“It’s all right, sir,” Doug replied. “We knew the risks going in.”
Emma, Martha, and Sebastian silently nodded in agreement. What Doug had said was true. They had known the risks from the beginning, but their desire to save the school had kept them going. Doug had given them an opportunity to turn back, but they had decided to see it through to the end. Looking back, Emma was grateful that they had all stayed together. Getting through the night alive had required all four of them. If any one of them had chosen to give up, the night might have had a much different and decidedly less pleasant outcome.
Suddenly a thought occurred to Sebastian and, not being one who was able to keep his thoughts to himself, he spoke it aloud. “That pirate ship is awesome! Is it yours?”
Lord Dinswood grinned at Sebastian’s obvious enthusiasm. Nodding, he replied, “Indeed she is. Building her was a labor of love that took nearly twenty years to complete.”
“How did you do it?” Sebastian asked in amazement.
Lord Dinswood chuckled as he answered. “Well, I had lots of help getting the materials into the cave. They were brought in through the large opening in the cave wall. You must have seen it when you found the ship.”
Sebastian nodded in the affirmative. It was just as he and Doug had thought.
“However, the majority of the actual building and woodworking I did myself,” Lord Dinswood continued proudly.
“Why did you build her in the cave?” Emma couldn’t help asking. “After all the work you did, you’ll never be able to really sail her.”
“Well, it might be hard for someone as young as you to understand, but I merely wanted the joy of building a ship. It was never my intention, nor my desire, to actually sail her. Besides, this way I could enjoy her anytime I wanted without having to travel to the ocean.”
“It looked like someone had been living on the ship when we were there,” Martha interjected.
“That’s very astute of you, my dear,” Lord Dinswood said. “Shortly after I sold you the book, I decided to move up here, so I could keep a close eye on your progress. I’ve been living on the ship quite comfortably ever since.”
That explained why Cal’s, Lord Dinswood’s, cabin had looked deserted when Doug and Sebastian had gone there before Christmas. A lot of the pieces were starting to fall into place. Another piece fell neatly into place with Lord Dinswood’s next words.
“There’s a passage that leads from the basement of the chapel to the underground lake, so I could come and go easily without being seen.”
Doug’s eyes widened in dawning comprehension. “You don’t happen to have a red knit cap, do you, sir?”
Lord Dinswood looked at him curiously before replying, “Why, yes I do.”
As far as Doug was concerned, there was just one thing left to be cleared up and that was Mr. Hodges’s involvement in all of this. Before Lord Dinswood could ask him why he wanted to know about his hat, Doug broke in with one last question. “Sir, how did Mr. Hodges and his brother find out about the treasure?”
“I must say I wondered that myself, but I had a little chat with Simon and Henry the other night in the mausoleum after you left with Miss Grimstock. You see, when I said I put a copy of the riddle in one of my books that wasn’t strictly true. I actually ended up putting the scripture passage and riddle in two books—one which I sold to you and one which was sold to Henry Hodges by mistake.” Lord Dinswood paused a moment to let that important piece of information sink in. After a moment of silence, he continued. “A couple of weeks before your first visit to Windland, I was feeling a little under the weather, so I had Alice Munsen and her daughter, Becky, run the store for me. A man came in asking for information about the castle and Alice, not knowing there was anything special about the book, sold it to him.”
“And that man was Henry Hodges,” Sebastian blurted out, earning himself another stern look from Dean Harwood.
Lord Dinswood nodded, then continued, “Alice described the man to me, and after seeing Henry, I have no doubt that he was indeed the man she sold the book to that day. Unfortunately, Henry discovered the riddle, and then conspired with his brother Simon to find the treasure. Simon Hodges had recently been hired as the school’s librarian, but his real purpose in taking the job was to locate and steal the valuables I left in the castle.”
At this point, Lord Dinswood looked at Doug. “As Simon Hodges had all of the necessary qualifications, your father hired him in good faith completely unaware of his true motives. When Simon and Henry found out about the treasure, they focused all of their energy on obtaining it. It wasn’t long until Simon began to suspect that the four of you also knew about the treasure. I’m afraid that put you in considerable danger. It was then that I instructed Miss Grimstock to keep a closer than normal eye on you.”
