The CBB :: View topic - Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

#1: Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 5:46 pm

It serves me right for thinking the bunnies were happy in the garden. They are back in the house and back in control of my life again.

Gill Culver dressed with care, for she wanted to look exactly right when she went out to dinner that night. She was going to a very fancy restaurant in Interlaken with Pierre Bedeau, the dashing doctor that she had been seeing for exactly six months. She wanted to look perfect, as she had started to wonder about Pierre's intentions, and had high hopes of spending the next six months preparing for her wedding.
Pierre was absolutely gorgeous. He was tall and slim and handsome, with his blond hair and very green eyes. He had even white teeth and a ready smile. In addition, he was very amusing and witty and knew how to make Gill feel very special. When they met, quite by accident, she had immediately been drawn to him. He had run into her at the auberge, where she had been with a party of girls from St. Mildred's, the Chalet School finishing branch. Suddenly one of the girls had been stung by a bee and had developed a bad reaction to the sting. Dr. Bedeau had rushed to her assistance, diagnosing an allergic reaction to the sting and racing the girl to the San in his own car, along with Gill Culver.
Once at the san, the right medicines had been promptly prescribed and the girl had recovered from the sting. Gill had been so relieved to hear that her charge was to be completely all right again and would have fainted right away if it had not been for the strong arm of her saviour coming round her waist and keeping her on her feet. He had then helped her to a comfortable seat, brought her a glass of water and stayed with her until she felt well enough for him to drive her back to the school.
On the door step of the school he had asked Gill if he could see her again, preferably across the dinner table, and she had quickly agreed to meet him for dinner the next evening. They had gone to a lovely restaurant in Interlaken, where they had eaten well and enjoyed sharing a far-ranging conversation. Pierre spoke excellent English, while Gill spoke French fluently, thanks to her years at the school, so they had no problems communicating freely with each other. They found that they had a lot in common, liking similar films, enjoying similar books and laughing at the same sort of jokes. After dinner, Pierre had taken Gill for a romantic walk along by the river, and they had kissed beneath the golden moon. Smitten by her new beau, Gill had floated back to the school and spent the next few days dreaming of meeting Pierre again and reliving the wonderful evening she had spent with him.
Gill pinned up her hair and surveyed herself in the mirror. She looked very nice, she decided, wearing a navy suit and crisp white blouse, and high navy shoes. She sprayed herself with perfume and picked up her handbag then she sallied forth to meet the man of her dreams.
Pierre arrived a little late, explaining he had been detained by a phone call just as he was leaving his chalet. He leaned over and kissed her, put the car into gear and drove off along the main road off of the Gornetz Platz. "You look lovely tonight, cherie," he said, his voice warm and low.
"Thank you," she replied, thinking the same about him. He was wearing a well cut grey suit, with a white shirt and a very dark red tie. His shoes were so shiny Gill was sure she would have been able to see her reflection in them if she tried. He put his foot to the floor and the car sped down the road. At first his driving had terrified Gill, because he had a very sporty car and liked to go as fast as he could. She had gradually got used to it, though, and now she could sit beside him quite happily and enjoy the speed and the excitement of the ride.

Last edited by Fatima on Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:48 pm; edited 31 times in total

#2: Author: Mia *stealthing*,

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 5:49 pm

Hurrah, a new Fatima drabble!

Ooh lucky Gill! But why do I think that Pierre might *not* be the one? Confused

#3: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 5:56 pm

Yes, why am I wibbling already?
*lol* Thanks Fatima - this looks great - v. promising Very Happy

#4: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 6:05 pm

Yay! A new one already!

I'm wibbling also Confused

#5: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 6:41 pm

Oooh yay a new drabble!!! Very Happy

Yes I seem to be wibbling as well! Confused

Thank you, I can't wait for more!!!

#6: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 6:47 pm

Ooh good, a new drabble already! But is Pierre a bit too charming? Rolling Eyes

#7: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 8:15 pm

Thanks, Fatima. It's great to see a new drabble so soon after the last drabble was finished. I am also wibbling about Pierre.

#8: Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 11:08 pm

I think its the title that's making us worry...

#9: Author: Miss Di, Location: Newcastle, NSW

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:46 am

Gosh those bunny treats worked well. Is there going to be a single woman left on the Platz before they're done?

(Wondering about potential partners for Matey...)

#10: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:18 am

I have already married her off!! See Gwynneth's Dream! Thank you for all the nice comments. I'm off to work soon, but our weekend is Friday/Saturday, so I promise I will be back later!

#11: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:03 am

Thanks Fatima - looking forward to seeing the rest of Gill's story Very Happy

Liz

#12: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:51 am

Lucky he took to Gillian,
at that age, the doctor could well have fancied the girl from St mildred.

#13: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:02 am

Yay for Fatima's bunnies!

Mexican Wave

I also have doubts about the sheer perfection of Pierre Rolling Eyes

Looking forward to your weekend!

#14: Author: dackel, Location: Wolfenbuettel, Germany/Cambridge, England

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:30 pm

Agreeing with the people who thinks Pierre is a bit too perfect! Especially when I consider the title of this drabble!

Fatima, you're amazingly prolific! I'm stunned by the way you keep turning out new (and wonderful) drabbles at this speed! Whatever are you feeding your bunnies?

Edited because I can't spell, or rather, type! The letters are all there, but in the wrong order!

#15: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:47 pm

Thank you for all the comments. I wish the bunnies weren't quite so productive, but there you go! Some more, about the fabulous Pierre!

They parked in Interlaken and walked hand in hand to the restaurant. They had been there before, so were welcomed by the manager and shown to a dimly lit table in a quiet corner. Pierre courteously pulled out Gill's chair and then he sat down opposite her. A waiter brought them the wine list and the menu, and Pierre ordered a French wine – he was very snobbish about wine, refusing to drink anything but French wine, saying it was far superior to other countries' efforts in that direction. They decided to have the house speciality, a delicious lamb dish, with piles of seasonable vegetables and tiny roast potatoes. Pierre chatted about his day at the San and asked Gill about her day at the school. She told him about the burst pipe in the kitchen and how the whole school had been forced to head to the Chalet School proper for dinner, as there was no way that any food could be prepared in their own kitchen. Karen, from the Chalet school, had then packed up sandwiches and other delicacies for the Millies to take back with them for their tea and supper. Gaudenz and his nephew, Gerhard, had spent the afternoon endeavouring to fix the problem and the maids had just been going into the kitchen as Gill had left, to clean everything up and try to get it back in working order ready for breakfast the next day.
Once they had finished the lamb, Pierre called for the desert trolley and they debated the relative merits of delicate meringue concoctions and the more solid slices of strudel. Finally, they both decided on the meringue, which was covered in whipped cream and black cherries and was delectable.
It was as they were sipping their coffee that Gill wondered why Pierre had made no reference to the fact that it was six months to the exact day, since they had first visited Interlaken together. "It's amazing to think that we have been together six months already, isn't it," she found herself saying.
"Have we really?" he said, also sounding surprised. "Yes, I suppose we have. Time flies when you are having fun!"
"It certainly does," she agreed.
"And how is young…Delia, wasn't it?" he asked, referring to the girl who had been stung.
"She is fine," said Gill, "thanks to you."
"All part of the job," he answered smoothly. "Have you finished, Gill? Shall we go?"
"Yes, thank you," she replied.
They stood up and he paid the bill, and then they headed out into the darkened streets of Interlaken. Pierre slid his arm around her and she walked along at his side, wondering why he had not been as forthcoming as she had been hoping. In the six months that they had been together, he had been so charming and he had made Gill realize how dull her life had been before she met him. He had been attentive, bringing her roses or chocolates and taking her out at least once a week. They had, as he had said in the restaurant, 'had fun' together. They had raced around in his car, visiting all sorts of places together, and he had made her feel very important. Finally, she realized that she had fallen in love with him, and from the way he behaved, she was sure he felt the same about her.
They stopped in a darkened corner of the car park and Pierre pulled her closer, leaning down to kiss her. He pulled out the pins holding up her magnificent chestnut hair and ran his hands through it, making her giggle. "Pierre, that took me ages to do," she protested.
"Never mind," he said, "Because it looks so much better down."
Before she could say anything else he was kissing her again, driving all other thoughts from her mind. She clung to him, enjoying the feeling of his lips on hers and reassured by his kisses. When he removed his mouth from hers, she whispered, "Oh, Pierre, I do love you."
Pierre gave a throaty laugh. "Come on," he said, drawing her into step with him again. "Let's get you back to school before the Gorgon discovers that you have gone again and locks you out for the night."
Although Gill did not like to hear Pierre speaking so disrespectfully about her Head, she did chuckle as she remembered the second time she had been out with Pierre. They had arrived back at the school rather later than anticipated, to find the front door bolted and Gill had been obliged to climb in through the window of her office, almost giving Miss Wilson a heart attack as she had appeared through the curtains. Pierre had found that highly amusing, but Gill had always tried to get back to school earlier on other evenings she had been out with Pierre.
They got into the car again, and Gill did her best to tidy her hair as they pulled out of the car park and sped through Interlaken and back up to the Platz. As they drove she realized that Pierre had not responded to her declaration of love. He had not seemed particularly impressed by her words, nor had he told her that he loved her. Now she wondered if she should tell him again, or ask him what he felt about her, but all too soon they were roaring past the San and onto the school.
"We are going to Mrs. Maynard's at the weekend," Gill reminded him as they screeched to a halt outside the front door of the school.
"Oh, yes, the dinner," Pierre recalled. "Do we have to go?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, we already said that we would," Gill answered. "Some of the other doctors will be going, and it will be fun."
"Yes, great fun," he said, in a tone that implied it would only be marginally less appealing than having a tooth pulled. He leaned over and tweaked her hair down again, tangling his fingers in it and kissing her. "I will come and collect you at seven," he said, sounding resigned to attending Jo Maynard's dinner. "Maybe we could escape early. I have heard of a new wine bar that is opened in Thun, and I thought it would be fun to go there."
"I don't think we could get away early enough to get all the way to Thun," Gill said. "Not even you could get there that quickly!"
"No, I suppose not," he agreed with a laugh. "You had better go, Gill. I'll see you at the weekend."
"Thank you for a lovely evening," she said. "Good night, Pierre."
"Good night," he responded, putting the car into gear and racing off down the drive at top speed.

#16: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:52 pm

Eeek. Now while I don't think Pierre is going to be a nasty man, I don't however think he and Gillian are looking for the same thing. What a complicated situation! Thanks Fatima Very Happy

#17: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:55 pm

Oh lovely update Fatima! i'm not liking Pierre! Confused

Thank you! Oops I have to get off the library computer! Thanks again this is great! Very Happy

#18: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:04 pm

Poor Pierre - Joey will probably quiz him about his intentions! Rather worried about him not saying he loves Gill too ...

#19: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:29 pm

*wibbling for Gill* There's definitely something afoot....

#20: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:36 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I am feeling even more unsure of Pierre.

#21: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:21 pm

What a schmoozer! Thanks Fatima Very Happy

#22: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:23 pm

I think Pierre is definitely BAD NEWS but I can see how Gill, and indeed most women, would probably find him very attractive. It's all going to end in tears I fear *shakes head sadly but wisely*

Kathryn

#23: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:24 pm

Wow - another drabble so soon. You are spoiling us! Thank you Fatima

Is it me or did Pierre sound less than interested in the amount of time he and Gill had been together?

#24: Author: Identity Hunt, Location: UK

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:12 pm

Goodness, Fatima !
I only stay away from the computer for one day, and there`s already lots of a new drabble Smile

)))

Pierre is smooth, suave, sophisticated, and almost certainly *Bad News*.
I am wibbling already in anticipation.
I do hope he doesn`t crash Gill in that swish car of his !

#25: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:21 pm

I think he is a RAT! lol

But then I am often quick to judge these norty drabbley men!!

#26: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:41 pm

Gill walked slowly into the school, carefully locking the door behind her. She went up the stairs and to her room, changing quickly and getting into bed. She found that she could not fall asleep, for she was busy replaying the conversation they had had that evening and wondering why Pierre had not been more responsive to her declaration of love. She knew he liked her, for he had often praised the way she looked and told her how much fun he was having with her. Gill frowned and tried to think of all the nice things he had said to her – and there had been many. He often told her that she had lovely hair, for it was long and thick and a beautiful chestnut colour. He admired her new clothes if she bought any and always told her how nice she looked. He had laughed at her jokes and listened attentively to her, whether she was relating tales of her life or things that she had been thinking. He had been a wonderful companion and she had fallen in love with him because she enjoyed spending time with him and liked the way she felt when she was with him. In his company she felt like a woman; she had spent some time wondering if she was destined to end up unmarried like so many of the Chalet School staff, but as she had never met a man that made her feel anything more than briefly interested, she had decided that her career was more important to her than marriage. Now, though, she could quite imagine herself keeping house for Pierre, and having their children. She could picture herself in the kitchen, cooking a wonderful dinner and serving it to her tired and grateful husband, then sitting with him in the living room, darning his socks while he told her entertaining stories of his day at work.
Gill rolled over in bed and sighed. Maybe she should face the fact that Pierre didn't seem as interested in this version of the future as she did. Then she wondered if it was a matter of time. She had heard that some men did not like to settle down too early. They preferred to 'sow their wild oats' and only get married once they had enjoyed being young, free and single. Gill was twenty nine and Pierre was only thirty five, so perhaps he was still too young to wish to get married. Gill decided that she would do her best to wait patiently for him. She certainly did not wish to frighten him off with her desire to settle down, so she would just have to keep showing him how wonderful she was and then bide her time until he realized that he could not live without her. Happy to have reached such a sensible resolution to her dilemma, Gill rolled over again and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

#27: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:03 pm

Oh Gill! Come on, love! Darning socks as an ideal way of life?!!

Thanks Fatima.

#28: Author: JustJen, Location: Dorval, Quebec

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:44 pm

Oh why do I have the feeling that Pierre wil break her heart?

#29: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:35 pm

Oh dear Gill, I think heart break might be on it's way! I hope she can get over him and find herself another nice young man (doctor) he is not worth her anyway! Thank you Fatima, you really spoil us! Very Happy

#30: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:45 pm

But is Gill actually in love with him or just in love with the idea of being in a relationship/being married? That doesn't mean, however, that he won't break her heart Sad

Thanks Fatima, fab as ever Very Happy

Kathryn

#31: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:48 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I hope she can work out whether he is actually the right man for her.

#32: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:37 am

I am not too sure of Gill Culver's age, so I hope you will excuse any blatant errors! I didn't want her to be too old, as it's nice to be writing about one of the younger members of staff at last!

