The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

  Once she and Emma had filled their trays, they went over and sat next to Sebastian with Reggie, Clarice, and Susie sitting opposite them. Emma asked Sebastian where Doug was and was told that his dad had taken him to the hospital in Benton to have his arm set, confirming what she had thought earlier. According to Sebastian, they hadn’t returned yet.

  After that, everyone was silent for a while as they dug into their food. When they had each eaten their fill, they all sat back and looked at each other. They had so much to talk about, no one knew quite where to begin. It was Susie who started the conversation.

  “Sebastian says you guys found the treasure,” she said excitedly.

  “We sure did,” Martha replied.

  “What was it like?”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it. There was an entire room filled with treasure chests—all of them overflowing with diamond and pearl necklaces, gold coins, goblets, golden candlesticks…” Martha trailed off, a look of wonderment on her face at the memory of the incredible treasures they’d discovered.

  Emma took the opportunity to ask a question of her own.

  “What happened to you guys after you left us? Did you have any trouble getting out of the passage?”

  “No, the left tunnel just took us out to a spot by the stream,” Reggie replied, “then we just followed the stream uphill until we could see the towers of the school.”

  Emma wondered if the passage Reggie, Clarice, and Susie had taken joined the one that led from the library fireplace. From Reggie’s description, it sounded like it came out in the exact same spot. Emma was puzzled for a moment. They had checked the library passage carefully for other openings and hadn’t found any. Then she remembered what Henry Hodges had said—some of the openings had been camouflaged to conceal them. That would explain why they’d missed it. Before Susie could start in again about the treasure, Emma asked another question of Reggie.

  “Did you tell Miss Grimstock where we were?”

  Reggie shook his head in the negative. “I didn’t tell her where you were exactly. I just told her you were in a passage that started in the lounge and that there were bad people after you.”

  “Then how did she know where to find us?”

  “I don’t know,” Reggie answered with a shrug.

  “Did you tell Cal Thrabek too?” Emma asked, getting more confused by the minute. How had Miss Grimstock known to look for them in the mausoleum? She had to have known where that particular passage came out.

  “Who’s Cal Thrabek?” Reggie asked. Then he remembered that day in the lounge when he’d unscrambled the letters to form the name Blackheart. “You mean that wasn’t just a puzzle? There really is a person by that name?”

  It was Martha who answered Reggie this time. “Cal Thrabek owns the bookstore in Windland. He’s the one that sold us the book with the riddle in it.”

  Reggie nodded his head in understanding. “Well, I didn’t talk to Cal. I only told Miss Grimstock. I assumed she’d get Dean Harwood to come find you.”

  “She must have gotten Cal instead,” Emma said quietly, as she tried to make sense of things. “What I can’t figure out is how she knows Cal and why she would go get him instead of Doug’s dad.”

  “And how did she know where to find him?” Martha added, “We tried to find him the last time we went down to Windland before Christmas. Doug and Sebastian even went to his cabin, and he was nowhere to be found.” Martha didn’t say any more after that. She was afraid she might have said too much already. After all, Clarice’s dad was on the school board, and Doug and Sebastian had broken a school rule to go out to Cal’s cabin. Then she realized that everyone at the table had broken several school rules last night. They’d all been out after curfew, and she was pretty certain the underground passages were not considered a part of the school’s grounds. Still, she decided the less Clarice knew the better, so she said nothing about the fact that Doug and Sebastian had been shot at that day in Windland.

  The next question came from Reggie. “What happened to you guys after we left you last night? Were there any more challenges, and where exactly did you find the treasure?”

  Emma and Martha let Sebastian answer. Emma was still trying to figure out the connection between Miss Grimstock and Cal and how they’d known where to find them. Sebastian, who obviously enjoyed storytelling, was explaining all that had happened to them in great detail when Miss Grimstock came up to their table. Seeing her approach, Sebastian stopped his narrative in midsentence and swallowed the nervous lump that had formed in his throat.

  Miss Grimstock gave them all a stern look and informed them that Dean Harwood wanted to see them all in his office tomorrow immediately after breakfast. Then, after giving Sebastian a piercing stare with her beady eyes, she turned and walked away. Sebastian shivered as he watched her go. “Why does she always glare at me like that?” he asked. “She doesn’t ever do that to any of you guys.”

  “I think she does it because she knows it gets to you,” Martha answered. Then with a lift of her eyebrows, she added, “Or maybe she’s mad because she knows it was you who gave her the nickname Grim.”

  Emma was no longer paying attention to the conversation. Instead, she was worrying about why Dean Harwood wanted to see them. Miss Grimstock had made it sound like they were in trouble. Of course, they had broken several school rules. In addition, they had put all of their lives in danger, and Doug had been injured as a result. Emma couldn’t discount the seriousness of what they had done, but they had also saved the school from financial ruin. Shouldn’t that count for something? Emma continued to worry throughout the rest of the evening, barely listening as Sebastian finished filling Reggie, Clarice, and Susie in on the events leading up to the discovery of the treasure. Every now and then, Reggie or Susie would break in with a question, but Clarice sat quietly with a bored expression on her face. Apparently, to her, the treasure was yesterday’s news.

