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rainbowfic2020-10-23 09:12 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2020-10-23 09:12 pm
Ecru #3 [Divide & Rule]
Name: Under the Apple Tree
Story: Divide & Rule/Heroes of the Revolution
Colors: Ecru #3 (begin)
Supplies and Styles: Eraser + Pastels (also forallbingo square “Rosebud (White) – girlhood).
Word Count: 1727
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Notes: 1927; Edward/Julia. Same Age AU, which would not be all that different, really, except that Edward and Julia’s families knew each other, and if they were the same age, there’s no way they wouldn’t have met years before. (This would be her ideal AU, aside from me taking it too literally and removing her older brother Christy. Eventually, anyway, not so much in this bit of it.)
Summary: Ignore Julia at your peril.
***
Edward Iveson was being insufferable. Julia sat down on the low wall beside the rockery and scowled at him. He hadn’t visited the Graves’s house for years, although she’d seen him in between, on trains before and after term, and when she and Mother had visited his aunts in Kent. He seemed to have grown even taller since the end of term and was now made of nothing but arms and legs and, it seemed, horrid manners.
It wouldn’t matter if he was someone she didn’t like, but Edward and Nancy had always been the best of the people Mother brought round for Julia to play with. Until she’d reached the age for boarding school, she’d only had a string of intermittent and variable governesses and the odd term at different schools. Neither had helped when it came to making friends or getting the best education. She’d spent a hideous year as the class dunce when she’d started at Nancy’s school. Her brother Rudy was years younger than her, too small to be a playmate, so Julia had always been excited to see Ned and Nancy.
Today, though, when Mother had sent them out into the garden to play, as if they were still ten, Julia had suggested several good ideas for games, but Edward had merely looked down his nose at her.
“I’ll just sit and read my book,” he’d said. “You don’t need to entertain me.”
And that was what he’d done. He was still leaning against the apple tree in the middle of the lawn, reading his stupid book and remaining entirely oblivious to Julia. She glared again and kicked her feet against the stones of the small wall she was sitting on.
She watched Edward for a few minutes longer, before heaving a sigh. She let her gaze stray onwards, to the pond, and beyond that, the hedge that hid the vegetable garden. Mr Keynes wasn’t anywhere in sight, either. Bored, she got up and tried hopping on one leg round the lawn, and then did both again in reverse. Edward didn’t so much as glance upwards, his attention entirely fixed on the book.
Honestly, to think she’d even imagined that because he was the nicest boy she knew – had once been the nicest boy she knew, not that she knew many – she’d planned to ask him if he would kiss her so that next time Sally Phillips boasted about that sort of thing, she could tell her that she had, in fact, been kissed by an actual boy. (Edward probably counted as an actual boy, as far as Sally was concerned, anyway.) Julia decided that even if he was being annoying, she needn’t let the opportunity go to waste.
“Ned.”
“Yes?” he said, without lifting his head. He turned over another page.
Julia marched over and sat down beside him, straightening out her skirt over her knees. “You can kiss me, if you like.”
“No, thank you,” said Edward, politely, although he did finally look at her, if only for a moment. “I’d rather read.”
Julia pressed her head back against the bark of the tree. “What’s it about?”
“It’s just an old one. With sailing ships.”
“Treasure Island?” said Julia, who remembered playing pirates with Edward and Nancy several times.
Edward raised his head, but only to say, “There are other books about ships, you know. This is one of them. I don’t expect you’d have heard of it.”
“Maybe not,” said Julia, “but I do know that it’s rude to visit people’s houses and ignore them.”
“It’s not your house, it’s the garden, and you’re not people. Besides, I didn’t want to come anyway, but I had to go with Aunt Daisy to get some new clothes. I didn’t have much choice.”
Julia felt hot tears of hurt and anger sting her eyes. She leapt up. “Well, then, I’m not going to bother being polite to you! I don’t want you here. Nobody wants you, do they? No wonder – you mean beast!”
She regretted that last as soon as she’d said it, because to remind him of the way his mother had sent him away to stay with his Aunt Daisy wasn’t on, but he was being so unfairly horrid, she wasn’t ready to stand down and apologise, either.
Edward’s gripped his book tighter, his knuckles white against the dull, faded red of its binding. “Well,” he said, and she finally had his attention, “that proves what I thought all along.”
“What?”
“That you are a rotten, spoilt little girl.” He settled his book more comfortably on his knees and then added, sounding superior again, “But I suppose that’s not really your fault.”
