The Treasure in the Royal Tower by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

9

The Secret Room

“What are you doing here?” Jacques Brunais asked sharply, straightening up. “How did you find this room? How did you get in the tower?” He tightened his grip on the hammer.

“Why don’t you tell us why you’re here?” Nancy said, wanting to get the upper hand. “And what are you doing to that wall?” She pointed to the wall behind him, where a small patch of the gold paneling had been pulled off.

“That’s none of your business,” Jacques spat out defiantly in his thick French accent.

“Mark and Christi asked us to investigate the strange noises they’ve heard at night,” Nancy said. “We followed the noises, which led us here. They also asked us to find out who vandalized the library. What you’re doing here sure looks like vandalism. Mark and Christi could bring criminal charges against you for this.”

Nancy’s bluff worked. Jacques’s muscular body seemed to sag. “That could get me deported back to France,” he said with a groan, dropping his eyes. He plopped down on a small stool next to his tools and buried his handsome face in his hands. “I had better tell you the whole story.”

The three girls crossed the room to face him, waiting for his explanation.

“Back in the 1920s,” Jacques began, lifting his head with a sigh, “Ezra Wickford—the man who built Wickford Castle—was traveling in France. He visited Chateau Rochemont, which was built long ago by a French duke and duchess. From people in town, Mr. Wickford heard that Marie Antoinette and her husband, King Louis XVI, used to visit the duke and duchess there. He became fascinated with the chateau, especially with this tower, where Marie Antoinette supposedly stayed during her visits.”

“So he decided to buy the tower?” Bess asked.

“Yes,” Jacques replied. “And he had the entire tower imported from France to Wisconsin. He wanted the tower to be exactly as it was when Marie Antoinette lived.”

Jacques swept his arm around, showing off the round room’s ornate gold walls. “Someone told him that this was Marie Antoinette’s private writing room, designed just for her,” the handsome skier went on. “Look closely at these walls. They are made of many small pieces, each carved like a tiny leaf and then coated with gold.”

“They’re beautiful,” Bess said, reaching out gently to touch the wall beside her.

“Each piece was carved by hand, then mounted on thick wall panels,” he explained, pointing to the spot on the wall where he had removed a few pieces. “See how each leaf fits tightly into its own place on the panel? They are like a jigsaw puzzle.”

“It’s incredible,” George said, kneeling down to examine the intricate wall design.

“The crystal chandelier,” Jacques went on, pointing toward the ceiling, “was put in for the queen, or so the story goes.” The girls stared upward at an immense chandelier in the middle of the high ceiling. At least a hundred crystal pendants, now coated with dust, dangled from it. Its light bounced off the gilt walls and cast the whole room in a golden glow.

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