  Later that evening, when Emma went to bed, she tossed and turned, too worried to sleep. Had they saved the school only to be expelled for their efforts? She wished she could talk to Doug. He would have some idea of what his dad was planning to do. And what about Cal? What had he meant when he had said he was proud of them all? There were so many questions that needed to be answered. With a sigh, Emma realized that she wouldn’t be getting any answers tonight, so she might as well try to get some sleep. Even so, it was three o’clock before she finally dozed off.

  The next morning Emma dressed with trepidation, wondering what the result of their meeting with Dean Harwood would be. She wasn’t able to eat a bite at breakfast, and she noticed that Martha’s appetite was off as well. Susie and Clarice didn’t seem to be having any problems. Clarice probably felt safe from any repercussions because her dad was on the school board, and Susie probably didn’t have enough sense to be concerned. Sebastian, Doug, and Reggie were not in the dining room when the four girls had first entered. They all came in together about halfway through the meal and quickly took seats next to the girls.

  “Aren’t you going to eat anything?” Martha asked Sebastian.

  “We ate a long time ago,” Sebastian replied.

  Emma looked over at Doug as he took the seat across from her. He had a cast on his left arm that began just below the elbow and extended to his hand. The cast circled his palm, but his fingers were free. He didn’t appear to be in any pain, but Emma knew looks could be deceiving.

  “Doug, how’s your arm? What did the doctor say?” she blurted out in concern.

  “It’s okay,” Doug replied. “The doctor said I broke both the radius and the ulna. He said both were simple fractures and that they weren’t in the growth plates of either bone.”

  “Does it hurt much?” Emma couldn’t help asking. She remembered how much pain he’d been in when it had first happened.

  “Not so much now,” Doug replied with a shrug. “The doctor gave me some pain pills to take, but so far I haven’t needed any.”

  Typical male, Emm
a thought to herself. He wouldn’t have admitted it to a girl even if it did hurt. She continued to watch him closely for a few seconds longer and then, with a sigh, decided he was telling her the truth. She was relieved that he was going to be okay.

  “How long will you have to wear the cast?” Martha asked.

  “The doctor said about six weeks.”

  Emma realized that Doug would still be wearing the cast when school got out for the summer. They only had three more weeks until the end of the term. She was thankful that at least it was his left arm. Doug was right handed, so it wouldn’t affect his ability to write or hold his silverware to eat. Of course, there would be other inconveniences. Sebastian could carry Doug’s schoolbooks for him. The only problem was that the two of them didn’t have the same schedule. Maybe the teachers would make special allowances and let Sebastian be a little late to class so he could help Doug. Thinking of the teachers reminded her of their meeting with Dean Harwood. Her stomach did a nervous flip, and she was just about to ask Doug what he thought his dad was going to do when Miss Grimstock approached.

  “Dean Harwood will see you all now,” she announced in a perfunctory manner. Without another word she turned and walked stiffly to the dining hall entrance, stopping to look back when she got there. It was obvious from her expression that she expected them to follow her. The boys waited while the girls quickly disposed of their trays, and then they all filed behind Miss Grimstock. Her heels made a sharp clicking noise as she led them down the hall to Dean Harwood’s office. Emma felt somewhat like a lamb being led to the slaughter. She looked nervously over at Martha. Martha’s attempt at a reassuring smile failed miserably. There was no mistaking the fact that Martha was just as scared as Emma was.

  All too soon, they arrived at the door to Dean Harwood’s office. Miss Grimstock gave it a sharp rap and turned the knob after the command to enter had been issued. Emma was surprised when Miss Grimstock pushed the door open and went in ahead of them. She hadn’t expected Miss Grimstock to take part in the meeting. Emma got another shock when she entered the office and saw none other than Cal Thrabek sitting comfortably in one of the chairs in front of Dean Harwood’s desk. She looked quickly at the others and saw that they were equally surprised.

  Dean Harwood sat quietly with an unfathomable expression as everyone entered and found a seat. Several extra chairs had been set around to accommodate the rather large group. Even though Dean Harwood had a good-sized office, they were still a little cramped. With a signal from the Dean, Miss Grimstock closed the door and then took her seat.

  When everyone was settled, Dean Harwood delivered the biggest surprise of the morning. After looking at each of them in turn, his gaze rested on Cal. Clearing his throat, he said slowly for emphasis, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Lord Percival Dinswood.” A shocked silence followed as everyone absorbed what Dean Harwood had just said. How could the person they knew as Cal Thrabek be Lord Dinswood? Lord Dinswood was dead. The treasure had been found beneath his grave.

  Sebastian was just opening his mouth to speak when Dean Harwood raised a hand to stop him.

  “I know you must have a lot of questions. I’ve spent all of last evening and a good part of the morning talking with Lord Dinswood and asking questions of my own. It’s a rather long story, so I think I’ll let Lord Dinswood tell it.”

