Amanda in England: The Missing Novel Read online

  “Do you have any more Vicky and Alice books?”

  “Sorry, no. They are hard to come by these days. You were lucky to get the one you did for such a good price. Soon they will be worth quite a few pounds.”

  “I saw a complete set at Osborne House today. Well, almost complete. Number 14 was missing.”

  The old man looked up in alarm. “Missing, you say. Oh my. That is not good. Who would do such a thing as steal from a museum?”

  “Well, we s–”

  “We have no idea sir,” interrupted Leah as she gave Amanda a warning glance. “I’m sure they will soon catch the thieves.”

  Just then Rupert stretched his legs, flexed his claws and produced a quiet meow. He sat up, looked around, jumped off the desk, ran around the stack of books and disappeared.

  Amanda wondered if Rupert knew something they didn’t.

  Chapter 5

  “I think we should have told the man about what we saw,” said Amanda after they left the bookstore, holding onto the two books she had just purchased.

  “We don’t know for sure if those kids stole the book. You just think you saw a book in that girl’s hand. You don’t want to mess with their sort, Amanda.” Leah tried to look serious.

  “What sort would that be then, miss?”

  Amanda and Leah stopped and turned around. The girl with the pink Mohawk stood right behind them, holding the cat from the bookstore.

  “What are you doing with Rupert? You better not hurt him. And why did you steal the book from the nursery at Osborne House?” Amanda walked up to the girl and tried to take Rupert out of her hands.

  “Hold on, Amanda from Canada.” With a firm grip on the cat, the girl stepped back.

  Just then the boy with the tattoos came around the corner. “Wot’s goin’ on?”

  The girl pointed her finger at Amanda. “She’s accusing me of catnapping and stealing a book.”

  The boy laughed out loud. “Don’t be daft. Rylee here’d never hurt a cat and as far as stealin’ a book, well - she can’t actually read.”

  “Liam! I can too read. I just wouldn’t steal a book.” She punched him on the shoulder. Rupert squirmed in her arms.

  Leah looked up and down the empty, shadowy street. “Amanda, let’s just go.”

  Amanda ignored her. “So, what were you doing hiding in the bushes at Osborne House then? It looked like you had a book in your hand.”

  “Tell her, Liam.”

  “By all means. Ya see, we weren’t hidin’ in the bushes. We were havin’ a little picnic. And we brought along a book of poetry to read. Didn’t we, Rylee?”

  “Oh, Liam, stop messing about and just tell her the truth.” Rupert pushed her arm away with his front paws and jumped down. He ran off into the darkness.

  “Now look, you made him run off again.”

  “He’ll just go back to Uncle Charlie’s bookstore. He’ll be all right,” said Liam.

  “The bookstore belongs to your Uncle?” Amanda looked surprised.

  “Yeh, he’s had it for years. He should retire but he won’t, so Mum has me come over and help him on occasion. This is my girlfriend, Rylee. She helps out, sometimes. We just like to hang out at the big house, see how the rich folk used to live, like. The security guards don’t much care for us. Guess ’cause of how we look. They think we’re wasters.” He looked right at Leah and winked. She blushed.

  “Look, we didn’t steal no book. Rylee had a book with her from the book shop to read on the bus. We can get all the books we want from Uncle Charlie; why’d we steal one? D’you wanna come for a soda?’

  “Sure,” said Amanda.

  “Sorry, we have to meet my dad in a couple of minutes,” said Leah at the same time.

  “Well then, maybe another time.” Liam shrugged. He and Rylee turned to walk back toward the bookstore.

  “Are you completely mental?” seethed Leah. “They could be dangerous or get us involved in some weird book stealing scam.”

  “They seem OK to me. Besides Liam is the nephew of the bookstore owner. He can’t be that bad.”

  “I’m not sure I actually believe them. Look, here’s Dad. I’m starved.”

  Back at the bed and breakfast, Amanda pulled out the books she had purchased at the bookstore. One was about cats. She loved cats and would have liked one as a pet, but her mom was allergic. She leafed through the book and stopped at a page with a picture of a grey and black striped, long-haired tabby with tufts at the top of his ears and a ruff around his neck.

