The Hidden Room Adventure: A Two Jays Story

About the Book

It’s the October mid-term holiday, and cousins James and Jessica, known as the Two Jays, get an excited phone call from their friend Maddie. The builder has found the original plans for her house, and Maddie discovers it was built in 1857 on land once belonging to Rootsdyer Farm. Some later words added to the plans set the three on a hunt for an underground room somewhere in the garden. What is hidden behind the brick wall that sounds hollow?

Who was Charlotte? According to a handwritten note on the plans, Charlotte once rested in the garden. Where? And did the Maggart Gang led by Josiah Devauden have a hideout on the farm in the early 1800s? Maddie needs to find out more for her school project, but the three soon discover that being trapped under the ground is no fun. Another exciting story in the Two Jays adventure series. They can be read in any order, although each one goes forward slightly in time.

THE HIDDEN ROOM ADVENTURE

The Eighth Two Jays Story

Chris Wright

© Chris Wright 2019

This eBook ISBN: 978-1-912529-39-1

Also available in paperback

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-912529-40-7

Published by

White Tree Publishing

Bristol

UNITED KINGDOM

Website: www.whitetreepublishing.com

Email: wtpbristol@gmail.com

The Black Lake Adventure is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this abridged edition.

The Bible verses in this story are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

(See also www.youversion.com for free downloads of over a thousand Bible translations, with over a thousand languages supported, on your phone, tablet, and computer.)

Author’s Note

My readers are from all around the world, but the story takes place in Britain, so the spelling is UK English. I have tried to keep mention of measurements to a minimum, although where they are used it should be obvious roughly what the measurements are. You can contact me if you like through the publisher’s email address, but please get your parents’ permission first.

Chris Wright

Table of Contents

Cover

About the book

Author’s Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

About White Tree Publishing

More books by Chris Wright

Chapter 1

Saturday

Come round as soon as you can. Maddie sounded excited. The builder who’s doing our central heating has found something under the floorboards. I want you to see it.

Jessica pulled the phone away from her ear and turned to James. Maddie’s builder has found something under the floorboards.

A rat? James asked.

Jessica, James’s cousin, shuddered. I hope not. Tell us what it is, Maddie, she said, putting her phone to her ear again. James thinks it’s a rat.

"Much better than a rat, Maddie said, still sounding excited. I’m not going to tell you over the phone. Come now if you can."

Jessica Green and her parents had arrived on Friday evening to stay with her cousin James Cooper and his parents in the autumn mid-term holiday. It was now not long after breakfast on Saturday, and James’s and Jessica’s parents were already out house-hunting. Jessica’s father had managed to get a job in a local office, and the Green family were hoping to find a house that was handy for work and school.

James’s father and Jessica’s mum were brother and sister, and for the past twelve hours the six had been crammed into the Coopers’ house, and there didn’t seem to be much room.

We’ll come straight round now, Jessica said. We could do with a bit of breathing space. Is your papa there at the moment?

In and out, Maddie said, vaguely. He’s out at the moment.

Maddie Quedgley had been looking after herself in a creepy old Victorian house when Jessica and James, sometimes called the Two Jays, had first met her in the early summer when James had saved her life. [See The Old House Adventure.] Maddie’s father, called Papa by Maddie, was often away, but following a break-in last year, the police and the social services made sure that Maddie never stayed there again on her own. If her father was away at night, Maddie had to stay with the local pastor and his wife and daughter.

James was already in the hall putting on his jacket and trainers. Come on, snail, he said to Jessica, his hand on the door latch. "Let’s see what can possibly be much more exciting under the floorboards than a rat."

It took less then fifteen minutes to hurry to Maddie Quedgley’s house. James was always fascinated by the large brass door knocker in the shape of a hand. Before he could raise it and smash it down loudly, to his disappointment Maddie opened the heavy front door.

I saw you coming, she said, her eyes sparkling with pleasure at seeing them again.

James looked at her. Maddie was wearing her usual colourful non-school outfit. She had a bright orange top, short mid-blue skirt, red leggings and blue trainers. Somehow, no matter what combination of bright colours Maddie wore, the resulting mess suited her, although probably only this girl with an English father and a French mother could get away with it. Sadly, Maddie’s mother, her Maman, had died several years ago. James could remember Maddie’s mother visiting his house, while Maddie and he were playing in his garden when they were both really young.

Come on, James said impatiently, let the dog see the rabbit.

Maddie frowned. Who said anything about a rabbit? Don’t you mean rat?

Jessica rolled her eyes. Take no notice of him, she said. It’s probably just some weird expression he’s heard. So, what has your builder found?

James made his way into the large hallway, and he noticed how cold it felt. Let me guess. A hoard of gold sovereigns?

Maddie shook her head, scattering her curly almost black hair that always looked untidy, no matter what shape she brushed it into. The timing is perfect. We’re doing a project at school on local history. I’ve already found the official census records on the internet. The census is taken every ten years. The first time this house appears is in the 1861 census, so I knew it was built sometime between the 1851 census and the 1861. The first occupant was called Wilfred Harris. He was forty-five in 1861, and his occupation was a tailor. The census says he lived here with his wife Mildred. They had two children called Alfred and Agnes, and a maid called Doris, also living here. Doris was seventeen. I expect she had my bedroom in the turret.

