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Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8 http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2008

Author:	Aquabird [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:23 pm ]
Post subject:	Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8
I only have a faint idea of where this is going, so it could go off on any tangent! Apologies for any glaring mistakes. Jeanne de Lachenais, Head of the Modern Languages Department of the Chalet School, settled down in the Staff Room on that dreary Monday morning. It was Break, and she had just finished serving out the coffee, so she could sit down to open the letter that had arrived for her that morning. It was an official-looking communication, bearing a French postmark, addressed in peacock blue ink to: Mademoiselle J. de Lachenais The Chalet School Görnetz Platz Bernese Oberland Switzerland Jeanne was puzzled. It looked like a letter from a solicitor, but her own solicitor did not write to her in peacock blue ink. Greatly wondering, she tore open the envelope, extracted its contents and began to read. “Dear Mademoiselle de Lachenais, I am writing to you on behalf of your uncle, the late Monsieur Ludovic D. H. F. de la Fontaine. Monsieur de la Fontaine, as I am sure you aware, passed away on 18th February of this year. Your late uncle’s Will was read on 2nd March at his home (La Maison des Roses, Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France). However, an oversight on the part of my assistant resulted in a letter requesting your presence being sent instead to the Prince of Wales. I have sacked the incompetent fool and sent my profuse apologies to the Prince of Wales, and I also offer them to you. I shall now proceed to explain the part of the Will concerning yourself.” “Please do,” murmured Jeanne, heroically fighting off a vision of the Prince of Wales receiving a summons to the hearing of the Will of a random Frenchman. “Your late uncle leaves his estate and all his wealth and possessions to one of his sister’s children – that is, yourself, or one of your five younger brothers (Jacques, Jean, Jérôme, Joseph and Julien). One of you shall receive all of your late uncle’s possessions and wealth. To determine which sibling this is, all six of you must spend a weekend alone together at the residence in question (see above). A selection process will then ensue, and the sibling left at the residence by 12am on the Sunday shall be named the heir(ess). Please write or telephone my office for more details. Yours sincerely, Mnsr. A. B. C. Alphabetta (Solicitor)”

Author:	Lesley [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:10 pm ]
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Very mysterious! Love Jeanne's brothers'names.

Author:	dorian [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 7:51 pm ]
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Ooooh, in-ter-es-ting... (Cracked up laughing over the Prince of Wales bit - however did even the most incompetent of fools succeed in mixing up Mlle de Lachenais and HRH?) Definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Author:	Elle [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 9:06 pm ]
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An interesting start... I am already looking forwards to the next bit.

Author:	MaryR [ Sun Feb 04, 2007 9:28 pm ]
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Fascinating, Aquabird.

Author:	Tara [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:44 am ]
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What fun! Will they all be killed off one by one??!

Author:	Cath V-P [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:09 am ]
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I liked the solicitor's name.....

Author:	wheelchairprincess [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:58 pm ]
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Oh this looks like it will be very intriguing and also very promising!

Author:	leahbelle [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:34 pm ]
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Looking good, Aquabird!

Author:	Jennie [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:22 pm ]
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A good start, but starting to wibble about the Agatha Christie type of weekend that Jeanne is going to. Or is that just my brain reading too much into it?

Author:	Fatima [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:04 pm ]
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Oh, poor Jeanne - I hope the bunnies won't be too mean to her! Thanks Aquabird, this looks intriguing.

Author:	Sarah_K [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:07 pm ]
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Haunted House! :D I love the solicitor's name too Aquabird, looking forward to more

Author:	Aquabird [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:31 pm ]
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Having finished reading Excitements last night, which contains a couple of details about Jeanne, I have made two alterations to my original post. Here is the next part. If I manage to finish my King Lear English essay before the small hours, I may be able to write some more. Jeanne made a peculiar noise as she finished reading the letter and sat back, all astonishment. The school secretary, one Rosalie Dene, was sitting nearby. She heard the noise and looked round. “Jeanne? Is something wrong?” “Read that,” said Jeanne, thrusting the letter at her. “I must be dreaming.” Puzzled, Rosalie read the letter. Then she let out a whistle. “I say! It does rather leave you hanging off a cliff, doesn’t it?” She quoted from the letter. “ “A selection process will then ensue”. What does that mean?” “I do not know. But it does not sound promising.” “What’s his house like? I bet it’s a haunted mansion, or something.” Jeanne’s eyes widened. “That is exactly what his house is like. It is a very beautiful old house in Bordeaux, but it is rumoured to be haunted. My uncle was an eccentric old man. He did not like children, so we saw him rarely. Shortly before I left home, he became a recluse. I cannot think why he would leave everything to one of us! He was not very fond of us; we were too noisy.” She smiled, but Rosalie didn’t. “It sounds like his ghost is going to choose the heir!” Jeanne snorted. “I did not know you believe in ghosts, Rosalie.” “I don’t!” said Rosalie defensively. “But you have to admit it’s odd. Why would an eccentric old uncle you haven’t seen in years, who had no particular fondness for any of you, want you all to spend a weekend closeted together in a reputedly-haunted house? It’s a mystery!” “There is another mystery,” Jeanne said darkly. “What?” “Well, you notice that Monsieur Alphabetta has mentioned my five brothers?” “Ye-es,” said Rosalie slowly. “He does not mention my sister, Juliette. Why has she been omitted from the Will?”

Author:	Lesley [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:15 pm ]
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I have this urge to refer to the lawyer as spaghetti - no idea why! Curiouser and curiouser.

Author:	Jennie [ Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:06 pm ]
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Oh, six of them to choose from, so why has Juliette not been sent for? The plot thickens.

Author:	Cath V-P [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:19 am ]
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Curiouser and curiouser.....

Author:	Tara [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:24 am ]
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The plot, as they say, thickens ...

Author:	Aquabird [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:28 am ]
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King Lear is not going well. Those dratted bunnies keep whispering in my ear about haunted houses and J names instead of giving me ideas on evoking terror and pity in a Shakespearean audience. So, you get an extra bit. Rosalie stared at Jeanne. “Why indeed?” she queried rhetorically. “Did your uncle fall out with her, perhaps?” “I strongly doubt it,” said Jeanne. “She was little more than a baby when he became a recluse. She is the youngest of the seven of us. I was only seventeen myself at the time.” “It’s probably just an oversight on the part of the solicitor, then. After all,” Rosalie’s lips twitched, “if his assistant can send a letter to the Prince of Wales instead of to you, goodness knows what the man himself is capable of!” They laughed. Then Jeanne got up. “I shall go and telephone this Monsieur Alphabetta and inquire for details.” And without further ado, she marched along to the school office. A few minutes later, she had got on to the office of Monsieur Alphabetta. He proved to be an extremely excitable gentleman, and Jeanne held the phone away from her ear slightly as he poured out a tirade of apologies over the letter that had been inadvertently sent to the heir to the British throne as opposed to herself. When at last he paused for breath, she leapt into the breach. “It is of no matter, Monsieur Alphabetta. I am calling to inquire into the details of my uncle’s Will.” Suddenly, Monsieur Alphabetta seemed to settle down, and he became quite business-like. “Ah, yes, of course, Mademoiselle. Well, the terms of your late uncle’s Will are quite explicit; you and your five brothers must spend a weekend at La Maison des Roses, alone apart from the staff who are still there, maintaining it. The sibling still there on the Sunday morning will be declared the heir.” “Pardon, Monsieur, but you have omitted my sister, Juliette. Does she play no part in this?” She could not see him, but she could tell that the solicitor had done a double-take at her words. “You have a sister, Mademoiselle?” “Yes. Juliette Madeline. She is the youngest of us.” “How very strange. There is no mention of her in any of my documents.” Jeanne frowned, but decided to say no more. She would write to Juliette herself and find out if she knew anything. “And what of this “selection process”, Monsieur? Of what does that consist?” “I’m afraid I have no idea, Mademoiselle. But until you and your brothers have carried out your uncle’s instructions, I cannot see that the money and property are transferred.” “I see. And have you heard from my brothers?” “Yes. They are quite prepared to spend the weekend at the house.” “Then you will inform them, please, that I too am prepared. But, Monsieur Alphabetta, what if, as I am sure will happen, we are all still there by the Sunday morning?” “Your uncle does not say. He appears to be quite certain that only one of you will be left.” In spite of herself, a slight shiver ran down Jeanne’s spine. “Very well. I shall be there.”

Author:	Lesley [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:21 am ]
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Spooky, very spooky. So why was Jeanne's sister omitted then? Forget King Lear - write this please!

Author:	leahbelle [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:21 pm ]
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I agree - this is much better than King Lear!

Author:	Aquabird [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:49 pm ]
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I know who to blame if I fail English this year, then! Three weeks and several train journeys later, Jeanne arrived in Bordeaux. Miss Annersley, the Head, had generously given her the whole week off, and the weekend stay in the mansion would be incorporated into it. “Just as long as you come back to us!” she laughingly warned Jeanne. “We’re all used to you now, Jeanne. We wouldn’t like to lose you to your uncle’s ghost!” Jeanne laughed. “I have no intention of not coming back, ma chère Hilda. But if I die, you may have my pearly earrings.” They giggled. Rosalie, on the other hand, was convinced that Jeanne was walking into a trap, and had said goodbye to her as though she would never see her again. “Your sister didn’t answer the letter you sent her,” she had said darkly. “Perhaps your uncle’s ghost has got her already!” Jeanne rolled her eyes. “Or perhaps she is simply away somewhere and has therefore not received any mail? You worry too much, Rosalie.” Jeanne sauntered nonchalantly along a wide road on the outskirts of Bordeaux. Large Georgian houses lined it on either side, and she stopped at last before one of the biggest of all and gazed in awe. It was a very beautiful, rambling old house, built of warm red bricks, with a sloping black roof and white Georgian windows. Roses climbed over it, and in the garden, oak and chestnut trees swayed in the wind. The lawn was smooth and velvety green, and crocuses, irises, celandines and one or two early daffodils could be seen nodding in the flowerbeds bordering the lawn and the immaculate gravel drive leading from the gate to the front door. Greatly impressed, Jeanne walked up the drive to the front door and rang the bell.

