Alice-Miranda at Camp 10

by Jacqueline Harvey

  About the Book

  Alice-Miranda and her schoolmates are going on camp. There are sleep outs, treasure hunts and so many other activities to look forward to! However, it’s not all fun and games. Alice-Miranda and Millie will need to keep a close eye on Caprice, the school’s newest student, who seems determined to cause trouble.

  Next door to the camp is Pelham Park, where Alice-Miranda’s father, Hugh, grew up. These days, Hugh’s beautiful old house serves as a retirement home but when some startling objects are uncovered in its cellar, the peaceful estate is turned upside down. With help from a much-loved relative, Alice-Miranda sets out to investigate.

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  And just in case you’re wondering …

  Cast of Characters

  Alice-Miranda at the Palace

  About the Author

  Books by Jacqueline Harvey

  Copyright Notice

  Loved the book?

  For Ian, who made one school camp

  especially memorable, and for Sandy,

  who would love that we’ve come so far.

  The grandfather clock chimed two as the man made his way along the empty corridor towards the back staircase. Dust danced on the moonbeams that shone through the window at the end of the hall, lighting his path. Somewhere in the inky darkness outside a beast howled, but the house and its occupants slept on.

  When he reached the ground floor, the man entered the disused kitchen. He passed the ancient cooker and empty cupboards and went through the butler’s pantry to a locked door. He fumbled about in his dressing-gown pocket, retrieved a key and turned it in the lock. Then he closed the door behind him, pressed the button on the tiny torch in his other hand and walked down, down, down until another door blocked his path. This one required a different key. A moment later, safely on the other side, he flicked the switch on the wall.

  A golden glow lit the space around him.

  ‘Good evening, Sidney.’ He nodded at the polar bear. The giant taxidermied beast stood guard over a jumble of antiques and household goods that had long ago been banished to the cellars. The man wove his way through the cast-offs, acknowledging several more trophy creatures. In the far corner of the room he pulled aside a thick black curtain to reveal a large metal door. With his glasses perched on the tip of his nose, he leaned down and turned the circular lock, listening for the clicks. One, eight, six, four. As he pulled on the handle, a blast of cool air escaped. He reached around and flicked a switch, then waited as a bank of fluorescent lights stuttered to life.

  Inside, the vault walls were a jigsaw of paintings in heavily gilded frames. On the floor, rows upon rows of V-shaped racks contained yet more, smaller treasures. He shuffled past several racks before something caught his eye. He wondered why it seemed so out of place. His once-sharp memories often felt as blurred as the Impressionist landscapes he loved so much, but surely this was just his weary mind playing tricks. He shook his head, trying to focus, then looked across and spotted what he was searching for.

  He lifted the painting out and propped it on the lone easel in the room.

  The folding chair was hidden in an alcove, just as he’d left it. With its faded stripes and worn seat, its picnic days were a distant memory. He positioned the chair in front of the painting then sat down and stared into the glowing canvas. JMW Turner’s landscapes had always been his favourite.

  He pulled a chocolate from his pocket and slowly peeled the golden wrapper. As he popped the confection into his mouth, he didn’t notice the foil flutter to the floor.

  Minutes became an hour and the alarm on his watch beeped. He returned the chair to its original position and the painting to its rack.

  Back in the cellar, he pulled the vault door and spun the dial, then retraced his steps up to the butler’s pantry, locking the doors behind him. He stepped carefully across the kitchen flagstones, climbed the back stairs, and walked silently to his apartment, avoiding the squeaky floor boards that might rouse his slumbering neighbours. Then he climbed into bed and fell into a deep, deep sleep.

  As Alice-Miranda and Millie approached the music room on their way to afternoon tea, they heard the most extraordinary sound. A voice, as smooth as honey and just as rich, floated into the hallway.

  ‘Is that Jacinta?’ Millie asked.

  Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘No, wouldn’t she be at Caledonia Manor with the year sevens?’

  Millie nodded. ‘I suppose so, but it doesn’t sound like Sloane either. It must be one of the new girls. What a voice! They’ll definitely hate her, you know.’

  ‘Who’ll hate her?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Jacinta and Sloane, of course,’ said Millie.

  Alice-Miranda grinned. ‘Millie, you know that’s not true. But I think Mr Lipp’s going to want whoever it is in the choir.’

  Just as the girls reached the open door, the soloist stopped. Alice-Miranda and Millie peeked into the room.

  Mr Trout was sitting at the grand piano clasping his hands together. ‘Bravo, my dear. That was beautiful, absolutely beautiful!’

  Miss Reedy was standing beside him. A tall girl had her back to the door. ‘Is that the piece you sang for the National Eisteddfod?’ the English teacher asked.

  ‘Yes,’ the girl replied with a nod.

  Mr Trout beamed. ‘What an accomplishment to win the open category at your age.’

  The girl shrugged.

  Miss Reedy glanced over at the doorway and spotted Alice-Miranda and Millie. ‘Oh girls, perfect timing. Come and meet Caprice Radford.’

