Christmas Caroling with Caroline’s Waterloo

So here’s the list of finalists, again, for the upcoming TUJD Best Christmas Ever (2012 version) vote:

Damsel in Green (1970)

Caroline's Waterloo  (1980)

A Girl to Love (1982)

When Two Paths Meet  (1988)

The Mistletoe Kiss  (1997)

A Christmas Romance  (1999)

Caroline’s Waterloo holds at least two distinctions in this group: one is that it’s the only volume with a MoC; the other is that it’s the only volume in which we don’t actually celebrate Christmas.  But regardless of how Professor Baron Radinck Thoe van Erckelens feels about holidays in general, patient, staff nurse and ideal wife Caroline Tripp Thoe van Erckelens believes in celebrating in style, and is happy to prepare for the festive day, as you may recall...

The book opens with an October bike tour in which Caro injures herself.  While recuperating from concussion and a deep leg wound in the Professor-Baron’s luxurious home, “it suddenly seemed very important to [Caroline] that the Professor should enjoy his Christmas,” and she plans to contribute by playing piano for the six household staff so they may learn a Christmas carol or two.  As she explains to butler Noakes, “Look, Noakes, everyone loves Christmas – if you could just take him by surprise, it might make it seem more fun. Then perhaps he'd have friends to stay – or something.”

 

She returns home to England to celebrate, one assumes, Christmas in her bedsit with her cat.  However, Radinck has other plans, tracks her down and marries her – this seems about mid-November.  The choral sessions begin again, and she buys wool and begins to knit him a sweater she doubts he’ll wear.  As she takes sensitive control of Huis Thoes, she envisions a houseful of guests, “all laughing and talking and dancing in the evening.”  And, of course, attendant on a wealthy Husband of Convenience there’s a “great sapphire in a circle of rose diamonds,” a mink coat and several shopping sprees for clothes, price-tickets no object.

And so the days unfurl: learning to ride, listening intelligently, rescuing donkeys.  In the spirit of Christmas, there’s a birth in a stable (baby donkey Prince), a beautifully-wrapped gift of a spectacular new dressing gown to replace the one bespoiled by donkey afterbirth, generations-old jewels, and a spate of pre-Christmas and New Year’s social events, like the burgemeester’s reception, a few drinks parties and the hospital ball (for which Caro has ‘flu and Radinck has a trip to Vienna, but still, it hovers festively in the background).

I believe this is the passage that makes for the best Neels Christmas ever for some of you:

“They were all a little shy at first.  The room was grand and they felt stiff and awkward and out of place until Caro said in her sparse, excruciating Dutch: ‘Sing as though you were in your own sitting-room – remember it’s to give the Professor pleasure and it’s only because this is the best place for him to hear you.’

“They loosened up after that.  They were well embarked on ‘Silent Night’ with all the harmonies just right, when the Professor unlocked his own front door.  No one heard him.  Even Rex, dozing by the fire, was deafened by the choir.  He stood for a moment in the centre of the hall and then walked very quietly to the drawing-room door, not quite closed.  The room was in shadow with only a lamp by the piano and the sconces on either side of the fireplace alight.  He pushed the door cautiously a few inches so that he could look in and no one saw him.  They were grouped round Caro at the piano, her mousy head lighted by the lamp beside her, one hand beating time while the other thumped out the tune.  Radinck closed the door gently again and retreated to where he had cast down his coat and bag and let himself out of the house again.  The car's engine made no noise above the sighing and whistling of the wind.  He drove back the way he had come, all the way to the airport on the outskirts of Leeuwarden where he parked the car, telephoned his home that he had returned earlier than he had expected, then got back into the car and, for the second time, drove himself home.

Caro had received the news of Radinck's unexpected return with outward calm. ‘We’ll find time to rehearse again tomorrow,’ she told them all. ...

“She closed the piano and went to sit in the sitting-room by the fire, her tapestry in her hands. She even had time to do a row or two before she heard Radinck open the door, speak to Noakes, on the watch for him, and cross the hall to open the sitting-room door.

“‘What a nice surprise!' she smiled as he came into the room. ... 

“‘You are feeling better, I can see that, and being sensible, sitting quietly here.’  ‘Oh, I’ve been very sensible,’ she assured him. ... ‘What have you been doing with yourself?’

