The House of Puzzles Read Online Free Page A

together. Now is the chance
to get to know a little bit about each other. I’d like each of you to introduce yourselves
to the group. Tell us who you are, one interesting thing about you and what you
want to achieve in life.’ She clapped her hands together and pointed to a blond boy
sitting across from Gerald. ‘You can start.’
    Gerald had only been at St Cuthbert’s for a single term so he was yet to meet everyone
in his year level. But he knew the boy well enough by reputation alone.
    ‘I’m Alex,’ the boy said, casting his eyes around the circle. ‘Alex Baranov. But
I expect a few of you from St Hilda’s know that already.’ A knot of girls sitting
near Ruby started to giggle. Alex smiled at them. ‘An interesting thing about me?
Well, my family owns a few oilfields in Siberia so I guess you could say we’re pretty
well off. In fact,’—he looked straight at Ruby and winked—‘we’re really well off.
Put it this way, my father’s a member of the Billionaires’ Club and they don’t invite
you to join that place just because you’re good looking.’ He paused for a moment
to comb his fingers through his hair. ‘Though, as luck would have it…’ The girls
next to Ruby giggled again. Alex tilted his head their way. ‘When I leave St Custard’s
I want to be just like my father: good looking and stupendously wealthy.’
    He sat back with a satisfied grin.
    Ruby leaned close to Gerald’s ear and whispered, ‘Ten whole weeks?’
    Gerald smothered a smirk.
    ‘Thank you, Alex,’ Miss Davenport said. ‘That was very…revealing. Now, Ruby, you’re
new to Hilda’s this term. Let’s hear from you.’
    Ruby propped onto her knees and clasped her hands in her lap. ‘Hello everyone,’ she
said. ‘My name is Ruby Valentine and I’ve only been at St Hilda’s for a week. I was
at school in London before, but I’m really enjoying my time so far. I love gymnastics
and I’m going to try everything I can to be the first person to achieve the Triple
Crown—whatever it is we’re supposed to do.’
    ‘That’s terrific, Ruby,’ Miss Davenport said. ‘And what do you want to achieve after
you leave school’—she cast a glance at Alex—‘other than being rich and good looking.’
    Alex chucked his chin towards Ruby. ‘She’s halfway there already,’ he said. The girls
next to Ruby sniggered.
    Ruby blushed deeply and stared at the rug in front of her knees. ‘I’m not sure what
I want to achieve just yet,’ she said, ‘but whatever it is, it will be something
I do through my own efforts, not something that’s been handed to me by someone else.’
    Gerald looked across to Alex. The smug grin had frozen on the boy’s face like a death
mask. His eyes never left Ruby. ‘That’s a bit rich,’ Alex said at last, ‘coming from
someone whose boyfriend inherited everything that he’s worth.’
    A crisp silence settled on the room, like a frost over an apple orchard. Miss Davenport
narrowed her eyes on Alex Baranov and was about to rebuke him when Ruby spoke up.
‘Three things,’ she said, directing her gaze straight at Baranov. The boy cocked
his chin and returned the icy glare. ‘First,’ Ruby said, ‘Gerald is not my boyfriend,
though he is possibly my best friend. Second, he is worth more than any sum of money
that even someone as shallow as you could possibly dream of. And third, shut your
stupid face.’
    The group burst into hysterics, with most of the girls loudly applauding Ruby. Alex
Baranov’s cheeks burned red, making his ice-blue eyes glow even brighter.
    Gerald sat silently as the catcalls and jeers rained around him.
    His insides were aglow. He was possibly Ruby’s best friend? How good was that! He
managed to blithely overlook the ease with which Ruby had dispatched the boyfriend
question. That was a minor detail, a mere speed bump in the highway of his plans
to ask her to be his girlfriend.
    ‘You’re that Ruby Valentine?’ The voice broke through the hubbub. A boy