As if he could read the minds of the others, Doug said solemnly, “We’re all agreed then? We keep looking?”
“We keep looking,” they answered in unison.
The school was a beehive of activity the rest of the morning, as the majority of the students packed their luggage and prepared to depart for Christmas vacation with their families. Although it had been snowing on and off for the last three weeks, the snow crews had managed to keep the roads cleared, and no new snow was expected until Christmas Eve, which was Sunday evening. Currently, it was clear and sunny, although the temperature was still below freezing. Dean Harwood had checked with the airport and found that it was open with flights departing on schedule. Susie, Clarice, and Reggie were among those leaving, but Sebastian and Martha had opted to spend Christmas at the Academy. Emma was glad; she had missed Martha over Thanksgiving break, and she had not been looking forward to being alone in their room. What fun they would all have, and maybe they could figure out how to get a look at Lord Dinswood’s collection of books. But in that, it seemed they were to be disappointed. At lunch, the announcement was made that the library would be closing until after Christmas break. Any student wishing to check out something to read over the holidays had until three o’clock to do so.
“What are we gonna do now?” Sebastian asked upon hearing the announcement.
“Maybe we could get the key and sneak in at night like we did the last time,” Martha suggested. But Doug was already shaking his head in the negative.
“I don’t think we should risk it. We need to look through thousands of books, and that’ll be hard enough to do in the daytime, let alone in the dark. We’d have to have flashlights on for quite a while, and sooner or later, the lights would be seen through the windows by the guards that patrol the grounds.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Martha said.
“It doesn’t look like we’ll ever get a chance to go through those books,” Sebastian grumbled. “We’re back to square one.”
“Don’t give up so fast, Sebastian,” Doug said, smiling. “I’m sure if we’re just patient an opportunity will present itself. We just need to be ready when it does.”
“I wish I shared your optimism,” Martha said with a sigh. “At any rate, there’s nothing we can do about it now, so we might as well enjoy our vacation and put worries about the treasure aside for now.”
The rest of them nodded in agreement, and no more was said while they ate their lunches. The dining hall was practically empty. The departing students had left in the school’s buses an hour earlier. Emma looked around the dining hall and was relieved that Bobby Wilcox was nowhere to be seen. He must have left with the others. Phil and Tom, Doug and Sebastian’s roommates, had also left for the holidays. The rest of the afternoon was spent outdoors getting some much needed fresh air. The ground was still covered in a blanket of white, and the air was crisp and cold. They didn’t go back into the castle until their fingers and toes were numb. The fresh air had sharpened their appetites, so they were all glad when the bell rang, signaling that supper was ready. After supper, they spent a companionable evening in the lounge playing games. Saturday passed in much the same way, and then Sunday, Christmas Eve, finally arrived. They all went to chapel that morning and sang Christmas carols and listened quietly as Reverend Palmer read to them the story of Jesus’s birth from the Bible. Mrs. Palmer surprised them all by singing a special song in a beautiful, clear voice. Emma had had no idea that Mrs. Palmer could sing. The looks on the faces of the others showed that they were equally amazed.
As soon as the service was over, they all went back to their rooms to change, agreeing to meet later in the dining hall for lunch. Emma needed to get some time alone to wrap her presents for the others. They had decided to exchange their gifts for each other Christmas morning after breakfast. She was worrying about how to get Martha out of the room long enough to wrap her present, when Martha solved the problem for her.
“Emma, I’m going down to the lounge. I think I left my gloves in there yesterday when we were playing games, and we might want to go out for a while after lunch. I’ll just meet you in the dining hall.”
“Okay,” Emma said. As soon as Martha left the room, she sprang into action. She wrapped Martha’s present first in case for some reason Martha should decide to return before lunch. Then she wrapped Sebastian’s candy and Doug’s pocketknife. When she was finished, she hid them all under her bed. Satisfied that all was ready for Christmas, she left the room, whistling “Jingle Bells” on her way to the dining hall. The tune made her wonder if the school had a sled hidden away somewhere. She’d have to ask Doug at lunch.
It turned out that there was a sled in that same old shed behind the school that they’d gotten the shovel from in what seemed like ages ago. They spent the afternoon outside taking turns on the sled. The front lawn sloped downward just enough to give a good ride without having to worry about crashing into the trees at the bottom. After they tired of riding the sled, they were going to build a colossal snowman, but the wind started to pick up, and dark clouds appeared in the southwest. It looked like the promised snow was on its way. The weather report had stated that it would begin snowing that evening, tapering off by morning. The real snow was supposed to follow later on Christmas Day. It was expected to be a major blizzard; the first big snow of the season. Emma couldn’t wait! She’d never experienced a real blizzard before. At any rate, the drop in temperature drove them inside to the lounge. Sitting by the fire to bring feeling back into their toes, they attempted to teach Sebastian to play chess. He learned the moves of each piece fairly quickly, but he was too impatient to think out his strategy.
“You’ve got to think before you move, Sebastian,” Martha said finally in exasperation. “Look at where Doug’s men are and try to think ahead.”
“I know, Martha,” Sebastian said. “It’s just that this game takes too long! I’m beginning to miss my video games.”