Author:	Lesley [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:53 pm ]
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Does Rosalie know something we don't???? Thanks Aquabird!

Author:	Sarah_K [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:59 pm ]
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Oh dear... I can't help feeling this is going to be an interesting weekend (in the curse sense of the word!)

Author:	Elle [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:19 pm ]
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What is going to happen? More please!

Author:	dorian [ Tue Feb 06, 2007 10:51 pm ]
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Oooh. I reckon Juliette is in on whatever's going on... More, please!

Author:	Fatima [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:12 pm ]
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This is so scary, and she's not even in the haunted house yet! I'm not surprised Rosalie's worried! Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Jennie [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:07 pm ]
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Well, the house seems unlike any haunted house that I've ever read about, so on with the drabble, please.

Author:	Aquabird [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:16 pm ]
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A loud jangling echoed somewhere deep inside the house, rudely breaking the idyllic springtime sounds of birds singing in the trees. They took flight in alarm. For a few moments nothing happened, and Jeanne began to wonder if anyone was in. But then there came the brisk tip-tap of footsteps, and then she heard bolts being shot back, and the door slowly creaked open to reveal a stout woman of about fifty, dressed in a spotless sweeping grey dress with white collar, cuffs and apron. The greying dark hair was drawn back into a tight bun, the grey eyes were sharp and piercing, the nose was small and pointed, and the overall appearance was one of absolute dreariness. Jeanne fleetingly imagined her in a form-room, with her long black gown billowing around her as she strode up and down the aisles, cane in hand, looking for mischief makers. She had no idea why such an image should present itself to her, but it was an amusing one nonetheless. “Mademoiselle de Lachenais?” the woman asked. Her voice was crisp and curt, and had an English accent, which made Jeanne start slightly. “Er, yes,” she stuttered in confusion. She gave herself a mental shake. The woman took no notice. “I am Mrs Killjoy. I am the housekeeper here.” She stood back to let Jeanne in. “What an appropriate name!” that lady though with an inward grin, as she stepped into the entrance hall. This was a splendid affair, with a large sweeping stone staircase leading to the upper floors. The cream walls were adorned with rich tapestries and paintings. On the spotless stone floor were thick, expensive rugs. Several oak-panelled doors were set along the walls, and Mrs Killjoy explained that those doors led into the morning room, ballroom, dining room and kitchens. She led Jeanne up the stairs, explaining; “Up here are the drawing room, the library, bedrooms and bathrooms. On the top floor are the attics, and the rooms where we servants sleep.” Jeanne nodded. “Are my brothers here?” “Yes. They’re in here.” As she spoke, she opened a door to the left on the first floor landing, and Jeanne walked into a large, airy room flooded with sunshine. The room contained sundry chairs and other oak furniture, and sitting on the chairs, talking, were five men. They stopped as Jeanne walked in and Mrs Killjoy closed the door behind her.

Author:	Lesley [ Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:57 pm ]
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Love the name! Now - are these going to be Jeanne's brothers? Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	MaryR [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:30 pm ]
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Enjpying this so far, Aquabird. Thank you.

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:46 pm ]
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Here's a longer bit. I get so much work done during free periods! “Jeanne!” exclaimed the nearest man, jumping up. This was Jacques; the eldest brother and the second eldest of the de Lachenais family, Jeanne herself being the eldest. Jacques was tall and thin and had a goatee. “How are you?” “Good afternoon, Jacques,” smiled Jeanne, kissing him soundly on both cheeks. “I’m well, thank you.” The rest of her brothers now came forward to greet her and inquire after her well-being. Jean was a six-footer who barely spoke. Jérôme was small and tubby, and Joseph and Julien were of average height and build. All six of them had black hair, very dark eyes and olive complexions. They sat down. “So Juliette isn’t coming, then?” Jérôme asked nobody in particular. “I don’t think so,” said Jeanne. “The solicitor had never heard of her when I asked, and she didn’t reply when I wrote asking if she was coming.” “Where is she living now?” inquired Julien. “She’s always moving, and I’ve lost track of where she is.” “She’s living in Barcelona now,” Jacques answered. Jeanne sat up. “Barcelona? The letter I sent was addressed to her home in Paris! No wonder she hasn’t replied! When did she move?” “A couple of months ago. I had a postcard from her with her new address.” He looked at Jeanne. “What about you, Jeanne? Still in Switzerland?” “Yes, at the Chalet School,” Jeanne replied vaguely. “What’s happened to your friend?” Joseph asked, trying and failing to keep the eagerness out of his voice. “Julie, wasn’t it?” “Julie Berné?” supplied Jeanne. He nodded. “Oh, she’s well. She teaches at the finishing branch of the school nearby. Why?” “Just curious,” mumbled Joseph, blushing. Jeanne grinned to herself. “So what do you think’s going to happen?” asked Jérôme. “Nothing,” said Jacques firmly. “But he can’t have asked us all here for no reason,” persisted Jérôme. “Something must be up.” “Listen, his will is probably just the ramblings of an eccentric old man,” said Jeanne, a bite of impatience in her voice. “We shall all sit here completely bored until Sunday, and then the money will be shared out between us.” “Good,” said Jean, entering the conversation suddenly. His deep voice startled them, so rarely did they hear it. “We need the money.” The others said nothing. Jean had a large family of five children and his wife, but they were not well off; he worked long hours in a factory for a fairly small wage. Jacques was also poor; he was a failing artist who shared a flat in Paris with another of the same august body. Jérôme was a successful banker with a wife and two children, Joseph was single and had a good job with a law firm, and Julien was a baker who was married but childless. Jeanne, of course, taught at the Chalet School, and Juliette had married a Comte fifteen years her senior. The Comte had died five years ago, leaving her very comfortably off. “This place is supposed to be haunted,” Joseph said, changing the subject. “Maybe that’s got something to do with us being invited here. Let’s ask Mrs Killjoy about it when she comes back.” The talk moved on to more trivial matters until Mrs Killjoy reappeared, looking as stern and dreary as ever. “Tea will be brought up in five minutes,” she announced in fluent French, but with a heavy English accent. With a Herculean effort, Jeanne resisted the urge to correct it. “If you’ll follow me I’ll show you to your rooms.” Brothers and sister got up and followed her out of the drawing room and along the corridor. Doors led off either side into bedrooms, and Mrs Killjoy showed each of them into one. Jeanne was delighted with hers. It was bright and airy, and the window looked out onto the lovely garden at the back of the house, which had a fountain. She could hear the tinkling of the water through the open window, very calm and peaceful. The walls were cream, and floral curtains swayed in the breeze floating in. The wooden floor had been scrubbed to a sheen with beeswax. For furniture there was a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a dressing table and a table and chair, all made of the same polished oak as the furniture in the drawing room. But it was the bed that drew Jeanne’s attention. It was a magnificent four-poster, heaped with coverings, with heavy hangings that could be drawn around for privacy. “How exciting!” she thought, examining it. “I’ve never slept in a four-poster before! This is going to be good!” Then, mindful of tea, she hurriedly washed in the bathroom across the corridor, changed her frock, and headed back to the drawing room.

Author:	Lesley [ Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:46 pm ]
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Hmmm, well so far everything seems OK - love Joseph enquiring about Julie Berne - possible romance there? Would also love opportunity to sleep in a four poster bed. Thanks Aquabird

Author:	Fatima [ Fri Feb 09, 2007 6:03 am ]
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The bedroom sounds so much nicer than I'd imagined! I'm longing to know what's happened to Juliette, though. Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	leahbelle [ Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:27 pm ]
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Thanks, Aquabird. This has got to be better than studying English!

Author:	Elle [ Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:31 pm ]
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Ohhh eerrr. I am appear to be worried about the four poster bed. Although that could be because of all the wine I have drunk so far this evening.

Author:	Aquabird [ Fri Feb 09, 2007 11:09 pm ]
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Ah, so would that explain all the fab Killing Joey updates, then, Elle? Sue, writing this IS better than studying AH English, but unfortunately it won't get me a pass! Only Jacques was there when she re-entered the drawing room. “What’s the matter with Jérôme?” asked Jeanne, sitting down. “He’s very paranoid.” Jacques shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never known him to be so jumpy, either. What do you think of it all, Jeanne?” “I’m not sure,” said Jeanne, frowning. “I don’t believe in ghosts, of course, but Uncle Ludovic must have asked us here for a reason. And Juliette’s absence is starting to worry me. Why was she left out of the Will? Haven’t any of you tried contacting her?” “I haven’t,” said Jacques. “And I don’t think the others have, either. I just assumed we’d all be coming. It is strange that she was left out.” “Perhaps Uncle Ludovic forgot about her. After all, she was very young when he last saw us.” Jacques only had time to shrug before the others returned, with Mrs Killjoy and tea on their heels. “Mrs Killjoy?” Joseph asked suddenly, as the housekeeper made to leave, having served the tea. “Is it true that this house is supposed to be haunted?” Everyone froze and looked at Mrs Killjoy. That lady turned and looked thoughtfully at Joseph for a moment or two. “Why, yes,” she said. “According to legend, this house was built about a hundred and fifty years ago by a rich Frenchman who brought his bride here to live. One of the servants murdered her one night by strangling her in her bed, and her ghost is supposed to walk the corridors at night.” Jérôme’s cup trembled alarmingly, almost spilling tea into his lap. Jeanne leaned over and took the cup from him firmly. “But,” went on Mrs Killjoy blandly, “I have served in this house for thirty six years and I have yet to catch a glimpse of the Comtess Isabella’s ghost. As far as I am concerned, it is nothing more than a myth.” “The house is very modern, considering it’s a century and a half old,” said Julien, tactfully changing the subject. “Oh, it has been redecorated and modernised through the ages, of course,” said Mrs Killjoy. “Inside, anyway. The exterior has remained mostly unchanged, though.” She turned to go. “One last thing, Mrs Killjoy,” said Jeanne suddenly. Mrs Killjoy looked round at her inquiringly. “Has our uncle left any instructions to the servants?” “We are to see that you all have every comfort,” answered Mrs Killjoy. “I see. Thank you.” “Well!” said Joseph, as the door closed behind Mrs Killjoy. “How about that, then?”

