After lunch, we all gathered in the reception area. Mr Rudge was there for a moment, but he looked almost appalled at the sight of us standing around and soon he had disappeared through the door at the back of the room.
“Looks like we have another activity for this afternoon, everyone!” Mrs Knight called out, wringing her hands together. “We’ll be going for a spot of birdwatching with the lovely Mr Moss, as soon as he arrives!”
She said this as if she expected us to jump for joy, although with the possible exception of Ariadne, it was quite the opposite. There was a lot of quiet groaning.
Personally, I was worried about Rose. I didn’t want her to wake up and think that we’d abandoned her. We’d left her a sandwich on a tray by the bed, but I decided we ought to tell Mrs Knight she was asleep. I pushed forward through the crowd.
“Mrs Knight?” I tugged gently on her sleeve. She was saying something to Phyllis, who was waiting there, looking at her watch – presumably wondering where her husband had got to.
“Yes, Ivy?” the headmistress said, looking around. I smiled a little, pleased that she’d got the right twin.
“Rose is tired,” I said. “She’s still asleep, back in the room.”
“Ah,” said Mrs Knight. Her brow furrowed. “I’m not sure we should leave her on her own.”
Phyllis looked up. “I was going to stay here anyway,” she said. “Birds are much more Julian’s thing than mine. Shall I keep an eye out for her?”
“Oh, would you?” Mrs Knight’s expression brightened. “That would be very kind.” I smiled gratefully. At least someone would be there if Rose woke up.
“Don’t mention it,” Phyllis grinned. “I’ll just be rattling about,” she continued as I headed back over to Scarlet and Ariadne. “Ah, Julian!”
Mr Moss had walked in, bearing binoculars. He looked a little flustered, and there were leaves in his hair. “Hello, all!” he said with a nervous wave. “Sorry, dear,” he said to his wife. “I thought I spotted a merlin and I wanted to sketch it.”
Phyllis gave him a withering look, but I could tell she was just pretending. “All right, have fun, you lot …” She strode off towards the corridor.
Julian ran a hand through his dark hair, brushing out some of the leaves. We all stood and watched him expectantly. But for a moment he didn’t say a word.
Mrs Knight peered at him. She’d gone a little red in the face. “Mr Moss? The girls are all so excited for your trip today!”
Scarlet yawned.
Julian blinked shyly. “Ah, yes.” He smiled. “Sorry. I’m rather more used to birds than people. Let’s be off, then, shall we?”
He led us out of the hotel and down the driveway, and then off on a winding path through the trees.
“Where are we going?” I heard someone ask from near the front.
“The bird hide,” he explained. “Mr Rudge had it built a few years back. Lots of the guests like to go for a spot of birdwatching, not just myself.”
We traipsed through the forest until the path eventually opened out at a wooden hut that was camouflaged with branches and leaves. Julian came to a halt in front of it. “All right,” he said. “I’ll take a few of you inside at a time. The rest of you, see what you can spot out here.” His eyes twinkled and he put a finger to his lips. “And stay quiet. We don’t want to scare anything off.”
While he took a small group inside, the rest of us waited. Mrs Knight had got a pair of binoculars from somewhere too, and was staring up into the trees and smiling. Miss Bowler was shuffling her feet, looking like she’d much rather be going for a jog.
I crouched down, trying to rest my legs for a moment but not quite wanting to sit on the muddy forest floor. Suddenly someone prodded me with a boot and I nearly toppled forward, but managed to regain my balance.
“Oi!” Scarlet said, forgetting the order to be quiet. “Leave my sister alone!”
I climbed back to my feet and turned to see Cassandra and Elsie, both pulling innocent expressions. I wasn’t sure which one of them was responsible, so I just glared at them both.
“Where’s your little friend, by the way?” Cassandra asked with a sneer.
“None of your—” Scarlet started, but Ariadne was already answering.
“Back at the hotel,” she said.
Cassandra and Elsie shared a look. “So you’ve left her unattended with all our things?” Cassandra said.