“‘Oh, almost nothing – the flowers and catching up with my Dutch, and showing Marta how to make mince pies...’  ‘I surprised you playing the piano before we married,’ he said.  ‘Do you remember? Don’t you play anymore?’

“Caro's red face went pale. ‘Yes – well, sometimes I do.’

“He sat back in his chair, relaxed and at ease, and watched while Noakes placed the coffee tray at Caro’s elbow.  ‘Have you any plans for Christmas?' he asked idly.

“She stammered a little. ‘I understand from Noakes that you don’t – that is, you prefer a quiet time.’

“‘I am afraid that over the years I have got into the habit of doing very little about entertaining – I did mention the party which I give, did I not? Is there anything special you would enjoy? A little music perhaps?’

“‘Music?’ Caro’s needle was working overtime, regardless of wrong stitches.  She took a deep breath.  ‘Oh, you mean going to concerts and that sort of thing; Becky was telling me ... but you really don't have to bother.  We did agree when we married that your life wasn’t to be changed at all, but you’ve already had to go to these parties with me and you must have disliked them very much.  I’m very happy, you know, I don’t mind if I don’t go out socially.’

“‘I thought girls liked dressing up and going out to parties.’

“‘Well, yes, of course, but you see I don’t enjoy them if you don’t.’  She hadn't meant to say that. She stitched a whole row, her head bowed over her work, and wished fruitlessly that the floor would open and swallow her up.

“‘And what precisely do you mean by that?' asked Radinck blandly.

“‘Nothing, nothing at all.’  And then, knowing that she wouldn’t get away with that, she added: ‘What I meant was that I feel guilty because you have to give up your evenings doing something you don’t enjoy when you might be in your study reading ... and writing.’

“‘Put like that I seem to be a very selfish man. I must endeavour to make amends.’  Caro gave him a surprised glance. He wasn’t being sarcastic and his voice held a warm note she hadn’t heard before.”

After which, we have confusions and reconciliations, ending back in that sitting room with a suddenly very conveniently, and happily, married couple.  Christmas, unmentioned now, is still at least a few days away, and I'm guessing the not-so-surprise-but-the-surprisers-don't-know-that carol-choir goes over a treat.

Uncertain Summer - Discussion Thread

Serena marries a cousin of the man she's in love with. Most people would marry anyone BUT a relative of a former jilt. Think of all those family dinners, family reunions, family holidays. They're all going to have to learn to laugh about it...or ship Laurens to the Antipodes...so much more imaginative, not to say farther, than Pittsburg.



The sexton's wife just had her 'sixth and surely the last?' baby. They arrived with almost 'monotonous regularity every eighteen months or so'. All were 'remarkably healthy'. This Betty has six...and the sixth was surely the last.

Laurens' E-Type Jag had pulling power...for girls. Hey Baby. Check out my fancy sports car that is in no way compensating for anything that I might be lacking. I was going to put a picture of one here - but whoever did the cover art must have had access to either a picture or the real deal.

Serena handed off to night staff nurse and a male nurse because "sometimes things got a little rough at night'. I love the thought that a male nurse gets night duty because a little muscle is needed at night. Muscles aren't needed during the day?

Betty has some grisly accidents involving children. This time it's a beaten baby. This will not be the last time Betty wrote about serious social issues. The Great Betty was well aware of the seamier side of life...drug addicts, neglected children, stabbings, riots, abandoned babies, muggings, bombings...whoever still thinks Betty Neels just wrote fluffy fiction, raise your hand.

Serena asks Gijs if he will wear a wedding band. This is not the only time this happens in Neeldom...and every single time it happens, I sigh. And then I wonder...who wouldn't? Oh yeah, it must be that MOC thing.

Serena gets a ruby ring. If there are no sapphires to be had....I guess rubies will do in a pinch. I'm not much of a ring wearer myself...these short stubby digits don't need anything shiny on them, drawing attention.

The Secret Pool--Discussion Thread

Fran's wedding dress, we find out, is inspired by a picture of the wedding dress in child's picture book. I showed up at my future aunt-in-law's bridal shop (best boutiques in Southeast Idaho!), was tossed around a bit and selected the least chick-y one I could find. The upshot of all that austerity is that I don't think my pictures are very dated. Anyway, where did you find inspiration for your wedding dress? I'll be it wasn't in a child's picture book...about a mouse family.

