-Persuade Away-
After she took a short walk through the park, Audrey found her older brother Samuel waiting for her outside of the park gates. She somehow had an amazingly close relationship with all three of her older brothers. She didn't have any sisters, and she wasn't into the dolls and playing house, but she wasn't actually a tomboy. She knew how to sew and cook, and she was practically the lady of the house, but only when GrandMary didn't come over for her long visits.
Her three older brothers took care of her all of the time. She was only 12 years old, and the only girl they had in their lives. James was 16, Henry was 15, and Samuel was 14. Their father, Benjamin, was the editor of a newspaper that he had started the year he met their mother Rachel. It mainly had war news, but Samuel drew a comic strip for each issue, and a frumpy middle-aged woman named Julia Stover wrote short articles on what was going on in the movie world. Audrey and her brothers often helped out in the print shop because they knew their father secretly sent hundreds of copies to Germany and other oppressed countries so they would know the true outside news, not just what Hitler told them.
Her grandmother, her mother's mother, was all up for going to the Americas when news of the war became evident almost four years ago. She wanted to take Audrey with her but Ben Rockwell flat out refused. Ever since Julia had died, he had tried his hardest to keep the family together and running as it always did. So GrandMary had stayed in her humongous country house in the suburbs of London, England.
GrandMary visited the family every month for one week. And although James, Henry, Sam, and Audrey loved their grandmother, she was very overbearing and made all of the decisions when she was at the house. Audrey anticipated her next visit on the following Sunday, because even if her father agreed to let her go to the Professor's house, GrandMary would put in the final say. Father said that she just misses mother and wished she were around, but since she isn't, GrandMary believed she must fill his wife's shoes in raising the children.
Since Audrey still had two days to wait for her, she decided to start packing in the unlikely event her grandmother said yes to her. She packed the pairs of overalls that had been passed down from Samuel (that GrandMary had no clue about, of course), three of her nice dresses, five "knock- around" dresses as her mum used to call the ones she used to play in, three button ups, and one sweater. She didn't pack her ballet shoes because she had dance rehearsal that afternoon, but she would pack those and her leotard later tonight. That was another problem about Lucy's absence: she'd have to deal with Alexandra and Gracie's gossip during practice without Lucy to turn to.
After clasping her suitcase, Audrey went down to the kitchen to prepare lunch for her family. Each of her brothers liked different things to eat, and Audrey didn't mind doing it for them. She made four sandwiches, roast beef, chicken, turkey, and ham, each with cheese, lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. Then she put in fruit: an apple for James, a pear for Henry, an orange for Sam, and two bananas for her father. After that, she packed cookies. That was her specialty. She could bake any type of cookies from scratch. Her mother had taught her to stir batter when she was three years old, and she hadn't stopped since. Her cookies where the only things her brothers liked to be surprised with in their lunch bag.
Putting the final sandwich in the picnic basket, Audrey went up to her room and got her ballet practice leotard and put it on so she wouldn't be late to practice. Once she was dressed and had her slippers, she grabbed the basket and carried it out to her bike, and proceeded to the print shop.
Once she got there she saw her three brothers waiting for lunch. When she pulled her bike to a stop, all three of them came over, hugged her, and dug into the basket like they were starved dogs.
Audrey made her way into her father's office, and brought up the subject of her visiting Lucy in the country.
"Audrey, I'm not sure if you should go to visit the Pevensies."
"Why not Dad?" Audrey asked, handing her father his lunch.
"Your GrandMary for one. And what about your brothers and me? We need a woman around the house. You also have ballet and archery lessons."
"Da-ad! I'll only be gone for two weeks! Please, please, please, please?!?"
"You still haven't explained ballet and archery lessons."
"James and I both need a break from archery. And Lucy is in my ballet class. We can practice together. Please, it all works out!"
Audrey's father gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I will let you go, but only if you can convince your Grandmother. I will not help you on that."
"Thank you daddy!" The 12-year-old girl said, hugging her father around the waist before racing out the door for her bike so she wouldn't be late for ballet practice.
