The Hunt for Hidden Treasure

by Paula Harrison

  “I see! I have something that might fix that.” Gilbert picked up a bottle of blue liquid, shook some on to a cloth and handed it to Millie.

  Millie dabbed it on to her neck and Jess watched the stain disappear. “It’s completely gone,” she told her friend.

  “Thank you, Mr Small,” said Millie.

  “Call me Gilbert.” The artist smiled. “Right then, shall we mix the paints before we start?”

  Jess had a sudden idea. “Actually, we need your help and being good at noticing little details could come in really handy.” She told him about the thief taking the royal paintings and everything they’d found out since.

  Gilbert’s eyebrows rose. “I hadn’t heard about the robbery, but I was so busy painting yesterday that I didn’t leave the studio. And you say there’s a clue in one of those pictures?”

  “Yes, but we don’t know which one,” said Millie eagerly.

  “It’s hard to remember them properly,” Jess hesitated. “Do you think you could draw them for us?”

  “I’m sure I can! I studied them carefully when I fixed the frames yesterday.” Gilbert fetched some blank sheets of paper and set them on his easel. Then he picked up a pencil. “Let’s see now…” He began sketching very quickly.

  Jess watched in fascination as the picture took shape. Houses sprang up around the edge of a marketplace. In the middle was a tall fountain sending cascades of water into the air. A little cat sat neatly beside the fountain.

  “It’s Halfpenny Square!” said Millie. “And there’s the black cat.”

  Gilbert Small finished the drawing and handed it to Jess before starting on the second one. This time he drew a massive building with more than fifty windows. A soldier in a smart uniform stood guard at the door. A little black cat sat at his feet, washing herself with her paws.

  “That’s the Royal Garrison where the soldiers live,” said Jess.

  Finally, the artist drew the third picture – a church with a tall tower standing at the corner of Halfpenny Square. The little black cat sat on the stone steps in front of the church door.

  Jess watched Gilbert draw and excitement tickled inside her stomach. One of the three pictures showed where the King’s Gold was hidden. But which one?

  When he was done, Gilbert Small set the three pictures side by side on his easel. “There we are – all finished.”

  “You drew them so quickly!” said Millie.

  “I’ve had lots of practice,” said Gilbert, with a smile. “They’re not in colour, of course. But hopefully the clue you need is in there somewhere.”

  “Thank you!” Jess stared at the pictures. “We’ll try to find it. We’ve solved quite a few mysteries lately.”

  “I see!” Gilbert’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t realize you were experts. Why don’t I fetch us some cake from Mr Bibby’s bakery. You’ll need plenty of energy for mystery solving!”

  Chapter Six

  The Soldiers’ Parade

  While Gilbert Small went to the bakery, Millie and Jess studied the three pictures carefully.

  “I wish I could draw like that,” sighed Millie. “He made it seem so easy.”

  “The little black cat looks cute,” said Jess, adding quickly, “But not as cute as you, Rumble-tum!”

  The ginger cat sprang on to her lap, nuzzling her arm and giving a long deep purr.

  “I can’t see anything that looks like a clue.” Millie leaned closer to the pictures. “In stories there’s an arrow that points to hidden treasure or an X to mark the spot!”

  “But that’s for maps, not pictures,” said Jess.

  “I suppose! I just thought there’d be an X or an arrow somewhere.” Millie stared and stared at the drawings. There was nothing odd about Halfpenny Square or the soldiers’ garrison or the church. The only thing that was the same in each painting was the little black cat.

  Gilbert came back with three large cupcakes topped with sparkly pink icing.

  Millie took a nibble of the icing. “Thanks, Mr Small. This is delicious!”

  The artist fetched three tall glasses and poured lemonade into each one. “There you are! Now I’ll work on your picture a little while you’re still here.” He put the princess portrait he’d begun the day before on to the easel and dipped his brush in the paint. “So have you found the clue?”

  “No, I thought it might be easier to spot.” Millie’s forehead creased. “Of course, the thief took all three pictures. That means they don’t know which one has the clue either. They’ll probably search for the gold in all these places.” She glanced from the picture of Halfpenny Square, to the one of the soldiers’ garrison and then to the one of the church.

