The Morrow Secrets (4 page)

‘Mountains!’ she cried as she steadied herself against the stone ramparts.
The view was incredible. Way over the rolling countryside of Wycham Elva was a picturesque scene of sludgy browns and humming greens. A group of black crows circled the Spires, screeching and soaring on the strong thermals, spying on their intruder with territorial beady eyes, then landing to stake their claim. The roof was an uneven expanse of crumbling roof tiles, dirty skylights and stacks of twisting chimney pots.
Tallitha peered round the first stack of chimney pots. Tyaas had been up here, the little stinker, not even bothering to wait for her. By the skylight were the remains of his half-eaten sandwich. Something had disturbed him. The turret on the far side of the roof was a mirror image of the one she had just passed through. Tallitha crawled across the roofscape as the wind howled, stinging her ears. She opened the turret door.
Inside, it smelled of stale air and was pitch-black. As she stepped over the uneven doorframe she tripped, falling on top of something soft and warm and making an awful noise. In the mess of arms and legs shouting and pushing, Tallitha realised she had fallen on top of a squirming, squealing Tyaas.
‘Stop shouting Tyaas, it’s me you’re kicking!’ gasped Tallitha.
Tyaas grinned at his sister. His dark hair stuck out at odd angles and he had smudges of dirt all over his face but Tyaas often looked like he had just been down a muddy hole.
‘Phew, I thought you were a shrove.’ he said sounding relieved and lighting a candle.
‘I didn’t mean to frighten you. But you came without me,’ said Tallitha slightly miffed.
‘Sorry it happened so quickly. I was in the treehouse and I saw someone on the roof waving in my direction.’
‘I saw someone too,’ whispered Tallitha, ‘maybe it was you?’
Tyaas shrugged. ‘I got hopelessly lost and climbed onto the roof through a trapdoor at the back of the house.’
‘But if it wasn’t you, then who was it?’ asked Tallitha, looking anxiously at her brother. Perhaps the shroves were watching them. ‘Have you found anything?’
‘Just this old book, it was by that trunk,’ he said, passing it to his sister.
In the meagre light she could just make out the spidery handwriting.

‘This book belongs to Asenathe Morrow.’

 

‘But who’s she? I’ve never heard of her!’ exclaimed Tallitha.

Tyaas hushed his sister, ‘Some relation of the sisters, I suppose. But whoever was here this morning may be back. I thought I saw Marlin creeping around.’

‘Me too, he scared me! Let’s take the book and get out of here.’ whispered Tallitha.
They held hands on the ramparts, steadying each other in the wind as they climbed into the small turret and back down into the main house.
‘Come on,’ said Tallitha, disappearing down the nearest staircase.
Tyaas caught up with her many floors later.
‘Wait, can’t you?’ he whispered as he bumped into her.
The walls were painted in pale gold and the chandeliers cast a creamy glow in the dim hallway.
‘I know this place,’ said Tallitha staring around, ‘Mother brought me up here on my seventh birthday.’
Before them was a large oak door ornately carved with bird motifs.
‘Come on,’ said Tallitha, ‘let’s take a peek, this is the Jewel Room.’
The door creaked open to reveal an ornate state room.
‘Wow,’ said Tyaas, ‘I’ve never seen so many precious stones.’
The walls were lined with glass cases filled with sparkling jewels graded in order of their size. There were diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds all glinting in the bright sunlight.
‘Who do they belong to?’ asked Tyaas in awe of the dazzling stones, ‘there are hundreds of them!’
Tallitha shrugged, ‘Great Aunt Agatha I suppose.’
They would be hers one day. They were pretty enough but not worth wasting her life over. In the centre of the room were two jewel boxes and Tallitha opened the smallest box. As the dazzling sunlight struck the magnificent gemstone, a kaleidoscope of sparkling colours sliced the room, one after another. There was aquamarine, emerald, cerulean blue, rose quartz, diamond white and viridian. Tallitha was awestruck by the brilliant lights and entranced by their intensity. She shaded her eyes from the piercing brilliance of the jewels but her head began to swim. Tyaas opened the second box.
‘What’s this old thing?’
Inside was a dull green stone with ruby thread markings. Tallitha banged down the lid.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Tyaas.
Tallitha looked pale and clutched her forehead.
‘I feel dizzy.’
She couldn’t look at the gemstones any longer.
‘Come on, let’s go,’ she said, ‘someone may come.’
The room felt stuffy. Something was wrong with her, had been all day. She closed the door behind them and stroked her aching head as the colours continued to dance before her eyes.
‘This way,’ said Tallitha, beckoning to Tyaas to follow her.
‘Where are we?’ asked Tyaas, peering down the darkened passageway.
‘We’re on the fourth floor,’ she said, trying to sound convincing, but in reality the house was a complete mystery to her.
‘Can you hear that?’ he asked suddenly.
The sound of muffled voices could be heard across the landing. ‘Quick, in here,’ she whispered as she dragged Tyaas behind her.
The bedroom smelled of mothballs. As Tallitha put her ear to the door, she heard the unmistakable sound of
Shroveling
wending its way down the corridor. Marlin and Florré were inspecting the rooms and were heading in their direction. In a heartbeat they dived onto a huge poster bed, hiding behind the heavy curtains and burying as neatly as possible beneath the quilts. They lay in the darkness trying to quieten their rapid breathing.
‘What do you think they’re up to?’ asked Tyaas.
‘Shhhhhhh, don’t speak,’ said Tallitha, ‘keep absolutely still.’
Within a few minutes the shroves entered the chamber. They gabbled to each other whilst snooping into the chests of drawers. There was a sudden clang of metal hooks as the velvet bed curtains were roughly pulled apart. Tallitha clamped her hand over her brother’s mouth in the suffocating darkness.