At the weekend Pierre arrived as promised and took Gill to Freudesheim for Jo Maynard's dinner party. Jo frequently held select little gatherings, inviting her friends from both parts of the Chalet School and Jack's friends from the San. She did indulge in a fair amount of match making at these dinners, trying to set up the mistresses from the school with suitable doctors. Very often her efforts went unrewarded, but this did not deter her from continuing her plans to arrange as many nuptials as she could.
Pierre was dressed in another suit; he had an extensive wardrobe of well-cut clothes, all of which he wore with style and panache. He was pleased to see Gill looking lovely in a jade green dress, her hair arranged becomingly around her face. "You look lovely tonight," he told her, reaching out to touch a tendril of hair that looked particularly inviting.
"Thank you." She smiled sweetly at him, knowing that he found her hair just as irresistible as she had planned that he should.
They drove to Jo's house and found that they were the last to arrive. There were four other doctors there, Reg Entwhistle, (who was engaged to Jo's daughter, Len), Armand Laroche, Matthew Reynolds and Michael Anderson. There were also four other mistresses from the Chalet School - Rosalie Dene, Kathy Ferrars, Sharlie Andrews and Joan Bertram. Jo had selected her 'victims' thoughtfully, for Matthew was much older than the other doctors, so he had been paired off with Rosalie. Armand and Michael looked to be in their late thirties, so were being entertained by the other three ladies, and Michael at least, seemed thrilled to be given the undivided attention of the younger mistresses.
They went into dinner, and Gill found herself sitting between the two French doctors. Armand was pleasant, but very quiet, although Gill did acknowledge that Pierre managed to monopolise her attention so effectively that she probably would not have noticed if Armand was witty and amusing, because she only had eyes for Pierre. As usual, Jo had provided a delicious spread, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Reg Entwhistle was always popular as a dinner guest, despite being unavailable for match-making, for he was able to recount amusing tales of the goings on at the San, and he kept his end of the table in stitches. Rosalie and Matthew seemed deep in conversation with Jack at the other end of the table and Jo was at her sparkling best.
Gill felt very complacent as she sat at the table. Pierre was easily the best looking man there, and the most charming. All of her friends liked him, for he was always amiable and polite. Thoroughly enjoying herself, Gill allowed the brief concerns she had felt over Pierre's failure to fall in a swoon at her feet when she told him she loved him to vanish. She sipped at her wine and laughed again as Reg described the demanding old man that he had been treating, imitating his whiny voice so well that the other doctors applauded his impression enthusiastically.
Anna appeared with a wonderful gateau she had made for their dessert, and both Rosalie and Sharlie groaned, wishing they had not eaten quite as much of the first courses as they had done. Gill, who knew how creative Anna could be with desserts, had deliberately paced herself, saving plenty of space for whatever culinary delight should be forthcoming. After generous helpings of the gateau had been consumed, the guests withdrew into the Salon once more. Anna brought in the coffee, and Jo officiated, a task she always enjoyed. Gill settled down with Sharlie and Kathie, particular friends of hers, and they discussed various school business for a while. Gill assured them that the pipes in the kitchen at St. Mildred's were now properly repaired, and they laughed at the thought of the Millies being squashed into the Chalet School speisesaal. Pierre and the other doctors had foregathered at the other end of the Salon, and were indulging in what Jo called 'doctor talk'.
The little group of ladies glanced down at them, as Jo asked what they thought of them. Noticing that Pierre had disappeared, Gill excused herself and went off to the bathroom, on the pretext of finding out where he was. Maybe he was already planning their departure, for it would be just like him to be thinking of heading off to the new wine bar in Thun even though it was already so late. Nothing stood in between Pierre and his determination to have lots of fun.
"So when do they arrive?" Armand and Pierre were standing in the hall, deep in discussion.
"In a fortnight," Pierre replied.
"Who arrives?" Gill asked, going over to Pierre and slipping her hand into his.
He smiled down at her, that special smile that melted her heart. "The parents of a patient of mine," he told her. "He has been asking for them, and they will be here in two weeks. Or sooner if they can manage it."
Armand gave Pierre a withering look and walked away, back into the Salon.
"That's a bit mean," Gill observed. "If their son is sick, they should come sooner."
"They are quite old," Pierre explained. "It's difficult for them to travel, so he says."
"Oh," said Gill.
"Are you ready to go?" Pierre asked.
"Yes, I think so," she agreed.
They returned to the Salon and bade farewell to their friends, then they thanked Jo for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Jo kissed Gill warmly, for she was very fond of the young secretary of St. Mildred's. "See you soon," she said. "Maybe in two weeks you could come again? We have two visiting specialists who will be staying with us, so we will probably do all this again."
Gill looked up at Pierre. "I'm not sure," he said hesitantly. "It's a long way off. May we tell you later, Mrs. Maynard?"
"Yes, of course," Jo assured him. "Thank you for coming. It's been so good to see you both."
Gill allowed Pierre to steer her out of the Salon and back to the car. They got in and he looked questioningly at her. "Do you want to go to Thun?" he inquired.
"Not really," she admitted. "It would be so late by the time we got there."
"We should go next weekend, then," he suggested. "I'll pick you up at six next Saturday. Is that all right?"
"Yes," she agreed, and he drove her back to the school once more.

#33: Author: Miss Di, Location: Newcastle, NSW

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:48 am

Uh Oh. Alarm bells are currently ringing Very Loudly.

Why do I have the feeling that it is Pierre the Rat's wife and three children arriving in a fortnight?

#34: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 6:21 am

Miss Di wrote:

Uh Oh. Alarm bells are currently ringing Very Loudly.

Why do I have the feeling that it is Pierre the Rat's wife and three children arriving in a fortnight?

No I don't think so, I think it is some group of young women coming to the alps.

#35: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:41 am

Pierre took Gill to Thun the following weekend and they had a lovely evening in the new wine bar. It was very modern and trendy and seemed likely to become one of the most popular night spots in the area. Afterwards they drove back to the Gornetz Platz, discussing the wine bar and agreeing that they had had a delightful evening there. Gill felt that it was well worth driving the extra distance to Thun to visit such a pleasant place and hoped that Pierre would take her back there.
"What will we do about Jo's dinner party next weekend?" she asked once they had finished discussing how successful such a wine bar would be on the Platz.
"I don't think I shall be able to go," Pierre said apologetically. "I think I shall be on duty that night."
"What a shame," said Gill, disappointed.
"You could still go," he pointed out.
"But it's not the same without you," she answered. She waited a while for him to suggest their next meeting, but he began to talk about cars, a subject that fascinated him, and although Gill was not quite as interested as he would have liked, she had learnt a great deal about them since meeting him.
They finally pulled up outside the school and still no mention had been made of their next meeting. Gill was puzzled, for they usually arranged each date as they went home from the previous one. Pierre did sometimes phone her at work and impulsively suggest an extra outing, but usually Gill was left in no doubt as to when she would see him again. He leaned over to kiss her, but somehow it seemed as though his heart wasn't in it. Something had changed in the short time since they had left the wine bar and driven back to the Platz, but Gill did not know what it could be.
"When will I see you again?" she asked as he drew away from her.
"I'm not sure," he answered. "I have a really busy week or two coming up. I'll call you."
Slightly mollified, Gill got out of the car and went back to the school. Pierre roared off down the drive, leaving Gill to go into the school, feeling vaguely uneasy. She could not quite put her finger on it, but something was not right. She felt that she had not said or done anything to upset Pierre, but he was definitely no longer quite the same. He had withdrawn from her, albeit just a fraction, and Gill did not know why. She went upstairs and sat by the window in her bedroom, looking out across the darkened landscape towards the slender moon that was just visible above the mountains.
Pierre was wonderful. She was so much in love with him. He knew that she loved him, for she had told him, but he no longer seemed to feel the same way. Gill bit her lip as she wondered what she should do. She had lived such a sheltered life, first at the school and then in her years since leaving school. She had briefly been involved with a fellow student while at college, but she had quickly discovered that Malcolm was incredibly shallow and so had stopped seeing him without any qualms. On her return to the school as secretary, Gill had been very involved with her work and had little interest in men until she had met Pierre, so she had no previous experiences on which to draw. Her friends on the Platz had all liked Pierre, and told her how lucky she was to have found such a dashing young doctor. She had been so sure that he was on the verge of proposing marriage, yet now she did not even know when she would see him again.
Gill found that she was feeling tired, so she changed and got into bed. She snuggled down beneath her plumeau, for sitting at the window had left her feeling cold. She quickly fell asleep, but in the morning she felt uneasy, as if she had been prey to nightmares that she could not quite recall. She got up and went off to breakfast as usual. She enjoyed her life at St. Mildred's, being part of the staff and yet being able to relate to the girls that attended the Chalet School finishing branch. She enjoyed her job, both the secretarial side of it and the involvement with the activities of the girls - helping them with lacrosse, assisting in the production of the annual Christmas pantomime, going on outings with them. It was so interesting, watching them arrive at St. Mildred's as sixteen or seventeen year old school girls and leaving a year or two later as mature young ladies, well able to deal with whatever life threw at them. She kept in touch with some of them, and they wrote her long letters describing their first adventures in the adult world. She did not enjoy her job that day, however, as she was filled with a vague and nameless worry. She could think of no explanation, nor could she reconcile herself to the thought that perhaps Pierre was no longer interested in her. She knew that some of her college acquaintances had fallen in and out of love on a regular basis, but they had been so much younger than she and Pierre were. Once one reached the late twenties, love would be forever, so Gill had believed. She and Pierre should have been so happy, but she most definitely was not.
In her office Gill typed up a pile of correspondence for Miss Wilson, then had to rip several letters up as they were just so full of mistakes. She redid them, trying to concentrate harder on her job and less on her personal problems. She went off after break to teach the class that she gave to those girls wishing to learn to type, and found that she actually did forget the handsome doctor for an hour. She did sometimes wonder if she should have trained to be a teacher, as she enjoyed giving the little lessons in office skills so much. She had lunch with her colleagues, and they found her rather distracted, for the whole question of Pierre had come back into her mind with a vengeance. Finally, returning to her office for the afternoon, Gill reached a decision. She would phone him and ask him when she would be seeing him again.
Having reached that decision, she worked all afternoon on the scripts for the Christmas pantomime, which had to be typed out and given to all the members of the cast, so that they could learn their words. This year they were to be doing Cinderella, and everyone was working hard to make it the most successful pantomime ever. They were all keen to raise a substantial amount of money for the bed that they supported in the San, and Gill was glad to help them in their efforts.
After school, Gill waited until she was alone in her office and then she put a call through to the San. They informed her that Pierre had already gone off duty, so she called his home. He answered the phone promptly, greeting her more with restraint than warmth.
"Hello, Gill," he said. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she replied, although she did almost blurt out her worries about him then and there. "Pierre, I wondered when I would see you again?"
Pierre made no response for a minute. "How about a drink in the Gornetz Café tomorrow?" he finally suggested. "I will be finishing work at six, so I could meet you there just after half past."
"Yes, that would be lovely," she answered eagerly. "Thank you, Pierre."
"See you tomorrow," he said and he hung up.

#36: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:51 am

Oh dear, I think Gill has found herself a wrong 'un here. Still, there seem to be plenty of other nice doctors about.

#37: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:30 am

Gill is a character I wish EBD had written more about, thanks for writing this drabble!

#38: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:30 am

This is fabulous, Fatima, thank you Very Happy

#39: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:11 pm

Oh dear... I have a horrible feeling Gill will get her heart broken! Crying or Very sad

#40: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:15 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I wonder what Pierre was talking about to Armand.

#41: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 12:22 pm

This is fascinating, Fatima. Joins the 'Pierre is a Wrong'un Club'

#42: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:08 pm

Gill replaced the receiver and wondered why the prospect of a drink with him had not cheered her up very much. She spent the evening in her office pretending to be busy, as that was easier than pretending to be cheerful in the staffroom. The next day seemed to drag, but eventually it passed and Gill began to get ready to go off and meet Pierre. She dressed with care, putting on trousers and a thick jumper, over which she wore her winter coat. She wondered why he had not offered to collect her from the school as he usually did, but the Gornetz Café was not far from St. Mildred's so she could easily walk there.
Gill left the school quietly, and walked down the drive in the gathering darkness. It was bitterly cold and seemed as though the snow, which had held off so far, could not be much longer in coming. Glad for her heavy boots and the scarf she had wrapped around her, Gill set off at a brisk pace, mainly to keep warm. Now that the time had come, she was no longer sure if she wanted to go and meet Pierre. What if he really did want to finish with her? What if he actually said that he had enjoyed running around with her but had now found someone else and no longer wished to see her? What would she do? Gill swallowed hard and walked on resolutely. She had to know what he planned to do, so she had to go and meet him. Maybe he had been exceedingly busy at the San and so had no time for going out on dates. Perhaps he would be unaware of her concerns, and as soon as she told him what was worrying her he would be able to give her all the reassurances she needed.
Gill arrived at the Gornetz Café, a newly opened café that aimed to please the increasing numbers of tourists that came to the area both for summer holidays and skiing. They served excellent food in a clean environment, at a very reasonable price, and so were well patronized both by the holiday makers and the people who had made their homes on the Platz. When Gill walked in, she found that Pierre had not arrived, so she went over to a small table in the corner and ordered a cup of hot chocolate. She kept her eyes fixed on the door, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the handsome doctor. She sipped her drink, which was deliciously sweet and had a pile of whipped cream floating on the surface. She glanced repeatedly at her watch, and the minutes ticked slowly past, but Pierre did not arrive. Knowing how often the doctors at the San were detained by emergencies, Gill was not worried about him, but she wished he had not been held up on the very day she was eager to see him.
Finally, at just after quarter past seven, looking as if he had run all the way from the San, Pierre arrived. He glanced around the café and spotted Gill, sitting looking anxiously at him. He went over and pulled out a chair at her table, sitting down opposite her and waving imperiously for the waitress to come and take his order. Once he had demanded a cappuccino, he turned his attention to his pretty companion. "Sorry I am so late," he said. "We had a car accident to deal with and I couldn't get away any sooner."
"That's all right," she assured him. "I knew it would be something like that."
"So what do you want to see me for?" he asked.
"I was…" Gill suddenly found that she did not know what to say to him.
"Maybe I should be honest with you," he said after an uneasy silence.

#43: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:13 pm

Oh dear, don't think Gill is going to want to hear what he's got to say. Thanks Fatima, this is great. I love the way you've introduced all these restaurants and so on at the Gornetz Platz - there never seemed to be anywhere to go for a night out in the books!

#44: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:41 pm

Just caught up with this. Thanks Fatima - your writing is as excellent as always - I am on tenterhooks. I didn't like Pierre from the start *growls at him*

#45: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:19 pm

Yes you should be honest with her, Pierre! You should have been honest from the start!

Thanks Fatima

#46: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:45 pm

I was thinking he was just a 'man of the world'. After all, not all romances end up with proposals and she may have been just a wee bit too eager to walk up the aisle.

Now, though, I'm having a little wibble about what he is going to confess Shocked

#47: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 5:15 pm

Thanks, Pierre. I wonder what Pierre needs to be honest about.

#48: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 5:45 pm

Quote:

not all romances end up with proposals

Unless you are a Chalet School mistress being romanced by a doctor from the San!! Thank you for all the comments, I enjoy reading them so much. Here is the last part for tonight...

Gill braced herself. Now she would hear what he really felt about her. She looked across the table at his handsome face, knowing before he said anything that it was all over.
"My wife and daughter are arriving at the weekend," he told her. "They have finally sold our house and are coming to join me here."
"Your wife!" exclaimed Gill. "You didn't tell me that you were married!"
"You didn't ask," he pointed out.
"I would have thought that you would have had the decency to have mentioned it," she told him angrily. "It's not usually the kind of thing one keeps secret."
"If I had told you, I would not have been able to spend so much time with you," he said frankly. "I have really enjoyed the last few months with you."
Gill stood up and threw a few francs on the table. She would have liked to have slapped his self-satisfied face, or thrown the dregs of her hot chocolate in his face, but she was too much of a lady to do either. "Go to hell," she hissed at him. She walked proudly out of the café, down the steps and into the street. She stumbled along, unable to maintain her composure now that there was no one to see her. She sank down onto a bench, set back a little from the path and felt tears come into her eyes. As she wept, the snow started to fall softly on her, but she hardly noticed.
'My wife and daughter…My wife and daughter.' The words kept going round and round in her mind. Pierre, the man she had wished to marry, was already married. Not just married, he had a daughter, too. All the time she had been fantasizing about a man who was worthless. He had lied to her and merely used her to pass the time until his wife could come to the Platz and join him. Gill found that she felt hurt and angry and did not know whether it would be more soothing to throw herself into Pierre's arms and beg him to leave his wife for her, or to grab the fallen branch from beside the bench and beat him senseless with it.
A car screeched out of the car park and roared off down the road. Gill knew without looking up that it was Pierre. No one else drove so fast, especially as the snow was now coming down faster. For a moment she hoped that he would crash his car and be killed in the collision, but she quickly pushed such wicked thoughts out of her mind. Maybe just injured, she decided, and in his delirium he would be calling for her, not for his nameless wife.
How long she sat there, weeping and thinking increasingly foolish thoughts, Gill did not know. Suddenly, though, she was aware of someone standing beside her and, just for a moment, she thought it was Pierre.
"Miss Culver?" a French accented voice was saying. "Gill? Are you all right?"
Gill sniffed and rubbed her swollen eyes with her gloved hands. She staggered to her feet, not having realized how cold and stiff she felt. "Yes, I'm fine," she said, looking down at the heavy brown boots of the man in front of her. He had big feet, she noticed irrelevantly.
"You don't seem fine," he pointed out, taking her elbow to steady her. "What are you doing sitting out here in the snow?"
"I am enjoying the weather," she snapped. "Not that it is any of your business." She wrenched her arm away from his grip and turned her steps towards St. Mildred's. Unfortunately, she was so cold and stiff that it was difficult to make her feet do exactly as she wished and, to her embarrassment, she found herself tripping over the branch she had recently been considering battering Pierre with.
"You are quite right," he said, pulling her to her feet. "It is none of my business." He helped her to sit back down on the bench. "Have you hurt yourself?" he asked. "Not that it is my business, but I am a doctor and perhaps I could help."
Realizing how rude she was being, Gill made herself look at him. It was Armand Laroche, the doctor she had met at Jo's dinner party. At once the conversation she had overheard between Pierre and Dr. Laroche came back to her. Obviously Armand had known about Pierre's family, for he had asked when they would be arriving. Gill found her anger returning in full force. "I don't think I need your help," she told him, her voice icy. She stood up, making herself ignore the pain in her ankle, which she guessed she had twisted as she fell. She swept off down the road, her teeth gritted, eager now to get back to the school and to surrender herself to the tender care of Matron Rider. The snow was coming down harder, and she felt so cold her teeth were chattering, despite her thick winter coat and warm clothes. She could not walk fast, as her ankle was so painful.
"You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" Gill growled, as the doctor took her arm again.
"The same could also be said of you," he pointed out, sounding amused. "You have hurt your ankle. My position as a doctor means that I have to try to help you, even if you are not overly keen on being helped. I can't leave you to slip again and lie in the snow for hours."
Gill hobbled along at his side, still seething. How did he dare to help her when he had been conspiring with that obnoxious Pierre? How could he have allowed his friend to behave so atrociously? Obviously he and Pierre had been having a good laugh behind her back, chuckling over the gullibility of English women. She had to admit that she was glad he had helped her, though, for her ankle was incredibly painful and it was all she could do not to cry out each time she was forced to put her foot on the ground and transfer her weight to it. She would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that she needed his help, though. Whatever the cost, she would keep quiet and concentrate on the kindness she knew she would get from Gertrude Rider.
They turned a corner and somehow Gill trod awkwardly and could not contain her cry of pain. Dr. Laroche stopped at once and before she could say anything had lifted her onto the low wall around the garden of a nearby house. He knelt in the snow and removed her boot, pulling off her sock and gently examining the injured ankle. Without saying a word, he fumbled in his pocket and eventually produced his handkerchief. He quickly bound up her ankle, replaced the sock and her boot and helped her stand again.
"Thank you," she managed to say, sounding reasonably grateful. "It feels better now."
"Good," was all he said, but he took her arm again and they continued on towards the school. Soon they were walking up the drive and Armand was ringing the doorbell. He waited until it had been answered by a young maid, then he bade her farewell and disappeared off into the night.

