Read Online The Curse of Deadman's Forest by Victoria Laurie - Free Book Online
Authors: Victoria Laurie
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torch blinked noticeably.
“Let’s not wait to find out, Ian. My torch is nearly out.”
Ian backed away from the ladder and motioned for Theo to go first. “After you,” he said politely.
Theo eyed him in alarm. “I’ll go last,” she said, and even in the dim light, Ian thought he could see her blushing. He then realized that poor Theo was wearing a skirt, and that she might be worried about maintaining a sense of modesty.
“Of course,” he said quickly, hoping no one else noticed. “Carl, Jaaved, why don’t you two go and see if you can get that trapdoor open? Theo and I will be up in a bit.”
“All right, then,” Carl said agreeably, handing Ian the small torch, which Ian shined up the ladder so that they could see where they were going, and before long the two boys were at the top, shoving on the trapdoor. “We’ve done it!” Carl called when they’d pushed their way through.
Ian looked at Theo and smiled in reassurance. “I’ll go up slowly. If you think you might slip, grab hold of my trousers, all right?”
Theo nodded and they went up the ladder together. Soon enough they too were through the door and had climbed into a small wooden shack filled with all sorts of gardening tools. “Where are we?” Theo wondered.
Carl grinned knowingly. “We’ve come up in the gardener’s shack at the edge of the earl’s hedge maze. Jaaved’s already had a look around.” Carl motioned over his shoulder at Jaaved, who was nodding enthusiastically.
“It’s true,” the young Moroccan said. “We’re within Castle Dover’s walls, right next to the maze.”
Ian was surprised they’d found their way underground to the earl’s backyard. “I never would have imagined we’d end up all the way over here.” The earl’s castle was a full kilometer away from the keep.
Theo distracted him from puzzling out the route when she tugged on his sleeve and said, “We should get back to the keep.”
Immediately, she had his full attention, especially in light of what had happened to them that afternoon. “What is it? Is it another cyclone? Can you sense it this time?”
Theo smiled at him, as if she was amused by his alarm.“No, it’s nothing like that. But I do believe it’s nearly time for tea, and if we’re not back home by four o’clock, the headmistresses will be worried.”
“Oh,” he said, relieved. “All right, let’s hurry, then, but remember, this tunnel and where it leads shall remain our little secret.” Carl, Jaaved, and Theo all nodded and Ian led the way out of the shack and back toward the keep, using a shortcut through the garden gate that he knew well.
When Ian and the others finally walked up Delphi Keep’s long drive a bit later, they saw a large group of children; both headmistresses; Landis, the groundskeeper; and several other men, including their two schoolmasters, on the steps of the keep. To Ian’s surprise everyone appeared terribly upset. Madam Dimbleby, in fact, looked just short of hysterical. “Oh, my children!” they heard her wail. “They’re lost! Lost forever!”
Ian, Carl, Theo, and Jaaved all stopped in their tracks to look at each other in alarm before dashing toward the group. “Perhaps they found shelter in time, Maggie,” Ian heard Madam Scargill say as she patted her cousin on the back.
But Madam Dimbleby was inconsolable. “Gone!” she wailed.
“Gone!”
Carl was the first of them to reach the large crowd, and Ian overheard him asking a girl named Angela, “Who’s gone?”
“Ach!” Angela screamed when she noticed Carl next to her. This was quickly followed by a gasp from the collection of children and adults as everyone turned with large eyes to stare at the foursome who’d just arrived within their midst.
“They’re
alive!”
someone shouted, and then everyone began talking at once.
Ian was immediately pulled into Madam Dimbleby’s tight embrace, and she sniffled into his hair.
“Where have you been?”
she demanded.
But
“Let’s not wait to find out, Ian. My torch is nearly out.”
Ian backed away from the ladder and motioned for Theo to go first. “After you,” he said politely.
Theo eyed him in alarm. “I’ll go last,” she said, and even in the dim light, Ian thought he could see her blushing. He then realized that poor Theo was wearing a skirt, and that she might be worried about maintaining a sense of modesty.
“Of course,” he said quickly, hoping no one else noticed. “Carl, Jaaved, why don’t you two go and see if you can get that trapdoor open? Theo and I will be up in a bit.”
“All right, then,” Carl said agreeably, handing Ian the small torch, which Ian shined up the ladder so that they could see where they were going, and before long the two boys were at the top, shoving on the trapdoor. “We’ve done it!” Carl called when they’d pushed their way through.
Ian looked at Theo and smiled in reassurance. “I’ll go up slowly. If you think you might slip, grab hold of my trousers, all right?”
Theo nodded and they went up the ladder together. Soon enough they too were through the door and had climbed into a small wooden shack filled with all sorts of gardening tools. “Where are we?” Theo wondered.
Carl grinned knowingly. “We’ve come up in the gardener’s shack at the edge of the earl’s hedge maze. Jaaved’s already had a look around.” Carl motioned over his shoulder at Jaaved, who was nodding enthusiastically.
“It’s true,” the young Moroccan said. “We’re within Castle Dover’s walls, right next to the maze.”
Ian was surprised they’d found their way underground to the earl’s backyard. “I never would have imagined we’d end up all the way over here.” The earl’s castle was a full kilometer away from the keep.
Theo distracted him from puzzling out the route when she tugged on his sleeve and said, “We should get back to the keep.”
Immediately, she had his full attention, especially in light of what had happened to them that afternoon. “What is it? Is it another cyclone? Can you sense it this time?”
Theo smiled at him, as if she was amused by his alarm.“No, it’s nothing like that. But I do believe it’s nearly time for tea, and if we’re not back home by four o’clock, the headmistresses will be worried.”
“Oh,” he said, relieved. “All right, let’s hurry, then, but remember, this tunnel and where it leads shall remain our little secret.” Carl, Jaaved, and Theo all nodded and Ian led the way out of the shack and back toward the keep, using a shortcut through the garden gate that he knew well.
When Ian and the others finally walked up Delphi Keep’s long drive a bit later, they saw a large group of children; both headmistresses; Landis, the groundskeeper; and several other men, including their two schoolmasters, on the steps of the keep. To Ian’s surprise everyone appeared terribly upset. Madam Dimbleby, in fact, looked just short of hysterical. “Oh, my children!” they heard her wail. “They’re lost! Lost forever!”
Ian, Carl, Theo, and Jaaved all stopped in their tracks to look at each other in alarm before dashing toward the group. “Perhaps they found shelter in time, Maggie,” Ian heard Madam Scargill say as she patted her cousin on the back.
But Madam Dimbleby was inconsolable. “Gone!” she wailed.
“Gone!”
Carl was the first of them to reach the large crowd, and Ian overheard him asking a girl named Angela, “Who’s gone?”
“Ach!” Angela screamed when she noticed Carl next to her. This was quickly followed by a gasp from the collection of children and adults as everyone turned with large eyes to stare at the foursome who’d just arrived within their midst.
“They’re
alive!”
someone shouted, and then everyone began talking at once.
Ian was immediately pulled into Madam Dimbleby’s tight embrace, and she sniffled into his hair.
“Where have you been?”
she demanded.
But
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