The Hidden Jewels Read online

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  The Hidden Jewels: Featuring

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Copyright

  About the Book

  Honey is very excited because her mum and dad are coming to stay in Honeypot Hill for a whole month. When they arrive, life becomes a whirlwind of special treats for Honey and Poppy. But nothing is as exciting as the mystery of the imprisoned princess and the lost jewels that they uncover at Cornsilk Castle.

  Join Poppy and Honey on a brand-new adventure and find out whether they unravel the mystery of Princess Alyssa and the missing treasure.

  Princess Poppy

  The Hidden Jewels

  written by Janey Louise Jones

  Illustrated by Samantha Chaffey

  For my cousin Suzanne, with all my love

  The Hidden Jewels

  featuring

  Check out Princess Poppy’s website

  to find out all about the other

  books in the series

  www.princesspoppy.com

  Chapter One

  HONEY FLEW DOWN Poppy’s front path like a graceful fairy and ran into Honeysuckle Cottage.

  “Poppy!” she called breathlessly. “Where are you? I’ve got some amazing news!”

  Poppy appeared from her bedroom, where she had been making a necklace. “Hi, Honey! What is it?” she asked.

  “Well,” began Honey, “my mum and dad are coming next week and they’re going to stay for a whole month.”

  Poppy was delighted for her best friend. “Wow, Honey. That’s so cool. I can’t wait either. Your mum and dad are the best fun!”

  Honey beamed from ear to ear. “I’m going to write the date on my calendar and tick off the days,” she declared. “I can hardly wait!”

  Honey spent the next week preparing everything for her parents’ arrival. Together with Granny Bumble she spring-cleaned the cottage from top to bottom. Granny Bumble did lots of baking and even had her hair specially set by Lily Ann Peach at the Beehive Beauty Salon. Then the two of them got the spare bedroom ready, making up the bed with crisp white sheets and a cosy patchwork quilt. As a finishing touch they picked some pretty flowers in the garden, arranged them in a vase and put them on the dressing table. Honey’s mum absolutely adored flowers.

  After what seemed like an age the big day finally arrived. The night before her parents were due, Honey was in such a state of excitement that she hardly slept a wink. But now that the day had come at long last, nothing else mattered. Honey simply couldn’t wait to see them. Every time she heard a car drive through the village she dashed outside in the hope that it was them, even though she knew they weren’t due until the afternoon. At last, while Granny Bumble was preparing tea, Honey heard another car. This time she was sure it was her mum and dad.

  “Look, Granny, it’s them!” she squealed as she dashed out of the front door, down the garden path and through the gate so that she could greet her parents at the roadside.

  Honey fell into her mother’s arms.

  “Honey, darling, you look wonderful! And you’ve grown so much – you’ll be as tall as me soon,” gasped her mum.

  “I’ve missed you, Mum,” she said.

  Before she really knew what was happening, Honey found herself being scooped up in a huge bear hug by her dad. Then he twirled her in the air until she was dizzy – just like he always did.

  “And how’s my fairy princess?” he asked. “Pretty as ever, I see.”

  Just then Granny Bumble came out of the cottage, smoothing down her apron, pushing an unruly curl behind her ear and smiling broadly. She was absolutely thrilled to see her son and daughter-in-law, and although she hadn’t admitted it to Honey, she’d been so excited she hadn’t slept a wink the night before either!

  “Welcome! How are you? You must be exhausted after your flight. Come in and have some tea and then we can unpack the car,” she said.

  The Bumble family spent a relaxed evening together, catching up on everything they’d been doing since they last saw each other. Before long it was as if Honey’s mum and dad had never been away.

  The next day after school, Honey’s parents, Daniel and Jasmine, were waiting for Honey and Poppy outside Rosehip School in their fancy hire car.

  “Hi, girls! We’re going on a mystery tour!” explained Daniel. “Poppy, I’ve spoken to your mum and she says it’s OK for you come too!”

  “Yippee!” cried Honey as she and Poppy climbed into the back seat.

  As soon as their seat belts were fastened, the car sped off out of Honeypot Hill. Daniel took lots of back lanes so that Honey and Poppy had no idea where they would end up. After a while they saw the sea ahead, and the girls realized they were driving towards Camomile Cove. Daniel parked the car near the harbour and they all got out and decided to have a wander around the town. Poppy and Honey were delighted to have a chance to show off their favourite shops, Ned’s Saddlers and Bijou. They were even more delighted when Honey’s mum bought each of them a pretty new handbag.

  “And now for another surprise!” said Honey’s dad as he led them back towards the harbour. “I’ve booked a boat ride across the bay.”

  “Yippee!” chorused Poppy and Honey.

  “Can we have ice-cream sundaes in the Lighthouse Café afterwards?” asked Honey.

  “Of course you can, sweetheart,” smiled Jasmine, thrilled that their first outing was proving to be such a success.

  For the first few days of the Bumbles’ visit it was like one big holiday, even though it was still term time. Poppy and Honey were having so much fun. They went to a huge toy store in the city, dined in lots of lovely restaurants, played tennis and rounders, and had lots of get-togethers with other friends in the village. But after a week of fun Honey’s dad began to feel rather restless. He was used to his phone ringing constantly and rushing from one meeting to another. He simply wasn’t good at not working.

