I've discovered 2 important parts of my writing process. I need a title to write towards and I need deadlines to write against.
I haven't changed this much from the original, but Things Said and The Most Common Element are part of the same timeline. This takes place a few weeks after The Most Common Element and about a year and a half ahead of Axiom Tilt.
Chapter 1Work Text:
"Letter from Max. It seems he's in love," he offered scanning the page.
"Oh, how dreadful," responded Tessa with a sip at her tea, "who is the poor fool?"
"Some mystery writer pretending at archaeology."
Tessa shook her head rolling her eyes, "Hopefully she's rich."
"Hmm, yes," Professor Wheeler acknowledged without lifting his eyes.
Tessa turned to Kath. "I want you and your girls here to start near the copse of plum trees. There are some that seem to be doing exceptionally well." Kath nodded in understanding. Likely a burial of some sort there. Even hundreds of years later, the soil can be enriched by life lost.
Jane Ross didn't mind too much, especially the older burials. She didn't think she'd like being in her guardian's line of work. The bodies were too — what's the word? Fresh. Old bones weren't a problem. Fresh and, often, ripe bones? No thanks.
"I hope we find a body!" Jane was startled out of her thoughts by the young woman next to her.
"Mary! That's awful! I mean, it would be wonderful to discover any hints of the Romans, and a burial would be interesting. I just wish you wouldn't say it quite that way. Remember who my guardian is."
"Yes, of course. Your Miss Fisher has made you too sensitive. I mean I want to find bones. They are ever so interesting. You can learn so much about life from death!"
"Really, Mary," said a not-quite-manly voice on the other side of the breakfast table, "I don't think Jane is being too sensitive. Frankly, I don't know how you do it, Jane. I've been raised in the business and I can't stand the bones." Michael folded the newspaper he had been reading and picked up his tea.
"They still haven't found her, then?" mused Jane as she glanced at the back page of Michael's newspaper and skimmed the article about the local woman who had suddenly disappeared some months before, "If Miss Phryne weren't so busy getting — reacquainted — with the Inspector, I'd ring her to see if she could help."
"I don't get him. Or her. I want to travel, but chasing a woman to the other side of the world? I don't get it." Mary wasn't exactly a romantic. Jane was happy, though. She loved Miss Phryne and she was very fond of the Inspector. She hoped that it would work out. She'd never seen either one of them so giddy. Alright, yes; that part was a little much.
The Inspector and Miss Fisher had shown up about a week before she left for St. Albans. They'd met up in Egypt and had some sort of adventure, but they'd been too preoccupied with each other for her to get the full story. Jane giggled to herself, "Ah… elderly love."
Of course, there was that tragic business with the R-101. Jane shuddered a bit. They were besotted with each other, but she could tell they were both sad about that. At least in the quiet moments.
"I'd do it," Michael looked meaningfully at Jane, "For the right girl, I mean. I'd follow her to the ends of the earth."
Michael was sweet, but Jane was getting a little weary of his puppy-like adoration of her. Mary rolled her eyes, "Give up, Michael. Miss Ross is a little out of your grasp."
"Ladies. Let's go." Jane was saved from further embarrassment with this line of conversation by the short directive from her field lead Kath. Kath was a recent Oxford graduate, and a few years older than her new friend Mary and herself. Technically, Jane was still in her final year at the Cavendish Academy, but her aptitude and interest in history and archaeology — and a generous grant for the excavation from a certain Honourable lady detective — had secured her a summer position with Professor Wheeler and the St. Albans excavation of the Roman city of Verulamium.
Mary Nicol was her roommate at the dig site. She was about a year older than Jane, and had been taking classes informally at University College with Professor Wheeler. She pulled out all of the stops trying to get on this dig. She won him over with her artifact illustrations, and he hired her on to be the dig illustrator. There were some rumors that she won him over in other ways as well, but Jane didn't see any evidence from either of them that they were having an affair. It was believable that the professor might be a bit of a cad. He — leered. But Mary was just so focused on her work, it was impossible to believe that she was there for any reason but her mind.
The professor was the sponsor of the dig, but on site, it was clear that his wife Tessa was in charge. She made all the decisions about where they would start digging. "Such a shame that women are so rarely recognized for our own brilliance," Jane thought silently, "maybe one day we will be."
Jane grabbed her gloves and trowel, stood up, took one last swig of her tea, and, with a slightly sad smile to her bosses' son, followed Kath and Mary to the copse of plum trees.
It was a beautiful morning. The sun was glittering on the morning dew as they made their way from the mess tent. After Kath made some notes and decided on a likely location, the women marked off a square yard with pegs and string. They carefully removed the sod with trowels and Kath's blade and Mary sketched the first, rather dull, layer.
They removed the soil in one inch increments, Mary sketching each layer as they dug deeper.
They stopped before noon for lunch. Decent progress; about 6 inches down. The layers move much quicker when there is nothing to find.
Around 2:00 PM, Jane's trowel clinked. She grabbed a brush from Kath's kit, and started brushing away the dirt from what appeared to be glass. It was scratched up, but slowly it started to show a beveled rectangular shape. Brush. Brush. Brush. Bulo..? It was a watch. A modern watch. Why would someone bury a watch in a plum grove?
Mary started sketching the rectangular glass with the "Bulova" name visible underneath. They had just started to make out the Roman numerals of the watch face as well. Roman numerals were great, but this wasn't the kind of 'Roman' artifact they were hoping to find. Their process wouldn't allow them to just grab it. Layer at a time; that's the rule. Jane had called Kath over as well. Kath's brow knitted in concern. This deep for a modern artifact didn't make sense unless it had been placed deliberately.
"Unearth it, but then I think we need to move to a different plot. This ground has been adulterated." Kath finally concluded.
Now that they'd found a human artifact, they slowed down the layer discovery to a half inch at a time. After Mary finished her plot sketch, she put down her book and grabbed another brush. This layer, they started closer to the watch, but they still had to unearth according to the process. As they carefully worked away the chalky dirt around the watch, Jane started feeling incredibly uneasy. If this were just a watch, it should be looser now. The brushes had cleared more of the watch. Just under the body of the watch, the texture of the dirt started to change. Jane's brush found…was that a branch? Leather? Oh no. No, no, no.
Kath looked over her shoulder, "Damn," she sighed, "stop digging."
Kath urged Jane and Mary to step away from the plot and wait for her. She climbed into the plot and started inspecting what they'd found very intently. "Stay exactly where you are and don't touch anything." She instructed after she brushed away a bit more dirt, stood up—dusting off her hands on her tan trousers. Without another word, Kath started towards Tessa and Professor Wheeler. Jane watched from the copse as Kath spoke to the directors. She couldn't hear what Kath said, but she watched as their attention spiked, Tessa's head dropped backward as she searched the sky for answers, and then forward as she realized there would be no help there. Professor Wheeler rubbed his hand from his forehead to his mouth, smoothing his already heavily waxed moustache, his other hand clenching at his waist. He turned towards Jane and Mary, staring for several breaths before he started stalking over to the plot, Tessa and Kath in his wake.
Arriving at the plot, the older archaeologists didn't even acknowledge the girls. Jane and Mary glanced at each other and seemed to understand that it would be best to stay silent for now. Tessa stooped down to examine what they'd uncovered. "Kath, call the police," she directed without even looking up after a moment's investigation and Kath rushed off to find a telephone, "Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn."
Professor Wheeler looked down at his wife, "Are you sure?"
Tessa sat back on her heels and looked up to nod to her husband. Finally, turning to the younger women Tessa announced, "I'm afraid, ladies, that this will put a halt to all of our activities. At least for a little while."