Read Online Clementine Rose and the Surprise Visitor 1 by Jacqueline Harvey - Free Book Online

breath she had been holding. ‘I thought you were a ghost, Aunt Violet!’
    Sophie scrambled out from under the desk. ‘What’s that?’ she asked, pointing at Aunt Violet’s hand.
    Jules was awake now too. He wriggled out of his tent to join the girls. The children had Violet surrounded.
    ‘Go back to sleep,’ she ordered. ‘You’re all dreaming. I am a ghost. You are asleep and I was never here. Now give me that.’ She reached out and tried to snatch the photograph that had whirred out of the old camera.
    ‘What’s going on in here?’ Lady Clarissa flicked on the library lights. ‘Aunt Violet! What on earth?’
    Digby Pertwhistle hadn’t been able to sleep either and was on his way to the kitchen to make a cup of cocoa when he heard the kerfuffle.
    ‘Is that you, Violet?’ he asked, squinting at the old woman in her nightgown.
    Violet tried to hide whatever it was she was holding behind her back.
    But Clementine handed her mother the picture that was coming to life in front of them.
    ‘Is that . . .’ Clarissa hesitated, peering at the image. ‘Is that the Appleby tiara?’ She handed the photograph to Digby Pertwhistle.
    ‘Oh, my dear, I think it is. That tiara and the matching necklace and earrings have been missing for years. Your mother always thought the set had been stolen. You know it’s worth a fortune.’
    ‘Is that the tiara Granny’s wearing in the portrait?’ Clementine asked her mother. ‘The one with all the sparkles?’ She turned to her great-aunt. ‘This morning when you were coming out of my room, Aunt Violet, I saw something twinkly in your hand and then you put it in your pocket. What was that?’
    ‘It was none of your business,’ the old woman replied.
    ‘Aunt Violet, please don’t speak to Clementine like that. What else did you find?’
    ‘Mummy’s earrings,’ Violet said, pouting.
    ‘We’ll deal with those later. May I have the tiara, please?’ Clarissa asked.
    ‘No! It’s mine!’ the woman snapped.
    Digby frowned at her and shook his head softly. ‘I think you’ll find it belongs to Clarissa.’
    ‘Everything belongs to Clarissa,’ Violet yelled. ‘The house, the furniture, the china. But this is mine. And so are the earrings and the necklace. I found them when I was little and I hid them in different places in the house. I forgot about them until I was packing up the flat and found an old photograph of Mother wearing them. I couldn’t think where the tiara was and then yesterday when I saw that the cabinet was gone, I remembered. You’re not having it. I, I, I need it.’ Violet’s lip trembled and it looked as if she was going to cry.
    ‘Aunt Violet, why don’t you give it to me and I’ll put it somewhere safe and we can talk about it in the morning,’ Clarissa said soothingly.
    ‘No!’ The woman shuddered. ‘You don’t know what it’s like. I haven’t got any money left. None at all.’ Violet began to wail. ‘I don’t even have anywhere to live!’
    ‘I know,’ Clarissa said, as she and Digby exchanged glances.
    ‘It’s all right, Aunt Violet,’ said Clementine. ‘We don’t have any money either. And we have plenty of space. You could stay here with us if you like. But you can’t have my bedroom,’ she added. ‘Grandpa said so. And you should try to be a bit kinder, like Mummy said you used to be.’
    Violet was cornered. She jammed the tiara on top of Clementine’s head and stomped past Clarissa.
    ‘But I’m keeping the earrings, and the necklace too if I can remember where it is,’ she said as she turned and stared at the group. Then she fled upstairs to her room.
    ‘Why is Aunt Violet so mad?’ Clementine asked her mother.
    ‘I think she’s embarrassed,’ said Clarissa thoughtfully. ‘She’s been very sneaky.’
    Clementine lifted the tiara from her head and stared at the sparkling jewels. ‘It’s lovely, Mummy.’
    ‘Yes it is, Clemmie,’ her mother replied. ‘And I’m going to put it away in a very safe