Read Online Cherringham--The Secret of Combe Castle by Neil Richards - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Neil Richards
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of financial problems, not to mention a strain of dimness in the family lineage.
A punitive demand for back taxes.
A law suit by the contractor responsible for renovations to the actual castle went unpaid, with Bentley claiming that the ‘work wasn’t up to proper standards.’
While the contractor, one Joseph Gammon, said that FitzHenry had simply refused to pay … ‘because the scoundrel can’t pay!’
Sarah sat back.
The money vanished … or was lost, as Oswald said?
This wasn’t just a downturn. It was a dramatic reversal of fortune. One day Combe Castle seemed to be a well-kept, well-funded estate. The next, it had to scramble to cover everyday bills.
Soon, it would be turned into a tourist attraction, a further sign of its rapid decline.
And here was the thing …
So clear …
There had been money, all those doubloons fuelling an extravagant, wealthy life style …
Then, overnight, seemingly all gone.
It seemed impossible.
What had happened to it? The doubloons, a treasure that should have kept the estate going for centuries … vanishing at a stroke, with the death of Basil FitzHenry?
*
Sarah made herself a cup of tea then returned to her desk. She didn’t want to hack into Cauldwells while Grace was still around.
But where to look now?
She scrolled through a quick search of the current local newspaper database, looking for anything to do with the castle.
But aside from a few meagre articles about ‘stunning new exhibitions’ being revealed over the last few years, there was nothing.
And then …
An article and a picture from just a few months ago that made Sarah stop in her tracks.
The picture showed an angry Oswald in front of Combe Castle, raising a fist at the camera. And the article explained why …
Oswald had been taken to court and fined for excavating an area next to the house with a mechanical digger.
He’d claimed he was just ‘following my passion for history and specifically the royal connections of my noble family.’
But the judge had called it ‘an ill-judged and amateurish attempt at treasure hunting, which risked damaging the fabric of one of England’s most fascinating — and protected — Norman ruins.’
Treasure hunting …
Sarah sat back from the screen. Those two words — ‘treasure hunting’ — were not ones you’d want to have linked to your home in a newspaper article.
Oswald’s explanation to the court was a joke. He’d clearly been trying to find the doubloons, and given the continued financial mess he was in, he’d obviously failed.
But who knew what hornets’ nest he’d dug up in the process?
Sarah knew of quite a few locals who would see a report like that as a challenge.
Treasure? Spanish doubloons? Bring it on!
And what if the story had spread wider than Cherringham? There were plenty of people out there who would follow up a treasure story and stop at nothing to get access to the house to search for themselves …
Sarah quickly searched some of the national papers.
And yes, just as she’d thought — one or two had picked up on the court case, running their own jokey features about the ‘wacko aristos’ and their ‘pirate gold’ …
That would make sense of the notes, the threats.
And then another thought occurred to Sarah:
What if the treasure’s really there? And someone else knows?
That would be a powerful motivation for causing upset at the castle, for trying to drive the FitzHenrys from their home.
Sarah needed to find out more, so she leaned back and turned to Grace.
“If you’re done with the poster, Grace, why don’t you call it a day? It’s nearly five anyway.”
“You sure?”
“Go on, it’ll be busy enough in the New Year, might as well take advantage of the quiet.”
“Brill!”
She watched Grace turn her computer off and put on her coat.
“Don’t work too late yourself though, will you?”
“Just tidying stuff up, won’t be long,” said Sarah.
“Byee!”
*
She waited until Grace
A punitive demand for back taxes.
A law suit by the contractor responsible for renovations to the actual castle went unpaid, with Bentley claiming that the ‘work wasn’t up to proper standards.’
While the contractor, one Joseph Gammon, said that FitzHenry had simply refused to pay … ‘because the scoundrel can’t pay!’
Sarah sat back.
The money vanished … or was lost, as Oswald said?
This wasn’t just a downturn. It was a dramatic reversal of fortune. One day Combe Castle seemed to be a well-kept, well-funded estate. The next, it had to scramble to cover everyday bills.
Soon, it would be turned into a tourist attraction, a further sign of its rapid decline.
And here was the thing …
So clear …
There had been money, all those doubloons fuelling an extravagant, wealthy life style …
Then, overnight, seemingly all gone.
It seemed impossible.
What had happened to it? The doubloons, a treasure that should have kept the estate going for centuries … vanishing at a stroke, with the death of Basil FitzHenry?
*
Sarah made herself a cup of tea then returned to her desk. She didn’t want to hack into Cauldwells while Grace was still around.
But where to look now?
She scrolled through a quick search of the current local newspaper database, looking for anything to do with the castle.
But aside from a few meagre articles about ‘stunning new exhibitions’ being revealed over the last few years, there was nothing.
And then …
An article and a picture from just a few months ago that made Sarah stop in her tracks.
The picture showed an angry Oswald in front of Combe Castle, raising a fist at the camera. And the article explained why …
Oswald had been taken to court and fined for excavating an area next to the house with a mechanical digger.
He’d claimed he was just ‘following my passion for history and specifically the royal connections of my noble family.’
But the judge had called it ‘an ill-judged and amateurish attempt at treasure hunting, which risked damaging the fabric of one of England’s most fascinating — and protected — Norman ruins.’
Treasure hunting …
Sarah sat back from the screen. Those two words — ‘treasure hunting’ — were not ones you’d want to have linked to your home in a newspaper article.
Oswald’s explanation to the court was a joke. He’d clearly been trying to find the doubloons, and given the continued financial mess he was in, he’d obviously failed.
But who knew what hornets’ nest he’d dug up in the process?
Sarah knew of quite a few locals who would see a report like that as a challenge.
Treasure? Spanish doubloons? Bring it on!
And what if the story had spread wider than Cherringham? There were plenty of people out there who would follow up a treasure story and stop at nothing to get access to the house to search for themselves …
Sarah quickly searched some of the national papers.
And yes, just as she’d thought — one or two had picked up on the court case, running their own jokey features about the ‘wacko aristos’ and their ‘pirate gold’ …
That would make sense of the notes, the threats.
And then another thought occurred to Sarah:
What if the treasure’s really there? And someone else knows?
That would be a powerful motivation for causing upset at the castle, for trying to drive the FitzHenrys from their home.
Sarah needed to find out more, so she leaned back and turned to Grace.
“If you’re done with the poster, Grace, why don’t you call it a day? It’s nearly five anyway.”
“You sure?”
“Go on, it’ll be busy enough in the New Year, might as well take advantage of the quiet.”
“Brill!”
She watched Grace turn her computer off and put on her coat.
“Don’t work too late yourself though, will you?”
“Just tidying stuff up, won’t be long,” said Sarah.
“Byee!”
*
She waited until Grace
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