The Lights Under the Lake
Sophie Cleverly
Scarlet and Ivy’s school trip takes a turn for the worse as another mystery begins to unfold…The fourth book in the SCARLET AND IVY series is perfect for fans of MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE.It’s summer and as a special treat after the horrors of last term Mrs Knight announces a school trip to Shady Pines Hotel on the shores of Lake Seren. Scarlet and Ivy are thrilled to get away from Rookwood for a break!But the old hotel and the waters of the lake reservoir are covering up dark secrets. And when mysterious things start happening to hotel guests it seems that a malicious new threat is haunting the girls.Locals say that at night you can hear the ringing of the church bells and see lights under the lake, that troubled souls buried in the flooded graveyard no longer rest…
Copyright (#ulink_165b04e7-28f8-5711-a8e0-2ebc2b00461f)
First published in Great Britain by
HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2017
HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,
HarperCollins Publishers
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)
Text copyright © Sophie Cleverly 2017
Illustrations copyright © Manuel Šumberac 2017
All rights reserved.
Cover illustration © Manuel Šumberac
Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2017
Sophie Cleverly asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008218331
Ebook Edition © 2017 ISBN: 9780008218294
Version: 2017-02-20
Praise for (#ulink_d94208dc-8234-54f9-8a0b-23914a4dc482)
“This is one of the best books I have ever read. It was exciting, funny, warm and mysterious.” Lily, aged 9
“The whole book was brilliant … after the first paragraph it was as though Ivy was my best friend.” Ciara, aged 10
“This book is full of excitement and adventure – a masterpiece!” Jennifer, aged 9
“This is a page-turning mystery adventure with puzzles that keep you guessing.” Felicity, aged 11
“A brilliant and exciting book.” Evie, aged 8
“The story shone with excitement, secrets and bonds of friendship … If I had to mark this book out of 10, I would give it 11!” Sidney, aged 11
For Lizzie – thank you for believing in Scarlet and Ivy
Contents
Cover (#u1d76c5cc-b31a-59ad-bd40-7918647785d1)
Title Page (#uca1d0082-32b0-51c4-8121-0be81d3a8a81)
Copyright (#ue89fc494-5dab-5410-96d1-da4fccff6d5d)
Praise (#ub77ca5fe-fa35-507c-8b49-2ffcaa07d1f4)
Dedication (#ud2dde133-09a2-59dd-a33a-ff2a0bfc013c)
Chapter One: Ivy (#u8d13d567-8bbe-53ae-aeba-f7c23fc2cf50)
Chapter Two: Scarlet (#u276a3caa-1225-54e2-9a38-80f15278c6ea)
Chapter Three: Ivy (#u32f54fb2-3574-5053-aa21-46d5e1b96f3e)
Chapter Four: Scarlet (#u26937c57-2fb3-5a0f-8a29-a6828a1c8ab7)
Chapter Five: Ivy (#u434d1a48-5071-5c29-a32b-41ddf6116eea)
Chapter Six: Scarlet (#u1facd0e1-f89b-580f-a954-81e8b463fe16)
Chapter Seven: Ivy (#u51b6e918-7a43-5dee-85a3-564c3253eb5b)
Chapter Eight: Scarlet (#ua25b37b2-8807-560f-95dd-b3cf5dd553f4)
Chapter Nine: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-one: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-two: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-three: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-four: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-five: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-six: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-seven: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-eight: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-nine: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-one: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-two: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-three: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-four: Scarlet (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirty-five: Ivy (#litres_trial_promo)
Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)
Keep Reading … (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)
Books by Sophie Cleverly (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_3a9258e4-8785-527b-8519-790f0862c42a)
IVY (#ulink_3a9258e4-8785-527b-8519-790f0862c42a)
carlet and I were a team that couldn’t be broken. She was my twin; my reflection in the mirror; the other side of the same coin. As long as we were together, there was nothing we couldn’t face. That was what we’d promised each other. We could do anything.
But this wasn’t quite what I’d had in mind.
“Hold still!” yelled Ariadne. “Just one more minute!”
I looked at Scarlet in horror. By my estimation, we had less than a minute before Miss Bowler arrived and we were all in hideous trouble, and about ten seconds before I lost my balance and plunged straight into the water.
Scarlet was staring back at me, the expression frozen on her face. “I hate you, Ariadne,” she said, twisting her mouth without moving her eyes.
Ariadne had received a camera from her father as a present during the Easter holidays, and it was her new obsession. It was small, black and silver, with knobs and dials that clicked and whirred. And right at that moment we were being subjected to it.
“It’s going to look magical!” she shouted from the other side of the pool.
I was wobbling. I tried very hard not to think about the chilly water just inches from my toes, and even harder not to think about what I was wearing.
This was Ariadne’s brilliant idea: Scarlet and I were to dress as water nymphs and pose on the diving boards of Rookwood School’s horrible outdoor pool. She had made us costumes out of old swimsuits and ballet tutus, with streamers of blue and green, and chalked streaks of colour on our faces. She’d scattered flowers in the water around us. I was certain that we looked quite ridiculous.
She wanted us both to do an arabesque, the ballet move where you stand on tiptoe with your arms outstretched and one leg up behind you, in a mirror image of each other. And now she was on the far side of the pool, bobbing up and down with the camera as she tried to get the perfect angle.
“Who agreed to this, again?” I whispered to Scarlet.
The diving boards were cold and slippery, even in the morning sun. Lessons were about to start, and Miss Bowler was not going to be happy if her first swimming session of the day was disrupted by two failed water nymphs tumbling into the deep end.
“Ariadneeee!” Scarlet wailed as her leg started to give.
“There. Got it!” Ariadne exclaimed finally. “You can stop now!”
“Oh, thank goodness,” I said, lowering my raised leg gently to the ground and slowly backing off the board. I could feel my muscles twitching. Scarlet just sat down with a thump, making her board thrum with vibrations.
Our best friend wandered over to us. She was clutching her camera and grinning, seemingly oblivious to our close brush with peril. “I think this will be my best photograph yet. Daddy will be so pleased.” She’d been learning how to develop her pictures in the new darkroom and sending them to her father in the post. Apparently he was proudly displaying them on the walls of Flitworth Manor.
“Never make me do that again,” said Scarlet. Ariadne just blinked at her happily.
“GIRLS!” came a sudden booming voice.
“Uh-oh.” The colour drained from our friend’s face.
The huge figure of Miss Bowler came striding past the changing rooms towards us, her whistle swinging back and forth round her neck. “What do you think you’re doing? Is this some sort of art?” She bellowed the word as if it were something terrible and offensive.
“I … um …” Ariadne stammered, holding the camera out in front of herself as if it would protect her.
Miss Bowler glared at us furiously. “You should all be in lessons. My class is about to start and the pool is full of GREENERY!”
“I’ll clear it up, Miss!” Ariadne squeaked. She ran and grabbed a net that was leaning against the wall and began trying to sweep the flowers from the water. The camera bounced on its leather strap as she moved.
The swimming instructor turned her glare to my twin. “I expect better from you, Ivy.”
“I’m Scarlet,” said Scarlet.
Miss Bowler went red. “I don’t care who you are! Clean up this mess and get inside! And for goodness’ sake, put your uniforms back on!”
I looked down at myself sheepishly. Ariadne had made a brave effort with her costumes, and she was certainly a good seamstress, but she wasn’t exactly at the level of our Aunt Sara.
I hoped Miss Bowler had finished her shouting, but evidently she hadn’t. “Flitworth, if I see you messing around with that infernal gadget during lesson time again, I will take it off you! Do you understand?”
Ariadne dropped a sopping pile of flowers at her feet. “Yes, Miss! I’ll put it away, Miss!”
Miss Bowler’s face contorted with disgust. “Children,” she muttered with distaste. “I’ve a good mind to make you swim la—” She cut herself off, and looked over her shoulder, some of the tomato red draining from her cheeks. I wondered if she was remembering our new headmistress Mrs Knight’s aversion to punishments, or perhaps old Headmaster Bartholomew and the girl who had once drowned at his hands in the school lake. Either way, she seemed to change her mind. “Just get inside,” she said finally, before stomping away.
I looked back at Ariadne, expecting her to be upset. She loved that camera, and hated being told off. But her worried expression had changed to an excited grin. She waved the camera at us. “I can’t wait to see how this one turns out!”
