‘Are you all right, Mr Wiley?’
Silas nodded. ‘Yes . . . yes, I think I am.’ He turned to leave then stopped. ‘Tell Ms Spencer that I said thank you for her note and perhaps one day we will be in a position to work together again.’
The receptionist frowned. ‘Certainly, sir.’ She wondered what had just happened. One minute the man looked ready to kill someone and now he looked like the cat who got the cream.
Silas walked to the door and glanced back as he pulled it open. ‘Can you tell me if there’s a mining registry office in Parsley Vale?’
‘Yes, Mr Wiley, just around the corner in the high street,’ the woman replied.
Silas grinned. ‘Wonderful.’
Perhaps it was his lucky day after all.
Alice-Miranda and Millie had met in the dining room for lunch. Sloane appeared a few minutes later but Jacinta was still nowhere to be seen.
Alice-Miranda decided to check with Jacinta’s classmates. ‘Excuse me, Susannah,’ she said as she approached the older girl. ‘Have you seen Jacinta?’
Susannah shook her head. ‘She hasn’t been in class at all this morning. I saw her heading towards the office straight after the assembly but she hasn’t come back.’
Alice-Miranda was worried. After Jacinta’s awful time at Sainsbury Palace and her reaction when the girls had visited her at Wisteria Cottage, she wasn’t in a good way at all. If she’d been grilled by Miss Grimm for hours, Alice-Miranda could only imagine the state she’d be in now.
‘Come on, Millie, let’s go and find her.’ The tiny child tugged on Millie’s tunic sleeve.
‘But I’m starving,’ Millie said. ‘And it’s cheesy lasagne day.’
‘I’ll come,’ Sloane offered.
‘Oh, all right,’ said Millie. ‘I’ll come too. As long as you promise we’ll be back before the end of lunch. I don’t want to miss out.’
Alice-Miranda nodded.
The three girls made their way out of the dining room and across the cobblestoned courtyard. Miss Grimm’s study was in the oldest part of the school, Winchesterfield Manor. They arrived at the school secretary’s office, only to find it empty. There was no sign of Jacinta either.
‘What are you doing?’ Sloane asked as Alice-Miranda approached the double doors that led to Miss Grimm’s study.
‘Going to see Miss Grimm,’ she answered.
‘But she might be busy,’ Sloane said. Although Miss Grimm was now perfectly lovely and approachable, she was still the headmistress and Sloane had some nerve-racking memories of being on the other side of that door.
From inside the study there was a loud thump and the girls all jumped. Miss Grimm’s voice penetrated the thick walls.
‘I will not have my students treated this way. It’s ridiculous, Mildred. How you keep that bully on your staff is quite beyond me. I’ve a good mind to call in the police.’
The girls knew they shouldn’t be listening.
‘Who do you think she’s talking to?’ Millie whispered.
‘Someone called Mildred,’ Sloane whispered back.
‘Wow! You’re a genius, Sloane.’
Sloane poked her tongue out at Millie.
Alice-Miranda turned to leave.
‘Where are you going? I thought you wanted to see Miss Grimm,’ Millie said.
‘Yes, but she’s busy and we’ll have to come back later.’
From the other side of the wall there was another thump. ‘Ophelia, Professor Crookston is the finest teacher in my school and I will not have you, or that child there, malign his good name. In fact, I will not have your children full stop, amen. I refuse to take any girls from the sixth grade into Sainsbury Palace next year or any year henceforth. They are nothing but trouble – just look at that Goldsworthy brat. The father said that he would build us a new library and all we got for our trouble was a half-done building and a pile of debt. The man should be in prison.’
‘I believe that he is!’ Ophelia Grimm shouted back. ‘And I think you’re being completely unreasonable. Your board of governors won’t be impressed to hear that you’ve just tossed all those students. I don’t know how you’ll fill the spots at such late notice.’
‘Well, unlike at this dump you call a school, I have a waiting list as long as your arm.’ Mildred Jelly’s voice was quivering now. ‘So unless the girl is willing to apologise and retract her accusations, there is nothing else to discuss.’
