‘No, Mummy. It wasn’t stolen any more. It had been returned but the detective didn’t know that and so it was just a silly mix-up.’
Ed Clifton frowned. ‘Freeman. Freeman … That name rings a bell.’
‘He’s very old, Uncle Ed. Much older than you, of course. I think he knew Grandpa when they were boys,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘But when I asked him what Grandpa was like, he said he couldn’t remember and he got a bit cross.’
‘Oh, Freeman’s probably quite a common name,’ said Ed.
‘Matron Bright said that you’re going to sort out Granny’s art collection,’ Alice-Miranda told her uncle.
Ed nodded.
‘Your uncle has a huge job ahead of him. I should have taken care of it years ago, but it’s worked out far better to have Ed do it,’ Hugh said.
‘Where is it?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
‘Downstairs in a vault in the cellars. We were just checking in here for any paperwork,’ Hugh explained. ‘It’s a pity you have to go back to camp. Perhaps I could ask Mr Plumpton if you can stay? Ed could walk you back later.’
Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘Sorry, Daddy. We have rock climbing straight after lunch and, besides, I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I was getting special privileges. We’re here again tomorrow – maybe Uncle Ed could take me to have a look then.’
‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Cecelia agreed.
Alice-Miranda said goodbye to her parents and uncle and skipped off to join her friends at the front of the house.
Meanwhile, outside, Caprice was at work.
‘Mr Plumpton, do we have to have partners for rock climbing?’ she asked.
‘I presume you will,’ the man replied.
‘If we do, can we swap partners from yesterday so that everyone has to learn to rely on everyone else?’ she said sweetly.
Mr Plumpton looked at the girl. ‘That sounds like a very good idea, Caprice.’
A smile spread across her face. ‘I’d like to have Millie as my partner to show her that there are no hard feelings about what she did to me at the pool yesterday.’
‘Caprice, that is very gracious of you,’ the teacher said. ‘What a mature thing to ask.’
Millie’s stomach knotted. She wondered what Caprice was up to this time. Once Caprice had turned away, she walked over to the teacher.
‘Mr Plumpton, I – I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,’ Millie whispered.
‘Millie,’ the teacher admonished, ‘Caprice has offered you the hand of friendship. I’m surprised at you.’
Caprice came and stood beside the girl. ‘Come on, Millie. Rock climbing will be fun. I’ve done it before so I know how everything works.’
Millie gulped. That was exactly what she was afraid of.
Alice-Miranda rushed down the front steps and rejoined the group.
‘Sorry, Ed, but Cee and I have to get going. I’ve got some meetings out of town but I’ll be home tomorrow night and Cee will be back for the anniversary fair on Saturday,’ Hugh Kennington-Jones apologised and glanced at his watch. ‘I wish we could stay to show you around.’
‘Where are you off to?’ Ed asked.
‘I’m going to a farm to look at their organic vegetable-growing processes and Cee’s off to a health retreat with one of her girlfriends. I think I dodged a bullet with that one. Don’t fancy kale and watercress soup, do you?’
‘Nope,’ Ed grinned.
‘I heard that.’ Cecelia looked up from the far desk, where she was checking arrangements for the fair. ‘I’m sure my trip will be very … refreshing.’
‘That’s one word for it,’ Hugh said, a cheeky glint in his eye. ‘Anyway, Ed, I’m not sure how my phone reception will be – last time I was there it was pretty hit and miss, and Cee’s break is a “no technology” affair. If you need anything just call Dolly and she’ll be able to get in touch with one of us.’
‘I’ll be fine, Hugh. It will be great to have time to go through things,’ Ed said.
‘Come on, darling, we’d better get moving,’ Hugh called to Cecelia.
Ed stood on the front steps and waved as his brother and sister-in-law drove away. Thin wisps of clouds fanned out across a dazzling sapphire sky. Ed wished he’d brought his paints with him – the light was magnificent.
‘Well, old man, it’s time to lay some ghosts to rest,’ Ed whispered.
Lunchtime in the dining room was a noisy affair, with the children competing to tell the most exciting stories from their activities so far.