*****
Audrey waited nervously outside the parlor of her home. She smoothed her dress for the thousandth time. It was her GrandMary's favourite dress of hers. It was a soft pink and stopped right at her knees, with little white flowers on the neckline and on her sleeves. Audrey absolutely despised it, but she knew if she were to convince her grandmother, she'd have to be remarkably lady-like.
"You may come in Audrey, dear." GrandMary's voice, stern and a bit warm wafted through the closed doors. She entered slowly and daintily. "Your needlepoint is at your chair. I expect you to get at least 'the heart' finished this time. No dawdling young lady."
"Yes, GrandMary." Audrey replied, picking up her needlework. She began to put tiny stitches in her work, and was halfway through the 'H' in heart when her grandmother spoke again.
"So, Audrey. is there something you'd like to ask me?"
"Excuse me, GrandMary?"
"That dress. You only wear it when you want to request something your father puts on my shoulders. What is it?"
"Well. I received a post from Lucy three days ago."
"Lucy Pevensie? Nice young lady. Go on."
"Yes m'am. Lucy requested that I come visit her at the country house she is staying in. The owner of the house Professor Kirk, has already given her permission, and I'd only be staying for two weeks."
"A professor?"
"Yes m'am."
"For two weeks?"
"Yes m'am."
"Well. I don't see why not. Of course you may go."
"Really? I can?"
"You may, Audrey. You need time with other young girls and you could take a break from the roughness of your older brothers. I think the company of a refined professor in a country mansion would be simply delightful."
Audrey didn't even risk contradicting her grandmother on the point made about her brothers. She was going to visit her best friend in the whole world! She would have to tell her father and brothers. And she reluctantly decided to tell Alexandra and Grace. There was so much to be done! She had to finish packing, bake several cookies, tidy up her room, and so much more. She would of course be taking her bow and arrow and-- a last minute reminder by her Grandmother interrupted Audrey's thoughts.
"You must finish that needlepoint though over your holiday. If you come back and it's not done, I will not be so willing to let you go next time."
"Yes m'am. Thank you GrandMary."
After she took a short walk through the park, Audrey found her older brother Samuel waiting for her outside of the park gates. She somehow had an amazingly close relationship with all three of her older brothers. She didn't have any sisters, and she wasn't into the dolls and playing house, but she wasn't actually a tomboy. She knew how to sew and cook, and she was practically the lady of the house, but only when GrandMary didn't come over for her long visits.
Her three older brothers took care of her all of the time. She was only 12 years old, and the only girl they had in their lives. James was 16, Henry was 15, and Samuel was 14. Their father, Benjamin, was the editor of a newspaper that he had started the year he met their mother Rachel. It mainly had war news, but Samuel drew a comic strip for each issue, and a frumpy middle-aged woman named Julia Stover wrote short articles on what was going on in the movie world. Audrey and her brothers often helped out in the print shop because they knew their father secretly sent hundreds of copies to Germany and other oppressed countries so they would know the true outside news, not just what Hitler told them.
Her grandmother, her mother's mother, was all up for going to the Americas when news of the war became evident almost four years ago. She wanted to take Audrey with her but Ben Rockwell flat out refused. Ever since Julia had died, he had tried his hardest to keep the family together and running as it always did. So GrandMary had stayed in her humongous country house in the suburbs of London, England.
GrandMary visited the family every month for one week. And although James, Henry, Sam, and Audrey loved their grandmother, she was very overbearing and made all of the decisions when she was at the house. Audrey anticipated her next visit on the following Sunday, because even if her father agreed to let her go to the Professor's house, GrandMary would put in the final say. Father said that she just misses mother and wished she were around, but since she isn't, GrandMary believed she must fill his wife's shoes in raising the children.
Since Audrey still had two days to wait for her, she decided to start packing in the unlikely event her grandmother said yes to her. She packed the pairs of overalls that had been passed down from Samuel (that GrandMary had no clue about, of course), three of her nice dresses, five "knock- around" dresses as her mum used to call the ones she used to play in, three button ups, and one sweater. She didn't pack her ballet shoes because she had dance rehearsal that afternoon, but she would pack those and her leotard later tonight. That was another problem about Lucy's absence: she'd have to deal with Alexandra and Gracie's gossip during practice without Lucy to turn to.
