Rye royal, p.18
Rye Royal, page 18
"Yes, but please don't go yet. I am not really unhappy but I will read the rest of his letter when I am alone. It seems as if the document is of value and he tells me how it came into his possession and gives me a translation of what it says... See, Richard and Mary. Here is the document. Written in French by a Protestant refugee who came to Rye... See how neatly it is written. The ink has turned brown because it is nearly four hundred years old..."
Then Richard made a very sensible little speech.
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Flowerdew, for letting us see your treasure and we are very glad we found it for you. Soon, when you are better, we would all like you to tell us everything about it because it will be good for our history. We would like to tell the others now but we swear we won't tell anybody else. And will you please keep it a secret too because I've promised to help Mr. Wilson, who would like to do a Christmas story for his newspaper about it, if you don't mind. If your doctor says you can get up presently, will you please come to our Christmas party in our secret room in the Dolphin this evening? We should like you to be our Guest of Honour. You needn't make a speech but you could tell us all about the document then."
Mrs. Flowerdew shed a few more tears - this time of appreciation - and the twins, realizing for once that they had combined charm with tact, retired with dignity and then rushed down the stairs to the others.
The four Lone Piners, with James and Judith, were working in the library with far more enthusiasm and success than Jon and David had done early that morning. They stopped for a few minutes while the twins told them what had happened and of the invitation extended to Mrs. Flowerdew. Judith was particularly excited about the document and James admitted that he would now have to wait for his story, and that in the meantime he would go and see the police and see if there was any news about Royal and the other two villains.
Before they had finished tidying the library the doctor had come and gone, leaving the news that Mrs. Flowerdew could get up at tea-time and go next door in the evening.
Mrs. Warrender, very pleased with everyone, suggested that they should give themselves a holiday without involvement with criminals, and promised that she would look after Mrs. Flowerdew for the rest of the day.
"So don't worry about either of us. You can lunch in the Dolphin if you like to come in early, or if you two girls like to go off with Jon and David for a few hours you can take my car and some sandwiches. As for the twins----"
"Good idea for the others," Mary smirked. "They could go in the woods and look for mistletoe and a little teeny-weeny bit of holly. Dickie and I will prepare tonight's banqueting-hall for our Guest of Honour and possibly take our faithful but neglected hound for a walk."
13. Lone Pine Party
At eight o'clock that same evening the twins were waiting at the foot of the staircase leading up to the Lone Piners' secret room. The young reporter was wearing a suit, a white shirt and an extremely gay tie, and his sister the dress which her mother had insisted she take for dinner on Christmas Day. Their hair shone and their faces beamed as they awaited their guests.
The Wilsons came first. James pretended not to recognize either of them but Judith gave Mary a hug and whispered "Wonderful, wonderful twins! Never seen you look nicer, darling."
Dickie took them up and before opening the door said over his shoulder to James, "Everything O.K.? You'll keep your promise about the story, James? We'll be in it?"
"You certainly will, Richard. Can't keep you out. We'll write it together tomorrow."
Dickie grinned happily as he flung open the door and announced them.
James and Judith stood on the threshold without speaking for a few moments. The old room was transformed. Coloured candles were burning on the table which had been covered with scarlet crepe paper and was loaded with food and drink. The ceiling light had a new gay shade from which hung a bunch of mistletoe, and the dark, panelled walls were festooned with holly, evergreens and old-fashioned paper chains. A log fire was crackling in the hearth and around it were four easy chairs. On the floor were coloured cushions. James and Judith took in the general scene with admiration, but neither of them had seen Penelope Warrender or Petronella Sterling look as charming as they did tonight. Although Penny was the first to run forward to welcome them it was Peter, who would never forget how Judith had helped her that night at the Book Cellar, who led her into the room and kissed her under the mistletoe. James also made the best of this opportunity, and while they were all talking and laughing, Mrs. Warrender and Mrs. Flowerdew arrived and Dickie rushed back to the door to announce them.
Mrs. Flowerdew was flushed, bright-eyed and almost speechless with excitement. They seated her near the fire and offered roast chestnuts which were smoking gently on the edge of the stone hearth where Macbeth, with Christmas ribbon round his shaggy neck, slumbered peacefully. Mrs. Warrender and the Wilsons were placed firmly in the other chairs and Penny and Peter sat at their feet on cushions, while David, Jon and the twins waited on them.
After about ten minutes Penny, looking flushed and pretty, jumped up and said:
"We just want to say how wonderful it is to have Mrs. Flowerdew here with us safe and well after her adventures. And James, of course, because he keeps cropping up in my life, and especially tonight and for always because he's brought Judith for the first time to the Dolphin. Then, of course, none of us would be here if it wasn't for Jon's mother who gave us this room and leaves it for us to manage, and who is always more welcome than anybody... That's almost all I wanted to say except that we can't wait much longer to hear what James has to tell us because we know he's been talking to policemen and detectives, and if Mrs. Flowerdew doesn't mind, we want to hear about her treasure. So could we eat and drink and talk at the same time?"
