The Cardboard Box: Just Two Good Women

[sanguinity]

Canon Story: The Cardboard Box
Title: Just Two Good Women
Author: sanguinity
Rating: G
Author's notes: A very placid and respectable maiden lady of fifty, leading a most retired life, with so few acquaintances or correspondents that it is a rare event for her to receive anything through the post...

 

Susan was wearing mourning.

"Forgive my intrusion, Miss Cushing," I stammered, "but I saw in the papers--"

She blanched, and I took her elbow. Our skirts swirled together around our feet.

--and I couldn't be sure you'd send for me.

"Miss Collins," she said. She gave me her chilled hand, and I brought it to my cheek to warm it.

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

It would be nice to think the poor woman had someone like that to comfort her.

[sanguinity]

If there was ever a story that calls for comfort, that was one such.

[debriswoman]

A whole other story here, I think:-)

[sanguinity]

That's often the case, or so it seems to me.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I really like that contrast between the internal and external references to Miss Cushing. She's "Susan" in Miss Collins' head and "Miss Cushing" for the outside world. And a nice expansion on that respectful but rather dismissive statement of Browner's: The old one was just a good woman...

And it's lovely that Miss Cushing does have someone who will support her in her grief. I would imagine Mary's murder will drive Susan and Sarah further apart: Sarah will be too full of guilt to be able to offer support to Susan and even if Susan doesn't want to, I would imagine she will partly blame Sarah for Mary's death.

[sanguinity]

It's lovely to be able to trust one's readers to catch those details. :-)

And there really isn't anything about being a good woman (or a good man, either), that deserves that 'just.' I can't help but think that Browner's life might have been a bit happier if he had understood that.

Yes, grief has an insidious tendency to take any pre-existing faultline and lever it wide open, even in the best of circumstances. Which this very much is not. It might be a long, long time before the surviving sisters mend their relationship, if they ever do. :-(

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Yes. One does wonder exactly how many of those Victorian-era "lonely, respectable spinster ladies" were none of those things in reality.

[sanguinity]

Far fewer than those respectable ladies would have been happy us knowing, I am sure.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this 60 giving very believable life and solidity to a background character.

[sanguinity]

Thank you!

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Love your contributions to the comm, please bring the skirt-swirling gals being pals every week (or whenever you feel like it!).

[sanguinity]

That's the plan! We'll see if it survives contact with the enemy the canon.

And I'm very glad you're enjoying these. :-)

[castiron.livejournal.com]

Lovely imagery, and a nice alternate view of the character!

[sanguinity]

Thank you! My last several were exclusively dialog, and I wanted to play with the imagery for a change. :-)