The Golden Circlet Read online

  Lizzy’s eyes widened as she recalled Rose’s dizzy spell at the Sealife Centre. Could there be a connection? Could Tullor have used some kind of telepathy to reach out to Rose’s mind and affect her?

  Lizzy’s heart started to bump under her ribs and she pushed down a sick feeling. Some pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit horribly into place. And it was all connected with the coming trip to the Isles of Scilly …

  She turned and started to run as fast as she could towards the harbour.

  Chapter Five

  The Regard was moored up at the fish dock. The unloading of the catch was almost complete, supervised by Mr Treleaven, and as she gazed around Lizzy saw Jack standing a little way off near the covered market. Kes was with him.

  ‘Lizzy!’ Jack’s black-bearded face beamed as he saw her too. Lizzy ran to join them and Jack clapped a hand each on her and Kes’s shoulders. ‘It’s good to see you both!’ he said. Then he saw Lizzy’s expression and his look changed. ‘What is it? Is something wrong?’

  ‘Lizzy?’ Kes was looking enquiringly at her too.

  ‘Has something else happened?’ Lizzy hesitated and he added, ‘Is it Rose?’

  Lizzy nodded sombrely. ‘I don’t know for sure,’ she said, ‘but I think Taran’s got at her.’

  For a moment there was silence, then Jack said, ‘Look, let’s move away from here to somewhere more private. Then I think you’d better tell us.’

  They walked in the direction of the lifeboat station and sat down on a low wall that overlooked the inner harbour.

  ‘Right,’ said Jack. ‘Lizzy, when I rang you earlier, you said everything was fine, “except”… What did you mean, “except”?’

  Lizzy told Jack about the incident at the aquarium. There was something else she had forgotten until now, and she added that Rose had said later that she ‘felt sorry’ for Tullor.

  ‘Sorry for him?’ Kes echoed explosively. ‘How could anyone feel sorry? She must be totally crazy!’

  ‘Wait a minute, Kes.’ Jack held up a hand. ‘I agree, it’s a strange thing for anyone to think. So maybe we should ask ourselves why Rose thought it?’ He paused, then: ‘Lizzy, has Rose said anything else about Tullor since then?’

  Lizzy shook her head. ‘No. But these last few days she’s started acting weirdly.’ She explained it all: the questions Rose had begun asking, her sudden obsession with the Isles of Scilly and, most important of all, how she had seen her sister whispering into the shell. Jack and Kes listened without interrupting, and when Lizzy finished Jack let out a long, whistling breath.

  ‘Did you know about this, Kes?’ he asked.

  Kes shook his head. ‘Lizzy told Mother and me about Rose getting dizzy,’ he said, ‘but I hadn’t heard the rest until now.’ His face reddened. ‘I didn’t think the aquarium business was important, so I said Lizzy shouldn’t worry about it.’

  ‘Hmm. Well, I’m sorry to say I think you were wrong,’ said Jack. ‘I have a nasty feeling that Taran is behind this, and she used Tullor to help her make contact with Rose.’

  ‘But how?’ Kes asked. ‘He’s a prisoner. She can’t reach him.’

  ‘Not physically, no,’ said Jack. ‘But she might still have a link with his mind, and she could have used him to hypnotize Rose, so that she could take control of her through the shell. Tullor’s no ordinary conger eel, remember – Taran gave him powers that other creatures don’t have.’ He paused. ‘Then there’s the Isles of Scilly connection.’

  ‘Connection?’ Lizzy and Kes were puzzled.

  ‘Oh, yes. Do you remember when you took the silver pearl to Taran? You both went through the magical gateway which led to the rainbow pool in the cave of mirrors under the sea. That’s the Queen’s court, where Taran lives now. It’s the focus of her power. And it’s very close to the islands.’

  Kes’s eyes lit with understanding. ‘That’s why Taran wants Rose to have this holiday – it’s the perfect place to arrange a meeting without having to go far from her lair!’

  ‘But why would she want to meet Rose?’ Lizzy asked. ‘What’s she planning?’

  ‘I think that’s easy to answer,’ said Jack. ‘Taran wants Rose to steal the black pearl and give it to her.’

  Lizzy was horrified. ‘She can’t – she wouldn’t!’

  ‘She would if Taran hypnotized her,’ Kes pointed out grimly.