“The game of chess requires a little patience and intelligence. Those stupid video games you play don’t require either,” Martha replied with irritation.
“Are you saying I’m stupid?” Sebastian asked, getting angry.
“I’m not saying any such thing,” Martha said. “I’m just trying to make a point.”
“So, what’s your point?” Sebastian asked, still not sure whether or not Martha was making fun of him.
“My point is,” said Martha with emphasis on the last, “that this is a game that forces you to think. Face it, we could all use a little help in that area.”
Slightly mollified, Sebastian said, “Yeah, okay. I guess you’re right. I’ve never been a very patient person though.”
“I never would have guessed that,” Martha replied dryly.
Emma decided she’d better say something before Sebastian got mad all over again. Honestly, sometimes it seemed liked Martha enjoyed irritating Sebastian.
“Hey, we probably ought to put the game away for now; it’s almost time for supper.” She didn’t get any argument from Sebastian who quickly scooped up his men.
After supper, they played cards in the lounge until it was time for bed. Everyone had felt it would be best if they left the game of chess for a while. No point in stretching Sebastian’s patience too much in one day. As they were leaving the lounge to retire for the night, Doug called Emma back.
“Emma, could I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure,” Emma answered, a little surprised. Sebastian continued on to his room as if he hadn’t heard Doug. Obviously, Doug had let him in on his plan beforehand. After a quick wink and a smile, Martha left the lounge too. Except for a few students talking quietly in the corner, she and Doug were alone.
“I know we were going to exchange gifts with each other tomorrow,” Doug began, “but I wanted to give you mine tonight.” With that, Doug pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Emma.
Hesitantly, Emma reached out and took it.
“Go ahead and op
en it,” Doug encouraged.
Without a word, Emma unwrapped the little box and opened it to reveal a beautiful gold locket. “It’s beautiful!” was all she could manage, as she gently lifted the locket out of its resting place.
“I thought you could put a picture of your mom in there. Then whenever you feel like your memories of her are slipping away, you can open it up and see her,” Doug said quietly, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot as he tried to gauge Emma’s reaction to his gift.
Unbidden, tears welled up in Emma’s eyes. Not only had he remembered the conversation they’d had on Thanksgiving Day, but he had thoughtfully purchased this locket so that she could always keep her mother close to her heart. Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug. “Thank you,” she managed to say into his chest.
Feeling awkward at once again being confronted by an emotional female, Doug patted her on the back and said, “You’re welcome, Emma. I’m glad you like it.”
Realizing that she still had her arms around him, she let go and stepped back. “I’ll wear it always,” she promised fervently.
“Yeah, okay then,” Doug said, running his hand through his hair. “I-I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Emma.” With that, he turned and left.
Emma stayed where she was for a moment longer, still surprised and amazed at the thoughtfulness of Doug’s gift. She understood now why he had wanted to give it to her when they were alone. Having talked to each other about their mothers, it was a bond that only the two of them shared. Doug obviously wanted it kept that way. She wouldn’t mention to anyone, not even Martha, the significance of the locket. As soon as she got back to her room, however, she intended to put a picture of her mother in it. She had a wallet-sized photograph that she could cut to fit in the space provided by the golden oval. Humming “Silent Night” to herself, she headed to her room. As she went, she glanced out of the lounge windows and saw that it had begun to snow.
Emma awakened early Christmas morning. Jumping out of bed, she hurried to the window and looked out. The sky was overcast and gray, but it was no longer snowing. It must have quit sometime during the night. The trees and lawn were covered with a fresh blanket of white. Emma hoped they’d be able to spend some time outdoors today before the snowstorm hit. She was brought back to the present by a loud yawn from Martha.
Seeing Emma by the window, Martha asked, “What’s it doing out there? Is it still snowing?”
“No. It’s quit for now, but it looks like there’s more on the way,” Emma answered, turning away from the window.
“Did Santa Claus come?” Martha asked with a grin.
“I don’t know. I haven’t looked yet.”
“You haven’t looked yet?” Martha asked, clearly amazed. Getting out of bed, Martha went to the door of their room and opened it. Several packages were neatly stacked just outside their door, delivered by volunteers from the senior class during the night. It was a tradition at Dinswood that the seniors got to play Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. They would spend a couple of hours after lights-out delivering the packages that had been arriving at the school by the truckload the last couple of weeks. After making their deliveries, they were treated to a little party in the lounge.
Emma was surprised to see that her family had sent her quite a few presents. With Martha helping her, they got all of the packages in their room. They put all of Martha’s presents on her bed and all of Emma’s on hers. Then they each sat on their beds and began tearing into the boxes wrapped in various patterns of red and green. Emma’s first box contained a beautiful light blue sweater and a pair of jeans. A small box contained a delicate gold watch with a round face, the numbers and hands a lovely gold that matched the band. The last box contained a couple of books by Emma’s favorite authors and a bottle of perfume. Emma was pleased with everything she got and a little surprised. From past experience, Emma knew that it was her stepmother, Vera, who did all of the Christmas shopping for the family. Not only had Vera remembered the correct sizes for the clothing, but she had also gotten the perfume and the books right, and Emma absolutely loved the watch. Maybe Vera had been paying more attention than Emma realized. Not knowing exactly how she felt about this new revelation, Emma turned her attention to Martha instead.
