Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box 6 (5 page)

There were at least as many people in the village that afternoon as there had been the night before. But this time they weren't wearing dressing-gowns.

Father Bob was standing at the church gate welcoming everyone. Lady Clarissa introduced the Hobbses and then the group followed some of the other village residents inside. Mr and Mrs Mogg were sitting down the front and Joshua Tribble and his parents and older brother were on the other side of the church.

After a moment, Father Bob bustled down the aisle. ‘Good afternoon, everyone,' he said. ‘Thank you all for coming at such short notice. I've spoken to Commander Sprout of the Highton Mill fire brigade. Today the brigade conducted a thorough investigation and it seems that the fire was indeed caused by faulty electrical wiring.'

Margaret Mogg gasped.

‘Please don't worry yourself, Margaret. It had nothing to do with you turning off the lights. The brigade believe the fire started long after that.'

A murmur went around the church. The villagers were glad to hear there had been no foul play involved and Mrs Mogg was relieved to know that she hadn't caused the fire.

‘Now, as you've all seen, there's not much left of the old hall and what remains will have to be demolished. I'd like to thank you all for your support last night and I'd particularly like to thank Digby Pertwhistle and Clementine Appleby, who first noticed the fire.'

Uncle Digby was sitting beside Clemmie and gave her a nudge and a wink. Clementine's face felt as if it were burning a little bit.

Father Bob beamed at her and then looked around the church hall. ‘Before I get to the most pressing business of the day, I would like to welcome our newest residents, Mr and Mrs Hobbs and their three children, to the village. We're always pleased to have new folk in town and I hope that you'll enjoy living here.'

Basil and Ana smiled. Clementine noticed some of the villagers craning their necks to take a look.

‘Thank you, Father Bob,' Basil said. ‘I'm sure that we are going to love Penberthy Floss.'

Father Bob nodded at him. ‘Now, we need to work out how we are going to rebuild the hall. It seems that the insurance won't cover the full cost. Unless there is a builder willing to work for sandwiches and cake among you, I think we're going to have to put our thinking caps on and come up with some fundraising ideas.'

People began chatting at once.

‘We could have a pet day,' Clementine called out. ‘We had one at school to raise money for Queen Georgiana's Animals.'

Father Bob smiled at the child. ‘Very good, Clementine. That's not a bad idea at all.'

‘What about a fair?' said Mrs Mogg.

‘Yes, we could have a fair but it might take a little while to organise,' Father Bob replied. ‘Is there something we could do quickly?'

Basil leaned over and whispered in Lady Clarissa's ear. She turned to him and smiled. ‘That's a great idea, Basil. If you think people would come?'

‘Absolutely,' he said.

‘What about we open Penberthy House and the garden and charge visitors a fee for a guided tour?' Lady Clarissa said.

There was a murmur of approval around the room. Aunt Violet glared at Lady Clarissa.

Mrs Tribble raised her hand.

‘Yes?' Father Bob looked at the woman. He hoped her suggestion was sensible, given that
she looked as if she might cry if it wasn't well received.

‘What about a jumble sale on the lawn at Penberthy House at the same time?' she said.

‘Oh, godfathers no,' Aunt Violet moaned. ‘I don't think we want a whole lot of other people's junk masking the beauty of our home.'

Mrs Tribble's lip began to tremble.

‘I don't know, Miss Appleby. I think that's rather a good idea. Surely we all have some bits and pieces at home that we'd like to clear out,' said Father Bob. He gave Mrs Tribble a wink.

‘You're not getting rid of my toys,' Joshua whined. His father glared at him.

‘What if we have a cake stall at the same time?' Mrs Mogg suggested. ‘I'm sure Pierre Rousseau would be willing to lend a hand.'

‘It could be like a mini fete,' Clyde Mogg said. ‘Instead of a pet show, Clementine, perhaps people might pay to have their picture taken with your Lavender?'

Clementine's eyes lit up.

‘We should take a vote,' said Father Bob.

Heads nodded all over the church.

‘Who would like to support a fete hosted in the grounds of Penberthy House?'

Hands shot into the air.

Father Bob glanced around and noticed only one person without a raised hand – both of hers were firmly clasped in her lap.

‘Miss Appleby, do you have a better idea?' the man asked.

Ana Hobbs turned to Lady Clarissa and whispered loudly, ‘What wonderful community spirit. I'm so glad we moved here.'

Aunt Violet heard her and gulped.

‘Well, Miss Appleby, is there something else you think we should do instead?' Father Bob asked.

Aunt Violet's hand crept upwards and she gave an ever-so-slight shake of her head.

‘Splendid,' the man said. ‘It's unanimous. Now, shall we set a date?'

It was quickly decided to hold the fete the weekend after next. Mrs Mogg was put in charge of the cake stall. Mrs Tribble would coordinate the jumble sale as long as donations could be taken straight to Penberthy House. Uncle Digby agreed to help her. They could store items in the old garden shed. Basil said that he'd be happy to contact the local newspapers.

Clementine was very excited about setting up a photo booth with Lavender. Araminta and the twins offered to help. Ana offered to paint signs and put them up around the village and some of the surrounding villages too.