“She’s not a thief, Cassandra,” I said. “Whatever you may think.”
“Of course,” Elsie simpered. Then they both giggled and walked away.
Ariadne seemed unbothered by what had just happened. “I still can’t see any birds,” she said in a low voice, staring around through the viewfinder of her camera. “Well, I might have seen a pigeon.”
“I think I just saw a pair of harpies,” Scarlet muttered, and I tried not to laugh.
Soon it was our turn to go into the bird hide. It was fairly dark inside, with a couple of benches and a big long slit across one wall, letting in a small amount of light. Julian stood in the corner with his binoculars, peering out. “All right, come and have a look,” he said, waving us over.
I sat down on the bench, being careful to avoid any splinters or nails – it was a little crudely made. But then I peered out of the window, and gasped.
The bird hide looked out over a dip in the landscape, just as filled with trees as where we’d come from. But there was something different – someone had strung up bowls filled with seed and sticks of corn. And they were covered with birds, of all shapes and sizes. There was even a guilty-looking squirrel hanging from one of the bowls.
“See how many different birds you can spot,” Julian whispered. He pointed out robins and nuthatches and greenfinches as he moved along beside the bench. There was a bright yellow bird I didn’t think I’d ever seen before, called a siskin. Ariadne looked fascinated, wordlessly snapping away with her camera.
Julian crouched beside me, and I asked him what I was wondering: “Did you put all this up?”
He smiled and shook his head. “No,” he said. “This was all Mr Rudge as well. I think he enjoys birdwatching more than he lets on.”
That was a funny thought – I wasn’t sure I could imagine the humourless hotel owner enjoying anything. “What about your wife – Mrs Moss, I mean?”
There was a flicker of something in his calm expression. “She’s never understood, really. But we both love the great outdoors, so that’s something we can share.”
Ariadne leant over. “It was very kind of her to stay and look after our friend Rose,” she said.
Julian nodded slowly. “Does Rose often stay behind?” He paused, his eyes tracking a blackbird that was hopping through the trees, and then carried on quietly. “Because she wasn’t with you at breakfast when I met you, was she?”
I thought about it. “Rose is a bit of a tricky one, I suppose. She does what she likes, really. She doesn’t talk much.”
Julian put the binoculars to his eyes. “Isn’t that a little … strange?”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I looked across at Scarlet and Ariadne, who merely shrugged.
“How does she get on at school, if she doesn’t talk?” he asked, lowering the binoculars and looking back at me. His eyes were big and blue. “I mean, I had a frightful time at my boarding school just for being different. Old Bird Brain, they used to call me.” He shook his head sadly.
“Well, some people pick on her, I suppose.”
“And the rest of us,” Scarlet added. Which was true, really. People like Penny and Elsie didn’t usually discriminate in their horribleness.
“She’s not really from our school. She just stays with us,” I said.
“Oh,” he said, looking puzzled. “Where is she from, then?”
Again I looked at the others, but this time it was because I didn’t have an answer at all. “I don’t actually know,” I said finally. “I don’t know anything about her past.”
“Hmm,�
�� he said, his expression now thoughtful. “That’s very odd, isn’t it? Haven’t there been some thefts and things at the hotel? I mean … do you trust her?”
“Of course,” we all said, without even thinking.
But I started to realise that he was right. We didn’t really know anything about Rose, or who she was, or where she came from.
And just like that, a tiny speck of doubt crept in.
Chapter Sixteen
SCARLET
wasn’t the biggest fan of birdwatching. Birds were pretty, of course, but they didn’t do much besides eat and squawk. People-watching was much more interesting.
I watched Elsie and Cassandra as they walked back, holding hands and whispering to each other, throwing snide glances at everyone else.
I watched Julian chatting with Mrs Knight and saw her blushing – he was quite handsome, really, and that fact apparently hadn’t escaped her.
I watched Nadia and Ethel having a contest to see who could carry the most pine cones (Ethel, but she balanced some of them on her head, which was definitely cheating).