Julia’s cheeks flamed. “How dare you? I’m the same age as you!”
“Two months younger,” he said, his gaze back on his book. “And somewhat immature, in my opinion.”
Julia lunged forward and grabbed the book, snatching it out of his hands and throwing it heedlessly over her shoulder. She heard a splash from behind her and saw Edward stare, his mouth dropping open. She didn’t need to look to know that the book must have fallen into the pond. Julia opened her mouth to gasp out an apology, her anger evaporating in the face of her terrible deed, but when she looked at him, gaping at her, she giggled instead.
“You unutterable pig,” he said, and pushed past her to halt at the edge of the pond. “You’re the most obnoxious girl I ever met. Father gave me that!”
Julia, who’d been on the point of trying to brazen out her crime, fell silent; deflated. Edward’s father had died two years ago and to have flung a gift of his into the garden pond was unforgivable.
“I’ll get it back,” she said, forgetting everything else in the need to make amends.
She joined Edward at the side of the pond and kicked off her sandals before tugging off her summer frock. Heedless of his protests, she waded into the water in her petticoat and stockings.
“Julia,” he said somewhere behind her. “Julia!”
Julia drew in her breath and wrinkled her nose at the smell of pondweed and stagnant water. She had to bite her lip and steel herself not to run out again, for the bottom of the pond was squidgy and full of stones and, worse, things that moved. The two large goldfish swam away from her approach. She grabbed at a loose page floating on the top and stuffed it down the back of her petticoat, before kneeling down to feel in the water for the book itself. Failing, she breathed in and plunged her face under the water, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open and it was too murky to see anything anyway. She came up again, coughing and gasping.
“Julia,” said Edward, from the side, “you can’t – really, stop it! Come back here!”
She had to bite her lip to keep from shivering, despite the early summer sunshine. She tried again and caught first another sodden page and then the book itself. She dredged it up and stood just as Edward, his shoes on the grass and trousers rolled up, splashed in to drag her out.
“There!” she said, and dropped the book at his feet. She raised her chin, and remained there, shivering and dripping on the paving stones that circled the pond. She wiped a wet hand across her face to try and dry it. “I d-didn’t m-mean t-to.”
Edward hadn’t let go of her wrist. He no longer had any time for the ruined book. “You little idiot. What use it to anyone now? Don’t you ever think?”
Julia was shivering too much too answer, but what could she say in any case? Sorry, perhaps, but all she really wanted to ask was why he didn’t seem to like her any more. She coughed and blinked away tears. Throwing his precious book in the pond could only have made him hate her more.
“Julia,” he said, in sudden exasperation. “Let’s get you dry, you wretched girl.” He caught hold of her hand, and dragged her back towards the house.
Julia tried to pull away. “D-don’t! They’ll all b-be angry!”
“Serve you right,” said Edward. “Besides, you can’t stay there shivering all day.”
By the time Julia came back downstairs, having been sent to wash and dry herself and, even worse, been given a dose of Epsom salts just in case, Edward and Miss Long were on the point of leaving.
Mother and Miss Long went out of the door ahead of them and stopped, talking about the rose bush in the front garden. Edward and Julia, still in the hallway, halted and looked at each other.
“You’re still the most obnoxious girl I know,” said Edward in an undertone, “but you might be the pluckiest, maybe even more than Nan.” He bent his head down and leant in to give her the kiss she’d asked for.
Julia would have liked to protest that she wasn’t obnoxious at all, but the half-compliment disconcerted her, and the brief kiss was stranger and nicer than she had expected. It gave her a new, fluttery sensation inside her chest. She pulled back against the wall and couldn’t find any words at all.
“Oh, and I saved you this,” said Edward, reaching in his pocket for a bun wrapped in a napkin. “I think going face first into that pond was punishment enough for anyone.”
Julia took it and felt even worse than she had before about spoiling his book.
Edward ruined the gesture by adding, “And don’t you dare tell anyone it was me that kissed you. Especially not Nan.”
Julia couldn’t even retaliate, because she felt the Epsom salts beginning their dastardly work, and fled up the stairs, clutching the sticky bun.
She wrote to him afterwards, encouraged by their last exchange, but he sent a letter back thanking her but telling her he didn’t want to correspond with girls who destroyed other people’s property without a second thought, especially when they never apologised for it, and that he hoped her family were well.
“Rotten prig,” said Julia and shoved the letter away, deep into the back of one of her drawers full of clothes. She told herself it didn’t matter and that she didn’t mind at all, but she did.