Rookwood School was trying its best to return to normality. Or at least, what passed for normality at a place where there really was at least one actual skeleton in the cupboard.
Last term, girls had left the school in droves, their parents afraid it was unsafe. And they were right, it turned out – our terrifying headmistress Miss Fox had stopped at nothing in trying to destroy the reputation of Rookwood School, but we’d finally thwarted her.
So Rookwood was a safe place once again, but that didn’t mean everyone had come back. Some had enrolled at other schools for good, their parents horrified by the spate of poisonings and anonymous threats. Violet, former arch-enemy of Scarlet, had been taken away by her guardian, and nobody had heard from her since. Not even Rose, who Violet had rescued from the asylum and brought to Rookwood. Rose had been allowed to stay while efforts were made to find out where she came from.
Things were now as normal as they could be. Lessons, porridge and stew, detentions for Scarlet; all under the now slightly more watchful eye of Mrs Knight. And now, I supposed, under the lens of Ariadne’s camera.
The next day began, as they tended to do, with an assembly.
We were shuffling into the hall when Mrs Knight breezed past us, clutching a piece of paper.
“Looks like an announcement,” said Scarlet, craning her neck to see over the first formers.
“Oooh,” said Ariadne. “I hope it’s a good one. Perhaps they’re going to improve the school dinners.” I was amazed that she had managed to keep up her appetite after being poisoned by the stew last term.
“Maybe they’re cancelling all the lessons. Or firing all the teachers and letting us run the school,” my twin suggested, her face suddenly hopeful.
I laughed and took a seat in our row, praying the announcement would actually be about something good, and not another one of the ‘unfortunate incidents’ that Rookwood was becoming famous for.
But as Mrs Knight took to the stage, I could see a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. “Good morning, girls,” she called cheerfully.
“Good morning, Mrs Knight,” we chorused back. The chorus wasn’t quite as loud as it had been before we’d lost so many students.
“Before we go on to the hymns this morning, I have an announcement to make!” she said. “And I think this is one you’ll all enjoy.”
Scarlet nudged me. “Firing all the teachers,” she mouthed.
“We could all do with a fresh start after last term,” Mrs Knight continued. I felt that was a bit of an understatement. “And so I have prepared a special treat: a school trip!”
A ripple of excited murmurs spread across the hall. Mrs Knight held out her hands to quieten everyone down, looking unusually pleased with herself.
“Now, girls, this will be a great opportunity to show some Rookwood School spirit. We will be staying at a wonderful lakeside hotel for a week of nature activities and working together.”
Scarlet and Ariadne were grinning, but I felt a tiny shiver down my spine. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go near another lake.
“Parents have already been notified by letter so they can give permission and pay the fees.” She smiled down at her notes. “There will also be a notice in the local paper. We want to show just how great our school can be.”
Hmm. I could see what she was up to. She was putting her brave face back on, and hoping that this would rescue the school’s reputation. I wasn’t sure it would be enough. The murderous and swindling headteachers of the past had done too much damage, surely?
Miss Bowler strutted on to the stage. “I don’t want any dilly-dallyers on this trip, so you need to sign up on the sheet, or you won’t be getting a place!”
Already everyone was whispering to each other in excitement. “We have to go,” Scarlet said in my ear. “A whole week away from Rookwood! No lessons!”
“It sounds good,” I muttered back.
“Oh, I do hope Daddy will let me go,” said Ariadne.
I shuffled awkwardly in my seat. That was a point. If our parents had to agree that we could go, and agree to pay the money … did we have any chance?
Mrs Knight continued: “Erm, right, yes, myself and Miss Bowler will be leading the trip, and there will be additional supervision from some of the elder prefects. Safety will be of the utmost importance, and we want everyone on their best behaviour.”
My twin’s expression was as mischievous as ever. “Easy,” she whispered. “What could possibly go wrong?”
Chapter Two (#ulink_92ddc93d-6979-5300-a2f4-c66ddee6c482)
SCARLET (#ulink_92ddc93d-6979-5300-a2f4-c66ddee6c482)
s soon as the assembly was over, we ran for the sign-up sheet.
Or at least, I ran. And I might have shoved rather a lot of people out of the way. But what mattered was that I got there first, picked up the pen dangling from a string beside it, and wrote SCARLET GREY and IVY GREY in big letters on the top two lines and ARIADNE FLITWORTH just underneath.
“You can’t write someone else’s name,” a girl behind me complained.
“I can,” I said, pointing at the sheet. “I just did.”
We had to go on this trip. There were no two ways about it. At last, an opportunity to get away from this horrible school for a whole week.
I stood back and watched as other girls began jostling to add their names to the list.
Ivy and Ariadne appeared next to me, having hurried to keep up.
“I added you both,” I told them.
“Oh, goody!” said Ariadne, clapping excitedly. Ivy just looked a bit green.
“What’s up with you, then, Ivy?” I asked.
“Do you think Father will agree to this?” she said after a pause. “Or more to the point, will Edith agree to it?”
She was right. Just having our names up there didn’t mean anything if we couldn’t get permission. I wasn’t even sure if our father would be at home right now, or if he’d be off working in the big city somewhere, and that meant the person who would receive the letter would be Edith, our stepmother. I chewed my lip. This could be difficult.
“Ugh,” I said. “You make a good point. I don’t think she’d want to open her purse strings if we were starving on the streets, let alone to send us on a school trip.”
Ivy nodded slowly. “We’ll just have to wait and see, I suppose.”
I looked back at the sheet – it was full already, and people were already trying to fit their names into the blank space round the side in the hopes that someone might drop out. Other notices had been knocked off the board and were scattered on the parquet floor of the entrance hall. I didn’t think anything like this had ever happened at Rookwood before, at least not in recent years.
I clenched my fists, determined not to let our stepmother stop me.
“We’re going,” I said confidently. “And that’s that.”
“You’re not going,” Edith’s voice sneered down the telephone, “and that’s that.”
We were sitting in Mrs Knight’s office, just me and Ivy, and we’d been allowed to make a call. Apparently our dear stepmother had received the letter already, and wasn’t impressed. “But why?” I whined. I knew I sounded childish, but I truly didn’t understand. If it had been her precious boys, she would’ve said yes without a thought.
“Because it’s a waste of my money, Scarlet,” she snapped.
You mean Father’s money, I thought, but I held my tongue for once. We stood no chance if I was rude to her. Even if she especially deserved it.
“I’m not paying for you to go off gallivanting about the countryside when you should be learning,” she continued. “Your father expects you to be getting a proper education, and we pay enough for it as it is.”
I glared up at the motivational posters on the walls. Ivy was twiddling her thumbs in the chair beside me. “It’ll be completely educational. Mrs Knight said we’re going to learn about nature.”
I could almost see Edith smirk. “Oh yes, I’m sure looking at trees will be invaluable for your future. Will it help you to get a husband or pay your way in the world?”
I must have pulled a hideous face in response, because Ivy started silently laughing. What could I say to that? My mind raced. “But what if—”
“I said NO, Scarlet. You’re staying at Rookwood. Where you belong.”
There was a click as the line cut off.
“Well, at least I’m far away from YOU, you hideous old bat!” I screeched into the receiver, slamming it down.
Ivy looked horrified. “Scarlet, you didn’t …”
I turned to her. “She hung up,” I explained.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she said.
I frowned at the telephone, as if it were responsible for all our problems. This was quite the setback.
“Are you sure you want to go on this trip?” Ivy asked, suddenly.
Was she mad? “Of course! We’ve wanted to get away from Rookwood this whole time, haven’t we?”
I half expected my twin to bring up the fact that it was at least preferable to being locked in an asylum, as I had been when Miss Fox had convinced everyone I was crazy. But she didn’t say that, and there was a faraway look in her eyes. “I’ve just got a bad feeling about this,” she said hazily. Then she blinked and came back to reality. “Maybe it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Edith is never going to agree to it.”
“I bet she would if we bribed her,” I growled. We were almost certain that our stepmother had accepted a bribe from Miss Fox to keep quiet about the asylum incident.
“Perhaps we should just give up,” Ivy replied, and she looked strangely hopeful.
“Give up? Since when do we just give up?” I said. “No. We’ll think of something.”
Friday’s assembly brought letters. I shuffled in my seat as Mrs Knight called out the names, and each person went up to collect their post as others filed out of the hall.