  “Look at this, Leah. Doesn’t this look just like Rupert?”

  “I guess so. He is big and fluffy like Rupert.”

  “It says here they are called Maine Coon cats; they are extremely friendly and cuddly, loyal like dogs and love to be around people. They are also more intelligent than regular cats and easy to train.”

  “That’s probably why he likes living in a bookstore.” Leah peered over Amanda’s shoulder. “It also says they are known to be quite mischievous when bored and can use their front paws for many things. I noticed how he got out of that girl’s grasp by pushing her arm with his front paws. Rupert - the smart, dexterous bookstore cat.”

  “What do you mean, dexterous?”

  “You’re the bookish one. I would have thought you’d know.” Leah grinned.

  “Have you ever had a cat, Leah?”

  “Yeh, once when I was only little. She died and I was sad. Her name was Priscilla. We never got another one because we started moving around with dad’s work.”

  The girls sat on the edge of the bed looking through the book to see if they could find one that looked like Leah’s cat. They forgot all about the missing book for the time being.

  Chapter 6

  A sharp knock on the door disturbed Amanda’s dream. “Wake up girls. It’s almost time to go. Look lively.”

  “Ooh – Dad, do we have to get up so early?” moaned Leah.

  “If Amanda still wants to go for a sailboat ride, you do.”

  “Yes. Yes, I do.” Amanda pushed aside the warm covers and swung her legs out of the bed.

  “Really, Amanda, why do you want to go out on the silly sailboat?”

  “Because I’ve never been on one before. Remember, I live in the middle of the Canadian prairies where there is no large body of water and no sailboats. This would be a dream come true for me.”

  “All right then.” Leah gave a big stretch and smiled. “The things I do for you, honestly. We’ll be down in a minute, Dad.”

  The early morning, thirty minute drive to the dock delighted Amanda. They passed thatched roofed cottages with giant rhododendron bushes in the yards and purple wisteria dangling from the eaves. She expected to see elves running around the bright green lawns and hiding under the toadstools.

  They pulled into a small village and parked the car near a murky canal where many boats were lined up, patiently waiting to make their way out to the sea. The cool air smelled salty and fishy.

  Mr. Anderson handed Leah some money and said, “You two should get something to eat while I fit the new piece of equipment. It should only take me an hour and then we can go out.” He looked up at the darkening sky. “If the weather doesn’t turn bad, that is.”

  Amanda felt a chill breeze; she zipped up her hoodie as they started down an old street. They passed an ancient looking building with a green and white sign swinging from a hook. Amanda stopped to read the sign:

  GOD’S PROVIDENCE HOUSE 1701

  “Leah, can you believe this building has been around since 1701?”

  “Yeah, so what. That’s not even that old.” Leah shrugged her shoulders.

  “Well it sure seems old to me. Where I come from nothing is more than a hundred years old. If these walls could talk, I bet they would have some great stories to tell.”

  “This looks like a good place to get some breakfast.” Leah stopped in front of a bakery with mouth watering pastries in the window. The warm smell of fresh baking and coffee greeted them as they enter
ed the cozy, crowded shop.

  While Amanda enjoyed her hot chocolate and blueberry muffin, she checked out the other customers. Two old guys with fishing gear sat in a corner discussing the weather. A young couple held hands as they sipped their tea and looked into each others eyes. ‘I bet they’re newlyweds,’ thought Amanda. Surrounded by shopping bags overflowing with vegetables, bread, pastries and books, a woman with grey hair and round glasses sat reading a book. She looked at her watch, closed her book and put it in one of the bags, which fell over causing other books to tumble out. Amanda rushed over to help her.

  “No! It’s OK. I’ve got it.” The woman picked up the scattered books and shoved them in a bag. Amanda thought she glimpsed a Vicky and Alice book amongst the assortment. The woman struggled out of the bakery with her bulging bags hitting the backs of her legs.

  “That’s strange,” said Amanda when she came back to the table. “I’m sure she had a Vicky and Alice book in there she didn’t want me to see.”