“What’d you get?” she asked Martha as she tore into another box.
“Oh,” Martha sighed in pleasure as she pulled a beautiful peach-colored sweater from the box. “It’s so soft,” she added, running her fingers over it. “Come feel this.”
Emma hopped off her bed and did as Martha had instructed. The sweater was as soft as Martha had said. “What kind of yarn do you suppose it’s made of?”
“I don’t know, but I could go with a whole wardrobe of these.”
Martha had gotten jeans and a watch also, but where Emma had gotten books, Martha had received a large box of assorted art supplies. They were going to exchange the gifts they’d gotten the boys and each other at breakfast in the dining hall. Emma was anxious to see how Sebastian, Martha, and Doug liked what she got them. She had shown Martha the locket Doug had given her after returning to her room last night. Martha had been waiting for her, curious to know what Doug had wanted to talk to her about.
A few moments later, the girls entered the dining hall, gifts in hand, to see that Doug and Sebastian were already waiting for them. “It’s about time,” Sebastian said upon seeing them.
“How long have you guys been waiting?” Martha asked.
“Not long,” Doug answered, before Sebastian could respond. He knew Sebastian would probably exaggerate the time they’d been waiting, and he wanted to keep the peace.
Satisfied that they hadn’t kept the boys waiting too long, the girls took their seats opposite the boys. They decided they’d eat breakfast first and then exchange their gifts in the lounge. Sebastian had wanted to open presents first, but he’d been outvoted by the others. His impatience obvious, Sebastian hurried through his breakfast and then spent the next several minutes trying to get the others to hurry through theirs.
“Honestly, Sebastian, you’re worse than a little kid,” Martha said in exasperation. “Let us eat in peace! We’ll get to the presents soon enough. I don’t want to open them at the table.”
“Okay, okay,” Sebastian said, holding up his hands as if in surrender. Sebastian was quiet after that, but he continued to show his impatience by fidgeting.
Finally, Martha had had enough. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, let’s just go to the lounge. Sebastian is making me a nervous wreck. I’ve had all I want to eat anyway. How about you guys?” Martha asked, looking at Emma and then Doug.
Emma and Doug both nodded they’d had enough too, and after disposing of their trays, the four of them took their presents to the lounge. By mutual consent, they let Sebastian open his presents first. He opened the candy Emma had gotten him first. He showed his appreciation by sampling one of the chocolates and thanked her with his mouth full. Next, he opened the cookbook Martha had gotten him, and last he opened his gift from Doug. Doug had gotten him a chef’s hat and apron. Pleased with all of his gifts, he thanked them all and sat quietly as the others opened their presents to each other. Martha loved the sketchpad and charcoals Emma had gotten her. Doug and Sebastian had gone together to get her a nice set of paints. Emma got a couple of thousand-piece puzzles showing beautiful winter scenes from Sebastian and a makeup kit from Martha. She was wearing the locket Doug had given her and had already put a picture of her mother in it. Now she sat back and waited while Doug opened his presents, anxious to see his reaction to her gift. He opened Sebastian’s present first and was delighted with a new reel for his fishing pole. Martha had gotten him a book by an author he liked, and then it was time for Emma’s gift. He grinned as he picked up the little box. “I wonder what this could be,” he said, giving Emma a sly look as he shook the box.
“Open it,” Sebastian said, impatient once again.
Still smiling, Doug complied. He laughed when
he saw what it was. “How did you know I’ve always wanted one of these?”
“Oh, a little bird told me,” Emma answered with a smile of her own.
“This is great!” Doug exclaimed as he pulled out the different blades one after the other. “Hey, look! It’s even got a compass in the handle.”
“That’s so you won’t get lost,” Emma said with a laugh.
After thanking each other once again, they cleaned up all the wrapping paper. Agreeing to meet again in the lounge, they parted company long enough to put their gifts in their rooms and grab their coats. Emma noticed that before they left the lounge, Doug put his pocketknife in his pants pocket. She was happy and relieved that he liked it.
They spent the morning enjoying the cold, crisp air and the fresh snow outside. Once again, they got the sled out and took turns riding down the hill and pulling each other around the front lawn. They stayed outside long enough to work up a hearty appetite for Christmas dinner.
Christmas dinner was a feast Emma wouldn’t soon forget. There was ham and turkey, dressing, several vegetables including green beans, corn, and a broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, and a large assortment of cakes and pies. After they had eaten their fill, they went to the lounge to digest for a while, as Sebastian put it. Emma got one of the puzzles Sebastian had given her from her room, and they all sat around the big coffee table in the lounge to work on it.
After about an hour, Sebastian, never one to sit still for long, grew weary of the puzzle and suggested they go outside one last time before the forecasted blizzard began. “I’m tired of sitting around in here. Let’s go get some fresh air. If that blizzard comes, we may be stuck inside for the next couple of days, so we’d better get outside while we can.”
The Secret of Dinswood Page 24