“You can just lay your hands on his shoulders,” Hannah suggested. “I think that will be fine.”
Mr. Worthington stood and stared angrily at Hannah. Several seconds passed and the children wondered what he would do. At last he unbuckled the belt on which the sword hung. Then he looked sternly at Jonathan. “You’d best be very careful with that sword, young man,” he said, his voice low. “If anything happens to it, you will be to blame.”
Jonathan nodded seriously, but a trace of a smile was on his face, as if what Mr. Worthington was saying amused him.
Then Mr. Worthington turned to Hannah. “I am still the rightful owner of that sword.”
Hannah shook her head. “No, Richard, I am. Remember, I told you I got it from my parents before they died?”
But Richard Worthington just turned on his heel and strode angrily out of the tent.
As Jessie watched him go, she couldn’t help wondering why he was so attached to the sword. It didn’t really belong to him.
Hannah handed the sword to Jonathan. She smiled apologetically at the Aldens. “Actors can be very moody sometimes. Especially Richard.”
Jonathan studied the sword’s handle with the large red gem in the middle. He moved the sword up and down slightly as if measuring its weight. “This is much heavier than the one I was using before,” he said. He carefully touched the blade. “Not sharp,” he said. He waved it in front of him, a pleased look on his face.
Annie, too, was looking at the sword. “It is a remarkable sword,” she said. “Where did it come from?”
“My parents collected antiques,” Hannah explained. “I found all sorts of things in their attic after they died.”
“It looks very valuable,” Annie said.
Hannah nodded. “I’m sure it is.”
Jonathan smiled broadly, raising his eyebrows. “And now, rightful or not, I am the owner of the sword. It’s just what I need. Yes, exactly what I need.” Pretending he was sword-fighting, he raced out of the tent.
“I’m glad that’s solved,” said Hannah. “I just hope nothing else goes wrong.”
Violet noticed how tired Hannah looked. “We can help,” she offered. “We saw the sign asking for volunteers.”
Hannah smiled gently and put a hand on Violet’s shoulder. “That’s very kind of you, but I think you’re a little too young.”
“We’ve helped out in lots of places,” Henry insisted. “At an old library, a castle, a museum. We’re good helpers.”
Hannah looked at the Aldens, her hand on her chin. “What could you do here at the fair?”
“I know how to juggle and do gymnastics. Maybe I could be a jester,” Jessie said. “Jessie the Jester.” She laughed.
“And I play the violin,” Violet said. “I could stroll around playing before the show begins.”
“That would improve the show,” said Hannah, nodding. “Just one jester and the mandolin player won’t be enough when we have a full audience here.”
Annie, who had been standing quietly beside them, turned to Hannah. “I need someone to help me dress and do my hair for the show.”
“I could do that, too,” Violet said.
“Now how about the boys?” Hannah said.
“We’re all good cooks,” said Henry.
“We can always use more help in the kitchen,” Hannah said.
Annie had another idea. “Jonathan mentioned he could use some help putting on his armor.”
“Yes, Benny can be a page,” Hannah said. “I bet Jonathan will teach you some sword-fighting moves, too.”
Benny jumped up and down and spun around excitedly.
“And Henry can be a squire, working with the horses in the stable,” Hannah said.
“Great!” said Henry.
“Come on,” Hannah said. “I’ll show you around.”
The children learned that the tent they now stood in was the main tent, where the visitors would see the show. Hannah’s office was in a curtained-off section of the main tent. Then she took them outside and they strolled over toward three smaller tents. “These are for the actors who play the knights, king, and princess. This is where they get dressed and wait for the show to begin.”
Farther away was another, larger tent. As they walked, Hannah pointed in that direction. “That’s where we keep the horses.”
A smaller tent nearby held the costumes.
“Where do you make the food?” Jessie asked. She always thought about practical things.
Hannah turned toward a small building next to the main tent. “There’s a full kitchen in there—they use it for lots of different events here in the park.”
“It will be so much fun to work here,” said Violet.
“First you’d better check with your parents,” Hannah said.
“We’ll ask our grandfather,” Jessie told her. “We live with him. But I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Bring him to the show tonight,” Hannah suggested. “If he says it’s okay, you can start tomorrow.”
The Aldens hurried out of the tent, eager to get home and tell Grandfather about their new jobs.
When they were halfway home, Jessie said, “We were having so much fun, we forgot to eat our picnic lunch!”
“No wonder I’m so hungry,” said Benny.
CHAPTER 3
The Sword
When the Aldens got home, their dog, Watch, came running to the door to greet them.
“Hey, boy!” Jessie said, rubbing his ears.
Watch followed them as they ran to the kitchen where the housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor, was cutting up apples for a pie.
Everyone began to speak at once.
“Guess what’s at the Pleasant Valley Park!” cried Jessie.
“You’ll never believe what we just saw!” said Henry.
“They had jousting and knights—” said Benny.
“And a beautiful princess,” added Violet.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” said Mrs. McGregor, laughing. She sat down at the table and patted the chairs next to her. “Sit down and tell me what happened. One at a time.”
