The Mam'zelles of Malory Towers

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE MACDONALDS

Jean MacDonald, the girl who's parents were 'Scottish nobility' according to Rougier, was a kindly girl, who sometimes could be too blunt but overall was a good person. Daphne took full advantage of this, using her manipulative skills to leverage an invite to spend half-term with Jean!

Jean was in charge of collecting money for the sports subscription, a job she took very seriously. The day before half term, she was wandering about the form, collecting money by jingling the tin under the faces of hapless girls, when Daphne approached her.

"Got any money for the box?" asked Jean pleasantly. "You owe two pounds for this time, and last week you borrowed the money from me as well, so that totals to four pounds."

"About that", said Daphne, casually handing Jean a ten pound note Rougier had 'lent' her. "I think this should more than cover my debt. You can keep the extra for the box."

Jean gaped at Daphne, her eyes twinkling. She had never received this much money for the box before!

"Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, expecting Daphne to decline and walk away. But Daphne had no such plans!

"Well, there is something," she said slyly. "You see, my people won't be able to make it to half-term, so I was wondering if I could go with your folks?"

Although Jean had no particular liking for Daphne, she was an amiable girl and agreed instantly. Which is why, the next day, Daphne waited for Jean's parents along with the girl, hoping they would truly be nobles and 'ooze money', as Rougier would put it!

When Jean's parents finally arrived, Daphne's jaw simply dropped in shock. Rougier had been right - Jean was loaded! Her parents arrived up the driveway in a horse-drawn carriage, pulled by three white mares adorned with plumes. The carriage itself was shaped rather like a pumpkin and was covered entirely in tartan fabric. How Scottish could one be?  thought Daphne. Her question was answered when Jean's parents hopped out of the carriage, dressed entirely in tartan and both wearing kilts. 

"Aye, hallo there lassies!" exclaimed Jean's mother, shaking Daphne's hand vigorously. "You must be Daphne, no? What a bonnie lass you are!"

Daphne smiled pleasantly as she could while she sized up the pockets of the tartan kilts. Could she see a fat wallet poking out of Mrs. MacDonald's kilt?

"Hello Da, Maw," said Jean, her accent suddenly turning rather Scottish.

"Eh? What's that you said?" replied Jean's father. 'You know we can't understand your English accent, Jean!" The girl rolled her eyes. Her parents could understand Daphne's accent perfectly- the girl was chatting very prettily to Jean's mother- but whenever Jean tried to speak to them in anything less than a full Scot accent, they claimed to not understand! It was most infuriating.

As it turned out, Jean's family had a full day planned out for half-term, dragging poor Daphne around with them wherever they went and chattering to her non-stop in their thick Scottish accents. Their first destination was a church, where Jean's entire family loudly sang hymns with the priest while Daphne idly stole from the church donation box. They then climbed up a hill to have a picnic, boring poor Daphne to death with details about their 'auld' (old) and ancient Scottish manor!

"Have you ever seen the Loch Ness monster before?" asked Daphne, casually pocketing Mrs. MacDonald's large gold brooch. Jean's family simply laughed at her and, to Daphne's utter horror, pulled out a massive tartan bagpipe! By the end of the day, although Daphne was simply loaded with valuables she had pinched from Jean's unwitting family, the poor English girl felt like she had just paid a visit to Scotland. 

'It's jolly unfair that Mam'zelle Rougier gets all these goods I had to endure all that dreadful bagpipe music to pinch,' thought Daphne while she neatly stacked her stolen items into piles. 'It's only fair I keep some for myself!' Setting aside a long silver necklace and what appeared to be a gold coin with an engraving of a crumbling manor on it, Daphne reluctantly shoved all the other goods in a bag to give to Rougier. Looks like the day had been quite profitable after all!