Last edited by Fatima on Mon Dec 05, 2005 7:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

#49: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 5:57 pm

Oh poor Gill!

Nice Armand Wink

#50: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 7:22 pm

An out and out CAD. Where's my poking stick!

Poor Gillian.

Thanks Fatima.

#51: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:08 pm

*wishes for Pierre to suffer a strangulated testicular hernia......*

#52: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:28 pm

I had a feeling it might have something to do with wife and kids!! *pokes Pierre with a VERY large, pointy stick*
Poor Gill!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Fatima, wonderful as always! Very Happy

#53: Author: dackel, Location: Wolfenbuettel, Germany/Cambridge, England

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:29 pm

What a

man! Can't quite find the right words for him! fume

I hope he gets a fitting punishment! Poor Gill!

#54: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:55 pm

Ooh, the rat! Never mind Gill, you can do much better than Pierre. Thanks Fatima.

#55: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:58 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I hope Gill will be ok. I think Armand will make a much better SLOC than Pierre would ever have done. I'm also glad Gill found out now before she got even more involved with him.

#56: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:27 pm

what a prat! Poor Gill.

poke

Pierre

Thank you Fatima.

#57: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:54 am

Thank you for all the poking of Pierre! He deserves it. Now, on we go!

Gill limped into the school, up the stairs and into the San, where Gertrude Rider was busy administering some medicine to a very sad and sorry looking girl. Janet Davis suffered from dreadful headaches, and Gill guessed that she had come to the San suffering from another migraine.
"Miss Culver!" Matron Rider exclaimed, seeing Gill's white face. "Are you all right?"
"I have fallen and twisted my ankle," Gill said, sinking down onto the nearest bed.
Matron Rider gave Janet a glass of water and waited while she had a drink, then she settled the pale-faced girl comfortably and dimmed the lights. She collected a bandage from the cupboard and went over to Gill. "Come on," she said, offering her friend her arm. "I think it's best to get you to your room."
"Thank you," said Gill gratefully. Matey, as Matron Lloyd from the Chalet School was known, was the best person to have around if one felt ill, but Gertrude Rider ran her a close second. She leaned on her friend as they went back to her bedroom and submitted to being helped to change and get into bed. By the time that she was leaning back against the pillows, Gill had tears in her eyes, partly from the injured ankle and partly from the shock of discovering that Pierre was not the man she had believed him to be.
"I'll have some tea sent up," Gertrude said, "Because you look as if you could do with a cup."
"Yes," agreed Gill tearfully. "Yes, I really could. Will you stay a while, Gertrude? I would like to talk to you, if you have time."
"Of course," Gertrude agreed. She bustled off to get the tea and some buttered tea cakes that had only been made that afternoon. She gave Gill a plate and her tea and then she settled herself in the chair. "What's happened?" she asked her friend.
"I've had a bit of a shock," said Gill, thinking that was putting it mildly. "I met Pierre and he told me…he told me…" Gill fought the urge to give in to a loud sobbing cry. "He's married."
Gertrude put her plate to one side and went over to sit on the bed. She put her arms around Gill and held her tightly. "Oh, Gill, I'm so sorry," she said, patting her back as if she were just a child. Gill wept for a while, until Gertrude made her sit up again. "Stop crying now," Gertrude said firmly. "He's just not worth it, Gill, leading you on like that."
"But why didn't I realize?" Gill wailed.
"None of us realized," said Gertrude. "We all thought he was lovely."
Gill blew her nose vigorously. "I feel so awful," she said unnecessarily.
"You don't have any reason to feel awful," said Gertrude. "He should be feeling awful, after the way he has treated you." She passed Gill her tea. "Have some tea; it will make you feel better," she suggested. "You will find someone else, Gill. There are lots of nice doctors here."
"But I don't want any nice doctors," said Gill miserably, "I just want Pierre." She sipped her tea and managed to nibble on one of the tea cakes, but she didn't really feel hungry. Her ankle was feeling better now that Matron had attended to it, and she wanted to lie quietly and think back on her disastrous relationship with the handsome French doctor. Gertrude Rider finished her tea and stood up. She collected the plates and cups onto the tray and then leaned over the bed to pull the covers straight. "Thank you," Gill said gratefully.
"I'll look in later," Gertrude promised. "Try to sleep, Gill."
"I'll try," agreed Gill.
Once Gertrude had left, she turned onto her side and closed her eyes. She could still hear Pierre's voice in her head, and see every detail of his face in her mind. He was just so handsome and wonderful that she should have realized that he was too good to be true. They had had such fun together and she had really believed that he had loved her. She had been thinking about him as a potential husband, yet he already had a wife. Gill could not believe how easily he had hoodwinked her with his charm and how he had paid her so many compliments that he had obviously not meant at all. He had flattered her and kissed her and all the time he had been married. Tears of shame and sorrow welled up in her eyes and she wept again. As she cried, she vowed that she would not let another man into her heart. She had her job and her happy life at St. Mildred's. It was enough for Gertrude and Nell Wilson, and many of the other mistresses, so it would also be enough for her. She had good friends who would support her and she would put Pierre out of her mind.

#58: Author: JustJen, Location: Dorval, Quebec

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:18 am

Poor poor Gil
offers to push Pierre of a mountain

#59: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 7:40 am

I must apologise for getting into the festive spirit a little too early! I'm not sure why, but the bunnies are determined to spend a long time having Christmas fun. And I hope you don't think the staff plans for the holiday are too frivolous - Fernando is back at the helm and determined to let everyone have a good time!

By Christmas, Gill had almost managed to put the handsome French doctor out of her mind. She had thrown herself into her work and, thanks to her efforts, the St. Mildred's pantomime had been a huge success. They had raised a record breaking sum for the bed at the San and Dr. Maynard had gratefully accepted the cheque from Miss Wilson at the finishing school's end of term assembly. The girls had been seen safely off to their homes for the holiday and Gill and the few of the staff that lived more or less permanently on the Platz were preparing for the festive season. They had decided to foregather at St. Mildred's and hold a large Christmas dinner, to which they had invited those of the doctors at the San who were not on duty and sundry other friends from round about. Karen, the cook from the school, had insisted on staying to prepare the feast, and she had kept several of the maids to help her. They did not mind working over the holiday, for they would be well paid for their services and would also have a splendid meal of their own in the kitchens.
In the morning the staff would attend one or other of the chapels on the Platz, then they would come back to St. Mildred's and exchange Christmas presents. They had decided to put all their names into a hat and draw out one name each, and then buy a gift for that person. Gill had been unfortunate enough to draw Hilda Annersley's name and it had taken her a whole afternoon in Interlaken before she had been able to decide what to give to the woman who had everything. Finally, she had found a pair of soft blue leather gloves, which would go perfectly with that esteemed lady's winter coat and had bought them. They were now wrapped up and under the tree along with a whole host of other interesting looking parcels.
Gill woke up early on Christmas morning and felt excited in much the same way as she had done when she was a child. She got up and padded over to the window to pull back the curtains and see what the weather was like. To her delight it looked as though it would be a perfect day – the sun was rising in a cloudless sky and the snow on the ground was sparkling as if someone had scattered diamonds across it during the night. She found it chilly, so she went over to take her dressing gown from its hook and as she pulled it on, she noticed that her shoe, which was beside the door, had been filled with little sweets and tiny gifts. With a gasp, she picked it up and found that she had a handkerchief, some pretty glass beads and a matching bracelet as well.
Before she could think further she heard a tapping at her door, so she opened it and found Kathie and Sharlie outside. They were giggling like school girls and, with their long hair falling loose around their shoulders, looking pretty much like school girls, too. Both were already dressed and expressed surprise at Gill's appearance in her dressing gown.
"I've only just woken," she explained, "And just discovered that St. Nicholas really does exist!"
Sharlie giggled again. "Yes, we found that, too. Did you hear anyone in the night?"
"No, not a sound," Gill replied with a giggle, infected by their good humour. "Who do you think it was?"
"Matey, for a ducat," Kathie responded. "I think this is going to be the best Christmas I have had in years!"
"So what are you doing up and about already?"
"We are sneaking down to get some coffee," Sharlie volunteered. "Are you going to come and join us?"
"Nancy is on her way," Kathie added. "She's just getting dressed."
Gill quickly agreed and soon the four young mistresses were sitting in the kitchen with mugs of coffee, watching as Karen and her team checked on the turkeys that had been slowly roasting all night. They were preparing mountains of vegetables and the smells that were coming from that area were mouthwatering even at such an early hour. The four ladies sat and giggled at the thought of Matey creeping round, playing Santa, and wondered what other excitements the day would hold for them. They were looking forward to the arrival of the guests for lunch, and they planned to have some dancing afterwards. Sharlie was planning to monopolize a certain young doctor from the San, while Gill had resolved to ignore them all and enjoy herself with her friends.
Gradually the other mistresses put in an appearance and breakfast was served. It was a lively affair, with everyone in very good form and plenty of laughing. Afterwards, they went to their rooms to change for Church, and it was a far more sober gathering that set off along the snowy road to the chapels. Gill found Gertrude Rider at her side and she linked arms with her friend, happy to have her company.
"You seem more cheerful today," Gertrude observed.
"I'm feeling much more cheerful," Gill agreed. "I am so happy to be amongst friends."
"Yes," Gertrude agreed. "It does look like being a most enjoyable day, doesn't it."
They divided into two groups on reaching the chapels, the Catholics heading into one chapel and the Protestants into the other. Both services were well attended and the mistresses enjoyed them enormously. They came out feeling refreshed and ready to begin their Christmas celebrations in earnest.
Walking arm in arm with Sharlie and Joan Bertram, Gill suddenly realized that they were following Pierre Bedeau down the road. He was holding the hand of a little girl who looked to be about eight or nine, and a slim, glamorously dressed woman was holding the girl's other hand. At once, Gill realized that they were his wife and daughter. Joan, who noticed that Gill was not listening to her, glanced in the direction of Gill's gaze and saw what had distracted her. She squeezed Gill's arm saying, "Don't let him spoil your day, Gill."
Gill smiled up at Joan. "No," she promised, "I won't." And, to her surprise, she found that she really meant it. She had not thought of him for a while, and decided that she really had got over him. She was still sure that she would never allow herself to fall in love again, though, for there was no way that she wanted to repeat the experience.

#60: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:02 am

Lovely to see the staff enjoying themselves together. Surely Gill won't let Pierre put her off men for life though ...

#61: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 11:27 am

I understand the title now Wink

I'm feeling rather sorry for Pierre's wife. I'll bet he strays fairly regularly, the rat!

#62: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 11:51 am

Just caught up with this again Fatima - you do spoil us Very Happy

Pierre with something very sharp and pointy

Armand sounds rather nice *hopeful*

And I'm glad Gill has her friends with her - it sounds like it should be a wonderful Christmas Very Happy

Liz

#63: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 11:57 am

I hope Pierre's wife finds out and gives him hell. He's a rat! He's a ratfink!

#64: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:25 pm

LizB wrote:

you do spoil us

But you are all so worth spoiling, so I shall spoil you some more!

They walked back to St. Mildred's and found that Karen had provided mince pies for them to eat whilst they sat in the big staffroom to open their presents. The Christmas tree looked lovely, decorated with colourful tinsel and little fairy lights. The presents were beneath it in a gaily wrapped pile. Someone had brought in the record player and it was playing an old record of Christmas favourites, which some of the mistresses were singing along to. Gill sat down in the corner with Gertrude Rider and Joan Bertram and waited for Hilda Annersley and Nell Wilson, the co-heads of the school to appear. Gwynneth Lloyd was passing round glasses of sherry and everyone was getting right into the festive spirit.
"Thank you, Santa," Joan said irreverently as Gwynneth handed her a glass of sherry.
"How did you know it was me?" Matey demanded. "I know for sure that I didn't wake anyone up while I was going around."
"We just knew it had to be you," Sharlie put in from the other side of Joan. "No one else would have been so sweet."
Matey grinned and presented Sharlie with an extra full glass. "Thank you," she said, moving on to the next group.
Kathie passed the mince pies to them and by the time that Hilda and Nell arrived, everyone was chattering away, laughing and joking and having a good time.
They opened their gifts and many were the exclamations of delight, as the purchasers had put a lot of thought into their purchases. Hilda was thrilled with her new gloves, although Nell did remind her that she should not wear them unless she was certain she would not be taking them off, as she did have a dreadful habit of leaving gloves behind. As Hilda had only done it once, and that in Nell's office many years previously, she was outraged by her friend's mild comment.
They began to go downstairs to the dining hall just after twelve. Some of their guests were arriving and heading into the dining room, where there was more sherry and the most appetizing smell of Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Reg Entwhistle and Len Maynard were there, along with Con and Margot, Len's triplet sisters. A group of doctors had gathered at one end of the room, looking relaxed and happy. Gill noticed with relief that Pierre was not amongst them; presumably he would be spending the day with his wife. She gravitated over to a select gathering of Rosalie Dene and Nancy Wilmot and was soon laughing with them.
Finally the gong was struck and silence descended on the room. Hilda welcomed everyone to the dinner and suggested that they took their places at the table, for Karen and her satellites would be arriving with the food shortly. Everyone moved to the table and looked around for the place that held their name on the festive name cards that Sharlie and Joan had spent the previous day preparing. Gill and Rosalie had drawn up the seating plan, claiming that it was only fair they did it as they were usually responsible for planning timetables and so would be more efficient than everyone else. Gill had arranged to sit beside Reg Entwhistle and Kathie Ferrars, so that she would not have to bother making polite conversation with any doctors that she did not really wish to get to know.
She strode down to her place only to find that her name was no longer there, and Len Maynard was sitting in her seat. Len gave Gill an apologetic smile. "Reg wanted me to sit here," she explained. "I've put you down the other end, in my place."
As it was Christmas, Gill gave in gracefully. "That's all right," she said, returning to the other end of the table. She sat down and found herself between two of the dreaded doctors, a young German surgeon by the name of Hans Schmidt and the French doctor, Armand Laroche. Rolling her eyes, Gill sat down and reached for the already full wine glass in her place. Dr. Schmidt smiled at her and wished her a merry Christmas in German, so Gill responded in the same language. Dr. Schmidt had not long arrived at the San and was fresh from medical college. He had graduated top of his year and was rapidly earning the respect of his colleagues at the San. He turned out to be a most pleasant companion, who did not like to talk about his work, so they indulged in some interesting discussions with the others around them on the differences in the German language as spoken in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
The meal was every bit as good as it smelt; the turkey was so well cooked it almost melted in the mouth and many people requested second helpings of Karen's special roast potatoes. Finally, though, they had all eaten enough and it was time for the gigantic Christmas pudding to be brought in. It was wheeled in on a trolley and then Reg Entwhistle was called upon to set it alight. He did so with good will, almost singeing his eyebrows as it caught fire. When the flames went out, Karen served generous portions and the maids passed around dishes of cream and brandy butter.
Finally no one could manage any more. Everyone gave a hand to the clearing of the table and a veritable procession of people carrying plates and dishes and glasses and cutlery made its way to the kitchen. The maids were sitting there enjoying their own meal and they looked thrilled when they heard the numerous compliments about the wonderful meal that the staff and doctors had just enjoyed.