***
Story: Divide & Rule/Heroes of the Revolution
Colors: Ecru #3 (begin)
Supplies and Styles: Eraser + Pastels (also for
allbingo square “Rosebud (White) – girlhood).Word Count: 1727
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Notes: 1927; Edward/Julia. Same Age AU, which would not be all that different, really, except that Edward and Julia’s families knew each other, and if they were the same age, there’s no way they wouldn’t have met years before. (This would be her ideal AU, aside from me taking it too literally and removing her older brother Christy. Eventually, anyway, not so much in this bit of it.)
Summary: Ignore Julia at your peril.
***
Edward Iveson was being insufferable. Julia sat down on the low wall beside the rockery and scowled at him. He hadn’t visited the Graves’s house for years, although she’d seen him in between, on trains before and after term, and when she and Mother had visited his aunts in Kent. He seemed to have grown even taller since the end of term and was now made of nothing but arms and legs and, it seemed, horrid manners.
It wouldn’t matter if he was someone she didn’t like, but Edward and Nancy had always been the best of the people Mother brought round for Julia to play with. Until she’d reached the age for boarding school, she’d only had a string of intermittent and variable governesses and the odd term at different schools. Neither had helped when it came to making friends or getting the best education. She’d spent a hideous year as the class dunce when she’d started at Nancy’s school. Her brother Rudy was years younger than her, too small to be a playmate, so Julia had always been excited to see Ned and Nancy.
Today, though, when Mother had sent them out into the garden to play, as if they were still ten, Julia had suggested several good ideas for games, but Edward had merely looked down his nose at her.
“I’ll just sit and read my book,” he’d said. “You don’t need to entertain me.”
And that was what he’d done. He was still leaning against the apple tree in the middle of the lawn, reading his stupid book and remaining entirely oblivious to Julia. She glared again and kicked her feet against the stones of the small wall she was sitting on.
She watched Edward for a few minutes longer, before heaving a sigh. She let her gaze stray onwards, to the pond, and beyond that, the hedge that hid the vegetable garden. Mr Keynes wasn’t anywhere in sight, either. Bored, she got up and tried hopping on one leg round the lawn, and then did both again in reverse. Edward didn’t so much as glance upwards, his attention entirely fixed on the book.
Honestly, to think she’d even imagined that because he was the nicest boy she knew – had once been the nicest boy she knew, not that she knew many – she’d planned to ask him if he would kiss her so that next time Sally Phillips boasted about that sort of thing, she could tell her that she had, in fact, been kissed by an actual boy. (Edward probably counted as an actual boy, as far as Sally was concerned, anyway.) Julia decided that even if he was being annoying, she needn’t let the opportunity go to waste.
“Ned.”
“Yes?” he said, without lifting his head. He turned over another page.
Julia marched over and sat down beside him, straightening out her skirt over her knees. “You can kiss me, if you like.”
“No, thank you,” said Edward, politely, although he did finally look at her, if only for a moment. “I’d rather read.”
Julia pressed her head back against the bark of the tree. “What’s it about?”
“It’s just an old one. With sailing ships.”
“Treasure Island?” said Julia, who remembered playing pirates with Edward and Nancy several times.
Edward raised his head, but only to say, “There are other books about ships, you know. This is one of them. I don’t expect you’d have heard of it.”
“Maybe not,” said Julia, “but I do know that it’s rude to visit people’s houses and ignore them.”
“It’s not your house, it’s the garden, and you’re not people. Besides, I didn’t want to come anyway, but I had to go with Aunt Daisy to get some new clothes. I didn’t have much choice.”
Julia felt hot tears of hurt and anger sting her eyes. She leapt up. “Well, then, I’m not going to bother being polite to you! I don’t want you here. Nobody wants you, do they? No wonder – you mean beast!”
She regretted that last as soon as she’d said it, because to remind him of the way his mother had sent him away to stay with his Aunt Daisy wasn’t on, but he was being so unfairly horrid, she wasn’t ready to stand down and apologise, either.
Edward’s gripped his book tighter, his knuckles white against the dull, faded red of its binding. “Well,” he said, and she finally had his attention, “that proves what I thought all along.”
“What?”
“That you are a rotten, spoilt little girl.” He settled his book more comfortably on his knees and then added, sounding superior again, “But I suppose that’s not really your fault.”
Julia’s cheeks flamed. “How dare you? I’m the same age as you!”