When Litrik stays at Fran's aunts' house, she puts water, a tin of biscuits and an anthology of English verse on his nightstand. I'm not sure what else he could possibly need--unless some Rolaids (Wintergreen for me!) or Senokot would be in order. When guests come to my house, I point at the linen closet for extra towels and expect them to lift heavy things or paint every wall I own. Just ask Betty Debbie. We both graduated from the same fine institute of hospitality. Motto: Put your shoulder to the wheel...you're family. [Betty Debbie] I think we're about due some time at my house.

The housekeeper at The Aunts' house scolds Fran for eating breakfast with Litrik 'such goings on!' - while dressed in her dressing gown. Fran defends herself by saying, "he's not the kind of man to tolerate goings on." Though you get the rotten feeling that if she'd been some helpless blonde, flinging herself into his arms, that he would have tolerated some goings on...

In Litrik's house there is a lift behind the staircase. Some home elevators are pneumatic vacuums which remind me of banking with my drive-thru teller. (Suuuuck.) Anyway, my first question was cost. What does a standard up-one-floor-down-another set a fellow back these days? At least 19,000 clams, that's what. On grocery shopping days I really wish I had a lift to bring the groceries up from the garage. Pretty sure $19,000 is a bit rich for my blood.

Speaking of shellfish...Fran is given 'pearls around the neck, stones upon the heart.' Not only is The Great Betty being unusually poetical, she is also perhaps referencing the folk tale that pearls bring tears. As I have mentioned on more than one occasion, pearls just aren't my thing--that they indicate a visual affinity with former First Lady Barbara Bush that a woman in her early thirties would do well to avoid. I like my pearls. They do go with everything.

Litrik tells Fran that Lisa became handicapped due to her mother's botched abortion attempt. Eek! This is fairly dark stuff for La Neels but I think that, having been a nurse, she would have seen this sort of thing happen. Here's the wiki excerpt about Dutch abortion law:
A controversial abortion law was passed in 1981 with single swing votes: 76 pro and 74 against in the Second Chamber and 38 pro and 37 against in the First Chamber. The law left abortion a crime, unless performed at a clinic or hospital that is issued an official abortion certificate by the Dutch government, and the woman who is asking for the abortion declares she considers it an emergency situation. The law came into effect on November 1, 1984..
Lisa would have been born much before this law and this would have been an illegal procedure.