Danika and Shelby stopped by to chat with Alice-Miranda and her friends about the climbing wall, which they said was terrifying and thrilling at the same time, while Sloane spilled far too many beans about the treasure hunt.
‘I am never going to complain about anything Mrs Smith makes ever again,’ said Jacinta. She prodded the soggy cheese nachos in front of her.
‘It’s not too bad,’ Alice-Miranda said, ‘if you eat it quickly.’
‘Ugh, yuck,’ Caprice whined as she hopped up from the table to scrape her plate. She headed outside to the toilet.
On her way back, she spotted Mr Plumpton and Miss Reedy. The pair were standing outside the teacher’s lounge, talking quietly. Caprice walked around the side of the building, taking care to stay out of sight. She was keen to get some proof of their love affair.
‘So, who do you think will win the Queen’s Medal?’ Mr Plumpton asked.
Caprice’s ears pricked up. This was far better than some lovey-dovey chitchat.
‘It’s early days, but if I was a betting woman I’d put the house on Alice-Miranda. She’s incredibly resourceful and an excellent problem-solver.’ Miss Reedy checked her watch and sighed. ‘We should get back inside.’
Caprice’s blood felt like lava and her eardrums began to throb. She shot off back to the dining room, and missed Mr Plumpton’s reply.
‘I don’t know, Livinia. Alice-Miranda is in with a very good chance, but I’ve been terribly impressed with Sep Sykes. Caprice is an interesting one too.’
Back inside, Alice-Miranda was thinking about their next activity.
‘Are you really okay about being Caprice’s partner for the climbing wall?’ she whispered to Millie.
‘I don’t have a choice,’ Millie said.
‘I’ll watch her.’ Alice-Miranda reached over and gave Millie’s arm a squeeze.
Just as the groups were getting ready to go, Miss Wall wheeled a large whiteboard into the dining room. It had the names of all the groups down one side and the days marked at the top. Miss Reedy walked to the small podium at the end of the room and switched on the microphone.
‘How exciting, Miss Wall. I see we have our first group points to reveal. Have you got the list?’
Benitha Wall smiled. ‘Sure have.’
The children craned their necks to see the scores as the PE teacher wrote them neatly in the first column.
‘How can the Robins have more points than the Barn Owls?’ Caprice huffed. ‘They’re babies.’
‘We’ll just have to try harder,’ Alice-Miranda said.
The scores for all thirteen teams were on the board. The Robins had done well but the Ospreys were leading the way.
The group cheered loudly when Miss Reedy announced the result.
‘Danika, come and get your team’s prize,’ Miss Reedy directed, ‘and don’t eat them all at once.’ She handed the girl a bag of chocolate frogs.
‘Don’t worry, the teachers will rig it anyway,’ Jacinta said. ‘I bet every group wins something.’
‘You’re such a cynic,’ Sloane replied. ‘But you’re probably right.’
‘All right, everyone. Calm down. There’s one other thing I’d like to mention before you head off to your next activities. As you are aware, a special medal will be presented by Queen Georgiana herself to the student who impresses us most while working towards their Blue. I thought it might be interesting to let you know the names of some children who have already come to our attent
ion. This might spur some others to put in a little more effort.’ The woman glared in Figgy’s direction. ‘Congratulations to Danika, Ivory, Sep, Alice-Miranda and Caprice. I hope to see the rest of you aspiring to similar levels of achievement. And remember, it’s not just about completing the tasks, it’s about the spirit with which you do it and the way you work with others to get there. Off you go, everyone. Have a lovely afternoon.’
Millie couldn’t believe her ears. She glanced at Caprice, expecting her to look like the cat who got the cream, but the girl’s pretty face was stony.
Caprice’s mind was racing. It sounded as if the teachers had already decided who was going to win the Queen’s Medal. Not if she had anything to do with it. Caprice stared into space as a plot began to hatch.
The children stood up and deposited their plates on the servery, grabbed a piece of fruit and filled their water bottles, then went to meet their camp leaders at the back doors.
‘Is everyone here?’ Beth counted the heads. ‘Okay, who’s ready to climb?’
A cheer went up from the group.
Beth and Mr Plumpton led the children to a four-sided tower in the middle of the camp. Each wall was covered with coloured hand- and footholds, and had a varying degree of difficulty. Beth introduced the children to the climbing instructor, Warren.