  “Then we have to get going! We MUST find the gold before the thief does.” Jess jumped up, forgetting Rumble-tum was on her lap. The ginger cat gave a grumpy meow and went to curl up by the window.

  “Good luck!” Gilbert smiled as he spread paint across the paper. “And be careful.”

  Millie folded up the three pictures and gave them to Jess who put them in her apron pocket. Then they got into the royal carriage and rode towards Halfpenny Square.

  “Stop here, please!” Millie called to the coachman.

  The square was crowded with market stalls and people. In the centre, the fountain spouted water into the air just like it did in the picture.

  Jess unfolded the drawing. “I don’t think the gold will be here. There’s nowhere to hide it.”

  “I think it’ll be somewhere in the Royal Garrison,” said Millie. “King Ned hid it because he thought there would be a war. He probably decided it would be safe in the garrison with all the soldiers around.”

  “Then let’s go!” Jess leaned out of the carriage window. “Take us to the Royal Garrison, please.”

  “Are you sure, Miss?” The coachman raised his eyebrows.

  “We’re very sure!” Millie searched for a reason. “We have special royal duties there.”

  The carriage rolled down the street. A few minutes later it drew up outside a massive red stone building with a soldier standing guard at the entrance. The coachman jumped down and opened the door for the girls, announcing, “Princess Amelia and Miss Jess have come to perform their royal duties.”

  The soldier snapped his heels together and saluted. “Your Highness! I didn’t realize that the parade was today. I’ll fetch Captain Topworth at once!” He marched inside, his arm swinging.

  “What parade?” murmured Jess.

  “I don’t know,” Millie whispered back.

  The girls followed the soldier inside. A tall man with a row of medals pinned to his broad shoulders came marching down the corridor. “It’s a great honour to have you here, Princess Amelia!” He bowed deeply. “I’m Captain Topworth, the commander of this garrison. I thought the parade was supposed to be next week. That must be my mistake!”

  “Oh, don’t worry!” Millie said quickly. “We don’t have to see a parade.”

  “It’s no trouble! We can be ready at a moment’s notice.” The captain took a whistle from his pocket and blew sharply three times.

  The piercing noise rang in Millie’s ears. At once, the sound of a hundred boots drummed on the stairs and a long stream of soldiers appeared.

  “ATTEN-SHUN!” bellowed Captain Topworth. “We shall march for Her Royal Highness, Princess Amelia, in one minute. Everyone to the parade ground NOW!”

  “Millie, what shall we do?” muttered Jess. “They’re going to do a parade.”

  “It’s all right!” Millie said quietly. “I’ll watch the parade and keep them busy. You look around and see if there’s anywhere old King Ned might have hidden the gold.”

  “Got it!” Jess darted away down the corridor.

  Millie followed Captain Topworth into a huge courtyard where the soldiers were lining up in neat rows. Chairs were brought forward for Millie and the captain. As she sat down, Millie caught sight of Jess dashing past a window on the top floor.

  “ATTEN-SHUN!” yelled the captain. />
  A hundred soldiers snapped their heels together and saluted at exactly the same time. Then the soldier on the end of each row beat a rhythm on a drum. Every soldier marched in time to the beat and they went round the parade ground, their arms swinging neatly.

  Millie tapped her feet with the drum. It was amazing how the soldiers managed to stay in perfectly neat rows! She smiled as the men at the back lifted silver trumpets to their mouths and started to play a bouncy tune.

  They kept on marching until Captain Topworth shouted, “HALT!” The soldiers stopped at once and the captain turned to Millie. “Princess Amelia, would you inspect the troops?”

  “Um … all right then!” Millie rose to her feet, a fluttering in her tummy. She’d seen her father, King James, inspect the troops once and he’d just seemed to walk and up down. She hoped she didn’t do it wrong!

