The Blue Seal of Trinity Cove (5 page)

“I know they were looking for the ball and it just so happens that I forgot to collect it and left it lying in the hut when we arrived,” she said.

“What an absolute stroke of luck, dear girl, very lucky indeed. I dread to think what would have happened if they had found it, although I can't imagine how they could have taken it to the Workhouse Oracle – possibly by some kind of magnetising apparatus. Still, this is obviously a very intelligent piece of technology we're talking about here and so nothing would surprise me where they are concerned. Are you both okay?” The professor looked at each of them with concern.

“Yes, f-f-ine,” David finally managed to say. “I see now what you mean; those things are lethal,” and Bobby noticed that he looked quite pale and his eyes had a look of terror in them that she hadn't seen there before. “This Workhouse Oracle really means business, doesn't she?” he murmured, hardly audibly. “I mean, what sort of a place does she live in if she has machines like that under her control and what does she want with us anyway? I can't for the life of me work it out – and …”

“I know, David,” Bobby said and she found herself putting an arm around his shoulders to comfort him.

“What was it that the Crone said to you in her hut, David?” the professor asked.

“Well, nothing that made any sense to me unfortunately,” David said. “Just that she went on and on about this ‘Blue Seal' and that my family knows of it. But I can't for the life of me work out what it is she means.” He stopped talking and rubbed his head the way he did when his logical mind couldn't get to the bottom of something.

The professor responded, “I was afraid of this. I fear we have to make our own decision now. We have to take a chance and guess what it is we should do to retrieve this Blue Seal and we have to do it now because time is of the essence. I'm afraid if we don't act soon the worst will happen. The island will be taken over by those machines; the ball may be taken from us; our Crone will die. The very future of the island lies with us and what we decide right now.” Both David and Bobby agreed.

“There's only one thing for it then,” David finally said. “I know I said I wouldn't do this but I think we have to go back to Ina and Henry's time, the period of time when they got back from the island, and do some investigating. Obviously there is some story or thing that contains this Blue Seal and it's up to us to find it, and quickly.”

Another adventure, Bobby thought – and then noticed how, in spite of everything, she felt a little excited. But for some reason she couldn't get rid of a gnawing sensation that she was about to find herself in more danger than she had ever been in her life before.

B
obby and David found themselves under a very old-looking desk in a very old-fashioned classroom. There were ink stains on the floor and when they looked up they saw an old blackboard with the words written on it:

Ina Fairweather is the winner of the Queensborough Chronicle's Young Journalist Award. Award presentation will be tonight at the Annual Dance at the Queensborough Memorial Hall.

“What an absolute co-incidence; we land in this room on the day that this news is placed on the board,” said David, getting his bearings.

“Oh, I don't think this is a co-incidence,” said Bobby. “Just perfect timing like everything else that happens in the universe.” They suddenly heard a noise and realised that it was too late to hide as a janitor had already entered the room.

“What are you two scallywags doin' in here? Come on; be off with ya or the Headmaster will be hearin' ‘bout this!” He looked at them curiously as they scuttled out from under the desk. He didn't recognise them at all and in this town everyone knew everyone. They made their apology and hurried from the room.

“Did you catch what they were wearin'?” they heard him say, as they escaped into the passage, as if his mop might be interested in his gossip. “I 'ave never seen the likes of them before, I 'afta say.”

“I suppose we are going to look out of place, aren't we?” Bobby said, looking at their clothes. She was wearing leggings with a skirt, shirt and jacket and David wore jeans and a T-shirt. They both wore running shoes.

“Gosh, I hadn't even thought of that. Well, there's nothing for it then. We have to make sure we stay way of sight rather than attract attention to ourselves.” Good old David and his logic, thought Bobby, and she was glad he was with her. When they left the tiny school building they made for the small forest that was adjacent to the school. They were discussing what their next move should be when they heard ballroom dancing music drifting toward them from down the street.

“Okay, I think if we follow that music we will find the dance that the notice talked of and I bet we will find Ina and Henry too,” David said and Bobby agreed. They ran from tree to tree until they were just behind the hall where the music was coming from. It was decorated with balloons and streamers and there was a big banner above the door saying “Queensborough Annual Dance”. They made their way along the side wall of the building and then crouched down out of sight behind an enormous chimney.

“How's this going to work?” said David. “Do you think we'll even see them?”

“I don't know exactly, but my intuition tells me we don't have long to wait; we just have to be patient,” said Bobby feeling quite sure of herself. David looked at her as if considering whether or not he should say what he was thinking when they heard a young man speaking who must have been standing just on the other side of the chimney stack. They pressed back against the wall so as not to be seen.

“Ina, why don't you just admit it? I know you remember everything. Why won't you talk to me about it?” The voice of the young man sounded desperate and pleading.

“Henry Brewster, I swear, I don't know what you're talking about and I wish you'd just stop all of this nonsense.” Ina's voice sounded irritated and had a note of being superior and patronising, or as if she was trying to be that way. Bobby and David looked at each other in dismay. Their very own grandparents were standing only feet away from them; to hear them talking at all, let alone to each other, made both of them feel quite gobsmacked.

“But it's not nonsense, Ina. Why won't you listen to me?” Henry asked, continuing the conversation.

