Sophie Spirit and the Tower of London Treasure: Sophie Spirit, #2

By Sam Scott

For her second adventure, Sophie Spirit finds herself back in London, looking after Mr Franklyn, who has fallen ill.

By coincidence, Humphrey, visiting his new London school at the same time, allows the two friends the opportunity to meet up. Keen to share the London she knows and loves with her best friend, Sophie takes Humphrey to the Tower of London, and whilst experiencing the splendour of the magnificent landmark, things are not all they seem.

Join Sophie and Humphrey as, once again, they experience ghostly characters and stumble upon a dangerous and daring plot to steel a collection of ancient treasures from The Tower. Can the duo save the day and save the treasure?

Meanwhile, back at Mr Franklin's home, things there are also not all they seem, and in a spooky conclusion the pair come face to face with someone they never dreamt of meeting ....

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stanhope Books
• Release date: Jun 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781909893566

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

So Many Changes

Come along, Sophie.  It’s time we started your history lesson,  Mr Franklyn shouted up the stairs.

Yes, I heard you, Mr Franklyn.  I will be down in a minute,  Sophie replied.

I have called several times.  Please hurry along now.

I know,  I heard you the first time.  It’s just I don’t seem to be able to get out of bed.  I seem to be stuck, unable to move.  And I can’t feel ....

My eyes burst open, and I sat bolt upright at the exact second Mum came through my bedroom door.

Sophie, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.  Are you okay?

Ooh goodness, yes, I think so.  I had the most awful dream, that’s all.  I was back in London at Mr Franklyn’s house.  I couldn’t move but I could hear him shouting.  It was horrible.  I really hate those ones.

I’m sorry, darling.  Maybe a dream about ghosts would have been better, Mum said, and we both laughed.  Come on now, up you get.  It’s school today.

Sure, Mum.  I’ll be down shortly.  Are you going to work today?

Yes, just for a couple of hours and Dad has already left for work.  I’ll see you downstairs.

Mum had taken a job in the village store - that also housed the post office - a few hours a week, which gave her time with Aunt Hilda, as we were no longer living under the same roof.  We had moved out of Old Oak Farm, twelve months before and I had actually enrolled in school for the first time in my life.  My health had stayed on an even keel, without having a stay in hospital for two years.  I still had a check-up every six months and my doctors were very satisfied with my progress since our move to Suffolk, which, in turn, had made Mum and Dad more confident in their decision that I was well enough to attempt school.

Other than that, not much had changed in our lives.  Looking back, I still couldn’t believe quite how quickly the time since moving to Great Batting had passed.  I now understood why Mrs Webster said, ‘If time were a bird, it would be a Peregrine Falcon’.  I had learnt from her lessons that the mottled, grey and white feathered creature with bright yellow claws was the fastest living creature on earth.  A complete comparison with time.  Where had the last fifteen months gone?

After the episode with Zest, I had told Mum, Dad and Aunt Hilda the complete, terrifying tale.  Of course, at first, they found it really hard to take it all in.  Mum still chose to think that my imagination had run wild, until a few days later Lord and Lady Beaumont paid us a visit and reiterated the whole unfortunate story.  Then, of course it was all over the local newspapers the following week.  It was fun to see our faces in the papers - Humphrey and I had been hailed as heroes - but it in no way made up for the horror we had been through.

Shortly after, Dad began his new job at the bank which was working out well for him.  He had already been promoted to Assistant Manager and after almost a year to the day, Mum, Dad and I left Old Oak Farm and moved into a beautiful, chocolate box cottage on the far side of the village green.  It was similar in age to Aunt Hilda’s farmhouse but a quarter of the size, and it suited us perfectly. 

Another new bedroom for me, and another view to get used to.  Just over a year ago I had got used to seeing the open fields instead of the roof tops of London.  Now, I was getting used to the recreation area, a short row of other cottages and the pretty, iris edged, duck pond.

My bedroom, which was more modern in look than the last – not an oak beam in sight - was at the front of the cottage, which I rather liked.  As well as the ducks, I was able to see villagers walking their dogs and customers heading into the post office and store.  The only thing I did not see were children playing in the rec.  That was kept exclusively for me and Humphrey. At least it seemed that way, as Humphrey and I were still the only two children in the village.  Since the day I had met him I knew we would form a special bond.  And now fifteen months later, we were inseparable.  The closest that two friends could ever be.  Human friends anyway.  Humphrey was still deeply attached to his black Labrador, Bella, and then just four months ago, the day that Bonnie came to live with us, life became a lot more fun and chaotic.

