The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

  “If we had a gymnasium, we could have team sports like basketball and volleyball. Young people apparently like to attend schools that offer team sports,” Dean Harwood said, growing thoughtful. Perhaps a new gym and organized sports would attract more students to the academy, but there was just no funding for such a project. The school would have to solve its financial difficulties some other way. He looked over at Doug and saw the concern on his face. He knew his son was aware of the problems the school was facing, even though he’d never actually discussed it with him. Doug was a very perceptive young man and knew something was worrying his father. Shaking his head in a manner reminiscent of Doug, he made an effort to lighten the mood that had grown too somber with his last statement. “Emma, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Doug is a pretty good athlete. He played center for the basketball team at his previous school.”

  “Dad, Emma’s probably not interested in that,” Doug said, clearly embarrassed by his dad’s praise.

  Enjoying the situation, Emma grinned and said, “I didn’t know Doug played basketball, but I’d love to hear more about it.”

  Throughout the rest of the meal, Dean Harwood regaled Emma with stories of Doug’s childhood and accomplishments, much to Doug’s embarrassment. By the end of lunch, one thing had become very clear to Emma—Doug’s dad loved him very much and was very proud of him. Emma realized that she was a little envious. Doug may not remember his mother, but at least he had one loving parent.

  After lunch, they got into the car once again. Doug offered to let Emma sit in the front, but she declined, feeling perfectly comfortable in the back seat. They continued in an easterly direction for a while, and then the road began to take a downward trek. Emma’s ears popped again as they came down off the mountain. When they reached the base of the mountain, they turned onto a road that led in a westerly direction, passing through a small town a little bigger than Windland. Soon they were turning onto a road that Emma recognized. It was the road she’d traveled when she had first come to Dinswood Academy. This road would take them up into the mountains once again through the town of Windland. They had made a huge circle on their journey and would soon be back at the academy. Maybe Doug’s dad would let them stop at the bookstore, so they could talk to Cal.

  Dean Harwood’s next statement, however, squashed that hope. “Normally, I’d ask if either of you needed to stop in Windland; but if you don’t mind, it’s getting late, and I have some things I need to take care of at the school.”

  Doug and Emma both agreed that it was okay if they didn’t stop. Doug gave Emma a look that said more clearly than words that he’d been thinking about stopping at the bookstore too. Oh well, Emma thought, it won’t be long until we’ll be coming down to Windland again, and we won’t have to explain why we’re so eager to visit a bookstore. Besides it had been awfully nice of Doug’s dad to take them on this outing; it would be rude to fuss about not stopping.

  The rest of the ride was accomplished without incident, and soon they were pulling up to the main entrance of the castle. The fountain stood silent and frozen in the cold mountain air, and the castle itself looked a little foreboding in the waning light. Emma couldn’t suppress a shiver as she got out of the car. All of a sudden she had the uncanny feeling that they were being watched. She looked up at the dark windows of the castle. If someone was standing at one of the windows, she couldn’t see them.

  Noticing the direction of her gaze, Doug asked, “Emma, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” Emma said with a shake of her head. “I just have this weird feeling that we’re being watched.”

  As Dean Harwood pulled away in the Explorer to park it behind the castle, Doug looked up, searching the windows for any sign of movement. Seeing nothing, he hurried Emma into the castle nonetheless. They would have been dismayed to learn that they were, indeed, being watched. A curtain fluttered back into place as Doug and Emma disappeared inside the castle.

  Emma and Doug spent Saturday playing chess and working on their projects. Emma was pleased to finish her afghan—now she would be able to mail it when they went to Windland. Doug still had some pieces to carve for his chess game, but by the end of the day he had made good progress.

  Sunday morning, they had attended chapel; and now they sat side by side in the lounge, reading their books for English class and waiting for Martha and Sebastian to arrive back from their holiday. Emma couldn’t wait to tell Martha that she and Doug were friends again and about all that had happened while she was gone. Doug was anxious to talk to Sebastian too. The four of them needed to sit down and make some plans for their next visit to Windland.

