Amanda in England: The Missing Novel

by Darlene Foster

  Central Avenue Publishing Edition

  Copyright © 2012 Darlene Foster

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This edition is published by arrangement with Darlene Foster

  centralavenuepublishing.com

  First electronic edition created and distributed by Central Avenue Publishing, a division of Central Avenue Marketing Ltd.

  Amanda in England: The Missing Novel

  ISBN 978-1-926760-78-0

  Published in Canada with international distribution.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design: Michelle Halket

  Photography: Copyright & Courtesy of iStockphoto: brodiefoto

  Original cover of A WORLD OF GIRLS, by L.T. Meade, illustrated by M. E. Edwards 3rd edition published by Cassell & Company 1887

  Map of England: himmera.com

  To

  Aleasha, Amanda, Taylor and Jesse

  My amazing grandchildren

  Map of England

  AMANDA IN ENGLAND: THE MISSING NOVEL

  Chapter 1

  Amanda peered out the window, through the mist, down onto smoking chimneys and blackened roofs. Her excitement grew as the airplane descended.

  ‘Here I am, at last, in the land of the Potters – Beatrix and Harry,’ Amanda thought as the plane lurched to a halt at Heathrow Airport, London.

  She followed the other passengers to the luggage retrieval. Although she had only flown outside of Canada twice before, she felt quite comfortable with the process. She took her bag off the luggage carousel and proceeded to the customs gate.

  “Hey you!” shouted someone behind her. Amanda turned to see a teenage girl with a bright pink Mohawk, tons of make up, earrings everywhere and a very short skirt. “You sure that’s your bag?”

  “Yes, I am.” Amanda looked at the luggage tag. “See – here, this is my name.”

  “Um, so you’re Amanda Ross – from Canada I see.” The girl examined the luggage tag. “Sorry t’bother you. Ta Ta. Stay out of trouble.” She winked at Amanda with a dark lined eyelid, caked with mascara. She joined a teenage boy with tattooed arms wearing an England T-shirt and ripped jeans.

  When Amanda emerged from customs, she found Leah and her dad waiting for her with balloons and flowers and a big sign that said, “Welcome to England, Amanda!”

  “Wowza! Look at you,” said Leah as she gave her a big hug. “I think you’ve grown.”

  “I don’t know about that - but you sure have,” said Amanda as she looked up at her tall, thin friend.

  “Let’s get you out of here,” said Mr. Anderson as he took Amanda’s bag from her. “I’m sure you’re tired after the long flight and most likely hungry.”

  “It wasn’t nearly as long a flight, as to the United Arab Emirates or even to Spain,” replied Amanda.

  She shivered when they got outside. With a slight drizzle, the air felt damp. Mr. Anderson led them to a shiny, silver-grey BMW. He put Amanda’s bag in the trunk, went around to the passenger side and said, “You girls can sit in the back together. It’s unlocked.” He got in and sat in the passenger seat.

  ‘That’s weird,’ thought Amanda. ‘Who is going to drive? Do they have a chauffeur?’

  It was when Mr. Anderson started the car; she noticed the steering wheel on the right side. “Now, that is strange,” she murmured.

  They eventually found their way out of the busy airport parking lot. As Leah’s dad turned to exit, he pulled into the wrong lane.

  “Oh no!” Amanda squeezed her eyes shut for the inevitable head on collision.

  “What’s wrong, Amanda?” Leah asked with a concerned look.

  “I thought we were going to have an accident.” Amanda opened her eyes and looked out the window at the many cars driving toward them – on the opposite side of the road.

  Leah’s dad chuckled, “We drive on the left side of the road over here. I guess that must seem odd to you. You should be careful when crossing the street as you must look right, left and then right again.”

  Amanda breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s weird, but good to know. I’ll be careful. Even though you speak the same language here, there will be some things new and different, I guess.”