  One night, after her mum had put her to bed, Honey was thinking what a wonderful time she was having with her parents and imagining all the fun they would have together during the rest of their stay. She was feeling utterly content – until she overheard her parents talking in their room, which was right next to hers. Suddenly her happy little bubble burst.

  Chapter Two

  DANIEL BUMBLE WAS complaining to his wife about life in the country.

  “I think a month is going to be a bit too long in this village. I do love it here but I miss the buzz of LA and of always being busy. It’s only been a week and I’m already bored,” he complained. “It would be so good if Mum and Honey could come and live with us. I hate being apart from our little girl for so many weeks of the year. It would work out a lot better for us, Jas. We could have a normal family life. And I can’t believe how hard Mum is working still. She acts like she’s half her age. She deserves to take it easy now,” he continued.

  Honey held her breath, waiting to see what her mum would say.

  “Daniel, we are not cutting this holiday short. I love it here – it’s so beautiful and quiet and relaxing – and the best bit is that we get to spend all this time with Honey. I wish we could spend more time here, not less. You know that if she came to LA you’d hardly see her – you’re always in the office, or away on location. That’s why we decided it would be best for Honey to stay here with Granny, remember? You just need to get used to the slower pace of life
and you’ll love it here as much as I do. Imagine how Honey would feel if we left early.”

  Honey covered her ears with her pillow after that and tried desperately to get to sleep. She was really upset to find that her dad wasn’t enjoying himself as much as she was. She was also worried about the idea of moving away. There was no way Honey wanted to leave all her friends and live in a new city in a different country. Thank goodness her mum seemed to be against the idea.

  The next morning Dad was his usual chirpy self at breakfast and was dressed to go jogging. Because he was so perky, Honey wondered whether the conversation she had overheard had just been a dream. But in her heart of hearts she knew it hadn’t been and she was determined to fix things.

  “Hey, Honey, how about after school, you and Poppy take us on a cycle tour round the village. Would you do that?” asked her dad.

  “OK, Dad, that sounds cool. We can take you to all our favourite places,” said Honey, then ran all the way to school to tell Poppy what they were doing later.

  Honey was distracted at school that day, worrying that her dad might go back to LA before the month was up or that he would make her move away from Honeypot Hill and all her friends. But this simply meant she was all the more determined to make the cycle tour really, really fun. She would show her dad how great life in the village was and that it definitely wasn’t boring.

  When the bell rang to announce the end of school, Poppy and Honey were the first out of the door. They had been thinking about the bike tour all day and couldn’t wait to get started.

  “This way!” called Honey as she cycled down the hill to Wildspice Woods.

  The others followed her – Poppy on her smart red Warrior Princess bike, and Jasmine and Daniel on the Cottons’ bicycles.

  “This is where we collect pine cones and twigs with Saffron for Christmas decorations,” explained Honey breathlessly.

  “Oh, I remember this place,” said Daniel. “When I was a boy, we gathered conkers here every autumn and picked apples in the orchards in summer. If I remember rightly, we made a den in the trees here. It was kind of a secret base . . .”

  Jasmine smiled as she saw Daniel relax a little, recalling his happy childhood in Honeypot Hill.

  Then they made their way into Summer Meadow.

  “I had such fun every Fair Day here, throwing wet sponges at the locals!” Daniel remembered.

  “Did you like Fair Day, Dad?” asked Honey.

  “Like it? I loved it!” he replied. “Especially the ice creams and fairground rides. And even the Fair Day Ball. You know, when I was out jogging earlier, I went through the grounds of Cornsilk Castle, where the ball always used to be held. I love that old place too.”

  “Dad, don’t spoil the tour. That’s exactly where we’re going next!” said Honey.

  “Great! I’ll go by my secret route – race you!” cried Daniel.

  Honey’s mum rolled her eyes. “He’s so competitive!”

  “Yeah, and so are we!” Poppy grinned. “Come on. I know an even shorter cut!”

  Poppy and Honey pedalled super fast, with Jasmine keeping up alongside them, and reached the grounds of the castle within minutes. But when they approached the castle itself, they saw, much to their annoyance, that Daniel was already there!

  “Oh, Dan, you are a sly one – you’ll have to tell the girls your secret route,” said Jasmine with a smile, pleased that her husband was enjoying himself so much.

  They all propped up their bikes and then spent a while just gazing at the impressive castle. Then they took a walk around the grounds and Daniel read out what it said on the various plaques and information boards that were dotted about, most of which Poppy and Honey had never even noticed before.

  “Come and look at this one, girls,” he called. “It says here that the castle was built by the Mallière family. In fact I think I even did a project on it, way back when I was at the Rosehip School. The information on these plaques is definitely ringing bells.”

  Just then a tour guide appeared on the front steps of the castle and asked if he could help.

  “Hi, Arthur!” said Poppy and Honey, who knew everyone who worked at the castle because they often played in the grounds.

