The Secret in the Old Lace (14 page)

“And yours now, Cody!” Nancy added as she pulled over a stool that was standing in the corner, again stepping up to inspect the beam.

“Is there anything else?” George asked, helping Bess pick up the additional fallen treasures.

“I’ll say there is!” Nancy cried in happiness. She produced the missing lace cuffs. “I never dreamed we’d ever find—”

Gleefully, the girl detective jumped down from the chair and displayed the long-hidden, delicate clue.

Just as in Gelder’s painting, one cuff bore the figure of a birdcage under a pattern of baseless triangles and the words
Je vous aime.

“What’s the message in the other cuff?” Bess asked eagerly.

Nancy examined it closely, repeating the words out loud. “It’s
Épousez moi, s’il vous plait.

“What does that mean?” Bess asked.

Nancy translated, “Please marry me.”

“And that’s precisely what François did!” George said.

“Except no one in his family or hers ever knew it. It was their secret!” Nancy declared. “Antoinette changed her name to Elaine Warrington when she left home, and I gather that after her husband’s death, she moved to the States.”

“But she never told anybody who she really was,” Cody said. “Just look at how little I knew about her. ”

“Well,” Bess sighed, “Antoinette—Elaine really got what she wanted—François—Friedrich!”

Her listeners laughed, then George remarked, “The ending of your story, Nancy, was a bit different. This turned out to be a double surprise!”

“But that’s because the beginning wasn’t accurate,” Bess pointed out. “Your hunch about François’s move to Brugge, though, was right on target!”

As she spoke, Madame Chambray sailed cheerfully into the room. She blinked tearfully when she saw the jewelry and money. “I can’t believe it. You found all this?”

Cody slipped his arm around her shoulder. “Please pick out something—anything—from here you would like to keep,” he said to each one.

“Oh, we couldn’t,” George said.

“But I insist,” the young man replied. “It would make me very happy.”

Reluctantly, George selected a plain but beautiful gold necklace. Cody smiled.

“I would have chosen the same thing for you,” he said, causing a flush of red to spread along George’s neck.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Bess decided on an old-fashioned bracelet, while Madame Chambray selected an enamel and gold pin. When Nancy’s turn came, she picked a delicate chain with a beautiful locket on it. Inside were two photographs. She used her magnifying glass to decipher the faded wording underneath them.

“These are pictures of Friedrich Vonderlicht and his bride,” she said. “I can’t take this. Cody, you must save it for someone special.”

The cowboy shifted from one foot to the other. “Then you choose something else,” he said.

Nancy settled on a ruby ring. “Red will always remind me of François’s jacket.” She chuckled.

Madame Chambray, in the meantime, spoke quietly with Cody concerning arrangements to pick up his family possessions.

“Do you realize,” George turned to Nancy, “that the mystery is no longer a mystery?”

“Yes, I do, if you mean the mystery about François. But what about my manuscript?” Nancy replied. “I’ve got to talk to Dad about it.”

When she telephoned the Drew home later that day, Hannah Gruen answered. Mr. Drew was out of town, she said.

“What’s your news?” Hannah asked the girl detective.

Nancy related what had happened during recent days. “It seems that Matey Johnson heard enough of our conversation to trigger off a lot of interest in Madame Chambray’s letter. Then his pal intercepted my manuscript to keep me from flying to Belgium. Can you imagine that?”

“I can.” The housekeeper laughed. “Of course, he didn’t realize that no one can keep you from doing anything you want to. ”

The next day Hilda and her parents gave a farewell party for the young sleuths and their hostess, Madame Chambray. Cody and Joseph were also present.

“Can’t I convince you to stay longer?” the woman asked the girls.

“I’d love to,” Bess said, trying hard not to glance at Joseph who hovered near Hilda.

“So would I,” George admitted, “but Nancy—”

“My tour doesn’t finish for a whole week,” Cody interrupted. “Why don’t you change your mind?”

Nancy winked at her friends. “Well, I would like to see Ned before the summer is completely over,” she said.

Now Dr. Permeke offered a toast to his guests. “It is amazing to think that such an old, old mystery has been solved,” he began, “but that it took three American girls to do it—ah—that’s even more wonderful!”

“And we loved every minute of it!” Nancy answered. “Thank you very much for all of your help!”

The following day the girls flew back to New York, then on to River Heights. Mr. Drew and Hannah had just greeted Nancy when the phone rang.

“I’m sure it’s for you, dear,” Mr. Drew told his daughter.

To her surprise, the caller was John Miller, the editor-in-chief of
Circle and Square
magazine. “So you’re home,” he said. “Well, I have some wonderful news for our girl detective. You won first prize in the contest!”

Nancy was almost breathless. “I did?”

“Yes. I received word from the Belgian police last night that Herbert Rocke was arrested at Brussels airport when he tried to fly back to the States.” He paused. “I sincerely regret he was one of our editors and I apologize to you for—”

“That isn’t necessary,” Nancy interrupted. “I’m just so thrilled about the contest.” She gulped back tears of happiness as she realized her immediate challenges had finally come to an end.

Where would Nancy’s next adventure take her? She would find out soon when she solved
The Greek Symbol Mystery.

“Mr. Miller,” the young detective went on, “now that I’ve found the real solution to the puzzle would you like me to write a new ending to ‘The Secret in the Old Lace’? ”

“Indeed, I’ll publish it!” Mr. Miller said with a chuckle. “Deep down I was sure you would solve the mystery!”