Ariadne’s name was called, and she came rushing back looking like an excited puppy. “Daddy’s given me permission!” she said, flapping the letter at us. “I can go on the trip!” I think she noticed our downcast faces, because she slowly stopped flapping the paper. “Ah,” she said. “You didn’t get a letter, did you?”
Ivy shook her head. “Our stepmother is determined to stop us from going.”
“Well, rats,” said Ariadne. “I’m not sure if I want to go on my own.”
I looked around at the other girls in our year. Nadia appeared to be celebrating, so I supposed her parents had agreed to let her go. Penny was slumped in her seat looking dejected. I almost felt sorry for her, but … no, I wasn’t quite there yet. Not after all her bullying.
“You might avoid being stuck with Penny, at least. It looks like her parents haven’t given their permission,” I said.
We stood up to head for the first lesson, but someone was in the way, blocking our exit from the row.
“You’re going on the trip, then, are you, Flitworth?” It was Elsie Sparks, the prissy prefect, flanked by two others whose names I didn’t know. Their shiny prefect badges glinted on their lapels.
“Yes, I am,” Ariadne said, clutching her letter to her dress.
“Hmm,” Elsie smirked at her friends. “Another one we’ve got to keep an eye on. They’re trouble this lot.” Her eyes flicked over to me and Ivy. “But I didn’t see a letter for you two, did I? Are you leaving her to come all alone?”
“Actually—” Ivy started, but I interrupted her.
“Actually we will be going. Just as soon as we get the permission slip. It probably got lost in the post.”
“Ha!” snorted Elsie. “I’m sure it did.”
One of the other prefects beside her peered at me down her nose. She was very tall, with unreasonably long legs and perfectly curled short brown hair. Her satchel was neatly labelled CASSANDRA CLARKSON, so I presumed that was her name, unless she’d pinched the bag from someone else. “I know you two,” she said, in a voice that sounded like it was giving us an exam. “You’re the twins who got rid of the headmaster, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I said. “What’s your point?”
“Hmmph,” she sniffed. “I liked him. He chose me as a prefect, after all.”
Mr Bartholomew, the old head, had tried to bring back the prefect system when he took over the school back from Miss Fox. His choices were utterly terrible, but the teachers wouldn’t be picking new prefects until next year.
Ivy gaped at Cassandra, while I just stared daggers at her. She was mad if she actually liked the old man. “He murdered a student!” Ivy pointed out.
“Well, perhaps she should have behaved,” the tall girl said with a wry smile.
Elsie smacked her on the arm. “You’re such a card, Cassie!”
Cassandra giggled, as if she’d been terribly funny. I wanted to give her a smack myself, but it would have been a lot harder, and probably round the face area.
“Right,” I said. “Will you lot get out of our way so we can get to class?” I wasn’t particularly in a rush to learn, but I was fed up with being taunted.
The other prefect, who had dark hair and a horse-riding rosette pinned to her uniform, spread her arms out wide. “Is that any way to talk to your betters?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” I said. I wasn’t about to let them walk all over us. I pushed the horsey girl out of the way and stomped into the aisle. Ivy and Ariadne darted behind me.
“Watch it, Grey,” Elsie hissed, as her friend dusted herself off in mock horror. “We’ll be keeping an eye on your little friend on the trip, and you wouldn’t want her to get into trouble, would you?” She glanced pointedly at Ariadne, who gulped.
At that moment, Mrs Knight headed across the quickly emptying hall towards us. “Problem, girls?” she asked.
“Oh, none at all, Miss,” said Elsie, pulling out her cheerful sucking-up-to-teachers voice. “We were simply telling these little ones how excited we are about the trip. It’s going to be so wonderful!”
Mrs Knight beamed. I clenched my fists to prevent myself from punching anyone.
“How lovely to see some school spirit again,” the headmistress said happily. “Right then, off to lessons with you all.”
I wasn’t about to be told twice, so I grabbed Ivy and Ariadne’s hands and we hurried away from the prefects.
“I can’t believe Mrs Knight is putting those smarmy slugs in charge,” I muttered as we walked through the corridors.
“Me neither,” said Ivy. It had been bad enough going for a short bus ride with Elsie last term, let alone having to suffer a whole week of her bossing us about.
Ariadne had gone a bit pale. “Please don’t leave me alone with them,” she said.
“We won’t,” I promised. “We’ll find a way.”
But at that moment, I had to admit – I was out of ideas.
Chapter Three (#ulink_77cfe7c0-9c9c-5f32-8d29-512420fa4b7c)
IVY (#ulink_77cfe7c0-9c9c-5f32-8d29-512420fa4b7c)
was afraid of going on the trip, I had to admit. I felt sure something was going to go wrong, just as it always did.
But what I was even more worried about was leaving Ariadne in the company of unscrupulous prefects for a week. Scarlet was right. We had to get permission. But how?
“We could forge a letter from our parents!” Scarlet suggested as we walked to ballet that afternoon.
“That’s just a recipe for trouble if we get found out,” I said. “Not to mention that they don’t just have to say we can go, someone has to actually pay for both of us.”
“Hmmph,” my twin folded her arms. “You haven’t made any suggestions so far.”
“I’m thinking about it,” I insisted.
Ballet was a little different these days. Our teacher, Miss Finch, had been struggling for some time with her injured leg. Then last term the strange Madame Zelda had arrived when Miss Finch disappeared – just a coincidence, it turned out, as Zelda had actually turned up hoping to apologise for being the one to cause the injury.
They must have had a long talk, because now they seemed happy to be in the same room as one another – or at the very least, they accepted it. Mrs Knight had decided that it would be best for them to share the job of teaching ballet in order to give Miss Finch a bit of a rest now and then.
We descended the steps into the chilly basement ballet studio, where Miss Finch and Madame Zelda were waiting. Miss Finch sat at the piano, while Zelda stood staring into the mirror. They weren’t talking, but the atmosphere didn’t seem too unfriendly.
“Ah, girls,” said Madame Zelda as we walked in. “Begin your warm-up, please.”
We started lacing on our shoes, never quite sure whether we had to remain silent as Madame Zelda usually insisted, or whether we could talk more freely as Miss Finch had let us in the past. I watched as Nadia and another girl came down the stairs into the room.
“I’m just so excited for the trip,” Nadia was saying. “A whole week away from school!”
Madame Zelda looked at her sharply. “I hope you will be practising extra hard this week, then, Miss Sayani. You don’t want to get behind with your ballet.”
Nadia straightened up. “No, Miss!” she said.
The new teacher seemed pleased with her answer. “Good. And you two? Will you be leaving us as well?” she asked, looking down at me and Scarlet.
“Couldn’t get permission,” said Scarlet, glaring at the floor. “Awful parents.”
“I can sympathise,” called Miss Finch from the piano.
I got to my feet, and Madame Zelda placed a thin hand lightly on my shoulder. “Then we shall enjoy having you both in class,” she said, and winked at me.
I tried to smile, but Scarlet looked so miserable that I couldn’t quite manage it.
Penny walked in then, and Madame Zelda turned to her. “What about you, Miss Winchester? Will you be going on this trip?”
Penny’s expression turned thunderous. “No,” she said.
“And why’s that?” asked Madame Zelda, her face inquisitive and open.
To my surprise, Penny actually answered her honestly. “My parents haven’t replied to the letter. And I don’t think they’re going to. I thought of writing to my uncle to see if he might pay for me to go, but …” She trailed off, and looked around at us. “It’s none of your business, anyway,” she finished.
“Careful,” Madame Zelda said, waving her finger. “We must have the composure of a ballet dancer, mustn’t we?”
Penny sighed and slumped down to lace her shoes on. “Yes, Miss. Sorry, Miss.”
Scarlet rolled her eyes, but something Penny had said stuck in my mind as we began doing our stretches. I thought of writing to my uncle. The thought grew bigger and bigger. We had two aunts now, aunts who were both kind and generous. If we wrote to them …
At the end of the lesson, I grabbed Scarlet. “I think we should write to Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Sara about the trip!”
“Why?” My twin wrinkled her nose. “To tell them our stepmother is the spawn of the devil? I think they already know that.”
“No,” I said. “To ask them for permission. They might be able to pay the fees for us.”
Scarlet’s eyes widened. “Is that allowed?”
“I have no idea.” I thought about it for a moment. “I’m hoping Aunt Phoebe might have been listed as a guardian on our records.”