  “Hello, girls!” he replied.

  “This is my mum and dad,” said Honey proudly as she introduced her parents.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Bumble,” said Arthur.

  “Likewise,” replied Daniel. “In fact, you’re just the man I’d like to talk to. I bet you know hundreds of stories about the castle. I remember a few from when I was at school but it’s all pretty hazy.”

  “Well, I do know one or two.” Arthur smiled at them. “Gather round and I’ll tell you. The local archives say that the Mallières, the family who built the original castle, were accused of witchcraft hundreds of years ago. Despite their constant denials and the lack of proof, the rumours just wouldn’t go away. It is said that their lives were made so miserable by the gossip that they eventually fled the village so they could re-invent themselves elsewhere, poor souls. Another family took over the castle after that.”

  “Witchcraft!” gasped Poppy.

  “Wow!” Honey shuddered. “Spooky!”

  “The castle you see today was built in 1749, long after the Mallières had left,” Arthur continued, “but they lived on this site for eight centuries before they were driven away.”

  “Ah, yes,” said Daniel. “Now I’m beginning to remember. Wasn’t there a medieval castle here first, with a drawbridge, moat and tower?”

  “That’s right!” enthused Arthur. “And that’s not all! They say a beautiful princess was imprisoned here when her knight went off to war . . .”

  Poppy and Honey loved the sound of that part of the story. They begged Arthur to tell them more but he had to hurry off home because his wife was expecting him for supper.

  “Thank you, Arthur. That was fascinating,” said Daniel, realizing that it was getting near their supper time too.

  “Why not come back sometime soon for a proper tour?” suggested Arthur. “I’m around this Saturday if that suits you.”

  “That sounds perfect. We’d love to come back. Cheerio – see you on Saturday,” replied Daniel.

  Chapter Three

  THAT NIGHT, AFTER a delicious family supper, Jasmine ran Honey a lovely deep bubble bath. After that she tucked her into bed and read her a story before kissing her goodnight and turning out the lights.

  “Mum, do you think Dad had fun today?” asked Honey just as her mother was closing the door.

  “He had a brilliant day, pumpkin, and so did I. Sleep well,” said Jasmine.

  Meanwhile Daniel and Granny Bumble cleared away the supper things, chatting away about the day’s events as they did so.

  “Do you remember that school project you did on Cornsilk Castle when you were about Honey’s age?” asked Granny Bumble.

  “Of course I do, Mum,” he replied. “I got really into it.”

  “You certainly did!” she laughed. “You talked about nothing else for weeks – in fact, you’re a bit like that now. I’ve never thrown any of your school things out, you know. That old project will be in the attic – why don’t I go and have a look for it?”

  “That’s a great idea, Mum, but you put your feet up. I’ll go.”

  On Saturday morning the Bumbles went over to the Cottons’ house for brunch.

  “Are you enjoying your stay, Daniel?” asked Poppy’s dad, James.

  “Oh, it’s great fun. I thought I might not have enough to do here, but now that I’ve got into the history of Cornsilk Castle I’m not worried about that at all,” he replied. “I love that place and all its secrets. I found my old school project on it last night. There are quite a few questions I failed to answer back then, but I’m determined to get to the bottom of them now.”

  “I’m sure I did that project too!” said Poppy’s mum, Lavender. “I love the story of the missing jewels of the princess who was once imprisoned there. It’s
just so mysterious!”

  Poppy’s ears pricked up at the mention of jewels.

  “Ah! The famous jewels!” said Grandpa. “They’ve always been referred to as Princess Alyssa’s jewels. Apparently they’re made from the rarest and most beautiful precious and semi-precious stones – topaz, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, amethysts, jaspers, moonstones and the like. They must be worth a fortune – if they really exist, that is.”

  “Well, I’m determined not only to prove that they exist; with the help of Honey, Poppy and Arthur, I am going to find them!” said Daniel.

  “Yippee!” chorused the girls.

  Poppy, with her love of jewellery, princesses and mysteries, could think of nothing more wonderful than finding the gorgeous-sounding gems and discovering more about Alyssa, the medieval princess.

  “Wow, it would be so amazing if you guys found the jewels,” agreed Poppy’s cousin, Saffron. “I can just imagine the princess and her maidservants in those elegant medieval gowns. I love that look so much! Maybe I’ll design some medieval-inspired dresses in my next collection.”

  “Ooh, will you make me and Honey one?” asked Poppy.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” smiled Saffron.

  “Wow! Thanks, Saffron,” said Honey, already imagining herself wearing a gorgeous medieval gown.

  “I can’t wait until Monday,” Poppy said excitedly. “I’m going to tell Miss Mallow all about this at Circle Time. She loves history, doesn’t she, Honey?”

  Honey nodded. She was excited about Princess Alyssa’s jewels too, but mostly she was just happy that her dad seemed to be enjoying himself. Her cycle tour of the village had worked!

  As soon as the scrumptious meal – free-range eggs, local sausages, grilled mushrooms and golden toast, all washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice and breakfast-blend tea – was over, Daniel looked at his watch and stood up.