That explained why Miss Grimstock had always seemed to be around and why Mr. Hodges had kept looking at them suspiciously whenever they were in the library, Emma thought. Then something else occurred to her. “I remember you telling us to be careful and that we weren’t the only ones seeking,” she said.
Once again, Lord Dinswood nodded. “I knew that someone else had a copy of the book with the riddle, but at the time, I didn’t know his identity.”
“You also told us that the scripture passage was in every one of Lord Dinswood’s, I mean, your books,” Sebastian said accusingly.
“Yes, that’s true, I did. I’m sorry for the little white lie, but I couldn’t very well come right out and tell you that you were getting a special copy of the book. That would have aroused your curiosity, and I wanted you to figure it out for yourselves. After all, the students at Dinswood Academy are among the brightest in the country, aren’t they?” There was a decided twinkle in Lord Dinswood’s eyes as he said the last.
“No disrespect, sir, but you also told us something else that wasn’t true,” Doug said with a smile.
“What’s that, son?” Lord Dinswood asked curiously.
“You told us that Lord Dinswood had gone a little crazy in his latter years.”
At that, Lord Dinswood laughed out loud. The others in the room soon joined him.
The laughter continued for a few moments longer, and then Emma watched in growing apprehension as Dean Harwood’s expression grew solemn once again. He looked like he was about to pronounce sentence in a jury trial and she, Doug, Sebastian, and Martha were the defendants who had been found guilty. Everyone quieted down as Dean Harwood began to speak.
“Now that all of your questions have been answered, there are a few other things that need to be discussed,” he paused for a moment and gave them all a solemn look before continuing. “I’m sure you’re all aware of the fact that you’ve broken several school rules and put yourselves in mortal jeopardy. These are serious offenses, and they must be addressed. While I understand your desire to help the school, I can’t excuse your disregard for the rules. They are not just a list of dos and don’ts set forth to make students’ lives miserable. These rules are put in place to ensure your safety. I spoke with Doug last night and asked him why you didn’t come to me when you first found the riddle. I have heard his answer, and now I’d like to hear from the rest of you.”
There was dead silence as the youngsters in the room looked at one another, each hoping that one of the others would answer Dean Harwood’s question. Dean Harwood waited patiently. Finally, Sebastian couldn’t stand it any longer. In his nervousness, he began talking loudly and a little too fast to be understood. After a few seconds, Dean Harwood put up a hand to halt Sebastian’s unintelligible reply. Immediately, Sebastian stopped speaking and sank back down into his chair. His face was as red as Emma had ever seen it, so red in fact that if he’d been older, Emma would have been worried that he was having a heart attack. Emma shifted her gaze away from Sebastian and looked over at Martha. She could tell from Martha’s expression that she didn’t want to say anything. Reggie and Susie looked positively terrified, while Clarice simply looked bored. With a s
igh, Emma realized it was up to her to explain their actions and hopefully get them all out of trouble.
She began speaking calmly, which surprised her because her stomach was clenched in a nervous knot. Despite her anxiety, however, her voice came out in strong, clear tones. “It wasn’t that we felt we couldn’t trust you, sir. The problem was that for a long time we weren’t sure if there really was a treasure or if the riddle was just a hoax. Doug knew you were concerned about the school’s financial situation, and not wanting to add to your worries, we all decided that we should find out if the riddle was true or not before we told you about it. Unfortunately, the only way to confirm the existence of the treasure was to follow the clues and try to find it. I don’t think any of us truly knew what we were getting ourselves into until the night we found the passage in the lounge fireplace. By the time we realized the danger, it was too late. Someone was following us in the passage. That’s when we sent Reggie, Clarice, and Susie down the other passage while we continued on with the treasure hunt. We were hoping the men would keep following us so that Reggie would be clear to find a way out and go for help. When Doug broke his arm, we were more than ready to quit. Then we found the little golden treasure chest and realized how close we were to finding the treasure. I think you know the rest.”
