‘Someone has stolen her then,’ said Violet, a look of horror crossing her face. ‘It’s the only explanation.’
‘But who would steal her?’ asked Faith in astonishment.
‘You’d be surprised,’ said Violet solemnly. ‘She is very valuable, and anyone who knows anything about cats would be able to tell that at once. Someone could have been passing and looked in through the fence when we were exercising her, and made up their mind to take her.’
‘Yes, but how on earth would they have got in to the school?’ asked Faith, not quite convinced.
‘It wouldn’t be too difficult,’ said Violet. ‘Why, there are often strangers here, if you think about it. Only yesterday a man came to mend the piano. And there are always butchers and bakers and so on delivering food to the kitchen.’
‘I suppose that’s true,’ said Faith. ‘Or perhaps one of the maids could have discovered her. I don’t think that they earn an awful lot of money, you know.’
‘I never even thought of that,’ said Violet, looking quite horrified. ‘Faith, we must get Miss Grayling to telephone the police at once!’
‘We can’t,’ said Faith. ‘If you tell Miss Grayling that you have been keeping your pet cat here all these weeks she’ll be simply furious. Why, she might even expel you. No, Violet, we must solve this ourselves.’
‘Yes, I suppose that we must,’ said Violet, close to tears. ‘Poor, dear Willow, I do hope that she hasn’t come to any harm.’
In fact, Willow was very comfortable indeed. Daffy and Katie – for it was they who had taken her – had found her a home in an old shed behind North Tower that was no longer used. The two girls had lined a cardboard box with a blanket, and had made sure that the cat had plenty of food and water.
‘We’ll have to exercise her, too,’ said Daffy as they watched the cat settle in. ‘But we must be jolly careful that no one spots us.’
Katie said nothing, for although she had gone along with Daffy’s plan, she didn’t feel at all happy about it, and said so.
‘I don’t like it, Daffy. It’s stealing!’
‘Of course it’s not, silly,’ laughed Daffy, brushing this aside. ‘We are going to give Willow back to Violet, in a few days, so how can it possibly be stealing? I’m just teaching her a lesson, that’s all.’
‘Well, I wish you had thought of another way,’ said Katie miserably. ‘I think it’s rather a cruel thing to do, to both Violet and Willow. And I don’t see why you had to put Queenie in Willow’s place!’
‘Oh, that was just for a joke,’ said Daffy. ‘Dear Violet is such a little snob I just wanted to picture her expression when she found a common moggy like Queenie in her precious Willow’s place.’
But Katie was not in the mood to be amused, saying worriedly, ‘I expect that Violet will have discovered Willow is missing by now.’
Katie was not at all reassured when she saw Violet’s pale, stricken face in the Maths lesson a short while later. As for Miss Potts, she was so alarmed by the girl’s appearance that she wanted to send her straight back to Matron.
‘It’s quite all right, Miss Potts,’ said Violet, struggling to speak normally. ‘I would rather be in class.’
Miss Potts, who had dismissed Violet as spoilt and lazy, was encouraged that she was showing some strength of character, and said kindly, ‘Very well, but you are not to overdo things. Just sit quietly and read your book, Violet, while I go through some sums on the blackboard with the others.’
‘Are you quite sure that you are all right, Violet?’ asked Jenny, in the common-room that evening. ‘You’ve been awfully quiet all day.’
Violet exchanged a glance with Faith, who said, ‘I think that you should tell the others what has happened. After all, the more people who are looking out for Willow, the more chance you have of finding her.’
So, her voice almost breaking, Violet told the others what had happened to Willow. Of course, there was a perfect outcry.
‘Who on earth would do such a mean thing?’
‘Don’t worry, Violet, old girl. I feel quite certain that no harm will come to Willow.’
‘Yes, do try not to worry, Violet, though it must be awfully difficult not to.’
Daffy did not add her voice to the others. She had hoped to let Ivy and one or two others in on the joke, and suddenly realised that they would not think it was funny. For the first time, the enormity of what she had done was beginning to dawn on her, and she was regretting her actions. What was more, she felt a pang of conscience as she looked at Violet’s pale, unhappy face, and very uncomfortable it was too!
