children, who were all looking at him the same way Searle was. Even Madam Dimbleby looked angry with him. “I … I … I …,” Ian mumbled, not knowing how to explain his way out of it.
“We’ll deal with whose fault this is later,” said the earl firmly with a stern look at Searle. “For now we must get you children to safety and hunt down the beast.”
Ian breathed a sigh of relief and looked gratefully at him. “Thank you, my lord,” he said quietly. “I’m terribly sorry,” he added, and the earl smiled kindly at him.
Searle made a vulgar sound behind him, and the earl’s smile faded quickly. “That’s enough out of you,” he warned, and Searle flushed to the top of his ugly brow. Then, turning back to Ian, the earl said, “You shall ride in my personal motor car. While we load the other children, why don’t you go inside and see if you can locate your bit of treasure?”
Anxious to retrieve the box and get away from the accusing glares all around him, Ian dashed into the keep and up the stairs. He headed back up to the tower, taking the steps two at a time. Once at the bench he had to struggle with the plank, because he could use only one hand, but he managed to move it after just a few moments, then dashed back down the steps to the second-story hallway.
He was about to bolt down the main stairs again, but thought it might be too obvious if he showed up with the box so quickly, so he slipped into Madam Scargill’s room and spent some time shuffling through the mess, kicking at the bits of broken furniture and clothing.
Just as he was turning to leave, his toe knocked away a piece of splintered wood, and something caught the light below his shoe. Curious, he bent low to see what it was. He set the silver box on the floor, then he moved one of Madam Scargill’s tattered shawls aside, revealing a necklace of gold and crystal. It looked strangely familiar. He picked it up and held it to the light, examining it.
The gold chain was attached to a charm made of a beautiful frosty crystal with a hint of pink at its center, encased in a rim of gold. The crystal was luminous and didn’t seem to reflect the light as much as it appeared to give off a light of its own.
Ian had a hard time taking his eyes off the charm, it was so lovely. He would have lingered over it longer, but in the hallway he heard approaching footsteps, and he quickly shoved the necklace deep into the pocket of his trousers. It was a good thing too, because just as he finished stuffing it away, Madam Scargill appeared in the doorway, a deep scowl on her face. “Have you located your box, then, Master Wigby?”
Ian fought the urge to flinch at the intensely irritated look she was giving him. “Yes, Madam,” he said, and he bent over to pick it up. “Lucky thing that it’s not broken or damaged.”
Madam Scargill’s scowl deepened. “I’m not sure how lucky you’ll feel once all this is over and we discuss your punishment for going places you know are expressly forbidden to you.”
Ian’s eyes fell to the floor and his heart sank. He’d been hoping that the earl’s words might have gotten him out of that punishment bit. “Yes, Madam,” he mumbled.
“Go on, then!” she snapped, clearly agitated that he’d disobeyed so many rules. “The earl is holding his motorcar for you and you’d best not keep him waiting any longer.”
Ian bolted out of the room and rushed down the stairs. Once outside, he looked about. All the other children, including Carl and Theo, had apparently been dispatched to Castle Dover. He dashed down the steps to the earl’s beautiful motorcar and got inside without a backward glance. “Did you find your box?” asked Thatcher from the front seat.
Ian smiled happily, holding up the silver treasure, realizing that the ownership of the box was no longer in question, so he would likely be allowed to keep it. “Yes, sir. You may have a look if you’d like.”
Thatcher took the box and turned it over in his hands a few times as he tugged gently at the lid, which held firm, before he closely examined the carvings on the sides of the box. “Incredible,” he murmured after a few moments.
“What’s that?” asked