Scarlet started to grin. “You’re a genius. Let’s try it!”
We composed the letters that night. We wrote to both Aunt Sara and Aunt Phoebe, telling them all about the trip and asking if we could go.
“We’ll go to the village first thing tomorrow and post them,” said Scarlet. “They won’t take long to get there.”
I crossed my fingers. Ariadne was sitting on my bed and nervously knitting. “I hope they say yes,” she said, twirling the wool round her fingers.
“Me too,” I said. “If we don’t get permission by Friday, then we’ll be taken off the list.”
We had to do it. I didn’t want our stepmother to win again.
Friday dawned, and I was desperate for assembly to start – because Friday’s assembly meant letters.
I ran into Rose in the corridor as I headed for the lavatories, feeling chilly in my nightgown. She was leaving the room she had shared with Violet, her face forlorn as she slowly pulled the door closed. Violet and Rose had been inseparable after meeting in the asylum. She must miss her.
Rose was unusual to say the least – she was an enigma, and rumours abounded throughout the school. We knew very little about her. She wasn’t one to talk, usually, and when she did, she spoke so softly that you had to strain to hear her.
“Good morning, Rose,” I said brightly.
She smiled at me.
“Did you hear about the trip?” I asked, carrying on walking as she came up beside me.
She nodded.
“Our stepmother wouldn’t give us permission,” I explained, “but we’re going to ask our aunts. I hope we’ll be able to go. Well, I was worried about going at first, but I think Ariadne needs us.”
As we reached the lavatories, I started to worry that we were having a bit of a one-sided conversation. At least, more one-sided than usual. “Do you think you’d like to go?”
Rose looked back in the direction of her room. “I would,” she whispered. “Very much. Only …”
She trailed off, but I could fill in the gaps. She didn’t have Violet any more, and she wasn’t a proper student. Even more than that, there was no one who could give her permission.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t think. It’s not long, though. Only a week.” We went inside, and I washed my face with the freezing-cold water from the sink.
She smiled again, but she seemed sad. If only there was something we could do. But if we couldn’t get on the trip ourselves, I didn’t see how we’d be able to take Rose.
After breakfast, we headed for assembly. Scarlet pretty much bounced into her seat, dropping her satchel on the floor and nudging it about with her foot. She was so jittery, waiting to see if we’d got a letter. I was too. I barely listened to what Mrs Knight was telling us.
“Now,” Mrs Knight said, “don’t forget that today is the deadline for your permission letters.” My ears pricked up, and Scarlet squeezed my knee. “On that note,” the headmistress said, “it’s post day.”
She began reading out names from the pile of letters in her hand. “Agatha Brown! Alice Carter-Jones!”
Scarlet squeezed my knee even harder as the alphabet got closer to our surname. I had to slap her hand away, because I didn’t want my leg to fall off.
“Scarlet and Ivy Grey!”
Scarlet leapt up and ran for the stage. She grabbed the letter from Mrs Knight’s hand and was back in her seat tearing open the envelope before I even had time to speak.
I read it over her shoulder. I didn’t recognise the beautiful looped handwriting, but I soon realised it must belong to our Aunt Sara.
Dear Scarlet and Ivy,
My darlings, I hope you are well. I received your letter about the school trip. I have managed to speak to your Aunt Phoebe (it wasn’t easy – I had to telephone someone named Philip?).
We have decided that you ought to be allowed to go on the trip. We’ll keep this quiet from Edith, shall we? I have enclosed a cheque for you, which should be more than enough to cover the trip, and a letter of permission.
Go forth, my darlings, and have a new adventure!
With love,
Sara Louise
Chapter Four (#ulink_2e3db133-132b-5c5e-a451-88d9a838908e)
SCARLET (#ulink_2e3db133-132b-5c5e-a451-88d9a838908e)
started bouncing up and down in the middle of the hall. I couldn’t believe it. We were going on the trip! Finally, a way out of Rookwood – even if it was only for a week.
“Aunt Sara is the best!” I said. I was so glad we’d found her. At least someone was on our side who could help us. Aunt Phoebe was lovely too, but she couldn’t be trusted to remember where she’d left her own head.
Ariadne was bouncing beside me. “It’s going to be brilliant!” she cried.
Ivy wasn’t quite bouncing, but she at least looked pleased. “We need to take this to Mrs Knight,” she said.
“No time like the present,” I said. I ran to the front of the hall, where Mrs Knight was just stepping down from the stage. “Miss! We can go on the trip!” I waved the letter and the cheque at her.
Mrs Knight held her hands out in front of her protectively. “Slow down a moment, Scarlet. Let me see.”
I handed the papers over, and she pulled her glasses up from the chain round her neck and put them on. I watched as her eyes slid along each line of the letter.
“Well,” she said after a moment. “This is a little irregular. I do recall your aunts, but …”
“Aunt Sara’s paid the fees!” I said, tapping the cheque repeatedly.
An expression I couldn’t quite read crossed Mrs Knight’s face. She took her glasses back off again. “Ah. Hmm. I suppose it’s all right …”
“Yes!” I punched the air.
Ivy came up beside me. “Thank you, Miss,” she said.
“Um, yes,” said Mrs Knight, taking the cheque from me and tucking it into her pocket. She patted it a few times, as if making sure it was still there. “Well done, girls. The bus leaves at four o’clock on Monday.” She wandered away, leaving us both to share an excited hug.
Ariadne had ceased bouncing by this point, and now she looked a little concerned. “I just remembered about Rose,” she said. “Do you think she stands any chance?”
I shrugged. “No idea. She doesn’t have parents who can give her permission …”
“… but she doesn’t have parents to deny her permission either,” Ivy finished. That was a good point. I wasn’t sure what Mrs Knight would say to that.
“But the trip is full anyway,” I said, picking up my satchel from the floor. “Miss Bowler made it very clear that your name has to be down. I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”
Ariadne sighed. “You’re probably right. Poor Rose.”
I felt sorry for her as well. Violet had been Rose’s best friend, and at the moment it didn’t look like Violet was coming back. And all right, I was a little pleased about that. She’d always wanted everything to go her way, and I wanted everything to go my way, and that was always going to be a recipe for disaster.
Still, Rose didn’t deserve to lose her friend. She was so shy and quiet and kind, completely the opposite of Vile Violet. She’d been through the same asylum hell that I’d been through. But most people still thought she was strange and avoided her, or at worst, picked on her. I didn’t want to abandon her at school with only the horses to talk to.
“We can get someone nice to keep an eye on her,” I suggested. “But right now we have more important things to do.”
“Oh?” Ivy said with a curious smile.
“Like PACKING!”
“We have lessons,” Ariadne pointed out.
“I know,” I said. “But after that, we can start packing. Because WE’RE GOING ON THE TRIP!”
I raced through Rookwood’s traditional stew dinner that night. As soon as we were back in room thirteen, I pulled my old battered suitcase out from under the bed. I tossed it on to the blankets and opened it wide, taking a moment to appreciate the possibilities.
Ivy was looking at me funny.
“What?” I asked.
“What are we supposed to pack?” she said. She waved a list that we’d been given of things we were meant to bring. “We can’t wear uniform, but we don’t have most of these things. Hiking clothes?”
Ugh. She was right. We’d picked up a few things when we’d briefly returned home, but the sad truth was that most of my clothes had been taken away when they’d thought I was dead. And our parents had never provided us with much in the first place.
“We’ll just have to take what we have. Can I borrow some of yours?” I asked. That was one advantage of being a twin. We both wore the same size.
She sighed. “All right. Let’s have a look.” She went over to the wardrobe and pulled it open.
I followed and peered over her shoulder. It contained our ballet outfits, a few plain dresses and skirts that belonged to Ivy, and one that belonged to me. Oh, and the embarrassing costumes that Ariadne had made us, but I wasn’t planning on ever wearing one of those again.
I moved Ivy out of the way and grabbed my dress and a couple of hers. “Scarlet!” she moaned.
“What?” I said. “I’m only borrowing them.” I made a show of folding them as neatly as possible and placing them gently in the suitcase.
There was a knock at the door and Ariadne bounded in. She was clutching the camera again.
“I’ve been asked to take photographs!” she said, grinning with excitement.
“Oh no,” I said, putting my hands up to protect myself. “No more posing!”
“No, silly, not of you. Of everyone. On the trip.” She made a sweeping gesture at the window, as if that conveyed everything.
