Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box 6 (7 page)

Clementine and her friends played hide-and-seek, followed by chasings, stuck in the mud and a rowdy game of soccer. Teddy and Tilda said that they were eager to join Clementine's Saturday team if there was room for a couple more players. Clementine thought that was a great idea.

Lady Clarissa had rescued Pharaoh from the startled guests and quickly located Lavender. The pair were sent outside with the children. Lavender couldn't decide which side she was
on, chasing the ball in both directions. Pharaoh wasn't remotely interested. He jumped up on one of the outdoor chairs and promptly fell asleep.

Uncle Digby made the children some sandwiches and they ate lunch outside. Ana arrived sooon afterwards.

She walked onto the back steps with Lady Clarissa. ‘Hello everyone, how's the attic sorting?'

‘We got six boxes done, but then Mintie got scared,' Teddy said.

Araminta glared at her brother. ‘It wasn't just me. You and Tilda ran away too.'

‘I hope you've been helpful,' Ana said. ‘Anyway, I'm sorry, kids, but we have to get going. I almost forgot that you're all having haircuts this afternoon in Highton Mill.'

Clementine and her mother watched and waved as the Hobbses' car drove out the driveway.

‘Now, why don't you and I do some more sorting,' Lady Clarissa suggested. ‘Uncle Digby
said he has a bit of time now too. The guests have gone for a long drive and won't be back until dinnertime.'

‘Okay, Mummy,' Clementine said, and the two walked upstairs. She wasn't scared about being up there with her mother and Uncle Digby.

Digby Pertwhistle had already pulled out an interesting array of lamps, ornaments and statues. He was waiting for Clarissa to help move some of the larger pieces.

‘Goodness, what have you found, Uncle Digby?' Clarissa asked as she surveyed the items.

‘Oh, this and that. But there's lots more.'

‘What do you want me to do, Mummy?' Clementine asked.

‘Hmm, why don't you see what's in the dresser in the back corner.'

Clementine scurried off, saying hello to Theodore on her way. She opened the dresser drawers and found a whole set of knives and forks and spoons. Clementine dumped them
into a box that one of the twins had moved to the far end of the attic.

She opened the dresser doors and found three different-sized wooden boxes.

‘Mummy, what are these?' she called.

Lady Clarissa made her way over.

‘Oh, they're music boxes. The smallest one was mine when I was little. I kept all my precious things inside. I'd forgotten about it. I don't know where the others came from.'

Lady Clarissa pulled out the box that belonged to her. She opened the lid and a beautiful ballerina sprang up on a platform.

Clementine gasped. ‘Does she dance?'

Her mother turned the box around and found a little winder. She gave it a crank and put the box on the dresser. Music began to play and the tiny dancer started to twirl.

‘Mummy, she's lovely,' Clementine said. ‘Can I keep her?'

Lady Clarissa nodded. She reached in and pulled out a slightly larger box. This time when
she lifted the lid, the ballerina was broken and the lining torn.

‘I think this one can go out,' she said, and placed it in the box with the cutlery.

The last box was almost twice the size of the others. Inside, the ballerina was tatty and no longer twirled. Clarissa was about to put it in with the goods for the fete when the telephone rang.

‘I'll get it, Clarissa,' Digby called from the other end of the room.

‘No, don't you run. I'll go.' Clarissa put the music box on the floor and dashed as quickly as she could to the telephone in the hall on the third floor. She didn't like the old man rushing. A health scare earlier in the year had landed him in hospital and given them all a nasty fright.

Clementine stared at her twirling ballerina. When the music stopped she wound the spring again and again, listening to the same tune chiming over and over.

Her mother returned and began to help Uncle Digby move several side tables.

‘Clemmie, why don't you take that and show Aunt Violet,' she suggested.

‘Okay, Mummy.'

Uncle Digby grinned. ‘Thank you, Clarissa,' he whispered. ‘I don't think I want to hear that tune ever again.'

Clementine didn't see the little creature crawl its way into the largest box, which her mother had left sitting open on the floor. And over the din of the chimes, she didn't hear the scraping noise that had startled her earlier. Clementine picked up her new treasure and spun around, almost tripping over the box on the floor. She kicked the lid with her foot and it snapped shut.

Clementine put her precious music box on the dresser and picked up the other one from the floor. ‘You're supposed to be in there.' She deposited it into the cardboard box for the fete.

‘See you later,' she said to her mother and Uncle Digby as she sped downstairs to find Aunt Violet.

‘You know your aunt won't thank you for sending Clementine in her direction,' Uncle Digby smiled.

Lady Clarissa grinned. ‘No, I'm sure to hear about it later, although I think we might have sent Clemmie on a wild goose chase. I've just remembered that Aunt Violet's gone to visit Mrs Bottomley. Let's just get this done and we can go and have a cup of tea.'

Clementine woke up just as the clock in the hall struck seven. She rushed to the window. The afternoon before, some men had put up a stripy blue marquee on the front lawn for Mrs Mogg's cafe. In the dim morning light, Clementine could see Father Bob and Mr Mogg moving trestle tables with Mrs Tribble directing them.

Clementine ran to the wardrobe and pulled out her favourite red dress and matching shoes. She quickly got dressed and brushed
her hair, pinning it back with a red bow.

Lavender was making snuffly grunts in her basket at the end of the bed. Clementine decided to let the little pig sleep. She needed her to look her best for the photographs.

Clementine, Araminta and the twins had spent the previous afternoon finding the perfect backdrop for Lavender's photo booth. They had tossed up between the rose garden out the front and the fountain around the back of the house. It was Lady Clarissa who decided that it would be better for business if they stayed close to the stalls in the front garden. Basil was going to be the photographer for the day.