#65: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:32 pm

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last edited by Jennie on Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:53 pm; edited 1 time in total

#66: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:37 pm

That was a lovely meal *salivating*

Thanks Fatima - looking forward to hopefully seeing a bit more of both Dr Schmidt and Armand Very Happy

Liz

#67: Author: JustJen, Location: Dorval, Quebec

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:20 pm

wanders into kitchen to steal leftovers

#68: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:23 pm

Ooh what a lovely Christmas *feels hungry*

Poor Gill though, but Im glad she has friends. Thanks Fatima Very Happy

#69: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:25 pm

Ooh, lovely meal! & lovely Dr Schmidt ...?!

#70: Author: ali, Location: medway, kent

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:39 pm

Pleased to see that for once Joan is a much nicer character, giving Gill support.
Evil Pierre, poking is too good for him!

#71: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:40 pm

Thank you Fatima! I have just read the last couple of pages and have gone between intense anger at Pierre and now not caring so much cos Gill had a luffly Christmas!! I am full of christmas spirit now!!

Only 1 month and 6 days to go!

#72: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:18 am

Gill went from the kitchen to the hall, where Miss Lawrence, the Chalet School music mistress was already seated at the piano. She was playing some Christmas music and a group of doctors were singing a very passable rendition of the lovely carol, 'Oh Little Town of Bethlehem'. Gill slipped into a seat and listened, enjoying a quiet moment after the rowdiness of the meal table.
Some of the Chalet Mistresses got up next and sang another carol, and then the Maynard triplets were called upon to sing, for they had inherited their mother's lovely voice. Hans Schmidt sang after them, as he was possessed of a wonderful baritone. Finally everyone joined in a rousing rendition of 'Adeste Fideles' and then Miss Lawrence struck up a lively dance tune. Various mistresses were claimed by doctors and they began to dance. Gill noticed that Hilda was being spun round the floor by a rather portly gentleman, one Alan Barclay, the head surgeon at the San. Sharlie had caught up with her doctor and Joan Bertram was renewing her acquaintance with Michael Anderson.
"Why aren't you dancing?" asked Hans, standing beside Gill.
"Oh, I don't do this sort of thing," she answered.
"I think you should," he said, offering her his hand. "Come on, it's Christmas. You should be having fun."
Gill allowed Hans to lead her towards the group of people dancing, noticing his chuckle as he saw tiny Matron Lloyd endeavouring to keep up with an exceedingly tall doctor. "Not the most perfect pairing," she agreed, chuckling as well.
Owing to a shortage of doctors, Kathie and Nancy were dancing together and Nell Wilson had claimed Gertrude as her partner. Con and Margot had also stepped out together. As someone who had sworn off men for life, Gill felt a bit mean keeping the eligible young surgeon to herself, so at the end of the first dance she released him and pointed him in the direction of Kathie Ferrars. Gill managed to slip into a seat at the side of the room and watch the dancing, noticing that Biddy and her husband Eugen Courvoisier had arrived, along with Hilary and Phil Graves. She wondered if the party would become a tradition on the Platz, as everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves enormously. It was certainly better than spending Christmas alone, she reflected, imagining the quiet time she would have had if she had gone back to her family in England. They were all married and although they would have enjoyed her visit, she knew that she would have felt left out. It was far better to stay with her friends and enjoy their company instead.
Grizel Sheppard took over at the piano, letting Miss Lawrence join in the dancing for a while. More friends arrived, Jo and Jack Maynard, Daisy and Laurie Rosomon and sundry others. Some of the doctors left for their duties at the San called them for the afternoon, but they were eventually replaced by others coming off duty. Karen served refreshments – a heady punch that she had made the previous day and heated up for the afternoon, and some delicious biscuits, not too sweet and very light.
Gill danced some more, and finally found herself with Armand Laroche. She had virtually ignored him at the dinner table, but waltzing in his arms it was harder to do.
"We are planning a new year party at the San, to thank you all for such a lovely Christmas," he told her. "Will you come?"
"I don't know," Gill answered. It sounded like fun, but she was not over keen to visit the San where she might run into Pierre.
"It would be nice if you were there," he told her.
"I don't think I would be there with you," she answered abruptly. "I don't think I shall ever forgive you for what you did."
Armand looked puzzled. "What did I do?" he asked her. "I only remember helping you the evening you hurt your ankle."
"You didn't tell me about Pierre," she answered. "Even though you knew he was married."
"I am not so much of a glutton for punishment as to bring bad news to a red-headed lady," he told her, looking quite serious. "Besides, Pierre is my brother-in-law. However much I may dislike what he does, I can't break his confidence."
"I disagree with that," she said, starting to feel angry with him again. Then, because she was wondering, "So is he married to your sister or are you married to his?"
"I'm not married," Armand assured her. "He is married to my sister."
Gill fell silent and when the music ended, she made her escape. Armand was not so easily abandoned, however, for he followed her back to her seat, collecting two glasses of punch on his way. He passed her a glass then sat down at her side. Gill looked at him out of the corner of her eye, taking in his dark good looks. He had his hair cut very short, and it was an inky black colour. His skin was olive, and she wondered if he was from the south of France, or even of Italian descent. He had dark brown eyes which could twinkle or glare, depending on his mood. At that particular moment they were twinkling, for he evidently relished the challenge presented him by Gill and her frostiness.
"I'm really sorry about Pierre," Armand said, breaking the silence between them. "I hope you will not judge all French men by the actions of one."
"No," she said breezily, "I judge them by their own actions."
Realizing that she had already judged him, Armand was aware of a vague feeling of disappointment. She was a lovely lady, feisty and brave, and he wondered how he could get himself into her good books. She was obviously not going to trust him any time soon, both because of what Pierre had done and because she saw him as a co-conspirator with his brother-in-law. "Then you will just have to get to know me better," he told her, knowing that he was risking another outpouring of scorn to suggest such a thing.
Gill looked directly at him. He seemed to be in earnest, at which she was very surprised. However, she was not interested, however handsome he might be. She did not need a man in her life; she was more than happy to remain blissfully unattached.
Armand raised his glass of punch to her. "Merry Christmas," he said, his brown eyes holding hers.
Feeling that it would be rude not to respond, she lifted her glass, the one she had almost finished, not the full one he had brought for her, and repeated the pleasantry. He tapped his glass against hers, wondering if wishes made at Christmas were any more likely to come true than those made at other times of the year. If they did, he knew exactly what he would wish for – the chance to get to know Miss Culver better, and to persuade her that he was as different from his brother-in-law as chalk was different from cheese.
Before he could say anything further, Hans Schmidt appeared, and asked Gill for another dance. In order to escape from the annoyingly persistent French doctor, Gill gave the German her hand and allowed him to lead her off for another dance. It was then that Armand heard the conversation of Rosalie Dene and Nancy Wilmot, sitting nearby.
"Gill seems to like that young doctor," Rosalie was saying.
"Oh, he is far too young for her," Nancy replied.
"No, he isn't," Rosalie contradicted her friend. "He's only a few years younger than she is. She deserves some fun after that other rat she was seeing."
Armand fully agreed with the second part of what he heard, but he resolved that it would not be the young German doctor that helped Gill to realize that not all men were rats.

#73: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 3:47 am

You mean he was helping his brother in law cheat on his own sister?!?

That qualifies as "don't touch with a ten foot pole, warn your friends about him" material, in my books. Evil or Very Mad

I can see not telling Rosalie - if you want to get in the middle of a situation like that, you have to care for someone enough to risk getting blamed for bearing bad news, but he should have told his sister.

#74: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 9:34 am

The staff never got to have this much fun in the books! Thanks Fatima. Armand sounds like bad news but Hans sounds much nicer.

#75: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 10:01 am

What sort of a brother is Armand?
Hans sounds much more the SLOC of the pair!

#76: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:53 am

Ah but we don't know what his conversation with Pierre consisted of and for all we know, his sister might be happy with the arrangement!

He should have told Gill though

*grasping at straws* Very Happy

#77: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:04 pm

jennifer wrote:

You mean he was helping his brother in law cheat on his own sister?!?

I don't think Armand was actually helping; I think he knows exactly what Pierre is like, and so does Pierre's wife, but I think she loves him anyhow. How or why I don't know, but I guess she just keeps on forgiving him as that is better than losing him altogether. Hopefully the bunnies will fill me in on the details later! Anyhow, here is a little more fun for the staff!

By the time she had been whirled around by Hans, Gill felt rather giddy. She had not had much of Karen's punch, but she had drunk it on top of two glasses of sherry and two glasses of wine. Fortunately, Karen seemed to realize that the party would be breaking up soon, so she had started to pour cups of strong coffee to sustain everyone until they reached their homes. Gill accepted her cup and sipped it with enjoyment. Mlle Lachenais apart, no one could make coffee like Karen. Come to that, she realized, no one could match any of Karen's skills in the kitchen. She had provided an excellent meal and followed it up with refreshments that were eminently suitable and greatly appreciated. In all, she had played a large part in making sure that everyone enjoyed their Christmas and, because of her efforts, everyone had had a wonderful time that day.
The doctors from the San began to leave, having extended an invitation to Miss Annersley and Miss Wilson for New Year's Eve. They had thoroughly enjoyed their time spent at St. Mildred's and more than one doctor went away hatching plans for catching the Chalet School Mistress of his choice.
Hans sought out Gill before he left. "I had a lovely time," he told her, shaking her hand. "Thank you."
Gill smiled at him and held his hand a moment longer than necessary, as she saw Armand Laroche heading her way. "We have had fun, too," she assured him. "It's nice for us all to be able to let our hair down. And we are looking forward to New Year's Eve."
Obviously encouraged by her words, Hans kissed the hand he still held. "Good evening," he said, giving her a long look before releasing her hand. Gill watched him walk away, wondering whether she had been mean to encourage him, or whether she should abandon her new rule for what was left of the year and revive it again on January 1st. Before she could decide either way, Armand had taken her hand and was looking sceptically at her.
"I thought you had given up on the male of the species," he observed with a smile.
"I have," she assured him. "Good bye, Dr. Laroche."
"Good bye, Miss Culver," he responded with equal formality.
Gill waited until he was gone, then she grabbed another cup of coffee and went off to the staffroom. She found Sharlie already there, sipping her coffee with dedication. "I am going to be so hung over in the morning," she was moaning. "But I had such a good time!"
"Yes, it has been fun," Gill agreed. "Roll on New Year's Eve!"
"Are you going?" Sharlie asked surprised.
"Yes," Gill said defiantly.
"Even though you have sworn off men forever?"
"Even though," said Gill with a laugh. "I mean to enjoy myself and break their hearts instead!"
"I presume you mean the rather lovely young surgeon," Sharlie said, putting her empty cup on the table.
"Amongst others," said Gill lightly, thinking in particular of a darkly handsome doctor, with twinkling brown eyes.
Soon the rest of the staff had gathered in the staffroom and were busy exchanging comments about the party. The consensus of opinion was that it had been excellent and that they would be hosting a similar event the next Christmas. They were already looking forward to going to the San on New Year's Eve, and there was much discussion as to whether they should have a trip to Interlaken so that they could buy new frocks to wear for the occasion. Hilda and Nell smiled indulgently at their young colleagues and decided that if there was going to be a shopping expedition they most definitely would be going along for the fun.
"In fact," Nell confided to Hilda, "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun!"
"Neither can I," Hilda agreed. "This really has been a wonderful Christmas."
Nancy and Kathie made a huge quantity of hot chocolate and gave it to their colleagues, most of whom were unashamedly rubbing their eyes by this time and yawning. Gwynneth Lloyd was even rumoured to be in bed already, exhausted by her midnight excursion, distributing the little gifts to everyone. They all drank their beverages quietly, relaxing now after their busy day, then began to drift off to their rooms. Gill and Gertrude, the last two in the staffroom, obligingly cleared up and washed all the mugs.
"Did you have a good day?" Gertrude asked as she dried the mugs Gill had washed.
"Very good," said Gill wholeheartedly. "I really think I am over the rat now."
"I'm glad to hear it," said Gertrude warmly. "And I hope that the old adage of once bitten, twice shy does not apply to you. You seem to have been getting on very well with Dr. Schmidt, and it would be a shame to let a nice man get away just because you were recalling the actions of a bad one."
Gill rinsed the last of the mugs and stood it on the draining board. "I'm not sure I shall be getting involved with anyone else," she said eventually. "It's much better to enjoy myself at the school – as you do."
"Yes, I do," Gertrude agreed, "But that is not to say that I would stay on here if Dr. Right ever showed up. Believe you me, Gill, if that happened I would be heading off to the land of marital bliss as fast as I could!"
Gill dried her hands and gave her friend a quick hug. "I shall keep my fingers crossed for you," she whispered.

#78: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:11 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I'm glad Pierre wasn't there to spoil things. I wonder which doctor Fatima will end up with?

#79: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:22 pm

I love the assumption that it has to be DR. Right.

#80: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:38 pm

Karen deserves a doctor too! Laughing

#81: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:45 pm

Thanks Fatima, just caught up with 4 or 5 posts and I feel all warm and christmassy inside Very Happy

I love Gill, she's so realistic and her reactions are so understandable.

Kathryn

#82: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 3:05 pm

So does Gertrude. I think that maybe Jack needs to start expanding the San and taking on more doctors!

#83: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:08 pm

Thanks Fatima - hope Gill has lots of fun and does break a few hearts - she deserves it!

Liz

#84: Author: ali, Location: medway, kent

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:31 pm

This is relly helping me get into the christmas spirit - I know it's a bit early but at school we are already making displays, practising plays and plann ing parties. I was feeling a bit ba humbug until now!

Please can some one let them all know that there are men other than doctors who can be wonderful.

#85: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 6:04 pm

ali wrote:

Please can some one let them all know that there are men other than doctors who can be wonderful.

But the doctors are so handy! And the Platz is so full of former Chalet School teachers and their doctor husbands, it is difficult to imagine who else can live there! Thank you for all your comments, I have really enjoyed reading them all and especially all the poking of Pierre!

The ladies went shopping in Interlaken a couple of days after Christmas. They had a wonderful time, looking in all the shops and chattering like a large crowd of starlings all the time. They had decided to make a day of it, having lunch in a restaurant there and tea in their favourite patisserie. Several new outfits were purchased and a lot of fun was had by all. Someone was even heard to have observed how much fun they could have at school if the students were never there!
They spent the days between Christmas and New Year skiing and reading, writing letters and indulging in all sorts of hobbies. They relaxed and enjoyed each other's company and generally had a good time. They were all excited about the prospect of the New Year's Eve party, and there was plentiful speculation as to what the doctors would have organized for their entertainment. When the great day finally dawned, everyone spent a long time in the bathroom, washing their hair, taking long, relaxing baths and making themselves beautiful. They walked over to the San in a big crowd, giggling excitedly and filled with expectations of a very enjoyable evening.
Gill was looking forward to the evening, too. She had been giving some careful thought to Gertrude's advice and knew that her friend was right; just because she had been unlucky enough to fall for a man like Pierre, it did not mean that all men were bad. It was too soon, though, to find another man. Her heart still felt very sore from losing the man she had loved and she did not trust herself to make a wise decision. She had been so easily fooled by Pierre, how could she know who to trust? What if she got it wrong again? Gill did not want to risk that happening, so she vowed to enjoy herself but commit to no one. She would dance and have fun, but she would not lose her heart to anyone.
When they arrived at the San they found that the doctors and nurses had cleared out their canteen, pushing all the tables and chairs right out of the way and decorating the room with paper chains and balloons. Mistletoe had been strung up in various parts of the room, and Gill made a mental note as to which parts of the room she would avoid. The party was already in full swing when the contingent from the school arrived, with plenty of doctors and nurses present, some dancing, some hovering over the tables laden with food, others standing in groups chatting. The mistresses were made to feel very welcome by the San staff, and soon had started to enjoy the party, too.