  ‘Then we’ve got to stop her! I’m going to tell her we know what Taran’s up to—’

  ‘No, Lizzy,’ Jack interrupted. ‘That would be a big mistake. If Rose has been hypnotized, chances are she isn’t even aware of the things she’s doing. If you confront her, she’ll say you’re crazy and Taran will soon realize that we’ve found out the truth.’

  ‘But Rose might be in danger!’ Lizzy persisted.

  ‘Don’t worry, she isn’t. I’m sure of that. And I’ve got another idea. One that could help us lure Taran into a trap.’

  ‘What sort of a trap?’ Lizzy asked dubiously.

  Jack stood up. ‘Before I tell you, I think we all ought to talk to Morvyr. Kes, you go back to her now, and when I’ve helped Jeff finish everything on the Regard I’ll borrow his sailing-boat and bring Lizzy to the cove.’

  ‘All right, Father,’ said Kes. ‘But can’t you tell us the plan now?’

  ‘Not yet. I need to work it out properly first.’ Jack smiled reassuringly. ‘I know it’s hard, but you’ll just have to be patient!’

  When Morvyr heard Lizzy’s story, she was very troubled.

  ‘We thought that Taran must be plotting something,’ she said, ‘but I didn’t expect this. Poor Rose – and poor Lizzy too; it must be so worrying for you!’

  She was on the rock in the cove again with Kes beside her, while Lizzy and Jack sat in the small sailing-boat Silvie. Arhans, too, was with them and was swimming slowly around the boat. She had made no comment yet but she was listening carefully.

  ‘Father says Rose probably doesn’t know that Taran’s got power over her,’ Kes told Morvyr. ‘Lizzy wanted to confront her, but he said no.’ He glanced at Jack. ‘He’s got a plan, but he wanted to see you before he tells us about it.’

  Morvyr looked at Jack too, questioningly, and Jack said, ‘It’s to do with the magical gateways that lead to the rainbow pool. The black pearl’s gate is near the Isles of Scilly, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Morvyr. ‘It’s the most powerful one of all.’

  ‘And the only one that Taran can’t control – which is why she’s so eager for Rose and Lizzy to go there. If she can get her hands on the black pearl, she’ll be able to open that last gateway.’

  ‘And that will restore the full strength of the crown.’ Morvyr’s grey eyes clouded with fear and anger. ‘No one will be able to stand against her then.’

  ‘So we must make sure that doesn’t happen. Which is where my plan comes in.’ Jack smiled at Lizzy and Kes. ‘I’m sorry I was so secretive earlier, but there was something I needed to find before I told you about it.’

  ‘Did you find it?’ Kes asked.

  ‘Oh, yes.’ Jack thrust a hand into his jeans pocket and took out a handkerchief, tightly folded into a small wad. The others watched silently as he unwrapped it, and as the last fold fell away they all gasped.

  Inside the handkerchief was the black pearl.

  Morvyr was horrified. ‘Jack, what have you done?’ she gasped. ‘It should be kept safe in the locket!’

  Jack was grinning. ‘I was just testing to see if it would fool you, and it did. Don’t worry. This is not the real black pearl.’

  Morvyr’s alarm turned to wonder and, hesitant, she reached out and touched the pearl with a fingertip. ‘But it looks exactly the same!’ she said. ‘I couldn’t have told the difference!’

  ‘Then I’ve obviously done a good job.’ Jack’s grin broadened. ‘This is a perfectly ordinary pearl. A large one, I admit, but there’s nothing magical about it.’

  ‘Where did you get it?’ Lizzy asked.

  ‘When I was rescu
ed from the French trawler a few weeks ago, I was wearing a belt-pouch,’ he told her. ‘It didn’t have much in it, just a few coins and one or two little souvenirs I’d picked up on my travels. Including this. I bought it from a pearl-diver in the Far East – oh, years ago – and kept it as a sort of good-luck charm. I put it away in a drawer when I moved in with the Treleavens. So before I came out here I found it, painted it black and added a bit of silver to give it a shine.’

  ‘It’s astonishing,’ said Morvyr. ‘Just like the real one.’

  ‘If you think that, then so will Taran. And we’re going to use it to set a trap for her.’

  ‘How?’ Kes asked eagerly.

  ‘Right,’ said Jack, ‘this is the plan. Lizzy, could I borrow your locket for a minute?’