  Around noon, the buses started to arrive at the school, and the peace and quiet gave way to bustling, noisy activity as the returning students came through the main doors with their luggage and tales of their holiday. Doug and Emma stood at the foot of the stairs and waited for Martha and Sebastian to arrive. Martha came through the doors first; and when she spotted Emma, she came rushing over and they hugged one another as if they hadn’t seen each other for years. As soon as Martha released Emma, she looked over at Doug, and then gave Emma a satisfied smile reminiscent of the cat that got the cream. The look said plainly that Martha would want all the details of the reconciliation as soon as they were alone. Emma was preparing to help Martha with her luggage when Sebastian came striding up. Instead of a hug, however, the boys shared a manly handshake. Sebastian’s reaction at seeing Doug and Emma together was almost identical to Martha’s, but he had no qualms about commenting on it.

  “Hey Doug, it sure is good to see you and Emma are friends again,” Sebastian said, clapping Doug on the back.

  “Yeah, well, I’ll tell you about it later,” Doug said, giving Emma a sheepish look and then steering Sebastian in the direction of the boys’ dorm. “I’ve got some other things to tell you about too—if you know what I mean?” Doug added, giving Sebastian a knowing look.

  “You mean about the treasure?” Sebastian asked a little too loudly. Fortunately, there was so much commotion in the main hall that no one else had heard him.

  “Hold it down, buddy,” Doug said, looking around to make sure no one was listening. When he was satisfied that absolutely no one was paying them any attention, he answered, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.” With that, he and Sebastian headed off to the boys’ dorm.

  Martha linked her arm through Emma’s as they started off in the opposite direction. “You’ve got to tell me absolutely everything as soon as we get to the room. Susie and Clarice will be arriving any minute, and I’ve got to know what went on between you and Doug before I die of curiosity.”

  When they reached their dorm room, Emma recounted the events of the past few days while Martha unpacked her suitcases. She told Martha about Doug’s apology, about staying in Dean Harwood’s suite, and their drive through the mountains. Martha had clapped her hands excitedly as Emma told her how Doug had apologized. “That is so sweet! I can see why you decided to forgive him. I’m so glad we can all be together again. Now maybe we can work on finding the treasure.”

  Emma nodded her agreement and then told Martha about someone ransacking the boys’ room and then later trying to get into her locker. She saw Martha shiver as she told her about being trapped on the second floor with the thief. Emma also told Martha about seeing someone suspicious behind the chapel.

  “Looks like we’re going to have to be more careful and stay together from now on,” Martha said.

  “That’s exactly what we thought, and I’m sure Doug is telling Sebastian the same thing. Doug and I spent some time going over the riddle the other night, but if there’s some other clue in it, we didn’t find it. We were planning on visiting the bookstore and talking to Cal the next time we go down to Windland. Maybe he has some more information he can give us,” Emma explained.

  “I guess that’s all we can do,” Martha said.

  “This Saturday will be our last trip to Windland until the spring. I just hope Cal c
an help us. When we were eating lunch at the lodge Friday, Doug’s dad looked really worried.”

  “Did he tell you that the school was having problems?” Martha asked in surprise.

  “No, not in so many words, but he was talking about trying to attract more students to the school.”

  At that moment, Clarice and Susie came bustling in, and further conversation was impossible. Clarice’s luggage seemed to have multiplied. Emma could have sworn she was returning with twice as many bags as she’d left with last Wednesday. This was confirmed when Clarice, a little out of breath from all the packages she was carrying, said, “We had the best time shopping Friday. You wouldn’t believe all the sales. Mom and I shopped till the stores closed.”

  Susie was quick to agree, and Emma noticed that she had quite a few extra bags of her own. Christmas had come early for Clarice and Susie it seemed. Martha put voice to Emma’s thoughts. “Honestly, you two, Christmas isn’t for another month.”

  “Oh, I know,” Susie said as she dumped her packages on her bed. “Mom was afraid the weather up here would keep us from going home for Christmas, so she went ahead and bought me some of my presents.”

  “Doesn’t that kind of ruin Christmas for you? I mean you already know what you’re getting,” Martha said, still unable to comprehend that Christmas and the giving and receiving of gifts could be accomplished in such a dispassionate manner.