  “You sure do have an active imagination, Amanda. Let’s go if you’re finished.”

  The girls passed an old church just as the bells began to chime. Amazed at the view of the stone exterior, Amanda stared up at a carved angel smiling down at her from a window while carvings of heads perched on corners. Amanda wondered who they represented.

  She glanced at a doorway. There stood the woman from the bakery. Nervously, the woman looked both ways as if expecting someone. Amanda wanted to ask her about the book, but thought better of it as Leah had kept walking and was quite a ways ahead.

  Amanda caught up to Leah as she neared the graveyard beside the church.

  “Can we stop and look at the gravestones?” asked Amanda.

  “What? Why do you want to look at gravestones?”

  “I love looking at the dates and inscriptions. I bet there are some real old ones here.”

  Leah looked at her and shook her head. “You never cease to amaze me. I figured you were curious and bookish but now I find you’re morbid too.”

  Tombstones were scattered about, most of them bent forward or backward. Some large and ornate while others small and plain. Most of the writing was worn off, but Amanda found one that read Amelia Burns 1792 – 1804. She felt a chill run through her body when she realized the person was her age when she died. She couldn’t help wonder what the young girl died of.

  The peaceful cemetery smelt of freshly mown grass. Among the many large trees, a huge weeping willow stood in a corner providing protection for the dead.

  Leah shouted to Amanda, “Over here, you’ll want to see these.”

  Leah stood in a field of daisies. When Amanda joined her she discovered even older gravestones hidden amongst the tall grass and flowers. The writing was completely worn off and chunks had fallen away from the stones. She could barely read a date of sixteen something on one marker. Amanda had never seen such old tombstones. She shivered. The sun had gone behind an ominous cloud.

  Amanda felt like she was being watched. ‘It must be being around all these dead people,’ she thought.

  Then she saw some movement in the trees. “Leah, did you see that?”

  “What?”

  “Someone’s in the trees watching us.”

  “There goes that imagination again. I better get you out of here before you start to spook me too.” Leah grabbed Amanda by the arm and then let out a scream as a large cat ran in front, almost tripping them, and disappeared behind a gravestone.

  A dishevelled older man emerged from behind the willow tree flailing his arms and shouting, “Rupert, come back here this instant.”

  Chapter 7

  “It’s Uncle Charlie from the bookstore. What’s he doing here?” asked a shocked Amanda as they watched the old man chase Rupert around old gravestones and disappear down the street. “He must have been hiding behind that tree all the time. Do you think he was spying on us?”

  Leah shook her head. “Perhaps he was waiting for someone. Who knows? All I know, it’s none of our affair.”

  Amanda stared at the huge willow tree. “I think he left something behind.” She walked over to investigate. “Leah, look at this – a bag of books. Now why would he be hiding behind a tree, in a graveyard – with a bag of books? This is all too weird.”

  “Like I said, it’s none of our concern. We must be getting back to the boat.” Leah turned toward the dock.

  Amanda picked up the bag of books and followed her.

  When they got to the boat, Leah noticed the bag in Amanda’s hand, “What are you planning to do with those?”

  “We need to get them back to Uncle Charlie when we return to Cowes. Don’t we?”

  “You should have just left them, Amanda. Dad, can we have the keys to the car so we can put something in the boot before we go for a sail?”

  “Go ahead, love. It’s open,” shouted Mr. Anderson from inside the boat. “We’re almost ready to set sail. Make sure you put on your life jackets before coming aboard.”

  After donning the lifejackets, the girls boarded the boat called Shelagh. “That is so cool you named the boat after your wife, Mr. Anderson. I like the way it’s spelled too. I’m used to the name being spelled S-h-e-i-l-a.”

  “It’s the old Gaelic spelling. It wouldn’t have done to name the boat after a former girlfriend, would it?” Leah’s dad winked as he held out his hand to help Amanda onto the boat. “Welcome aboard, have a look around.”

  Amanda followed Leah down short wooden stairs into a small room that looked like a mini kitchen.