  Leah gave her arm a squeeze. “I’m so glad you’re here. We’ll have bags of fun. I can’t wait to take you shopping at Harrods downtown. Mom said we can go on the London Eye too.”

  Amanda wanted to ask about the London Eye, but she was too tired and too excited as they drove through London towards the suburb of Guildford, where the Andersons lived. All the books she read about England flipped through her mind. Like her visits to the United Arab Emirates and Spain, she felt like she was living inside a novel. This was going to be the best spring break ever!

  Chapter 2

  “Will we be going on the London Eye today?” asked Amanda after a good sleep.

  “We will have to wait until you get back from the Isle of Wight,” replied Mrs. Anderson. “Leah’s dad needs to check on the boat and take it out for a trial run before the sailing races in two weeks.”

  “A boat? A sailboat? I’ve always wanted a ride on a sailboat.” Amanda’s eyes lit up.

  “My husband will be happy to take you out for a ride if you wish. Leah isn’t usually very keen.” Mrs. Anderson put some cheese, bread and ham slices in a wicker basket.

  “I don’t know if I want a landlubber on board my boat,” said Mr. Anderson, as he poured himself a coffee. “You can come along if you promise not to get in the way or fall overboard.”

  “I’ll stay out of the way, I promise.” Amanda wasn’t sure if he was serious or not.

  Amanda, Leah and Mr. Anderson drove to a large city called Southampton and boarded a ferry which took them to the Isle of Wight. The murky, grey-blue water looked very different from the waters of the Persian Gulf or the Mediterranean Sea. Amanda spotted snowy white cliffs in the distance. “Is that where we’re going?”

  “Yep, that’s the Isle of Wight,” replied Leah.

  ‘Makes sense,’ thought Amanda, even though ‘white’ was spelled different.

  Some teenagers walked past them. “Hi ya, Amanda from Canada,” said a girl.

  “Oh – hi,” said Amanda as they carried on.

  “How do you know them?” asked Leah with a puzzled look.

  “I met them at the airport when I was collecting my luggage. She thought my bag was hers until I showed her the tag.”

  “You can’t trust that sort,” said Leah as she surveyed the back of the teenage girl sporting a short leather skirt, tattooed ankle and pink Mohawk. “They’re just a bunch of wasters.”

  “They’re OK. She’s certainly friendly and even remembered my name.”

  “Well, you never know.” Leah shook her head. “You are a bit too trusting if I recall.”

  When they arrived on the island later that afternoon, Leah’s dad treated them to a delicious fish and chip dinner. Amanda laughed as she read out the menu, “Mushy peas – yuk. Toad in the hole? Spotted dick? That can’t be real! I think I’ll stick with fish and chips, thank you.”

  After dinner they walked down the cobblestone streets of Cowes, passing a shop with interesting used books in the window.

  “Can we please stop and have a look in here?” asked Amanda.

  �
��It’s only books.” Leah kept walking.

  “But I love books and these look way cool.”

  “Why don’t you girls stop in here, while I visit the shop next door to purchase some fittings for the boat.”

  Amanda was in her element. The dusty old store had books piled up right to the ceiling. The shelves looked like they would topple over from the weight of the volumes. The many stacks on the floor leaned to the left and to the right. The place smelled like stale, well-worn novels.

  Amanda loved books so much and had a nice collection. If there was ever a fire in her house, she would throw her books out first before she jumped out of the window. Fortunately, her bedroom was on the ground floor.

  Leah browsed in the romance section. Amanda drifted to a vintage section where her eyes lighted upon a copy of Vicky and Alice. Her great aunt Amelia had a series of these delightful books about two Victorian sisters. She would let Amanda read them when she visited. But, she hadn’t seen this one before, Vicky and Alice at the Seashore. Amanda laughed at the picture of the girls in bathing suits that covered most of their bodies.

  The price, written in pencil, was three pounds.

  “I found a book I want to buy. It’s a real gem!”

