Story Snip from Larksong: Chapter 36 and Baking Class 3 with Samba Schutte!

arksong is nearly at an end!

Soundtrack for today's snip comes from The Sami Sisters:



Larksong is set in a lakeside town on the outskirts of Montreal, in July 1914.

In chapters 1 to 10, Alice arrives at the family cottage following her grandmother's funeral, to take care of her grandmother's aviary--only to find that her parents have already leased the cottage to another prominent Montreal family. The only way she can have one final summer in her favourite place is to surreptitiously take on the role of governess to the two young girls.

Gradually, she bonds with them, and eases into her feigned position. Then she learns that their older brother George, laid up with a broken leg, will be staying as well, for rest and recuperation.

Upon his arrival, Alice keeps up her governess role as best she can. She finds George attractive and interesting--but also unbearably entitled. They can't seem to stop arguing over everything--including the rumours of political events in Europe.

As they spend their evenings together over cards and drinks, George attempts a rapprochement and Alice struggles to mask her stirring feelings. George, too, realizes that his attraction to Alice is growing--yet this realization does not lead to greater friendliness.

In chapters 11 to 20, a new complication arises, in the form of the arrival of Albert, George's younger--and rather rude--brother, hiding a secret about his expulsion from university. On returning from an afternoon at the lake, Alice and the girls overhear an argument between the brothers. When Albert takes his sisters with him back to the lakeshore, Alice and George share a moment alone in the garden. Alice, growing ever more conflicted, decides to emphasize her governess role and not join the brothers that evening in the parlour.

In chapters 21 to 30, Alice and George share an early morning idyll rowing on the lake, and finally have a true rapprochement. Alice arranges an expedition in the woods with the girls, and George joins them. There are friendly chats, the girls sign their brother's cast, and George begins work on a sketch of Alice, finally allowing himself to explore his passion for drawing and painting, which his family have been trying to quell.

When they return home, the girls help Alice feed the birds and clean the aviary in preparation for the arrival of Mr Palmer, a prospective buyer. Throughout the day, there are hints of the gathering storms of war.

Alice and George come close to admitting their attraction, but then George unwittingly insults the birds, the aviary, and even Alice's affection for her grandmother's pets.

A further complication emerges with the arrival of Albert's friends from Montreal, as well as Pixie, a hired nurse for George, who seems more interested in flirting with Albert and his friends than in engaging in her duties. That evening, the boys hold an arm wrestling match, involving wagers for a few coins--and kisses for the winner from Pixie. George catches Albert and Pixie canoodling in the kitchen, but decides he's in no position to say anything because he is ready to embrace Alice, the governess.

The next day, George decides to reveal to both Alicce and his sisters his secret--the full extent of his artistry. They discover that Eleanor is also a budding artist, and the siblings, guided by Alice, agree to continue to develop their talent and to hide it together from their disapproving parents.

The girls return to the house, and Alice and George, alone in the enclosed garden, sit side by side on the bench. They kiss, and Alice, too, reveals her secret. She discloses her true identity to George, and they openly discuss their newfound feelings. They also talk of Alice's attachment to the cottage and the birds, and what they might tell his family, if anything, about her pretending to be a governess for the past couple of weeks. Then they talk of George's hopes and plans for his future career in art-- and what might happen if war comes.

In chapters 30 to 34, they all attend the banquet and dance at the nearby luxury hotel. Alice juggles her governess duties with unwanted advances from Albert--and affairs of the heart. Earlier than planned, Alice and George return to the house together and draw closer than ever before, until Albert interrupts.

Following an argument between George and his brother, Albert disappears with Pixie. Alice and George take their relationship further than they have before, until George says the wrong thing and Alice storms upstairs to bed.

The next morning, Alice wakes to find all the birds gone from the aviary. She rushes out to seek them, all the while speculating about who might have left the doors open. She manages to catch most of the birds, with Eleanor's help. Yet just when she thinks all might be salvaged, things take a turn for the worse when George, goaded by Albert's jibes, reveals her true identity to everyone at once.

In chapter 35, George swung between contrition and frustration. Now, in chapter 36, Alice makes a decision...