Ariadne had taken a picture of all of us, and then tried to sneakily take one of Miss Bowler, who was now telling her off and threatening to snap the camera in half.
We were trekking back through the forest, and Ivy turned to me, her eyes worried. “Scarlet … what do you think about what he said? About Rose?”
I shrugged. “She’s harmless, isn’t she? She’s sweet and quiet and she loves pony books. If anyone’s not trustworthy, it’s those two.” I waved at the harpies.
“I suppose,” said Ivy. “She is our friend. But he’s right that we don’t know anything about her. Have we ever even asked?”
I thought about it – I felt sure that I had, but I couldn’t think when it had been. “We only know what Violet told us. That she was in the asylum and that her family had her locked up in there because they didn’t want her getting the inheritance.” I stared down for a moment at the mat of pine needles and twigs that crunched beneath my feet. “Though I don’t know if I trust anything that comes out of Violet’s mouth,” I added.
“We ought to ask her,” Ivy said. “If she wants to talk about it, I mean.”
“Hmm,” I said. “I’d be surprised.”
A bigger surprise was waiting in the hotel. We opened the door to our room to find Rose sitting, open-mouthed, in the middle of chaos.
Our luggage had been tipped out, our clothes strewn all over the floor, Ariadne’s camera equipment scattered and Ivy’s pearl necklace left hanging from the bed. The curtains were ripped and even the pillows had been tossed across the room, one of them spilling feathers.
I stood in the doorway, the others trying to peer round me. “What on earth?”
Rose turned to look at me, her expression horrified. She shook her head. “I didn’t …” she whispered.
I walked in so the others could get past. Ariadne gasped. “Oh, Rose! What happened?”
Rose’s mouth flapped open and shut. She just couldn’t find the words. For once, I knew how she felt.
“Did someone do this while you were here?” Ivy asked her. “Did you see anything?”
But she simply shook her head, and then sat down heavily on the bed.
“You were asleep when we left,” said Ariadne gently, tiptoeing over the spilt rolls of film and putting her camera on the bedside table. “Did you wake up and go somewhere?”
This time Rose nodded. She looked ashamed. Ariadne put an arm round her shoulders.
I just wandered around hopelessly. I picked up my bag and hugged it to my chest. Why would anyone do this? I thought. I hated the idea of someone touching my things, just throwing them around as if they didn’t matter. And then I thought of Bob’s story, and a small voice in the back of my mind said: What if it wasn’t a person?
“We need to tell Mrs Knight,” Ivy said, grabbing my arm before my train of thought could go any further. Reluctantly, I put my bag back down on the floor and followed her out into the corridor.
“You don’t think …” she whispered as we hurried along. “That maybe Rose did that?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Why would she?”
Ivy frowned. “I don’t know. But she was alone in the room. What if she sleepwalks or something?”
That was a possibility, I had to admit it. But then other people had had their bags rifled through, and that couldn’t have been her … could it?
We found Mrs Knight downstairs and told her what had happened.
“Goodness, girls,” she said, shaking her head. “Not again. Just tidy everything up and make sure nothing’s missing. I’ll have to go and tell Mr Rudge.” She sighed.
“This isn’t right, Miss,” Ivy said. “Maybe we should go home? Get a refund?”
At that moment, Julian walked by, flashing Mrs Knight a bright smile. She brushed her hands on her dress, looking flustered. “Well, perhaps not just yet, eh? But I’m not sure what else I can do. We’ll just have to keep an eye out for any more strange behaviour.”
“I think there’s a strange behaviour epidemic in this hotel,” I said. “And I thought Phyllis was going to keep an eye out for Rose?”
But Mrs Knight ignored me, her eyes still following Julian down the corridor. “Don’t worry yourselves, girls. Dinner is at seven, so make sure you’re all ready for then,” she said. “Off you go!” She waved us off with a little smile.
“Why is she acting like that?” asked Ivy crossly. I could tell she’d hoped that Mrs Knight might actually do something this time.
