Post by Nerweniel on Feb 1, 2005 15:42:02 GMT -5
Inside Her Shell
A/N: As far as I know the first Death on the Nile fanfic ever. Enjoy the Madeline Bowers/Colonel Race goodness!
“Bowers!”
Madeline Bowers threw down the magazine she’d been reading in sheer irritation, crossing the living room of the hotel room she shared with the elderly woman now sitting in front of her. Hands on her hips, she looked down at her so-called mistress in contempt, then, brusquely handing the other woman a pill in a glass of water, simply turned her back to Mrs Van Schuyler, who merely raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
When Madeline closed the door behind her, walking through the corridor in order to find some desperately needed rest, she couldn’t keep a sharp sting of envy from shooting through her body. She could have had this- she could have had all of this and more- servants, hotel rooms, money, a husband, a beautiful house- if only that horrible Ridgeway girl’s father had not ruined it all for her and her family.
No, she had not murdered Linnet Ridgeway- but she knew very well that she would have been able to. It scared her, but somewhere deep down it satisfied her as well. She wasn’t the hopeless poor victim everybody thought she was- she could think, could dream- and though every thought and every dream only made the wound more poignant and painful, she couldn’t resist.
Her own footsteps echoed through the near-empty luxurious hotel corridor, and despite all its beauty and luxury, she felt awkward in it- even though it was like this that she had spent her early childhood. But the dress she wore- simple and dark green- along with her simple, servant hairstyle made her not only feel unwelcome- they made her feel humiliated as well.
Nobody had ever given her a second glance- she was just a servant, part of the furniture just like the chairs and tables- and nobody ever would.
“Miss Bowers, how nice to see you here!”
It was very strange, the way that simply spoken line directly contradicted her thoughts, and in utter surprise, Madeline raised her head a little- only to find herself gazing into a pair of slightly familiar blue eyes.
“Colonel Race?”
A nod acknowledged her thoughts, and rather laboriously she smiled a near-forgotten smile.
“How do you do? Yes, Mrs Van Schuyler decided some more weeks of Egypt would be good for my health.”
The irony in her voice was only too obvious- but as he raised his eyebrows a little and smiled, she decided she liked his smile, and nodded.
“Well, it must be nice for you to have such a considerate mistress, is it not, Miss Bowers?”
“Very.”
Her obvious sarcasm, along with the compassionate look in his eyes, was only too funny, and before they knew it, both of them were laughing and shaking their heads.
“I can imagine you have some troubles with that woman now and then!”
“Oh, she’s a nuisance, absolutely a nuisance. Very much so…”
Madeline said it with a polite smile, but she meant every word of it- and she knew Colonel Race understood when he gently put a hand on her shoulder.
“I do believe she is, Miss Bowers. By the way, is there any chance that you are a Scotswoman?”
Madeline merely smiled as, quite unconsciously, she walked along with the tall man to the hotel’s bar, explaining that she was but half a Scotswoman in the process.
“My mother was. My father was American, though- I have never visited Scotland.”
The mere mentioning of her father hurt her like a knife- her father, her poor, broke father, who had once been ruined by that wicked Melhuish Ridgeway, and who had never fully recovered from it- who had started to drink, who had beaten his wife, and who had sent his once so spoilt daughter away into a servant’s life.
The smile of the man next to her brought her back from her ponderings, though- and as he gently squeezed her shoulder, she looked up again.
“Someone should take you there one day, then. Or doesn’t Mrs Van Schuyler like that particular destination?”
Her smile turned bitter as she shrugged her shoulders.
“Not if she knew it’d please me. I do think I should go now, though- I’ve been away from the old woman for an awfully long time. She might need me- or think she needs me anyway.”
As she turned around, though, he did not remove his hand from her shoulder, and somewhere half-movement, she stopped and turned again, a questioning look in her eyes.
“Yes, Colonel?”
“Miss Bowers, surely you won’t deny me the honour of taking a drink with me.”
A polite smile was on his lips, but something in his eyes told her something she did not fully understand- and with a short, but not annoyed, sigh, she nodded and sat down next to the Colonel.
“Very well, then. But-”
“If Mrs Van Schuyler complains, I shall volunteer to be her victim, if that is what you mean.”
Once more, they shared a quiet laugh, but only as Colonel Race pressed a Martini into Madeline’s hand and took a whiskey himself did she sink back into the cushions with a happy sigh. Perhaps he was right, after all- perhaps Mrs Van Schuyler would be able to look after herself for once.