  “We’ll be getting more presents on Christmas Day,” Susie huffed in a tone that clearly indicated she thought Martha was being deliberately obtuse.

  “What about the presents from you to your parents? Did you buy those already too?” Emma couldn’t help asking.

  It was obvious from Susie’s confused expression that she hadn’t thought about that. It was just as Emma had suspected. Susie had only been concerned about herself. It was time someone pointed out to her that Christmas is about giving too, and not just receiving. Susie was still trying to come up with an appropriate reply when Clarice came to her rescue. “Why would we buy presents for our parents, for heaven’s sake? We never have before. They’re rich, and when they want something, they just go out and buy it. What could we possibly get for them that they don’t already have?”

  Emma was momentarily at a loss for words. These two just didn’t get it. Emma had already learned that, although it was fun to receive gifts, the greater pleasure came from giving. There was no joy like that of watching a loved one open a gift you’d picked out or made especially for them and seeing their smiles of pleasure.

  Martha broke the silence that had fallen and once again said what Emma had wanted to say, “You know, it’s not about the gift, it’s the thought that counts. The giving of gifts is one way we can express our love for someone. Have you ever heard of the saying ‘It’s more blessed to give than to receive?’” Not waiting for an answer, Martha continued, “Well, you should try it sometime.”

  Unconvinced, Clarice shrugged her shoulders and said, “What-e-ver. Our family just isn’t like yours.”

  Realizing she was fighting a losing battle, Martha said no more. One thing was for sure, she would always be eternally grateful that her family was not like Clarice’s. However, there was nothing to be gained by telling Clarice that, so she remained silent. Looking at Emma, she rolled her eyes, conveying what she’d been thinking more clearly than words could have. Emma nodded her understanding, once again amazed and grateful that, although Martha also came from a rich family, she was neither selfish nor a snob. Someday Emma wanted to meet Martha’s parents. She knew she would like them immediately. They had to be good people to have raised a daughter as wonderful as Martha.

  At supper that evening, Doug and Sebastian sat with Emma and Martha. Emma was glad things were back to normal, and they were all together again. Now they could get back to the business of finding the treasure. It was obvious from the expressions and lighthearted moods of the boys that they were equally glad that things were back to normal. During the meal, they made plans for their visit to Windland. It was decided that they would split up to do their Christmas shopping first and then meet for lunch. Then they would go to the bookstore together and see if Cal had any more information for them.

  The next week was a flurry of activity. Classes resumed, and everything seemed to be moving in high gear. The teachers really piled on the homework in an effort to get units completed before Christmas vacation. Wednesday was the first of December, and just as Doug had told Emma, the school was to be decorated after classes. Emma had been looking forward to it ever since Doug had told her about it. Decorating the tree was one of Emma’s favorite things about Christmas. As soon as classes ended that day, Emma, Martha, Doug, and Sebastian met at the foot of the main staircase. Practically the entire student body had turned out to help decorate the castle. A huge tree had already been set up in the main lobby. Likewise, smaller trees had been placed in both the lounge and the library. All of the trees had been carefully selected and were well-proportioned and full. With the addition of some lights and ornaments, they would be beautiful.

  The four of them ended up working on the tree in the lounge. Boxes of lights, garland, and ornaments had already been brought out of storage and placed around the foot of the tree. Using a stepladder, Doug put the angel on top of the tree first, and then, with the help of Sebastian, the lights were strung. While the boys were putting up the lights, the girls went through the boxes of ornaments, selecting the ones they wanted to hang and putting hooks on them. With the four of them working together, the decorating was completed in no time. When they were finished, they stood back to admire their work. Sebastian had plugged in the lights so they could get the full effect. With the angel glowing atop it, the tree seemed to sparkle like a diamond. When they were finished admiring their work, they took a tour of the ground floor to see how the rest of the decorating was going. The tree in the main lobby was almost done and was nothing less than beautiful; ornaments shaped liked icicles hung from nearly every branch, and an angel dressed in a flowing white gown sat atop its crown. The banisters of the main staircase had been strung with holly, and twinkling lights had been woven throughout the balusters. When they entered the dining room, they saw that lights had been strung in there as well, starting from the four walls and meeting at the chandelier in the center. Lights had also been placed around many of the castle’s front windows. The poinsettias that Doug and Emma had seen growing in the greenhouse had been placed on the tables in the lounge and library and on many of the windowsills. Emma had never seen anything so beautiful.

