Chapter Text
The reunion weekend had been a complete success. More old girls than ever before had attended, and had a great time swopping stories, visiting old haunts and renewing friendships.
It was late on the last evening, and the final event of the weekend was about to start.
“What is it that you have in store for us?” Cornelia asked Nell Wilson. “All I have on my invitation is no children allowed, and that it’ll have us laughing our heads off!”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you - I don’t know myself!” Nell replied with a grin. “It’s been arranged by some of the old girls.”
“Oh - which ones? Anyone I’d know?”
“Even that I can’t answer m’lud! All I know is that Biddy asked Rosalie for use of the hall and to print the invitations.”
“Are you two discussing our latest mystery?” Nancy Wilmot said, coming up to join them with cake plate in hand. “Do you know anything more than a time?”
“No, nothing! I thought perhaps you might know” replied Nell. “Kathy is quite often involved in the theatrical efforts here, hasn’t she said anything?”
“Not a thing! She claims to be just as much in the dark as me, although she is good with secrets, so it’s quite possible that she is deeply involved and just pulling the wool over my eyes!” laughed Nancy.
Cornelia looked around at the people milling about. There were many Old Girls starting to make their way over to the hall entrance.
“Well we’ll soon be able to work out who it is, if only by elimination.” She said
“I think they have thought of that.” Said Nell. “Look at your invitation”
Cornelia and Nancy did, and then compared notes.
“You have a different time to arrive than me!” Said Nancy with a frown. “You are 5.45. How about you Nell? Mine is 5.20”
“Mine is 5.30, and I’ve only found a few people who have that same time so far. Rosalie said it was a really complicated request. Nearly everyone is being brought in at a different time, and apparently we are to be blindforded and there are ushers to take us to our seats…”
“Curiouser and curiouser!” Said Nancy. “Oh well, it’s nearly time for me to go - I’ll hopefully see you inside, if we are not all seated miles apart from each other!”
She went off towards some screens that had been set up in front of the hall doors. She gave her ticket in, and accepted her blindfold, and was led off into the blackness of the school auditorium. It was a slow process, since there seemed to be other people being led in at the same time, and there was a lot of giggling and muttered comments as people stubbed a toe or wondered what was going on.
One seated, her guide asked her to keep the blindfold on until asked to remove it, and not to tell anyone who she was, then the robed abd masked figure abruptly left and she was left alone.
Nancy felt quite disorientated, as she tried to work out who else was there from the voices around them. Some were easy enough, but she realised suddenly just how similar some of the voices were, and how hard it was to be sure who was there, as the number of audience members increased and the voices echoed.
About 10 minutes later an orchestra (or band, it was hard to be sure the size with the music being played) began to play some music. The tunes seemed familiar, but were in a completely different style. It was most similar to medieval music in tone and instrument use, but then the songs were modern ones. It became quite an enjoyable way to pass the time, trying to identify the songs, and it distracted her from trying to hear who was there.
Finally, it was 5.59 and she heard the doors shut and all of the guests were told to remove their blindfolds. It was only when she removed hers that Nancy realised the lights were off, and it was pitch black. Before she could turn and see who was nearby, suddenly there was a dramatic flash of lights on the stage, and 6 women strode onto the stage. They were all different ages and sizes, and dressed in very dramatic and modern clothes, each a different style to the other. They wore bright masks covering their faces, and the game of guessing the audience member changed to guessing the cast. Nancy had an idea of a couple of them, but most were a mystery.
On the stage, the women were being spotlit one after the other as they talked and sang.
The first woman, who had a distinctive voice, but could have been any one of a few people, looked serious and said in a serious tone, the microphone making it echo around the room.
DIVORCED …
Next to her a smaller figure, and one that Nancy knew well spoke into her microphone in a ghoulish voice
BEHEADED …
Another small figure, and a voice that Nancy felt she ought to be able to identify, said, in a sad tone:
DIED…
A fourth figure, obviously beautiful even with the mask, but posing with arms akimbo and not in a ladylike way at all, said her line, and Nancy frowned. This one was only quite recently an old girl, she was sure. She could hear that voice having been fairly recently in the classroom and as she thought, she recognised the hair, and was confident that she had one correct at least.
DIVORCED …
A voice she didn’t know then added their line with another sad tone and extending the word out, making Nancy shiver. The idea of beheading had always seemed a really terrible thing, and the way it was said just added to that feeling.
BEHEADED …
Finally, the last voice was both extremely familiar and yet totally unexpected.
SURVIVED …
Len Entwhistle! She hadn’t been present at the reunion weekend, and it was a shock to suddenly hear her voice, for it wasn’t one of the people that Nancy had been considering. Questions filled her mind, almost distracting her from the next part of the song. Most people were muttering as each person sang, trying to work out who the mystery singers were.
‘Sounds like a Maynard … or maybe a Bettany?’ Nancy heard some people saying. A few years ago she would have struggled too, but Len did have a slightly different tone to her voice, and Nancy was pretty sure it was her - but when did she arrive?
It had been an open secret among the Chalet family, that all was not well in the Entwhistle household, and Len and Reg had moved quite suddenly over to Yorkshire. At the same time, one of the younger school mistresses had had to leave the school without fulfilling her notice, and most of the more worldly mistresses were convinced it was because she was ‘Busy’.
Kathy and Nancy had remained mentors and support, and later good friends to Len and her group of friends over the years. Nancy knew that Len had been unhappy for some time, but making the best of things. Nancy swung her head round rapidly to try to see if she could see Reg in the audience, but the lights were too bright after the enforced darkness before for her to really be sure who was there.
Nancy shook herself, and concentrated again on the show.
If there was a drama with Len and Reg unfolding, she would find out soon enough, she was sure. For now she concentrated on the stage as the first figure who had spoken continued.
(Catherine Of Aragon)
And tonight we are…
The whole group joined in with such a shout of noise and singing that several of the audience jumped in their seats. The gentle medieval tones of the pre show music had lulled them into a false sense of security. This was not going to be gentle lute music, this was modern, loud and like a huge concert.
[All:]
LIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEEEEE!!