Author:	Lesley [ Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:07 am ]
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Mrs Killjoy seems a little more human there. Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Fatima [ Sat Feb 10, 2007 5:09 am ]
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So which was the Countess' bed then? I wonder if she slept in a four poster bed.

Author:	Karry [ Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:26 am ]
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mind going on overload 4poster bed - top descending and crushing occupant - too much Carry on Screaming me thinks!

Author:	Aquabird [ Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:23 pm ]
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I have a five day half term holiday where I'm feeling quite well and have little homework, and the bunny stays firmly in his burrow. I start back at school with a stinking cold and prelims and Grade V theory looming and he comes out to play! “What?” asked Jacques. “It’s just a tale. Even if the Comtess whatever-her-name-is was murdered, her ghost won’t walk the corridors. Ghosts don’t exist!” “I wonder why the servant murdered her?” Julien mused. “I don’t see that it matters,” said Jeanne placidly. “More tea, anyone?” Her brothers all shook their heads. “I’m going to have a look in the library,” said Joseph, draining his cup and jumping up. “I might find a book or something about this legend.” He left the room, and the remaining siblings rolled their eyes. “He’s really getting into the spirit of things, isn’t he?” commented Jean. “I mean, surely there must be some reason for us all being asked here?” “Yes; Uncle Ludovic’s warped imagination,” said Jacques dryly. “He probably thought the Comtess’s ghost would finish all but one of us off.” Jean said no more, and for a while they talked of more cheerful things, namely the fun and games they had enjoyed as children. “I say,” Julien suddenly said, glancing up at the clock on the mantelpiece. “Joseph’s been gone an awfully long time. He must have left about half an hour ago!” “Maybe he couldn’t find anything and just went on to his room,” suggested Jeanne. “I don’t like it,” said Jérôme uneasily. Jacques snorted, got up and left the room. He came back a few minutes later, looking rather puzzled. “He’s not in the library or his room, or any of ours, either. He’s gone!”

Author:	Lesley [ Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:03 pm ]
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Ooooh, mystery! Thanks Aquabird -bunnies are like that!

Author:	Lexi [ Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:18 pm ]
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Oooh err, what's happened to him?

Author:	leahbelle [ Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:25 pm ]
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Thanks, Aquabird!

Author:	Fatima [ Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:12 pm ]
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So where's he gone to? This is rather chilling and I wouldn't be in Jeanne's shoes for all the tea in China!

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:20 pm ]
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A search was organised, and the remaining five siblings combed the house, calling for Joseph, but to no avail. He remained as non-existent as Joey Maynard’s maths ability. When they all arrived back in the drawing room after an hour’s fruitless search, Jérôme was panicking. “The Comtess’s ghost has got him!” he kept saying. “Oh, shut up!” said Jacques trenchantly. “He’s playing a joke, that’s all. Trying to scare us. And you’re playing right into his hands by acting like such a ninny! Pull yourself together, for heaven’s sake!” Jérôme subsided sulkily, but he still looked worried. “He’ll come running back as soon as he smells supper,” said Jeanne placidly. “And now, gentlemen, please excuse me. I am filthy and covered in dust from searching. I am going to have a bath before supper.” She left the room. “Mind the Comtess’s ghost doesn’t get you!” Jacques called after her, at which Jérôme scowled at him. Jeanne ran herself a hot bath, and as she waited for it to fill she contemplated her reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t scared. Joseph was the mischievous type; she was quite sure he was playing a joke. Either that or he had gone out somewhere and forgotten to tell them. “I do not believe in ghosts,” she told her reflection firmly. “And this house is not haunted.” She nodded confidently and got into the bath. She sank into the water with a sigh and closed her eyes. BANG! Jeanne sat up like a shot, her heart pounding. The noise had come from her left. Probably the next room. Yet it had been so close she could have sworn it had come from inside the wall itself. It had sounded like something being dropped. She sat listening, holding her breath, but only silence answered. Jeanne got out of the bath, dried off quickly and slipped on her dressing gown. Then she slipped out of the bathroom and into the next room; an unused bedroom. She looked around carefully. The room was spotless and deserted; there was certainly nothing to suggest what had caused the noise. No toppled ornaments or pictures with snapped strings. Nothing. A shiver ran down Jeanne’s back as she stood in the silent room. For the first time since entering the house, she felt scared.

Author:	Fatima [ Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:05 pm ]
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My instinct would tell me to hightail it out of there. However, I'm hoping that Jeanne is made of sterner stuff! Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Lesley [ Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:51 pm ]
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That's what I always want to do when I see these scary movies - but the actors always stay and get picked off one by one. Hope Jeanne is OK Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Elle [ Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:30 am ]
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ohhh.... I would be very worried if I was Jeanne! Thanks for the upadate.

Author:	leahbelle [ Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:16 pm ]
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I'd have legged it, too, I think! Jeanne is very brave!

Author:	Aquabird [ Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:35 pm ]
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As she got dressed for dinner, Jeanne debated on whether or not to tell her brothers about the noise she had heard. It was probably nothing to worry about, but on the other hand… In the end, she decided to tell Jacques about it. Jacques had so far taken a cynical approach to the spooky proceedings, just as she had. He would quieten her fears. She hoped. Dressed in a stunning red velvet evening frock, Jeanne exited her room and gracefully swept down the stairs to the dining room. Julien was already there, dressed for dinner, and he stared in surprise as his sister entered. “You look very nice, Jeanne,” he said, as she sat down. “Very chic.” “Thank you, Julien,” she beamed. “You also.” “Thank you.” The door opened, and Jérôme tottered in anxiously, muttering nervously to himself under his breath. He sat down and fidgeted in his place without comment to Jeanne and Julien. That lady and gentleman exchanged glances and rolled their eyes. Jean and Jacques arrived together a few minutes later and sat down. “So, no sign of Joseph, then?” inquired Jacques, looking round at them. He was answered in the negative, just as several servants entered with the first course. The food was excellent, and Julien the baker was much impressed. “I really must go down to the kitchen and have a word with the chef,” he said, when Grace had been said and they were rising to retire to the drawing room again. “That was an excellent meal.” He disappeared through the door the servants had entered, and the remaining quartette headed in the direction of the drawing room. None of them noticed the eyes of a portrait on the wall following them as they left.

Author:	Elle [ Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:27 pm ]
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Eeek! hides under the duvet Thanks for the chilling update. Is Julien going to be the next to vanish I wonder?

Author:	Lesley [ Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:20 pm ]
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Whoops - and then there were three!

Author:	Dawn [ Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:38 pm ]
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As Elle so neatly put it Eeek!

Author:	Tara [ Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:37 am ]
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Ooo-er! I wouldn't leave the room on my own for any money!

Author:	Fatima [ Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:03 pm ]
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Me neither, Tara! Thanks Aquabird, this is horribly compelling!

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:13 pm ]
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Grade V theory and English prelim are out of the way (didn't have to do a question on King Lear - hurrah!) so on with the drabble. Jeanne touched Jacques’s arm as they walked up the stairs to the first floor, and he fell back into step with her, leaving Jean and Jérôme to walk on ahead. In a low voice, Jeanne told Jacques about the noise she had heard whilst bathing. He groaned. “Don’t say you’re getting caught up in all this as well!” he said. “It’s bad enough having Jérôme jumping a mile every time someone comes into the room, without you losing your marbles, too!” “I am not losing my marbles!” said Jeanne, stopping her ascent up the stairs in her indignation. “But things are becoming suspicious. Joseph still hasn’t returned, and it’s well after eight o’clock now. He’s been gone for four hours!” “If he hasn’t come back by ten o’clock, we’ll inform Mrs Killjoy,” said Jacques calmly, standing with one hand on the banisters, the other twirling his goatee around his finger. “I’m sure he’s just trying to trick us.” Jeanne said nothing. She was less certain that Joseph was trying to dupe them. “As for that noise you heard,” went on Jacques, “it was probably just the pipes. These old houses tend to make strange noises with the plumbing and so on. You’ll probably hear a few when you go to bed tonight, too.” Another shiver ran down Jeanne’s back as she imagined lying in the enormous four-poster that night, staring into the darkness, and then suddenly hearing a banging inside the walls. She knew it would scare her terribly. They starting walking again and reached the drawing room, only to find that Jean and Jérôme had disappeared. “Where on earth have they gone?” asked Jeanne in astonishment, looking all around as though she expected them to materialise out of thin air. Jacques looked behind the doors and all the chairs, just in case. At last he turned to face his sister, a frown upon his brow. “This is strange,” he said placidly. “What’s going on?” Julien appeared in the doorway. Jeanne and Jacques jumped a mile. “Don’t do that!” gasped Jeanne, a hand over her racing heart. “Sorry. What’s wrong?” “Jean and Jérôme have disappeared,” said Jacques. Julien stared. “Disappeared?” “Yes. Gone. Vanished. Become non-existent. Saturated the place with their absence.” Julien frowned. “How strange. And Joseph hasn’t returned either. Something’s up. And…” “What?” “Well, it’s probably nothing, but when I was going down the passage between the dining room and the kitchen, I could have sworn I heard something moving inside the walls. It was only for a couple of seconds, but I’m pretty sure I heard it.” “What was it?” asked Jeanne. “Well, it was kind of muffled…a sort of thumping noise.” “Inside the walls, you say?” asked Jeanne. Julien nodded. “I heard a noise inside the walls when I was having a bath earlier. A loud banging noise. And there was nothing to explain it.” “I wonder…” said Jacques suddenly. His siblings looked at him. “What?” they chorused. “Well…I wonder if there’s a secret passage in this house? These old places tend to be riddled with them.” “But how would that account for the others disappearing?” asked Julien. “Unless you’re suggesting the Comtess Isabella’s ghost is using secret passages to pick us off one by one.” “Of course not. Ghosts don’t exist. But it’s a possibility, and it could account for the noises you two heard.” “I am more concerned with the slight issue of our brothers’ disappearances,” said Jeanne impatiently. “What are we going to do? Tell the police?” “They’d never believe us,” said Julien. “And how do we know that this isn’t someone playing a trick on us?” “I vote we sleep on it,” said Jacques. “If they haven’t reappeared by tomorrow morning, we’ll decide on what to do then.” Jeanne and Julien agreed, and they went to their respective bedrooms. As she undressed, Jeanne wondered what on earth they were going to do if the others didn’t turn up. Julien was right; the police would probably just laugh at them. What about the servants? Were they in on whatever was going on? Her mind full of questions, Jeanne said her prayers, got into bed and turned the light off.