And the builder has found Doris under your bedroom floorboards, James said, sounding serious when Maddie paused at last for a deep breath. To think all the years you’ve been sleeping up there, and you didn’t know there was a body just inches away.

Jessica gave him a playful punch on the arm. Just try and be sensible for once. She turned to Maddie. "James is wrong, isn’t he? Please say he is!"

Maddie shook her head. He’s only too right. There was Doris, mostly bones, but still dressed in her maid’s outfit. She looked ever so sad.

Jessica bit her lower lip in alarm. That’s terrible. I mean.... She noticed Maddie and James looking at each other and laughing. You’re as daft as James, she said, trying to sound cross, but seeing the funny side of it. Well, who or what did your builder find?

Maddie closed the large front door with a heavy thud, and dropped the security latches. Come into the dining room and I’ll show you. I’m sorry it’s so cold in the house. It’s going to be like this for the next few days, until the new heating is on. We’ve got fan heaters and convector heaters around the place, but they don’t seem to be doing much good.

James remembered the first time they had met Maddie. The large dining table had been covered with small archaeological finds that her father had been examining. Professor Quedgley was an expert in identifying fakes and forgeries of antiquities, and had recently become well known through a series of television programmes, and through being interviewed occasionally on the news about archaeological finds and the book he had written. It was aimed at the popular market rather than the academic, and was selling well.

Here we are, Maddie said, pointing to the large table that was now clear of everything except some documents and a long roll of paper that looked like plans. My school project, she said proudly. The history of my house. And now the icing on the cake. The original architectural drawings for this house dated 1857 found by Tony, our builder, under my floorboards. She began to unroll the plans.

James leaned over to examine them, accidentally knocking his head against Jessica’s. Oops, sorry. I nearly damaged my amazing brain.

Jessica ignored him and looked at the drawings. There were several sheets of discoloured paper with drawings of the house. They seemed to be original, and surely there wouldn’t have been photocopying devices back in the 1850s.

Maddie removed the top sheet and pointed to the one underneath. There’s my bedroom in the turret. This is a plan view, and there’s the elevation of the front of the house. It doesn’t seem to have changed at all. Papa has had double glazed windows fitted, but he made sure they were made of wood and matched the ones already here.

James stood back while the girls studied the drawings. He wasn’t going to say anything, but he felt disappointed. From the excitement Maddie had shown on the phone, he was expecting something better than some old rolled-up sheets of paper. Anyway, Maddie was excited, and it would surely help her school project.

Maddie fascinated him. Not only did she go in for complicated school projects, she was capable of looking after herself, the owner of a bank card, and housekeeper to her father − but not the cleaner. Maddie was spared that chore. A cleaner came in for the whole morning every two weeks.

James nodded to himself, deep in thought. Maddie was smaller than Jessica, but looked older. It was probably the result of caring for her father who was somewhat scatterbrained. A bit like Maddie, really!

He made his way to the large window that looked out over the back garden. He stared in surprise. Something was different. What’s happened out there? he called, turning to Maddie.

Maddie and Jessica joined him at the window, leaving the architectural drawings to roll up again by themselves. What? Where? Jessica said. Oh yes, got it.

Are you wondering what’s happened to the crummy old summerhouse? Maddie asked.

That’s what it is! James said. "Or what it isn’t. I knew something was different. Just couldn’t work out what it was. Did it fall down by itself one night?"

Maddie shook her head. Papa said it was time we had a new one. It must have been at least fifty years old, and it wasn’t even on proper foundations. You can see where it was. It was resting on that large patch of gravel, and the wood rotted away underneath. Papa took me to the garden centre and we chose a new one together. Tony says the new one needs to have a proper concrete base. And that’s why I’ve asked you to come round.

James shook his head. I’m not digging out the foundations. Let Tony do it. He’s your builder.

Jessica laughed. I don’t think Maddie and her papa would trust you to build a summerhouse, she said to James. You’d probably build it upside down, anyway!

Maddie caught hold of their arms and pulled them back to the table. Don’t take any notice of your cousin, James. I’m sure you’d do it perfectly. Anyway, Tony and his team are doing everything. And now, she said dramatically, the real reason for getting you here. She unrolled the set of drawings again and removed one from further down in the set. She laid it on the table with her arms and hands spread so she could hold it flat. Drum roll please. Da da!

James frowned, not wanting to rain on Maddie’s parade. It’s your back garden, he said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

Maddie nodded. But look here, she said, putting her finger on the drawings and using an elbow to prevent everything rolling up again. Right here, exactly where our old summerhouse was, somebody has written ‘Charlotte’s Resting Place.’ See?

James looked closely. Okay, got it. And it says ‘Shelter,’ and ‘Ladder.’ So you think there was a summerhouse here when the house was built?

Look again, Maddie said. You disappoint me, James. I thought you had a detective running around inside your brain.

James took a closer look, and then shrugged. So there was a shelter here when the house was built, presumably some sort of summerhouse, and Charlotte used to go out there on sunny days and rest. And there was a sort of ladder up into it, so it must have been off the ground quite a bit.

I hope she wasn’t seriously ill, Jessica said quietly, nervously pulling her long fair hair back into a ponytail. "I mean, in Victorian times it seems there was always someone seriously ill in every family. I can’t get this picture out of my mind now, of Charlotte being carried out there in the summer, her face white, and put down gently on a bed in the summerhouse to