Just before Christmas Bella had given birth to a litter of six beautiful puppies – three chocolate and three yellow - which of course was exciting for everyone at the manor, especially Humphrey. He adored Bella and it was wonderful to watch her mothering her pups.  Even better than that - they were due to be weaned and rehomed around the time of my birthday. 

From the moment I had first visited them and picked Bonnie up to cuddle her, I knew she had to be mine.  So, after nine weeks of pleading, begging and nagging, Mum and Dad finally relented and on my thirteenth birthday, Bonnie became part of the Spirit household. Very quickly she became a wonderful new addition to our lives and having her around had helped to fill the gap of missing Aunt Hilda.

When we first left Old Oak Farm, the previous June, it had been hard on all of us, especially Mum, as she loved being so close to her sister.  Thankfully, we were only a five-minute walk away, so we could see her every day.  And now they worked together in the shop a couple of shifts a week that helped enormously.

Aunt Hilda, however, could not get used to the emptiness, after having had us around.  The other thing she had not got used to, was the fact that she’d had ghosts in her home.  It had been almost as frightening a discovery for her as it had for me and, after so many years, she was no longer settled in her own home.  She suddenly found the house ridiculously large for one person, which had finally caused her to put the magnificent, old Tudor farmhouse up for sale.

That did not mean she was planning to move away, thankfully.  I don’t think anything would have made her leave Great Batting now we lived here.  Luckily, there was an empty flat at the store and post office and Mrs Mackintosh, the owner, had assured Aunt Hilda she could rent it whenever she was ready to.

I did feel rather sad for Aunt Hilda - and somewhat responsible.  All had been well at Old Oak Farm before I arrived.  Although she had assured me, over and over, that none of it was my fault and now that we had moved out the old place no longer felt the same for her.  As far as I knew everything was peaceful in the house, yet every time a lightbulb imploded or a trip switch blew she did get rather panicked.  Deep down, I’m sure she believed that Zest had the potential to return.  Although she had never even seen him, the whole episode had shaken her badly, just the same.  It had been easier on Mum, Dad, and me.  Having moved out, we no longer lived with that fear every day.  So, if she felt the time was right to leave, I couldn’t blame her.

Morning, Aunt Hilda. I was both pleased and surprised to see her sitting at our kitchen table when I made an appearance downstairs.

Morning, Sophie.  Ready for this week’s day at school?

Yeah, sure am.

What’s on the agenda?

It’s really exciting, Mrs Robertson is going to give the year eight students their first signing lesson today and I am going to be her assistant.

That is fantastic news, Sophie.  I am so happy they are getting on board with it.

Me too.  From September it will be a standard part of the curriculum for everyone.  You came over early.  Did you need Mum for something?

No, nothing really.  I was a little early for work so I just thought I would walk with you to the bus stop.  Are you ready?

Ah that’s nice, thanks.  Almost ready.  I just need to grab my lunch from the fridge.

And eat something, I saw Mum say as she entered the room.

No, thanks.  I’m not hungry this morning.  Okay, Aunt Hilda, let’s go.  Bye, Mum.  Bye, Bonnie.  I promise a walk as soon as I get home, I told my boisterous puppy that loved her outings more than anything.

The bus stop was a very short walk across the green, on the other side of the duck pond.  Not really a walk at all.  It was kind of Aunt Hilda to think of me, just the same.  And as the bus stop was right opposite the post office and store, it was not out of her way.

The small school bus arrived almost instantly and I said goodbye to Aunt Hilda as I boarded.  There were not many villages in the local vicinity and no children other than Humphrey and me in Great Batting, so it was more like a minibus.  I guess I was grateful they even laid transport on.  The journey took about twenty minutes and we picked up three other pupils along the way. 

The whole school thing had come about at the beginning of the year when Mum made enquiries as to whether I could register in the local secondary school.  Since Humphrey was off to his swanky London boarding school in the coming September, alternative arrangements had to be made for me.  The principal had been very thoughtful and agreed to let me attend one day a week to get used to everything before entering year nine in the autumn.  There was a fair way to go with making things easier for me and I had been incredibly nervous when I started.  I did not join the other year eight classes, and apart from some querying looks from a few kids, the ones I had spoken to seemed very nice.  I had my own room - called a resource room - and my own teacher, Mrs Robertson, a deaf trained Special Education Needs Coordinator, who so far had helped me enormously.  So now, at thirteen, I finally attended a proper school, and I rather liked it.

The only downside was that my time, having tuition with Humphrey and Mrs Webster would come to an end in just one month’s time.  Which I was really going to miss.  From the first moment I met Humphrey I had always known he would be leaving but it would not make it any easier.  I loved learning with him, and Mrs Webster had been amazing too.  Things were soon to change for all of us and I knew I would miss them terribly.

For now though, I still had the summer to enjoy