Stephen Venables. I’m sorry, Margot, but maybe this will be the urging he needs to ... to do something with his life!”

Feeling uncomfortable, but ultimately in the right, Jem left the room. Margot continued to sit for a few minutes. She was shocked at her brother’s ultimatum. He had barely arrived at the ranch, and couldn’t understand how it worked yet, or how much her late father had depended on Stephen. Slowly, she put the mending down on the side table and decided what to do. She must run and break the news to Stephen before Jem did – soften the blow somewhat. She straightened her hair, gathered up her skirt, and ran to the fields.
Author:  leahbelle [ Wed May 07, 2008 4:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, Roisin.
Author:  PaulineS [ Wed May 07, 2008 7:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thamks for the update. hope Margot does nothing rash!!
Author:  Alison H [ Wed May 07, 2008 7:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update :D .
Author:  Róisín [ Thu May 08, 2008 2:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
Things had been a little awkward between herself and Stephen recently, mused Margot as she strode through the Australian fields. In the back of her mind, she knew it had something to do with the friendship she had with Edgar Linton of Thrushcross Grange. She was confused, and a little sorrowful at the loss of the closeness that she had had with Stephen. Then she saw him. He cut a fine figure, outlined against the sun, standing on the crest of the meadow. He was working the plough and his back bent and rose as he lifted the handle with strong arms. He saw her and waved. He spoke a word to the Chinese labourers that surrounded him, and they scattered away to different parts of the field.
“Hello, Margot,” he smiled gently down at her.
Margot frowned. “Stephen. It’s Jem.”
Stephen’s face blackened. “Oh?”
“He... he... Oh, Stephen, he’s so young! And he’s just arrived here, really.”
“What has he done, Mar?” he asked, using his pet name for her. “Or rather, what is he going to do?”
Margot lowered her eyelashes. She felt ashamed of her brother, but it was his land now, and his right to treat the farm as he thought right.
“He doesn’t want you to... to play the same role as you did when Daddy was alive,” she whispered. “He will pay you though! To stay on. I think.”
Stephen pursed his lips and stared into the distance. Without another word to Margot, he walked away from her. She didn’t pursue him.

He walked and walked and thought. Where could he go? This was all that he had known really, since that day that James Russell Snr had found him on the streets of Liverpool. What would he do? He hadn’t been walking in any one direction, but now he found himself in the little gathering of huts where the labourers lived. A wizened old worker approached him now and, with broken English, asked him to sit with him and watch the sunset. Bemused, Stephen did. He was offered a drink – it was strong and fiery-tasting. He drank deeply and as he drank, his problems seemed to recede farther and farther away. He was able to laugh at the conversation around him and not think of Jem Russell’s new presence on the farm. He was able to grumble about the harvest with the labourers and not think of Margot’s growing friendship with that Linton sop. He could smile and tickle the housemaid’s sister’s new baby, and not think of the dear adopted father and friend that he had just lost.

Margot worried when she noticed that Stephen didn’t return to the house that night. But it was lambing season and she was sure that was the reason. Oh why did Jem have to be so stubborn! Margot hugged her knees and tried not to feel as if her previously peaceful world was changing all around her.
Author:  Alison H [ Thu May 08, 2008 2:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hmm, where's Stephen got to?
Author:  LauraMcC [ Thu May 08, 2008 4:07 pm ]
Post subject: 
I hope that nothing bad has happened.

Btw, I've just found this, and I'm really enjoying it.
Author:  PaulineS [ Thu May 08, 2008 4:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
Worried that Jem is driving Margot into Stephen's arms causing a family split.

Hope Stephen is not found drunk and ready to fight in the morning.
Author:  Róisín [ Mon May 12, 2008 5:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
The days passed. Realising that he had nowhere else to go, in this Australian wilderness, Stephen stayed on at the Russell ranch. He worked hard but his eyes grew bitter. He spent more and more evenings down at the labourers’ camp, drinking. Margot didn’t like to approach him at these times. He was ... different, she felt. Not the same Stephen that she knew at all. She didn’t know how to speak to him, or even what to say, on those occasions. So, in the evenings, she spent her time at home with her mother, or over at Thrushcross Grange, where Jem had taken to spending his time with Edgar Linton.

