The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

  Mr. Hodges was looking at them again with a curious expression on his face. Then he got up and began to make his way over to where they were sitting. Without any further discussion, they gathered up their belongings and headed for the door, hoping to avoid a confrontation with the now stern-looking Mr. Hodges. Seeing that they were beating a hasty retreat, Mr. Hodges slowed and then stopped all together. By this time, every eye in the room was on them to see if they were going to receive the wrath of the librarian. Emma held her breath but didn’t stop her dash to the door, and neither did any of the others. Mr. Hodges continued to watch them but made no move to stop them. If he had called out, they would have had to stop and face the music, but Mr. Hodges remained silent. Emma didn’t relax until the library door clicked shut behind them. They all breathed a sigh of relief—their hearts pounding from the close call. Nobody wanted to serve detention with Mr. Hodges!

  “Whew, that was close,” Sebastian panted. “I thought we were gonna get it for sure!”

  “Me too!” Martha agreed. “Why didn’t he stop us?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m glad he didn’t!” Doug said. “Let’s just forget Hodges for now and get back to the problem at hand. We need to figure out that riddle. It talked about iron being hot on a cold winter’s day. I was thinking that could be a reference to a fireplace. What do you call that thing in a fireplace where you put the logs?”

  Reggie, who happened to be passing by at that precise moment, heard Doug’s question and answered without hesitation, “It’s called an andiron. Why?”

  Unaware that anyone was around them, they all jumped in surprise. They were going to have to be more careful, or everyone in the school would soon know about the treasure. Once again, Emma was the first to find her voice.

  “Uh…it’s for a report we’re doing for Grim, uh, I mean Miss Grimstock.” Could I sound anymore suspicious, Emma thought to herself. Fortunately, Reggie didn’t seem to notice Emma’s hesitation.

  Frowning, Reggie said, “I don’t remember anything about a history report being due.”

  Hastily changing the subject, Martha said, “How did you know it was called an andiron? That’s just pretty amazing. Gosh, you’re really smart, Reggie.”

  Blushing in pleasure, Reggie forgot his question and began explaining to Martha how he had always had an affinity for written language. As Reggie put it, he was a sort of “word wizard.” “Word nerd” was more like it, Emma thought to herself and then promptly felt guilty for having such an unkind thought. At any rate, Reggie had unwittingly confirmed that the riddle was talking about a fireplace. Now they just had to figure out which fireplace. The castle had lots of them. There was one in the library and lounge, and there were also some in the teachers’ residences. What was it the rest of the riddle had said? Anxious to be rid of Reggie so they could talk about the rest of the riddle, Emma said, “You know, Reggie, Clarice was asking where you were a few minutes ago. I think she went into the lounge.”

  “That’s odd. I just left her in the dining room,” Reggie said, wrinkling his brow and pushing up his glasses.

  “Uh, yeah, well we just saw her go into the lounge right before you got here,” Martha said, picking up on what Emma was trying to do.

  “Okay, if you say so,” Reggie said, sounding as if he still wasn’t convinced. Obviously deciding it was best not to risk making Clarice mad, he headed toward the lounge, saying over his shoulder, “I guess I’d better go see what she wants.”

  Now that Reggie was out of the way, they conferred for a few minutes on where they could go to talk in relative privacy. Coming to the conclusion that there was no such place inside the school, they decided to try somewhere outside. As it was rather cool outside, they first parted ways to go to their dorm rooms and grab their coats, agreeing to meet again on the entrance steps.

  Once outside on the steps, they spotted a massive oak tree with a swing beneath it that was currently unoccupied. Not only was the swing vacant, but there was no one within hearing distance of it. As they made their way over to the swing, Emma noticed that it was even colder outside than it had been yesterday in Windland. Fall had definitely arrived. A brisk wind blew across the well-tended lawn, rustling the leaves of the trees and making the already chilly air even colder. Although the sun was shining today, it provided little warmth, and Emma found herself zipping up her jacket. The chilly, windy conditions could explain why there weren’t too many students out and about today. When they got to the tree, Emma and Martha sat in the swing, and Doug and Sebastian carried a wrought iron bench over from a nearby tree. When everyone was settled, Emma pulled the paper with Lord Dinswood’s riddle on it from her jacket, and they began to go over it line by line.