#86: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 6:34 pm

Oh it's brilliant seeing all the School and San staff off duty like this! Hoping that plenty of people end up under the mistletoe with the partner of their choice!

#87: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 7:14 pm

This drabble is really making me want to be a teacher at the Chalet school...what a lovely holiday they are all having!

Kathryn

#88: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 7:54 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I'm glad they're enjoying the party.

#89: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:46 pm

This is brilliant brilliant brilliant Fatima and thank you Very Happy

#90: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 9:10 pm

Hmm wondering which doctor she will end up with! Thinking it might be Armand... but I might be wrong! I can't wait to find out more! Thanks Fatima! Wonderful drabble! Very Happy

#91: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 9:57 pm

Too many choices! I rather like the sound of Armand (despite his horrible brother in law), but Gill will have a mind of her own, I'm sure! Very Happy

#92: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:13 pm

*puts on party hat*

*looks around to see if there are any of those hunky doctors in need of a dance partner*

Thanks Fatima Very Happy

Liz

#93: Author: Miss Di, Location: Newcastle, NSW

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:51 am

Some lovely episodes over the weekend, I'm starting to feel Christmassy too.

I do hope someone gets tippsy on the medicinal (aka highly alcoholic) punch and tells Pierre's wife exactly what he was up to before she arrived. Twisted Evil

#94: Author: tiffinata, Location: melbourne, australia

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:56 am

* Offers to sneak in and tell her

#95: Author: Identity Hunt, Location: UK

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:03 am

I wish someone would !
Poor woman.

I am eternally grateful to one of my husband`s friends who warned me that my husband was seeing someone else. Needless to say, he became my ex-husband in short order.....

#96: Author: tiffinata, Location: melbourne, australia

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:05 am

Good move!
What a louse!

#97: Author: Identity Hunt, Location: UK

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:13 am

I`m amazed Armand hasn`t warned his sister that Pierre is a cheating creep .
Perhaps we will get to read that conversation ? Pretty please ?

#98: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 12:59 pm

I've sneaky suspicion that Pierre's wife already knows that he cheats on her, and she's biding her time, then it will be curtains for Pierre.

#99: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:08 pm

Gill watched as her friends left their coats at the tables and went off to dance. She put her coat and scarf by those of her friends and found Dr. Schmidt at her side.
"Hello," he greeted her warmly. "I'm so glad you came."
Gill looked into his pale blue eyes and smiled. He was very nice, but far too young, in her opinion. She would have to let him down gently at some point in the evening.
"What would you like to do first?" he asked her. "Dance or eat?"
"Dance," she decided, so they headed into the middle of the crowd.
He held her close and they danced with the others. Gill looked around and found that Pierre was there, dancing with a young nurse. She made sure she did not catch his eye, but she was filled with a desire to make him see how happy she was now that she was no longer interested in him. She wrapped her arms more closely around Hans and smiled up at him. He smiled back, obviously pleased at her interest in him. A small voice at the back of Gill's mind whispered that she was being mean to someone very nice, but she squashed the voice ruthlessly and reminded herself that men were all tarred with the same brush. No doubt Hans would get married and then play around behind his wife's back, probably aided and abetted by any brothers-in-law he happened to have.
"You look very nice tonight," Hans said, his voice breaking across her wicked thoughts and surprising her.
"Thank you," said Gill, glad that she had bought the new dress from Interlaken. It had been expensive, but Joan had persuaded her that she would look wonderful in it. She had thought long and hard in front of the changing room mirror, before deciding that it was a good idea and had bought it.
"I was wondering if I could see you again," Hans said, sounding nervous and reminding Gill just how young he was.
"I don't think so," she said gently. "It's not that I don't like you, Hans," she added quickly, "But I'm not interested in being with anyone at the moment."
Hans nodded, obviously having heard of her unfortunate liaison with Pierre.
Gill was tempted to hand him over to one of the other mistresses – maybe Rosalie or Gertrude would like a toy boy she thought with a smile – but that would not have made Pierre jealous. Instead she led him over to the laden tables and supplied them both with glasses of a particularly potent punch that several of the doctors had spent their off duty hours concocting. To give herself courage, she downed her glassful in one go, and went back for a refill. She was soon sitting in a very prominent part of the room laughing with Hans at some of his stories and almost wishing that she had not vowed never to become involved with anyone again.
Pierre, however, seemed oblivious to her. He had danced with at least five different nurses, though Gill was thrilled to see that when he approached any of the Chalet School mistresses they did not seem at all interested and he could not even get a single dance partner from amongst her friends. Chuckling to herself, she resolved to be extra nice to them all for the next year to thank them for giving him a united cold shoulder.
As she looked around the room, Gill saw that Armand was just arriving. He looked tired, and she guessed that he had just come off duty in time to attend the party. He looked around the room, caught sight of Gill and was about to come over and speak to her, until he noticed that she was sitting with the young surgeon. Instead he passed right by her table without a second glance in her direction and went to join a group of young nurses. Gill was surprised to find that his behaviour annoyed her even more than it would have done if he had come and sat next to her. At least she could then have had the very real pleasure of being rude to him. Now he was leaning over one of them, and Gill watched as she got up and went off to dance with the handsome Frenchman.
With a sigh of annoyance, Gill wondered why she had ever decided to embark on such foolish games. It was all very well to make Pierre jealous, but what was the point if it did not work and she did not get any fun out of it? Gill downed the rest of her punch and then dragged Hans out for another dance. She spent a long time dancing with first Hans and then several other doctors. In between times, she saw that Pierre's wife had arrived. Peeping over the shoulder of a doctor whose name she could not recall, Gill observed that she was very pretty, with the same colouring as her brother. She had long, silky hair and her skin looked as though it was always tanned. Seeing how lovely she was, Gill wondered how Pierre could run around with other women behind her back.

#100: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:22 pm

Don't let Pierre ruin your fun Gill!!! I hope she will see Armand soon and he hasn't completly given up on her!!! Thank you Fatima, I can't wait for more!!! Very Happy

#101: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:28 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I hope Gill won't just use Hans to make Pierre jealous.

#102: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:31 pm

Love the reference to Rosalie maybe wanting a toyboy Laughing

#103: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:49 pm

As did I!

I do hope Gill isn't getting herself in too deep with all these games!

#104: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:58 pm

Ooh, be careful, Gill. Feel sorry for Pierre's wife. Thanks Fatima.

#105: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 2:08 pm

Poor Gill, she's so confused, I hope she doesn't make things worse.

#106: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:32 pm

Thanks for all your comments. Here is a little more for you.

As midnight approached, Armand Laroche finally came over and said, "Would you like to come and dance with me?"
Gill stood up a little unsteadily, feeling rather light-headed. She had not eaten very much, but had managed to consume a great deal of the punch. It was delicious, very fruity, but with a definite kick. Armand quickly threw an arm around her to steady her, and guided her off into the midst of the dancing once more. Gill reflected that she had not danced as much in the whole of the previous year as she had done on that particular evening. It was rather nice to feel in demand as a dance partner, and she had thoroughly enjoyed spinning around the floor with a succession of dashing doctors.
"At last," Armand said, smiling down at her. "You have been very elusive this evening, Gill."
As she had made a point of keeping an eye on him and heading off to dance with yet another partner whenever it had seemed likely that he would come in her direction, Gill was thrilled to discover that her strategy had worked. Then she suddenly wondered why she had been so eager to make that particular doctor jealous. After all, she did not like him at all, kind though he had tried to be to her when she had hurt her ankle. If she did not like him, why should it matter that he had noticed how busy having fun she had been?
"Yes, I'm having a lovely time," she answered, looking just over his shoulder. It certainly would not do to look into those deep brown eyes and be lost, drowning as one could in a particularly deep pool.
"Good," he said approvingly. "I'm glad to hear that. I wish I had been having as much fun."
"You certainly seemed to be having fun," Gill answered thoughtlessly.
"So you were watching?" he suggested mildly.
Gill allowed herself a wry smile, but made no comment. She found him very disconcerting, for he seemed to know exactly what she was doing and to be one step ahead of her. He was such a paradox, seeming so pleasant, like when he had fixed up her ankle even though she had been so rude to him, yet going along with his brother-in-law as Pierre cheated on Armand's own sister. He looked quizzically down at Gill when she made no comment, and before she could stop herself she found herself launching an inquisition.
"How can you live with yourself?" she demanded. "How can you be more loyal to Pierre than to your own sister? How can you condone Pierre's behaviour?"
Armand looked rather startled at her angry voice. "Come on, let's go somewhere else and discuss this," he said placatingly.
Gill allowed him to dance her off out of the room. He led her into his office, which was just down the corridor from the cafeteria. Gill noticed that the door bore his name and title – he was the head of pediatrics. "Well?" she asked. "I'm fascinated to hear how you can justify your behaviour."

#107: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:35 pm

And so are the rest of us!
Thanks for the update!

#108: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:38 pm

Oooh don't leave us waiting too long!! I can't wait to find out what he has to say!! I think Gill is being a little to harsh though! Thank you Fatima! Very Happy

#109: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:39 pm

Oh dear, hope Gill is not going to make a fool of herself after too much to drink.

*Remembering one office Christmas party in my old job when a few of us shared a taxi back from town to North Manchester together and I spent the whole journey holding hands with the boss Embarassed

. I have tried not to mix my drinks on office nights out since then Embarassed

. * Oh well, I've known people to do much worse!!

Hope Armand has a good explanation.

#110: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:11 pm

I think we all want to know! Laughing

#111: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:13 pm

Oh dear - I do hope Gill isn't going to make a very big mistake. But I'm desperate to hear Armand's explanation.

Thanks Fatima

#112: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 7:23 pm

I hope GIll is okay and Armand can give a good account of himself!

#113: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 7:25 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I am looking forward to seeing how Armand is going to explain his actions.

#114: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 7:59 pm

Just caught up on several posts, Fatima. Gill is so realistic.

Hovering round the thread to catch Armand's explanation.

#115: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:28 pm

Thanks, Fatima, what's going to happen next. Please put us out of our misery.

#116: Author: dackel, Location: Wolfenbuettel, Germany/Cambridge, England

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:03 pm

Thanks for all the posts - you write more in a day than I do in a week! You're quite amazing!

Also wondering how Armand can justify condoning Pierre's behaviour.

#117: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:16 pm

Thanks Fatima

Looking forward to hearing what Armand has to say

Liz

#118: Author: Miss Di, Location: Newcastle, NSW

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:58 am

I can just see her tipsy demand for an explanation!

It better be a good one Wink

#119: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 11:16 am

Oooh tell us soon please! Very Happy

#120: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:45 pm

Sorry to leave you hanging, but I had mundane things to do - like going to work! Here is a little more, just to alleviate the suspense!

Armand watched as her eyes flashed angrily and thought how lovely she was. She had so much character and determination, and he had no liking for spineless jellyfish. "Monique – my sister – knows all about Pierre," he said quietly. "She has been married to him since they were both nineteen. For some reason she absolutely adores him. My parents tried to persuade her not to marry him, but she would not listen. She supported him through his medical training, working every hour, every day to earn money so he could become a doctor. He is a brilliant doctor, and he was a better husband than anyone had thought he would be." Armand sighed. "But he just doesn't seem to be able to remain faithful to her. And she keeps on taking him back. She still adores him, even after all these years."
"I don't know how she can after the way he treats her," Gill said thoughtfully. "Personally, I would like to kill him with my bare hands and I'm not married to him. Thank goodness," she added in heartfelt tones.
"Monique still believes she can reform him," said Armand sadly. "He will never get any better, but she would rather be with him as he is than be without him. And he is a wonderful father. Their daughter, Sophie, is nine now and since she has been old enough to notice, Pierre has made more of an effort to be faithful. When she is not around, though, he goes back to his old ways."
"I still think you should have told me," said Gill, no longer quite as angry with him.
"How could I?" he asked her. "I hardly knew you. You can't just walk up to a stranger and tell her that her boyfriend is married, can you? Especially not someone as quick to anger as you are."
Before Gill could think of any reply, the sound of the San clock chiming midnight was heard. Armand leaned closer to her and kissed her very gently. Almost without realizing it, Gill found her arms going around his neck and she leaned in towards him. He kissed her again then, holding her tightly and kissing her as she had never been kissed before. When he finally released her, Gill was shocked to realize how much she had enjoyed being kissed by him, even though she did not like him at all. As Armand reached out to touch her face, Gill pulled away and dashed out of his office. She was unable to believe how she had responded to him, kissing him back even though she had promised herself that she would not be involved with anyone, especially not a man like Armand. Not only had she allowed him to take her somewhere quiet, she had allowed him to kiss her and she had made him think that she was interested in becoming involved with him. Gill berated herself all the way back to the cafeteria.
When she got back to the party, Gill found that the festivities were going on apace. Sharlie had cornered her doctor beneath some mistletoe and he did not seem to mind at all. Rosalie was dancing with Jack Maynard, while Jo was talking animatedly to Hilda and Nell. Gwynneth had found the extremely tall doctor that she had danced with at Christmas and was whirling around with him, seeming quite unperturbed by the strange spectacle they presented together. Gill slipped into a seat beside Gertrude Rider and hoped that no one had seen her disappear with Armand. She did not need to be teased about the short-lived nature of her resolve to avoid men.

#121: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:05 pm

Thanks, Fatima. the plot thickens. Is Gill going to listen to her heart or not?

#122: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:38 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I am liking both men for different reasons. I wonder which man Gill will prefer?

#123: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:40 pm

Thanks Fatima Very Happy

Looking forward to Armand & Gill's next encounter - I don't think it's likely to be a boring one. Very Happy

Liz

#124: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 2:01 pm

Glad Sharlie and the others are having fun.

Oh to be invited to a party with so many lovely doctors there ... Wink

#125: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 2:07 pm

Thanks Fatima. If they do get together though, and eventually marry, it'll be the most awkward thing having to socialise with Armand's side of the family...

#126: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 4:07 pm

Thanks for all your comments, it's so nice reading them.

Gill looked round the room and saw how everyone was enjoying themselves. Pierre was finally dancing with his wife and they made a striking couple. Gill now felt even sorrier for Monique; she had a cheating husband and a scheming brother. She did not seem to mind, though, for she was looking adoringly up at Pierre, and was obviously completely happy with him despite his faults. Gill sighed and looked towards the door. Armand had not followed her back to the party and she told herself that she was glad he had not. She hoped that he would disappear, preferably from the face of the earth, but failing that, from the party.
All of a sudden, Gill found that she was bored with the party and very tired. She decided that she would like to return to St. Mildred's and go to bed. She wanted to slip between the starched sheets and snuggle up beneath her plumeau and sleep until late in the morning, maybe even until lunchtime. No one else seemed to look ready to leave, though, so she either had to wait until the party broke up or someone else got fed up with dancing in the arms of handsome doctors and kissing them beneath the well-placed branches of mistletoe.
As Gill watched Kathie and Nancy sharing a hilarious joke, she suddenly became aware of someone standing beside her. She looked up and saw that Hans had not been deterred by her declaration of disinterest in his attentions. Maybe the way she had flirted with him after the third glass of punch had convinced him that she was just playing hard to get.
"No," she told him, as he asked her to dance again. "I'm going to go home in a moment."
"Let me walk you back there, then," he suggested eagerly. "You can't go all that way on your own and no one else is going to be happy to be dragged away from the fun."
Recognising the truth in what he had said, Gill poked Gertrude and told her that she was going back home, and would be quite safe, because Dr. Schmidt would be escorting her. She managed to locate her outdoor clothes from the pile of things on the table and once she was dressed up, she set off into the night with Hans. It was a bitterly cold night, with a chill wind blowing, but the sky was clear and the moon was shining brightly. There were thousands of stars twinkling coldly and Gill enjoyed the walk despite the iciness. Hans made polite conversation about the beauty of the Gornetz Platz and how much he loved living in the mountains. He had learned to ski and skate and it was all so much more fun than wintertime in his home town in northern Germany.
Gill walked along beside him, enjoying listening to him speaking and glad that she did not seem to be required to contribute much to the conversation. She had begun to feel a little more clear-headed thanks to the cold and she knew that she had done the wrong thing agreeing to walk home with the charming surgeon. He was obviously smitten with her, but she was not interested in him at all. He was very nice and sweet, but he was not her type. Not that she had a type, she reminded herself forcefully. She did not need to be feeling romantic about any type of man, because she had no desire to get married or spend her life watching like a hawk to see if her husband was running around with some other woman behind her back.
Hans, though, obviously did not feel the same. As they arrived at the doorway of St. Mildred's, he turned to Gill and before she had quite realized what was happening, he had started to kiss her. Overcome by the irony of the situation, Gill pulled away from him and began to laugh. She, who had vowed to keep away from men, had been kissed by two different men in the space of an hour. Usually she had no one to make amorous advances to her and now, just when she did not want anyone, she had not one but two men lined up at her door. Hans pulled back quickly, looking upset by her reaction to his kiss.
"I'm sorry," she said hastily. "I didn't mean it. Hans, you are so sweet, but I really don't want to be involved with anyone right now. I'm sorry."
"So am I," he told her regretfully. "Gill, I really like you. I wish you would agree to come out with me sometimes, so we can get to know each other better."
"Hans, I am flattered by your attention," she admitted. "But I have just had a very bad experience with a man, and I'm not eager to rush into something else."
"I have heard about Dr. Bedeau," said Hans sadly. "He's not a gentleman, that one. But I would like the chance to show you that I am not like him."
Gill reached up and lightly kissed Hans' cheek. "I'm sure you aren't," she said, for she already realized how nice he was, "But I'm not ready for anyone, nice or otherwise. I'm sorry, Hans."
Hans realized that she meant what she said. "That's all right," he assured her sadly. "I understand. But, Gill, if you do change your mind, call me. I'll drop everything and come running."
"Thank you," she said. "Now, you should go home, it's getting late. Good night."
Gill watched as Hans walked away then she went into St. Mildred's and locked the door securely behind her. She went up to her room, yawning widely, eager now to get to bed and fall asleep under that wonderful warm plumeau.