  The pair hurried into the room as the willowy girl turned and looked at them. She had a long mane of copper-coloured hair, with a blunt fringe framing sparkling sapphire-blue eyes. Her pale skin was luminous and Alice-Miranda thought she was probably about ten or eleven years old.

  Alice-Miranda stepped forward and held out her hand. ‘Hello, my name’s Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones and I’m very pleased to meet you.’

  ‘I’m Caprice Radford,’ the girl replied. She reached out and gave Alice-Miranda’s hand a shake as limp as a fish.

  The group looked expectantly at Millie, who for a moment seemed to have fallen under some sort of hypnotic spell.

  ‘Oh, me?’ the girl blathered. ‘I’m just Millie.’ She hadn’t meant to stare but the newcomer was ridiculously pretty.

  ‘Hi,’ Caprice said, looking the flame-haired child up and down.

  ‘Caprice arrived after lunch and we’ve been having a tour of the school. It was fortunate that we ran into Mr Trout and Caprice
told him about her singing. I don’t know if you heard any of it, but she’s marvellous,’ Miss Reedy gasped.

  Alice-Miranda and Millie nodded. ‘Yes, we heard,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘Girls, would you please take Caprice to afternoon tea and then to the boarding house?’ asked Miss Reedy. ‘Mr Trout and I have a meeting to attend.’

  ‘Of course, Miss Reedy,’ Alice-Miranda replied. She paused, frowning. ‘Oh. I just remembered I have to collect a sports shirt from Miss Wall. Millie, could you take Caprice and I’ll meet you there in a minute?’

  ‘Sure,’ Millie said as Alice-Miranda shot off.

  ‘Thanks, girls. We’ll see you later,’ Miss Reedy said.

  Caprice followed Millie to the door then turned and smiled at the teachers. ‘I’m really looking forward to singing in the choir, Mr Trout. Please keep me in mind for some of the solos if you think I might be good enough.’ She fluttered her long eyelashes.

  ‘Oh, absolutely.’ Cornelius Trout felt a tingle run the length of his spine. He couldn’t remember ever hearing such a prodigious talent before.

  ‘What a charming girl,’ Miss Reedy said loudly.

  ‘Yes, indeed,’ Mr Trout agreed.

  A smug smile settled on Caprice’s face as she joined Millie in the corridor. The two girls walked to the door at the end of the hallway and out into the sunny courtyard.

  ‘Do you have singing lessons?’ Millie asked.

  ‘No,’ Caprice replied sharply.

  ‘Really? Your voice is amazing,’ said Millie.

  ‘Everyone says that,’ Caprice said matter-of-factly. ‘It gets so boring after a while.’

  ‘I don’t think it would be boring to be able to sing like you,’ Millie said.

  Caprice shot Millie a pitying stare. ‘I guess you’ll never know.’

  Millie looked at the girl. What she said was true, but considering Caprice had never heard her sing, it seemed an odd thing to say.

  ‘The dining room’s over there.’ Millie pointed at the freshly painted blue door.

  The place was buzzing with students swapping stories of their holidays and moaning about the amount of work some of their teachers had already set. After all, they’d only arrived back yesterday and today was the first day of lessons. The pair joined the end of the long line at the servery.

  ‘Where did you go to school before here?’ Millie asked.

  ‘Lots of places,’ Caprice replied.

  Millie wondered what that meant. ‘Did your parents move around a lot?’

  ‘No,’ Caprice snapped. ‘Why would you think that?’

  Millie wondered what she’d said to upset her. The girl’s sunny nature seemed to have turned decidedly dark.

  ‘Why did you change schools then?’ Millie asked.

  ‘You ask a lot of questions. If you must know, I won the academic scholarship, and the work at my old schools was always way too easy. Miss Grimm promised that I could do my lessons with the older girls so I don’t get bored, but I probably will.’

  ‘Alice-Miranda does a lot of extension work,’ Millie said.

  ‘Does she have a scholarship too?’ Caprice asked.

  Millie shook her head.

  ‘Well, she can’t be that smart then,’ Caprice scoffed.

  ‘Yes, she is,’ Millie retorted. She was growing wary of this beautiful and ‘brilliant’ new student. ‘Alice-Miranda is the smartest girl in the whole school.’

  ‘Really? We’ll see about that.’ Caprice folded her arms and turned her back.

  Alice-Miranda scooted in beside Millie just as the girls arrived in front of the food. The servery was dotted with plates bearing thick wedges of cake covered in sticky white frosting.

  ‘Sorry, I couldn’t find Miss Wall,’ the child puffed. She noticed that Millie’s face was as dark as the gathering thunderclouds outside and Caprice was staring off into the distance.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ Alice-Miranda asked. She wondered what had happened in the past ten minutes.

  Millie plastered on a fake smile but it was clear to Alice-Miranda that something had gone wrong.

  ‘Hello Mrs Smith,’ Alice-Miranda greeted the cook. ‘This is Caprice. She just started today.’

  Doreen Smith gave a pinched smile and nodded in the children’s direction, then wiped her shiny forehead with the back of her hand. Her face was tomato red and there were dark circles under her eyes.