Philomena's Miracle - 1978

Philomena Parsons is feeling fine. Or maybe she's on crack. Even in a hallway with dreary margarine colored walls, brown lacquered woodwork and shiny, cracked lino she's feels as if she's in fairyland. Oh what the heck, the whole world is fairyland! Why? Our little honey-blonde Araminta/Outlier has just been placed on the State Register! She may now wear the coveted Silver Buckle. That amazing fact has brought a sparkle to her lovely green eyes (with preposterously long lashes). As she wheels Commander Frost, RN retired to the elevator she sees a handsome man leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, eyes closed......no, it's not a little trash compacting robot...it's Walle (not WALL-E - which is totally how I now pronounce his name, darn it). He offers to help wheel Commander Frost, RN retired, onto the lift, which prompts Commander Frost, RN retired, to state; "She puts me in mind of my dear Lucy...not pretty of course...[she'll] make a good wife." As Philly (yes, Philly, get used to it) watches the lift doors close on the mysterious, good looking, tall, stranger, who wears good shoes and a tweed suit of masterful cut, Commander Frost, RN retired, says to Philly, "He would make you a splendid husband." Well, of course he would - but he may as well be a prince, because Philly is really Cinderella in disguise. Back home in the lovely Georgian Manor House, with River Frontage, Philly is hiding the reason behind her lack of self-esteem. A stepmother and two evil step sisters! Okay, not really evil, just selfish and lazy and incredibly beautiful. They actually "like" Philly. They like her to run errands, arrange flowers, carry breakfast trays and not clash with their clothes at birthday parties. Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Philly has no one to celebrate the passing of her finals, unless you count, the tall mysterious stranger who is waiting by the porter's lodge. Yep, it's the stranger from the lift - his name is Walle van der Tacx, he's Dutch, and he's a doctor. And he's inviting Philly to go out for a bite to eat. Yes! Philly will be happy to go out with you, Mr. Dutch Doctor with Masterfully Cut Tweeds...and for a bonus? Mr. Dutch Doctor drives a Maserati Khamsin, which Philly just happens to know costs upwards of 18,000 pounds. Philly dresses for her impromptu date in a hurry, and manages to make it down to the porter's lodge with 5 minutes to spare. Walle gives her a "compliment". "There you are - punctual too, a rare thing in a woman." Punctual? Umm...thanks? They manage to cover a lot of ground in their first date. Ages (23/36), marital/dating status (single/no boyfriends), where her family home is (Wareham - turns out Walle has been sailing in that area with an old college chum). Walle also happens to commit his first (of many) compliment faux pas. Walle might be awesome in so many ways, but the guy just doesn't seem able to give Philly a straightforward compliment, to save his life. Compliment Gone Bad (hereafter known as CGB) #1: I've got this beautiful, vivacious adopted cousin, Tritia, who gives life an added zest. She is a bit tiring, she loves to go out dancing until the wee hours, after having dinner. Would you like to go dancing, now that dinner's over? Umm...if you put it like that, no. And now for a melancholy interlude. Commander Frost, RN retired, is doing rather poorly. It is decided to cut the poor man up, even though he won't survive. Walle tells Philly, "...the Commander hasn't a chance, you know, but he wants me to operate." In the operating theatre, Philly finds out that Dr. van der Tacx is the anaesthetist. I'm a little confused. First he says that the Commander wants him to operate, then we find out he's the anaesthetist? Last I checked anaesthetists don't actually do surgery...but I digress. Commander Frost, RN retired, does indeed kick the bucket that evening, while Philly sits by his bedside holding his hand. Tears ensue. Walle takes Philly out for some fish and chips which they proceed to eat, IN THE MASERATI! I'm so impressed. Fast food eaten in a car. How very American of them. Walle consoles Philly, "There, there, my pretty." Which immediately transports me to Oz: "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" Philly knows darn well that she doesn't look good when she howls, and she says so. Walle: "I'm looking, and I like what I see." Hey, girlfriend! When a man says that, you may as well start picking out your trousseau. Alas, Philly is seriously lacking in self-esteem, so no dice. Philly heads down to Wareham for step-sister Chloe's birthday party. She was thoughtful enough to buy an unobtrusive cream silk dress, so as not to class with her pretty step-sisters. Walle turns up in town, introductions...gobsmacked at step-sisters beauty...invited to Chloe's birthday party. Will CinderPhilly make it to the ball? Will CinderPhilly finish arranging flowers, setting tables, running errands, etc...in time to get ready? Barely, but she manages - her final touch being to discreetly spray her person with Vu perfume...which she didn't really care for. And now for CGB #2: "What remarkably pretty girls your sisters are - they quite take one's breath...but they haven't green eyes...I like your dress - it's pretty and it suits you....I did that badly didn't I? Forgive me; to admire your sisters and ignore you - I suppose I felt that I didn't need to tell you...." Didn't need to tell her what? What woman in the history of the universe wants to stand idly by while a man admires other women, and then get a compliment as an afterthought? Half way through the evening Walle finally asks CinderPhilly to dance...after gyrating and shrugging for a few minutes they head out to the verandah...for a nice little tête-à-tête where Walle commits CGB #3: " You're wearing the wrong kind of perfume - much too sophisticated for you...did you choose it?" How can she explain that it was a cast off of Chloe's? She says,"It's French and very expensive." Him: "And on the right person, quite delightful - but not on you." Just as he's going to explain to CinderPhilly what he means by that, in comes beautiful step-sister #2: Miriam(which is the same name as my one and only grand-daughter). Walle arranges to drive Philly back to London, which turns out to be a great opportunity to offer Philly a job in Holland working for him and his two partners. Sounds wonderful. And then we get - CGB #4: [my partner]...likes a sensible girl with no nonsense about her, and no immediate prospect of getting married - all the girls he has interviewed so far have boy-friends or want their evenings free." Wh-What? Has he just told Philly she is destined to be an old maid? Philly may not have much self-esteem, but she does have plenty of spirit, "You want a girl with no other interest but her work and possibly a little reading and knitting in her free time." She