So the children told her all about the medieval fair, the Silver Knight, and King Richard and Princess Annabel.
“The manager of the fair offered us jobs,” said Jessie. “Do you think Grandfather will let us work there?”
“I’m sure he will,” said Mrs. McGregor. “Call him at his office.”
A moment later Henry was on the phone with Mr. Alden, telling him all about the fair. When he hung up, he turned to the others. “Grandfather thought it sounded great. He can’t wait to see the show tonight!”
That evening the Aldens returned to the park with Grandfather. They arrived early so they would have time to introduce him to Hannah. They found her in her office in the main tent.
“Hannah Greene, this is our grandfather, James Alden,” Henry said.
“Nice to meet you,” Hannah said, getting up from her desk. “Your grandchildren are lovely.”
“Thank you,” said Mr. Alden. “They’re very excited about helping here.”
“I’ve saved some seats for you in the front row,” said Hannah, leading them to their seats.
The Aldens sat down, and Hannah returned to her office. All around them people were finding their seats. Soon waitresses came in, dressed in long dark skirts and white blouses that laced in the front. They brought platters of food that they placed on the tables in front of each row of seats. The food was delicious—thick vegetable soup, crusty rolls, juicy roasted chicken, and flaky apple tarts. It was fun to drink the soup and eat everything else with their fingers.
As the Aldens were finishing their meal, the lights dimmed and they heard a trumpet flourish. The show was beginning.
This time the show went smoothly. Jonathan fought the Blue Knight and won, his new sword gleaming in the spotlight. At the end of the evening, since he had no sword, King Richard rested his hands gently on Jonathan’s shoulders. The audience cheered and the lights came back u
p in the tent.
“What did you think?” Jessie asked.
“It was wonderful!” Mr. Alden said. “Very exciting.”
“Would you like to meet some of the actors?” Violet asked. “They’re all so nice.”
“Sure,” said Grandfather.
The Aldens left the big tent and stepped out into the night. It seemed very dark after the bright lights inside, and there was even some fog swirling around. As they headed toward Annie’s tent, they saw a knight walking far ahead of them. He was headed toward the stable, carrying a large bundle.
“Is that Jonathan?” Benny asked.
“Looks like him,” said Jessie. “Same armor and silver jersey.
Benny started running into the darkness, following the knight.
“Wait a minute,” Henry said. “No sense running around in the fog. He’s sure to come back this way.”
When they reached Annie’s tent, it was empty.
“I guess she already left,” Violet said.
“Let’s try to find Jonathan,” Benny suggested.
The Aldens walked in the direction they’d seen Jonathan going, but there was still no sign of him. When they arrived at the big tent that served as a stable, they stepped inside. The air smelled strongly of horses. Half walls had been put up to divide the tent into individual stalls for the horses. The men who worked in the stable were settling the horses in for the night. They were pitching hay from a large pile into the horses’ stalls. The Silver Knight was nowhere to be seen.
“Did the Silver Knight—I mean, Jonathan—come in here?” Henry asked the men.
The two men shook their heads. “We’ve been pretty busy taking the armor off the horses,” the taller man said. “He might have come in, but we didn’t see him.”
“Thanks,” said Henry.
“That’s strange,” said Jessie. “He was walking back this way. Where else could he have gone?”
“There are no other tents back this far,” Violet pointed out.
“Well, it’s getting late. Time to head home,” Grandfather said.
As they left the stable they saw a figure ahead of them, walking away.
It was still foggy on the path, but Violet recognized Annie. “Annie!” she called.
Annie turned around. She seemed startled.
“It’s us—the Aldens,” said Henry.
“Oh—oh. You surprised me,” Annie said, coming toward them.
“Annie Shore, this is our grandfather, James Alden,” Henry said.
“I am pleased to meet such an elegant princess,” Grandfather said.
Violet didn’t think Annie looked very much like a princess now. She was wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair hung limp, with bits of hay in it.
Annie laughed. “It’s a fun job. It pays the bills. I’m saving up for college.”
“That can be very expensive,” Grandfather said.
“Yes,” said Annie. “I’ve been saving for a long time.”
“Have you seen Jonathan?” Benny asked.
“Not since the show ended,” Annie said.
“We saw him walking to the stable, but then he disappeared,” said Jessie.
“We wanted to introduce our grandfather to him,” Henry explained.
“Try the knights’ tent,” Annie suggested. “Good night!” She headed off toward her own tent.
When the Aldens arrived at the knights’ tent, Jessie called, “Jonathan, are you in there?”
“Sure, come on in,” Jonathan called back.
The tent was the size of a large room and contained several chairs and tables. Suits of armor hung on stands throughout the tent. Like Annie, Jonathan had changed out of his costume into jeans and a T-shirt.
“We were following you out toward the stable,” Benny said. “But we lost you.”
“The stable?” Jonathan looked confused. “I was just in here, changing.”
“We want you to meet our grandfather,” said Henry. “This is James Alden. And this is the Silver Knight, Jonathan Fairbanks.”
“I really enjoyed the show,” Grandfather said.
