When the Aldens got home, their dog, Watch, came running to the door to greet them.
“Hey, boy!” Jessie said, rubbing his ears.
Watch followed them as they ran to the kitchen where the housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor, was cutting up apples for a pie.
Everyone began to speak at once.
“Guess what’s at the Pleasant Valley Park!” cried Jessie.
“You’ll never believe what we just saw!” said Henry.
“They had jousting and knights—” said Benny.
“And a beautiful princess,” added Violet.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” said Mrs. McGregor, laughing. She sat down at the table and patted the chairs next to her. “Sit down and tell me what happened. One at a time.”
So the children told her all about the medieval fair, the Silver Knight, and King Richard and Princess Annabel.
“The manager of the fair offered us jobs,” said Jessie. “Do you think Grandfather will let us work there?”
“I’m sure he will,” said Mrs. McGregor. “Call him at his office.”
A moment later Henry was on the phone with Mr. Alden, telling him all about the fair. When he hung up, he turned to the others. “Grandfather thought it sounded great. He can’t wait to see the show tonight!”
That evening the Aldens returned to the park with Grandfather. They arrived early so they would have time to introduce him to Hannah. They found her in her office in the main tent.
“Hannah Greene, this is our grandfather, James Alden,” Henry said.
“Nice to meet you,” Hannah said, getting up from her desk. “Your grandchildren are lovely.”
“Thank you,” said Mr. Alden. “They’re very excited about helping here.”
“I’ve saved some seats for you in the front row,” said Hannah, leading them to their seats.
The Aldens sat down, and Hannah returned to her office. All around them people were finding their seats. Soon waitresses came in, dressed in long dark skirts and white blouses that laced in the front. They brought platters of food that they placed on the tables in front of each row of seats. The food was delicious—thick vegetable soup, crusty rolls, juicy roasted chicken, and flaky apple tarts. It was fun to drink the soup and eat everything else with their fingers.
As the Aldens were finishing their meal, the lights dimmed and they heard a trumpet flourish. The show was beginning.
This time the show went smoothly. Jonathan fought the Blue Knight and won, his new sword gleaming in the spotlight. At the end of the evening, since he had no sword, King Richard rested his hands gently on Jonathan’s shoulders. The audience cheered and the lights came back up in the tent.
“What did you think?” Jessie asked.
“It was wonderful!” Mr. Alden said. “Very exciting.”
“Would you like to meet some of the actors?” Violet asked. “They’re all so nice.”
“Sure,” said Grandfather.
The Aldens left the big tent and stepped out into the night. It seemed very dark after the bright lights inside, and there was even some fog swirling around. As they headed toward Annie’s tent, they saw a knight walking far ahead of them. He was headed toward the stable, carrying a large bundle.
“Is that Jonathan?” Benny asked.
“Looks like him,” said Jessie. “Same armor and silver jersey.
Benny started running into the darkness, following the knight.
“Wait a minute,” Henry said. “No sense running around in the fog. He’s sure to come back this way.”
When they reached Annie’s tent, it was empty.
“I guess she already left,” Violet said.
“Let’s try to find Jonathan,” Benny suggested.
The Aldens walked in the direction they’d seen Jonathan going, but there was still no sign of him. When they arrived at the big tent that served as a stable, they stepped inside. The air smelled strongly of horses. Half walls had been put up to divide the tent into individual stalls for the horses. The men who worked in the stable were settling the horses in for the night. They were pitching hay from a large pile into the horses’ stalls. The Silver Knight was nowhere to be seen.
“Did the Silver Knight—I mean, Jonathan—come in here?” Henry asked the men.
The two men shook their heads. “We’ve been pretty busy taking the armor off the horses,” the taller man said. “He might have come in, but we didn’t see him.”
“Thanks,” said Henry.
“That’s strange,” said Jessie. “He was walking back this way. Where else could he have gone?”
“There are no other tents back this far,” Violet pointed out.
“Well, it’s getting late. Time to head home,” Grandfather said.
As they left the stable they saw a figure ahead of them, walking away.
It was still foggy on the path, but Violet recognized Annie. “Annie!” she called.
Annie turned around. She seemed startled.
“It’s us—the Aldens,” said Henry.
“Oh—oh. You surprised me,” Annie said, coming toward them.
“Annie Shore, this is our grandfather, James Alden,” Henry said.
“I am pleased to meet such an elegant princess,” Grandfather said.
Violet didn’t think Annie looked very much like a princess now. She was wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair hung limp, with bits of hay in it.
Annie laughed. “It’s a fun job. It pays the bills. I’m saving up for college.”
“That can be very expensive,” Grandfather said.
“Yes,” said Annie. “I’ve been saving for a long time.”
“Have you seen Jonathan?” Benny asked.
“Not since the show ended,” Annie said.
“We saw him walking to the stable, but then he disappeared,” said Jessie.
“We wanted to introduce our grandfather to him,” Henry explained.
“Try the knights’ tent,” Annie suggested. “Good night!” She headed off toward her own tent.
When the Aldens arrived at the knights’ tent, Jessie called, “Jonathan, are you in there?”
“Sure, come on in,” Jonathan called back.
The tent was the size of a large room and contained several chairs and tables. Suits of armor hung on stands throughout the tent. Like Annie, Jonathan had changed out of his costume into jeans and a T-shirt.
“We were following you out toward the stable,” Benny said. “But we lost you.”
“The stable?” Jonathan looked confused. “I was just in here, changing.”
“We want you to meet our grandfather,” said Henry. “This is James Alden. And this is the Silver Knight, Jonathan Fairbanks.”
“I really enjoyed the show,” Grandfather said.
“Thanks,” said Jonathan. “You’ve got some excellent grandchildren.”
“And you’re an excellent horseman,” Mr. Alden replied. “Looks like you’ve been riding all your life.”
Jonathan smiled with pride. “Actually, I just learned for this show. I wanted to be part of this medieval fair so I could …” His voice trailed off. He looked as if he had suddenly changed his mind about what he was going to say. He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the show. See you tomorrow.” Jonathan walked out quickly. The Aldens were left staring after him.
“That was strange,” said Henry. “He was so friendly this afternoon. But tonight he didn’t seem to want to talk.”
“He’s probably just tired,” said Grandfather.
Benny yawned loudly.
“Looks as if someone else is tired, too,” said Mr. Alden. “Let’s go home.”
The next day the Aldens arrived at the park in the mid-afternoon, ready to help with the show. After the successful show the night before, they were surprised to find everyone in an uproar.
“Boy, am I glad you’re here,” Hannah said when she spotted the Aldens. Her face looked gray and worried. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“What’s going on?” Jessie asked.
Hannah shook her head, gazing off into the distance. “How could I have been so stupid?” she muttered to herself.
The Aldens looked at each other, confused.
“What—?” Violet began.
“I should never have let him use it. I should have known something would go wrong,” Hannah went on.
“Let who use what?” asked Benny.
“What’s gone wrong?” asked Jessie.
Hannah blinked. “Something terrible has happened,” she said. “The sword is missing.” |