  The first two lines were easy enough to decipher. It was not uncommon in medieval times for castles to have secret passages. These passages were used mainly as an escape route when the castle was under siege and about to fall to the enemy. The fact that the passage would be long, dark, damp and cold was understandable. Doug had already been clever enough to figure out that the entrance to the passage was close to, or even in, one of the fireplaces. The next two lines were a little more challenging: Structures of stone, all gray but one, Look where you can see the setting sun.

  “Fireplaces are made of stone,” said Martha. “This line must mean that all of the fireplaces in the castle are made of gray stone, except one. We just need to find that one.”

  “Well, all the ones we’ve seen are gray,” Sebastian said. “We don’t know how many fireplaces there are in the castle, and we don’t know where they all are.”

  “Are you forgetting Lord Dinswood’s book?” Martha asked, pulling it out of the backpack she had brought with her. “Remember, somewhere in here there’s a picture showing the layout of the castle.”

  Martha then began flipping through the still damp book, looking for the page with the castle layout. When she found the picture, Martha began listing all of the rooms that boasted a fireplace. Doug, who’d had the foresight to bring a small notebook and pen, pulled these items from a pocket inside his jacket and began to write the rooms down as Martha listed them. When the list was complete, they eliminated all of the fireplaces that they knew had gray stone, including the ones in the library and lounge. Dean Harwood had a fireplace in his room, but Doug had seen it, and it was made of gray stone. The ones in the teachers’ residences were going to be a little more difficult. Since students were not allowed on the third floor where the teachers’ residences were, they were just going to have to risk arousing suspicion and ask the teachers who had fireplaces in their rooms what color the stone was. They decided to divide the list, with each of them responsible for asking one teacher.

  The next line in the riddle referred to the setting sun. Knowing that the sun sets in the west, they all agreed that the riddle was most likely referring to a fireplace in one of the rooms on the west side of the castle. However, just in case they were misinterpreting that particular line of the riddle, they decided that they still ought to check on every fireplace and not just the ones in the rooms facing west.

  The rest of the riddle was a complete mystery. Doug suggested that they find the right fireplace first and then maybe the rest of the riddle would make more sense. They would each ask their designated teacher about their fireplaces during classes tomorrow and then meet in the lounge after supper to share what they had learned. With nothing else left to do, they decided to go warm up by the fire in the lounge for a little while and then start on their homework.

  On Monday, classes went as usual. Miss Grimstock was the teacher Emma had been assigned. Emma had been dreading history class all morning. Figuring out how to ask about the color of her fireplace without arousing suspicion was proving to be a challenge for Emma. She’d come up with several ideas during the morning, only to reject each one. Finally, she decided that the best approach was the straightforward approach, just ask and then deal with any questions Grim might have.

  Fifth hour finally arriv
ed. Miss Grimstock’s lecture was going especially long, and Emma was having trouble concentrating. As if sensing Emma’s lack of attention, Miss Grimstock called on her more than usual. Emma, beginning to feel a little stressed, was relieved when the bell rang and everyone began to file out. Emma remained behind and gathered up her courage. When she approached the front desk, Miss Grimstock looked up and gave Emma the uncomfortable impression of a hawk targeting its prey. She was about to turn around and leave when Miss Grimstock, in her characteristic high-pitched tones, asked, “Is there something I can do for you, Miss Higsby?”

  Feeling trapped, Emma had no choice but to ask her question. “Uh, Miss Grimstock, do you have a fireplace in your room?” Miss Grimstock was clearly surprised by the question but nodded in the affirmative. So far, so good, Emma thought to herself. “What color are the stones in your fireplace?”