“Really?” Ivy asked. “I thought the teachers didn’t like you using the camera?”
“Mrs Knight asked me personally,” Ariadne said, her chest swelling with pride. “She wants to take lots of pictures for the school newsletter, and they might put some in the local paper as well.”
The local paper? “Goodness,” said Ivy, sitting down at the desk. “She really is determined to promote the school with this, isn’t she?”
“Well, make sure you get my good side,” I said.
“You have a good side?” Ivy asked, puzzled. And then added after a moment, “but we’re mirror twins. Does that mean it’s my bad side?”
To be honest, I didn’t have a clue. It was just something that I’d heard people say. I changed the subject. “What are you going to bring, Ariadne?”
“Oh, all sorts,” said Ariadne, and she winked at me. It was a bit strange seeing her attempt to wink. What was that all about? I’d have to ask her later.
I went over to our desk drawer, which now contained various school books and ink pens alongside Ivy’s pearl necklace and my hairbrush – the only heirlooms we’d inherited from our mother. I’d always thought they were a strange choice, but they’d actually helped us crack the mystery of her true identity and discover Aunt Sara. I stroked the necklace gently. “You should bring this along,” I said to Ivy, pulling it out. “Maybe we’ll get to have a grand dinner in the hotel.” It was usually against the rules to wear jewellery at Rookwood, but if we weren’t at Rookwood then I didn’t think the rules applied.
Ivy smiled and took it from me. “Maybe,” she said. “I’ll have to be careful with it, though.” She pulled out her own carpet bag from the bottom of the wardrobe and gently lowered the necklace in.
I packed the hairbrush, along with the Rookwood regulation toothbrush and threadbare towel we were all given. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to take those away (or even if the hotel would have their own – we’d never been to a hotel before) but they were the only ones I had, so they were going in.
Ivy pulled out a pen and paper. “We must write to our aunts and thank them,” she said. “I still can’t believe they’ve sent us the money to go.”
I nodded. “I can’t believe we’re going,” I said. I slammed the suitcase shut and started jumping up and down on it. “This is going to be the best week ever!”
Chapter Five (#ulink_b0eea9e3-da06-57eb-93a2-6db069b1d806)
IVY (#ulink_b0eea9e3-da06-57eb-93a2-6db069b1d806)
he day of the trip arrived, and Scarlet was awake even before the morning bell had rung. As my eyes creaked open, I watched her leap out of bed and pull her suitcase from beneath it.
“Scarlet,” I managed, half asleep. “We’re not leaving until this afternoon.”
“So?” she said with a mischievous grin. “Our motto is ‘be prepared’, is it not?”
I pushed myself up and threw my pillow at her. “You’re thinking of the Scouts. The Rookwood motto is ‘Nothing is heavy for those who have wings’.”
She tossed the pillow back at me and tried to pick up her suitcase. “Ouch. Whoever came up with that obviously never tried to lift this.”
I blinked sleepily. “I thought you had barely anything to pack? How did it get so heavy?”
She bent down, undid the metal catches and flipped the leather lid open. The suitcase had acquired several jars of sweets.
“Ariadne gave me some of her stash,” Scarlet said. “For emergencies. She said she didn’t have room for all of it.”
I didn’t think anyone had ever had to have an emergency midnight feast, but I wouldn’t put it past Ariadne.
We got dressed and headed down for breakfast. We still had a morning of lessons to get through, but even that couldn’t put the brakes on Scarlet’s excitement. “Only eight hours to go!” she said as she collected her porridge in the dining hall. “Then it’s goodbye porridge and goodbye Rookwood!”
I grinned at her. “We’re coming back, though,” I pointed out.
“I can pretend that we aren’t,” she retorted.
Scarlet’s enthusiasm was catching. It really would be great to get away from Rookwood for a little while, and to see somewhere new.
At midday, Scarlet grabbed my arm. “It’s midday!” she whispered.
“What does that mean?” I shot back.
“It means there’s only four hours to go!”
I laughed. I hoped this trip could live up to her expectations.
Finally, finally, it was time for us to head out to the front of the school and watch for the bus. In fact we were rather early, but I thought that if we waited any longer Scarlet would burst.
We sat on the steps with our luggage. The sun was bright and warm where it spilt on to the stone, and the air was filled with the cawing of the rooks. One of them darted to the ground and tipped its head to the side, inspecting us. Another hopped down next to it.
I’d read about them in a book on birds once. It said that one of the names for a group of rooks was a parliament. I told Scarlet this.
She pointed at one and said: “Is that a Member of Parliament, then?”
The rook didn’t look pleased. It squawked at her and then took flight, its wings beating patterns in the warm air.
We stared at the rooks for a while longer before I heard the school’s enormous doors being pulled open, and Ariadne appeared at the top of the steps. She was dragging two large suitcases that seemed to match the little convoy she’d brought on the very first day of school. She left them propping open the door and came down to us.
I looked up at her, putting my hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun. “That can’t all be sweets in there?” I asked, baffled.
She blinked at me. “Oh! No! This is mostly my camera equipment. I’m hoping there might be somewhere dark I can develop the photographs while we’re there.”
I had no idea whether hotels usually had a darkroom, but it seemed unlikely.
She stepped down on to the drive, took the camera out of the case round her neck and pointed it at us. “Smile!”
I smiled as the lens clicked and whirred. I think Scarlet pulled a face.
“Oh, hello, Rose,” Ariadne said. “I think you got in the picture.”
I twisted round and saw Rose standing behind us.
“Where did you come from?” Scarlet asked. Rose just smiled knowingly.
Talking to Rose was often a bit of a guessing game. “Did you come to say goodbye to us?” Ariadne asked.
She nodded and smiled, but her smile seemed sad. I watched her twisting the chain of her golden locket round her fingers, as she often seemed to do as a nervous habit. “I wish I could go,” she said quietly.
Suddenly, we heard shouting coming from the entrance hall.
Scarlet stood up. “What on earth is going on in there?”
We all ran back inside, leaving our luggage behind while Rose just stared off into the distance. Some drama was clearly unfolding.
As my eyes adjusted to the light indoors, I saw Mrs Knight standing in front of one of Elsie’s prefect friends. The headmistress’s arms were crossed in a very clear display of displeasure.
“Calm down, please, Betty,” she was saying.
“This isn’t fair!” The girl screeched at her. “I’m a prefect! I’ve got to go!”
Mrs Knight didn’t budge. “You aren’t entitled to go. Mr Bartholomew chose you as a prefect, yes, but you’ve forged your permission letter.” She glanced over at the new Rookwood secretary on the front desk, a lady named Miss Jarvis, who had slanted spectacles and always looked a little annoyed. I wondered if she’d been the one to discover the forgery. “That is unacceptable behaviour, as is the fuss you are making right now.”
I gulped nervously. Thank goodness we hadn’t tried forgery.
Betty scrunched her hands into her dark hair as if she were about to pull it out. “I paid the fees out of my own pocket! You have to let me on that bus!”
The headmistress was frowning intently, which was about as angry as she got. If Miss Fox had been there, Betty would have been dragged off for a caning before her feet could touch the ground. “You can have your money back, but you have broken the rules, madam, and now you will have to live with the consequences. And you can have a detention for talking to me in that manner too.”
Betty clenched her fists and stormed off without another word, leaving us all there staring after her. Mrs Knight sighed, though I couldn’t tell if it was frustration or relief.
As Betty left the room, she nearly bumped into Miss Bowler, who was striding in carrying an enormous bag. “Watch where you’re going, Smith!” Miss Bowler bellowed after her. She dropped the bag on the floor with a thud and then appeared to notice all of our startled faces. “Something the matter?”
“Miss Smith forged her permission slip,” Mrs Knight said, her voice heavy with disappointment. “She is no longer coming with us.”
“Well, I never!” said Miss Bowler. “Students these days! They think they can get away with anything …”
As Miss Bowler ranted to a somewhat stunned Mrs Knight, Scarlet pulled Ariadne and me into a circle. “I’ve just had an idea …” she said, keeping her voice lowered.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Betty’s off the trip. But her space has already been booked,” Scarlet began.
“But we’re about to leave,” Ariadne said, flapping her arms. “Nobody’s going to get permission from their parents now!”
“Yes,” said Scarlet. She looked pointedly out of the vast open doors of the school. “But what about someone who doesn’t have parents to ask?”
