Nature or Nurture: the raising of a monster

Prologue

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Prologue

When Adison was sixteen, her mother died. Her older brother was off to university at that time, and since there were no other children and very few staff at the manor house, the funeral was a very quiet affair. She and her father returned home together.

The wind blew Adison's blond hair in her face. Her mother had always disliked her having it down, finding it indecent, but her father liked seeing it loose, so she decided to please him, and herself, on this sad day. Her father meanwhile contemplated how much she had come to resemble her mother, with her slender figure and her sweet, beautiful face. The black dress looked good on her, the color making her look a little pale, though that might be grief as well.

That night after dinner, as they sat together in her father's cosy library, Adison shared some of her thoughts with her father: 'Dad, you know I'm not ever going to be married, do you?'

His face lit up by the warm glow of the hearth, her father replied absently: 'You don't have to be married my dear, if you don't want to. We can live together, as we've always done.'

Adison objected to this:' Dad, I hope you live to ninety, but what will I do after that?'

'I'm sure your brother will take excellent care of you my dear', he replied, now putting his book away and concentrating on her.

Adison wasn't so sure, she had not really known her brother since he had been sent off to school when he was seven:' What if his wife doesn't like me, or I don't like her? What if she wants me to stop hunting and shooting, and start embroidering cushions and singing duets? What if she wants me to stop reading and writing essays and get married to an ancient baronet and raise a brood of children? What if they make me?

They could, you know.' The very idea of having to stop studying visibly upset Adison, which surprised her father, since Adison was usually very calm and collected.

Adison's dad, who had always kept her mother from sending her to girls' school, knowing she would be unhappy there, had to admit that his clever daughter had a point.

She had a great life now, always present at the meetings he held with his scholarly friends, taking notes and writing essays, testing her theories and asking difficult questions of the writers and scientists they invited to present their latest insights. But if he were no longer alive, and his son had taken over the manor house, Adison would be a beautiful but unfashionable and overeducated spinster living off her brothers charity. Her education would stop, which would mean that for Adison, life would stop.

Seeing that her father was finishing a thought, Adison patiently waited for his answer:

'You are right, dearest, we cannot count on your brother alone. We will have to make arrangements ourselves, and since I have plans to live to a very old age, we will have plenty of time to fulfill them.'

Her father started by opening a personal account for her, where he saved up as much as he could towards her future. Over their breakfast, they discussed a possible job.

'As far as I know, a noble lady without independence has three career options, 'Adison said to her dad,' marrying a wealthy man, becoming a governess, or studying to be a nurse.'

'If there were no children involved, or parents for that matter, you'd make an excellent governess....,' her father said comically.

Adison finished his sentence: '..but since there are, I think it will be nursing.'

Her father clearly didn't like the idea of his educated daughter settling for being a nurse: 'You have all the right qualities to become a doctor, Adison, if only they would allow girls to the colleges,' he observed regretfully.

Adison, knowing he was right, answered: 'I know dad, I could cut my hair, wear trousers and apply, but then my brother will die of shame.

What if I take the nurse's training, and apply to your friend from your Hong Kong days for a solid course in Chinese medicine to top it off? He never objected to answering a girl's questions when he visited, he even seemed to like me.'

Her father's face lightened: 'He sure does, Adison, and I think it is a capital idea. With nurse's training and Chinese medicine combined, you will always be able to make your own living, and who knows when you may get the chance to become a doctor.'

And so she wrote two application letters, and within a month Adison had two replies that she was very welcome to study in the big city.

Adison studied hard to combine both courses, and met with success on both counts. Her empathy with all living beings and her scientific accuracy made her well-suited to nursing, and learning to practice Chinese medicine with her father's friend, and all the other teachers he recommended, gave her the challenge she needed. Meanwhile, several expensive heirlooms disappeared from the manor house, sold by Adison's father to have the proceeds end up on Adison's independence account.

But when she came home, the quiet solicitude of the country could not longer challenge her.

After two weeks she told her father over dinner:' I'm sorry dad, but the country is no longer my favorite place to be. I feel I'm falling behind in my medical development, and I miss the noise and the entertainment of the city.

Her father, though sad, was also understanding:' I can imagine you do, love, it is time for you to stand on your own two feet, be independent. I will not cage my little bird, after raising you to be free. I wish you good luck, my dear, I'm sure you will do brilliantly. Use your savings well, and don't forget to write. I'll read your letters to our friends at our meetings.'

And the next week, Adison packed her things and was off to the city, to meet her future. She managed to lease the entire attic of a nice-sized house in a middle class neighborhood, and decided to live of her savings until she could find a position as a nurse in one of the town's hospitals.