leapt from the window seat, quickly followed by Tyaas.
‘Through here,’ she said, making for a door in the corner of the room.
First they looked through the study window. Then they ran into the next room and looked through the sitting room window. But both rooms had the same view from a slightly different perspective. The library was next. It was a cosy room and Tallitha could have spent many happy hours leafing through books and studying the paraphernalia displayed on the shelves. The view from the window however proved to be the same as all the others. Tallitha sat down on the swivel chair and spun round, mulling things over.
‘We’re missing something,’ said Tyaas.
‘What you doing?’ a distant voice called from the gallery.
‘He’s an idiot,’ said Tyaas to Tallitha, then shouted up to him, ‘you’ll have to come down and see for yourself! That should shut him up.’
‘There’s something curious about these rooms,’ said Tallitha, spinning round on the chair. She closed her eyes and allowed the sensation to develop. She felt too big in the room and a little bit claustrophobic. She looked up at the ceiling‒it was much lower than the great room. There must be another floor above this one, but where was the entrance?
‘That’s it! We have to find a ladder or a staircase.’
Tallitha ran back into the great room and called up to Benedict. ‘Can you see an entrance to another floor, by that wall?’
Benedict shook his head. There was only a large painting hanging over a dresser. All three looked at the painting at the same time. It was of a girl sitting in a room with the sun shining through a lattice window whilst she did her needlework. Tyaas shrieked.
‘There’s the window. Look, in that painting!’ he shouted, jumping onto the dresser and pushing the painting to one side.
There it was, hidden beneath the painting, a hatch to the secret floor, just waiting for them to find it.
‘Come on!’ shouted Tyaas excitedly.
They climbed through the hatch door and into a dark little room. Tyaas lit the lantern and the room took shape before their eyes. It was a wonderful hidey-hole with a sofa and a desk. Tallitha noticed a wall ladder in the corner which went up to a trap door in the ceiling. She stuck her head out of the hatch and called to Benedict.
‘Move along the gallery, there’s a ladder at the far end which you can climb down.’
Benedict didn’t fancy finding his own way back alone so he did as he was told. He edged along the gallery trying to keep his nerves under control. Don’t look down, don’t look down, he kept saying to himself. The next thing, Tallitha saw the soles of his shoes coming shakily down the ladder.
‘There must be more clues in here, perhaps the key to that box,’ Tallitha said excitedly as Benedict stepped from the ladder. ‘Here take a look at this.’
Benedict squidged onto the sofa next to Tallitha and began poring over the map.
‘This is in Ennish,’ he said authoritatively, ‘but it’s bewildering. I only know a few of the words.’
‘Does the map make any sense?’ asked Tyaas. ‘Does it tell us where to start?’
Benedict shook his head. Tallitha walked to the hatch door and peered out.
‘The light’s fading. We can’t miss dinner. Let’s pack up, we can search tomorrow. Raisethorne’s sick so there’s no school.’
They took the map and everything they had found, climbed out of the trap door, scrambled over the gallery and back down the dark staircase. It took less time than they thought and soon they were back in Tallitha’s study.
‘Are you staying tonight?’ asked Tyaas.
He was getting used to having old Benedict around, even if he could be annoying at times.
‘Yes, I guess so, but I need to do my school work. You go to dinner and I’ll have something sent to my room.’
As Benedict settled to his work an unfamiliar feeling began welling up inside him. He felt decidedly odd, as though he belonged somewhere for the first time in his
‘Through here,’ she said, making for a door in the corner of the room.
First they looked through the study window. Then they ran into the next room and looked through the sitting room window. But both rooms had the same view from a slightly different perspective. The library was next. It was a cosy room and Tallitha could have spent many happy hours leafing through books and studying the paraphernalia displayed on the shelves. The view from the window however proved to be the same as all the others. Tallitha sat down on the swivel chair and spun round, mulling things over.
‘We’re missing something,’ said Tyaas.
‘What you doing?’ a distant voice called from the gallery.
‘He’s an idiot,’ said Tyaas to Tallitha, then shouted up to him, ‘you’ll have to come down and see for yourself! That should shut him up.’
‘There’s something curious about these rooms,’ said Tallitha, spinning round on the chair. She closed her eyes and allowed the sensation to develop. She felt too big in the room and a little bit claustrophobic. She looked up at the ceiling‒it was much lower than the great room. There must be another floor above this one, but where was the entrance?
‘That’s it! We have to find a ladder or a staircase.’
Tallitha ran back into the great room and called up to Benedict. ‘Can you see an entrance to another floor, by that wall?’
Benedict shook his head. There was only a large painting hanging over a dresser. All three looked at the painting at the same time. It was of a girl sitting in a room with the sun shining through a lattice window whilst she did her needlework. Tyaas shrieked.
‘There’s the window. Look, in that painting!’ he shouted, jumping onto the dresser and pushing the painting to one side.
There it was, hidden beneath the painting, a hatch to the secret floor, just waiting for them to find it.
‘Come on!’ shouted Tyaas excitedly.
They climbed through the hatch door and into a dark little room. Tyaas lit the lantern and the room took shape before their eyes. It was a wonderful hidey-hole with a sofa and a desk. Tallitha noticed a wall ladder in the corner which went up to a trap door in the ceiling. She stuck her head out of the hatch and called to Benedict.
‘Move along the gallery, there’s a ladder at the far end which you can climb down.’
Benedict didn’t fancy finding his own way back alone so he did as he was told. He edged along the gallery trying to keep his nerves under control. Don’t look down, don’t look down, he kept saying to himself. The next thing, Tallitha saw the soles of his shoes coming shakily down the ladder.
‘There must be more clues in here, perhaps the key to that box,’ Tallitha said excitedly as Benedict stepped from the ladder. ‘Here take a look at this.’
Benedict squidged onto the sofa next to Tallitha and began poring over the map.
‘This is in Ennish,’ he said authoritatively, ‘but it’s bewildering. I only know a few of the words.’
‘Does the map make any sense?’ asked Tyaas. ‘Does it tell us where to start?’
Benedict shook his head. Tallitha walked to the hatch door and peered out.
‘The light’s fading. We can’t miss dinner. Let’s pack up, we can search tomorrow. Raisethorne’s sick so there’s no school.’
They took the map and everything they had found, climbed out of the trap door, scrambled over the gallery and back down the dark staircase. It took less time than they thought and soon they were back in Tallitha’s study.
‘Are you staying tonight?’ asked Tyaas.
He was getting used to having old Benedict around, even if he could be annoying at times.
‘Yes, I guess so, but I need to do my school work. You go to dinner and I’ll have something sent to my room.’
As Benedict settled to his work an unfamiliar feeling began welling up inside him. He felt decidedly odd, as though he belonged somewhere for the first time in his
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