Clementine was worried about her new friends. A few days before, Flash had gone missing from the Hobbses' house and, although the children had searched high and low, there was no sign of him. Clementine remembered how worried she'd been when Lavender had escaped at the seaside. Tilda was especially upset.

‘I'll come back and get you ready after breakfast,' Clementine whispered to Lavender, and then raced into the hallway.

Aunt Violet was walking towards her, carrying a thick plait of red rope and a box of pins.

‘You look nice, Aunt Violet.' Clementine admired the woman's smart navy pants-suit and spotty silk blouse. ‘What are you doing?'

‘I'm roping off all the areas of the house where we don't want people to go.'

Clementine looked down the hallway. The rope was across the top of the main stairs. She took a few steps further and noticed that there was another rope blocking off the floor below. She wondered if the people were going to get any further than the front hall.

‘Now run along, Clementine, and don't touch any of my ropes,' Aunt Violet directed.

The kitchen was buzzing. People were coming in and out of the back door, bringing all sorts of delicious treats, and Mrs Tribble was now directing her husband and Mr Mogg
as they moved the last of the boxes from the Penberthy House attic.

Mrs Mogg turned from where she was arranging chocolate brownies on a plate. ‘Good morning, Clementine. Don't you look lovely.'

‘I can't wait for the fete.' Clementine shivered with excitement.

She poured herself some cereal, and Mrs Mogg offered to help with the milk. Usually Clementine liked to do things herself but this morning she didn't want to spill anything on the table or her dress.

Aunt Violet stormed into the kitchen. Her face was red and Clementine could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. ‘Who took the rope from the bottom of the staircase?'

Lady Clarissa came down the back stairs at that moment. ‘I did, Aunt Violet. You've got hours until the tours begin and I needed to bring some more things downstairs for the jumble sale.'

‘What do you call those?' Aunt Violet pointed at the back stairs.

‘Aunt Violet, I was trying to take the shortest route to the front garden. Those boxes are heavy, you know.'

‘Don't get snippy with me, Clarissa. I've got a lot to do. If you want these tours to work, I simply can't have people traipsing all through the house. There … there are rules!' She turned on her heel and strode from the room.

‘Her rules,' Uncle Digby muttered.

Clementine finished her breakfast and raced upstairs to get Lavender ready. She was going to wear her best sparkly red collar with the matching lead.

By nine o'clock the stalls were set up, Mrs Mogg's cafe was ready and Aunt Violet had finished roping off the house. As far as Clementine could tell, guests would be allowed in the sitting room, dining room, conservatory and library. Everywhere else was off limits.

Clementine recognised lots of things on Mrs Tribble's bric-a-brac tables but there was loads more that other people in the village had donated too.

Basil and Ana arrived with the children in tow. Clementine and Lavender raced out to greet them.

‘Hello,' Clementine said. ‘Lavender's all ready for the photos.'

Basil grinned. ‘And might I say she looks especially gorgeous today.'

‘I'd better get going and help Mrs Tribble,' Ana said.

‘Have you found Flash?' Clementine asked.

Tilda shook her head. ‘I don't think he's ever coming back.'

‘He might have walked home to our old house,' Araminta said. ‘I've heard stories of cats and dogs who do that.'

‘Then he'll be there in about ten years' time,' Teddy said. ‘He's not exactly fast, is he?'

‘Stop saying that,' Tilda said sulkily. ‘You don't care about him.'

‘Yes, I do,' Teddy said. ‘He's my tortoise too.'

‘But you don't look after him as much as I do.' Tilda's eyes glistened.

‘Sorry, Tilda.' Teddy put his arm around his twin sister. ‘I'm sure he'll come home.' Teddy wasn't sure at all, but at least if Flash had escaped outside he had a nice place to live by the creek with plenty of things to eat.

‘Why don't you go and get your booth ready?' Basil suggested. ‘Have you got the money tin and some change sorted?'

Soon the crowds began to pour into the garden. Aunt Violet insisted that she wasn't taking any tours until ten o'clock but by nine-thirty there was a line of people waiting to go in. Mrs Bottomley had come along to help her, so after quite a bit of discussion Aunt Violet decided to open early. She had thought about upping the price for the inconvenience but Mrs Bottomley talked her out of it.

Clementine and her friends were doing great business in their photo booth.

Lavender was behaving perfectly, sitting beside the eager children and adults while Basil snapped away. Tilda and Teddy were taking people's names and telling them what time they could come and collect their pictures, while Araminta was in charge of the money. Clementine made sure that Lavender was feeling all right and not too tired.

By early afternoon the children were starving and Basil said that they should shut up shop for a while and take a break. ‘Besides,' he said, ‘Lavender has been smiling so much her face must be sore.'

‘Lavender can't smile,' Clementine said with a giggle.

Basil winked. ‘I don't know, Clementine. I think she can.'

There was a jumping castle that the children had their eyes on and a lucky dip stall that they wanted to visit.

Aunt Violet decided that she and Mrs Bottomley were due for a break too.
Mrs Bottomley was keen to have a quick look at the stalls before the best things were gone.

The crowds had thinned out a bit since the morning rush but Lady Clarissa couldn't believe how much they had already raised.

‘What a wonderful day, Clarissa,' Father Bob said as he walked into the kitchen to hand over another tin of money from his flower stall. ‘I think we'll have that new hall built sooner than we thought.'

Clarissa smiled. She certainly hoped so.