Jem had been unsubtlely pushing his sister towards Edgar. Margot liked Edgar, she did, but there was something stopping her from wanting to see their friendship go anywhere. This didn’t escape the notice of Mrs Russell and one day, a hot day, when she and Margot had taken refuge in the back parlour, she approached her daughter about the matter.

“Darling,” Mrs Russell began. “Jem does get on well with Mr Linton, doesn’t he?”
Margot nodded her curly head. “Oh yes. Edgar is a dear, really.”
Mrs Russell pursed her lips. “Is he?”
“Yes,” smiled Margot. “He’s so clever – and witty. And a dab hand at bridge!” she laughed.
Her mother nodded slowly. A conversation with Mr Linton Snr seemed to be in order, she thought.
Author:  Alison H [ Tue May 13, 2008 6:37 am ]
Post subject: 
Are we going to see Isabella as well? I can't remember when she and Heathcliff first meet in the book - *brain gone even blanker than usual :lol: *.
Author:  Róisín [ Tue May 13, 2008 10:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nelly smiled as she folded the laundry in the Russell kitchen. One of the young maids had just come in with a tall story for her. Millie had been gossiping about Miss Margot and Mr Linton from the Grange. Nelly was sure there was no truth in the rumour. She had squashed the girl and sent her away on on errand. The thought of it! Nelly felt in her bones that Stephen and Margot were a match for each other.

She was reaching the end of her pile when Mrs Russell came into the kitchen. Nelly had heard her heels clipping on the scrubbed flagstone floor. Her mistress held a list in one hand and when she entered, she sat down, and prepared to discuss the shopping with her housekeeper.

“Oh, Nelly dear, can you put on some tea for us to drink while we do this?” smiled Mrs Russell.
“Of course, ma’am,” agreed Nelly. “Hot day, isn’t it?”
“Stifling.”
Nelly popped the lid of the teapot on and sat down comfortably. With a sudden memory, she grinned.
“Young Millie has just been in here, ma’am, with a tale that you wouldn’t believe!”
“Oh, Nelly?”
Nelly proceeded to retell the girl’s gushing gossip. Mrs Russell’s lips tightened as she listened. Really, her staff should know better!
“Edgar Linton is a very capable young man,” she asserted. “He and Margot are merely friends, although...” she left her thoughts unfinished. “As for Stephen Venables...” Mrs Russell started shaking her well-coiffed head in slow dissmisal. “It would be ... degrading, somewhat, for Margot to marry him. No, do you know Nelly, I’m sure she hasn’t even thought of it.”

From the door, came a sharp intake of breath. Nelly gasped, and Mrs Russell sat very still in shock. It was Margot.

“You think it would be degrading for me to be with Stephen? Mama!” she cried.

Beneath the kitchen window, where he had been hoeing vegetables all morning, Stephen Venables slunk away. He had heard enough. Both Margot and her mother thought him the worst thing that could happen to her. He had never thought that that was their attitude, but here it was, plain as day, as plain as if he had asked after all. His hand went to the now ever-present bottle of whiskey in his pocket and he drank deeply. He paused only long enough to gather some things in a bag, before striding quickly, angrily, away from the Russell ranch. He was done with Margot Russell! And with all of her family! He took another drink and then another, and soon the pain was a little less.

Back in the kitchen, Margot was passionately defending him. No-one was aware that Stephen had heard, or that he had left. If he had stayed he would have heard her describe his honest character, his hardworking ethos, his generous nature. But Stephen had gone.
Author:  Alison H [ Tue May 13, 2008 10:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
Interested to see how he's going to make his fortune now ... maybe in mining? Thanks Roísín :D .
Author:  PaulineS [ Wed May 14, 2008 4:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Stephen, but drink is not going to help him with Jem or MrsRussell
Author:  Róisín [ Sat May 17, 2008 8:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Stephen stayed away for a whole year. Margot was sure she would hear from him, but she never did. He didn’t write, or send word in any way. The first month that he had gone, she spent every morning and every evening waiting at the gate of the Russell ranch, watching the road, but she was always disappointed. After a few months, she accepted that he had gone for good, and she tried to slip into the normal domestic routines that her mother laid out for her.

Mrs Russell thought it very childish of Stephen to leave as he had done. She presumed that it was grief for her husband that had pushed him to go. Well, Stephen had become withdrawn and almost sickly looking since the day of the funeral. She had been sure she could smell drink on his breath some mornings. Perhaps he was better off gone after all.