  Puzzled and intrigued, she took it off and handed it to him. Jack opened it, then unlocked the secret compartment. For years the silver pearl had been hidden there; now, though, Taran had the pearl and the compartment was empty. Carefully Jack placed the fake black pearl inside.

  ‘There,’ he said. ‘A perfect fit.’ He closed the locket and gave it back to Lizzy. ‘Now, I’ll bet you anything that Rose will soon ask you – very casually – where the black pearl is. When she does, I want you to tell her that it’s safe inside your locket. And, of course, when you go to the Isles of Scilly, you’ll take the locket with you.’

  Lizzy saw what he had in mind. ‘Then, when we’re there, Rose will steal the locket, with the fake pearl in it, and arrange to meet Taran and give it to her!’

  ‘Exactly. You’ll have to make it easy for her without raising her suspicions, but that shouldn’t be a problem.’

  ‘And when she goes to meet Taran,’ Kes chimed in excitedly, ‘we’ll all be waiting, and we’ll get her!’

  Jack laughed. ‘Well, not quite, Kes! It’ll be a bit more complicated than that. But the first part of the trap will be laid. And now I’ll tell you the rest …’

  They all leaned forward, huddling together, and Arhans nosed in too as Jack began to explain in detail.

  Chapter Six

  ‘Sure you’ve got everythiong?’ Rose asked as she struggled down the stairs with her holdall.

  Lizzy was waiting in the hall with her own lightweight bag. ‘That’s the hundredth time you’ve asked me,’ she said. ‘The way you talk, anyone’d think we were going away for five months, not five days.’

  Rose reached the hall and thankfully dropped the holdall with a thud on the floor. ‘I know what you’re like, that’s all.’

  ‘Well, I’ve got my wetsuit and mobile phone, and they’re the only really important things.’

  ‘Yeah, till you find out you’ve forgotten to pack a swimsuit, or sandals, or clean underwear, or your locket or something.’ Rose paused, then added in a deliberately casual way, ‘You are taking your locket, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’m wearing it.’ Lizzy tugged on the silver chain round her neck and showed Rose the locket. ‘Why?’

  She knew perfectly well why Rose was so concerned about the locket, but she couldn’t resist asking the question. Rose shrugged and said, ‘Well, you don’t want to leave it behind, not with the black pearl inside. Imagine if we had a burglary while we were away.’

  Or imagine if you arranged to meet Taran and then couldn’t get hold of the pearl, Lizzy thought.

  Mum came down the stairs then, carrying her own bag. ‘Are you girls ready?’ she asked. ‘We’ve got to leave in five minutes, or we’ll be late for the ferry.’

  ‘We’ve got everything,’ said Rose. ‘But I don’t know where Dad is.’

  Mrs Baxter raised her eyebrows heavenward. ‘If he hasn’t finished packing… Mark!’ she called in the direction of Dad’s study. ‘Mark, hurry up!’

  ‘Coming!’ Dad appeared from the study. ‘I was just making sure everything’s switched off that needs to be. Right, Mum can bring the car round, and I’ll take the bags outside.’ He picked up Rose’s holdall. ‘Good grief, Rose, what have you got in here? It weighs half a ton.’

  ‘Just clothes and stuff,’ Rose said huffily.

  And something else? Lizzy wondered. She hadn’t checked her room since Rose came downstairs, but …

  ‘I’m going to the loo,’ she said aloud. ‘In case we have to wait ages at the ferry.’

  ‘Well, buck up,’ said Mum. ‘Or we really will be late!’ She went out to get the car, and Dad began lugging the bags to the front door. Rose followed him, and Lizzy dashed upstairs. But she didn’t go to the bathroom. Instead, she peered round the door of her own bedroom.

  As she had expected, her shell wasn’t there. So Rose had sneaked in at the last minute and taken it, and now no doubt it was carefully wrapped up inside her holdall. Any doubts Lizzy might have had about her suspicions faded and vanished. Rose and Taran were in league with each other. And the plan that Jack had prepared would very soon be put into action.

  A car horn beeped, and hastily Lizzy ran down the stairs and outside.

  Despite Mum’s worries they were at the Penzance quay in plenty of time and, with their bags safely stowed in the metal luggage containers, they walked up the gangplank of the Scillonian ferry. The weather was still lovely, and Dad suggested finding outside seats on deck, where they would have a glorious view. Rose, remembering how seasick she had been on the Regard, would have preferred to go inside to the passenger lounge, but she was outvoted.

