When the Finn family was moving away Becky Finn’s cat, Nell was lost in an accident. Around Nell’s neck was a charm bracelet Becky had given her. On the bracelet were nine charms one for each of Nell’s nine lives, but Nells luck and her nine lives were running out fast, as she desperately tried to find her way back to Becky.
In 1860 orphans Joanna and Johnny Hollow were sent to the workhouse after the death of their parents. So they were not separated Joanna disguised herself as a boy. Then the children were adopted by Mr Hindley who only wanted them to slave in his factory and under the constant threat of being sent back to workhouse.
In Victorian times, Paulina Grimthorpe was turned out of her home, Grimthorpe Hall, along with all the servants when her uncle Darley claimed the estate after the sudden death of her father. In order to search for the will she felt sure her father must have left, Paulina took a job as a scullery maid in her own home under the name Polly Ford.
Published: Judy & Tracy: #1306 (19 January 1985) – #1315 (23 March 1985)
Episodes: 10
Reprints: None known
Artist: Paddy Brennan
Writer: Unknown
Plot
Lucy and Lynne Linton are twins. Lynne has the edge when it comes to sports and, feeling jealous at this, Lucy demands a cycle race. However, Lucy is so determined to beat Lynne that she cycles too fast, which causes her to have an accident that leaves her confined to a wheelchair. Lucy secretly blames Lynne and sets out to make her life as miserable as possible by playing sneaky tricks to make it look like Lynne is acting spitefully towards her, such as letting the brakes off her wheelchair and leading Mum to think the tumble she takes was due to Lynne’s carelessness.
Then Lucy suddenly realises she can walk again. But when she hears how Lynne has earned a place in the school athletics team, her jealousy over Lynne for being the better one at sports resurfaces. She decides to pretend to be paralysed so as to play on her parents’ sympathy and get anything she wants, and continue secretly cause trouble for Lynne.
Lucy eventually makes a mistake that tips Lynne off as to what she is up to. However, by this time Lucy’s tricks have poisoned Mum, Dad and the schoolmates against Lynne, and they don’t listen when Lucy tries to tell them what is going on. Lucy makes things so bad for Lynne that eventually the parents put Lynne into care as a problem child. The staff don’t believe Lynne either when she tries to tell them the truth about Lucy.
Lucy now looks forward to having the run of the house and being thoroughly spoilt now there is no Lynne. However, she finds she has miscalculated because the parents are thinking more about Lynne than her. She tags along with her parents for a visit to Lynne. They think she is so brave to do so. But Lucy’s real motive is to check to see if Lynne has got through to anyone, and if so, put a stop to that.
At the home a fire breaks out because Lynne’s roommate Ros keeps smoking in violation of the rules. Both Lynne and Ros become trapped in the blaze. Seeing this, Lucy’s conscience is finally aroused over what she has done to Lynne. She leaps out of her wheelchair and goes to the rescue. She succeeds in helping to get them rescued. Of course this shows everyone that Lucy is not paralysed and she has to confess everything. Lynne considers Lucy has made up for everything with her heroic deed and is happy to reconcile with her. Lucy owns up to the classmates while Lynne graciously supports her so the classmates are more willing to bury the past. The parents are impressed at this and relieved there is no more twin trouble.
Thoughts
Spiteful girls who cause trouble for a foster sibling/relative to make them look like they’re the ones who are acting spitefully are nothing new in girls’ comics, especially at DCT. Girls who pretend to be disabled or conduct a vendetta against someone because they (wrongly) blame them for an accident aren’t new either.
But although the formula is far from new, having a girl causing trouble for her own sister to the point where she gets her poor, innocent sister sent away takes it to a particularly despicable level in this one. It could be that Lucy’s spite was the product of shock and facing the horror that she may not walk again. But Lucy loses sympathy there once she regains the use of her legs and is just pretending to be crippled. Once the story take this turn, Lucy’s conduct grows even more appalling because it’s clearly motivated by jealousy and greed as much as misguided revenge. Lucy does not feel any remorse when she gets her own sister sent away as a problem child either, which makes it even more contemptible.
So it would take something monumental to not only bring Lucy to her senses but to redeem herself as well and open the path to reconciliation and forgiveness with Lynne. Saving the lives of Lynne and Ros is just the thing. It is far better than Lucy just being glibly forgiven once she is found out and things carry on as if nothing had happened, which has happened in some stories such as “That Bad Bettina!” from Mandy.
It’s a nice and unexpected twist when Lucy finds out that getting rid of Lynne hasn’t given her the monopoly of the house and parents. The parents are thinking more about Lynne than her, and Lucy’s nose is put out of joint at how things have backfired a bit. Luckily for Lynne this happens in the final episode, so Lucy’s latest annoyance does not lead to more spiteful tricks.
The Darke Diamonds are the heirloom necklace of the Darke family. Once there were ten diamonds, but over the generations the diamonds have progressively disappeared one way or another (lost, sold, gifted, traded, and even thrown away) and just one is left now. The latest Darke to inherit the last diamond relives the diamonds’ history in a strange dream.
On the day Jan Patterson’s little brother, Neil, was to have the plaster removed from his injured leg, the doctor discovered a complication and ordered the plaster to be retained. Jan felt responsible, as Neil had fallen from his chair while in her charge. Realising that Jan felt guilty, Neil rook advantage of his position and blackmailed her.
Trouble on Wheels – Judy: #1217 (07 May 1983) – #1224 (25 June 1983)
In 1847 a young girl runs away and slips and hits her head. She wakes up with no memory, in a grand house, where a woman claims she is her daughter, Lady Caroline. But flashes of a memory and a conversation she overhears makes her think she was told a lie so she goes on a hunt to find out who she is.
“Who Am I?” – Judy: #1587 (09 June 1990) – #1596 (11 August 1990)
Joanna Peel, on holiday at Blane Castle, tried on a highwayman’s cloak once worn by the notorious Lady Jessica Blane. That very night, she had found herself wearing the cloak, riding a great, black horse to the gates of a strange house.
Cloak of Darkness – Judy: #946 (25 February 1978) – #955 (29 April 1978)
Daisy Dean, a scruffy but likeable girl, wanted to become a little beauty queen and she got her chance when she was adopted by Madame Margot, who ran a beauty school for children. Although her father causes some problems.
When Fiona Miller’s family was put under a curse by gypsy Meg Fergus, Fiona secretly volunteered to wear the Ring of Fergus for a year and a day, thereby taking all the bad luck on herself. Fiona’s personality changed under the ring’s influence. She was already in trouble when the ring became entangled in her little sister’s hair and, in cutting it free, Fiona made matters worse.
Fiona and the Ring of Fergus – Judy: #1050 (23 Feb. 1980) – #1059 (26 April 1980)