Author:	Lesley [ Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:24 pm ]
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Spoooooooky - and if I were Jeanne I'd be in my car and halfway back to the nice comfortable Platz by now! Thanks Aquabird

Author:	Dawn [ Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:44 pm ]
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Lesley wrote: Spoooooooky - and if I were Jeanne I'd be in my car and halfway back to the nice comfortable Platz by now! And me - or at least insisting that everyone sleeps in the same room - preferably with one person awake as a guard at all times

Author:	Tara [ Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:34 am ]
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Me, too. I'd definitely not close an eye all night!

Author:	Fatima [ Fri Mar 02, 2007 5:07 am ]
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And how did she dare turn off the light! I'd have been petrified! Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Dawn [ Fri Mar 02, 2007 6:01 pm ]
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Fatima wrote: And how did she dare turn off the light! I'd have been petrified! Thanks Aquabird. Maybe she has a pair of night vision goggles to wear

Author:	Elle [ Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:55 am ]
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eeks again (lets face it, I am a bit of a wuss really!)

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:34 pm ]
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Apologies for the lack of updates, but now that exams are (temporarily) out of the way, I have some time on my hands. The house was in darkness, silent and still, for the servants had retired to bed an hour ago, and the three surviving de Lachenais siblings were in their bedrooms. In the corridor, a grandfather clock struck midnight, the deep noise reverberating through the silence. Lying staring up at the canopy of the four-poster, Jeanne felt absolutely no desire to sleep. Her mind was working furiously, trying to work out what on earth was going on. She and Jacques hadn’t been more than forty seconds behind Jean and Jérôme, surely, and she could have sworn she had seen them entering the drawing room, so where had they gone? They couldn’t have got out of the windows, even if they had wanted to, for it was a twenty foot drop to the ground and they would have broken their necks. Then she remembered Jacques’s earlier suggestion, and she began to wonder if there was a secret passage. But if so, where did it lead to? How had Jean and Jérôme known about it? And what about Joseph? He had been gone for hours now. Where had he gone? Her mind full of questions, Jeanne tossed and turned, but when she was still awake an hour later, she decided to get a drink of water. She threw back the blankets and fumbled for the opening of the hangings of the four-poster, which she had unwittingly drawn around to shut out the Comtess’s ghost. Except that, of course, ghosts weren’t solid, so that perhaps wasn’t the best form of defence. And ghosts weren’t real, anyway. At last she found the opening, slid out of bed and put on her slippers and dressing gown. She crept silently out of the room and across the landing to the bathroom. After shutting the door behind her and switching on the light, she felt a lot better. She filled a glass with water and stood drinking it. She had almost drained the glass when the floor creaked out in the corridor. Jeanne choked on the water and the glass slid from her fingers and smashed into the sink. The noise sounded horrifically loud in the silence. Outside, the footsteps paused, then began again, moving towards the bathroom. The hairs on the back of Jeanne’s neck stood up. The footsteps drew closer…they stopped right outside the door…she shrank back against the sink, watching with petrified eyes as the handle turned…

Author:	Fatima [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:37 pm ]
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I'm not sure I want to know who (or what) is opening the door! Good to see more of this, thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Lesley [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:32 pm ]
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Gulp! A ghost? A brother? Or someone else? Thanks Aquabird

Author:	Tara [ Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:11 am ]
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Eeks very loudly. Anyone got a spare sofa to hide behind?

Author:	Dawn [ Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:12 am ]
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Eeeeek!

Author:	Miranda [ Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:47 am ]
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Just stumbled across this today (my, what an appropriate phrase) and I'm loving it. All I can say is I'm glad I'm reading it in the middle of the day! You have a deliciously spooky writing style...

Author:	Aquabird [ Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:28 pm ]
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Miranda wrote: You have a deliciously spooky writing style... Why, thank you! The door opened to reveal… Julien. Jeanne let out the breath she was holding, and her sigh of relief nearly blew him back out the door. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” she hissed. “How do you think I was feeling?” Julien demanded in a low voice. “I thought it was the Comtess’s ghost floating around!” “Of course, because a ghost is really going to stop off at the lavatory,” snorted Jeanne. “Come on,” said Julien impatiently, shivering. “Let’s go back to bed. It’s freezing cold.” They left the bathroom, turning the light off on the way, and walked down the corridor. They stopped outside Jeanne’s room. “Julien?” ”Yes?” “Do…what do you think has happened to the others?” A sliver of moonlight shone into the corridor through a window, shining onto Julien’s face. He looked very troubled. “I don’t know, Jeanne,” he said finally. “I just don’t know.” Jeanne sighed. She hadn’t expected an answer. She pushed open her bedroom door. “Goodnight, Julien.” “Goodnight, Jeanne.” He went on to his own room a few doors down, and Jeanne got back into bed. For another hour she tossed and turned, before at last she slipped into sleep. At breakfast the next morning, the three Js all looked heavy-eyed, and the general consensus was that nobody had slept much. They were on their way back to the drawing room when they met Mrs Killjoy with a brush and dustpan. “Mrs Killjoy,” Jacques said quickly. “Have you seen Joseph, Jean or Jérôme since yesterday?” “Why, no, Monsieur de Lachenais,” answered the housekeeper. “Why?” “Because they’ve vanished,” said Jeanne grimly. “Joseph went to the library after tea yesterday and hasn’t been seen since, and Jean and Jérôme went into the drawing room after supper and vanished. Jacques and I were barely thirty seconds behind them.” “I see,” said Mrs Killjoy blandly. “What would you like me to do, Mademoiselle de Lachenais? Call the police?” “Not at the moment,” said Jeanne, eyeing her suspiciously. “But do you know if there are any secret passages in the drawing room?” She watched Mrs Killjoy carefully as she asked this, and saw a slight flicker in her eyes. “I…why don’t you look for yourselves?” she said, slightly flustered. “I have just cleaned in there, so no servant will disturb you.” “Thank you,” said Jacques firmly. “We will.” He steered Jeanne and Julien into the drawing room. “She knows,” said Jeanne quietly, as soon as the door was shut. “She knows something. Probably everything.” “What do you mean?” asked Jacques. “Well, didn’t you notice how flustered she seemed when I asked her about secret passages? And she didn’t answer me outright. That’s because she won’t lie, but evidently she can’t tell the truth, either, so she evaded the question. And she didn’t seem at all anxious when you told her about the others disappearing.” “But perhaps that is just her showing the stiff upper lip that the British are so proud of,” said Julien. “I am under the employment of the master of the British stiff upper lip,” said Jeanne calmly. “And I can assure you that Hilda Annersley would not have reacted like that to such news. No, Mrs Killjoy knows what is going on. In fact, I bet all the servants are up to their necks in it!”

Author:	Lesley [ Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:14 pm ]
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Love Jeanne's description of Hilda. The plot thickens then - the housekeeper knowes all about it. Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Wed Mar 21, 2007 10:36 pm ]
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Just discovered this and am really enjoying this. Can't believe I'm reading this with a bunch of scardy cats. I'm intensely curious and would be searching for them in the walls. Am curious if the missing others are making the noises to get their attention or to try and scare them

Author:	Cath V-P [ Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:25 pm ]
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Quote: a ghost is really going to stop off at the lavatory Thank you Aquabird

Author:	Tara [ Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:44 pm ]
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Quote: “I am under the employment of the master of the British stiff upper lip,” said Jeanne Oh, yes! Thanks, Aquabird, this is great.

Author:	Fatima [ Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:37 pm ]
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Fiona Mc wrote: Can't believe I'm reading this with a bunch of scardy cats. I'm impressed that Jeanne got any sleep!

Author:	Liz K [ Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:27 pm ]
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Can't wait to find out what happens next.