‘Well, the whole of the first form is behind you, Violet,’ said Ivy. ‘If there is anything we can do to help find Willow, we will do it.’
There were murmurs of agreement from everyone, even Daffy and Katie, who thought that they had better say something, or it would look very suspicious! But both girls felt sick with guilt.
Meanwhile, there had been drama in the sixth form, too. It had happened in Miss Oakes’s English class when Alice, who, Felicity noticed, had been looking rather peaky, stood up to go to the mistress’s desk. The girl swayed on her feet, gave a moan, and then crumpled to the floor.
‘Good heavens!’ cried Miss Oakes. ‘June, go and fetch Matron at once, please.’
June sped from the room, returning a few moments later with Matron. Alice had revived a little by this time, and was sitting up, while Miss Oakes bent over the girl, holding her hand.
‘Well, now, what have we here?’ said Matron in her brisk but kindly way as she bustled in. ‘My goodness, Alice, you do look pale.’
She stooped and placed a cool hand on Alice’s hot forehead, saying, ‘Just as I thought, you’ve caught a dose of this nasty flu that’s going around. A few days’ rest in the San, and you will be as right as rain. Miss Oakes, do you think you could help me get Alice to her feet?’
‘Of course,’ said the mistress, taking one of the girl’s arms. Matron took the other and, between them, they helped Alice to stand up, though the girl looked as if she might have collapsed again, if it hadn’t been for the support of Matron’s strong arm around her waist.
Matron helped Alice from the room, and Felicity said, ‘Poor old Alice! She looked awfully white.’
‘Well, she is in good hands with Matron,’ said Miss Oakes. ‘I only hope that none of you others have caught the flu.’
Lucy and Gillian had already gone down with it, but were now back in class, feeling ‘as good as new’, as Lucy put it. The others, however, had escaped the illness and, over the next few days, didn’t let the fear of catching it put them off visiting Alice.
Matron would not allow any visitors on the day that she had been taken ill, but the following afternoon she announced that Alice was feeling a little better and might have two visitors. So, shortly before tea, Susan and Pam went along to the San, and were pleased to see Alice sitting up in bed, with a little more colour in her cheeks. She had been given a little room of her own, just off the main San, Matron explaining, ‘I have two second formers and one first former recovering rapidly in the main San, and as Alice needs peace and quiet, I thought that she would be better off in here on her own.’
‘Poor old thing!’ said Pam, handing the girl a bottle of barley sugar.
‘The others all send their love,’ said Susan. ‘I shall be able to tell them that you are looking a little better.’
‘I feel a little better, too,’ said Alice with a weak smile. ‘Matron has taken such good care of me. It’s awfully dull, though, sitting here in bed, with nothing to do.’
‘Well, Felicity is coming to see you tomorrow,’ said Pam. ‘I shall ask her to bring you a book.’
The three girls chatted amiably, until Matron came to shoo Susan and Pam out, saying, ‘Alice is going to have some tea now, and then I hope that she will get a good night’s sleep.’
Matron escorted them out, and, once they were back in the main San, Susan suddenly remembered something.
??
?Matron!’ she said. ‘Did anyone ever claim that locket that Felicity and I handed in to you? The one with the initials JJ on it?’
‘Yes, someone did, as a matter of fact,’ answered Matron.
‘Who was it?’ asked Susan curiously. ‘Apart from Julia Jenks, Felicity and I simply couldn’t think of anyone with those initials.’
But, before Matron could answer, one of the second formers yelled out and demanded her attention.
‘I’m coming, Jane!’ called Matron. ‘And I’m not deaf! There really is no need to shout quite so loudly!’ Then she turned back to the sixth formers, shaking her head. ‘Honestly, girls, these youngsters are running me ragged. Tell Felicity that she may come and see Alice tomorrow.’
‘Blow!’ said Susan, as she and Pam stepped out into the corridor. ‘I never did find out who the mysterious locket belonged to.’
‘Mysterious locket?’ said Pam, raising her eyebrows. ‘Do tell.’