‘Mrs Jelly, I hardly think that is appropriate, given Mr Plumpton and a dozen other girls all witnessed exactly what went on. I can’t blame Jacinta for standing up for herself – clearly the fire was nothing but an unfortunate accident caused by your staff member, who shouldn’t have left a young student in charge of equipment she had no experience with.’
Outside the door, the three girls stood wide-eyed, wondering what was coming next.
Unfortunately it was Mildred Jelly. The study door flew open. Millie grabbed Alice-Miranda’s hand and ducked behind a grandfather chair opposite Mrs Derby’s desk. Sloane made a run for the hall and hid behind a potted palm. Mildred Jelly slammed the door behind her and huffed and blew all the way out of the office and up the corridor.
Alice-Miranda stood up.
‘What are you doing?’ Millie whispered.
‘Going to see Miss Grimm. We have to tell her that we heard what happened.’
Millie shook her head. ‘No we don’t.’
Sloane reappeared. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Alice-Miranda wants to tell Miss Grimm we heard everything,’ Millie explained.
‘Do you think that’s wise?’ Sloane asked. ‘I can’t believe Mrs Jelly has kicked them all out before they even started.’
‘And where will they go?’ Millie asked. ‘I know my parents had me on the waiting list here and over there from the time I was born.’
Sloane shrugged. ‘Well, I’m not going to just any old dodgy school. They’d better sort it out before the end of next year.’
Alice-Miranda frowned at Sloane. ‘You said you didn’t even know if you were booked in there in the first place. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.’
‘I don’t want to go there anyway,’ said Millie.
‘Alice-Miranda, Millie, Sloane, would you mind coming in here please?’ Miss Grimm called from the other side of the wall.
Millie and Sloane jumped. ‘Seriously that woman has superpowers,’ Millie said.
Alice-Miranda led the way to the study door, knocked gently and pushed it open. Miss Grimm was sitting at her desk. ‘Hello girls. Please come in.’
They were all surprised to see Jacinta sitting opposite the headmistress.
Alice-Miranda rushed to her side and gave her a hug. ‘Oh Jacinta, are you all right? I’ve been so worried.’
Jacinta nodded.
‘Miss Grimm, I’m very sorry, we didn’t mean to hear what was happening in here. It’s just that we came to look for Jacinta and then I was about to knock when we heard voices and it sounded like a bit of a row. Mrs Jelly wasn’t very happy at all, was she? You’re wonderful for standing up for Jacinta like that,’ Alice-Miranda prattled.
‘Let’s sit over there.’ Miss Grimm stood and beckoned for the girls to move to the couches in front of the fireplace.
‘What’s going to happen to the sixth-grade girls now?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
The headmistress’s lips drew into a thin line. ‘I’m afraid I don’t know. Perhaps Mrs Jelly will calm down but even if she does, I don’t know if I want to send my girls there. I imagine I’ll be making quite a few phone calls this afternoon to try to sort things out. In the meantime, I need all of you to keep this absolutely to yourselves. There is no point worrying the other girls and staff and I especially don’t want parents to be concerned. This is my mess and I’ll fix it.’
‘Don’t you mean i
t’s my mess,’ exclaimed Jacinta. Her eyes filled with tears. ‘It’s my fault that the girls are being punished and now they’re going to hate me – just like they did before.’
‘Oh, Jacinta, that’s not true.’ Alice-Miranda leaned in and put her arm around the girl.
‘It sort of is,’ Sloane said. ‘Her fault, I mean. Not that they’ll hate you. But they might.’
‘Sloane!’ Alice-Miranda and Millie chided.
‘All right, they probably won’t hate you but the parents will.’
Miss Grimm gave her a death stare. ‘Sloane, I think it might be best if you kept quiet.’
Sloane gulped. She’d seen that look before and she didn’t like it one little bit.
‘Now, do I have your word that you will not discuss any of what you’ve just heard with anyone – staff, students or parents?’ Miss Grimm looked meaningfully at each girl.