  Miss Grimstock looked at Emma like she’d just grown another head and then answered slowly, “Why, I believe they’re gray. What’s this all about?”

  There it was, the question Emma had been dreading all day. “Well, I was just curious. I’m kind of interested in castles, and I know this one has lots of fireplaces. I just wondered if they all looked the same, or if some were built differently. You know, like in the master bedroom the fireplace might have a more ornate design or something.” Emma knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. All the while, Miss Grimstock continued to study her with a look that clearly indicated she thought Emma had gone off the deep end.

  “Well, I haven’t seen them all, but I believe they’re all pretty much the same,” Miss Grimstock said with a smile.

  Emma was shocked. Up until this moment, she’d never seen Miss Grimstock smile. Emma realized that when Grim smiled, she looked a little less like a hawk. In addition, if Emma wasn’t mistaken, Miss Grimstock was being kind. She must really think I’m nuts if she’s being nice to me, Emma thought. Deciding that she’d damaged her image enough, Emma thanked Miss Grimstock for her time and tried to walk calmly from the room. Martha was waiting for her in the hall just outside Grim’s door.

  “Well, how did it go?” she asked anxiously.

  “Well, Grim thinks I’m a nutcase. Other than that, it went okay. Her fireplace is gray like all the others, so I went through all that for nothing.”

  “It wasn’t for nothing, Emma. We had to know,” Martha said soothingly. Earlier that morning, Martha had asked about Miss Perkins’s fireplace, only to get the same answer. “I hope the boys are having better luck than we’ve had.”

  Emma hoped so too. If they didn’t find that fireplace, they would probably never find the secret passage and the treasure. With each passing day, she had grown to love Dinswood Academy more and more. The school just had to stay open, and the treasure would ensure that it did. Sighing, Emma followed Martha down the hall to their next class.

  Later, sitting around the fireplace in the lounge, the girls finally got a chance to ask the boys what they had found out. Doug and Sebastian had asked their assigned teachers, only to get the same response the girls had. All of the fireplaces in the castle were built of gray stone.

  “I don’t get it,” Sebastian said, his disappointment evident. “That riddle had to be talking about fireplaces. They’re hot when it’s cold outside. They’re built of stone. And Reggie even said the thing that holds the logs is called an andiron. What else could that nutbag Dinswood have been talking about?”

  “You may have just hit on the answer,” Martha said sighing. “Dinswood was a little crazy. Maybe he made the whole thing up just to drive us crazy.”

  “I can’t believe that he’d do that—crazy or not. Besides, we know his ancestors were pirates. There’s gotta be more money than what Dinswood left the school in his will,” Doug said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

  “Maybe we missed one of the fireplaces,” Martha said hopefully.

  “No, I even double-checked with my dad. We’ve asked about every fireplace in the castle,” Doug said.

  “Well, we’re back to square one,” Sebastian said. “You know, I’d like to see what this guy looked like. Martha, were there any pictures of Lord Dinswood in that book you bought?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Martha replied slowly as she tried to remember.

  Emma, who had been listening quietly up to this point, suddenly looked up. “I think there’s a painting of him over the fireplace in the library.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right,” Doug said.

  “Well, let’s go look at it. Maybe it’ll give us an idea of what kind of guy we’re dealing with,” Sebastian said, getting up.

  “Okay, but let’s be really quiet. We don’t want Hodges giving us detention,” Martha said, giving them all a warning look.

  When they entered the library, Mr. Hodges was not in his usual spot behind the counter. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen. At least they would be able to examine the painting without Hodges breathing down their necks. Without hesitation, they headed over to the painting hanging over the fireplace. It was a portrait of Lord Dinswood and appeared to have been painted when he was in his forties. He had brown hair and blue eyes, a rather straight, long nose, and high cheekbones. His head was tilted back slightly, giving him a haughty look. He was wearing black slacks and a red and green plaid vest much like the ones that were a part of the academy’s student uniforms. In the painting, Lord Dinswood was posed by the fireplace in the library, almost exactly where they were now standing. He was holding a pipe in one hand and was leaning against the fireplace with the other. As Emma looked at the picture, she couldn’t help feeling that something wasn’t quite right about it. She said as much to the others and then it struck her what was wrong. The fireplace in the picture, although supposed to be a representation of the one in the library, was made of brown stone, not gray!

