I’ve spoken to Mademoiselle La Patrre and she said she was so fed up with trying to drum some understanding of French into a group of spoilt brats that she would be quite happy to give it up for a while and earn her living in a more – um relaxed – manner.”

:lol:

Well, that explains the name....!

“Rien a declarer?” asked the customs man – a twinkle in his eye as he recalled some of the contents of the suitcase which had recently been displayed to his astonished eyes. Just wait till his break! And they said the English were repressed!

:shock:

What on earth did she do?

No, don't answer that!!!!

La Therese?!! A fruit salad....ah, she must have balanced it on her head.....

La Therese?!! A fruit salad....ah, she must have balanced it on her head.....

Thank you; this is so much fun!

Madge rushed to the mirror to try and discover what had engendered such a reaction in her sister and to her horror discovered a bright red rash on the side of her neck.

“Oh my!” she thought – and then gulped – she sincerely hoped some of that was padding.”

Despite his reassuring words to his sister, he still wasn’t convinced of the wisdom of her career choice – and man like, rather than argue - silently decided that it would be a good few years before he found himself able to take another visit to Austria.

But Mademoiselle would love to show him her fruit salad trick! She's so dainty at it, just like a true Frenchwoman!

being something of a magnolia woman herself

She accepted graciously the explanation for the extra girls and mentally calculated how much extra a year she would be getting.

And Madge was left alone to reflect - bitterly – on just how she had been persuaded to take on her latest pupil…

I'm assuming the discovered her in a compromising position and said they'd blab to all and sundry. I could see that doing the trick.

Love the idea of Frau Berlin as the Uber-madame for all of Northern Europe

Ah everything about the chalet school is starting to make sense - frau Berlin, the Carricks "accident" . . .

...She had an excellent memory – she needed to in her line of work – no good forgetting which client liked to experiment with a tin of polish and a feather duster – and one who – well didn’t….

“Well well well…. If it isn’t Flopsy Florian!”

And Herr Marani’s heart sank.

But all this was as nothing to the stricken look of Herr Marani who pitifully called after Madge as she strode off in the direction of the Kronz Priz Karl – “But Fraulein Bettany! I’m a man! I’m a man too! ”

With some loving attention, some special embrocation oil and a few tricks learned from some of the other girls, Gisel had restored him to his former glory. In gratitude he had married her, and together they returned to the Tirol where no-one knew their secret, and they soon established themselves as the epitome of respectability.

It might have been” admitted Madge honestly. “But when I looked in to it, I quickly discovered that there is a very high rate of failure for schools in the Tyrol. Apparently there are also sorts of health and safety issues – near drownings in freezing lakes, falling off mountains and the like, although quite frankly I can’t see that sort of thing being very likely to happen!

although obviously if a rich, handsome, professional man should suddenly turn up on our doorstep, and fall madly in love with me – I might reconsider!” and Madge laughed, knowing how wildly unlikely such a scenario was…….

So I thought instead I might like to be a famous author, marry a doctor and have oodles of children – preferably all at once.”

Madge smiled to herself. Thus it had ever been when a child was asked what they wanted to be when they grew up – somehow they managed to think of the most unlikely things….

Madge was not prepared to share absolutely everything with her sister – whilst she had taken the whole brothel thing extremely well, Madge’s involvement – albeit on the periphery – in a contract killing, was probably just a bit more worldly knowledge than Joey was ready for at this stage in her school career.

...if he liked she could get him fitted out with some special equipment. Apparently he brightened up at the last bit of the conversation and was later seen wandering into a little shack half way up the mountains with his trousers half way down his ankles. They say that Frau Schmidt still has nightmares.”

More please!!!!!

“Are you busy Madge?” enquired her little sister, putting her head round Madge’s office door.

“God I hope not! That would put the tin lid on it!” ejaculated her sister with somewhat surprising force, thought Joey, a tad perplexed, who had only wanted to know if now was a good time to talk to Madge.

Almost embarrassed at how much I'm enjoying this!

She could tell the whisky had been watered, and nothing annoyed her more than the ruination of a good malt

but God willing if I put my back into it

:lol: But of course you had to use that line!

Perhaps I'm slow on the uptake, but I've read the update 3 times, and I still can't work out which line everyone is referring to. Could someone enlighten me please?

pale, grey and to all appearance, dead!

Gredel was quite used to scrubbing on her hands and knees so the concept of adding a brush to the proceedings in order to clean floors came quite quickly to her.

Also wondering exactly how much Jem knows and if Madge will give it all up for him.

Thanks abbeygirl

“….The Ride of Your Life” and “Discover the tiger in your pants..”,

Hope Madge's interview with Jen goes well and very much looking forward to seeing it soon (hint).

She had not realized until that moment that deep down she was still harboring romantic dreams of her own particular knight in shining armour. She took it out, dusted it off, and put it carefully away, this time for good.

Pretty Woman??

(or is that making a fool of myself as I am very uneducated when it comes to films)

If not, what film?????

Pizza? Pleeeeeeze (although I'm not sure it would have been easily available in 1920s Tyrol).

At their first meeting he had been impressed by her courage, but she had – if he was honest– looked like she had been pulled through a hedge backwards.

I don't think Jem's going to be satisfied with just one week, somehow ...

So far most of the fees have been consumed by the start up costs – and it will not be until next year at the earliest that we sill begin to recoup this outlay. So this was my insurance.

It would only be a matter of time – what woman – especially one who ran a brothel – would turn down an offer such as his.

Miss Maynard had indicated that she would quite like to “retire” now that she’d finished helping to pay her brother’s way through his medical training

Oh yes Jem, be bold. But at Frau Berlin.

Go for it Jem! I'm rooting for you...

What a beautiful choice of words.

tucked a very large tip in his very small thong