Jem was delighted. Another problem removed from the tangled mess that was his father’s estate. The sooner he could straighten out this Queensland ranch, the sooner he could go back to England and continue his studies. He meant to take his mother and Margot with him – he had talked to Mrs Russell about this and she had been very enthusiastic. Neither had approached Margot, so fragile had she been since Stephen’s departure. Jem had been spending so much time working, but he was aware of his sister’s loneliness. He had asked Edgar Linton to visit, and that man had obliged more than readily, coming with his sister Isabella.
Author:  Alison H [ Sat May 17, 2008 8:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Ah, that answers my question about Isabella. So are we now going to see everyone pushing Margot towards Edgar?

Thanks for the update :D .
Author:  PaulineS [ Sat May 17, 2008 8:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the update.
Author:  Róisín [ Mon May 19, 2008 6:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
“Oh, yes please,” answered Margot absent-mindedly, and opened her hand to receive the drink that Edgar was offering her.
“Just a little nip in it,” laughed Edgar reassuringly. Margot smiled and sipped from the glass. It was summer – she had grown used to the intermingled summers and Christmases of the Australian countryside. She wasn’t used yet though to experiencing one without Stephen. Jem noticed her little sigh. He shuffled the cards in his hand.
“Over here, you two,” he called. “We’re just about ready to deal.”

The four young people were sitting in the Russell drawing room. Isabella sat on one side of a small, square table and Jem sat at the other. Margot rose and took Edgar’s arm. He really was most accomodating, she thought, as she took her seat and prepared her hand of cards. She accepted a cigarette from Isabella with a smile. Margot did like Isabella. She was so bright and happy, a pleasure to be around. Inhaling the sweet grey smoke deeply, Margot thought about Edgar. He was as fun-loving as his sister, and good looking too. They had good conversations together, and enjoyable walks. He liked it when she showed him all her favourite haunts. Thinking of her favourite places on the ranchlands brought her back to Stephen in her mind.

Sharp-eyed Jem caught the change in his sister’s face. “Card for you, Meg?” he asked. She jumped a little.
“Darling, you are so easily startled!” exclaimed Isabella.
“I’m sorry,” said Margot.
“Don’t apologise, dear. It was your brute of a brother that interrupted those musings,” Edgar could be very charming. “I’m sure they were beautiful thoughts,” he finished. Margot blushed. He was sweet. And when they talked, she seemed to think of Stephen, and Papa, less.
“I was thinking of that gorgeous meadow of eucalyptus trees that you showed me last Thursday,” she grinned.
Edgar beamed as if she had bestowed the highest praise on him.
“I’ll drink to that!” he laughed. Raising her glass with the others, Margot laughed along too.
Author:  PaulineS [ Mon May 19, 2008 6:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Margot she is missing Stephen.
Author:  Alison H [ Mon May 19, 2008 8:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Poor Edgar too - he's obviously rather taken with her.
Author:  Róisín [ Thu May 22, 2008 11:39 am ]
Post subject: 
In the year of Stephen’s absence, Margot and Edgar grew close. Margot was very good friends with Edgar’s sister Isabella, and there were any number of excuses for visits at Thrushcross Grange.

One morning, on the anniversary of the day that Stephen had left the Russell ranch in Queensland, Jem was sitting in his father’s study, looking over the seed orders. There was a knock on the door, and Edgar entered.

“I say, old man, you’re working early. Cigarette?”
Jem accepted one and nodded.
“I want to get out of this place as soon as humanly possible,” he replied.
Edgar assumed a serious face. “Yes, I know you’re in a rush to return to England. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”
Roused now from the books before him, Jem looked up, surprised.
“I can’t think what this might be about, Linton! Unless you plan to make me an offer on the dratted ranch. If so, consider it sold!” he laughed.

Edgar took his time to light his cigarette and then proffer the box of matches to Jem. He looked pensive and took a deep breath before beginning to speak again.

“It’s Margot. I’d like to... Well, old Mr Russell is dead now, you see...”
Jem agreed grimly. “I know that my father has died, Linton. Do get on with it.”
“I want to marry Margot,” burst forth Edgar in a blushing outburst. “There, it’s out. What say you, Jem?”

Jem tapped his pencil thoughtfully against the desk and paused before answering. He knew that his opinion would count for little with his sister, that Edgar was just following what he thought was etiquette. Still, Jem did hope to bring his mother home to England soon, and he had never thought that Margot would not complete their party.