  All heads turned as one to Lord Dinswood, and everyone waited expectantly for him to speak. After a brief nod of acknowledgement to Dean Harwood, Cal, or Lord Dinswood, cleared his throat and began in quiet tones, “As I’m sure some of you know, I am a descendant of the famous, or should I say, infamous pirate Blackheart. It’s not a connection I’m especially proud of, but one can’t help one’s ancestors, can they?” He paused then and gave a sheepish grin. When no one said anything, he continued. “Anyway, back to the story. Over the twenty years he terrorized the seas, Blackheart managed to amass a great fortune. From reading of his exploits, I think only he knew the true extent of his wealth.

  “You see, those who served as his crew usually didn’t stay with him for more than two or three years. Some were killed in the skirmishes and some just eventually grew tired of the pirate life and left Blackheart’s employ after being given a share of the plunder. After twenty years, Blackheart himself retired and disappeared. No one knew his real name and so had no idea how to track him. His real name was Darius Dinswood. Darius traveled a while before ending up here where he settled and built this magnificent castle. He was, as far as anyone knew, a respectable citizen. Eventually, he and his wife Rebecca had a son whom they named Christian. Christian proved to have a good head for business and made a fortune of his own. He was only told of the treasure when Darius was on his deathbed. This cycle would be repeated for the next several generations of Dinswoods. Christian also married and had a son, William. Upon his deathbed, Christian told William of the treasure and so on. Of course, the family had become respectable and highly regarded in social circles—real leaders in the community. None were willing to besmirch the family name by admitting that they were descended from a murdering marauder, and so the treasure remained a secret.”

  “Until now,” Sebastian interrupted.

  Lord Dinswood smiled at Sebastian. “Until now,” he agreed. “My father told me about the treasure just before he died. Imagine my shock when I learned the truth of my lineage. It was then that I decided to do something worthwhile with the treasure. I had no children of my own to leave it to, so I decided to use it to provide something that would benefit the children of others. I had the castle extensively renovated. Then I pretended to die and left the estate to be used as a school. I must say I am very proud of what it has become. Dinswood Academy has one of the finest records for academic excellence in the country, if not the world.”

  It was Doug who interrupted this time. “Sir, why did you pretend to be dead?”

  “That is an excellent question, young man. The answer is really fairly simple. I knew that if I just donated the castle, I would receive a lot of unwanted attention, and that attention might lead to a discovery of the family secret. At the time, I wanted to avoid that at all cost. So, I faked my own death, leaving the castle to be used as a school in my will. Miss Grimstock, who was, and continues to be, in my employ, saw to the details.”

  There were several gasps at this revelation. Miss Grimstock looked decidedly uncomfortable as all eyes momentarily focused on her. That at least explained the connection between Cal and Miss Grimstock, Emma thought in amazement. All this time, Grim had been working for Lord Dinswood!

  In an effort to spare Miss Grimstock any further embarrassment, Lord Dinswood continued his narration. “Then, I bought a cabin just outside of Windland using an assumed name. I opened the bookstore in town, so I could keep track of the goings on at the school.”

  Lord Dinswood stopped speaking then and took a long swallow of water from a glass sitting on the table next to him. Doug took the opportunity to ask another question.

  “I don’t understand something, sir. If you didn’t want people to know you were a descendant of a pirate, why did you write the book?”

  Lord Dinswood smiled at Doug. This son of the dean’s was a sharp young man and very brave from all the accounts he’d had of the events just past. Dean Harwood should be very proud to have such a fine young man for a son.

  “As the years went by, I realized it no longer mattered who my ancestors were. After all, I had no children to be harmed by the knowledge of my heritage, and the information might even lend the school a bit of notoriety. You see, I’d begun to hear of the school’s financial difficulties from Miss Grimstock. I thought that news of the castle’s history might attract more students, if merely out of curiosity.”

  “No disrespect, sir,” Sebastian broke in, “but why didn’t you just give the school the treasure.”

  “Well, as attendance continued to decline year after year, I began to wonder if there was anything worth saving. That was when I got the idea of
putting the riddle and the scripture passage in one of my books. After that, every Saturday when the academy sent students down to Windland, I’d sit behind my counter and wait for someone to come in and show an interest in the school. I was about to give up hope when you four came in and asked if I had any information about the castle. I sold you that particular copy of the book hoping you’d find the riddle and care enough about the school to see it through. Later that afternoon as we talked over cookies and hot chocolate, I was convinced that I’d done the right thing. It seemed you really loved the school. I guess I could have just told you then where the treasure was, but I wanted you to have to work for it. Kids are given too much these days, and as a result, they don’t value anything. We only truly appreciate those things we’ve worked hard to earn. Besides, there’s enough of Darius Dinswood in me that I wanted you to experience a little bit of adventure, an adventure that would test you both mentally and physically.”

  “It sure did that all right,” Sebastian blurted out. At a stern look from Dean Harwood, he quickly closed his mouth but continued to frown at Lord Dinswood.

  Lord Dinswood chuckled at Sebastian’s outburst. Then sobering once again, he looked over at Doug and said, “I’m truly sorry that you were hurt, Doug. That was not my intention. From the beginning, I felt that you four were more than adequately prepared for what I had planned. I would never have let you proceed had that not been the case.”