Susan told the girl all about the locket that she and Felicity had found, and Pam laughed, saying, ‘Didn’t it occur to you that the locket might have been handed down to one of the girls by her mother or grandmother? The initials on it could have belonged to them, and not to whoever owns it now.’
‘Of course!’ said Susan, her brow clearing. ‘I never thought of that. What a shame, I thought that we had stumbled on a good mystery.’
In the first-form dormitory that evening, Katie took Daffy aside as the girls got ready for bed.
‘Daffy, even you must realise that we can’t keep Willow away from Violet any longer. We must put her back in the box-room.’
‘I know,’ said Daffy, looking slightly shamefaced. ‘I only meant it as a joke, to pay Violet back for spoiling the feast, but I realise now that I shouldn’t have done it. Don’t worry, though, Katie, we will simply sneak Willow back into the room when no one is around. And nobody will ever guess that we had anything to do with it.’
Alas for the two girls, sneaking Willow back into the room proved more difficult than either of them had anticipated. The following morning, they discovered that one of the maids had taken it into her head to sweep the landing just outside the box-room, and they had to retreat hastily down the stairs before Willow, wriggling violently inside Katie’s coat, escaped.
‘I’m sure that landing hasn’t been swept for weeks,’ said Daffy crossly as they took the cat back to the shed. ‘Why on earth did someone have to decide to clean it today, of all days?’
‘Well, we have half an hour free this afternoon,’ said Katie. ‘We can try again then.’
But once more the girls’ plans went awry, as they had to spend their free half hour explaining the disappearance of some new stockings to Matron.
‘Perhaps we should slip out tonight, when everyone is asleep,’ said Daffy. ‘At least we know that no one will be sweeping the landing then, and we will be safe from Matron!’
But Katie had made up her mind that she was going to think twice before becoming involved in any more of her friend’s madcap schemes, and she said firmly, ‘No! We will just have to wait until tomorrow.’
‘No, we won’t!’ said Daffy suddenly. ‘Why, we don’t have to get Willow back into the box-room ourselves at all! We will send Violet an anonymous note, telling her that Willow is in the shed. Then she can do it herself.’
‘Yes!’ cried Katie. ‘Why didn’t we think of that before?’
That afternoon, while the two first formers composed a carefully worded note to Violet, Felicity was leaving the San, having paid a visit to Alice.
‘Thank goodness you have brought me something to keep me occupied,’ Alice had said, taking the book that Felicity had brought her. ‘I have slept nearly all day, and I’m quite sure that I shall be awake all night.’
‘Well, don’t let Matron catch you reading late at night,’ Felicity had warned with a laugh. ‘Or you’ll be for the high jump!’
‘Felicity!’ called out Matron as she saw the girl leave Alice’s room. ‘Will you take some mending back to Amy for me, please? Why the silly girl persists in darning brown stockings with coloured wool I don’t know, for she knows I will only return them to her. Go and wait in my room, while I just give the youngsters their medicine, and I will be with you in a moment.’
Felicity went into Matron’s cosy little room, grimacing as she looked at the big bottles of medicine that stood neatly on the shelves. Matron also had lots of photographs pinned up on her walls, of various forms at Malory Towers throughout the years. Felicity smiled as she saw a photograph of her sister, Darrell, and June’s cousin, Alicia, when they had been first formers. And, heavens, there was a photograph of Felicity and her friends when they had been in the second form. How young they all looked! Suddenly, Felicity’s glance rested on someone in the front row of the photograph and her smile froze, as she gave a gasp. She took a step forward, to get a closer look, her heart beating fast. It couldn’t be – could it? But it was, there was no doubt. Now Felicity knew exactly who Alice was!
17
A most dramatic night
Daffy and Katie had put the note they had written to Violet in the girl’s desk.
‘She will find it tomorrow morning,’ said Daffy. ‘And will rush off to get Willow at lunchtime. Then all our problems will be at an end.’
But Daffy was wrong, for Violet slipped into the empty class-room before tea, to get a book that she needed for prep, and found the note then.