I suddenly saw what she meant. This was Rose’s chance to join the trip!
“Oh, Scarlet,” Ariadne grinned. “That’s brilliant. Go and ask!”
“You’re coming with me.” Scarlet grabbed us by one arm each, and tugged us over to where the two teachers stood.
“… and that’s why they should bring back the stocks!” Miss Bowler finished, with a final flourish of her muscular arms. Then she noticed us. “Yes?”
“Is there a problem, girls?” Mrs Knight asked.
“Mi-iss,” said Scarlet, in the voice she used when she was trying to get something from a teacher. “We couldn’t help but overhear that a place has just become available … and we wanted to ask if Rose could come?”
“Who’s Rose?” said Miss Bowler in a pantomime whisper to Mrs Knight.
“The girl who helps at the stables,” the headmistress said, as this was the way most people referred to Rose these days.
“Oh, right, right,” Miss Bowler said. “The funny one who’s forgotten how to talk.”
Mrs Knight frowned. “Well, I’m not sure about this …”
“You said the hotel’s already been booked,” Ariadne pointed out. “And you don’t need to ask her parents because she doesn’t have any.”
Mrs Knight looked questioningly at Miss Bowler, but the swimming instructor just shrugged at her. “All right, I suppose she might as well. Your aunt sent a very generous sum that would more than pay for Rose’s place, in fact. Well, tell her to go and get her things, then. Quickly now.”
Scarlet took this a bit too literally, and turned round to face the outside with her hands cupped to her mouth. “ROSE!” she yelled. “MRS KNIGHT SAYS YOU CAN HAVE BETTY’S PLACE ON THE TRIP! GO AND GET YOUR THINGS!”
Which was entirely the wrong moment, because as Rose spun round in surprise, Elsie Sparks walked in. And she looked furious.
Elsie went right up to Mrs Knight, not even looking at us. “Miss,” she said quietly. “Is it true? Betty is off the trip? She just came to me sobbing.”
The headmistress was clearly losing her patience. “Yes, Elsie. Betty broke the rules. We’re taking Miss … Rose instead. Now if you’ll excuse me, we need to go and meet the bus.” She hurried off out of the front doors, Miss Bowler striding after her.
Now Elsie was glaring in our direction. “You little rats,” she said.
“What?” I replied. “What did we do?”
“Betty should be coming with us. Not your weird silent friend. You’d all better watch your backs!” And with that, she swung her bag up on to her shoulder and stalked off outside.
Ariadne stared after her. “Should we be worried?”
“She should be afraid of us,” said Scarlet, clenching her fists. “I’m going to get Rose and we’re going to have a great time. Elsie Sparks can go hang.”
The bus had arrived, the same one that had taken us to the ballet last term. It smelt of leather seats and petrol.
Scarlet had taken Rose to get her few possessions, which largely consisted of things that Violet had stolen for her which hadn’t been claimed back. I think the only things she truly owned were the clothes she stood up in and the golden locket that hung round her neck.
Ariadne and I had climbed on board, lifting our bags into the luggage racks above our heads (Ariadne’s took us several attempts, since it seemed to be full of bricks). We sat near the back, as far away from Elsie and her friend Cassandra as possible, since they were already shooting glares at us. Mrs Knight was standing at the front of the bus, holding the list of names up like a shield as she tried to sort out who was supposed to be there and who wasn’t. Already some girls had tried unsuccessfully to get on board and Miss Bowler had sent them packing with detentions.
Nearly all the seats filled up, except the two beside us that we had saved.
Ariadne looked at her watch. “It’s time to go!” she said. “Where are Scarlet and Rose?”
Typical, I thought. Scarlet had been the one counting down the seconds until this trip and now she was late. “Come on,” I whispered out of the window.
Miss Bowler climbed on board. “Who are we missing?” she bellowed down the aisle. “Grey and … whatsername?”
“Yes, Miss,” I piped up. “They’ll be here soon!”
“They’d better be,” she muttered, but even a mutter from Miss Bowler was rather loud. “The driver is waiting.”
I peered down the aisle at the driver, who was a fairly young man in a flat cap. He didn’t look like he was waiting. He looked like he was quite enjoying reading his newspaper and eating a biscuit.
After a few anxious minutes of staring at the front steps, I spotted Scarlet dragging Rose behind her. “Thank goodness,” I said. I was pleased to see that Rose was smiling.
“Hurry up, girls!” I could hear Mrs Knight saying as she waved them on. They hopped up the steps and headed towards us. Elsie whispered something to Cassandra as they passed. I couldn’t hear, but I was sure it wasn’t very nice.
Scarlet and Rose took the two seats we’d saved for them on the other side of the aisle, and Scarlet lifted their bags up. Rose waved at us happily.
Finally Mrs Knight stepped on. “Are we all here?”
“Yes!” everyone chorused, somewhat pointlessly.
“Right, then! Off to Lake Seren we go!” She pumped her fist in the air and then climbed into the front seat beside Miss Bowler.
The driver looked back at her. “Can I finish my biscuit first?” he said.
Chapter Six (#ulink_ab64f37d-307c-57eb-9e36-95522b7e7483)
SCARLET (#ulink_ab64f37d-307c-57eb-9e36-95522b7e7483)
he bus pulled out of Rookwood’s gates. As the stone rooks swept past us, I squeezed Ivy’s hand across the aisle. I knew this trip was going to be brilliant.
We chugged along the country roads, past the miles of hedgerows and open fields and oak trees. The afternoon sun made the bus swelteringly hot, and I started to wish I had a drink.
At one point Nadia tried to begin a singalong, but Elsie swiftly told her to shut up. At least there was one thing we agreed upon.
I started telling Rose what I thought we’d get up to on the trip. “It’s a really grand hotel,” I said. “Incredibly posh. I imagine we’ll be drinking champagne and bathing in milk. Or is that the other way round?”
Rose giggled.
“And there will probably be dancing and lawn tennis and croquet,” I carried on. I was pretty sure that was the sort of thing they did at hotels.
“Will there be horses?” Rose asked quietly.
“Definitely,” I said, though I had no idea. “Probably with glass carriages and footmen.”
The bus carried on, and soon everyone had pulled open the tiny windows above the seats.
“It’s so hot,” Ivy moaned.
“I’m boiling,” Ariadne said, blowing away a lock of hair that kept trying to stick to her face.
I pointed out of the window. The sun was lower in the sky now, slipping behind the trees. “The sun will set soon. Then we’ll hopefully stop melting.” I was sticking to my seat.
Ariadne nodded and yawned. Moments later, she’d fallen asleep.
The landscape started to change around us. We passed through a town I didn’t recognise, all red brick and smoking chimneys. Then there was more countryside, dappled with houses here and there. The sunset washed the sky with orange and a deep blood red.
“Are we there yet?!” someone yelled, making everyone laugh. Ariadne awoke with a jolt and nearly hit Ivy in the face with a flailing arm.
“Miles to go before we sleep,” said Mrs Knight.
I sighed. Everyone had been quiet until that point, mostly just staring out at the darkening road. My excitement wasn’t draining; it was more like just … postponed. Being kept on hold for when we got there.
Twilight fell, and brought cooler air with it. I wondered where we were. The sloping hills of the countryside I knew were starting to look more like mountains. There were stone walls and pine trees and bubbling streams.
Some time later, the bus drove between two enormous rocks, and I spotted a waterfall cascading down the side of a cliff. I could hear the rushing water over the roar of the engine. “Rose, over there!” I nudged her, and she looked where I was pointing and smiled. We were quite high up, I realised, and as we rounded a corner I saw why. We were on the edge of the valley, overlooking the vast lake. “There it is!”
I glanced over at Ariadne and Ivy to see if they were awake. Ariadne looked like she had nodded off, but Ivy was staring out of the back window of the bus. I poked her arm. “What are you looking at?”
“There are headlamps behind us,” she said, a concerned expression on her face. “That car’s been there a long time, I swear it.”
“Never mind that,” I said. “Look at the lake!”
I spoke loudly enough that I not only woke Ariadne again, but several other people nearby snapped to attention and peered out at the lake.
It was getting dark, but the landscape was still visible. The lake was huge, and looked a deep navy blue against the black of the hills. “Is that a tower?” I said, pointing at a shadowy structure rising out of the water. Rose nodded. She looked fascinated.
“There’s lights,” said Ariadne, squinting out at the darkness. I wasn’t sure if she was entirely awake.