  Trying to smile, she went over to the first line of soldiers. They saluted her and she walked along looking at the shiny gold buttons on their jackets and their smart helmets. “You all look great,” she told them, wanting to giggle. “Well done.”

  She walked down each row, smiling and nodding. When she reached the last line, the soldiers with the trumpets struck up another tune.

  Jess dashed out of the door, her cheeks flushed. “I’ve looked everywhere!” she whispered breathlessly. “There’s nowhere to hide lots of gold. Not unless they buried it under the ground.”

  Millie nodded. “We need to work out the clue.” She turned to Captain Topworth. “Thank you for the wonderful parade. I had a lovely time watching all the marching.”

  The captain bowed deeply. “It was our pleasure! As it’s the first time you have inspected the troops, I’d like to award you this medal. And there’s one for your friend, of course!” A soldier brought forward two round gold medals lying on a little red cushion. Each one hung on a purple ribbon and had the word Friend written across it. “These are Medals of Friendship as you are now friends of this garrison.”

  “It’s beautiful!” Millie beamed, hanging the medal around her neck.

  “Thank you, Captain!” Jess dropped a curtsy.

  The girls returned to the carriage. As the coachman drove them away, Millie leaned out the window to wave. “Bye, Captain Topworth. Thanks for the medals!”

  Chapter Seven

  The Cheese Stealer

  Gilbert Small was dabbing yellow paint on to his picture when Jess and Millie got back to the studio. He looked up and smiled. “Hello again! Have you had any luck with the secret clue?”

  “None at all!” Millie sighed. “I don’t know how we’re ever going to find the royal paintings or the hidden gold.”

  Jess took the three drawings with the black cat out of her apron pocket and spread them on the table. “I think this is the hardest mystery we’ve ever had! I still can’t see a clue on these pictures.”

  “Please turn this way a little, Princess Amelia.” Gilbert swirled his brush into the golden-brown paint. “I’m adding your hair to the portrait.”

  While Millie sat still, Jess studied the drawings again. At last, she pushed them away. “I know! I’ll go and ask Mother and Father about that cart carrying the cheese.”

  “The one that blocked the road when the paintings were stolen?” said Millie. “I still think that cart was put there on purpose to make the royal carriage stop and give the thief their chance.”

  “Exactly!” Jess nodded. “Remember that woman we saw collecting the cart? She might have seen the person who stole it from her and that’ll be the same person that stole the paintings.”

  “That’s brilliant, Jess!” cried Millie. “You go! I’ll meet you back here later.”

  Jess ran up the cobbled street to Buttons and Bows. Her mother, who was hanging a blue satin dress in the shop window, saw her and waved.

  Jess burst into the shop, making the doorbell tinkle. “Hello! Do you know anyone round here who sells cheese?”

  “Well, hello to you too!” Her mother laughed. “What’s all this about cheese? Are you hungry or are you fetching some for Cook Walsh?”

  “Neither,” Jess admitted. “Do you know anyone who takes cheese to the market on a cart?”

  “Mrs Lee does. She lives in Corn Street,” said Mrs Woolhead. “Would you like some tea and something to eat? I baked fresh scones this morning.”

  “Can I come back and eat some later?” asked Jess, dashing to the door. “There’s something I have to do first.”

  “All right then.” Her mother smiled. “Don’t trip over on the cobbles.”

  The bell jingled again as Jess raced out of the shop. At the corner, she turned left and dashed through the twisting, turning back streets. She’d lived in Plumchester with her parents before becoming a palace maid so she knew exactly where she was going.

  As soon as she turned on to Corn Street, Jess noticed the smell of cheese in the air. Halfway up the hill was a shop with a large sign which read Mrs Lee’s Fine Cheeses. Jess was sure the place must be new as there hadn’t been a cheese shop the last time she’d been here.

  Knocking on the door, she went straight in. A woman in a green-and-white striped apron was carefully cutting cheese and putting it in a paper bag. A boy with a large satchel on his shoulder stood watching. The space beneath the counter was packed with great wheels of cheese from creamy-white stilton to bright golden cheddar.

  “Excuse me, Mrs Lee,” said Jess. “I just need to ask you something.”

