Page 84 of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
‘There it is again,’ I say, looking away again. ‘It’s like a pinging sound. You must hear it?’
Tom sighs and his hand drops away from my face. ‘Yeah, I hear it. It’s probably just a bird outside.’
I listen again.
‘But it’s not coming from outside, is it? It sounds like it’s coming from downstairs. What’s directly underneath here?’
‘Er . . . ’ Tom looks down at the floor. ‘The Great Hall, I think.’
‘Or,’ I say, leaping up, ‘could it be the Ladies’ Chamber?’
‘You mean the room with the painting of Clara in it?’ Tom asks, pulling himself to his feet.
‘The very same!’ I call excitedly, already heading out of the bedroom into the hall. ‘I reckon I know exactly what that pinging sound is, too.’
‘What?’ Tom asks, chasing after me. ‘What is it?’
‘It’s the sound of a piano playing! It’s Clara,’ I say as I hurry down the corridor towards the stairs. ‘I think she’s trying to help us!’
Thirty
I burst into the Great Hall and rush over to the wooden panelling on the far wall. Then I push the panel with the roses on it. To my relief the panel slides open to reveal the beauty of the hidden Ladies’ Chamber beyond.
Tom is not many seconds behind me as I hurry over to the mini piano and lift the lid. ‘It must be here somewhere,’ I say, looking desperately amongst the taut piano strings.
‘Are you sure it was a piano playing?’ Tom asks, standing back to watch me. ‘It wasn’t very tuneful.’
‘Yes, and it wasn’t a tune that was being played; it was one note. One note constantly.’
‘But why would someone play one note constantly?’
‘Because that’s exactly what Clara said she’d done in her diary,’ I say, still searching inside the piano. ‘She might have been in a loveless marriage, but she fell pregnant, then sadly suffered a miscarriage. She wrote that she sat at this very piano for hours at a time hitting one note constantly. Apparently her lady’s maid had to come and prise her away when she wouldn’t listen to anyone else.’
‘That’s very sad,’ Tom says, staring at the piano. ‘Poor Clara; she had some life, eh?’
‘She did indeed. But I think as a result of everything she had to go through, it made her the strong woman you see in that painting.’
Tom glances at the painting while I get down on my hands and knees to look underneath the piano. ‘It must be here. It must,’ I mutter in frustration.
Tom’s head suddenly appears upside down next to me as he investigates what I’m doing.
‘Any luck?’
‘No,’ I say, crawling back out again. ‘I was certain it was going to be here after I heard that noise when we were upstairs. I was sure it was Clara trying to help us. It was her way of giving us a sign.’
Tom looks thoughtfully at me.
‘You’re pretty sure these ghosts exist, aren’t you?’
‘Let’s not fall out over this again,’ I plead.
‘No, you mistake me. I mean, if you really think they exist, then I’m prepared to give them a go too.’
I smile. ‘I’m fairly new to this, too, you know. But I’m pretty sure you don’t give ghosts a go like you’re choosing a fairground ride.’
Tom grins too.
‘Whatdoyou do, then?’ he asks, moving closer to me. ‘Maybe you could teach me.’