‘Hi there.’ Warren smiled at the children. He was a broad-shouldered young man with sandy blond curls and muscly arms that bore several colourful tattoos.
‘Cool ink,’ Figgy said.
Warren grinned at the boy. ‘Thanks.’
‘What would you know about tattoos?’ Jacinta said.
‘I’m going to get one as soon as I’m old enough,’ Figgy said.
‘What of?’ Sloane asked.
‘I was thinking about a dragon with a tail that whips around my middle.’ Figgy ran his hand from back to front under his rib cage.
‘Sounds disgusting,’ Jacinta said, screwing up her nose. ‘I don’t like tattoos at all. My granny has one. It started out as a butterfly but now that everything’s gone south, it looks like a bat.’
Everyone laughed.
‘Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind before I get any more,’ Warren said. ‘Now, I need a volunteer to show how you fit your harnesses properly.’
A forest of arms shot into the air.
Warren glanced at Mr Plumpton.
‘Oh no, no, no, don’t look at me.’ The teacher waved his hands like little windscreen wipers.
‘But if the teachers are too scared to have a go, how can we expect the students to get up there?’ Warren said slowly. It seemed he knew every trick in the book.
‘Go on, Mr P,’ Rufus shouted.
‘You can do it, Mr Plumpton,’ Sloane called.
Figgy started a chant: ‘Mr P’ followed by three claps. It took seconds for the rest of the group to join in, including Beth and Warren.
Josiah Plumpton’s cheeks flushed red. ‘Oh, all right. I can only give it a try.’ His stomach did a little backflip as he looked up at the wall, which soared fifteen metres into the sky.
Warren fitted a blue helmet on Mr Plumpton’s head, showing the children how to tighten the strap. He knocked his fist on the top three times to show how well it protected Mr Plumpton’s skull.
‘Steady on there,’ Mr Plumpton complained. ‘You’ll give me a concussion.’
Warren then pulled out a red harness. ‘Now, step through here.’ He nodded at the first leg hole. ‘And now through here.’
Mr Plumpton put one leg in at a time and Warren helped pull the webbed straps up around the teacher’s bottom, showing the children how to secure each of the fastenings.
‘It has to be tight,’ the instructor said. ‘You shouldn’t be able to get more than one finger through the gap.’
Mr Plumpton gasped as the young instructor pulled the straps and tucked them away.
‘Hey, sir, you’ve got a giant wedgie,’ Figgy called.
The group laughed.
Warren spun Mr Plumpton around and showed the children where they would attach the clip to the front. He held up the metal fastener. ‘Does anyone know what this is called?’
‘It’s a carabiner,’ said Caprice.
Warren grinned. ‘You’re right. This is a critical piece of equipment, so it’s important that you don’t drop it or damage it. If you do, you have to tell me.’
The young man snapped a carabiner onto the front of Mr Plumpton’s harness and pulled out a rope that was dangling from the wall. He attached it to the carabiner.
‘The reason you have to work in pairs is that everyone must have someone below, holding the ropes. It’s called belaying and it’s the most important job of all. We don’t want anyone falling.’
Millie gulped. She wondered if that’s what Caprice was playing at. Was she going to wait until she reached the top then drop her like a rock?
Caprice leaned towards her. ‘Don’t look so worried, Millie. You’ll be fine up there. You’d better look after me too.’
Millie shivered.
‘Are you ready, Mr Plumpton?’ Warren looked at the man, who was completely kitted out and attached to the ropes.
The teacher shook his head. ‘No, no, no. I was just demonstrating how to put the equipment on. You don’t really think I’m going up there,?
‘Yes, you are,’ Warren said forcefully.
‘Oh dear. I’ve never done this before.’ He might as well have been scaling Mount Everest for the way he was feeling. ‘I’m a Science teacher. I know about gravity.’
‘Just get as far as you can. And don’t worry. I’ve got you. You won’t fall,’ Warren reassured him.
‘Go on, Mr P … you can do it,’ the children chorused as the teacher took his first wobbly step onto the lowest foothold.