“So, am I to understand that you kept silent about the riddle and broke school rules for my benefit?” Dean Harwood asked with a lift of his eyebrows. Suppressing a smile, he continued to regard Emma with a severe expression. In the past, he’d used that same expression to frighten more than one troublesome student, but it didn’t seem to be working on Emma. Her gaze never wavered, and he found himself admiring her courage.
Emma continued to look at Dean Harwood while she racked her brain for a suitable response. When he put it like that, their reasoning didn’t really make sense. After all, Dean Harwood was a grown man and didn’t need protecting by a bunch of kids. After a moment she said, “I guess you’re right. It does sound kind of silly when you put it like that. We should have come to you in the beginning. I guess the real truth is we were afraid you wouldn’t believe in the treasure and that even if you did believe, you wouldn’t let us search for it.”
Dean Harwood’s admiration grew. It was a rare thirteen-year-old who could admit his or her mistake and be completely truthful—most simply didn’t possess the necessary maturity. Last evening, when he’d put the same question to Doug, he’d gotten pretty much the same response. Like Emma, Doug had quickly realized the error in his reasoning. Dean Harwood was very proud of his son, and he was beginning to see why Doug liked Emma. At any rate, it was clear that the motives of the students before him were pure. They had acted out of a real desire to save the school they loved. Under normal circumstances that fact alone would not have been enough to save them from expulsion, but fortunately for them, the circumstances were anything but normal. Looking at the tense faces of the students before him, he decided it was time to let them off the hook.
“From what I understand, you have broken curfew, not to mention numerous other rules in your search for the treasure. After so many offenses, the normal punishment would be expulsion.”
An audible gasp arose from Sebastian, but Emma was silently clinging to the fact that Dean Harwood had said that expulsion was normally the punishment. Maybe their punishment was going to be something less severe. Emma found herself holding her breath as she waited for Dean Harwood to continue.
“However, after speaking with Lord Dinswood, I have been persuaded to suspend punishment in this case.”
A moment of shocked silence followed while they all tried to process what Dean Harwood had said. Sebastian was the first to fully comprehend that, not only were they not going to be expelled, but they weren’t going to be punished at all, and that meant no detention with Grim either. Sebastian jumped up and gave a whoop of joy. “You mean we’re not going to be punished at all?” he couldn’t help asking.
It was Lord Dinswood who answered this time. “Oh, believe me, if it was up to Dean Harwood, you would be punished. However, I insisted on taking full responsibility. After all, it was I who put you up to it with that riddle.”
At that, Doug frowned. He knew his father would not have let them off the hook so easily, because despite what Lord Dinswood had said, they had acted of their own free will. Lord Dinswood had not forced them to look for the treasure.
Seeing Doug’s frown and believing he understood the reason for it, Lord Dinswood continued, “You see, since I am not actually dead, my will is null and void. The school—its grounds and everything on or under it—still legally belongs to me. I agreed to sign everything over only on the condition that you all wouldn’t be punished in any way.” Then Lord Dinswood’s mouth lifted in a mischievous grin, and he gave Doug a conspiratorial wink. “I think the board of directors will agree to my terms, don’t you?”
Lord Dinswood was right. Even Bobby Wilcox’s dad would agree to the conditions, if it meant keeping the school. Doug looked around and saw the relieved expressions on the faces of his friends. They had done it. They had saved the school, and thanks to Lord Dinswood, they had miraculously escaped punishment.
Before they could get too carried away with their success, however, Dean Harwood reminded them that, although they had been lucky this time, they should not expect to be so lucky a second time. Everyone readily agreed that they were finished breaking the rules.
“I certainly hope so,” Dean Harwood replied with a raised eyebrow.
Lord Dinswood, his tone and expression serious, broke the silence that followed. “I forgot to mention that there is one very important condition to your exemption from punishment. You must not discuss recent events or your part in them with anyone. The existence of the passages must remain a secret, known only to those of us in this room.” Then he paused and looked at each of them in turn. “Do you agree to the terms?”
All nodded their heads in agreement, although Reggie and Sebastian looked disappointed that they would not be able to tell anyone about how they had helped find the treasure. Emma knew how much Sebastian enjoyed telling a good story, and she suspected that Reggie had wanted to brag about how he had helped them figure out where the entrance to the passage was.