“I wish you'd just leave me alone, Henry. It's not right, all this whispering around corners when no-one else is watching. You know I'm going out with Robert Clyde and I plan on marrying him as soon as I'm old enough. Besides, I could never go out with someone like you … I mean, well, that's not what I meant, except that Robert is going to get an education and we'll have a fine life and … well, that's all there is to it.” Bobby and David couldn't see Henry's face at that moment but they could sense the utter devastation that he felt. Bobby felt appalled that her grandmother could be so judgemental and snobby. They heard a movement which sounded like Ina making an attempt to walk away and Henry grabbing her arm.

“Let go, you brute, how dare you!” she spat at him.

“No, I won't let go and you'd better not scream either, Ina Fairweather,” Henry hissed almost inaudibly.

“But you're hurting my arm, please.”

“I'll let go when you listen to me. We had a life together once, remember? We lived on an island to which we time travelled and we were husband and wife. We lived there with six other children and we had our own little baby boy …” They could hear that he was getting quite upset when it came to talking about the little baby.

“I can understand that you could forget about me but how could you forget about him?” There was complete silence for what seemed like the longest time and it seemed as if Bobby and David could almost hear the cogs turning in Ina's mind as she took it all in. Then, there was a sound, as if Ina had swooned and Henry had caught her, or at least that was the scenario that played out in Bobby's mind.

“You remember, you remember, Ina. For a moment then I thought I would lose you forever. But I see it there in your eyes that you remember too.”

“Henry … my husband, oh my God! My baby, oh my God!” Bobby peered around the side of the chimney for a split second and saw Henry's big hands and arms wrapped lovingly around Ina's slender form. Her face was as white as her pretty white dance dress, as she had received such a shock and her dress was now trailing in the dirt. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck and her cheek was pressed to his cheek and in that moment Bobby thought that she had just witnessed the most tender and intimate moment that could exist between a man and a woman and that she would ever witness; she felt something she recognised as envy for what existed between the two of them.

“What on earth is all this?” demanded a very angry Robert Clyde, who had obviously come looking for his fiancée. “Get your hands off her this instant! Good grief, who do you think you are, you – you big ape? How dare you. I have a good mind to have you arrested.” Bobby and David pressed themselves right back against the wall so they couldn't be seen. There was a scuffling sound as he lifted Ina to her feet.

“And you've made her cry, too. What have you been saying to my fiancée, you brute? I have a good mind to punch you on the nose only I don't want to start something and get dirty and sweaty right before the dance.”

“It's not his fault, Robert; please come inside and I'll explain everything to you. Really, it was nothing, I … I fainted and he caught me.” There was silence as Robert digested this information. Bobby secretly hoped that the men would start fighting. It would serve that idiot right, she thought, for acting so high and mighty and besides, it was obvious who would come off second-best. Henry was big and strong and could probably hold his own whereas Robert was little and puny and looked like he'd never done a day's manual labour in his life.

“You won't be marryin' her; not if I have anything to do with it,” Henry muttered almost under his breath.

“What did you say to me, farm boy? Not too smart, are you? Are you foolish enough to try and make me even angrier?”

“Please stop it, both of you,” Ina said weakly but even Bobby could see that it was useless to try and stop them. She knew from the books she had read how fragile the male ego was and how Robert would now have to defend his fiancée's honour and Henry could not now allow this very irritating person to come between him and the love of his life, especially as she had just recognised him for who he was – someone from her own past.

“Yep, you might say that,” said Henry and then he spat on the ground, “cause guess what dweeb? You and all your friends in high places and your fancy laws don't frighten me. I love Ina and I always have and you can't stop me.” Henry stood with his feet planted firmly on the ground and his arms crossed over his chest. He was the only one who was calm and not agitated.

“You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Neanderthal. Hold this Ina,” he said in a high, nervous voice and Bobby and David could tell he was taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. “But actually, now that I think of it, I see that even rendering you unconscious with my savage blows would not change this situation. The best punishment for someone of your limited intelligence, lies in a carefully constructed plan of revenge – come on Ina,” and Bobby and David stared at one another in astonishment. It sounded as if he had backed down and was walking away from Henry. They couldn't resist peering around the edge of the chimney again and just in time, too. Snap – Robert slammed Henry on the side of his face so that his head was now looking to the right even though his feet were still planted firmly on the same spot and his arms were still crossed across his chest. A coward's move, thought Bobby.

“You just made the biggest mistake of
your
life,” Henry said, grabbing Robert by his shirt collar and pushing him down onto the ground on his back.

“How dare you! You can't do that, let me go – I'll – I'll call the police.”

“Will you? I'd like to see you do that,” said Henry and then he sat on top of Robert so that his legs straddled him on either side and started to punch him first on one side of his face and then the other, over and over again.

“Stop it Henry. You're hurting him,” yelled Ina. “This isn't the way, this will only make everything worse – stop – stop.” She threw herself down on the ground and put her face where Henry's hand was about to slam into Robert's face again. There was already a lot of blood and Robert looked as though he had lost consciousness.

“What's this then?” Bobby and David heard another male voice, a voice of authority. “Good Lord, what have you done, boy?”

“Just go; just go and don't look back,” Ina whispered to Henry and she pushed at him to get him to run.