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:16 pm ]
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“Well, judging by the way she bypassed your question on secret passages, I think we can take an educated guess that there is one in here,” said Julien. “So let’s find it!” So they set about looking for a secret passage, tapping on the walls, moving the furniture around and pulling back the carpet. Downstairs, Mrs Killjoy stood in the room beneath the drawing room with Raoul, the head footman. Raoul was an enormous fellow who could have passed for Gaudenz's twin. They [Raoul and Mrs Killjoy, that is, not Raoul and Gaudenz] both looked up at the ceiling, which was shaking ominously as Jacques and Julien heaved a sofa out of the way. “They’re onto us,” said Mrs Killjoy uneasily. “Mlle Jeanne asked if there was a secret passage leading from the drawing room.” “And what did you say?” demanded Raoul. “Told her to look and see. I couldn’t lie, and I certainly couldn’t tell her the truth, could I?” “But we can’t possibly let them find it! Or not yet, at least.” “Don’t worry. They won’t.” “How do you know?” “It’s very well hidden.” “I hope so.” By the time the de Lachenaises had turned the room upside down with no results, it was almost lunchtime. “We’ve tried everything!” said Jacques, sinking down into an armchair. “And there’s not so much as a whiff of a secret passage.” “There must be one!” said Jeanne in frustration, perching herself on the window ledge. “How else could Jean and Jérôme have disappeared so quickly from inside this room without us seeing?” “But wait a minute,” protested Jacques. “Even if there is a secret passage here, how on earth could they have known about it?” ”Perhaps they didn’t,” said Julien darkly. The other two turned to look at him. “What do you mean?” asked Jeanne. “Well, say there was a passage, and there were two or three servants waiting for us to come up to the drawing room. Jean and Jérôme enter, the servants pounce on them and bundle them into the passage, closing it behind them, so that when you and Jacques come in, there’s no one in sight!” “How could anyone possibly overpower Jean and force him into a secret passage in the space of, what, forty seconds?” snorted Jacques. “And without a sound, either! Jean’s a six-footer; it’d take a lot to silence him! I could understand Jérôme, he’s tiny – probably even a scullery maid could get the better of him – but not Jean. Besides, we haven’t even found a passage, and we’ve been searching for hours!” “I say we march down to the kitchen and demand some answers from old Killjoy,” said Julien grimly. “I bet she and the rest of the servants are leading us right up the garden path, probably on Uncle Ludovic’s instructions! And,” he went on, determined, now that he had started, to air every possibility that had occurred to him during the previous night, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Juliette is in on it as well!” “Don’t be silly,” said Jeanne scornfully. “Juliette isn’t even in this country! She was just omitted from the will by accident, that’s all. Monsieur Alphabetta didn’t even know she existed! She’s got nothing to do with – ” She stopped suddenly. She had been gripping the edge of the window ledge with her hands as she leaned against it, running her fingers absent-mindedly back and forth along it, and she had suddenly felt something underneath it. “What?” demanded the two men. Jeanne knelt down on the floor and looked at the underside of the window ledge. “It’s a lever!”

Author:	Fatima [ Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:13 pm ]
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I'm glad they've found the lever - in the daytime!

Author:	Lesley [ Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:34 pm ]
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Hmmmm, wonder if Juliette is in on it? Thanks Aquabird

Author:	Liz K [ Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:37 pm ]
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Ooohhhh, now we're getting somewhere!!!!

Author:	Tara [ Thu Mar 29, 2007 10:57 pm ]
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Wow! Well done, Jeanne.

Author:	leahbelle [ Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:21 pm ]
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Thanks, Aquabird .

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:55 am ]
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Tara wrote: Wow! Well done, Jeanne. I'll say!

Author:	Elle [ Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:55 pm ]
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Thanks! I am really enjoying this.

Author:	Aquabird [ Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:46 pm ]
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“Shall I pull it?” Jeanne asked. “Of course! Of course!” her brothers urged. So she did. At once part of one wall slid away noiselessly to reveal a hole. “The secret passage!” shouted Jacques, yanking half of his goatee off in his excitement. “Shut up!” hissed Jeanne. “Do you want the servants to know we’ve found it?” As she spoke, the gong sounded for lunch. “It’s lunchtime. We’d better not skip it, in case Mrs Killjoy suspects anything.” “And supposing she asks us if we’ve found anything?” demanded Julien. “We can’t lie and say we haven’t!” “Think of something. Besides, there’s no great hurry, is there? The secret passage won’t run away.” Reluctantly, her brothers had to agree. So Jeanne pulled the lever again to close the passage, and they separated to wash and tidy themselves. Fortunately for them, Mrs Killjoy did not appear at lunch. They bolted their meals as fast as possible, drained their coffee and then raced back up to the drawing room. Julien stopped into his room on the way to grab a pocket torch. Jeanne pulled the lever again, and the secret passage revealed itself. Julien switched on his torch, and they entered, nerves jangling. The passage was quite narrow, but there was enough room for the three relatively slim siblings to pass along comfortably. It ran on a level for a few metres, then sloped sharply downwards. "Probably going down to the kitchens," said Jacques, as they edged along it. Down they went and down, until Jeanne was sure they must be under the house itself. “If we go much further we’re going to reach the earth’s core!” she thought, then chided herself for having such frivolous thoughts at such a time. At last the passage widened out into an underground room. It was empty.

Author:	Lesley [ Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:17 pm ]
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How disappointing. Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	aitchemelle [ Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:20 pm ]
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I can't believe I've only just found this! Thank you Aquabird. I hope your studies aren't suffering too much!!

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:41 am ]
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Gald to see an update. Thanks

Author:	Fatima [ Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:00 am ]
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How can it be empty?!

Author:	Tara [ Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:32 pm ]
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It's not, now -they're in it! But will they get out again???

Author:	Aquabird [ Sun Apr 22, 2007 8:21 pm ]
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“It’s empty!” cried Julien in disappointment, sweeping his torch around the room. “It can’t be!” said Jacques, advancing cautiously. Julien swept the torch around again, and the fact was ascertained that the room was devoid of human life (apart from themselves, obviously). Jeanne was looking around. She spotted a little shaft of light peeping in from one corner where the wall met the ceiling. “Look up there!” she exclaimed, pointing. Her brothers looked first at it, then at each other. “Daylight?” suggested Jacques. “How?” demanded Julien. “We’re under the house itself!” “We could be under the grounds, though.” Whilst the two men were debating on the issue, Jeanne had crossed the room to stand underneath the light. She felt over the wall and found that it was quite rocky and crevassed in places. That was good enough. Without further ado, she kicked off her high heels and scaled the wall. “Jeanne, what are you doing?” demanded Julien, as he shone the torch on his sister to show her clinging to the wall five feet above their heads, feeling around the area where the light was shining in. “I think a rabbit must have burrowed its way in,” she called down, ignoring him. “That must be why the air is fresh, too. We must be under the grounds.” She dropped lightly to the floor and put her shoes back on. “Still a member of the French Alpinists, then?” Jacques asked. “Of course.” “Well, that hasn’t told us anything, except that we’re definitely underground,” said Julien, turning back to the matter at hand. “It doesn’t tell us if the others have been here.” “They must have been,” said Jeanne. “How else could they have vanished from the drawing room without us seeing? I’m sure they’ve been here. Give me the torch.” Julien handed it to her, and she went all around the room with it, shining it on the walls. Then she turned the light onto the ground. As she swept it along, Jacques suddenly darted forward into a corner. “Look!” The other two rushed over. A sweet wrapper was lying on the ground, and, through the dirt, they could see long marks, as though something had dug its heels in and been dragged along. They could also make out a few jumbled footprints. “Something’s been going on here,” said Jacques. He picked up the wrapper. “Jérôme likes these. And I remember him eating one yesterday. They’ve definitely been here.” “But they’re not here now,” said Julien darkly. “No. But were they taken away, or did they go of their own accord? Are they in on this very elaborate joke?”

Author:	Lesley [ Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:02 pm ]
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Love the image if Jeanne climbing up that wall! So, a clue - but will it help them find their brothers????? Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Hannah-Lou [ Mon Apr 23, 2007 3:52 pm ]
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Oh good, more of this! It's great fun!

Author:	Aquabird [ Tue May 01, 2007 4:30 pm ]
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Greatly puzzled, Jeanne, Jacques and Julien went back up the passage to the drawing room, which seemed very bright and clean after the dark, dank passage and underground room. “Fat lot of good that little expedition was,” said Jacques, flopping down into an armchair. His siblings followed suit. “Why do you say that?” demanded Jeanne. “It told us quite a lot, actually.” “Such as?” “Such as how Jean and Jérôme disappeared from the drawing room in such a wholesale manner, for a start. The sweet wrapper proves that they have been there.” “But they’re not there now,” said Jacques. “They’ve been taken somewhere else. The secret passage was our only lead, so now what do we do? Tell the police?” “No,” said Jeanne. “We’ve got to work it out for ourselves. Uncle Ludovic has planned it all out, I’m sure.” “And what if we can’t work it out?” Jacques began, but he was interrupted by Julien, who had so far been sitting in thoughtful silence. He now sprang up with a shout. “The library!” “What about it?” asked Jacques, a hand to his wildly palpitating heart. “And don’t do that!” “Joseph disappeared from the library! There must be a passage in there!” “But he could have left the library, gone for a wander, and been captured elsewhere,” Jeanne pointed out. “It’s worth a shot, though. Come on!” They all trooped along to the library, Jacques privately thinking that they were embarking on another wild goose chase. But nothing would persuade him to stay in the drawing room alone, so he trailed after the others with a trace of reluctance. The library was yet another beautiful room. The floor was covered in a thick crimson carpet, and the floor length windows that ran along the wall opposite the door had matching curtains. A glittering crystal chandelier hung over the centre of the room, and plush armchairs and a matching sofa were arranged around a polished table underneath it. All around the room ran heavy bookshelves weighed down with books of every kind, arranged with meticulous neatness in alphabetical order. Jeanne grinned as she thought of what Miss Annersley would say if her senior Languages mistress were to inherit such a literary treasure trove. There were enough books here to fulfil even her wildest dreams, and that was saying something. “I pity the poor servant who has the mammoth job of keeping this room spick and span!” Julien said in awed tones. “I wonder if Joseph actually found a book about this house?” Jeanne mused. “After all, that’s why he was in here in the first place.” “Maybe he found something, so they captured him to silence him!” said Julien excitedly. “In which case, there must be a passage in here!” And so the hunt began again. Mrs Killjoy would have been in paroxysms of despair if she could have seen what they were doing in her spotless library. Walls were tapped, furniture was moved, the carpet was pulled back and the floor underneath examined. Straightening up from helping Julien heave the sofa back into its correct place, Jeanne saw Jacques standing by the shelves, absorbed in a book. “What are you reading?” she asked curiously, going over to look. Jacques hurriedly snapped the book shut. “Nothing.” He pushed it back onto the shelf, but not before eagle-eyed Jeanne had seen the title. It was a trashy romance novel. Jacques blushed deeply as she smirked at him before turning back to the business at hand.