  Emma could hardly contain her excitement. She wanted to shout out loud, but this time she remembered where they were. They couldn’t afford to anger Mr. Hodges now. After all, the picture in the library was the key to the secret passage. Grabbing Martha by the arm, Emma practically dragged her from the library. Doug and Sebastian looked at her curiously as she motioned for them to follow. Once out in the hall, Emma let out a little squeal.

  “I’ve figured it out!”

  “What?” the other three asked in unison.

  “The riddle said structures of stone, all gray but one, right?” When they all nodded in the affirmative, Emma went on. “Did you notice the fireplace in the picture? The stones were brown! Not only that, but the library is on the west side of the castle. You can see the sun set from there.”

  “You’re right!” Sebastian exclaimed and then he frowned suddenly. “But I don’t get how that picture could be the entrance to the secret passage.”

  Doug spoke up then. “How did the rest of the riddle go, Emma?”

  Emma had kept the riddle with her since its discovery. Now she quickly pulled it out of a zippered pocket in her backpack. Spreading it open and keeping her voice low so as not to be overheard, Emma read the last four lines:

  To open the door, you’ll need one more clue.

  Look closely and I’ll reveal it to you.

  When the door is open, that’s just the start;

  Great treasure awaits the brave of heart.

  When she was finished, she looked up at the others. “I think the last two lines are self-explanatory, so we just need to concentrate on the first two.”

  “How can Lord Dinswood reveal anything to us? He’s dead,” Sebastian said, pointing out the obvious.

  “We need to get another look at that picture,” Doug said.

  Quietly, they reentered the library. This time, however, Mr. Hodges was back behind the counter. He gave them a sour look as they entered. “Maybe only one or two of us should go look at the picture so as not to arouse suspicion,” Martha suggested in a whisper.

  “I think Emma and Doug should go,” Sebastian said. Martha nodded her agr
eement, and with that, the foursome split. Martha and Sebastian went and sat at a table, opening their books to make it look like they were studying. Doug and Emma walked nonchalantly over by the fireplace and sat in the two chairs closest to the picture. Without saying a word to each other, they opened up books with the pretense of reading. Their backs were to Mr. Hodges so he couldn’t see their faces. Keeping her head down, Emma shifted her gaze upward until she could see the picture clearly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Doug doing the same thing. The riddle had said, look closely and I’ll reveal it to you. I’m looking closely, Emma thought to herself. So, reveal away. Other than the color of the stones in the fireplace, however, nothing else in the picture seemed out of the ordinary. Suddenly, she heard, rather than saw, Doug get up from his chair. Risking a glance at him, she saw he was motioning for her to come over. With a nervous glance at Mr. Hodges, Emma got up quietly and went over to Doug.

  Leaning close so that only Emma could hear, Doug whispered, “Look where Lord Dinswood has his left hand.”

  Emma looked at the painting again. In his right hand, Lord Dinswood was holding a pipe, but he was leaning on the fireplace with his left hand on one of the stones to the left of the mantle. Still puzzled, Emma gave Doug a questioning look.

  Still whispering, Doug said, “Look at the stone he’s got his hand on. It’s seven up from the bottom and seven across from the side. Remember? Matthew 7:7?”

  Emma gasped in astonishment and took a moment to count the stones herself. Sure enough, Doug was right. That stone had to be the key to opening up the passage. Emma gave Doug a look indicating that she understood and whispered that they should get Martha and Sebastian and leave. When they turned around to do just that, Emma chanced a look at Mr. Hodges. He was studying them with an inscrutable look on his face. Wasting no time, Emma got Martha’s attention and pointed to the door, signaling it was time to go.