  “Hey! I was here first.” The boy swung round and Jess recognized his brown eyes and untidy hair straight away.

  “Alfie!” She grinned. “I didn’t know it was you.”

  Alfie was a delivery boy who’d helped Jess and Millie investigate the disappearance of an expensive gold silk dress only a few weeks ago. He knew a lot about what was going on in Plumchester because he went round delivering parcels all day.

  “Hello, palace girl!” Alfie grinned back. “Are you here to buy cheese for the king and queen?”

  “No, I’m trying to find out how three royal paintings went missing yesterday,” Jess told him. “The royal carriage stopped because the street was blocked by a cheese cart and that’s when the paintings were stolen.”

  “I heard about that!” Alfie nodded. “Everyone’s been talking about it all over Plumchester.”

  The shopkeeper paused, her knife hovering over the cheese. “It wasn’t my fault! I told the palace guards what happened. Someone drove off with my cart when I wasn’t looking. They’ve cost me money too because a lot of cheese rolled right down the hill into the river.”

  Jess pulled her mob cap straight. “Did you see the person who took it? Do you know what they look like?”

  “No, I don’t.” Mrs Lee frowned. “I only saw them from the back as they drove away. The rascal was wearing a black coat and a tall grey hat. I yelled at them but they just kept on driving.”

  Jess’s heart thumped. There’d been a young man wearing a tall grey hat in Gilbert’s shop yesterday looking at the royal paintings. Could it be the same man?

  She smiled at the shopkeeper. “Thanks, Mrs Lee. I’m really sorry about your ruined cheese.”

  “That’s all right.” Mrs Lee went back to cutting the cheese. “I hope the palace guards catch that scoundrel!”

  Jess curtsied and dashed outside. Looking left and right, she scanned the street for a young man with a grey hat. There was a woman in a black bonnet holding hands with two little children. There was an old man with a white beard slowly climbing the hill. But there was no one with a grey hat at all.

  “Hey!” Alfie, who’d followed Jess outside, nudged her arm. “Did you hear me? I said: what are you going to do now – search the whole of Plumchester for a man in a tall grey hat?”

  “There will be dozens of hats like that, I suppose,” said Jess. “But at least it’s a start.”

  “These royal paintings must be pretty special to make you spend so much time on finding them.” Alfie swung his satchel over his shoulder.

/>   Jess hesitated. The hidden gold belonging to old King Ned was a big secret, but she trusted Alfie. “One of the paintings has a clue in it.” And she explained about the King’s Gold and the three paintings with the black cat.

  Alfie’s eyes lit up. “Hidden treasure in Plumchester! That’s amazing! I’ll look out for anyone in that sort of hat. Now I’d better go! Miss West at the candle makers will be cross if she doesn’t get her parcel.” He put on his cap before running off down the hill.

  Jess headed back to Bodkin Street more slowly. Excitement tickled inside her. Everything was starting to make more sense. The man in the tall grey hat had taken the cheese cart so he must be the person who’d stolen the paintings too! Now all she had to do was find him.

  Chapter Eight

  The Man in the

  Tall Grey Hat

  Millie glanced out of the studio window at the people walking along Bodkin Street. She wondered how Jess was getting along. Pulling her clue notebook out of her sleeve, she read through the list of people that Jess had told her about – the people who’d seen the royal paintings the day before.

  Two ladies in velvet jackets. Probably friends.

  An old man who can’t walk very well.

  A man with a grey hat.

  It wasn’t a very long list. Maybe when Jess came back she’d know which one they were looking for.

  “Your portrait’s nearly finished, Princess Amelia,” said Gilbert Small, rubbing his ginger beard which was already streaked with green paint. “I just need to fill in the background. Would you like to mix some blue paint I can use for the sky?”

  “Yes, please!” Millie jumped up and went to the workbench in the next room which was covered with little bottles of paint. Each bottle was labelled with a beautiful colour name from violet to aquamarine to apricot. Next to the paints was a jam jar full of brushes and a dish for mixing colours in.