The Heather and the Pine

A note on the characters and setting

Characters

Martha (17) - a kitchen maid; the narrator

Mrs H (37) - the housekeeper in the household where Martha works; the most senior female servant

Susannah (15) - a housemaid in the same household

Jack (16) - a footman in the same household

Mr O (45) - the major's butler; the most senior male servant

Madeleine (26) - the Mistress' maid

The Major (42) - a cavalry officer in the British Army; Martha's employer

The Mistress (35) - the Major's wife

The Young Master (16) - the son of the Major and Mistress

Charlotte (21) - the daughter of the local doctor

A bit of background

This story is set in the Highlands of Scotland, in the 1850s. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert liked to holiday there, and had bought a house there (Balmoral) some time shortly before this story. The railways were taking off at the same time, which made it easier for socially-conscious middle- and upper-class people to copy the Queen and Prince Consort, and started a Victorian craze for holidays in the Highlands.

Martha's employer has been invited by an army friend with property in Scotland to spend a few weeks shooting on the estate. (The shooting season starts on 12th August.) There isn't an exact, real location for the story, and it doesn't really matter, but I've assumed that the family are staying somewhere vaguely near Balmoral - the most popular area, because of the Royal Family's presence. I think this would have meant a long journey by train to Aberdeen, then several hours travel by coach into the Highlands.

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Women were not admitted to university to study medicine in Edinburgh until the 1870s.

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I've tried to get period details and so on correct, but apologise if anyone notices any mistakes. Also, I've only been to the Highlands/Aberdeen twice, so I'm sorry if that's not quite right, either...