Author:	Fatima [ Tue May 01, 2007 4:57 pm ]
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Hooray! An update! Brilliant, thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Wed May 02, 2007 12:17 pm ]
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Yippee an update. Thanks Aquabird. Ireally like reading a drabble about Jeanne

Author:	Lesley [ Tue May 08, 2007 11:17 pm ]
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Love Jeanne catching her brother reading a trashy romanace! Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Aquabird [ Fri May 18, 2007 8:51 pm ]
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Sorry I haven't updated in a while. The bunny has been skulking in his burrow. Once again, however, they were doomed to disappointment. “Not a sausage,” said Julien gloomily, as they all sat down on the sofa, having put the room back into order. “I knew it would be a waste of time,” said Jacques. Julien scowled at him. “At least we’re trying to get to the bottom of things! I don’t see you doing much to help!” “I think we should do what we should have done in the first place; call the police.” “We can’t. They wouldn’t believe us.” Jeanne wasn’t listening. She was leaning back, her eyes roving around the room. She was sure they were missing something. Something obvious. “Joseph must have found something,” she thought. “But what? And did he find it in here, or somewhere else?” “Oh, I’m fed up!” Jacques’s voice broke in on her pondering. “Let’s go back to the drawing room and ring for some tea.” They suited actions to his words, and were soon tucking into freshly-baked scones, jammy buns, creamy cakes and chocolate éclairs, washed down with hot tea. “Well, we’re floored,” said Jacques, biting into a cream cake and getting it all over the half of his goatee that he hadn’t yanked off that morning. “I suppose we ought to go down to the servants and admit defeat.” “What?” said his siblings scornfully. “It’s only Saturday afternoon!” scoffed Julien. “We’ve still got plenty of time to find out what’s going on. Besides, we three have managed to survive since last night. If we can make it through the next eight hours or so, the inheritance is ours!” “I’m not going to just sit around and wait for something to happen,” said Jeanne. “We were asked here for a reason, and I’m willing to bet Uncle Ludovic has it all planned right down to the last detail. What’s more, I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning, Julien, and I think Juliette is in on it, somehow. Though how, I don’t know.” “There’s definitely something fishy about the way she wasn’t mentioned in the Will,” Julien agreed. “Suit yourselves.” Jacques drained his tea and got up. “I’ve had enough. I’m going to have a nap. I didn’t sleep much last night.” He departed. Jeanne and Julien looked at each other. “What should we do?” Julien wondered, sitting back in his armchair. “We can’t just give up now! The de Lachenaises are made of sterner stuff than that!” “But short of marching down to the servants’ quarters to interrogate them all, which would spoil it all, we haven’t got anything to go on,” said Jeanne. “We’re missing something…” She trailed off, then sat up with a bang, “That’s it!” “What?” demanded Julien. “The servants’ quarters! The servants are in on this, aren’t they? Well, some of them are, anyway. So how much do you want to bet that there’s a secret passage down there somewhere, that they’re using to sneak all over the house in order to kidnap us?” “Jeanne, you’re a genius!” Julien bounced up off his chair. “Let’s go!”

Author:	Lesley [ Fri May 18, 2007 9:14 pm ]
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Yeah - good to see more of this - well done Jeanne - and anyone else worried that brother Jacques has disappeared too? Thanks Aquabird

Author:	Pat [ Fri May 18, 2007 9:23 pm ]
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First thing I thought of. they've survived because they've mostly kept together haven't they?

Author:	Dawn [ Sun May 20, 2007 12:41 am ]
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And me - but he does come accross as a bit of a waste of space

Author:	Elle [ Thu May 31, 2007 6:08 pm ]
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Any chance of some soon please? offers bunny treats

Author:	Aquabird [ Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:55 pm ]
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Wrote this installment yesterday, but then the stoopid Internet had to play up, so I haven't been on all day. Plusnet. Jeanne and Julien hurried downstairs, but just before they came to the door that led down to the kitchens, Julien stopped Jeanne. “Wait a minute. We can’t just go barging in and demand that they show us the passage, that would spoil it. And they’ll all be down there at this time of the day.” “Good point,” said Jeanne, looking disappointed. “We can’t do anything just now, then. We’d better wait until tonight and sneak down once they’ve all gone to bed. It'll have to be well before midnight, though, or we'll never find it in time for the midnight deadline.” Julien tried not to look as though he found the idea of creeping around a supposedly-haunted house in the middle of the night frightening. “Jeanne! Julien!” There came a loud thump from upstairs. “Jacques!” shouted Julien and Jeanne. They raced up the stairs and along the corridor to Jacques’s room, barging through the door expecting to see goodness knows what. But all they saw was Jacques standing in the middle of the room holding a book, looking more excited than he had done so far that weekend. “What? What is it?” demanded Jeanne. “We thought you were being kidnapped! What was that loud thumping noise?” “Oh, that was just me dropping this on the floor,” said Jacques, holding up the book. It was the trashy romance Jeanne had caught him reading earlier. “I was so excited when I read it that I dropped it.” “You shouted us up here for that?” said Julien in disgust. “Why should we be interested in the love life of some Casanova? We’re trying to solve a mystery here!” “That’s not it!” said Jacques. “Look here! I found this inside the dust jacket!” He held out a scrap of paper. “What is it?” asked Jeanne. “Look and see.” Curiously, Jeanne unfolded the piece of paper as Julien looked over her shoulder. It was a note which said “Third shelf. Twelve books to the right.”. “It’s a clue!” said Jacques excitedly. “In the library!” “I doubt it,” snorted Jeanne. “It’s just some book that somebody wanted to remember the location of, so they wrote it down, then forgot about it.” “I don’t think so,” said Julien, examining the note. “Look, the paper looks quite new. You know how it becomes all faded and yellow after a while. This looks fairly recent. Perhaps Uncle Ludovic put it there. Anyway, it’s worth investigating, Jeanne. After all, we haven’t anything else to do.” “Yes, but look at what it says. Twelve books to the right of what? The door? The windows? Another book? We’d be there forever! And we don’t even know what it’s referring to!” “Well, we’ll go and look, anyway. Come on!” And Jacques led the way back to the library.

Author:	Lesley [ Fri Jun 01, 2007 11:49 pm ]
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A clue? Now are they Hercule Poroit or Inspector Clousaeu? Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Sal [ Sat Jun 02, 2007 2:39 pm ]
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Just found this its great, although I'm now waiting with baited breath for an update... Thanks Aquabird

Author:	Aquabird [ Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:40 pm ]
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Thanks for your comments. The three Js entered the library to find it looking as they had left it. “You check over by the windows, Julien,” said Jacques, taking charge. “You try the door, Jeanne, and I’ll start from this corner.” They spread out, Jeanne privately thinking they were wasting their time. Turning to face the door, she counted twelve books along to the right on the third shelf. The one she landed on was an anthology of extremely dull French poems. Jeanne took a note of it. It could well come in useful for detention purposes when she was back at the Chalet School. As she slid it back onto the shelf, however, there was an exclamation from Jacques. Jeanne and Julien leapt to his side at once. He had pulled out the twelfth book to the right starting from the corner of the room. Jeanne knew that the room next door was the bathroom in which she had been when she had heard the loud banging inside the walls. Jacques had been feeling around the wall behind the book. “I’ve found a hole!” he shouted. “Sh!” hissed Jeanne. “What’s inside?” cried Julien, dancing up and down with excitement. “Feels like a lever…hang on…” He pulled hard, but nothing happened. “It’s too stiff,” he panted. “It shouldn’t be,” said Julien in surprise. “Surely the servants must have been using it?” “Let me try,” said Jeanne, pushing Jacques aside. She inserted her hand into the hole and found the lever. She pulled it. All her Alpinist strength came to the fore, and it moved. There was a clicking noise, and a whole bookcase slid back to reveal an opening large enough to admit a fairly thin person. “We’ve found it,” breathed Jeanne. “Let’s hope it’s not another false alarm,” said Jacques. “Got the torch, Julien?” “Right here.” Julien produced the torch and turned it on. With scarlet cheeks and beating hearts they edged into the opening one by one.

Author:	Fatima [ Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:47 pm ]
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And what will they discover? Thanks Aquabird, it's great to see more of this.

Author:	Katherine [ Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:55 pm ]
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Noooo! Don’t leave us there!

Author:	Elle [ Tue Jun 12, 2007 7:35 pm ]
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What a horrible cliff to leave us on! Please update soon!

Author:	Lesley [ Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:38 pm ]
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Oooh a cliff! Good one. Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Elle [ Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:47 pm ]
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Lesley wrote: Oooh a cliff! Good one. Lesley, your evil cliff hanging influence keeps spreading...

Author:	Lisa [ Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:43 pm ]
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Hoorah! Have just found and read all this (& thoroughly enjoyed it by the way!) and now find myself teetering on the brink of a cliff! keeps imagining Scooby Doo and Shaggy will appear behind the portraits

Author:	Tara [ Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:29 pm ]
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Quote: The one she landed on was an anthology of extremely dull French poems. Jeanne took a note of it. It could well come in useful for detention purposes when she was back at the Chalet School. Lovely to see this back, with even more excitements!