‘Ne ne kempora dernal canlera del ae nan trath. Spirrrnthndas al na durnath nem kemporan.’

 

One of the shroves spoke sharply. Tallitha wished she had paid more attention in her language classes.

 

‘Encrremblan dur na clerna ni fenran. Nan trath an doorn ken lam naen, spirrrnthndas al na durnath.’

They had wedged themselves underneath a lumpy bolster that smelled of old mouse droppings. Tallitha decided that if they were discovered they would pretend to be playing hide and seek. It would never work though, she would be taken before the Grand Morrow to explain herself and would get into more trouble. But fortunately for Tallitha, she did not have to tell her lie. The shroves were also being followed. From beneath the bedcovers Tallitha heard the sound of high heels click-clacking on the parquet floor.

‘What are you two doing in here? Come out before someone sees you. Grintley needs your help downstairs,’ ordered Snowdroppe, snapping her fingers at the shroves.

Tallitha heard the sound of scampering feet as the shroves obeyed her mother and scurried down the corridor. Then Snowdroppe roughly pulled the velvet curtains back into position and closed the door behind her.

When Tallitha’s heart had stopped pounding she popped her nose out from under the smelly bedclothes, slipped from beneath the bolster and sat on the edge of the bed, dangling her feet over the edge. Within a second Tyaas was sitting next to her.

‘What’s mother doing up here?’ whispered Tyaas.
‘And what’s she doing with the shroves?’ added Tallitha, perplexed. She chewed her finger nails, thinking over their mother’s possible

motives. Snowdroppe was notoriously idle and never bothered with anyone who could not further her own scheming ends.

‘Something’s definitely going on,’ she said as she crept out of the door. ‘Come on,the coast is clear, let’s get back to our rooms and take a look at the book.’

*
Unfortunately it wasn’t as easy as all that.
When Tallitha started down the next staircase she spied Grintley,

their Mother’s shrove, below them on the landing. Tallitha had always despised Grintley. They waited for him to carry Snowdroppe’s trunks into her suite as he snivelled away to himself. He was larger than Marlin, with sprouts of ginger hair sticking up above his ears, but he still had the unmistakeable shrunken appearance of a shrove. His misshapen hands gripped one of the heavy jewel boxes as he minced awkwardly on his skinny legs into Snowdroppe’s sitting room. If only they could get past Grintley without him noticing.

‘When he’s gone we’ll make a dash for it,’ whispered Tyaas.

But the plan did not work. Their mother chose that same moment to leave her suite. Snowdroppe appeared in a violet dress, gesticulating to her shrove to quicken his duties. She held her amber coloured Fennec Fox, Stiggy, in her arms, petting and adoring it.

‘What are you two doing on the third floor?’ she asked suspiciously.