  The ferry was fully booked and the deck was crowded with happily chattering people. Mum soon got talking to a couple in the seats behind them, and Dad made himself comfortable and opened his daily newspaper. Soon the boat moved slowly away from the quay and turned towards the open sea. Lizzy leaned on the rail beside her seat. She wondered if she might see Arhans and her friends, but as yet there was no sign of them. Perhaps, she thought, they were already escorting Kes and Morvyr to the islands, in which case they would arrive before the ferry did. And Jack was flying out by helicopter later this morning. It was frustrating, but for now there was nothing Lizzy could do except wait, and try to forget her nervousness enough to enjoy the voyage.

  The journey was uneventful, apart from a return of Rose’s seasickness. Mum bought her a packet of ginger sweets from the onboard shop – ginger, she said, was very good for sickness – and Rose retreated to the covered lounge, where she fell asleep for a while on one of the cushioned seats. The rest of the Baxters stayed outside, looking at the sea and breathing the salty wind that whipped their hair as the boat powered onwards. Patches of summery white cloud scudded across the sky, the lonely Wolf Rock lighthouse slid by on the port side, and then there was nothing but the glittering blue-green sea stretching away in every direction.

  As the sun climbed towards its highest point the Isles of Scilly appeared on the horizon, and before long the boat was easing gently into St Mary’s harbour. Again Lizzy looked eagerly for signs of dolphins, but again there was nothing.

  Rose was feeling better, and while the Baxters waited for their luggage to be transferred to the smaller boat that would take them on to St Agnes she went to a nearby shop and came back with a large bar of chocolate and two magazines. Lizzy gazed around, wondering if Jack had arrived and where he was staying. Then they were climbing aboard the waiting catamaran, and with a roar and chatter of the engine they powered away from the harbour.

  During the next two hours Lizzy was too caught up in the excitement of arriving and settling in to think about anything else. A small tractor with a trailer behind it was waiting at the quay, and their luggage was taken on ahead while they strolled to the holiday cottage. The cottage was small but comfortable. The bedroom that Lizzy and Rose were to share had a wonderful view of the sea, and a big box of groceries had been left for them in the kitchen.

  The island itself was surprisingly different from the mainland. It was quite low-lying, with wide expanses of turfy grass and heather. There were no trees of any size, just low-growing bushes, and strangely shaped rock formations, smoother and more rounded than those on their own
coast, rose out of the ground like prehistoric creatures emerging from the earth. More rounded rocks fringed the beaches and little lagoons, and a small lighthouse, now disused, stood on one of the highest points, gleaming white in the sun.

  Rose wanted to start exploring at once, but Mum said firmly that no one was going anywhere until they had unpacked properly and had some lunch. Rose gave way, but Lizzy sensed how impatient she was as they prepared and ate sandwiches.

  As soon as lunch was finished Rose jumped to her feet and said, ‘I’m going to go and explore.’

  ‘All right,’ said Mum. ‘I expect Lizzy’d like to go with you. Wouldn’t you, Lizzy?’

  Rose and Lizzy looked at each other, and Lizzy saw complete dismay on Rose’s face.

  ‘Mum and I are off to the nearest beach, with a rug and a couple of good books,’ said Dad. ‘While this weather lasts, we’re going to make the most of it.’

  Lizzy smiled innocently at Rose. ‘I think I’ll come with you, Dad,’ she said. ‘I’m feeling lazy too. I might go for a walk later.’

  Rose visibly relaxed. ‘OK, cool,’ she said. And she went before Lizzy could change her mind.

  By evening, Lizzy had made some explorations of her own and was starting to find her way around. Though the island was not much more than a kilometre long, it had so many beaches that it was impossible to guess where Rose and Taran might arrange to meet. Many of the beaches were rocky and difficult to walk on, but others had stretches of smooth, silvery sand. One place in particular would be ideal: a sandy causeway that joined the main part of St Agnes to a smaller island called the Gugh. The water here was calm and the beach shelved gently on both sides. Lizzy wondered if Rose had seen it.

  Rose did not say much about where she had been and what she had found, but she seemed pleased. No one felt like cooking, so they walked to the island’s one pub and had a meal there, then returned to the cottage in the afterglow of a glorious sunset. Everyone was tired by this time, and no one argued when Mum suggested an early night.