  “This is the galley,” reported Leah, “and this is the head.”

  “Wow, that’s the smallest bathroom I have ever seen. It’s so cute.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it that. Here are the instructions if you need to use the toilet. Listen carefully because Dad gets awful angry if we mess up the toilet. First fill it with water by pushing this lever to the left.” Leah demonstrated. “Then when you are finished, push the lever to the right to flush it. And never, ever, throw tissue in the toilet, put it in the basket. Did you get that?”

  “Sure, left to fill with water, right to flush and no tissue in the toilet.” Amanda hoped she didn’t have to use it in case she messed up. She didn’t want to make Mr. Anderson angry after he had been so kind to her. She had trouble imagining him angry though.

  “OK girls, we’re almost ready. Put the tea kettle in the sink and make sure there’s nothing loose. We don’t want things to go flying.” Mr. Anderson studied a large map while listening to a radio that crackled, making it hard to understand. “Good, we are at 16 knots - that’s a good wind speed. Sounds like the weather should hold out.”

  “What’s 16 knots and what do all those swirly lines and arrows mean on the map? Could we get lost in the ocean?”

  Leah’s dad scratched his head, “Well, 16 knots is the speed we will be going. Just like cars go miles per hour, or, I guess you would say kilometres per hour. 16 knots would be equivalent to 30 kilometres per hour. The map is called a chart and it just keeps us on track. There is no danger of us getting lost this close to land so don’t worry, Amanda. Your Captain knows what he’s doing.” Mr. Anderson picked up a pair of binoculars and a hand held radio. “All set, crew? Let’s go.”

  “You can help me take the covers off the sails,” said Leah as she jumped on top of the boat. Together the girls unsnapped the covers and put them safely away. Then Leah pulled up large rubber cylinders hanging from the side of the boat as her dad started the engine. She untied a rope that kept the boat tied to the dock and shouted, “All clear!” as they pulled away. Leah impressed Amanda with how she knew her way around a sailboat.

  Leah handed Amanda one of the rubber tubes and said, “Could you please put this fender behind your seat.” Amanda made a note to remember they were called fenders, kind of like fenders on a car.

  Amanda couldn’t believe she was actually on a sailboat as they left the dock and went through a narrow opening piled high with rocks on each side
. The rocks were covered with seagulls as if hired to watch the boats come in and out. Suddenly, they were out in open water. The wind caught Amanda’s hair and whipped it around. The boat lurched. It felt like she was riding a camel again.

  Mr. Anderson put on a pair of gloves without fingers and took the straps off the mainsail. He hit a button and the sail went up, flapping around like a frightened bird. When the sail filled with wind, it looked like a large, white pillow. He turned a lever on a round metal post circled with rope and the tightly rolled up, front sail unfurled. With two sails up, they glided out into the ocean.

  Soon Amanda’s tummy got used to bobbing up and down with the boat. She watched the foamy, white tipped waves lap along the sides of the Shelagh. She listened to the creaking sounds of the sails as they did their job moving the boat forward. ‘This is how it must have been for the ancient explorers as they crossed the ocean looking for new lands,’ she thought.

  The boat tilted over and Amanda slid all the way over to the other side. A couple of huge waves came up over the boat soaking her.

  Leah laughed. “So, how do you like sailing now?”

  “It’s fun,” laughed Amanda as she wiped the water off her glasses. She licked her lips and tasted the salty water.

  Mr. Anderson stood behind a large wheel in the centre of the boat. “Would you like to steer, Amanda?”

  “Gosh, could I?”

  “Sure. Here you go. Just turn it a little to the left and a bit to the right. There, you are doing it.”

  Amanda held onto the huge wheel and concentrated on what she was doing. “OMG, this is so exciting. I never thought I would be steering a boat.”

  The sky darkened. Leah’s dad said, “We had better turn back. I don’t like the look of those clouds. It could get nasty out here. We’re going to tack now so watch out for the boom.”

  “What? What is tack? What is boom?” asked a puzzled Amanda.

  “When we tack, we change the direction of the sails and the boom is this pole coming toward you – duck!”