After all she technically was a nurse, and not a serving maid...
A/N: As far as I know the first Death on the Nile fanfic ever. Enjoy the Madeline Bowers/Colonel Race goodness!
“Bowers!”
Madeline Bowers threw down the magazine she’d been reading in sheer irritation, crossing the living room of the hotel room she shared with the elderly woman now sitting in front of her. Hands on her hips, she looked down at her so-called mistress in contempt, then, brusquely handing the other woman a pill in a glass of water, simply turned her back to Mrs Van Schuyler, who merely raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
When Madeline closed the door behind her, walking through the corridor in order to find some desperately needed rest, she couldn’t keep a sharp sting of envy from shooting through her body. She could have had this- she could have had all of this and more- servants, hotel rooms, money, a husband, a beautiful house- if only that horrible Ridgeway girl’s father had not ruined it all for her and her family.
No, she had not murdered Linnet Ridgeway- but she knew very well that she would have been able to. It scared her, but somewhere deep down it satisfied her as well. She wasn’t the hopeless poor victim everybody thought she was- she could think, could dream- and though every thought and every dream only made the wound more poignant and painful, she couldn’t resist.
Her own footsteps echoed through the near-empty luxurious hotel corridor, and despite all its beauty and luxury, she felt awkward in it- even though it was like this that she had spent her early childhood. But the dress she wore- simple and dark green- along with her simple, servant hairstyle made her not only feel unwelcome- they made her feel humiliated as well.
Nobody had ever given her a second glance- she was just a servant, part of the furniture just like the chairs and tables- and nobody ever would.
“Miss Bowers, how nice to see you here!”
It was very strange, the way that simply spoken line directly contradicted her thoughts, and in utter surprise, Madeline raised her head a little- only to find herself gazing into a pair of slightly familiar blue eyes.
“Colonel Race?”
A nod acknowledged her thoughts, and rather laboriously she smiled a near-forgotten smile.
“How do you do? Yes, Mrs Van Schuyler decided some more weeks of Egypt would be good for my health.”
The irony in her voice was only too obvious- but as he raised his eyebrows a little and smiled, she decided she liked his smile, and nodded.
“Well, it must be nice for you to have such a considerate mistress, is it not, Miss Bowers?”
“Very.”
Her obvious sarcasm, along with the compassionate look in his eyes, was only too funny, and before they knew it, both of them were laughing and shaking their heads.
“I can imagine you have some troubles with that woman now and then!”
“Oh, she’s a nuisance, absolutely a nuisance. Very much so…”
Madeline said it with a polite smile, but she meant every word of it- and she knew Colonel Race understood when he gently put a hand on her shoulder.
“I do believe she is, Miss Bowers. By the way, is there any chance that you are a Scotswoman?”
Madeline merely smiled as, quite unconsciously, she walked along with the tall man to the hotel’s bar, explaining that she was but half a Scotswoman in the process.
“My mother was. My father was American, though- I have never visited Scotland.”
The mere mentioning of her father hurt her like a knife- her father, her poor, broke father, who had once been ruined by that wicked Melhuish Ridgeway, and who had never fully recovered from it- who had started to drink, who had beaten his wife, and who had sent his once so spoilt daughter away into a servant’s life.
The smile of the man next to her brought her back from her ponderings, though- and as he gently squeezed her shoulder, she looked up again.
“Someone should take you there one day, then. Or doesn’t Mrs Van Schuyler like that particular destination?”
Her smile turned bitter as she shrugged her shoulders.
“Not if she knew it’d please me. I do think I should go now, though- I’ve been away from the old woman for an awfully long time. She might need me- or think she needs me anyway.”
As she turned around, though, he did not remove his hand from her shoulder, and somewhere half-movement, she stopped and turned again, a questioning look in her eyes.
“Yes, Colonel?”
“Miss Bowers, surely you won’t deny me the honour of taking a drink with me.”
A polite smile was on his lips, but something in his eyes told her something she did not fully understand- and with a short, but not annoyed, sigh, she nodded and sat down next to the Colonel.
“Very well, then. But-”
“If Mrs Van Schuyler complains, I shall volunteer to be her victim, if that is what you mean.”
Once more, they shared a quiet laugh, but only as Colonel Race pressed a Martini into Madeline’s hand and took a whiskey himself did she sink back into the cushions with a happy sigh. Perhaps he was right, after all- perhaps Mrs Van Schuyler would be able to look after herself for once.
After all she technically was a nurse, and not a serving maid...
I hope there's more soon.