Who on earth could it be from, the girl wondered, ripping open the envelope and pulling out the sheet of paper inside. Her heart pounded, as she read:
Come to the disused shed behind North Tower at 12. Come alone, do not tell ANYONE where you are going, and you will get your cat back.
Violet gave a gasp. Why, it sounded almost like a ransom note – except that whoever had written it had not demanded money.
Of course, Daffy hadn’t expected Violet to find the note until tomorrow, and meant her to go to the shed at lunchtime. But Violet thought that she was supposed to be there at midnight tonight!
The thought of going out alone at midnight to meet the kidnappers was very frightening indeed. Heavens, what if the person who wrote the note was waiting for her? What if she ended up being kidnapped as well? Violet hastily stuffed the note into her pocket, and went to tea, slipping into her seat beside Faith.
She longed to confide in the girl, but it was too dangerous. The kidnappers had said that she wasn’t to tell ANYONE.
I know what I shall do! thought Violet. I will write Faith a note and put it on her bedside cabinet, before I go out to meet the kidnappers. Then, if I don’t come back, she will read it in the morning and raise the alarm.
Poor Violet felt so scared that she could hardly eat any tea. But, although she was very frightened, the thought of not going never even occurred to her. All that mattered was getting her precious Willow back.
At the sixth-form table, Felicity also had something on her mind, and Susan, who had spoken to her twice without getting a reply, said, ‘Felicity, what on earth is the matter with you? You’ve been in a perfect daze since you went to visit Alice.’
‘Sorry,’ said Felicity with a rueful smile. ‘It’s just that I found something out, and I’m rather puzzled about it.’
‘Well, are you going to tell me what it is?’ asked Susan curiously.
‘Yes, but I need to tell the others as well,’ said Felicity. She raised her voice, and said, ‘Listen, everyone! Please can you all come to my study after prep? There is something that I need to talk to you about.’
Everyone agreed at once, and wondered what it was that Felicity had to say to them. She looked awfully serious!
It was very crowded in Felicity’s study that evening as the sixth formers poured in, all of them feeling very curious indeed. Felicity opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out a photograph, which she placed on the desk.
‘I borrowed this from Matron,’ she said. ‘Take a look.’
‘My goodness, it’s us when we wer
e second formers!’ gasped Nora.
‘Look, June, there you are in the back row,’ said Freddie. ‘You’ve hardly changed a bit.’
But June wasn’t looking at herself. She was looking at a plump girl in the front row and, as the truth dawned, her eyes met Felicity’s.
‘This is all very nice,’ said Julie. ‘But I don’t understand why you have asked us here to look at an old photograph.’
‘I do,’ said June. ‘Take a look at the girl next to Pam, in the front row.’
‘I remember her!’ said Susan. ‘Josephine Jones. What a horrible girl she was. I remember …. Oh, my goodness! It’s her, isn’t it? It’s Alice!’
‘Of course it’s not Alice!’ scoffed Delia, looking over Susan’s shoulder. ‘That girl is plump and Alice is thin. And she is fair, while Alice has brown hair.’
‘People can lose weight,’ said Bonnie, looking at the photo critically. ‘And change their hair colour. But they can’t change their faces, and that is most definitely Alice’s face.’
‘There’s no doubt about it,’ said Gillian. ‘Just look at the eyes. It’s Alice, all right.’
‘Of course, that would explain why she wore glasses with plain glass in them!’ said Felicity. ‘To try and disguise herself a bit.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Amy, with a puzzled frown. ‘Are you saying that Alice and this Josephine are one and the same? If that is true, why would she try and disguise herself and change her name?’
‘Because she knew that we wouldn’t want her back here,’ said Nora rather scornfully. ‘Of course, you girls who joined us higher up the school won’t know the story, but Jo was an awful girl – conceited, boastful and thought that she could do as she pleased. She was expelled in the end, after running away and taking a first former with her.’
‘My goodness!’ said Lucy, looking most astonished. ‘That doesn’t sound like Alice at all.’
‘I don’t understand why Jo – Alice – whatever you want to call her, would want to come back here,’ said Pam. ‘She didn’t fit in, and no one liked her. It doesn’t make sense.’