  Leah wasn’t as excited about it, but smiled politely. She had a fashion magazine in her hand. “I think I’ll get this.”

  They gave their money to a man reading at a desk in the middle of the room. He was as dishevelled as the rest of the store, with unkempt grey hair and round glasses that sat at the end of his nose. A large, snoring tabby cat took over the only part of the desk not piled high with books and papers.

  “Don’t mind Rupert,” said the gentleman. “He just likes to be around books. He’ll do you no harm.”

  “A good purchase,” he said as he rang in the Vicky and Alice book. “These are hard to come by these days.” He almost smiled at Amanda.

  Chapter 3

  The bed and breakfast, a cool old place, looked like the houses described in the Vicky and Alice books.

  “How do I flush the toilet?” asked Amanda.

  “Just pull the chain, silly,” shouted Leah from their bedroom.

  Amanda looked around. The only chain hung from a porcelain box high up on the wall. She gave it a tug. The toilet flushed. ‘Amazing!’ she thought.

  Breakfast came on a huge plate: bacon, sausages, eggs, fried potatoes, mushrooms, fried tomatoes and baked beans. Amanda took a piece of unbuttered toast from a silver rack. She placed a square of butter in the middle and tried to spread it. The butter refused to move over the cold, darkened piece of bread which eventually broke in half. She decided to eat it without butter and dunked it in the soft egg yolk.

  “Where are we going today?”

  “I need to work on the boat,” said Mr. Anderson. “I can drop you off at Osborne House for the morning. Mrs. Anderson thought it would be fun to explore.”

  “Oh, droll. I went there on a school trip once. It was boring.” Leah rolled her eyes.

  “What is it?” asked Amanda.

  “It was the summer vacation house of Queen Victoria and her family. They have some very nice displays there now, and I know you would enjoy it Amanda. You could have tea there and I will pick you up after lunch,” said Mr. Anderson.

  “Well, at least the gardens are nice there. We could take a stroll around and talk, I guess. There isn’t much else to do here anyway.” Leah winked at Amanda.

  Leah’s dad dropped the girls off at the entrance of a large house.

  “How could this be a summer vacation home?” Osborne House looked like a palace to Amanda.

  A large wild boar greeted the girls on one side of the front door and a huge mastiff dog stood on the other side. Luckily, they were made of stone. Once inside, Amanda was amazed at how elegant and magnificent the house appeared. The walls covered in paintings, and the hallways lined with bronze sculptures, made it feel more like a museum than a home.

  “Pretty posh, isn’t it?” said Leah.

  A painting of a family covered one entire wall in what seemed like the dining room. “Is this them? The royal family?” asked Amanda.

  A woman wearing a crown, an elegant gentleman, three pretty little girls in frilly dresses, a young boy in a sailor suit, and a baby made up the painting.

  “Yes, that’s Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and five of their nine children,” replied Leah.

  “Nine children! What a large family. I would love to have all those brothers and sisters.”

  “Not me,” replied Leah. “They’d just be a nuisance.”

  Amanda looked at the names under the painting. The three little girls were called Victoria, Alice and Helena.

  “Let’s check out the nursery, it might be more interesting than this.” Leah started up a set of marble stairs.

  The nursery seemed much cosier than the rest of the house. The furniture, still fancy but in smaller proportions, looked adorable. An old music box with a medieval castle scene, sat on a table. When Amanda turned the handle, the figures began to move. A knight on a horse pranced over the drawbridge, and a princess appeared on a balcony.

  “This is so awesome,” remarked Amanda.

  A dollhouse and a rocking horse stood in another corner beside two cribs and a small bed. A bookshelf lined another wall. Amanda could not resist glancing through the well worn novels. She spotted a row of Vicky and Alice books. ‘I can’t believe it.’ Amanda didn’t know there were so many of them; twenty-two in all. She ran her eyes down the line of books to see which ones she had read. Vicky and Alice at the Seashore was there, but – ‘wait a minute – number 14 is missing.’ A small gap appeared where it should have been.