Alice gathered her kit and made to stand as soon as she saw Pixie headed down the veranda steps.

"You're not going to sulk the entire journey, are you?" the nurse asked. She'd donned cap and gown once more and looked prim and proper for the first time since her arrival.

"I'm not sulking, Nurse," Alice said in as dismissive a tone as she could manage. "I am, as you know, in mourning. I'm sorry to have to leave my grandmother's home for a final time under such inauspicious circumstances. Especially as the mynah birds have not yet been recovered."

Pixie scoffed and seemed about to reply, but Eleanor and Lucy scampered up and cut in front of her.

"Please don't leave, Miss Alice," Lucy cried, and hugged her about the leg.

Alice patted her on the shoulder. "I promise to write you both. And we can always see each other––out somewhere––in Montreal come autumn. But I cannot stay here. It belongs to your family, not mine."

Pixie's lip curled, no doubt at Alice's mawkish statements, though Alice spoke from her––guarded––heart.

She affected not to notice the scorn, and devoted her attention to Lucy, who seemed satisfied by the hope of a future reunion. She gave Alice a last squeeze about the midsection and let go. "Elsie's baked us a pie!" she said brightly.

Eleanor cast a withering glance at her sister. "Farewell, Miss Pixie," she said formally. "I shall miss you, Miss Alice." She nodded curtly at each of them and thrust a folded sheet of notepaper towards Alice. As soon as Alice had accepted it, the girls ran off.

"Really, all these scenes," Pixie said. "You'd think war had come already, and you a Red Cross nurse leaving on the next train. Where's Neil? He hasn't collected my bag."

Alice hefted her own bag and made her way out of the gate towards the car. She might have lingered a final time at the fence, but Colin sat behind the wheel, smoking, frowning up at the lowering sky.

He leapt out as she approached and relieved her of her kit. "Are the others on their way? Your train leaves in twenty minutes. And I'd like to get ahead of that brewing storm."

"They're coming," Alice said absently. What did it matter whether the skies opened on them? She'd unfolded the note, which she'd assumed was from Eleanor herself, and caught the name at the bottom.

George. He'd scribbled in haste, words running together in many places.

Dear Alice,
I apologise for revealing to the others the fact you'd wished to keep hidden. I truly thought––if I thought at all, you might say––it would help, as everyone might then be more favourably disposed to helping search for the birds, if they understood their import for you.
If only two are yet missing, won't you at least stay until we've found them? I shall do my utmost to assist––
No. To the point: I cannot have you leave, not like this.
I beg you to reconsider. If you will not, do please write and let me know when I might see you again in Montreal.
There is no reason for me to remain here, if you are gone. But I will deal with the aviary first, I promise, Alice, sweeth––
Yours in hope, George

She could just about see the porch rail from where she stood, but knew she wasn't visible from any other part of the house. If George had wanted her to read his note in a spot where he could watch her and gauge her reaction, she'd thwarted him that much.

The decision was hers alone to make. Stay--or walk away from his outstretched hand.

If he had hot humiliated her, if he'd kept his temper before his brother, how sweet it might have been to remain, with only herself and George to keep each other company in the evenings after his sisters had retired. Yet they had done just that, on the first night, and what had it led to?

An argument––the first of many.

And last night, after the party, he'd even humiliated her then.

This was even worse than when his family had rejected her invitation to her debutante ball. Cunnick insolence struck again. The nerve of him, asking her to slink back to the house that was no linger hers! As if all could be smoothed over if she simply followed his lead.

She crumpled up his note and shoved it into her handbag as Pixie and Albert came up, followed by Neil lugging cases.

She and Pixie were handed up into the car. Albert sat up front by Colin. Once all the baggage had been roped together, Neil cosied up on Pixie's other side and, with a blast from the klaxon, Colin headed down the drive and swung out onto the road.

Alice craned her neck, glanced back one time.

No one stood at the gate to wave goodbye.

Baking class with Samba Schutte!
In the first class, we made a chocolate tart!
In the second class, we made two kinds of cupcakes!

This time around, we baked peche melba pie, or Rhys Darby's favourite pie, Rosy Maple Moth Pie!!

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The yummiest custard filling ever!

What's your favourite kind of pie?