[Fic] A New Spell, part 4
Jan. 10th, 2008 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
white_hartBuffy/Chalet School crossover, set immediately after the ends of Buffy season 6 and about Prefects of the Chalet School. Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, the Chalet School belongs to the estate of Elinor M Brent-Dyer. Previous parts: 1, 2, 3.
Dr Green’s words stayed with Len, adding to the dissatisfaction she had already been feeling at the idea of returning to the Platz and leaving Oxford – and magic – behind her for ever. And then, at the end of that week, she had a visitor.
‘Reg!’ she gasped in surprise, having followed the porter down to the lodge.
‘Len, darling! I have a conference in London this week-end, and your father let me come over a day early so I could motor up and see you. I thought perhaps I could take you to lunch?’
Len glanced quickly at her watch. ‘I have a tutorial at three, but I’m free until then. Where would you like to go?’
Reg had rather hoped to motor out into the countryside with his fiancée and find a pleasant pub for lunch, but given Len’s insistence that she couldn’t miss her tutorial he reluctantly agreed to opt for somewhere in the town.
‘It is super to see you, Reg,’ Len remarked, looking up from her lamb chop. ‘Although it’s not terribly long before I’ll be back at the Platz for Christmas.’
‘I know, darling, but the opportunity was too good to miss. I’m only sorry I can’t stay longer. And,’ he looked at her intently, ‘there’s something I wanted to discuss with you that can’t wait until then.’
Len felt a twinge of something almost like fear, which she hoped her face didn’t betray. ‘What is it, Reg?’
‘Well…’ he put down his knife and fork and reached over to take her hand ‘I know we’ve never discussed plans for our wedding; I always thought there would be plenty of time to make the arrangements once you were back at the Platz. But Mackenzie - do you remember him? Ginger-haired Scot with twin boys – has decided that he doesn’t want to have to send his kiddies back to school in England, or maybe his wife has decided she can’t bear to be so far away from her babies, and he’s moving back to Edinburgh in the summer, so his chalet will be free. It’s a lovely little place, just perfect for a small family, and not far from Freudesheim and the school. He’s making all the arrangements for his move, and he asked me whether I thought we might want to take it on. He needs an answer pronto, so as I was going to be in England anyway I thought I’d come here and ask you how you’d feel about being married in July and moving into our own little house straight away. What do you think of that idea, darling?’
Len’s stomach lurched. ‘Oh, Reg, it does sound lovely. But,’ she blurted ‘there was something I wanted to discuss with you, too. You see, my tutors are really pleased with my work here, and they think I should stay on for an extra year. Would you mind dreadfully if I did?’
‘Well, I can’t say I’d be best pleased. I’ll have waited three years as it is, and I can’t see how spending more time at University is going to be much use when it comes to teaching girls or being a mother to our children. I’ll be thirty-one next year, and that’s past time for a chap to be settled down. I know that you modern girls like your independence, and I’m more than happy for you to teach when we’re married if that makes you happy, but I don’t mind saying that I hope you’ll reconsider this plan. Still,’ and he made a visible effort to clear the annoyance from his face ‘let’s not let this spoil our nice lunch together. Now, darling, what would you like for pudding?’
To all appearances, the meal ended cordially, but both of them felt that there was a slightly strained atmosphere, and Len was relieved when after a short walk during which she pointed out some of the more famous sights of Oxford Reg left her at the lodge of her college to motor back to London.
She was unsurprised, a week later, to receive an air-letter from the Gornetz Platz.
Mary Helena Maynard
I must say I’m disappointed in you. I told you three years ago that you weren’t to play fast and loose with Reg’s emotions, and I don’t know what else you could call this. The poor boy has spent the last two and a half years waiting patiently for you to come home so your life together can begin, and then you spring something like this on him. And Auntie Hilda agrees that there’s no possible benefit another year at University can have for your teaching career; you’ve done all the ground-work and this would be far too advanced to pass on to schoolgirls.
You made a promise to Reg, and I’m sure I’ve always taught my children that it’s wicked to break promises.
I do hope that you will reconsider this absurd idea. Really, it’s bad enough that Con has this mad idea about moving to London – ten to one the poor child will go off into a dream and forget to feed herself, but I can ask Mary-Lou to keep an eye on her, I suppose, and no doubt she’ll give up on it and come home after a few months – but you were always the sensible one, Len!
Sweetiepie, do write soon and let me know that you’ve come to your senses. Love to Con, and Papa and I are looking forward so much to having you home at Christmas.
Your loving
Mamma
Len screwed the letter into a ball and threw it angrily towards the fire. Well, there was only one thing for it. If she wasn’t going to be allowed to break her promise to Reg and stay in Oxford, he had to be made to break it for her. She’d always been told that love-spells were dangerous, and that probably went for the reverse as well, but she was confident enough in her skills to feel that she could handle it, and she knew that she’d seen a spell to drive away an unwanted lover in one of the grimoires in the basement of the Bodleian.
Dr Green’s words stayed with Len, adding to the dissatisfaction she had already been feeling at the idea of returning to the Platz and leaving Oxford – and magic – behind her for ever. And then, at the end of that week, she had a visitor.
‘Reg!’ she gasped in surprise, having followed the porter down to the lodge.
‘Len, darling! I have a conference in London this week-end, and your father let me come over a day early so I could motor up and see you. I thought perhaps I could take you to lunch?’
Len glanced quickly at her watch. ‘I have a tutorial at three, but I’m free until then. Where would you like to go?’