  Leah looked out the window. “Come and see the garden from here, Amanda. It’s a lovely view. We really should go for a walk in it.”

  Amanda joined her friend and agreed that the children certainly had a great view from their bedroom window. They could even see the sea.

  “Hey, aren’t those the teenagers you know? The ones who said hello to you on the ferry.”

  A girl with a bright pink Mohawk and a boy in an England T-shirt ran in and out of the shrubs and statues as if running away from someone.

  “Yes, that’s them all right, and it looks like she has a book in her hand. How fast can we get to the garden?” Amanda looked around for a door.

  Chapter 4

  “This way.” Leah pointed to a set of back stairs leading to a door. The girls opened the door and found themselves on a balcony overlooking the garden.

  “They’re over there by the fountain.” Amanda started down another set of stairs.

  “Hey – you, stop!” Amanda shouted as she ran past the stone fountain surrounded by red and yellow tulips. The teenagers slipped out of sight behind a hedge. Amanda passed a large, carved, black dog, a row of bird baths and a granite bench. She narrowed her eyes but couldn’t see them anymore. Leah ran up beside her.

  “Wowza, Amanda. You sure were running fast. What is it?”

  “I think they stole a book out of the nursery. A Vicky and Alice book is missing. Where could they have gone?”

  “I told you they were wasters. I can’t see them anywhere.” Leah scanned the grounds.

  “That makes me so angry. Why would anyone want to steal a Vicky and Alice book?” Amanda shook her head.

  Leah put her arm around her friend. “Let’s have a cup of tea. I don’t think there is anything we can do about it.”

  The girls walked through the gardens and back to the terrace teahouse.

  Leah ordered tea for two. The tea came in a large china pot painted with pink roses just like the ones growing in the garden around them. The waitress brought a three tiered, china serving platter filled with mini cakes, scones and dainty sandwiches.

  “Oh dear, I can’t decide what to eat first, it all looks so good.” Amanda soon forgot about the missing book and the teenagers.

  “Have one of these.” Leah took a small scone, split it in two and spread wha
t looked like cream cheese over each side. She placed a spoonful of strawberry jam in the centre. She gave one half to Amanda.

  Amanda took a bite. “OMG! That has to be the best thing I have ever tasted. I like your cream cheese. It’s sweeter than what we have at home.”

  “It’s not cream cheese silly, it’s clotted cream from Devon. You’re right though, it is good.” Leah reached for another scone.

  After the girls had their fill of mini sandwiches, bite-sized cakes and more scones they sat back and viewed the scene.

  “It would have been fun to grow up here, don’t you think,” said Amanda as she admired the carved birds sitting on the stone wall surrounding the terrace.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think it would have been boring,” replied Leah. “There are no shops or cinemas or anything around here.”

  “Should we tell anyone what we saw?” asked Amanda.

  Leah sighed, “I don’t think we should get involved. If those kids stole the book, they will get caught soon enough. Dad should be waiting at the front any minute now. Have you seen enough?”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” There had to be something more to the missing novel but Amanda had no idea what.

  Later that evening, back in Cowes, Mr. Anderson needed to go to the boat supply store again.

  “Let’s go back to the bookstore,” suggested Amanda.

  “Sure, I guess there’s nothing else to do.” Leah led the way.

  The bell tinkled as they opened the door. Rupert, still sleeping on the desk in the middle of the room, as if he had never left, lifted his head to look at them with one eye. The elderly gentleman came out from a back room, arms loaded with books. He looked as if he would topple over with the weight of them.

  “Here, let me help you.” Amanda rushed over to take some books from him. “Where would you like these?” She looked around for an empty space.

  “Just put them on the floor over there.” He pointed with his chin.

  “Thank you, luv. Can I help you find something?” the man asked as he put the rest of the books down on the floor in front of the desk.