He drew deeply on his cigarette before replying. But just as he was about to speak, there came the sound of a thundering knock on the front door, and a surprised exclamation from Nelly as she answered it. Both men jumped up. Jem opened his office door and strode out into the hall to see what the crashing fuss was about.
Author:  PaulineS [ Thu May 22, 2008 12:10 pm ]
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Thanks for the update, even if you have left us with a cliff.
Author:  Alison H [ Thu May 22, 2008 1:03 pm ]
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PaulineS wrote:
Thanks for the update, even if you have left us with a cliff.


I was going to make some wonderful pun about a Heath-cliff then, but I couldn't think of one that sounded funny!
Author:  abbeybufo [ Thu May 22, 2008 2:16 pm ]
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Alison H wrote:
PaulineS wrote:
Thanks for the update, even if you have left us with a cliff.


I was going to make some wonderful pun about a Heath-cliff then, but I couldn't think of one that sounded funny!


groan :roll: :lol:

Thanks Róisín
Author:  leahbelle [ Thu May 22, 2008 4:25 pm ]
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Thanks, Roisin :D .
Author:  Róisín [ Tue May 27, 2008 2:52 pm ]
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Nelly met the two men in the hallway. She bobbed quickly and then, in a voice that showed her own amazement, announced that Mr Venables was back, and was right now sitting in the parlour. Jem felt robbed of his voice. Nevertheless, he strode on down and into the room, Edgar following him curiously.

Stephen sat, straight-backed, in a chair that had been a favourite of Mr Russell Snr. He was dressed in a suit of expensively-cut fabric. His eyes looked tired but the rest of his demeanour was confident, ready and able. When Jem and Edgar entered, Stephen rose and nodded to them.

“You’re back,” said Jem, managing to sound surprised and grudging at the same time.
“Where have you been, Venables?” said Edgar almost at the same time.
“What do you want?” added Jem.
“Farm going well?” asked Stephen, mildly.
“You know the condition we’re in,” answered Jem. “In some areas, we’ve pulled up, yes. In others, there have been... problems.”
“Soon you’ll be too old for medical college,” remarked Stephen, again in that mild and quietly confident voice.
Jem frowned. Edgar felt uncomfortable and looked for a reason to excuse himself from this family affair. Claiming to have seen Isabella and Margot in the distance, he ducked out of the parlour thankfully. Now the room was empty, yet it seemed darker to Jem as he squared up to this new Stephen Venables.

“I’ll say it again, Venables. What do you want? There’s nothing here for you in Queensland anymore.”
“That’s where we disagree, Jemmy. I think that there is everything here for me.” Stephen stepped to one side and revealed three or four wads of cash notes, bound up together tidily and arranged on the surface of Mrs Russell’s chestnut cabinet.
“I want the farm. You don’t. Take this money and go back to England. You never wanted to be here and this place means nothing to you.”
Jem fought to control his instincts and his thoughts. The future he wanted lay on the table before him.
“I suppose you think you belong here?” he sneered.
“Your father and I worked every stone out of these fields together,” answered Stephen quietly. “He loved this farm, and I loved him. He rescued me, a long time ago, and now I want to rescue this place. He would have wanted this, Jem.”
Tears came unbidding to Jem’s eyes at this. He turned to the painting of his father which stood on the mantlepiece.
“We’ll have to wait for the solicitor to draw up the papers,” was all he said before he turned and walked from the room.
Author:  Alison H [ Tue May 27, 2008 2:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
I love Stephen calling him "Jemmy" :lol: .
Author:  PaulineS [ Tue May 27, 2008 4:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
thanks for resolving the cliff.
Author:  LauraMcC [ Wed May 28, 2008 12:30 pm ]
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It seems as though Jem may have a slight dilemma on his hands here. He is so keen on returning to Britain, and studying medicine, yet he won't want Stephen to stay on the farm with his father. Not an easy one to get out of!
Author:  Róisín [ Thu May 29, 2008 3:56 pm ]
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Edgar had gone. Mrs Russell was lying down in the afternoon heat. Jem didn’t like to discuss things with Margot. He felt, somehow, that Margot’s old friendship with Stephen made things... complicated. So he paced up and down the study, up and down again. A telegram had been sent to the solicitor, who should arrive in a few days with the relevant paperwork. Jem heard his mother’s voice then, and he walked towards it.