They all nodded. Millie’s stomach let out a strangled whine. Her cheeks flushed the same colour as her hair. ‘Sorry, Miss Grimm.’
‘Right. Well, girls, lunch will be almost over and by the sound of it, Millie, you haven’t yet eaten. Hurry along.’
Millie, Sloane and Jacinta filed out into Mrs Derby’s office.
Alice-Miranda lingered a moment longer. She looked up at the headmistress. ‘Miss Grimm, I have an idea.’
‘Well, perhaps you should stay and tell me about it,’ the headmistress said. Because at that moment she was at a complete loss.
At the end of the school day, Alice-Miranda walked back to Grimthorpe House, where she bumped into Miss Reedy.
‘Hello Alice-Miranda,’ the English teacher greeted her. ‘Did you have a good day?’
‘Hello Miss Reedy. Yes, I think so.’ Alice-Miranda half-smiled and half-frowned at the same time. ‘What time do you want us at singing practice?’
‘I’m afraid we’ve had to cancel. Mr Trout broke a tooth at lunchtime and he’s got an emergency dental appointment. I need to be here, as we haven’t got anyone to cover for Mrs Howard yet, so we’ll catch up later in the week.’
‘Is there any news on Mr Parker?’ With all of the drama surrounding Jacinta and Mrs Jelly, Alice-Miranda had quite forgotten until then that there were search teams out looking for him.
The teacher shook her head. ‘Charlie came in earlier and said that there was still no sign.’
‘Seeing that our rehearsal is cancelled, could Millie and I go out on Bony and Chops again for a little while and help with the search?’
Miss Reedy looked at the clock. It was just after half past three. ‘I don’t see why not. Just be careful and make sure that you’re back before dinner at six.’
‘Thank you, Miss Reedy.’ Alice-Miranda raced off down the hallway to get changed and see if Millie had already arrived back at the house.
Twenty minutes later the two girls were cantering across the open field towards the woods.
Millie turned in the saddle to face her friend. ‘Where should we go?’
‘What about the other side of the stream, further past Gertrude’s Grove?’ Alice-Miranda suggested.
‘I’ve never been that far before,’ Millie said. ‘You don’t think we could get lost, do you?’
Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘If we do, I just have to give Bony his head and he’ll soon sniff out the nearest vegetable patch around – and surely there would be a house with a telephone close by.’
Millie nodded. ‘Okay, lead the way.’
Alice-Miranda squeezed Bonaparte’s flank and the pony loped along. When the pair reached the edge of the woods, Alice-Miranda pulled gently on the reins and he slowed to a trot. Fortunately she was so small in the saddle that the overhanging branches didn’t present any real danger. The girls rode across the meadow known as Gertrude’s Grove.
Instead of tying the ponies up along the fence as they often did, Alice-Miranda opened the gate that led to the stream and they continued on their way. They found an old path and rode deeper into the woods.
‘It’s a bit creepy in here,’ Millie said, turning her head to look around. She was almost expecting a witch to fly out of the undergrowth. ‘You know, if we’d mever met Miss Hephzibah and we still believed in the legend of the witch in the woods, I’d be terrified right now.’
‘I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, Millie,’ the child replied. ‘Mr Parker,’ she called into the foliage. Millie did the same.
The track broadened and Alice-Miranda glimpsed a flash of red in the distance.
‘Can you see that, Millie?’ A small red sedan was parked further along on the edge of the track, partly hidden by some overhanging branches.
‘I wonder who owns it,’ said Millie.
Alice-Miranda shrugged. ‘I don’t know but I think Bony needs a drink and there’s a stream just down there.’
She slid from the saddle, took the reins over his neck and walked towards an old timber bridge.
Millie did the same. ‘I don’t think anyone’s been across that for a while,’ she said, after noticing the missing timbers and disintegrating posts.
The girls walked the ponies down a rough path to the edge of the stream, where Bony and Chops plunged their lips into the cool flowing water and slurped loudly.
Bonaparte pulled his head up and whinnied, spraying water all over Alice-Miranda.
‘You horrid monster,’ she said, laughing as she wiped the slime from her cheek.