Reg had rather hoped to motor out into the countryside with his fiancée and find a pleasant pub for lunch, but given Len’s insistence that she couldn’t miss her tutorial he reluctantly agreed to opt for somewhere in the town.
‘It is super to see you, Reg,’ Len remarked, looking up from her lamb chop. ‘Although it’s not terribly long before I’ll be back at the Platz for Christmas.’
‘I know, darling, but the opportunity was too good to miss. I’m only sorry I can’t stay longer. And,’ he looked at her intently, ‘there’s something I wanted to discuss with you that can’t wait until then.’
Len felt a twinge of something almost like fear, which she hoped her face didn’t betray. ‘What is it, Reg?’
‘Well…’ he put down his knife and fork and reached over to take her hand ‘I know we’ve never discussed plans for our wedding; I always thought there would be plenty of time to make the arrangements once you were back at the Platz. But Mackenzie - do you remember him? Ginger-haired Scot with twin boys – has decided that he doesn’t want to have to send his kiddies back to school in England, or maybe his wife has decided she can’t bear to be so far away from her babies, and he’s moving back to Edinburgh in the summer, so his chalet will be free. It’s a lovely little place, just perfect for a small family, and not far from Freudesheim and the school. He’s making all the arrangements for his move, and he asked me whether I thought we might want to take it on. He needs an answer pronto, so as I was going to be in England anyway I thought I’d come here and ask you how you’d feel about being married in July and moving into our own little house straight away. What do you think of that idea, darling?’
Len’s stomach lurched. ‘Oh, Reg, it does sound lovely. But,’ she blurted ‘there was something I wanted to discuss with you, too. You see, my tutors are really pleased with my work here, and they think I should stay on for an extra year. Would you mind dreadfully if I did?’
‘Well, I can’t say I’d be best pleased. I’ll have waited three years as it is, and I can’t see how spending more time at University is going to be much use when it comes to teaching girls or being a mother to our children. I’ll be thirty-one next year, and that’s past time for a chap to be settled down. I know that you modern girls like your independence, and I’m more than happy for you to teach when we’re married if that makes you happy, but I don’t mind saying that I hope you’ll reconsider this plan. Still,’ and he made a visible effort to clear the annoyance from his face ‘let’s not let this spoil our nice lunch together. Now, darling, what would you like for pudding?’
To all appearances, the meal ended cordially, but both of them felt that there was a slightly strained atmosphere, and Len was relieved when after a short walk during which she pointed out some of the more famous sights of Oxford Reg left her at the lodge of her college to motor back to London.
She was unsurprised, a week later, to receive an air-letter from the Gornetz Platz.
Mary Helena Maynard
I must say I’m disappointed in you. I told you three years ago that you weren’t to play fast and loose with Reg’s emotions, and I don’t know what else you could call this. The poor boy has spent the last two and a half years waiting patiently for you to come home so your life together can begin, and then you spring something like this on him. And Auntie Hilda agrees that there’s no possible benefit another year at University can have for your teaching career; you’ve done all the ground-work and this would be far too advanced to pass on to schoolgirls.
You made a promise to Reg, and I’m sure I’ve always taught my children that it’s wicked to break promises.
I do hope that you will reconsider this absurd idea. Really, it’s bad enough that Con has this mad idea about moving to London – ten to one the poor child will go off into a dream and forget to feed herself, but I can ask Mary-Lou to keep an eye on her, I suppose, and no doubt she’ll give up on it and come home after a few months – but you were always the sensible one, Len!
Sweetiepie, do write soon and let me know that you’ve come to your senses. Love to Con, and Papa and I are looking forward so much to having you home at Christmas.
Your loving
Mamma
Len screwed the letter into a ball and threw it angrily towards the fire. Well, there was only one thing for it. If she wasn’t going to be allowed to break her promise to Reg and stay in Oxford, he had to be made to break it for her. She’d always been told that love-spells were dangerous, and that probably went for the reverse as well, but she was confident enough in her skills to feel that she could handle it, and she knew that she’d seen a spell to drive away an unwanted lover in one of the grimoires in the basement of the Bodleian.
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no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 11:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 11:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 01:14 pm (UTC)Good to see she's getting out of it, anyway, and Reg's Little Woman business was all too plausible. I bet Jack would have heartily approved.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 01:40 pm (UTC)The only way it can possibly be explained, though not excused, is that Jo is projecting herself onto Len and Jack onto the unspeakable Reg, though the situations aren't really parallel and the characters aren't the same.....
no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 11:52 am (UTC)I also really like your journal layout - I am a Radio 4 nut...may I friend you please?
no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 11:57 am (UTC)I love that icon!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 12:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 11:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 12:00 pm (UTC)More may follow fairly soon, as I seem to be very bored at work at the moment!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 01:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 04:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 06:55 pm (UTC)(And I would have expected Hilda Annersly at least to have put in a word for the benefit of education for its own sake, but actually, given the time and everything... oh, Hilda. Your blue eyes are no use now!)
And Joey is perfectly in character. I always liked her when she was a child and spent the later books feeling inordinately sorry for her children. (There's some particularly odd bit where she's contemplating her death quite calmly because blah blah Len will take over but Jack will make sure she doesn't overwork...)
Excellent stuff!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-10 07:03 pm (UTC)She does get worse and worse as she gets older, doesn't she? I even went back and re-read her comments to Len just before she gets engaged in Prefects, and it really is appalling!
I'm glad you like the fic!