The Account of Megan Waterford

By Beth Fisher

Written by 11 year old Beth Fisher, The Account of Megan Waterford is a work of fiction set about 100 years ago. The short novel begins in 1912 and finishes in 1918. The Account of Megan Waterford follows the fortunes of a 15-year old orphan girl living with her aunt and uncle just outside London.

Megan is aware that she does not fit in with her surroundings and finds friendship with the workers in the house.

Events such as the sinking of the Titanic, the First World War, Spanish Flu and women's Suffrage are all seen through Megan's eyes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780244729929

Book preview

The Account of Megan Waterford

The Account of Megan Waterford

By

Beth Fisher

Copyright © Beth Fisher.

The right of Beth Fisher to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988.

No part of this text may be copied, performed or recorded in any media without express written permission of the author.

First Printing: 2018

ISBN: 978-0-244-72992-9

Beth Fisher

27 Goldcroft

Yeovil, Somerset, BA21 4DG

Cover illustration by Esther Fisher.

www.writerbeth.co.uk

To Ezzy

A Note from the Author

Megan’s accounts are a work of fiction set about 100 years ago. This novel was written in 10 days during August 2018.

Beginning in 1912, there wasn’t an adoption system apart from wards (that’s what Megan is to the Dowes). A ward could be a relation or a friend’s child. Wards did not have to have the family name, hence Megan keeping the name Waterford.  There are real events including Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, Women’s Suffrage, World War 1 and the Spanish Flu.

In this novel Rosalind and Matilda are based on some friends of mine. Rosie and Tilly.  I am glad they were happy to be in it because I hadn’t told them until I finished the book.

With many thanks to my parents, Esther Fisher, Nanny, Liz Pike and Chris Richardson.

I do hope you enjoy reading this.

Beth Fisher

2018

Part 1

Branford, 1912

Megan

Rose, shall we go walking? asked Emily.

No! replied Rose, firmly.  She had been glued to that book for ages.  I didn’t enter the conversation, because Emily and Rose always squabbled.  Emily was the oldest; she was slender and blonde. She was always elegant, but Emily was a bit silly. She was obsessed with society. 

Rose was the youngest.  She was a bookworm and was always rather windswept. She rode a bicycle, which absolutely amazed me.

And me. I was, well, me.  I was Megan Waterford, their cousin.  Rose was very dull and Emily a bit unkind.  I had been sent to the Dowe’s home when I was twelve.  My parents were dead.  Now I was fifteen, almost sixteen, but still perceived as a rather nasty stain on a piece of furniture that could not be got rid of.

Mrs Dowe, or Aunt Enid, as I was forbidden to call her, was neat but very horrible. She would laugh at my silly name. 

No one in their right mind would call someone Megan!  Or make me do jobs for her, Rose and Emily.  Pick up that tray now!  she would demand.

The worst thing was I had a secret which she knew.  I was friends with a boy.  Mrs Dowe would say Silly Megan! and Don’t go off to Alexander.

Alexander or Alex was a friend of mine who was the footman.  He was seventeen which was a bit older than me.  But I’ll come to that later.

Mr Dowe, or Uncle Charles, was always cooped up in his study.  But when he was out he was really angry.  He had a red face, a large nose and bushy brown moustache. I usually kept out of his way.

Once when I was twelve I accidently broke a vase, which was a wedding present to their grandparents from Queen Victoria, and I seriously regretted it.

While Rose and Emily were bickering, I wrote all that down in this book. Then Emily turned to me.  

Megan, what are you doing there still?  And using our desk! she cried.  

Apologising profusely, I hurriedly gathered up my notebook and, clutching it firmly, ran out of the