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:34 pm ]
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Lovely to see an update. Am really enjoying this

Author:	Sal [ Mon Jun 18, 2007 1:53 am ]
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Aquabird wrote: The one she landed on was an anthology of extremely dull French poems. Jeanne took a note of it. It could well come in useful for detention purposes when she was back at the Chalet School. That was brilliant thanks Aquabird

Author:	Elle [ Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:26 pm ]
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Any chance of some more soon please? sends bunny treats

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:38 pm ]
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I'm back! I'm very sorry I haven't updated this in months, but what with leaving school in June, then spending the summer looking for a job, finding a job, having no Internet for about a month, plus moving house, the plot bunny went on an extended holiday to escape from the madness. However, I am now settled into my new job and house (minus a wardrobe in my room, though ) and the plot bunny returned during my lunch hour today and I wrote this. Anyway, enough rambling... As the passage ran between the walls of two rooms, it was rather a squash, and they had to move in single file. It ran for only a short distance before Julien, who was at the front with the torch, stopped short. “What’s the hold up?” Jacques, who was at the back, inquired anxiously. “The passage ends here,” said Julien, shining his torch over the wall in front of him. “It’s just a blank wa – ow!” This last, as he shifted his foot and it connected with something solid. There was a sound of grating metal. Julien hopped up and down on the spot, holding his maligned foot and cursing. “Move over,” said Jeanne impatiently, grabbing the torch and squeezing past him. She shone the light over the floor of the passage, searching for the cause of the uproar. The beam played upon a heavy metal ring sticking out of the floor. A closer inspection revealed that it was attached to a trapdoor set in the floor. “It’s a trapdoor!” she said excitedly. “Help me pull it up!” With much grunting and heaving, the three siblings hauled the trapdoor up to reveal a narrow shaft leading down. A ladder was attached on one side. Trembling with excitement, the trio climbed down the shaft. The ladder went down about fifty feet. At the bottom, the shaft widened out into a large, rocky underground room. “Are we in the cellars?” wondered Jacques. “I don’t think so,” said Jeanne. “I think we’re right at the heart of all the secret passages in the house. Look.” She shone the torch around the room to reveal seven or eight passages. “We’ll probably find passages leading into the servants’ quarters, for instance. We might even find another way into that room we found earlier, where the passage from the drawing room goes. And I bet you anything we’ll find the others at the end of one, too!” “Hadn’t we better go carefully, then?” said Jacques fearfully. “They’ll probably have someone on guard. We might get caught.” “I don’t think so,” said Jeanne. “We three are the only ones left. If they capture us all, that spoils the game, doesn’t it? One of us at least has to be left, and since we’re all together, they can’t try to kidnap one of us without the other two. It’s all part of Uncle Ludovic’s plan, remember? Kind of like hide and seek, only much, much more elaborate, and the winner gets the inheritance as a prize.” “He must have had far too much time on his hands, if he spent the last of his time alive devising all this,” muttered Jacques darkly. “Why couldn’t he have just shared it out between us, or picked one of us at random and have done with it, instead of sending us on this wild goose chase?” ”I wonder who’ll get the inheritance, then, since we three haven’t been caught,” said Jeanne. “Monsieur Alphabetta didn’t know either. Do you think they’ll split it between us?” ”Don’t speak too soon,” said Julien warningly. He looked at his watch. “It’s only half past five. There’s still six and a half hours to go yet. Plenty of time for us to get caught.” “We will get caught if we just stand around chatting like this,” said Jacques impatiently. “Come on! Let’s take the nearest passage and see where it goes.” Thus urged, they began to make their way down the passage nearest the ladder, each inwardly wondering what was going to occur in the next six hours.

Author:	Lesley [ Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:44 pm ]
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Yippee! Pleased to see more of this - and welcome back Aquabird. Thank you.

Author:	Katherine [ Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:11 pm ]
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It's back! And so is Aquabird.

Author:	Fatima [ Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:15 am ]
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It's great to see more of this, thanks Aquabird. And I can't wait to hear what happens in the next six hours!

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:25 am ]
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Yippee!! Am really glad to see this back and life has settled down for you

Author:	Dawn [ Tue Oct 30, 2007 3:18 am ]
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YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great to have this (and you) back - thankyou

Author:	janetbrown23 [ Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:02 am ]
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O nooooooooooooo I have just found this and adored it. I have read every word and hung on to all the cliffs but there is no more!! How could you do this to us Aquabird, please post some more. If it helps I will send the bunny chocolates and champagne or lettuce and carrots whichever you and they prefer

Author:	Aquabird [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:26 pm ]
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I'm afraid I have no excuse for not updating this but sheer laziness, and lack of inspiration. However, it's amazing what a boring hour at work can produce. The tunnel wound around corners every few feet, making it awkward going, especially as the roof was low, so that lanky Jacques had to stoop a little to get by. "Hope it doesn’t go on like this for too long,” he said, banging his head off a jutting-out piece of rock. “Ow!” “Sh!” hissed Jeanne suddenly. Everyone froze. “What?” whispered Jacques. “I thought I heard something.” They all stood listening, hearts beating painfully, but all was still. “Maybe I imagined it,” said Jeanne at last. “Come on, let’s move on.” They set off again, and presently the tunnel ended abruptly at a blank wall. “It must lead somewhere,” said Julien, shining the torch over it. “That’s a solid wall, so it hasn’t caved in or anything. There must be a hidden lever or something.” They all began to feel over the walls, and suddenly Jeanne touched the right place. The wall slid silently back to reveal an underground room. Julien shone the torch around. “It’s empty,” he said in disappointment. “Look!” said Jeanne. She pointed up at a corner of the roof, and the two men saw a thin shaft of daylight peeping in. “This must be the room that the drawing room passage leads to. There’s that bit of daylight again.” “I think you’re right, Jeanne,” said Julien, shining his torch around. “Look, there’s another passage, and I remember that rocky bit there. That must lead up to the drawing room.” “Well, we’ve solved the mystery of how they got Jean and Jérôme, then,” said Jacques. “They must’ve overpowered them as they entered the drawing room, bundled them into the passage and got them down here. Then they used the passage we’ve just come through to take them somewhere else. It’s a real rabbit warren, isn’t it?” “It’s ingenious,” said Julien. “If downright scary in parts.” “Let’s go back to the ladder and take another passage,” said Jeanne. “We’re wasting time.” So back they went to the ladder and took another passage. This one ran for about sixty feet, then stopped short at a pile of rocks. It was clear that the roof had fallen in here. “This passage can’t be part of the game,” said Julien, as they examined it. “These rocks haven’t been moved for years by the looks of it.” They backtracked once again to the ladder and took a third passage. This one twisted and turned continually, and after about five minutes suddenly widened out into a rocky cavern. There were signs of life here; an unlit lantern sat on what looked like a bench hollowed out of rock, and beside it were some candles and a box of matches. An empty ginger beer bottle stood nearby. “What d’you reckon?” Julien asked, shining his torch on the articles. “This all looks pretty recent.” “Maybe they held the others prisoner here at one point,” said Jeanne. “Or maybe they used it as a hideout or something. What do you think, Jacques?” There was no answer. “Jacques?” Still nothing. Julien frantically shone the torch around the room. There was nobody there. Jacques was gone.

Author:	Lesley [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:38 pm ]
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Ooooohhhh, spooky! Lovely to see more of this - thanks Aquabird.

Author:	PaulineS [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:12 pm ]
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Good to see more of this. hope they find the others soon.

Author:	Fatima [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:13 am ]
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It's great to see more of this, thanks Aquabird.

Author:	Liz K [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:20 am ]
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Hooray, this is back, but what's happened to Jacques?

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:42 am ]
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Yippee am glad this back. Am sending lots of chocolate carrying plot bunnies over to you so we can see more

Author:	roversgirl [ Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:30 pm ]
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Nice to see more - thanks

Author:	Tara [ Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:28 am ]
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It's back! Great! But where is Jacques??? Thanks, Aquabird, keep feeding the bunnies.

Author:	Aquabird [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:11 pm ]
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Jeanne suddenly felt very scared indeed. Although she knew it was only a game, the dark tunnel, the pressing silence and the suddenness with which Jacques had vanished combined to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “This isn’t funny, Julien,” she said shakily. “From now on we hold hands and don’t let go, all right?” said Julien, with more firmness than he felt. Jeanne nodded, and together they went back to the ladder and took the fourth passage. This one ran for about forty feet, then stopped at some stone steps leading upwards. Still holding hands tightly, Jeanne and Julien climbed them, coming to a halt at another blank wall. A quick search of the surrounding area soon revealed a handle set in a niche. Jeanne pulled it, and the wall slid back to reveal a bedroom. It was very simply furnished. It was also so tidy it was almost painful. If Matey could have seen it she would have died on the spot. “Where are we?” wondered Julien, stepping out of the passage and onto the immaculate carpet, leaving a grimy footprint on it in his wake. “I think I know,” said Jeanne, following him into the room. She went over to the bedside table and picked up a framed photograph sitting on it. “Look at this!” Julien came over to her and looked. It was a wedding photograph. The bride and groom, dressed very formally in clothes that would not have looked out of place at the beginning of the century, were smiling happily. Something about the bride looked familiar… “It’s Mrs Killjoy!” whispered Julien. “Golly, doesn’t she look different? She’s actually smiling!” “Well, it is her wedding day,” said Jeanne. “I wonder what happened to her husband. There’s no sign of any of his things here. Perhaps he died.” “Maybe he was killed in the war,” said Julien. A sombre silence followed his words. Feeling rather subdued, they went back into the tunnel and pulled the handle to close the entrance. “Well, at least we know how they’ve been getting about from their own quarters,” said Jeanne. “What’s the time?” Julien flashed his torch on his watch. “Golly, it’s ten to nine! We’ve been down here nearly three hours! No wonder I’m starving.” “Here.” Jeanne produced a bar of chocolate from her pocket and broke it in half. “This should keep you going, at least until we get to the bottom of this.” Munching away, they retraced their steps once more to the ladder and set off down passage number five.

Author:	Lesley [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:06 pm ]
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Matey dying on the spot because she had found perfection? Thanks Aquabird - quite agree, it is spooky.

Author:	Tara [ Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:09 pm ]
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I think they should hold hands very tightly indeed!!! Wonder how sinister the 'game' will turn out to be? Thanks for the update, Aquabird.

Author:	LauraMcC [ Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:03 pm ]
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Oooh, I wonder what's going to happen next. I hope that everything turns out all right for the five of them in the end. Thanks for this - it's getting spookier every post.