“Mother,” he began.
“Jemmy darling, what is it?” asked Mrs Russell, alarmed at how pale her son looked.
“Stephen is back,” he said. “And, well, we’ve come to an agreement about the ranch, Mama. Stephen will buy it from us, and at a good price too. You, I and Margot – we can finally go home... what is it? Oh, Mama! Nelly!”

Jem shouted for the housekeeper, for his mother had fainted. Heavy steps on the boards of the hallway told him that Stephen was approaching.
“Out of the way,” he brushed Jem aside and, feeling in his pocket, brought out a small hip flask of cognac. After a drop or two had been used to moisten Mrs Russell’s lips, her colour returned, and she rose.
“I’m quite all right,” she said briskly. “Just a momentary lapse, that’s all. Jem, you might help me to my room – ah! Nelly! No, darling, Nelly may bring me along. You go and tell Margot.” Here she reached over and kissed Jem, patting his cheek tenderly. “You’ve done excellently, Jemmy. This is wonderful news.” She smiled at Stephen too. “We will always owe you a debt of gratitude, Stephen. I’m so, so glad that you’ve done so well for yourself. James would have been proud.” Mrs Russell looked weak but happy.

The two men stood awkwardly in the hall. Suddenly Jem turned on his heel.
“I’d better go and tell Margot,” he said gruffly. Stephen nodded silently, watched him go, and then returned to the sitting room.

Jem found Margot sitting under her favourite tree, with a book and a fan.
“Hallo, little brother!” she smiled cheerily at him as he approached her. “What’s up? You look as if you had some dreadful news to impart!”
“Don’t laugh, Margot. Where have you been all morning?”
“Walking with Isabella, of course. We’ve both been reading the same book and there was so much to talk about.”
Jem sighed and looked upwards at the sky, trying to imagine how he would approach this subject.
“We’ve had a visitor,” he said eventually.
“Oh? Who?” Visitors were rare in this part of the world and Margot’s interest was peaked.
“Stephen Venables is back.”
Margot drew a deep breath and stared at Jem. “Stephen is back. Stephen is back? Are you sure?”
Jem nodded. “And, Margot...”
But he got no further. Her book lay on the grass and her hat had fallen and was now abandoned on the chair. Margot had flown up the driveway to the house and was even now running up the steps and through the front door. Jem frowned in consternation. He got up and followed her more slowly. Perhaps he hadn’t appreciated how deep his sister’s feelings ran for Venables. He grimaced. Surely there would be no more problems standing in the way of his return to England and to medical college!
Author:  Alison H [ Thu May 29, 2008 9:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hope Mrs Russell's OK.
Author:  Róisín [ Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:53 pm ]
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“Oh darling,” murmured Margot as she rubbed her curls into Stephen’s shirt.
“I... I still can’t believe it, Mar.”
“Of course I’ve always loved you. I have done since we were children together. I’ve been... dead... inside... while you’ve been gone. But now you’re back!” Margot ended with a radiant smile and looked trustingly into Stephen’s eyes.
“Has Jem spoken to you?”
“He told me you were here, that’s all.”
“There’s more to tell, Margot. I’m buying the ranch. Jem and your mother are going to use the money to return to England. I’m sure he...”

The old, fiery look came into Margot’s eyes. If she had been ten years younger, she might even have stamped her foot!
“I’m not leaving,” she said quietly but with determination.
Stephen dared to allow himself to hope. He caught her hands in his and bent his head down to hers.
“Does this mean...?”
The answer was lost in a kiss.

Finally, things feel as if they are right again, thought Margot to herself. She felt quietly happy, as if her engagement to Stephen was merely the fulfilment of what was meant to be, rather than a surprise.
“Jem won’t like this,” she said.
Author:  Anjali [ Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:45 am ]
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That was lovely, Roisin - I really like Margot and Stephen in this - I wish this had a happy ending :cry:

And Jem is really suited to his part too - your crossover is seamless!
Author:  Róisín [ Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:32 pm ]
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“This is outrageous,” said Jem, quietly. “You absolutely cannot stay here without us, Margot.”
“I won’t be alone, Jem. Stephen and I are going to be married.”
“Mother won’t agree.”
“That doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

Jem and Margot stood, brother and sister alone, in the parlour. Stephen had discreetly left them to their discussion, and was in the kitchen busily interviewing Nelly to see if she would stay on and keep house for him.

