Read Online Fairytale Beginnings by Holly Martin - Free Book Online Page B

away from her. This was bad, very bad.
    She walked towards the bookshelf.
    He watched her approach the threshold of the new secret room, take a deep breath and step inside into the darkness. He loved her brave, gutsy attitude. He followed her inside and walked straight into her bum as she was bent over, touching the floor. She nearly toppled onto her face, but he grabbed her by the hips to steady her.
    Milly burst out laughing.
    ‘So you decided to throw professionalism to the wind.’
    He frowned with confusion and suddenly realised how inappropriate their current position was. He quickly released her and stepped back.
    ‘There’s something buried here, in the cracks between these two stones,’ Milly said, as if he hadn’t just inadvertently tried to take her from behind.
    He crouched down by her side to see and sure enough, something gold glinted from the cracks. He grabbed his pen knife which he habitually carried around with him and scraped away the soil from the sides.
    ‘It’s a coin,’ Milly said, excitedly, shuffling closer so their knees were touching.
    A few chunks of moss and dirt came away from the crack and the gold coin came with them. He picked it up and wiped it on his jeans, then peered at it. It was about the size of a ten pence piece, but thicker, with some unusual markings on it.
    ‘It’s probably a prop, same as the skeleton,’ Cameron said, passing it to Milly. ‘Finders Keepers.’
    But Milly shook her head and passed it back to him, which surprised him. ‘It’s yours. It might be worth something.’
    ‘I doubt it.’
    ‘It could help to pay for some repairs, and you never know, it might be part of a hidden haul of treasure.’
    He laughed and stood up, pushing the coin into his pocket.
    ‘There is supposed to be some lost family treasure somewhere.’ He spotted the wooden door at the back of the room and walked over to it.
    Milly followed him, examining the handle. ‘Really?’
    ‘So say the legends, but there’s also supposed to be a sea monster that frequents these parts called the Oogie that takes away and eats any unwanted guests. So if that’s the kind of truth the locals believe in, I hardly hold any faith in the legend of the Heartstone treasure.’
    Milly turned the handle but the door didn’t give. ‘Are they a bit odd? The villagers? I’ve only met one of them, but …’
    ‘You don’t have to be polite, they’re all weird. Every time I go into the village, they all chant “Oogie” at me, as if they are summoning the monster to come and take me away. They literally stand outside their houses and chant “Oogie”, over and over again.’
    ‘And they’ve told you about the legend of the Heartstone Treasure?’
    ‘Those that speak to me have.’
    ‘What’s the legend?’
    ‘The Heartstones have always been filthy rich, but my mad uncle Boris seems to have been richer than most. He was the one that added all the turrets and flags. Well, it was said that he loved precious jewels. All of the remaining fortune not spent on silly turrets, was spent on big diamonds, rubies and sapphires. He had a chest filled with them that he used to get out at parties and dances so everyone could admire his wealth.’
    ‘Nice.’
    ‘Arrogant. Anyway he became obsessed with this chest, he’d carry it around everywhere with him, absolutely paranoid that someone would steal it from him. He was always hiding it in places and then changing his mind and hiding it somewhere else. Legend says that he loaded it into a boat one day, set sail from the cove below the castle and was never seen again.’
    ‘Interesting.’ Milly pulled the handle out and gave it a wiggle but still the door stayed resolute.
    ‘A load of bollocks, more like. The only evidence I can find that this chest ever existed is a portrait of mad old Boris in the pub with the chest of jewels by his side. It would not surprise me if Boris had the artist add the chest in whilst painting to make him look wealthier than he