So they formed a big half circle round the fire, and Mrs. Warrender asked James if he would tell them what had happened during the day.
"I don't want to spoil the evening by talking about unpleasant people, and anyway what we all really want is to honour Mrs. Flowerdew and ask her to show us the treasure found by the quite inimitable twins," he began. "So let's be done with the 'baddies' as soon as possible. The real villains are Mrs. Baxter and the man who calls himself 'Purvis'. Apparently the police haven't anything against the woman, except the abduction, but they certainly don't like Purvis which is not his name and neither is he an American citizen. It seems he is a notorious receiver of stolen goods, and probably has been responsible for smuggling out of Britain into the United States a lot of jewellery, valuable books and manuscripts and even pictures. His claim to be a collector of such is true enough, and the police told me that some of the small stolen treasures which come to him are sent abroad through the post in parcels of books - much safer than trying to get them through Customs hidden on his person. He forces others to steal for him over here - "
"Like Mr. Royal, I suppose?" Penny interrupted.
"Yes. I'm just coming to him. Purvis would get people like Royal to pack and post stolen goods to various addresses in America and he would then go over and collect the parcels himself and dispose of the contents. How long he has known Mrs. Baxter and whether she is his sister I don't know, but she is obviously now one of his agents and works closely with him. Apparently there was a Mr. Peregrine Baxter who died about a year ago. That's all I know except that they were caught at Gatwick Airport this morning. The car in which they escaped was wrecked in the snow, and they are now what is known as 'helping the police with their enquiries'. I don't know what has happened to the unpleasant manservant... Now I must tell you about Mr. Royal."
"I bet that's not his name either," Jon said. "I never really trusted that chap. Not my type. How is he anyway?"
"Not too bad, I'm told. Still in hospital but well enough to make a statement to the police. Jon's right about his name and he's got what the police call 'a record', although he may have been trying to go straight until Purvis found him and started to blackmail him into working for him. By the way, Mrs. Flowerdew, it was Royal who broke into your house on Rye Fawkes night. He said he borrowed an Indian head-dress as a disguise and was nearly caught trying to unlock the outside door of his own cellar. Funny chap, and apparently very upset about the whole affair. I don't know what will happen to him but I shouldn't think his shop will open again under the old management... Now let's ask Mrs. Flowerdew to show us the treasure and tell us about it. Judith knows a lot about this sort of thing. She's seen it and is sure that it's valuable and would have been a real prize for Purvis... May we see it again please, Mrs. Flowerdew?"
From her bag the old lady produced the aluminium tube and handed it to Judith.
"Please tell the others what you think, my dear. You have seen my husband's translation, but before you do so I would like to tell you all myself why my husband was so secretive about this. He left me a private letter with the document which explains almost everything, although I must confess I was never as interested as I should have been in his work. It seems that he bought this document some years ago, and after he had done so he was troubled by fears that it might have been stolen. He does not say what proof he had of this, but he hid the document where the twins found it and began to make discreet enquiries. Some months ago he received proof, which I now have, that he had a right to the document which he has passed to me. Now Judith, if I may call you by your Christian name, please tell us all what you told me this afternoon."
Judith smiled and took out the precious document, which consisted of six pages, each about eight inches wide and fourteen inches deep. The writing was neat, with some flourishes and thick down and cross strokes. Each page had a wide margin of at least one and a half inches. The ink which had been black was turning brown with age.
"This is really a wonderful document," Judith explained. "Not only because it was written nearly four hundred years ago but because it's on paper and not parchment. You can see how white the paper is and if you hold it up to the light, Jon, you can see the watermarks in it - vertical lines and what looks like the outline of a jug although I've no idea what that means. It's written in French, which I don't fully understand, but Dr. Flowerdew enclosed a translation. I won't read it all now unless you want me to do so but I can tell you the story of it."
"Tell the story first, please," Mary said. "And tell us who wrote it."
"It is written by a Frenchman called Claude Tollier and is an account of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Rye in the summer of 1573. Dr. Flowerdew thought that this man was so impressed by what he had seen, that he wrote it either as a record for his children or to send back to France one day."
"Who is this Claude?" David asked. "I'm not so good on dates but 1572 rings a distant bell. Do you mean that this chap might have been a Protestant refugee after the massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day in France? I suppose many refugees fled to England and Rye would be as good a refuge as any."
"That's who he was and all we know of him, but one of Rye's historians confirms that the first refugees reached Rye from Dieppe in 1572. Actually Tollier doesn't tell us anything scandalous about the Queen's visit or anything that hasn't been told before either in Holloway's History of Rye in which Dr. Flowerdew left his last message, or another book ("A New History of Rye" by Leopold Vidler (Combridges, Hove, 1932).) which I found in his library this afternoon. What makes Tollier's story interesting is his enthusiasm for Her Majesty and for the Ryers who gave him shelter from persecution and enabled him to share in the royal visit. She stayed here three days and, oddly enough, Tollier doesn't say where. Neither is he very strong on what she wore and what she looked like. I wish he had been, because at this time she was only forty. While she was here she visited Winchelsea which she called 'Little London' and it was before she left for Dover that she dubbed this little town Rye Royal - a name which has fortunately stuck. He also tells us that before she left, the Mayor of Rye, one Henry Gaymer, presented to her on bended knee 'one hundred golden angels in a purse'. Sorry I don't know how much an angel was worth but maybe that's why you're 'Royal' down here... There are some other amusing details of the visit, but perhaps Mrs. Flowerdew would allow us all to have her husband's translation copied? And I suppose my news-gathering husband would like to photograph the pages in Claude Tollier's handwriting... I've talked too long and so please may I have a drink, Jon?"