“Thanks,” said Jonathan. “You’ve got some excellent grandchildren.”
“And you’re an excellent horseman,” Mr. Alden replied. “Looks like you’ve been riding all your life.”
Jonathan smiled with pride. “Actually, I just learned for this show. I wanted to be part of this medieval fair so I could …” His voice trailed off. He looked as if he had suddenly changed his mind about what he was going to say. He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the show. See you tomorrow.” Jonathan walked out quickly. The Aldens were left staring after him.
“That was strange,” said Henry. “He was so friendly this afternoon. But tonight he didn’t seem to want to talk.”
“He’s probably just tired,” said Grandfather.
Benny yawned loudly.
“Looks as if someone else is tired, too,” said Mr. Alden. “Let’s go home.”
The next day the Aldens arrived at the park in the mid-afternoon, ready to help with the show. After the successful show the night before, they were surprised to find everyone in an uproar.
“Boy, am I glad you’re here,” Hannah said when she spotted the Aldens. Her face looked gray and worried. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“What’s going on?” Jessie asked.
Hannah shook her head, gazing off into the distance. “How could I have been so stupid?” she muttered to herself.
The Aldens looked at each other, confused.
“What—?” Violet began.
“I should never have let him use it. I should have known something would go wrong,” Hannah went on.
“Let who use what?” asked Benny.
“What’s gone wrong?” asked Jessie.
Hannah blinked. “Something terrible has happened,” she said. “The sword is missing.”
CHAPTER 4
Mysteries Are Our Specialty
“The sword is missing?” Jessie repeated.
“Yes,” said Hannah. “We’ve been looking for it all morning. How could I have used such a valuable sword for our show? It was so foolish of me!”
“Don’t say that,” said Violet gently. “You didn’t know this would happen.”
“Anyway, what are we going to do for tonight’s performance?” Hannah said. “It was bad enough yesterday having no sword for the king. But the Silver Knight certainly needs a sword. How else can he fight and win the princess?”
“Don’t worry about tonight’s show,” said Jessie. “We’ll get a sword.”
“But where?” Hannah asked. “We don’t have much time.”
“We’ve gotten things for Halloween at the costume shop in town,” Henry said. “We’ll walk over there right now.”
“I guess that is our only choice,” Hannah admitted.
“Sure,” said Jessie.
Hannah sighed gratefully. “I’ll give you some money.” She dug into the purse she was carrying. She pulled out her wallet and handed Jessie several bills. “There, that ought to be enough. Buy two swords, so King Richard can have one, too.”
Jessie took the money and tucked it into her backpack.
“Where could the sword be?” Henry wondered.
“I don’t know,” Hannah said, shaking her head. “We’ve looked everywhere. It’s a mystery.”
Jessie smiled. “You’re in luck. Mysteries are our specialty.”
“Maybe we should call the police,” Violet suggested.
“I’m afraid that will give our show bad publicity” said Hannah. “People may not want to come if they think there are thieves lurking about. I just wish I had the money to hire a private detective.”
“Don’t worry,” Benny told her. “We’ll figure it out.”
Hannah’s face softened for the first time that day. “I bet you will.”
“Before we go to the costume shop, do you mind if we look around a little bit to see if we can find the sword?”
Jessie asked.
“I hope you can find it,” Hannah said. “I’ll be in my office.”
When Hannah had left, the children looked at each other.
“Can you believe that beautiful sword is missing?” Violet said.
“What could have happened to it?” Henry wondered.
Jessie pulled a notebook and pen out of her backpack. She quickly flipped to a fresh page. “Let’s figure this out. Who had the sword last?”
“Jonathan used it last night in the show,” said Henry.
Jessie wrote that down in her notebook.
“We should talk to him first,” said Violet.
The Aldens walked to Jonathan’s tent. “Hello?” Henry called, poking his head in the flap.
“Henry, come in,” Jonathan said.
When the children entered they found Jonathan sitting in a chair with his feet up on a small table. A magazine was spread across his lap, and he was flipping through it. “What can I do for you? Not time to get ready for the show yet, is it?”
“No,” Jessie said. “We just wanted to ask you about the sword you used last night— the one that’s missing.”
Jonathan turned back to his magazine. “Oh, yes. Too bad,” he said.
The Aldens looked at each other, surprised. Jonathan didn’t seem upset at all that the valuable sword was missing.
“So I guess you were the last one to have the sword,” Jessie went on.
Jonathan looked up. “Yes, I used it in the show—it was great to use a real sword.”
“What did you do with it after the show?” Henry asked.
“I returned it to Richard’s tent,” Jonathan said simply.
“And that’s the last you saw of it?” Jessie asked.
Jonathan looked at her and smiled. “Is this an official investigation?”
“Oh, we’re just … we like to solve mysteries. We’re helping Hannah find the sword,” Jessie explained.
“I see. Detectives.” Jonathan studied the children’s serious faces. “I used to like to play detective when I was a kid, too. I played all sorts of things—detective, cowboy, knight in shining armor. I loved to be in disguise, to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I guess I’m still doing that.”
“Where exactly did you leave the sword?” Henry asked.