#127: Author: Róisín, Location: Vancouver for now

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 4:14 pm

Aw Hans sounds so nice! And he's a surgeon - good with his hands (heehee) Very Happy

Thanks Fatima.

#128: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 4:41 pm

Thanks Fatima.

I am getting really jealous of Gill, having all these lovely doctors after her ... Wink

#129: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:09 pm

Aww, poor Hans... though I'm still rooting for Armand! Laughing

#130: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:13 pm

Aww lovely Hans, but I think Gill is much more suited to Armand! Come on Gill see sense! Or maybe you shouldn't just to make the drabble last longer! Wink

Thank you sooo much! I can't wait for more! Very Happy

#131: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:19 am

Thanks, Gill. I wish I had had this much luck with men before I met my fiancée!

#132: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:03 pm

Chair wrote:

Thanks, Gill. I wish I had had this much luck with men before I met my fiancée!

Huh if I had this much luck with tasty doctors then my fiance would be history! Only kidding Wink

Thanks Fatima, can we have some more please?

#133: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:51 pm

Why is it that swearing off men sometimes seems to result in more attention from them! Lucky Gill Very Happy

Thanks Fatima

Liz

#134: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 1:54 pm

LizB wrote:

Why is it that swearing off men sometimes seems to result in more attention from them!

Ah, maybe that's where I'm going wrong! Maybe if I swear off men then a load of gorgeous doctors will start pursuing me ...

#135: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:35 pm

Our final exams for term 1 begin tomorrow so I will be marking all over the weekend and drabbling time may be limited. Sorry! Here's a little more to keep you going, and there may be some more later, before I retire for my beauty sleep!

Over the next couple of months, Gill worked hard and managed to put thoughts of attractive doctors from her mind. Despite her resolve to remain unattached, she did see Hans a couple of times. One weekend when she happened to be free, along with Sharlie and Joan, they had met up with Hans, Michael and Sharlie's doctor, Steve, and had gone together to the cinema in Interlaken and then out to dinner afterwards. Joan and Michael were getting along well, and so were Sharlie and Steve. When she had agreed to go out with them, she had not realized that it would just be Hans and herself, so when she found that they were to go almost like a third couple, she was worried that he would feel encouraged once more. He had been fine, though, treating her with all of his usual courtesy and yet seeming to accept that she did not wish him to read too much into her presence on the outing. They had a really good time together, but it did not weaken Gill's resolve to be unattached.
Later on, just before the Easter holidays began, the six friends had been to the cinema in Interlaken a second time, and also had a lot of fun together. Sharlie and Joan had both extolled Hans' virtues to their friend, assuring Gill that he would make a very suitable partner, for he was widely regarded as a genuinely nice man, the sort one would be only too happy to introduce to one's parents. Gill liked Hans very much, but more in the way that she liked her brothers. He was very good company, but she could not imagine wanting to get married and spend the rest of her life with him. She had resolutely dismissed thoughts of other doctors from her mind, refusing to dwell upon any activities conducted under the influence of the heady punch served on New Year's Eve.
Easter fell very early that year, and when the girls of St. Mildred's left for the Easter holiday, there was still snow on the ground. Many of the mistresses of the school had decided to remain in Switzerland for the holiday, as it was not to be a very long one. Instead, to compensate everyone, there was to be a longer half term in the middle of the summer term. The mistresses had planned to go skiing just before Easter, and had arranged to go with some of the doctors from the San. Hans had persuaded Sharlie to talk to Gill and ask her to go along, too, and he was looking forward to improving his skills on the nearby mountain slopes.
They set out in the morning, after breakfast. There was a good crowd heading for the slopes, for there was likely to be little more skiing that year. As the Gornetz Platz had grown in popularity as a ski centre, the tourists had been provided with luxuries like ski lifts, and soon Gill was sitting on the flimsy little seat, being carried off up the mountain. They were beginning with one of the easier runs, as some members of the group were not such experienced skiers as others. When they got off of the ski lift, Hans sought out Gill, planning to follow her back down the run. He had learned a lot since his arrival in Switzerland, and had practiced hard whenever he had time to spend out on the mountainside, but was unsure how far his newly acquired skills would look when compared with some of the others.
They set off in little groups, arranging to meet at the end of the run and go for coffee in the nearby café. Gill, who had lived in Switzerland for many years, was an experienced skier. She knew that Hans had not been skiing long, so she resolved to keep an eye open for him on the way down. As it turned out, he was possessed of a natural balance and had learned well, so he kept up with her and impressed her with his skill. They had a good run down, for it was a lovely clear day with a brilliant blue sky and they were glad of their glasses, for the sun would have looked positively dazzling off the snow.

#136: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:41 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I'm glad Hans and Gill had a good time skiing.

#137: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:16 pm

Thanks Fatima. Good luck with the marking!

#138: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:23 pm

Aw lovely! I'm glad that Hans and Gill get on well, but when is Armand coming back into it??? Thank you so much!! Very Happy

#139: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:02 pm

Chalet_school_lover wrote:

when is Armand coming back into it???

Right now - but unfortunately Fernando wanted to write this bit.

At the bottom they found that some of the group had already arrived and were sipping coffee outside the café. They ordered their own drinks and joined Sharlie and Steve. As she sipped her steaming beverage, Gill suddenly noticed that Armand was there. She had not seen him at all since New Year's Eve, when she had run out of his office, and she had thought that she had forgotten about him. Once she noticed him sitting at a nearby table, she could not stop herself from looking over at him, hoping that her dark glasses would disguise her interest in him. He was sitting with Pierre and Monique, and as the café was rapidly filling up, Joan and Michael went to join them. Hans, proud of his performance on the slopes, chatted happily to Gill and seemed not to notice how distracted she was by the occupants of another table.
Once they had all finished their coffee, the party agreed to divide into two groups. The more adventurous group planned to go higher up the mountain and complete a more difficult course. The others would repeat the previous run and they would all meet up at the café for lunch.
"I'm sorry to abandon you, Hans," said Gill, "But I'm going to do the higher run."
"That's all right," he assured her. "I think this morning's run is enough for me at the moment."
Just for a moment, Gill wished that she did like him more, or at least differently. He was so sweet that he would make someone a good husband, but that someone was not her. She waved good bye and set off up the ski lift, following Joan Bertram. It was a long ride to the top, and the views were magnificent. They could see the Platz spread out below them like a toy village. The mountains rose spectacularly all around them and the snow was sparkling in the bright sunshine. Gill enjoyed the beautiful scenery all the way to the top, keeping her mind carefully empty, as she had noticed a certain doctor climb into the ski lift immediately after she had got on.
At the top she got off and joined the group forming there. Joan and Michael were there, along with Gwynneth and Dr. Long, as the tall doctor was appropriately named. Armand Laroche joined them, followed by Pierre and Monique, and they stood for a moment together at the top of the slope. All of them had been up there before and knew the way down, and they also knew which parts of the run were the trickiest to get across safely. They had just agreed on the order in which they would ski down when suddenly a gun shot rang out.
Just for a moment, Gill wondered if Monique had produced a gun and shot her faithless husband, then she realized that no such thing had happened and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing aloud at her foolishness. As if people shot each other at the top of ski runs! The silence following the shot was complete and absolute, but only lasted a moment. After that, a loud thundery rumbling was heard and all of those who had lived so long in the mountains knew at once what that noise meant. The shot had started off an avalanche.

#140: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:10 pm

Oh noooo!! Naughty Fernando! Bring back Romeo quick!!!!! Thank you very much Fatima, I can't wait to see what happens! Very Happy

ETA- Will Armand save Gill's life???

#141: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:58 pm

Oooooooh cliff!!!!

Thanks Fatima

#142: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:09 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I hope noone will be hurt in the avalanche.

#143: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:32 pm

Noooooooo! Shocked

Please don't hurt Armand! (Hurting Pierre is perfectly fine though! Wink

)

#144: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:07 pm

Fatima, please come back and tell us what happened next!

#145: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:19 am

Alison H wrote:

Fatima, please come back and tell us what happened next!

Here's what happened next...

"Go!" Pierre shouted, and he gave Monique a huge shove so that she started off down the slope. Gill watched the others set off after them, and then she found Armand virtually dragging her along. It felt as though time had slowed down as they zigzagged down the slope, conscious of the loud roaring getting closer every second. Gill did not dare look behind her, for she knew that the sight of that mass of snow would leave her paralysed with fear. Armand was still shouting at her to hurry, to go faster and faster, even though they were already going flat out and Gill was finding it hard to draw breath. She had a pain in her side and did not think that she could keep going much longer. Not that she would need to, for soon the rushing mass would envelop them and that would be it. No more worries over which doctor she preferred or whether she should devote her life to the school. Her life would be over, along with those of her friends.
In front of her she could see the others racing across the snow, moving over to the side of the ski run where the ground started to rise slightly, as if hoping that they could move out of the way of the avalanche. Monique was way out in front, with Pierre hot on her heels until Gill saw him catch his ski on something just under the snow and fall. As he lay in the snow Gwynneth raced past, urged on by Dr. Long. Before Gill could see what had happened to Pierre, she felt Armand throw himself at her in a way that would have done credit to a rugby player tackling an opponent on the playing fields of Eton. She had no breath left to scream at him, for he had knocked it all from her body and she was certain that they were done for. The horrendous crashing was so near now that Gill knew she could measure her future in seconds. The noise of the avalanche grew deafening, but somehow Gill and Armand were still clasped together, then Gill could feel them falling. He had managed to throw them both over the edge of the slope and she knew that if she ever survived the ordeal she would mutilate the evil doctor.
With a bone-jarring bump they stopped falling, landing on a small ledge, but before she could think, Gill found herself dragged right up against the rocky side of the mountain and Armand braced himself at her side. Even as she drew breath to launch a furious verbal assault on him, a shower of snow and debris came cascading over the edge of the mountain onto them. She clung to Armand, all her accusations frozen on the tip of her tongue. For what seemed like an eternity they stood under a terrifying shower, but somehow they managed to hold on and not get swept away. Gill realized that he had managed to get them out of the direct path of the avalanche and that it was just the edge of the snowy mass that was falling over the side and away from the rest.

#146: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:53 am

Thanks Fatima. Well done Armand! Wonder if Pierre is lying still, grey and to all appearance dead!

#147: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:04 am

Oh gosh how frightening, I love hearing Gill's reactions to Armand as she is pushed this way and that. I hope they are all ok though. Thanks Fatima

#148: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:52 am

Oh my word Shocked

*incoherent wibbles*

#149: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:06 am

Phew! I think... Shocked

#150: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:48 am

Wow. Well done Armand, so is the the end of the nasty Pierre?

Thank you Fatima.

#151: Author: Rosea, Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:27 am

Yikes... hurry back to post more please Fatima!

#152: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:35 am

Trust Fernando to do that to us!

#153: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:14 pm

Eeeeek!

*wibbles*

Thanks Fatima

Liz

#154: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:01 pm

Alison H wrote:

Wonder if Pierre is lying still, grey and to all appearance dead!

I know nothing about avalanches or mountains, as they are not common here in the desert! Please forgive any poetic license I may have taken with the details of this avalanche. I had written this already, as I know what a favourite that particular phrase is, but do you really think that Pierre deserves to die? A show of hands please...

Finally the dreadful noise began to lessen and Armand loosened his grip on Gill. Overwhelmed by the narrowness of her escape she felt her knees buckle and she sat hastily down at his feet.
"Come on," he said bracingly. "You have no time to go into shock. We have to get back up there and see if the others are buried." He held out his hand and pulled her to her feet, drawing her close for a moment. "You're wonderful," he told her warmly. "So brave and strong. Just hang in a while, darling, they might need us up there."
Finally Gill managed to look up, fearing that they would be stranded half way down the mountain and forced to scale a sheer mountain face in order to reach the ski slope once more. To her amazement they were just a few feet over the edge and they were able to scramble up, albeit in a most undignified way. At the top they found that the smooth snow of the ski slope had been replaced with all the debris left behind by the avalanche. Staggering and slipping they made their way downwards, to the last place they had seen their friends.
"Most avalanche victims die of suffocation," Armand was telling her, as he pulled her along at his side. "If they are buried we have to find them fast."
Her heart in her mouth, Gill looked around then she saw some figures emerging from the trees. She saw Gwynneth, her face set purposefully, her glasses gone, her hat askew, but looking alive and well. Dr. Long was beside her, holding Monique up. Monique herself was completely distraught. She was weeping and wailing and Gill knew that Pierre was not with them.
"Where's Joan?" Gill demanded, as the two of them floundered through the snow to their friends.
Gwynneth seized Gill and hugged her as if she never planned on letting her go. "Oh, thank God," she said over and over.
"We have to find them," Armand told them, urgency in his voice now. "If they have been buried we have to find them." He took his sister by the shoulders and shook her. "Monique, where did you last see him? We have to find him quickly."
"Where's Joan?" Gill demanded again, beginning to feel the cold hand of fear close around her heart again.
"Look!" Dr. Long exclaimed suddenly.
They all looked in the direction that he was pointing and saw at once what had caught his attention. Sticking out of the snow was a pair of skis. At once they struggled through the snow as fast as they could and Armand organized them to dig carefully in the snow around the skis and see if they could unearth something more than just skis. Finally, unbelievably, they found a bright blue ski suit and then discovered the inert body of Michael Anderson. Dr. Long immediately began to try to resuscitate him, aided by Gwynneth, who seemed to have got a grip on herself in the face of having something so positive to do.
"We have to keep searching," Armand urged Gill and Monique. "Joan must be nearby. Dig, Gill!"
Gill did as he asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. She knew that if Michael was dead then her friend had no chance of surviving. As she felt around in the snow, Gill watched as Armand and Monique headed to the area where Pierre had fallen before the avalanche struck. Monique was still wailing hysterically, but Armand was forcing her on and trying to get her to be useful. Finally, they found something and stopped to examine the snow.
Gill continued to scrabble round in the snow herself, frightened of finding Joan's body, yet equally frightened of not finding it. She wondered what would happen if she was standing on it, whether she would kill her friend, or whether she would have died anyhow. Suddenly, her fingers found something harder and she called out. Gwynneth staggered over and together they scraped the snow away. Underneath, they found the body of Joan Bertram, still, grey and to all appearances dead.

#155: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:07 pm

Oh how awful! Crying or Very sad

*cries*

Please make everyone OK Fatima

*stealths to Fatima's house to kidnap Fernando Mad

#156: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:52 pm

Oh. not sure I really want Pierre dead maybe he could just be nearly dead and become a reformed character!!!

Thank you Fatima.

#157: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:57 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I hope that Michael will be ok and that Joan only appears dead, she isn't actually dead.

#158: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 3:44 pm

Ahhh I hope everyone is ok!! Please Fatima bring back Romeo quickly!!! Thank you very much I can't wait for more!

#159: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 4:28 pm

I had shivers going down my spine throughout that.... please let them be okay!

#160: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 5:29 pm

A little more. Just don't ask what has happened to the exams; they are calling but I have my fingers in my ears, even though I know I shall regret it later.