‘What about you, Aunt Violet?' Clementine turned and looked at her great-aunt. ‘What are you going to do to help?'

The old woman thought for a moment. ‘Supervise.'

‘Aunt Violet, why don't you coordinate the tours of the house?' Lady Clarissa asked. ‘You know the place better than anyone.'

Aunt Violet straightened her back. ‘Yes, I suppose that's true. And then I could make sure that people don't go anywhere we don't want them.'

Lady Clarissa looked at Clementine and gave a sly smile. ‘Of course,' she said.

The villagers spilled out of the church into the sunshine. Clementine, Araminta and the twins took Lavender for a walk around the garden while the adults chatted.

‘I'm so excited about the fete,' Araminta said. ‘But I don't think we've got anything much for the jumble sale.'

Clementine's face lit up. ‘We have heaps,' she said. ‘In the attic.'

‘Of course,' Tilda said. ‘There's loads of stuff up there.'

‘Me and Tilda can help you sort it out,' Teddy said.

‘I can too,' Araminta added. She didn't want the little kids to think she was a complete scaredy-cat.

‘Can you hold Lavender for a minute?' Clementine passed the little pig's lead to Tilda and ran over to where her mother, Uncle Digby and Mrs Mogg were busy discussing the best position for the cake stall.

‘Mummy,' Clementine called, interrupting the threesome.

‘Clementine,' her mother looked at her with a frown. ‘What do you need to remember?'

Clementine bit her lip. ‘Excuse me, Mummy.'

‘That's better,' said Lady Clarissa.

‘Mummy, can we have a clear-out for the jumble sale?' Clementine was bouncing about with excitement.

‘Yes, of course. Do you have some toys you'd like to donate?'

Clementine thought for a moment. ‘Maybe. But I meant in the attic.'

Lady Clarissa nodded. ‘That's a wonderful idea, Clementine. I can't believe I didn't think of it.'

‘We can finally get rid of some junk,' Uncle Digby chimed in. ‘And then we'll have room to take some more junk up there.'

Clementine giggled. ‘Can Mintie and the twins help me? We can sort it all out.'

‘If it's all right with Basil and Ana, yes, absolutely. But there's a lot,' Clarissa said. ‘It might take a while.'

‘And not all of it's worthless, my dear,' said Uncle Digby. ‘I think you'll find some treasures.'

Clarissa nodded. ‘I could send the really valuable things off to auction and we can add that money to the fund for the hall too.'

Aunt Violet approached the group at that moment. ‘What auction?' she asked.

Clarissa explained.

‘And what exactly are you planning to do with the money?' Aunt Violet asked.

‘Mummy said that we can donate it for the hall,' Clementine said.

‘I don't think so,' Aunt Violet protested. ‘You should be using it to fix that wretched bathroom I have to share.'

‘We'll see about that,' Clarissa said firmly. She turned to her daughter. ‘Clemmie, would you rather have a new bath or ballet lessons?'

Clementine's eyes lit up. ‘That's easy, Mummy. I want to do ballet. In a red tutu.'

‘Of course
you'd
want that,' Aunt Violet said with a sneer. ‘I'd much rather have a bath without scratching my bottom.'

Digby Pertwhistle and Mrs Mogg smiled at one another.

‘What are you smiling about, Pertwhistle? Your bath is fine. And you don't have to share it either,' Aunt Violet grumbled.

‘Thank goodness for that, Miss Appleby. I can't imagine sharing a bath with you,' said Uncle Digby. He winked at Mrs Mogg.

‘Digby Pertwhistle, you cheeky thing,' Mrs Mogg laughed. ‘Oh well, I'd best get over to the shop.'

‘Bye, Mrs Mogg,' Clementine called.

‘Bye bye, dear,' said the old woman, waving.

Lady Clarissa looked at her watch. ‘It's time for us to get home too. We've got guests arriving in an hour. Clementine, we won't be able to start any sorting until Sunday afternoon, when the weekend rush is over.'

‘Heavens, I'd almost forgotten,' Uncle Digby said. ‘But I think the house is in order.' He frowned at Clementine, raising his eyebrows. She had a habit of leaving things in the most inopportune places.

‘It's okay, Uncle Digby. We played in my bedroom and the attic. I promise there are no surprises anywhere.'

Digby grinned at her.

Basil and Ana had met just about everyone in the village by now. Basil wandered over and Ana rounded up the children, who joined the group.

Tilda still had hold of Lavender's lead. The little pig was nibbling on a violet in the garden bed by the path.

‘Mummy said that we can clear out some
of the things in the attic for the jumble sale,' Clementine informed her friends. ‘Can you come on Sunday?'

The Hobbs children excitedly explained the plan to their parents, who thought it was a great idea. But they wouldn't be able to help until early the next week. They were off on Sunday for a couple of days in the city to celebrate their grandmother's birthday.

‘When we finish unpacking, Basil can bring up some moving boxes. We've certainly got enough of them,' Ana offered.

‘That would be wonderful,' said Lady Clarissa.

‘I'll get a start on the signs tomorrow. The children can help me and perhaps Clementine would like to come down for the morning?' Ana said.

‘Yes, please,' Clementine said.

The children skipped along in front of their parents, buzzing about the fete.