After clasping her suitcase, Audrey went down to the kitchen to prepare lunch for her family. Each of her brothers liked different things to eat, and Audrey didn't mind doing it for them. She made four sandwiches, roast beef, chicken, turkey, and ham, each with cheese, lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. Then she put in fruit: an apple for James, a pear for Henry, an orange for Sam, and two bananas for her father. After that, she packed cookies. That was her specialty. She could bake any type of cookies from scratch. Her mother had taught her to stir batter when she was three years old, and she hadn't stopped since. Her cookies where the only things her brothers liked to be surprised with in their lunch bag.
Putting the final sandwich in the picnic basket, Audrey went up to her room and got her ballet practice leotard and put it on so she wouldn't be late to practice. Once she was dressed and had her slippers, she grabbed the basket and carried it out to her bike, and proceeded to the print shop.
Once she got there she saw her three brothers waiting for lunch. When she pulled her bike to a stop, all three of them came over, hugged her, and dug into the basket like they were starved dogs.
Audrey made her way into her father's office, and brought up the subject of her visiting Lucy in the country.
"Audrey, I'm not sure if you should go to visit the Pevensies."
"Why not Dad?" Audrey asked, handing her father his lunch.
"Your GrandMary for one. And what about your brothers and me? We need a woman around the house. You also have ballet and archery lessons."
"Da-ad! I'll only be gone for two weeks! Please, please, please, please?!?"
"You still haven't explained ballet and archery lessons."
"James and I both need a break from archery. And Lucy is in my ballet class. We can practice together. Please, it all works out!"
Audrey's father gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I will let you go, but only if you can convince your Grandmother. I will not help you on that."
"Thank you daddy!" The 12-year-old girl said, hugging her father around the waist before racing out the door for her bike so she wouldn't be late for ballet practice.
*****
Audrey waited nervously outside the parlor of her home. She smoothed her dress for the thousandth time. It was her GrandMary's favourite dress of hers. It was a soft pink and stopped right at her knees, with little white flowers on the neckline and on her sleeves. Audrey absolutely despised it, but she knew if she were to convince her grandmother, she'd have to be remarkably lady-like.
"You may come in Audrey, dear." GrandMary's voice, stern and a bit warm wafted through the closed doors. She entered slowly and daintily. "Your needlepoint is at your chair. I expect you to get at least 'the heart' finished this time. No dawdling young lady."
"Yes, GrandMary." Audrey replied, picking up her needlework. She began to put tiny stitches in her work, and was halfway through the 'H' in heart when her grandmother spoke again.
"So, Audrey. is there something you'd like to ask me?"
"Excuse me, GrandMary?"
"That dress. You only wear it when you want to request something your father puts on my shoulders. What is it?"
"Well. I received a post from Lucy three days ago."
"Lucy Pevensie? Nice young lady. Go on."
"Yes m'am. Lucy requested that I come visit her at the country house she is staying in. The owner of the house Professor Kirk, has already given her permission, and I'd only be staying for two weeks."
"A professor?"
"Yes m'am."
"For two weeks?"
"Yes m'am."
"Well. I don't see why not. Of course you may go."
"Really? I can?"
"You may, Audrey. You need time with other young girls and you could take a break from the roughness of your older brothers. I think the company of a refined professor in a country mansion would be simply delightful."
Audrey didn't even risk contradicting her grandmother on the point made about her brothers. She was going to visit her best friend in the whole world! She would have to tell her father and brothers. And she reluctantly decided to tell Alexandra and Grace. There was so much to be done! She had to finish packing, bake several cookies, tidy up her room, and so much more. She would of course be taking her bow and arrow and-- a last minute reminder by her Grandmother interrupted Audrey's thoughts.
"You must finish that needlepoint though over your holiday. If you come back and it's not done, I will not be so willing to let you go next time."
"Yes m'am. Thank you GrandMary."