sounded tart....I'd sound tart too, if I was her. She does accept the job, and then after her month's notice, drives herself to Ommen, by way of the ferry at Sheerness - in sheeting rain. I'm so impressed with her driving ability - driving on the opposite side, in the sheeting rain and navigating road signs in a foreign language. Not only does Philly have spirit, she's also got guts and some mad driving skills, even if she only drives a Mini. Evidently Walle and his partners do not subscribe to fair labor laws...Philly has appalling work hours - basically 8am to 8:30pm five days a week, with morning surgery on Saturday. Which leaves Sunday as the only truly free day - except for the weekends when she is on call. (It brings to mind some of the worst excesses of the Industrial Revolution.) Philly doesn't see too much of Walle in Ommen - until a measles outbreak occurs, and she is drafted into helping inoculate a mass of recalcitrant youngsters...after hours. It takes a goodish while - longer than Walle imagined..."I had a date with Tritia...she will be very disappointed." How about Philly? Her evening was ruined too. Oh wait, she has no life. Walle apologizes the next day. Oops, your evening was ruined too...I should have at least given you a meal...Philly retorts, "I wasn't doing anything special, you must have realized that..." You must have realized that because that's why you hired me! Philly spends Sunday with Dr. and Mrs. Stanversen and meets the earnest Hubert - who, in spite of a couple of dates, never really gets the chance to become a muddier of waters. His idea of a date includes prosing on about oil wells in...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...never mind, let's just say he's deadly dull - especially compared with Walle - who is spotted driving around in his Maserati with a gorgeous blonde. After spending most of a night taking care of an emergency haemorrhage case, Walle takes her to his home. I mean castle. So that she can sleep for a few hours before going back to work. No toothbrush? No problem. No nightie? Umm, sorry, my fabulous castle does not run to extra nightwear for surprise visitors. Besides, this is a great opportunity to meet Walle's mum and the luscious Cousin Tritia, the Rude, who's first words are "Who is this plain girl... she is terrible to look at!" Ouch. Yes, she did say it in Dutch, but Philly has been picking up quite of a bit of the local lingo and knows just what the teenage terror said about her. Did I mention that Tritia is only 19? Did I mention that one of the employees at the clinic told Philly that "everyone" expects Walle to marry Tritia? Okay, okay, now we're back on the same page...Philly takes the high road and pretends that she didn't really understand what Tritia the Rude said. Walle then figures out that she really did, so what does he do? Excuses Tritia's rudeness on the grounds that "...she's like a child." I agree. She's badly in need of some serious time-out. Perhaps in another country. Or on another planet. Philly finally gets to spend a weekend at Kasteel Tacx - and a lovely time is had - for the most part. Croquet is played on the lawn, horses are ridden in the meadows, insults are delicately flung by Tritia and when Philly gets home she finally realizes that she's rather foolishly fallen in love with her rich, handsome employer. "Cupid, she decided, was a wash-out...or perhaps he had run out of arrows." Luckily for Philly, measles raises it's spotty head again, so she is nicely busy at work - with little time to dwell on her newfound discovery. Walle invites Philly to spend Sunday with him again (remember, it's her only day off). She fibs and says that she's going to Friesland with Boring Hubert. Walle knows she's fibbing, so he shows up on Sunday morning(after breakfast) and asks her to go to lunch with him at his grandfather's place. Grandpa lives 170 MILES (not kilometers)! away. It's a good thing Walle drives a Maserati. Grandfather is very reminiscent of the dearly departed Commander Frost, RN retired, in that he can just blurt out whatever pops into his head. "No looks, lovely eyes, pretty figure...going to marry her, Walle? "Yes," said Walle. Now he just needs to convince Philly that he means it. Philly is still suffering from low self-esteem and doesn't quite believe Walle means it. He tells her he's going to wait to propose to her at a suitable time a place...she only has to wait a couple of days to find out what constitutes "suitable time and place" (I find this section quite, quite charming) Philly wakes up around 6am because Walle is tossing pebbles at her window. Awww. How cute is that? He's waiting outside on his horse - and he's brought a horse for her to ride. They discuss the slipperiness of fish, then Walle pops the question. After being reassured that Walle really does mean it, Philly says YES. But wait just a sec...there's still 37 pages to go?? Well, let's trot out the Family Jewels...this time it's rubies. And then another spot of croquet on the lawn, wherein Philly proves that she has at least some feminine wiles - she rests her hand on her croquet mallet so that Tritia can't fail to miss the gleam of 5 rubies surrounded by diamonds. Tritia's mum, who really is Evil Incarnate, comes to stay - she hates the interloper with the heat of a thousand hot hot suns. Walle seems pretty oblivious, and leaves Philly to her tender ministrations while he lopes off to some conference about something medical somewhere...RING!!! Dear Step-mama (remember her, from the beginning of the book?) calls to say that Chloe has chickenpox and needs, needs, NEEDS Philly to come and nurse her. Philly leaves a message with the evil aunt to pass on to Walle (like that's going to happen without some distortion!) Philly is then shuffled off to some unspeakable cottage in the middle of nowhere - with no access to the telephone...which, if it sounds a little like a hideout is because that is exactly what it is. Chloe is not really that sick, but she is terrified of anyone seeing her pock-marked face until it has healed. Where's Walle? He gets back to the castle to find that Philly is gone and Auntie Evil is lying. He cuts right through all the deception and gets to the truth, and then gives Auntie her packing orders. Oh, and take Tritia with you. Yay!! Now off to rescue Philly...he goes to the family home in Wareham and gets Step-mama to drive her car (he's in the Maserati) to the hideout. The big pay-off to this is that Walle convinces Philly that they should have a great big white wedding, with all the trimmings and invite as many friends and relatives as possible because he wants the whole world to share in their happiness. Just before the wedding we are treated to one more unthinkingly catty remark from Step-mama about how amazing it is that Philomena is going to marry such a rich handsome man...let's call it "Philomena's Miracle".