“She’s mooning over Julian,” I said. “He makes her giggle like a schoolgirl.”
“Ugh,” said Ivy. She sounded just like me, and I couldn’t help but smile.
We began tidying up the room, Rose doing her best to assist. She still didn’t say a word, but she managed to seem apologetic the whole time as she rushed back and forth picking things up.
I watched her closely. What if Ivy was right? What if Rose was somehow doing strange things without knowing it? She had been in the asylum, after all.
So have you, my mind snapped at me. I sighed, and tried to forget about it.
Moments later, I heard a snort of laughter, and Cassandra was standing in the doorway, arms folded. “I told you so,” she said. She smiled at Rose. “She’s crazy and a thief.”
“Oh, go away, Cassie,” I said sarcastically as Rose started quivering with nerves. “You’re not helping.”
“Why don’t you ask her where she got that necklace?” Cassandra hissed through her teeth. “Or where she came from? Or why she doesn’t talk?” She narrowed her eyes, just like a snake. “Don’t come crying to me when she’s murdered you all in your sleep.” She strode away, her footsteps echoing off the walls.
I was tempted to run after her and give her a good hiding, but Rose’s eyes had filled with tears. “Don’t cry, Rose,” I said. “She isn’t worth it. Just ignore her.” But I had to admit, I was curious to know the answer to those questions too.
When everything was back in our bags, we all lay down on one of the beds, exhausted. I’d thrown myself on to it and stared up at the torn curtains and the dust motes that floated through the air in the last light of the evening. What did it all mean?
My stomach growled, and I hoped it wouldn’t be long until dinner.
And then I heard a quiet voice, and it took me a moment to realise that Rose was speaking.
“My family didn’t want me,” she said, barely louder than a mouse. “My mother and father passed away, and the others, they … they didn’t want me to inherit the estate. They said that I didn’t deserve it and they did.”
I stayed completely still, not daring to say a word.
“They told everyone I was mad. I think … perhaps even I believed it. They had me put in the asylum. They wanted to take what was mine and then get rid of me, forever.”
I felt a pang of sympathy. I was sure our stepmother would do the same.
“My mother gave me this.” Rose
sat up then, and the rest of us sat up too, to look at her. Wordlessly, she pulled the necklace out from where it was hidden under her clothes, and prised open the locket. She held it out for us to see.
Inside it was a tiny key.
And then, before we could ask what it was, she had closed it up again, and hidden it away once more.
Chapter Seventeen
IVY
ose was certainly a mystery, but there was more mystery to come.
I woke early the next morning, while it was still mostly dark, to the sound of water running. I peered sleepily out from the covers to see that the strange bath in the corner of the room was filling up, nearly overflowing.
“Oh my goodness,” I said, and quickly hopped out of bed. I ran over and wrenched the tap shut, the water spluttering on to my nightgown. It was a little murky, with pieces of leaf in it.
Scarlet rubbed her eyes and stared at me. “Odd time for a bath, isn’t it?”
“I wasn’t running it,” I said. “It just woke me up.” I looked around the room, and realised something: Scarlet, Ariadne and Rose were all still in bed. So who turned the tap on?
I yanked the plug out of the bath, watching as the water began to gurgle away. Scarlet yawned and rolled over, apparently no longer interested. But now I felt a chill, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was someone in the room. I tiptoed around, peering behind the curtains and into the cupboards, but mostly it was too dark to see anything. The draught from the fireplace brushed past my legs and made me shiver.
As I passed Ariadne and Rose’s bed – Ariadne snoring softly and Rose lying on her back with her eyes shut tight – I noticed that their sheets were all pushed back, and I wondered for a moment if the sleepwalking theory might have something to it. But Rose looked so peaceful, her golden hair tumbled over her shoulders like Sleeping Beauty.
I tried to tell myself I was being silly, and that nothing strange was going on. The pipes were probably just faulty. No one had been in our room.
But just in case, I picked up the poker from beside the fireplace, and held on to it as I climbed back into bed.
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