“What?” I said.
“Lights under the lake,” she replied. “Near the tower.”
I couldn’t see what she was talking about, and then, just for a moment, I thought I saw a flash of something.
“Hmm,” Ivy said.
We all watched the surface of the water as the bus descended the hill, but I couldn’t spot anything else. The road became bumpier as we went along and I was nearly jolted out of my seat.
As I righted myself, I heard Rose gasp. The bus was pulling out on to an enormous stone bridge. Everyone stood up to get a better look.
“Sit down, girls,” I heard Mrs Knight warn sleepily, but I didn’t listen to her. I saw the dark water spreading out in all directions around us.
“There’s the hotel!” Nadia cried, pointing.
I could see it, a big shadow on the landscape with flickering lights in the windows. “We’re almost there!”
The bus crossed the bridge, and the first few stars began to wink in the sky as I stared out. After what felt like an age, we reached the other side of the lake and the bus started climbing again, up to where the hotel stood.
“Right, everyone,” Mrs Knight called, sounding a little more alert. “We’re very close to the Shady Pines Hotel now.” I could see where it got its name. The pine trees surrounded us on all sides. “I’m sure they’ll give us a lovely, warm welcome!”
And then the bus slowly came to a halt. The car that had been following behind roared past us, making everyone jump.
We’d stopped next to a sign that I could just make out. It was peeling and cracked, and hung on a wooden pole with hinges that were creaking in the wind.
At least, I thought that was what it was meant to say. Three of the letters had worn away from the bottom line, making it look more like it said Pleas enjo your sty.
“Can’t you go right up to the door?” I heard Mrs Knight say to the driver.
He stood up. “The engine’s gone,” he said. “Too steep. Going to have to roll it back down the hill to start it. Can I drop you all off here?”
Mrs Knight sighed. “All right, girls! Everyone off! Don’t forget to pick up your bags!”
“But, Miss,” I heard someone moan sleepily from the front.
“No buts!” said Miss Bowler. “Off!”
We all began sluggishly pulling our things down from the luggage rack. “I can’t believe they’re making us walk up there,” I said to Rose as I stared out into the dark. She shivered and wrapped her cardigan tighter round herself. At least it was a clear night and we had the moon to see by.
We made our way to the front of the bus, Ivy and Ariadne not far behind, and stepped down. There was a chill in the air and the road was bumpy beneath my feet. I was about to complain some more, but I saw the horrified expressions on Elsie and Cassandra’s faces and decided the discomfort was worth it.
Miss Bowler took charge. “Everyone here? Right! Off we go! No dilly-dallying!”
“The hotel looks a bit … old,” muttered Ariadne as we began to trudge up the hill with our bags.
“Perhaps it looks better in the daylight,” Ivy replied optimistically. I grabbed her hand. I didn’t mind the dark, but even now I didn’t like being alone in it. It reminded me too much of the past. And you never knew who might be lurking round the corner.
The hotel building was above us now, and I looked up at it. It was huge and gloomy, and I could just make out dark stone and pointed roofs, and what looked like oil lamps flickering in some of the windows.
Eventually the steep road curved round to the left and became a gravel driveway that crunched under our feet. The pine trees were everywhere, tall black shadows in the darkness.
“I’m cold,” Nadia moaned.
Elsie whacked her on the arm when the teachers weren’t looking. “Stop whining,” she said.
I glared at her. What a hypocrite. She was a champion whiner!
The driveway eventually opened out into a sort of courtyard, with the hotel itself to the left of us, a lamp glowing in its front porch. There were a few motor cars parked outside. To the right was what looked like a stable yard and coach house, and I could hear a horse whinnying somewhere. Rose smiled.
We stopped in front of the porch. “Here we are!” said Mrs Knight, spreading her arms wide.
For goodness’ sake, please don’t give us another motivational speech, I thought. I was starving hungry, not to mention cold and tired. I just wanted to get inside. The hotel would have food and warmth and beds.
Thankfully, if Mrs Knight had been about to give a speech, it didn’t happen, because Miss Bowler shouldered past her and made for the front door. It groaned open as if it hadn’t been used in years, although I knew that couldn’t be true.
The hotel reception was a wide room with a desk in the middle. There was a bell and an old-fashioned oil lamp on the desk, and not much else. Electricity hadn’t reached the place yet, then.
As we huddled together on the plush carpet, Miss Bowler went right up to the desk and slammed her hand down on the bell about three times. For a full minute there was no answer, but eventually a man appeared from the door at the back.
He was fairly old, with greying hair and a stooped back, but he moved quickly. He wore a pair of golden spectacles. A smoking jacket and stiff shoes clung to him awkwardly. “Mm?” was all he said.
“We’ve arrived from Rookwood School,” said Mrs Knight, going up to him with her clipboard. “We were hoping to check in.”
The man looked at her as if she’d just asked him to polish her shoes. “It’s rather late, madam,” he said.
“Well, when I booked, I explained that—” Mrs Knight started, but Miss Bowler was having none of it.
“Never mind that!” she boomed. “We’re here now!”
“This is most irregular,” the man muttered as he pulled a hefty book out of the desk drawer. “Twice in one night! Guests thinking they can just turn up and …” His muttering got quieter until I could no longer hear what he was saying, which was probably a good thing. What a grumpy old man!
Ivy leant over. “I wonder who else turned up late?” she whispered, and I shrugged in reply.
The man turned the book round to face Mrs Knight. “Sign here, then. My wife will show you to your rooms shortly.”
“Any chance of some grub?” asked Miss Bowler.
He lifted his gaze slowly and fixed her with a nasty glare that would rival my own. “The kitchen is long since closed, madam. You will have to go to the dining hall in the morning.” With that, he slammed the guest book shut, turned on his heel and headed back through the door behind him.
“If that was a warm welcome,” I said to Ivy, “I’d hate to see a cold one.”
Chapter Seven (#ulink_80f30053-9c49-5196-893d-16425e8a9c4b)
IVY (#ulink_80f30053-9c49-5196-893d-16425e8a9c4b)
e’d been waiting at least ten minutes before the door at the back of the room opened and the sound of raised voices blared out. A woman, who I thought must be the man’s wife, came out of the door and shut it behind her (with quite some relief, I thought).
“Good evening,” she said. She had a much friendlier face than her husband, though it currently looked red and flustered. She wore a plain dress with an apron, but expensive-looking earrings glinted beneath her greying hair. “I’m Mrs Rudge. I’ll be showing you to your rooms. We usually have a girl to do this, but she’s off sick.” Her tone was apologetic, though I noticed she didn’t actually say sorry for her husband’s behaviour.
She looked around the room at all of us. Most people were sitting on their suitcases. Scarlet and I were leaning against a wall, while Rose and Ariadne were trying their best to share one striped armchair in the corner. The prefects were standing by the teachers with their arms folded, apparently trying to make it seem as though they were in charge too. From the look on Mrs Rudge’s face, I suspected we weren’t her usual type of clientele.
“Your rooms are on the top floor of the building,” she said, pulling a bunch of jangling keys from a hook beside the door. I felt Scarlet twitch beside me.
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of something to eat?” Mrs Knight asked, deciding to try a politer approach than Miss Bowler’s.
Mrs Rudge nodded, though she didn’t meet our teacher’s eyes. “I can bring you up some bread and butter. I’m afraid that’s all I can manage with the kitchen closed. My husband is very particular about these things.”
Mrs Knight looked sympathetic. Miss Bowler looked like she was about to eat the reception desk.
“I’d love some bread and butter, actually,” Scarlet said to me under her breath. “Much better than stew.”
My stomach growled, and I had to agree.
“This way, please,” said Mrs Rudge.
She led us out of the reception area and along a dark corridor which we all trod in a line, like ducks following their mother. We were too tired for chatter. The walls were dark wood, the carpets plush and red. There was a staircase, with sconces going up it – some of the candles lit, others not. I wondered if they’d never been lit in the first place, or if a draught had blown them out.
There were three floors, not unlike Rookwood, though I wasn’t sure if the hotel was quite the size of our imposing school. But then it was dark, and how much of it had we actually seen? Once we’d made it to the top, Mrs Rudge went along unlocking all the doors and lighting the lamps, while Mrs Knight peered at her clipboard with the room assignments on it.
We leant against the wall as we waited for our names to be called. There were portraits running all the way down the stairs – portraits of long-dead strangers, as far as I could tell. I tried not to imagine that they were staring at me.