Rating: Even though this is sort of a cross between Cinderella and The Moon for Lavinia, it mostly worked for me. Sure, Walle sucked at giving compliments...but he was fairly consistent and most of his missteps were cute. Philomena's Miracle could have been really great, but somewhere around the middle it went a little pear-shaped. It's like The Venerable Neels lost track of which book she was writing...I'm giving this a boeuf en croute on the strength of Walle's backwards compliments and the white wedding he sort of forces on Philly.

Fashion: unobtrusive cream silk, silver nursing buckle, Jaeger short jacket with matching skirt, Jaeger trouser suit, green slacks with knitted green and white top, sensible canvas shoes, cotton shirtwaister in a Liberty print, white chiffon wedding dress.

Food: lobster fried with herbs and then covered and set alight with cognac, potato crisps, someone's birthday cake, rather stale biscuits, fish and chips, bag of toffees, stuck together, 3 lb. box of Fortnum and Mason's chocolates, meatballs and red cabbage.

Lord of the Gemel Ring

In The Gemel Ring, Charity Dawson has an unhealthy fascination with the van Tijlen Gemel Ring. She wants to touch it, know where it is, know if the doctor has given it away....it's a bit creepy. Maybe it's more than a simple love token. Maybe it is The One Gemel Ring. I wondered what a gemel ring was. Evidently there are many spellings of the word "gemel" - none of which are the same as La Neels. After I tried some variations (starting with jimmals - from the poem Charity quoted) I was able to find a few explanations.

Rings showing a true-love-knot and those showing a heart held by clasped hands have long been favoured as love tokens, as has the gimbal ring, also spelled ‘gimmal’ or ‘jimmal’ ring, which is one that can be split in two (the name derives ultimately from Latin geminus, ‘twin’), and joined up again at will. It is possible that the many traditional songs of the 18th and 19th centuries in which a sailor breaks a ring in two and leaves half with his sweetheart are referring to gimbal rings, as it would be quite difficult to break an ordinary ring. answers.com

Charity quotes these lines from Herrick, (in his "Hesperides):

"Thou sent'st to me a true-love knot; but I
Return'd a ring of jimmals, to imply
Thy love had one knot, mine a triple-tye."

Martin Luther wed Catherine Bora in 1525 with a gimmal ring enscribed "Whom God has joined together, Let no man put asunder".