Working as fast as they could, they cleared the snow from her face and once she had discovered no signs of life, Gwynneth began giving Joan artificial respiration. Gill stood by, crying uncontrollably now that she had nothing useful to do. She did not know enough about first aid to be helpful, but she could not bring herself to leave Gwynneth as she struggled to breathe some life back into Joan's lifeless body. Gwynneth worked tirelessly, breathing air into Joan's lungs and then pausing a while to see if her actions were having any affect on her friend.
Suddenly Gill was aware of Dr. Long standing beside her. "You have to go for help," he was saying. "Put on Mike's skis and go down to the nearest place you can find with a phone and get onto the San for help."
Gill looked up at the tall doctor, knowing that she could not do as he asked. She could not bear to follow the trail of destruction down the mountain all by herself, not knowing whether Joan lived or died. Not knowing whether Armand and Monique had found Pierre. Not being able to look up and see the competent, capable figure of Dr. Laroche telling her what to do and keeping her safe.
"You can do it," Gwynneth told her. "Go, Gill."
Gill strapped on the skis reluctantly and took the sticks that Dr. Long somehow still had. She sent up a swift prayer for help then set off across the rough snow. She skimmed past Monique, who was now sitting in the snow and howling while Armand was looking for anything that could indicate where Pierre's body might lie.
"Take care," he called after her.
Gill followed the path of the avalanche, seeing trees uprooted and parts of the ski lift torn down. She carried on, wondering how far it had gone before the solidity of the trees had stopped it and how many people had been caught in it. Surely none could be as lucky to have survived as she and the others had been. Gill sobbed again as she realized that Joan might not be one of the lucky ones, and the thought of bringing help to her spurred her on. If there was any way that she could, Gwynneth would keep Joan alive long enough for help to reach them.
Suddenly Gill caught her ski on a huge log that she could neither avoid nor jump over. She was thrown through the air and landed with a bone-jolting thud. As she hit the ground, she felt a searing pain in her arm, and knew from the awful crack she heard that she had broken it. Recalling how Armand had told her how brave she was, she made herself stand up, put on the skis once more and continue on down the mountain. If she had found the journey a nightmare before, it was nothing compared with what it had become now. Every tiny movement was agony and she found her balance impaired by being able to use only one arm. Although she was scared of falling again, she dared not slow her pace, for those in danger up at the top of the mountain might not survive if help was not found quickly.
How she kept going Gill never knew. The journey seemed to take forever, but eventually she reached civilisation. She reached the Platz and found that there were some people sitting in the sun outside the café. She had hoped that Hans would be there, for she could just have left everything to him and fainted away happy in the knowledge that he would sort everything out for her, but there was no sign of anyone she knew. She abandoned the skis and walked shakily inside and almost collapsed against the counter. Fortunately the owner of the café was there and she recognized Gill and realized at once that she was in trouble.
Gill gasped out an explanation and on hearing her words, the café owner galvanized some of her patrons into action. She directed Gill to the phone and Gill managed to put a call through to the San. She explained what had happened to the receptionist there and gave directions to the site of the accident. As she rang off, she wondered how she would ever get herself to the San, when all she felt like doing was falling in a heap on the floor. Cradling her injured arm with her good one, she leaned against the wall for a moment to steady herself. She could not worry about her own injury while her friends might need her help, so she drew a deep breath.
Suddenly she heard a voice calling her name and she turned slowly, hardly able to stand by this point. To her immense relief she found that it was Hans, but she did not manage to say anything to him, for as he reached her side she fainted clean away.

#161: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:36 pm

Thanks Fatima! As great as ever. Like you, I know very little about avalanches but it seems to me that you captured it just as I would have expected it to happen.

Kathryn

#162: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:39 pm

Phew! I hope everyone is ok!! I'm glad that Gill is now with Hans and I hope everything works out and they save everyone!! *fingers crossed* Thank you so much!! I can't wait for more!

#163: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:38 pm

Very brave of Gill - I hope her desparate journey was worth it and the others all survive.

Thanks Fatima.

Liz

#164: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:45 pm

This is a really excellent story.
Your stories get better each time.

Where do you teach, school or college, are you an English teacher?

#165: Author: Becky, Location: Newport, South Wales, UK

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 8:30 pm

Really enjoying all your stories - they just keep getting better!

I'm sure the marking isn't that important Very Happy

#166: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:45 pm

Thanks, Fatima. Where was Sharlie or was she not with them?

#167: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 6:17 am

I teach in a large international school which caters for children from kindergarten right up to grade 13. We teach in English, but the children also learn Arabic as a second language, or French for the non Arabic children. I teach English and Social Studies to grade 3 and English, Maths and Social Studies to grade 2. The system is fiercely academic and so the exams are taken very seriously. I have a pile of about 90 grade 3 compositions to mark this weekend, but Gill insisted on me switching on the computer this morning. I think I shall have to put her through a few more traumas as my revenge!

When she came around, Gill found that she was lying on a settee in the back of the café. Hans was bending over her, looking anxious. Her arm felt a little less painful and she saw that someone had got her out of her ski jacket and had bandaged her arm so that it was held still. She felt exhausted and teary and he seemed to realize this, for he stopped looking anxious as her eyes focused on him again and he passed her a cup of hot, sweet tea instead.
"Is there any news?" she demanded, but before he could answer, she had started to cry.
"No, not yet," he answered gently. "It's too soon. Drink your tea, Gill. It will make you feel better."
She tried to take a sip, but her hand was shaking so much that she could hardly hold the cup. He took it from her and held it to her lips so that she could drink a little of the tea.
Sharlie appeared at that point and Gill abandoned all pretence of being able to cope. She broke down completely, howling as desperately as Monique had been doing when Gill had skied away down the mountain. Before Sharlie could say anything, Hans had gathered her into his arms and was holding her closely, patting her back and muttering nonsense in guttural German into her dishevelled hair. She sobbed uncontrollably for some time, until she realized that she would need to tell Sharlie and Hans what had happened on the mountain so that they could all go back and see whether their friends had been rescued. Sniffing, she sat up, grateful to Hans for providing such a solid shoulder for her to cry on.
"We were caught in the avalanche," she managed to say, taking the handkerchief that Sharlie was holding out to her. She scrubbed her eyes and blew her nose and carried on with her story. As she reached the point where she had found Joan's body she started to cry again and Sharlie had tears on her cheeks, too. "And they hadn't found Pierre," she finished.
"A search and rescue helicopter has just gone up there," Sharlie told her. "We are all unhurt. When we heard the avalanche coming we had just enough time to get down far enough into the trees for it to have stopped before it got to us. We were worried sick about the rest of you and had split up to look around the Platz to see whether we could find out what had happened to you all. Some idiot tourist was taking a pot shot at a rabbit or something, so we heard, and that was what set the avalanche off."
Gill drank the rest of her now cold tea and stood up. "We have to go and get news of them," she declared, reaching for her jacket. "If we go to the San we will be there when they arrive."
Hans grinned. He had been about to suggest that she should visit the San so that they could set her arm properly, but it was far better for her to think that it was her idea to go there. She could be so stubborn and if she had an inkling that she might be kept there as a patient, she might refuse to go. "Yes," he agreed. "We should go there now. Come on, Sharlie, let's be on our way."
As they walked towards the big Sanatorium they heard news of a team of men heading off with St. Bernard dogs, and they knew then that Pierre must still be missing. They heard the helicopter reach the San just as they were approaching it themselves, but it set off again almost immediately. They went inside and Hans took them along several endless corridors to the emergency department. Knowing that the passengers of the helicopter would have been transferred to the emergency rooms, Gill went quite willingly, little knowing that Hans intended her to be the patient once they arrived there.
As they entered the large waiting room, Gill saw Gwynneth sitting there, beside Dr. Long. Monique was draped across another chair, still wailing. Then Gill saw the one person she realized that she had been hoping to see the most. Armand got up as he saw her and began to run towards her even as she broke away from Hans and ran at him. He caught her in his arms, crushing her so tightly against him that she wondered if he would break half of her ribs, but she did not mind at all. To her shame, she burst into tears again, but he did not seem to mind, for he was kissing her anyhow.
"Are you all right?" he finally managed to ask her. "You were wonderful, bringing help so quickly."
Realizing that her arm was aching once more, Gill shook her head. "But what about Joan?" she demanded. Gwynneth had come over to them, looking very serious. For a moment Gill was almost scared of hearing the answer, but then she realized that she had to know one way or the other, so she repeated her question.

#168: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 7:39 am

Yes!!
I was first to see the next episode!
I had a feeling you would post on Friday morning.

you said:"I teach in a large international school which caters for children from kindergarten right up to grade 13. I teach English and Social Studies to grade 3 and English, Maths and Social Studies to grade 2. "

As far as I am concerned teaching is a very hard job, and I am sure you have to put a lot of hours in preparing lessons.

I think I appreciate the drabbles even more.

#169: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 7:53 am

Tell us, tell us! Shocked

Pretty please with a cherry on top Wink

I do like Armand though! Razz

#170: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 7:54 am

Quote:

you have to put a lot of hours in preparing lessons.

I'm very lucky, because the school has a very carefully thought out curriculum from KG1 up to grade 13, and all the books are printed especially for the school. They give us a list of what we have to cover each week, and we do what we are asked. It's very different from teaching in a less academically oriented kind of school, as the only aim is to get the children educated to a high level and there is very little emphasis on art, music etc (Not at all like the dear old Chalet School!). It is sometimes frustrating, having to hammer on with the work even though some of the class can't cope with it, but it does mean little preparation. The marking of exams is what gives me most of my extra work, as they do take ages to do and crop up very often. But I don't complain, as my children are getting an excellent education and I have a job I (mostly) enjoy, which gives me enough time to do other things out of school! Yes, I am lazy!! Why do housework when you can drabble??

#171: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 10:34 am

Thank you Fatima!

#172: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:27 pm

Fatima wrote:

Then Gill saw the one person she realized that she had been hoping to see the most. Armand got up as he saw her and began to run towards her even as she broke away from Hans and ran at him. He caught her in his arms, crushing her so tightly against him that she wondered if he would break half of her ribs, but she did not mind at all. To her shame, she burst into tears again, but he did not seem to mind, for he was kissing her anyhow.

Yay!

Thanks Fatima

Liz *hoping for good news of Joan*

#173: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:57 pm

Here is the next bit...It might be a bit sad...

"She's been rushed to intensive care," Gwynneth told her. "We managed to get to her in the nick of time, I think, but it's been touch and go."
Hearing that, Gill realized how her agonizing descent of the mountain had been worth it. Any amount of pain in her arm was better than losing a chance of keeping Joan alive. "And Dr. Anderson?" she asked.
"Also heading for intensive care," Gwynneth said. "But we're more hopeful about him."
"And Pierre?" she finally managed to say, looking up at Armand once more.
Armand shook his head. "We didn't find him."
"The helicopter has gone back and there are men with dogs heading up there now. If anyone can find him, they will." Gwynneth sounded a lot more certain than she looked. Having seen how dreadful the avalanche was at first hand, she did not hold out much hope that the young French doctor would be found alive.
A nurse appeared then, and Monique was led away, still howling and crying. As another nurse appeared, Hans stopped her and explained about Gill's arm, so she told Gill that a doctor was waiting in another room and would see her immediately.
"What about you?" Gill asked, turning to Gwynneth. She noticed that her friend looked all in and knew that it was only Matron's iron will that kept her going.
"There are plenty of doctors," the nurse pointed out.
"There certainly are," Sharlie agreed in a stage whisper.
"Come on," said Armand, his arm still around Gill's shoulders. "Let's get you sorted out."
He went to the little emergency room with her and stayed at her side while her arm was gently unbandaged, x-rayed and then set in a plaster cast. By the time that all this had been done, Gill was in a lot of pain and was glad to lie back against the pillows with Armand holding her good hand. Once the doctor pronounced himself satisfied that the arm would mend in time, he prescribed some painkillers and told Gill she should rest for the next few days to get over the shock she had had.
"And are you all right, Dr. Laroche?" the other doctor inquired.
"I think I have probably cracked a few ribs," Armand replied, and at first Gill thought he was joking about the way she had hugged him so vigorously, but he began to remove his outer clothes and then his shirt. She tried to get up and leave, embarrassed to see him undressed, but he caught her hand as he saw her move. "Please don't go," he said earnestly. He pulled off his vest and revealed a slightly hairy, very manly chest and Gill had to stop herself from staring at him.
After a quick examination, the doctor proclaimed that Armand was probably right in his diagnosis and proceeded to strap him up and suggest that he took some painkillers if he found himself in pain at all. Gill stood to help Armand dress again until she realized that she could do little, thanks to her plaster cast. The doctor disappeared to find his next patient and Armand looked across at Gill.
"It seems that we are a pair of crocks," he said with a smile. He stood up and slowly pulled his jacket back on then he held out his hand to her. "I must go and see if Monique is ok," he told her. "Will you come with me?"
"She won't want to see me," said Gill, starting to look anxious again.
"But I do," Armand told her. "Then I shall get you back home so that you can rest."
"I can't rest," she protested, "while Joan is here. I have to know if she will be all right."
"We will ask if we can see her before we go," he promised.
With her hand clasped in his large, warm hand, Gill nodded and followed him from the little room. They asked the nurse for news of Monique and were told that she had been sedated and was currently being settled in a quiet room. She would not rouse until the next day, so the nurse suggested that they left to get some rest after the trauma of the day. She explained that Gwynneth had collapsed and was also being sent up to a ward, accompanied by Dr. Long. Sharlie had waited, but before they could go and see her, the large doors to the ambulance park swung open and a stretcher was wheeled in. Gill's first thought was that they had found Pierre, but she realized that there could have been plenty of others caught up in the avalanche and in need of medical attention. As the stretcher was brought nearer, they saw that the body was completely covered, and knew that it was just a body, not a survivor.
"It's Dr. Bedeau," one of the porters said in hushed tones.
Gill squeezed Armand's hand tightly and looked up at him. To her immense surprise she felt no more sorrow than she would for anyone killed in the prime of life. Her main concern was how Armand would take the news of his brother-in-law's death, and how Monique would react. Armand stepped up to the stretcher and lifted back the corner of the sheet that covered Pierre. He looked very peaceful, almost as if he was asleep. Gill bit her lip hard to stop herself from giving way to tears again as Armand gently replaced the sheet.
"I'm glad Monique is getting some sleep," he said softly.
They wheeled the stretcher on, heading for the morgue.
Armand caught Gill in his arms again, burying his face in her tousled hair. She clung to him and they wept together, holding one another closely and crying until they could cry no more. Finally he released her and looked sheepishly at her, the first time she had ever seen him look anything other than supremely self assured. "I suppose that has finished my reputation as a strong and capable man," he said, with a wry smile.
"No," she answered, passing him her handkerchief. "It makes you seem so much more human."
"Thank you – I think," he said, wiping his eyes. "Gill, please come and get some lunch or a cup of tea or something with me. I don't think I can face being left alone just yet. I know I have no right to ask you, but I would really appreciate your company for a while. Please?"

#174: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 2:31 pm

Yes a little sad but so sweet too. THank you Fatima.

#175: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 2:40 pm

Thanks, Fatima. Exam marking is a b**gger, but it has to be done.

This drabble is fantastic. I just hope Gill starts to listen to her heart.

#176: Author: Rosy, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 3:02 pm

Awww. *sniffles* Bless. Thankyou Fatima!

#177: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 3:09 pm

*sniff*

#178: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 5:18 pm

*joins the snifflers*

He was mean, but I'm not entirely sure I wanted him to die.

Thank you Fatima.

#179: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 5:47 pm

Very sad about Pierre Crying or Very sad

But hopeful about Gill and the luffly Armand Very Happy

Thanks Fatima

Liz

#180: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 9:21 pm

Thanks, Fatima. Even though he messed Gill around, I am sorry to hear about Pierre. I hope Monique and Joan and everyone else will be ok.

