CHAPTER 24
Next morning Uncle Bernard came to the Château, as they were now calling it, with Blanca. They all had breakfast together and waited for the police to arrive.
“Do you think we will have to tell the police about the buried treasure?” asked Jennifer.
“No,” replied Uncle Bernard, “It has nothing to do with the smugglers and there may not even be a treasure. When the police have finished with their forensics we will all be able to return to the moulin together.
The children answered all the police questions. They gave what descriptions they could and the twins were able to say that the two men at the moulin were definitely not the men at the beach. The others were able to confirm that the two men who had tied them up were not the same two who arrived at night to move the contraband to Paris.
The police thanked them all and said that, with their help they, and Uncle Bernard, would be able to break the drug smuggling ring that was working from Paris and using the isolated Atlantic sea coast as their dropping point. They had already traced the boat that the twins had seen on the beach.
Late in the afternoon when the police team had finished at the mill they all decided to return and test Thierry’s theory. Uncle Bernard and Aunty Izzy thought it highly unlikely that any treasure would have survived for over two hundred years, always supposing that the map really was from the early 1790s. It certainly looked old, but without proper scientific dating tests, they could not be sure.
They climbed to the top of the windmill taking the old wooden ladder with them. As they reached the top floor Thierry placed the ladder below the triangular panel where the sail mechanism would have been. He climbed to the top of the roof space and pushed the triangular door. Nothing happened. “It must open,” he said, and pushed again. This time the panel shifted and he could see into the dark space. He stepped off the top rung of the ladder into the small black space.
“Can you see up there?” asked Aunty Izzy.
“Yes, there are chinks of light where the roof tiles don’t quite fit. But the space is empty.” Just then he saw the small inspection panel.
“I can see something,” he called to the others. He crawled across the floor to the little panel and pulled it down. “There’s a box or something in here,” he said. He took the small casket and climbed down the stairs.
“The treasure!” he said.
Everyone gathered around while Thierry opened the lid. “Look,” he said, “there’s a keyhole but it’s not locked.”
They looked inside at the old sheets of papers, letters and quill pens. “It’s just a writing case,” exclaimed Aliénor “No treasure at all.”
“Let’s take the documents out,” said Uncle Bernard, “Maybe there is something hidden underneath them.”
But there was nothing more in the box. Suddenly Claire spoke, “The box is too thick.”
“She’s right,” said Uncle Bernard. “There must be a false bottom. You will make a first class detective young lady.” Jack was furious.
Aunty Izzy looked at the box. “If there is treasure I guess that whoever should have come back to get it didn’t make it.”
Thierry pulled the little wooden peg and the bottom drawer slid open. They all gasped. Inside were five pieces of jewellery and some gold coins. There were two necklaces in diamonds and pearls and three gold rings with emeralds and rubies.
“Wow!” said Jennifer and Aliénor.
“Cool!” said the twins.
“How very sad,” said Aunty Izzy, who seemed to be lost in thought, “I suppose Jeanne and the twins did not see their papa again.”
They all looked at her as if she had gone quite mad. “What did you say?” asked Uncle Bernard.
“Oh nothing, I was just daydreaming.”
But Jennifer understood what her aunt had said and suddenly remembered the story she had been reading. Could it possibly be that she and the twins were somehow bringing their ancient story to life, by having a summer holiday at the old Château?
When they got back to the Château they decided to look at Aunty Izzy’s painting. She had painted a young girl on a horse riding through the forest toward the now finished windmill.
“Who is she?” asked the twins.
“I don’t know. I just felt I had to paint her and when I did, I found that I could finish the windmill too. She helped me to finish my painting.”
Jenny suddenly remembered the tapestry in her room. She had intended to show it to her Aunt but in all the excitement of adventuring with Thierry and Aliénor she had forgotten. “Wait a minute. I’ve got something to show you,” said Jenny as she ran off to her room.
She returned and placed the tapestry on the table. They all stood around looking at it. “Apart from all the people, the hunters and knights in armour, and the damsel with the unicorn it looks just like your painting, Aunty Izzy,” said Jennifer.
“Well bless me, so it does. If you take out all the farming activity and just concentrate on the shapes, it is very similar. It even has the constellation of Orion pointing to the mill, just like my painting. But the tapestry isn’t finished,” replied her Aunt. “Look, there in the bottom right hand corner. The picture is blocked in faintly, a young girl on a horse, but it has not been embroidered. I wonder why it was left unfinished?” she said dreamily running her hand over the tapestry. Jennifer looked at the tapestry and remembered the girl on the beautiful palomino horse who had faded away before her eyes and then appeared in the mirror. She felt she knew that girl with her red hair and wondered what had happened to her that she came back to haunt their holiday. Her reverie was interrupted by Thierry’s voice.“Well at least your painting is finished. Maybe you were finishing the story for them.”
“Will we have to give the treasure to the police?” while they all looked at the tapestry Jack had been thinking of jewels.
“Well Jack, we will have to tell the authorities but, if nobody claims it, and I don’t think that is likely after such a long time, you will probably be able to keep it,” answered Uncle Bernard, “but it might takes months before we know for sure.”
Uncle Bernard took hold of Blanca and reminded them that they were invited to his birthday party at the lighthouse tomorrow evening. “We have a lot to celebrate,” he said as he left.