Judith put the papers back in the container and passed it to Mrs. Flowerdew who was obviously enjoying her party immensely. Before she could say anything, however, there was a firm knock on the door and Fred Vasson came in.
"I beg pardon, madam, but there is an urgent telephone call and I am to say that it concerns Miss Penny also. Will you please both come at once."
Penny, suddenly terrified of bad news, gave Jon an anguished look before hurrying out with Mrs. Warrender and as the door closed the party died with a whimper. The twins fussed over Macbeth and munched roast chestnuts to disguise their anxiety while James and Judith discussed the document with David, and it was a long five minutes before the door was flung open again by a radiant and excited Penny.
"It's my parents, Jon! They're nearly here! They're on the way from London in a hired car. They've come two days early to be with us on Christmas Day and they'll be here in half an hour."
Although the spirit of the party was saved, it began to break up when the Wilsons tactfully retired from what was now going to be a family affair. Mrs. Warrender returned for a few minutes and begged Mrs. Flowerdew to excuse her and to stay where she was until some of the others could take her home. The twins, who had once met Penny's parents (Saucers Over the Moor), went off to find Vasson and to beg from him two sheets of paper and cardboard large enough to make what Mary called "Banners of Welcome".
While they were working on these, Mrs. Flowerdew went over to Peter and David who were standing by the fire, not quite sure what to do.
"I was going to try and make a little 'Thank you' speech before we had this exciting news," she said as she held her hands to the flames. "Now I can make it to you two and you can pass it on. I want you all to know how grateful I am for the friendship that all you young people have shown to me. I have been lonely for so long that only now am I beginning to realize what I have missed. It is wonderful for Penelope to have her parents home in time for Christmas Day and to have so much more than she expected to make her happy. It is wonderful for me to see you all so happy, and if you will permit an old lady, I would like to wish you two a very happy Christmas and many, many more happy days and weeks and years together. God bless you both."
Peter blushed with pleasure and put her arms round her, and David was just wondering whether he dared to kiss the old lady under the mistletoe when Jon and Penny came back.
"Awful of us to desert you," the latter gasped. "Forgive us please, Mrs. Flowerdew, but suddenly there's so much to do. Tomorrow we shall bring my parents to see you and of course you will spend Christmas Day with us here. We had already planned to ask you tonight and my aunt has just reminded me. She insists. We all insist, and when my parents know all about you they will insist... Now Jon and I are going to take you home and see that your fire is stoked up and your room is warm, and anyway we shall be sleeping in your house tonight as usual... Come with us, David and Peter. I can't lose you now. Don't go away."
So the four elder ones took her home and then, well wrapped up, they sat together on the wall outside the hotel as they had so often done. The sky was blazing with stars and a three-quarter moon hung over Winchelsea, Rye's sister Cinque Port, two miles to the west. There were lights down at Rye harbour and friendly lights in the windows of the Dolphin and in the houses lower down Trader's Street, and away on the horizon to the south-east the new light-house at Dungeness flashed its warning.
They sat in companionable silence with their arms round each other. Jon could feel Penny trembling against him. He tried to understand how she was feeling but could not find the words. Suddenly a big car with headlights dipped turned into Trader's Street and came slowly towards them. Penny turned to Jon, clung to him and kissed him impetuously.
"Stay with me, Jon. I want you to be with me," and as they walked hand in hand across the cobbles to meet her parents, Mrs. Warrender and the twins stepped on to the pavement from the Dolphin. There were a few moments of confusion as the "welcome banners", reading respectively "Welcome Home" and, surprisingly, "God Save England and ye Dolphin in ye Towne of Rye," were unfurled.
David and Peter suddenly found themselves alone. Nobody was looking at them as she pressed her cold cheek to his.
"Do you like Rye Royal better now?" he whispered. "When I first met the others and sat on this very wall I wished you were with me. Remember that I wrote and told you the others would like you to join the Club? Remember? I want you to like Rye too. Wherever we are together I'd like to think we'd come back here one day."
She raised her hand to his face and touched it softly.
"We will come here again, David. I do like it, but I'm sure it's something to do with you!"
The author hopes that you have enjoyed this story and would like to know what you think of it. You can write to him and he will answer your letter, which should be addressed to:
Malcolm Saville, c/o Armada Books, 14 St. James's Place, London S.W.1.
Malcolm Saville, Rye Royal