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:42 pm ]
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Thanks. I'm curious as too where they've all disappeared to

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:52 pm ]
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I WILL finish this story one day, I promise! This passage sloped upwards a little, and it wound round corners fairly often, which, combined with the dark, pressing silence and the knowledge that they were quite probably being watched, was very unnerving. As they passed along it, they suddenly saw two tiny shafts of light coming from one side of the wall. They stopped and looked. They saw that they were in fact holes cut into the wall, and that the light was coming from the room beyond. Jeanne stood on tiptoe and looked through the holes. They were set apart at just the right distance for her to look through them, and had obviously been designed for that purpose. The room she looked into was the dining room, which was empty, though candles set in the large chandelier above the table determined the source of the light. “We’re inside the walls of the dining room,” she reported to Julien. “I bet someone was in here watching us yesterday evening when we were eating supper. Remember you said you thought you’d heard something moving in the passage between the dining room and the kitchen when you went to talk to the cook?” “I remember,” said Julien grimly. “Come on, let’s keep moving.” The passage sloped down again a little further on, and the texture of the walls changed from rocky stone to soft, sandy soil. Julien shone the torch on them anxiously. “I hope it hasn’t caved in anywhere,” he said. “It doesn’t look very safe.” But it hadn’t, and the passage presently halted at a rusty iron ladder, which led through a hole in the roof. Julien climbed it, Jeanne on his heels, and when they reached the top he felt marble above him. “We seem to be under a slab of some kind,” he called down to Jeanne. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to push it. Hold on.” He passed the torch down to her, then, holding the ladder with one hand, he pushed hard against the marble with the other. It moved at once, and he managed to push it aside enough to climb through. They emerged onto one of the back garden’s marble walkways that led to the fountain. They thankfully breathed in the pure night air. After the mustiness of the tunnel, it was very pleasant. “It’s all very well-connected, isn’t it?” remarked Jeanne, as they stood looking round where they had emerged. “I mean, if there were unwelcome visitors who came to get you in the middle of the night, say, then this would be a useful escape route.” “Maybe the man who built the place had enemies,” mused Julien. “Why else would he build it riddled with secret passages, unless he intended to use them?” They said no more, but climbed back down into the passage, pulling the slab back into place behind them, and backtracked once more to the main cavern with the ladder. There were only two passages left unexplored now. Trembling with a mixture of fear and excitement, they turned towards the sixth passage.

Author:	Elle [ Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:56 pm ]
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They are trembling? What about me???? I am shaking with nerves (or maybe vodka). Thanks for the update!

Author:	Lesley [ Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:59 am ]
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Defonitely want to know what's down those last two tunnels! Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	leahbelle [ Fri Aug 15, 2008 12:48 pm ]
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I want to know, too!

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:35 am ]
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I want to know where the others are. Can ( May ) we have more soon please

Author:	hobbes [ Sun Jul 12, 2009 7:20 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 14/08, page 7
please, please, please update this-I've just discovered it and I've joined the school JUST to ask for updates. You can't leave us like this-whose teaching Jeanne's classes whilst she stuck in the Haunted mansion?

Author:	shazwales [ Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:58 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 14/08, page 7
Please Aquabird i've only just discovered this too and it's brilliant! more please????

Author:	Aquabird [ Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 14/08, page 7
Thank you for bumping this up! I'd sort of forgotten about it, I'm sorry. I will try and finish it now, I promise. Welcome to the board, hobbes, I'm very honoured that you joined so that you could comment on this! I haven't really thought about who's covering Jeanne's classes tbh - I suppose she would have set them work to be getting on with while she's away, and if they weren't Seniors they would have been supervised by any available mistress/prefect? Anyway, here's an update for you, and thanks all for your comments! This passage ran only a short way before it stopped abruptly at yet another ladder, identical to the one back in the main cavern. Wondering what they were going to find this time, Jeanne and Julien climbed it. Up they went and up, and presently they emerged into a short passage which ended in another blank wall. They knew the drill by then, and sure enough, a search of the surrounding walls soon revealed a lever, which they pulled. The wall slid away silently, and they found themselves looking into an enormous bedroom, the chief occupant of which was an elaborate four-poster bed. “This must be the master bedroom,” whispered Jeanne. “It’s far bigger than any of ours. I wonder if this is where Uncle Ludovic slept?” “More to the point, I wonder if this is where that Comtess was murdered,” said Julien darkly. “It probably was. And it would explain how a servant managed to sneak in and kill her, and get away again, if they had Mrs Killjoy’s room as their own. It’d be much easier than sneaking through the house itself and risking waking other people up. Anyway, come on. We’ve only one passage left now, and I bet at the end of it we’ll find the others!” They went back into the passage, closed the entrance, and began to climb down the ladder, Julien first. They were about halfway down when Jeanne’s cardigan snagged on one of the ladder’s rungs, and as she stood trying to disentangle it she suddenly heard an exclamation of surprise from Julien below, then muffled grunts and rustlings. “Julien?” she cried, but there was no answer. She heard a loud thump, a groan, and then the sound of something being dragged away up the passage. “Julien!” she screamed. She yanked frantically at her cardigan and it came free, leaving a sizeable hole in it and a piece of wool left on the rung. With a sinking heart she scrambled to the ground, and found no trace of Julien but the torch, which was lying on the ground where he had presumably dropped it. On shining it around she saw that the passage was deserted. “So they’ve got him,” she thought grimly. “I’m the only one left. So will I survive to see what’s at the end of the last tunnel, or are they lying in wait for me too?”

Author:	Lesley [ Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
Oh poor Jeanne, all her brothers have disappeared and she's the only one left. You go girl! Thanks Aquabird

Author:	shazwales [ Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:34 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
Thanks Aquabird, Looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Author:	PaulineS [ Mon Jul 13, 2009 11:58 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
Good to see this back.

Author:	JS [ Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
Okay, just read all this in one go, and am now in a state of fear and trembling lest you leave it too long to update! More soon please (although I don't know how you'll resolve it )

Author:	Aquabird [ Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:29 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
JS wrote: although I don't know how you'll resolve it Neither do I at the moment, if I'm honest. Working on the next update now. Dunno when it'll be finished, though.

Author:	leahbelle [ Tue Jul 14, 2009 1:06 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
Fantastic to see an update. Thanks Aquabird.

Author:	ChubbyMonkey [ Sat Sep 12, 2009 10:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
Just found this and read it all - for the sake of my ability to sleep well at night please, please, PLEASE update it soon!

Author:	Aquabird [ Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:02 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 12/07/09 page 8
Still not quite sure how to finish it. It's been so long since I first began this drabble that I've forgotten what my original idea was! “This,” thought Jeanne as she crept back along the passage, her heart hammering against her ribs, “is going to haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. I’m never going to forget how terrified I feel right now. I suppose Joey will get another bestseller out of it, though. I hope I get some of the royalties for being one of the victims!” It seemed like forever before the beam of the torch showed the passage widening back out into the main cavern, and Jeanne turned down the seventh and final tunnel. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was now almost half past ten. It was difficult to maintain a sense of time underground, she mused. She felt as though she had been down here for days or even weeks, creeping through narrow pitch dark tunnels that stretched on and on, leading nowhere… “Uncle Ludovic must have been off his rocker,” she thought. “Fancy dreaming all this up just to scare us!” Something scuttled across the ground in front of her and she screamed, almost dropping the torch. Then the beam played on a mouse darting across the floor of the tunnel, vanishing into the shadows, and she sighed with relief. “It can’t go on much longer,” she thought, swallowing hard against her heart, which was now pounding somewhere in her throat. A tiny breeze drifted through the tunnel as she crept along, and it tickled the back of her neck and made her jump violently. “Pull yourself together!” she said to herself in disgust. “They won’t do you any real harm if they do catch you!” As she rounded a rocky corner she suddenly saw a dim light glowing some way ahead. “At last,” she thought, advancing cautiously, her heart now pounding so fast she could hardly make out the individual beats. Nearer and nearer she drew to the light, then she turned another corner. An astonishing sight met her eyes. The passage widened out into a large cave, which was lit by several lanterns swinging from the ceiling. Most of the space in the cave was taken up by a long narrow dining table which ran down the middle, with mismatched chairs placed around it ranging from old dining chairs to a wooden garden seat. The table was laden down with a veritable feast, and seated all round it were Jacques, Jean, Jérȏme, Julien, Joseph, Mrs Killjoy, Raoul, three other servants and a small, dark-haired woman of the same features as Jeanne and her brothers. Everyone turned to stare as Jeanne took in the bizarre sight before her. She rubbed her eyes and wondered if she was hallucinating. No, there they all were, with a table loaded down with what looked like enough food to feed the Chalet School several times over. “What in the name of Matey is going on here?” she demanded at last, in her best Head-of-Modern-Languages-and-Needlework-Department voice. “We’re waiting for you,” said Joseph plaintively. “I thought you were never coming, and Juliette kept saying we weren’t to start without you.” He jerked his head irritably at the dark-haired woman, who grinned at Jeanne. “Now, hurry up and sit down so that we can eat. I’m starving.” At this point Jeanne’s stomach gave a moan of protest at being in such close proximity to food after being deprived of any since tea time that day, and she decided not to argue further. She advanced cautiously on the only vacant seat; a high-backed velvet affair that would not have looked out of place in a medieval castle. It was placed at the head of the table, and she sat down. As though it was the cue they had been waiting for, everyone dived at once for the food, and there was a scrimmage as they loaded up their plates and began to eat. Jeanne looked over her own piled-high plate at Juliette. “Explain,” she said.

Author:	shazwales [ Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:43 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8
Brilliant Aquabird,looking forward to the explanation soon please.

Author:	ChubbyMonkey [ Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8
I love "in the name of Matey" - that is something that I can see I will have to say a lot more often. Thankyou for answering my call but please can we have an explanation soon?

Author:	PaulineS [ Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:45 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8
Thanks for the update. Looking forward to the explaination/denoumont

Author:	Lyanne [ Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8
Well that was less scary than I expected! Though it's not finished yet...

Author:	jmc [ Sat Sep 19, 2009 12:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8
Looking forward to the explanation. Thanks

Author:	JS [ Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:09 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Jeanne and the Haunted Mansion updated 17/09/09 page 8
C'mon Aquabird, don't leave us hanging on . Pretty please.

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