  With the decorating completed, the students adjourned to the dining room for hot chocolate and cookies. Once again, Sebastian’s hobby class had helped make the cookies for the event. They had made sugar cookies in a variety of Christmas shapes and decorated them with red and green sugar crystals. For those who didn’t care for sugar cookies, they had also made chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies. Everything was delicious. It had been a wonderful day, and one that Emma would not soon forget.

  Thursday morning, it began to snow. It snowed all day, and Emma began to worry that Saturday’s trip to Windland would be canceled. Fortunately, by evening, the snow began to taper off, and by bedtime, it had stopped all together. Although they’d gotten several inches of snow, there would be time for the plows to clear the roads before Saturday. Emma just hoped it didn’t snow any more between now and then. It was imperative that they get to Windland.

  Saturday morning Emma and Martha stood on the steps of the castle waiting their turn to board the buses to Windland. Quite a crowd of students had gathered for the trip into town, and most of the teachers were going as well for supervision. Deborah, their dorm advisor, was once again present with her clipboard and checked Emma and Martha off her list as they boarded the bus designated for the seventh graders. Doug and Sebastian were already seated in the back of the bus with Phil and Tom. Emma and Martha took seats closer to the front and looked around to see who else was going to Windland. Earlier, Clarice and S
usie had informed Emma and Martha that they would not be going, saying that the shopping in Windland was “sadly inferior” to that which they were accustomed, so Emma was more than a little surprised to see Reggie get on the bus.

  Emma couldn’t help commenting to Martha. “I wonder if Clarice is mad at Reggie again.”

  Following the direction of Emma’s gaze, Martha responded, “I’d say that’s a safe bet, or he wouldn’t risk making her mad by going to Windland without her like this.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Do you think he’s going to want to hang around with us?” Emma asked with concern. If Reggie stayed with them, they wouldn’t be able to work on finding more clues to the treasure. Emma needn’t have worried, however, for just then Clarice and Susie boarded the bus.

  Seeing the surprised looks on Emma’s and Martha’s faces, Clarice explained in her usual superior tones, “We decided we might as well go along for the ride. What else are we supposed to do all day in that drafty old castle?”

  Since the question was asked of no one in particular, no one felt the need to respond. Clarice apparently didn’t expect a response, because without waiting for one, she made her way down the center aisle and took the seat next to Reggie. Susie was left to find her own place and ended up sitting alone in the seat behind Clarice.

  Emma was relieved on two counts—first, she was glad for Reggie’s sake that Clarice was not mad at him yet again, and second, the presence of Clarice and Susie meant that Reggie wouldn’t be tagging along with them while they were in Windland. Emma sat back in her seat and looked out the window at the passing scenery. The roads had been cleared of all snow. It stood piled in dirty, gray drifts on either side of the road. Emma thought how beautiful snow was in its pristine whiteness when it was newly fallen and how ugly it could be after men had intervened with their snowplows and shovels. Emma looked up at the oak trees that towered on either side of the road. At times their high branches extended so far over the road that they formed a canopy over it. The trees were bare, so the sky could be seen through their interlaced branches; it was as gray as the snow on the sides of the road. Emma was reminded of the first time they had gone down to Windland. Then the sky had been threatening rain, and today it seemed to be threatening snow; but Emma had listened to the weather reports on the radio that morning, and although the weatherman on the local station had called for snow, it was not supposed to begin until early Sunday morning. Emma hoped that the weatherman was right. She didn’t want their trip to Windland to be cut short. She needed to get Christmas presents for everyone and mail her presents to her family, and of course, they desperately needed to talk to Cal about Lord Dinswood and the castle.