Mr Plumpton propelled himself forward and reached up with his right hand, grabbing a red hold. Before too long he was several metres off the ground.
He wasn’t aware that Livinia Reedy was now watching too. She’d been on her way to check on the group in the swimming pool when she spotted Mr Plumpton halfway up the wall. Her heart was pounding as the squat little man hauled himself higher and higher. Josiah was no athlete but she was terribly proud to see him taking on the challenge.
‘You’re almost there, sir,’ Figgy cried out.
Josiah could see the top of the frame but his legs were burning and perspiration poured from his brow. ‘I don’t think I can go any further,’ he wheezed.
Harold Lipp had just joined the group too. He’d been annoyed when his lunch was interrupted by a call to bring a first-aid kit to the archery range. The group should have taken it with them, of course, but in the excitement had left it behind. Mr Trout had made it sound as if he had a hole in his hand but when Mr Lipp got there with the medical supplies it turned out to be barely a scratch. Honestly, he thought, some of the teachers were bigger drama queens than the students.
‘What’s Plumpton doing up there?’ he hissed at Miss Reedy, who was startled by his stealthy approach.
‘Being a fine role model,’ she replied.
‘Don’t look down, sir,’ Figgy shouted.
Of course that was the very first thing the teacher did. He was surprised to see Mr Lipp and Miss Reedy watching him.
‘All right, Plumpy, you’ve had your fun. Obviously you can’t get to the top so come down and give the children a turn, will you? They’re the ones endeavouring to earn an award,’ Mr Lipp yelled.
‘Come on, Mr P, don’t give up,’ Rufus called. ‘You’re almost there.’
‘Yeah, sir, show Mr Lipp what you’re made of,’ Lucas urged the teacher.
Livinia Reedy looked on proudly and gave two thumbs up. It was all he needed and from somewhere, Mr Plumpton managed to drag himself to the top, where he banged his hand against the metal frame three times.
‘Woohoo!’ Mr Plumpton shouted. He pumped his fist in the air.
‘Wonderful, Josiah, just wonderful,’ said Miss Reedy. She had a tear in her eye.<
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‘Hurry up then, Plumpton. Down you come. I’m sure the children don’t care about seeing you up there all afternoon,’ Mr Lipp scoffed.
‘You should have a go, Mr Lipp,’ Sep Sykes suggested.
Mr Lipp stormed away.
Mr Plumpton dangled at the top of the wall like a human plumb-bob as Warren slowly lowered him back down.
To everyone’s surprise, Miss Reedy rushed forward and gave the man a hug.
‘Miss Reedy, what are you doing?’ Mr Plumpton whispered as his nose lit up.
The woman leapt back as if she’d been bitten by a cobra. ‘Oh, I don’t know what came over me.’ She smoothed her pants and fixed her hair. ‘I was just so relieved to see you safely back down again, Mr Plumpton. Job well done.’ And with that the teacher turned and scurried away.
‘They’re so cute,’ Jacinta said. ‘I hope they get married.’
Mr Plumpton removed his harness and helmet and slunk away to get a drink and cool down. He hoped he might stop shaking too.
Minutes later the children were harnessed, helmeted and climbing.
Jacinta practically ran to the top. It was like watching a spider monkey.
‘Still want to race me, Figgy?’ she shouted down to the boy, who was realising that it was harder than it looked.
He shook his head.
Alice-Miranda teamed up with Lucas and both made it to the top.
Millie waited while Caprice climbed first. Yet again the girl was a superstar, almost as agile as Jacinta. Millie wondered if there was anything she couldn’t do.
‘Are you ready?’ Caprice asked Millie. Mr Plumpton was standing right beside them.
‘You’re not … you’re not going to do anything, are you?’ Millie squeaked. Her face was ashen and she was shaking.
‘Really?’ Caprice asked. ‘How could you even think that? I told you there were no hard feelings.’
But Millie didn’t believe her. Why would she say there were no hard feelings when it was Caprice who had set up the whole incident at the pool? She’d threatened Millie, and Millie was the one who’d got in trouble for it. But today she was as nice as pie.
Alice-Miranda leapt down from the wall and unclipped her harness. She walked over and stood right behind Caprice.
Alice-Miranda at Camp 10 Page 10