“Two months younger,” he said, his gaze back on his book. “And somewhat immature, in my opinion.”
Julia lunged forward and grabbed the book, snatching it out of his hands and throwing it heedlessly over her shoulder. She heard a splash from behind her and saw Edward stare, his mouth dropping open. She didn’t need to look to know that the book must have fallen into the pond. Julia opened her mouth to gasp out an apology, her anger evaporating in the face of her terrible deed, but when she looked at him, gaping at her, she giggled instead.
“You unutterable pig,” he said, and pushed past her to halt at the edge of the pond. “You’re the most obnoxious girl I ever met. Father gave me that!”
Julia, who’d been on the point of trying to brazen out her crime, fell silent; deflated. Edward’s father had died two years ago and to have flung a gift of his into the garden pond was unforgivable.
“I’ll get it back,” she said, forgetting everything else in the need to make amends.
She joined Edward at the side of the pond and kicked off her sandals before tugging off her summer frock. Heedless of his protests, she waded into the water in her petticoat and stockings.
“Julia,” he said somewhere behind her. “Julia!”
Julia drew in her breath and wrinkled her nose at the smell of pondweed and stagnant water. She had to bite her lip and steel herself not to run out again, for the bottom of the pond was squidgy and full of stones and, worse, things that moved. The two large goldfish swam away from her approach. She grabbed at a loose page floating on the top and stuffed it down the back of her petticoat, before kneeling down to feel in the water for the book itself. Failing, she breathed in and plunged her face under the water, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open and it was too murky to see anything anyway. She came up again, coughing and gasping.
“Julia,” said Edward, from the side, “you can’t – really, stop it! Come back here!”
She had to bite her lip to keep from shivering, despite the early summer sunshine. She tried again and caught first another sodden page and then the book itself. She dredged it up and stood just as Edward, his shoes on the grass and trousers rolled up, splashed in to drag her out.
“There!” she said, and dropped the book at his feet. She raised her chin, and remained there, shivering and dripping on the paving stones that circled the pond. She wiped a wet hand across her face to try and dry it. “I d-didn’t m-mean t-to.”
Edward hadn’t let go of her wrist. He no longer had any time for the ruined book. “You little idiot. What use it to anyone now? Don’t you ever think?”
Julia was shivering too much too answer, but what could she say in any case? Sorry, perhaps, but all she really wanted to ask was why he didn’t seem to like her any more. She coughed and blinked away tears. Throwing his precious book in the pond could only have made him hate her more.
“Julia,” he said, in sudden exasperation. “Let’s get you dry, you wretched girl.” He caught hold of her hand, and dragged her back towards the house.
Julia tried to pull away. “D-don’t! They’ll all b-be angry!”
“Serve you right,” said Edward. “Besides, you can’t stay there shivering all day.”
By the time Julia came back downstairs, having been sent to wash and dry herself and, even worse, been given a dose of Epsom salts just in case, Edward and Miss Long were on the point of leaving.
Mother and Miss Long went out of the door ahead of them and stopped, talking about the rose bush in the front garden. Edward and Julia, still in the hallway, halted and looked at each other.
“You’re still the most obnoxious girl I know,” said Edward in an undertone, “but you might be the pluckiest, maybe even more than Nan.” He bent his head down and leant in to give her the kiss she’d asked for.
Julia would have liked to protest that she wasn’t obnoxious at all, but the half-compliment disconcerted her, and the brief kiss was stranger and nicer than she had expected. It gave her a new, fluttery sensation inside her chest. She pulled back against the wall and couldn’t find any words at all.
“Oh, and I saved you this,” said Edward, reaching in his pocket for a bun wrapped in a napkin. “I think going face first into that pond was punishment enough for anyone.”
Julia took it and felt even worse than she had before about spoiling his book.
Edward ruined the gesture by adding, “And don’t you dare tell anyone it was me that kissed you. Especially not Nan.”
Julia couldn’t even retaliate, because she felt the Epsom salts beginning their dastardly work, and fled up the stairs, clutching the sticky bun.
She wrote to him afterwards, encouraged by their last exchange, but he sent a letter back thanking her but telling her he didn’t want to correspond with girls who destroyed other people’s property without a second thought, especially when they never apologised for it, and that he hoped her family were well.
“Rotten prig,” said Julia and shoved the letter away, deep into the back of one of her drawers full of clothes. She told herself it didn’t matter and that she didn’t mind at all, but she did.
***
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