“Ivy Grey, Scarlet Grey,” Mrs Knight called from further down the corridor. “Ariadne Flitworth and, erm …” she lowered the clipboard. “Rose?”
Rose’s gaze flicked down to the floor, but she said nothing. If she had a surname, she wasn’t giving it away.
“This one here, please,” said Mrs Knight.
“That’s not fair, Miss,” Elsie whined as we made our way up the staircase past the other girls. “How come they get the big room? I thought it was ours?”
I was surprised that she’d made such an outburst in front of the teachers, but I supposed she was as tired as the rest of us. Luckily Miss Bowler was dropping off her bags into the teachers’ room at the other end of the corridor at that point, otherwise she probably would’ve bellowed a reply and woken the whole hotel.
“I’ve tried to put everyone together with their friends,” said Mrs Knight patiently. “And I’ve had to rearrange since we’ve lost Betty and gained Rose. No arguments, please.”
“Yeah,” said Scarlet, pulling a face at Elsie. “No arguments.”
We took our bags over to the open door where Mrs Knight stood, and peered in.
The room was huge, much bigger than our dorm rooms back at school. Dark red striped wallpaper coated the walls, and heavy curtains hung at the windows. And the beds! There were two enormous four-poster beds, each with cream drapes.
“Oh my word,” Scarlet exclaimed. It was the fanciest bedroom I’d ever seen, and I knew she was thinking the same.
“Oh, it looks just like my bedroom at home!” said Ariadne, beaming.
“Of course it does,” said Scarlet, giving her a friendly jab in the arm.
Rose wandered in, staring around at everything, fascinated. I followed her and dropped my bag to the floor. It only took a moment for Scarlet to run in and start bouncing on the bed.
“Wheee!” she cried, the mattress creaking as she jumped.
Miss Bowler’s face suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Stop that!”
Scarlet slowed her bouncing to a halt and then plopped down on to the covers. Miss Bowler marched on down the corridor.
There was furniture in the room too, big, heavy wooden pieces that looked like they were from the last century. And perhaps the strangest thing was a bath, in front of the windows. Not just a tin bath either, but a real bath with taps and silver clawed feet. “Look at this!” I said, walking over to it.
“Goodness,” said Ariadne. “A bath in a bedroom? Well, I don’t have that.”
It looked quite old, and it reminded me a little of the baths at Rookwood, but it was more ornate and expensive-looking. I turned the tap to test it, and listened as the pipes clunked below. There was an empty moment, and then the water began to gush out. It was a slightly odd colour, with leafy fragments in it.
“Urgh,” I said. “That doesn’t look right.”
Ariadne pointed out of the window. “Lake water, I think,” she said. “It would make sense. I expect that’s the easiest way to get it.” I followed her finger and looked out at the view. Even in the dark it looked impressive – a vast body of black water, the moon shimmering on the surface.
“Yuck,” said Scarlet. I looked over at her. She was now lying flat out on the bed like a starfish. “Do you think we have to drink that?”
“I expect they boil it first,” said Ariadne hopefully. Rose giggled.
There was a knock at the open door, and we looked round to see Mrs Rudge standing there with a tray. “Some bread and butter for you, girls,” she said. We all dashed over to her. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Ariadne move so fast. “There will be more food tomorrow at breakfast.”
We all took some and ate hungrily. It tasted marvellous – bread and butter was a rare treat, and it reminded me of living with Aunt Phoebe. I tried my best not to spill crumbs all over the plush carpet.
“I could get used to this,” said Scarlet through a mouthful of bread.
“So which beds shall we take?” Ariadne asked when we’d finished munching.
“I think Scarlet’s already claimed that one,” I said, pointing at the one that had been thoroughly bounced on. “So I suppose that’s me as well.”
“Don’t talk in your sleep,” said Scarlet.
“Don’t kick me!” I shot back.
“All right then,” said Ariadne with a smile, “Rose and I will have this one.”
“It’s lovely.” It took me a moment to realise who was speaking, since she was usually so silent. Rose was beaming. I supposed it wasn’t long ago that all she’d had was an old straw mattress on the floor of the school basement, where Violet had hidden her. And before that, a hospital bed. And the rooms at Rookwood didn’t exactly offer grand luxury either.
“LIGHTS OUT IN TEN MINUTES!” came a voice that was instantly recognisable as Miss Bowler’s. “LAVATORIES ARE DOWN THE HALL!”
“Could you … keep it down a little, perhaps? We have other guests,” I heard Mrs Rudge respond. I wasn’t actually sure if Miss Bowler could, though. Loud seemed to be her natural volume. And were there other guests, even? I hadn’t seen any.
We all pulled out our nightdresses and headed to the lavatories to get changed and brush our teeth. It turned out there weren’t very many stalls, so there was quite a queue. By the time we got back to the room, someone had already put the lamp out.
“Thank goodness I brought supplies,” said Ariadne. She dragged one of her small suitcases out towards the light of the corridor and pulled it open. It was full of candles.
Scarlet patted her on the back. “You’re very strange, Ariadne, but it certainly comes in handy.”
We huddled round the candle just inside the door of the room, and I suddenly noticed a glimmer of gold at Rose’s neck.
My twin noticed it too. “You wear your locket to bed?”
Rose nodded and quickly tucked it away inside her borrowed nightgown, out of sight. Whatever was in that locket, it meant something to her.
Suddenly, Elsie Sparks appeared behind Ariadne. “Miss said lights out, you little weasels!” she snapped.
She blew out the candle and then slammed the door shut, plunging us into darkness.
Chapter Eight (#ulink_a9c6118e-08af-5e58-83c1-7f27271d3d09)
SCARLET (#ulink_a9c6118e-08af-5e58-83c1-7f27271d3d09)
couldn’t sleep.
I lay awake in the dark. The four-poster bed was warm and comfortable, much better than what I was used to, even if it was a little musty. But there was a chill coming from the fireplace, and I couldn’t escape it without putting my head under the covers. And trying that had caused Ivy to prod me and whisper that I should stop messing around.
And on top of that, there had been the noises. Footsteps and dull banging and creaks from the walls. It was actually almost familiar – Rookwood was the same – but in a new place it was still unsettling.
Now Ivy was breathing steadily and twitching in her dreams, and I was pretty sure Ariadne was snoring. At least, someone was snoring, and Rose didn’t seem like the type.
I sighed and rolled over. We hadn’t shut the curtains, and there was a little moonlight, enough to cast the weird bath in shadow.
There was something odd about the Shady Pines Hotel, and whatever it was making me feel on edge. Stop being so stupid, I told myself. You wanted to get away from Rookwood. And you’re as far away from Miss Fox and the asylum as you’ll ever be.Nothing is going to go wrong.
That was when I heard a loud gasp from the corridor.
Well, now I was awake. I slipped out of the bed and over to the doorway, and pulled it open as gently as I could manage.
There were still lamps lit along the corridor, and Mrs Rudge was standing by the nearest one, staring at the wall opposite our door. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. Her face was pale and her hand was clamped over her mouth.
I shut the door gently behind me. “Mrs Rudge?”
She jumped and then turned to face me, lowering her hand. “Ah, Miss …” She trailed off, apparently realising she didn’t actually know my name.
“Scarlet Grey,” I said automatically. What had she seen? “Did something startle you?”
Her eyes flickered. “Well, you did, a little.”
“I meant before that,” I said. “I couldn’t sleep and I heard you gasp.”
“It was nothing,” she said quickly. She straightened her apron. “I was coming to put out the lamps for the night, and I thought I saw a mouse; I’ll, um … just finish putting these out, shall I?” She cupped her hand round the lamp and blew it out, and then hurried away to the next one.
I stepped into the corridor and examined the place she’d been staring at. There was a cross hanging from the wall. It was golden and quite ornate, and the nail it was dangling from looked haphazardly tapped in, like it was only just hanging on.
I frowned. I could’ve sworn that hadn’t been there before. It seemed out of place among the portraits of posh dead people. Why on earth was Mrs Rudge so frightened of it? She didn’t seem like a wet blanket – or at least I thought she couldn’t be, not living in such a remote place with such a cranky husband. She had to be tougher than she looked. But a cross on the wall had just scared the stuffing out of her!
Maybe Mrs Rudge is a vampire and that’s why she’s afraid of crosses
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