In a sudden burst of fury, Jem caught Margot’s wrist and held it against her.
“You cannot force Mother to choose like this!”
“Jem! Ow! Let go! Oh, darling, don’t cry...”
“All I want is for us to return to England again. As a family,” Jem sobbed into Margot’s embrace.
“We will see each other again, Jem,” comforted his sister. “You must remember that Australia has been my home now, for many years. And now Papa’s ranch will belong to Stephen and I. You know that he would have loved that.”

Margot thought that she had convinced her little brother, but Jem wiped his eyes fiercely and stood apart from her again.

“No. I’m going to talk to Mother. If you stay here, Margot, then that’s it. I don’t want to see you again. You must choose.” He turned on his heel and left a startled Margot behind him.
Author:  Alison H [ Mon Jun 09, 2008 9:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Jem is not handling this well ... !
Author:  Róisín [ Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
*********************************************************

“And she chose Stephen,” concluded Esther in a soft voice. She had been caught up in the tale that Nelly was revealing.

“Yes, ma’am,” confirmed the old housekeeper. “She stayed with Stephen. Old Mrs Russell gave them her blessing, but left with Jem. She didn’t last much longer, poor soul.” Esther nodded. She had attended the funeral in England.

“Margot and Stephen had five children. Jimmy came along about a year after they were quietly married, with the Dean of Thrushcross Grange performing the service. Then Daisy followed, and two more boys after that – Frankie, and little Steve was named for his father. And just last year, Primula arrived.”

Esther’s breath caught. “Oh, Nelly, those three little boys?”
Nelly nodded. “Took by a sickness very quick, they were. Daisy had been staying in the Grange that time, and Primula not yet born.”
“How... terrible,” Esther shook her head. “That poor girl. Where is Margot now, Nelly?”
“She’s taken the two girls and gone to Brisbane. Stephen thought that she could do with some time away. Her friend, Nurse Rickards, is very good to Margot down there.”

Esther nodded. This strange house, with its sad history, was still a mystery to her.

“Nelly, let me write a letter to Stephen, will you? I’d like to travel to Brisbane and meet Margot and the girls there. Could you make sure he receives the note? I’d like to be off before he returns from the work in the outer fields.”

“Of course, ma’am,” replied Nelly, surprised. “Are you alright?”
“It’s the air, I fear. The humidity. I can’t think of any other reason for this sudden weakness I’ve been enduring.”
Nelly nodded sagely. “It’s not an air that suits everyone,” she replied. “I will see that your things are ready, Miss Russell.”

While Nelly packed for her, Esther took some time to walk around the immediate boundaries of the Queensland farm. The day was warm with small breezes occasionally relieving the mugginess. Margot had picked a sweet spot to bury her boys in. A leafy path led through a copse to a circular glade. The sun picked out patterns through the leaves. Esther sought, and soon discovered, the three headstones on the slope, now harmonised by the turf and moss creeping up its foot. The graves were no longer fresh, she perceived that decay had made progress, but that someone had been gently tending a small variety of flowers that studded the ground before the headstones. Despite the fabled strength of Queensland autumn storms, Esther saw that the Venables had chosen soft English wild flowers. Harebells swayed elegantly in the soft wind, and heather grew stoutly at their feet. Arranging her skirts, Esther knelt, and lingered under that benign sky, and prayed for a long time. She watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, and listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and cried for the slumbers of the young sleepers in that quiet earth. Still unsure of how she felt, she rose eventually, and returned to the house, where her coach and her belongings stood ready to leave.

“Do tell Stephen how... sorry I am,” she said to Nelly as she pressed her letter into Nelly Dean’s worn hands. Then she climbed into the carriage, settled herself with the next chapter in the Roselands saga, and knocked on the roof for her man to drive on.

THE END

and thanks for reading :D
Author:  PaulineS [ Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:33 pm ]
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thanks for the Drabble. It explains Margot so well, and shows Jem as an impetuous young man.
Author:  Alison H [ Tue Jun 10, 2008 8:37 pm ]
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Thank you :D .
Author:  Anjali [ Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:45 am ]
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Thanks Roisin.
Author:  Elbee [ Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:58 am ]
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Thanks Roisin. I need to re-read Wuthering Heights now, I read it about 30 years ago and can't remember it very well.
Author:  abbeybufo [ Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:30 pm ]
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Thanks Róisín - enjoyed that intriguing tie-in - even though I'm not a WH fan.
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