and a little dust. The tomb in the furthest corner was more ornate, and on its lid was a reclining metal statue of some medieval knight in full armour complete with pointed toes and the effect of chain mail. Some small flakes of faded paint clung to the sculpture of a rather stern and ugly man who had worn a full moustache.
They examined the shield depicted at his feet with some satisfaction. It showed what appeared to be a griffon over three large snarling dogs.
“This is it, fabulous beast over mordant hounds,” he said with delight. “Let me try and move the slab to one side so we can peer inside.”
He stripped off his overcoat and coat so as not to split the seams and heaved at the slab, which despite the effort he was clearly exerting moved not a crack.
“It must weigh a ton, there is no way I can budge it. Trust my great-uncle to give me an impossible task,” he stated after giving up and putting his coats back on for it was chilly in the crypt.
“I don’t think it is impossible, Rupert. Do you see this band of brass that goes around the sarcophagus, under the stone slab the statue is lying upon?” Verity cried, pointing.
“Yes, but I don’t see how it helps. Oh, that is out of place and definitely not medieval…” his eyes followed her finger. “There is another lock, and I have one more key! Here hold up the lamp while I try the last key…”
The key went into the lock and he turned it, and underneath the stone slab, there was a series of clicks. They waited wary of the strange device.
“Step back, in case it is trapped,” Rupert cried, thinking of crossbow bolts and poisons that had been used to trap some chests to deter thieves in the past.
Verity scowled at him. “Don’t be daft Rupert, you were the apple of your great-uncle’s eye. He was always talking about what a little rascal you had been.”
“He did?”
“Yes! He was really rather proud of you. Why would he risk your life? He was an old curmudgeon and a mischief but there was no malice in him. Here…” she said pushing the slab slightly with one hand. The slab slid open, moving to one side to reveal a relatively expensive modern coffin, resting on wooden slats, close to the top of the tomb.
“Interesting contraption to move the lid, that must have cost a heap to have put in, clockwork of some considerable quality. He must have re-coffined the gracious knight because his bones were inconvenient. Under the coffin I can see three brass bound chests. I think we have genuinely found his treasure.”
“We have to move the coffin first, and that will surely be heavy.”
“I doubt it, if it contains only medieval bones, the coffins themselves are normally quite light, it is the ‘Oh too, solid flesh,’ that makes them hard to lift,” he shed his coats again and found the coffin although of good solid wood was within his capabilities to carry. “Sorry, Sir Whoever you were to disturb your peace once more but thank you for guarding the treasure…” He said, lifting the coffin down and placing it on the stone floor.
Rupert moved the thick wooden slats and placed them beside the coffin. Verity was peering inside at the chests, as Rupert unbuckled the straps of the first one.
Nervously, he pushed the lid open to reveal it was full of small canvas bags, but one had split open, slightly showing a gold glint. He reached in and drew out a couple of large golden coins.
“They’re not guineas or gold doubloons, I think the writing might be Arabic or something, but if they are pure gold, your fifteen percent of just what is in this chest is worth more than Lady Euphenia Chisholm’s dowry. My mother’s sister Lady Grenville was insisting I marry her. So now, we are both rich, you can marry anyone you want, will you take me as husband even though it looks like I am now stinking rich and can thumb my nose at the likes of Maurice?”
“I will think about it, are you certain you would not prefer Euphenia? Her family is well-connected, and she must have many good qualities to recommend her,” she teased.
“I can’t think of one, marriage to her would be a fate worse than death. We should look inside the other chests, but there is no way I can carry that down the