Grintley licked his salivating mouth, waiting for the opportunity to apprehend the children.
‘Are you trying to sneak away without saying hello?’ asked Snowdroppe in an accusatory manner.
Stiggy barked her weak yapping noises in the children’s direction.
‘Yes, yes, Stiggy darling, they are wicked children,’ said Snowdroppe burying her nose deep into the fox’s fur. ‘Did Great Aunt Agatha not tell you I was coming home today? You may kiss me.’
Snowdroppe bent down and a waft of exotic perfume enveloped them as they pulled ever so slightly away from her embrace. Then their mother’s ever watchful eyes spied Tallitha’s hand and she slowly traced her finger along the dark red stain. She stared into her daughter’s eyes and a strange look crossed her beautiful face. Tallitha wrenched her hand away but it was impossible to keep anything from Snowdroppe.
‘You two are up to something. Have you been somewhere you shouldn’t?’ she asked.
Stiggy yapped as if trying to echo his mistress. Snowdroppe roughly grabbed hold of Tyaas and smelt his clothes.
‘Ouch you’re hurting me, get off!’ he shouted as Stiggy tried to join in and bite him. ‘Get that rodent off me!’
‘Tyaas, you’re filthy and you’re humming like an old stoat. Where have you been?’ insisted Snowdroppe, pulling a disgusted face.
‘Leave me alone and get that excuse for an animal off me,’ said Tyaas, ‘I’ve been...’
Tallitha quickly interrupted.
‘Of course we knew you were coming. We wanted to surprise you, that’s all. We were on our way to get your gift!’ she said, pretending to pet the small fox.
Snowdroppe softened at the mention of a present and purred appreciatively at her children. She had an abundance of clothes and jewels and never tired of receiving more. Tallitha understood her mother very well even if she did not always like her.
‘A gift, my pets, well go and get it. But that doesn’t explain wandering around upstairs, now does it?’
‘We were just playing hide and seek,’ said Tallitha cautiously.
Snowdroppe looked down her nose at her daughter, ‘Ummmph‒ really?’ she yawned.
Snowdroppe flicked Tyaas away like a nasty bug then turned on her heel. She waltzed down the corridor admiring her violet-painted fingernails as though nothing else in the world mattered.
Once back in their apartment Tallitha fished out an unused birthday present.
‘We’ll placate mother with this, then after dinner we can study the book. Quick, hide it under the mattress,’ said Tallitha.
She rubbed at the stubborn stain that was still visible on her fingers. Perhaps the old house had made its mark on her.
Snowdroppe was sitting at her dressing table surrounded by bowls of her favourite flowers when Tallitha entered. Hundreds of snowdrops filled the room with their delicate white-green petals and unmistakable smell. Miss Brindle, her lady’s maid, was brushing Snowdroppe’s long red hair which fell in waves down her back. Tallitha stroked her mother’s beautiful hair and daintily handed her the gift. Snowdroppe gasped in pleasure and seemed to forget the earlier incident. They were safe, she hoped, this time.
Tallitha sat on the window seat wishing her mother would hurry up, but smiling amiably and chatting to her. All the while she could hear her father singing in the bath in his adjoining rooms. She would see him later.

*

After dinner, which was a laborious event, Tallitha and Tyaas yawned a great deal, excused themselves and went up to their rooms.
‘Let me see, let me see,’ demanded Tallitha impatiently.
Tyaas took the book from under the mattress and they sat hunched together over the pages. It was a small story book and some of the pages had been scribbled on. As Tallitha turned the last page she saw something that made her gasp.
‘Look, there!’ Tallitha read out the words.

‘This book belongs to Asenathe Morrow, Daughter of Agatha Morrow and Machin Dreer Winderling Spires.’

‘But who is she? I’ve never heard of Asenathe or her father,’ exclaimed

Tyaas.
‘I didn’t know Great Aunt Agatha even had a daughter, or a husband,’
whispered Tallitha.
Tyaas poked her for a response.
‘Sis, what IS the matter? You look pale.’
The implication of the written words had begun to sink in. ‘Do you realise what this means?’ asked Tallitha.
But, as usual, Tyass didn’t have a clue.
‘It means Great Aunt Agatha has a daughter of her own. That means
she’s the heir! Not me! But where is she?’
‘How should I know? Maybe she’s dead,’ said Tyaas.
‘No she can’t be. We would have known about that. We have to find
her.’
Tallitha hugged herself. She was happy for the first time in ages. ‘OK,’ said Tyaas, ‘but first we must hide the book somewhere safe.’ Tyaas placed it at the bottom of his trunk and turned to his sister. ‘I wonder who knows about Asenathe,’ he asked.
‘All of them,’ said Tallitha angrily, ‘as usual they’re keeping it from us.’ ‘Tomorrow we can look in the library and...’
But Tallitha pouted. ‘I have to spend the next two weeks with the
dreadful sisters so they can teach me boring stuff. I was going to tell
you. Then we found the book.’
‘You could have a nose around,’ he ventured. ‘Those old bats are
bound to have some interesting things hidden away. While you’re doing
that, I’ll go to the library and have a root about!’
Tallitha kissed her brother goodnight.
She was determined to unearth the secret about Asenathe Morrow. There was no stopping her now.
At last her life was becoming exciting.