But something had upset the little horse. He swivelled around and seemed transfixed on a large oak tree behind them.
‘What is it, boy? What can you see?’ Alice-Miranda held his reins tightly.
There was a rustling sound and Alice-Miranda spotted Bony’s target. ‘Millie, there’s someone up there.’
Millie could see the figure high above them now too. ‘That’s a bit weird.’
‘Let’s go and say hello.’ Alice-Miranda pulled on Bonaparte’s reins and walked him back up onto the gravel track. An old fence lined the way and although it was a bit shambolic, there was an upright section just perfect for hitching the ponies to.
‘Hello,’ Alice-Miranda called. ‘Are you all right up there?’
The figure moved and Alice-Miranda saw that it was a woman.
‘Hello,’ the woman replied.
‘We’re looking for someone,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘You haven’t seen an old man out here, have you?’
The woman shook her head and began to make her way out of the tree. She used the branches like steps and in a few seconds had leapt from the lowest limb onto the ground.
Alice-Miranda noticed that she was very tall and slim and had pretty red curls tied back in a ponytail. She thought she looked about the same age as her Aunt Charlotte.
‘My name is Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones and I’m very pleased to meet you.’ The child held out her tiny hand.
The woman smiled and took Alice-Miranda’s hand into her own.
Alice-Miranda noticed that she had a pair of binoculars slung around her neck. ‘Are you looking for Mr Parker too?’
‘Mr Parker?’ The woman frowned and shook her head. ‘Why? What’s happened to him?’
Alice-Miranda launched into the story of Mr Parker’s accident and recent awakening. The woman looked taken aback.
‘Do you know Mr Parker?’ Alice-Miranda asked as she finished her tale.
The woman shook her head. ‘No. Not at all. But that’s an awful story.’
‘I’m Millie,’ the red-haired child spoke up.
‘Sorry Millie, it was terribly rude of me not to introduce you,’ said Alice-Miranda.
‘Hello,’ the woman replied.
‘You didn’t tell us your name,’ Alice-Miranda reminded her.
‘It’s Ursula.’
‘If you’re not helping search for Mr Parker, then may I ask what you
were doing up that tree?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
‘Oh . . . just work.’
‘What sort of work do you do?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
‘Are you a spy or a secret agent or something?’ Millie added.
Ursula’s eyes twinkled. ‘I’m a secretary.’
‘A secretary?’ Millie frowned. ‘Why would a secretary be up a tree with a pair of binoculars? I thought secretaries worked in offices.’
Ursula grinned. ‘I do. It’s just that I’m helping my boss on a special assignment.’
‘Who’s your boss?’ Millie asked.
‘You certainly ask a lot of questions, don’t you?’ Ursula replied. ‘His name’s Silas.’
‘What a strange coincidence,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘We met a man called Silas just yesterday, at Miss Hephzibah’s. He’s the mayor and he had got lost while looking for something out here and Miss Henrietta had given him a cup of tea and some directions.’
Ursula’s mouth twitched into a nervous smile.
‘Is he your boss?’ Millie asked.
The woman nodded slightly. She could hardly believe that these girls were the two children Silas had mentioned in his tale.
‘The world really is the smallest place, isn’t it?’ Alice-Miranda beamed. ‘Did Mayor Wiley find what he was looking for?’
‘Yes, I think so, and quite a bit more actually.’
‘We did too,’ Millie said with a large grin. Alice-Miranda nudged her sharply in the ribs.
‘Millie, you know we promised not to talk about that.’
‘Do you mean the gold in the cave?’ Ursula asked.
Millie and Alice-Miranda looked at each other, their eyes wide.
‘But we didn’t tell Mayor Wiley about that,’ Millie said. ‘We only talked to Miss Hephzibah and Miss Henrietta and we promised to keep it a secret.’
Ursula sighed. Silas had neglected to mention that he hadn’t actually been told about the gold. Eavesdropping was one of his specialities and clearly he’d been doing a great job of it yesterday.
Alice-Miranda Shines Bright 8 Page 13
