Sisters (On Pause)

Hilda - Sweet-talking and Family Trees

"The defence club?"  Rose gaped. "One of the six clubs of Blackwood?"

"Yes, trooper!" Gemma smiled. "We are the Defence club, which teaches students all aspects of self-protection. You will learn how to fight with these fencing swords," she started, nodding at the sword that Hilda was currently clutching, "known as épées,  and then we will move on to actual swords, firstly wooden ones, then actual steel swords - and by the way, a lot of girls ask why aren't the swords made of silver. That is because silver is too soft. Steel is much more effective. Anyway, you'll learn all the best tac-tics, then we'll move on to guns! Yes, you heard that right, young lasses. You'll also know how to make harmless bombs to cause a diversion in a time of attack. And if you're really good, then we'll help with a bit of detective work as well. That will include learning actual dectectivery, if that even is a word, as well as disguises and sweet talking."

Genevieve let out a giggle. "Sweet talking? Are you absoulutely serious?"

"Of course." Gemma replied disbeievingly. "Surely you have been in a situation, where the suspect you are stalking turns about more than once in the past hour and sees you every time, and he starts questioning and threatening to call up the ole copper, and you have got thirty seconds to change his mind and not sound absolutely stupid - they never taught Sherlock Holmes to sweet-talk, did they? He would have looked like an right poof. But if a young girl - especially if your from Blackwood - they won't suspect you of stalking. Especially if you are good at sweet talking. Sweet talking is THE KEY FOR GETTING AWAY."

"Okay. What about the other clubs?" Hilda asked. 

"Well, I told you that there was six clubs, did I?" 

"Uh-huh."

"So basically the six clubs are like extensions. You take the club test to enter, then you take an even harder test just before you graduate. The diploma test. It is like a certificate. If you want to work for the MI5 when you graduate, then getting a high diploma score on Defense will help you get in. Stuff like that."

"And the other clubs?" Rose prompted. 

"Yes. There is the Defence club, run by me, Gemma Redding. Then, there is the Pageant club. A bit of a joke, really, but some royalty and celebrity children have to know how to be 'fashionable', because otherwise they will be eaten alive by the paparazzi. Poor souls. They also learn a tad bit of Drama over there, usually they have specialised teachers for that though. That is run by Lady Margarethe Klementine Viktoria of Saxe-Arco. We all call her Lady Margaret, though, because Margarethe is just a German version of Margaret and its way easier to say. 

"Then, there is the Business and Leadership club. It used to be two seperate clubs, but they follow basically the same thing so they merged it. They merged it fourty years ago, so when I was in Blackwood Academy it was already merged. Anyway, I did Defence and Business and Leadership  - I also did Charity Work - and yeah, Business and Leadership is probably the most popular choice because so many parents of the students of Blackwood are business tycoons. That is run by Sharon McKay. Charity Work club is very self-explanatory, they basically teach you how to make a difference, that sort of thing. I took it so when I get Redding's, I want to put a bit of our profits to charity. That is lead by Fahimah Ghebo, and, hmm, Defence, Pageant, Business and Leadership, Charity Work, what have I left out....  ATHLETICS, of course, self-explanatory, you learn the best tac-tics for sports. Run by Dana Reyes."

"Wow. That's  a mouthful." Rose grinned.

"More than a mouthful!" Gemma cried in mock indignation. 

"Well, Gemma, it was nice meeting you." Genevieve finally said, "But we really have to go."

"Yeah, to ask permission from Henry Frederick Stone to spend the night at Rose Victoria Waters, along with Genevieve Meihui Huang? Or, in Chinese, 黄美惠?"

"How do you know?" Genevieve asked

"We take detective lessons." a girl next to Gemma drawled, will chewing furiously in a piece of lemon lime gum. "Your nanny called you Meihui plenty of times. And, by the way, Primrosie?"

"What?" Rose snarled

"Queen Victoria of England was your great aunt times six, not eight."

"What?" Rose repeated more shocked than before.

"Here's the papers. Don't forget, Victoria Station, platform six, September the first, ten am!"the gum girl trilled.

The gum girl passed her a scroll of paper that was all tall as Rose, then sashayed away, still trilling. 

The scroll showed a large family tree with Proof that Rose Victoria Waters is a many time great granddaughter to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, former Princess of Leiningen and Duchess of Kent and Strathearn written on it in bold italics, inked in emerald green.

"That's Queen Victoria's mum!" Rose whispered.

"Gosh!" Hilda whispered back.

It showed that she had two marraiges, one to her aunt's widower, Emich Carl, second Prince of Leiningen, and another to the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, who was Queen Victoria. The kids she had was Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen, Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Queen Victoria and...

"Margaret Victoria Conroy? Who on Earth is Margaret Victoria Conroy?" 

 "The Duchess of Kent's secret third daughter?" Genevieve asked, shrugging. 

Margaret Victoria then had a daugther called Augusta Victoria White, who then had a daughter called Marie Victoria Jefferson, who then had a daughter called Luise Victoria Schulte, who then had a daughter called Alexandra Victoria Mayhew, who then had a daughter called Theodora Victoria Jenner - 

"That's Gran!" Rose gaped, mouth hanging. 

-who then had a daughter called Carlota Victoria Castillo-

"Mamá!"

-who had twins, the elder being Rose Victoria Waters, the younger being Tobias 'Toby' Waters.

"So I'm part German, part Mexican and part English?" Rose finally asked weakly.