  ‘Hello dear,’ the old woman sighed.

  Caprice swivelled around. Her taut expression softened. ‘Hello Mrs Smith,’ she replied with a beguiling smile.

  Millie looked up, surprised by the change in Caprice’s voice.

  ‘Are you all right, Mrs Smith?’ Alice-Miranda asked. ‘You don’t look well.’

  The woman exhaled loudly. ‘I hadn’t realised that cooking for an extra twenty-five children and a few new teachers would be like cooking for an extra hundred and twenty-five. And now the big cooker is on the blink and I’m trying to manage with the old range. It’s a disaster.’

  ‘Oh dear, that’s no good at all,’ Alice-Miranda said. She glanced around. The queue of girls was gone and the teachers were helping themselves. ‘Can you sit down for a minute? I could bring you a cup of tea.’

  ‘That would be heavenly, sweetheart. Charlie’s out chopping wood for me now. Who’d have thought I’d be back to wood-fired cooking? But I suppose I should thank my lucky stars that we still have the old girl. It would be toast for tea tonight otherwise.’ Mrs Smith continued muttering to herself, bubbling and hissing like a boiling pot as she walked out from behind the counter and sat at a nearby table.

  Alice-Miranda passed Millie two plates of hummingbird cake and handed Caprice another two before darting off to make Mrs Smith’s tea.

  Millie put the cakes down on the table with a thud. Caprice sat opposite her, beside Mrs Smith.

  A minute later, Alice-Miranda joined them, placing a cup of tea in front of the exhausted woman. ‘How long will you have to cook for the older girls as well, Mrs Smith?’

  ‘At least a couple of weeks. I know Miss Grimm had hoped everything would be finished in time for the start of school but this bleak weather has done the builders no favours,’ Mrs Smith explained.

  ‘It will be so strange when the older girls move,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘At the moment it still feels the same, although there are extra beds everywhere in Grimthorpe House and the queue for the showers this morning was all the way down the hall.’

  ‘Why?’ Caprice asked.

  ‘The school’s just expanded into year seven but the senior campus is at Caledonia Manor, which is on the other side of the woods. Their boarding house isn’t ready yet so everyone’s bunking in together at Grimthorpe House until the girls can move,’ said Alice-Miranda.

  ‘You should see the place,’ Millie added. ‘It’s a nightmare and Mrs Howard looks as tired as Mrs Smith, even with Shaker helping out.’ The girl paused. ‘Actually, she probably looks that way because of Shaker helping out.’

  ‘Get off, you cheeky moppet.’ Mrs Smith grinned and rolled her eyes. ‘Shaker’s a lovely old thing – even if she does seem to forget more than she remembers some days.’

  ‘So will I have to share a room?’ Caprice asked.

  ‘We all do,’ Millie scoffed. ‘It’s not a hotel, you know.’

  ‘Millie!’ Alice-Miranda was surprised by the tone of her friend’s voice. ‘It won’t be for long, Caprice. I’m not sure where you’ll be sleeping but you might have to share with two girls instead of just one until the building work is done.’

  ‘Nobody told me that.’ Caprice pressed her lips tightly together.

  ‘We don’t have any extra beds in our room,’ Millie said and raised her eyebrows ever so slightly. Caprice glared back across the table.

  ‘Miss Grimm didn’t say anything about the school development when Mummy and I met with her last year,’ Caprice said. ‘I told Mummy I should have gone to Sainsbury Palace instead.’

  ‘Miss Grimm on
ly decided to add year seven at the last minute,’ Alice-Miranda explained. ‘And believe me, I’m sure you’ll be much happier here.’ She wasn’t about to go into details about what had happened when Jacinta went to the Sainsbury Palace Orientation Day, but it seemed Millie had other ideas.

  ‘What a pity you didn’t go there – Mrs Jelly and Professor Crookston are so lovely. And I’m sure that they would have been thrilled to have such a talented student,’ Millie said.

  Mrs Smith and Alice-Miranda looked at Millie, wondering what she was talking about. Everyone knew that Miss Grimm had decided to expand the school after Jacinta had her terrible run-in with Professor Crookston and Mildred Jelly defended his horrid behaviour.

  ‘That’s true,’ Caprice agreed. ‘But Mummy insisted that I take the scholarship here.’

  ‘I’m sure the boarding house will be sorted soon enough.’ Mrs Smith sighed again then took a sip of her tea.

  ‘This cake is delicious,’ Alice-Miranda said, changing the subject.

  ‘I’m glad you like it, dear,’ the woman replied. ‘It’s Venetia Baldini’s recipe.’

  On hearing the woman’s name, Caprice looked up.

  ‘How many hummingbirds did you have to sacrifice for this one?’ Millie said with a grin. She stabbed her fork into the thick wedge of cake and gobbled a chunk down.

  Alice-Miranda and Mrs Smith chortled.

  Caprice frowned.

  ‘It’s a joke,’ Millie said. ‘There aren’t really any hummingbirds in hummingbird cake.’