Satisfied that they would keep their promise to Lord Dinswood, Dean Harwood dismissed them all. They hurriedly made their exit, eager to celebrate the fact that they weren’t going to be punished. As they left, however, Miss Grimstock followed them. They had no choice then but to get to class. With a few murmured goodbyes, they parted ways. Their celebration would have to wait until after school.
News of the discovery of the treasure and Lord Dinswood’s miraculous return from the dead spread through the school like wildfire. Although Doug, Sebastian, Emma, and Martha followed Lord Dinwood’s instructions and didn’t talk to anyone about their part in the whole affair, somehow the other students seemed to know that they were involved. This was evidenced by the stares and whispers they received whenever they passed a group of their fellow classmates in the hall. Thankfully, after the first few days, interest in the treasure waned and everyone seemed to be getting back into the day-to-day routine. Everyone, that is, except for Bobby Wilcox. One day, Bobby and Doug crossed paths in the hall when no one else was around. It was just the opportunity Bobby had been waiting for.
“I guess you think you’re some kind of hero, huh, Harwood?” Bobby said with a sneer.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Doug replied.
“Oh, you know all right,” Bobby declared with certainty. “I just want you to know that if it’d been up to my dad, you and all your goofy friends would have been expelled.” When Doug failed to reply, Bobby continued. “I’m just letting you know up front that I’ll be watching you, and the first time you so much as think about breaking a school rule, I’ll have you thrown out of here so fast your head will spin.”
“Your dad’s not the only one on the board, Wilcox.”
“That may be
so, but he’s got enough members on his side to get rid of you if you step out of line again.”
Refusing to let Bobby get to him, Doug said calmly, “That’s not what I hear.”
Whatever reply Bobby would have made was prevented by the sudden fortuitous appearance of Miss Grimstock. Doug marveled at how that woman always managed to be in the right place at the right time.
Her expression alone was enough to send both boys hurrying off in opposite directions. As Doug made his way to his next class, he realized that he had a very formidable enemy in Bobby Wilcox. Whether or not Bobby’s father had the support his son claimed remained to be seen. In any event, Doug would need to watch his step, especially around Bobby.
The next three weeks flew by. Now that the future of the school was ensured, Emma needed to buckle down and make sure she scored well enough on her finals to retain her scholarship for next year. Doug needed to do likewise, so evenings were spent studying in the library along with Martha and Sebastian. Emma found that without the creepy presence of Mr. Hodges, the atmosphere in the library was much more relaxed.
Finals week arrived all too soon, but by the end of it, Emma was fairly certain she’d done well enough to keep her scholarship. Even so, the last day of school found her pacing nervously in the lounge as she and the others awaited their report cards. Likewise, Doug was doing some pacing of his own with Martha and Sebastian offering words of support and encouragement every now and then.
An announcement over the intercom instructed all students to report to their first hour classes to receive their report cards. All of them had the same first hour except Doug, which meant they’d have to wait a bit longer to learn Doug’s fate. With one last nod of encouragement to each other, they left the lounge. Emma, Martha, and Sebastian headed off to Mrs. Perkins’s class while Doug went to Mr. Godfrey’s.
Upon arriving at Mrs. Perkins’ classroom, Emma quickly found her seat and was frustrated when the other students didn’t do likewise. They moved around like they had all the time in the world and didn’t seem at all concerned about their grades. They probably weren’t concerned, Emma realized. After all, they didn’t have a scholarship to worry about. Their parents could afford to send them to the academy regardless of their grades. Emma experienced a moment of jealously, which passed the moment Mrs. Perkins got up to speak. Emma waited impatiently while Mrs. Perkins began her end of school speech. She told them what a pleasure it had been to have them as students and how she looked forward to seeing them next year. Emma sat stiffly, barely listening. Finally, Mrs. Perkins finished talking and began passing out their report cards in alphabetical order. John Hathaway received his, and Emma knew hers was next. She held her breath as Mrs. Perkins approached and handed it to her. Emma reached up to take it with icy fingers, refusing at first to look at it.
The Secret of Dinswood Page 36