#181: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 2:50 am

"Of course," Gill answered at once. Truth be told, she was rather dreading being left alone, too, at the mercy of her thoughts and her memories. She knew that she would relive the terror of the day over and over and over and did not think she would be able to stop seeing Joan's face as they uncovered her or hearing that dreadful roar as the avalanche descended upon them in all its fury.
On their way they called in at the ward and the intensive care unit and were told that all the casualties were sedated and being kept quiet. They would not be able to see them until the next day at the earliest, so there was nothing more that they could do at the hospital. They walked together out of the San and in the car park Armand stopped and looked quizzically at Gill.
"Where shall we go?" he asked her. "Do you feel hungry?"
Gill shook her head, suppressing a shudder. She did not think she would ever feel hungry again. "I'd like a cup of tea," she said.
They walked together along the road that led to the touristy end of the Platz. There were several little tea shops and restaurants and cafés and Armand chose the quietest of them all. He ensconced Gill in a comfortable chair at a table in the back of the room, where it was dark and quiet. He knew she was still in shock and he wanted her to be able to sit unobserved by anyone. He bought two cups of tea and found that they sold delicious sandwiches, so he also got some of those. Once he had paid, he went back to the table and found that Gill was crying quietly. He set the tray down on the table and pulled a chair up close to hers.
"It's all right to cry," he told her, patting her shoulder. "But it won't be like this forever. It will get better."
"Will it?" she asked tearfully. "I keep seeing Joan's face. I can't bear the thought that she might die. And I can't believe that Pierre is dead. It doesn't seem real."
As she spoke of Pierre, Armand suddenly wondered if she still loved him. He recalled how she had seemed to adore his faithless brother-in-law when he had first seen them together. Maybe she was in shock because the man she loved had died. Perhaps she was making do with his company because he was related to Pierre and that made her feel closer to Pierre. Yet while she was so upset how could he ask her the truth? He would have to go along with her and wait until she felt stronger before trying to find out how she felt about him. She had certainly seemed pleased to see him when she had reached the San, throwing herself into his arms and clinging to him, even though she had arrived with the young surgeon that she had been pretending to like.
Armand poured a cup of tea for them and pushed Gill's closer to her. "Have some tea," he suggested. "And the sandwiches looked delicious, so I wondered if I could persuade you to have one."
Gill sniffed and fumbled in her pocket for her handkerchief. Before she could find it, Armand was handing her his, and as she looked at the monogram she realized that she still had one of his hankies, the one he had bound her foot up with all those months ago. Wiping her eyes, Gill looked across at Armand again. "Thank you for being so kind," she told him. "I can't think why you are always so nice to me when I am so rude to you."
Armand smiled at her. "I'm not being kind," he answered. "I should really have taken you straight back home, so that you could rest, but I couldn't face the thought of going home by myself."
Gill gave an involuntary shiver. "Neither could I," she agreed wholeheartedly. "At first I thought that you were trying to kill us both, throwing us over the edge like that. How did you know we wouldn't die if we went over?"
"I didn't know," he admitted, sitting back in his chair and draping his arm along the back of her seat. "I just knew we stood more chance out of the way of the avalanche. We would never have got to the trees in time."
"I saw Pierre fall," she said, wondering if she dared rest her head on his shoulder. He was so strong and all she wanted at that moment was for someone to look after her. She imagined his arm coming closer around her and holding her against him so tightly, as he had done in the San. She had felt quite safe then, viewing everything from his protection.
"We were too far away to have helped him," Armand reminded her. "There wasn't time. And you saved everyone by going down the mountain for help. You were amazing."
"Only because you made me do it," she pointed out. "I would have sat on the ledge and cried if you hadn't been there." Giving up the unequal struggle, Gill let her head descend slowly onto his shoulder and she felt his arm come more tightly around her. Her arm was aching dully and she really did not feel like moving for a very long time. In fact she began to wonder if he would sit there for the rest of the day and just hold her, so that she could rest without being haunted by the images of the morning.

#182: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 8:40 am

Ah, now's she turning to him instinctively. I hope she realises soon.

#183: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 12:32 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I think Armand might actually be the right man for Gill - I hope she realises this soon.

#184: Author: Rosy, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 1:00 pm

Awwww. *cooes* That's lovely. Thankyou Fatima!

#185: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 2:17 pm

Have missed so much of this!
Thanks for all the updates, glad that Gill is trusting Armand.
Please don't let Joan die, it is so lovely to see her as a nice character for once.

#186: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 2:32 pm

Armand picked up his tea and sipped it slowly. He found he rather liked the feel of her chestnut hair against his cheek and he felt very protective of her. Saving her life had been an instinctive thing; he would have done his best for anyone who had been near enough for him to help, but somehow it made her feel more special to him, knowing that he had got her out of harm's way and given her the strength to face the awful happenings on the mountainside. It was clear that she was all in, though, and he knew that he would have to get her back to the school soon or she would make herself ill.
"Gill," he said gently, "You should drink your tea." Reluctantly she sat up. She sipped her tea and found that it did make her feel a little better. Armand tried to persuade her to try a sandwich, but she could not make herself eat anything. He wrapped her sandwich up in a serviette and handed it to her with a smile. "Take it with you," he suggested. "Maybe you will feel hungry later."
He stood up and helped her to her feet, then assisted her in putting her jacket on again. He zipped it up for her, tucking her plaster cast inside and then arranging the empty sleeve in her pocket. She managed to laugh a little at that.
"You don't want it flapping, do you?" he asked. "Come on, let me get you back to the school."
By the time they left the café, it was dark. It was still quite a long way to the school and both of them were beginning to feel very tired. Armand took Gill's good arm and helped her along, matching his pace to hers. They trudged along together, not talking, just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually they reached St. Mildred's and Armand virtually had to carry Gill up the path and into the school, where they were met by Gertrude Rider. As Gill swayed, Armand caught her up in his arms and bore her up the stairs to the San. He laid her gently on the bed that Gertrude indicated and quietly explained what had happened. Gertrude was already aware of the details and she assured the doctor that she would take great care of Gill.

By the time that Gill came round, she found herself in bed in the San. It was dark outside and a dim lamp cast a gentle glow in the corner. Gertrude sat beside it, tackling some of the endless mending she had to do. Gill lay quietly for a moment, until memories of the avalanche began to come back to her. She sat up, crying out as she aggravated her arm once more, and also a whole host of stiff and bruised muscles she had not realized she possessed.
Gertrude hurried to Gill's bedside. "Lie down," she said firmly. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore," confessed Gill. "Where's Armand? How is Joan? What's happened to Gwynneth?"
Gertrude smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Armand has gone home," she answered. "He looked all in. He asked me to tell you that he will call in the morning. I phoned the San about half an hour ago and Joan is still hanging on. Gwynneth will be fine, once she had had a good rest. You know what a tough old bird she is."
"Pierre was killed," Gill said, biting her lip. "I hated him for what he did, but I never wanted him to die."
"I know you didn't," Gertrude consoled her. "There is no way that you are to blame for what happened to him, Gill, so don't even go there. It was an accident."
"Oh, I know," Gill said with a sniff. "But I wished all sorts of horrid things on him and now he is dead. I feel really mean."
"He was bad," Gertrude agreed, "but he did not deserve to die. However, from all I hear, you did your best to save him. Don't reproach yourself."
"I'll try not to," Gill promised.
"Shall I have some food sent in?" Gertrude asked. "Are you hungry?"
Gill shook her head. Other than aches and pains, the most overwhelming need she had was for sleep. "I'll sleep," she told her friend. "But don't leave me, Gertrude, please."
"I won't," Gertrude assured her. "I will sleep here tonight. If you wake and want anything, call me."
Gill nodded and closed her eyes. She expected to lie for ages, trying to keep her mind free of shocking images of the avalanche, but she fell asleep at once.

#187: Author: Rosy, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 3:35 pm

Poor girlie. Thankyou Fatima!

#188: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 3:53 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I'm glad Gwynneth will be ok.

#189: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 5:07 pm

Thanks, Fatima. Perhaps Gill will be clearer about what or who she wants when she's had some more sleep.

#190: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 6:13 pm

Just caught up on 3 days of this! Thanks Fatima. I still prefer Hans - can you send him my way if Gill ends up with Armand?!

#191: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:37 pm

I've just caught up on loads of updates!!! So many things happened I don't know what to comment on!!! It's fantastic! I hope Joan gets better and Gill realises that Armand is the guy for her! Thank you very much I can't wait for more! Very Happy

#192: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 1:01 pm

When she woke again the sun was streaming through the window of the San and Gill knew that she had been asleep for hours and hours. She felt a lot better, despite numerous aches and pains. As she started to sit up she discovered that she was not alone. Sitting beside the bed, reading the newspaper and sipping some coffee, was Armand. As she sat up he folded the paper and grinned at her, looking his usual calm and capable self once more.
"Good afternoon," he said. "How are you feeling?"
"Afternoon?" she asked in surprise.
"It's not really," he assured her with a smile. "It's eleven o'clock."
Gill sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "What are you doing here?" she asked, hoping that she did not sound anything other than glad to see him.
"I came at about ten and they said you were asleep, so I thought I should stay," he explained, "just in case you needed a doctor."
"A pediatrician?" she enquired innocently. "I hardly think so!"
"Well, they don't know what sort of doctor I am," he replied simply, happy that she recalled such a little, unimportant detail about him. Maybe there was some hope for him after all.
"How are you feeling today?" she asked him. He looked very well, but he was incredibly strong and so unlikely to reveal any sign of weakness. If he was in pain he would probably hide it extremely well.
"Sore," he admitted, "And very bruised. I'm sure you are responsible for most of them, landing on me with such a thump when we leaped off the mountain yesterday."
Gill rose to the bait as he knew that she would. "I didn't fall on you!" she exclaimed. "You knocked me over and rolled on me. It's a wonder it's not my ribs that got broken."
Armand laughed at her and reached for her hand. "I'm sorry to tease you," he said repentantly. "But you do get cross so quickly."
Gill laughed as well, liking the feeling of friendship that was growing between them. He really was very nice, she realized. He was so reliable and engendered feelings of safety and security. "You deserve it," she flung back at him.
"Yes, I'm sure I do," he agreed. He got up and perched on the edge of the bed, taking hold of a long strand of her hair and twisting it absently around his finger. "Gill, I came to tell you that I'm going back to France tomorrow." As he had hoped, she looked stricken to hear that he would be leaving. "Monique has been told about Pierre and she wants to go home. We will be flying out at lunch time."
"Oh," said Gill, hardly able to comprehend the feelings of abandonment she was experiencing. She knew he had to go, of course, but she could not imagine how she would be able to manage without him.
"Gill," he said earnestly, "Why don't you come with me?"
Gill shook her head and turned away from him, not wanting to meet his gaze, knowing that she could not commit to him. She would never be able to trust him, but even as that thought went through her head she realized that she did trust him implicitly. To use a hackneyed phrase, he truly was a solid lump of comfort. She knew that she wanted to be with him, and yet she just could not make herself say yes to him. How wonderful it would be to spend time in France with him, sitting quietly or talking to him, recovering her strength and getting to know him better at the same time.
Very gently he turned her to face him again. "We are going to our parents' home," he told her. "It's just outside Nice. It's really quiet there and you could rest and be looked after and get well again. I would really like you to come with us."
Gill finally allowed her eyes to meet his. "Armand," she said and then she stopped. It was the first time that she had called him by name and he realized that she had already come a long way to accepting him. But she still looked away and said, "I can't."
"I will be gone for a week," he told her. "If you don't object, I would very much like to see you when I get back." She sniffed suddenly and he knew that she was crying. He reached out and gathered her into his arms and held her, hoping that he would be able to convince her that he was different from his brother-in-law. He may have known about Pierre's faithlessness and not told her, but he would never behave that way himself. He finally held her away from him and looked down at her very seriously. "Gill, I won't hurt you," he told her. "I will do everything I can to make you happy. You don't have to come with me, I really won't mind – although I will miss you, of course – but please don't be sad."
"I'm sorry," she finally managed to say. "I want to trust you, but I'm scared."
"My parents have said that they would love to meet you," he told her. "I explained that you were involved in the avalanche and they agreed that you should come with Monique and me."
"What about before…when I was seeing…him?" she asked hesitantly.
"No one needs to know about that," he told her. "I'll go and see if I can find some more coffee. Just stay here a moment."

#193: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 1:06 pm

Oh Gill, how could you think of our favourite expression as "a hackneyed phrase" Laughing

?!! Still can't make my mind up about Armand, although I do like the sound of the house near lovely Nice Wink

! Thanks Fatima - what a dilemma for Gill.

#194: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 1:24 pm

Thanks, Fatima. I do hope things work out between Gill and Armand.

#195: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:07 pm

Oooh I hope things work out for Gill and Armand! And that Joan recovers fully! Thank you very much Fatima! Very Happy

#196: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:34 pm

Gill lay back against the pillows, feeling exhausted already. She wiped her eyes on a tissue and wondered how much longer it would take for her to stop crying at every little thing. Considering the affect it had on Armand, though, she wondered if she should keep it up. He was always so lovely to her when she was crying. In fact, she realized that he had never been anything other than kind to her. All the negative things she had thought had been just that – thoughts. She had interpreted his actions and given them awful meanings. After all, she had been convinced that he was trying to kill her when he was really saving her from the avalanche. Even though he had saved her life, she had been prepared to scream abuse at him, unable to see that he was really a thoroughly good man. Because of Pierre, she was unable to trust her own judgement and did not know who she could rely on. But it was so difficult to give in to the desire to agree to whatever Armand suggested, for fear that he would make her love him and then throw that love back in her face again. How could she ever feel comfortable enough to let him know how she felt about him when she was consumed with worry about him letting her down? Gill sighed and angrily blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over onto her cheeks once more. She realized that she was in danger of turning into the very thing that she abhorred – a spineless jellyfish. She, who had always been strong and sure of herself, was now an emotional wreck, thanks to a combination of Pierre Bedeau and the avalanche. Would she be able to pull herself together, she wondered sorrowfully, or was she destined merely to be a pale imitation of her former self?
Before she could get more maudlin, Armand reappeared, bearing a tray of coffee and an omelette. "I have just met Matron Rider," he explained. "She said that you must eat some breakfast, or you won't be able to get up and come to the San with me to visit Gwynneth."
Gill sighed. She was not actually certain that she did want to get up and go anywhere, especially not with Armand. In fact, she wanted to put her head under the bedcovers and hide until she felt strong enough to deal with everything again. "I'm not hungry," she told Armand.
"Your cook made this especially for you," he informed her, putting the tray down on the bedside table and drawing her upright so that he could shake up her pillows and settle her comfortably. "If you try it I am sure you will find that you are very hungry indeed." Gill shook her head, but he ignored her and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking the plate from the tray and putting a small piece of the omelette onto the fork. "Come on," he said, as if she were a mere child. "Eat up."
She allowed him to feed her a few mouthfuls of the omelette and discovered that it was as delicious as he had said it would be. 'You see,' said a little voice in her head, 'You can believe him.' "When will I stop feeling like this?" she asked suddenly.
"Once you have rested and enjoyed peace and quiet again," he said gently. "You had a dreadful shock yesterday. It will take a while for you to get over it."
"But you are all right," she said, almost sounding accusing.
"I'm just better at hiding it than you," he told her, realizing how desperately she needed some moral support. "I didn't sleep very well last night, I was too busy thinking of what might have happened and how awful it is to have lost Pierre. I know you didn't like him, but he was a good friend. We had some good times together. We used to go away regularly, Monique and Pierre and me, and we all got on so well together, as long as Pierre was behaving himself. I shall miss him dreadfully."
Gill looked thoughtfully at Armand, noticing that he did have faint dark smudges under his eyes. Maybe she was not weak and pathetic after all. Perhaps it was normal to be upset after an experience like she had been through. "I just want to go and hide somewhere," she admitted in a small voice. "I don't want to have to face anyone. I can't deal with this."
"You are dealing with it very well," he told her. "You did not collapse and end up in the San, and by all accounts Gwynneth is one very strong lady. Even Dr. Long was kept in over night and he is a regular tower of strength usually."
"A tall tower," she added with a chuckle.
"And you can still laugh," he pointed out. "Come on, let's finish this omelette before it gets too cold."
Gill ate the rest of the omelette without complaint, and then she took the coffee cup and drank the strong, sweet brew. With some food inside her she found that she felt much better, although she was still reluctant to leave the haven of the school San.
"I'll leave you to get dressed," he said, replacing her cup on the tray. "We can go to the San and then I will take you out for a wonderful lunch. No," he added as she opened her lips to protest, "Not a word, Gill. I will give you ten minutes then I shall come back and drag you out of bed myself." He picked up the tray and left the San, closing the door firmly behind him.

#197: Author: Chalet_school_lover, Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:45 pm

He's so sweet! I hope Gill starts to feel stronger soon, it was emotional for her and I don't blame her for being upset! Thank you very much Fatima, I'm looking forward to more!!! Very Happy

#198: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:50 pm

That was such a sweet post! Very Happy

But what's happened to Joan?

#199: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:14 pm

It's lovely to see the advances in their relationship, and Gill even considering going anywhere with him is an advance.

The rest of the casualties?

#200: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent, England

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:33 pm