Meet the Gellibrands: 'The Lost Staircase' Quiz

Answer: New Zealand

Jesanne's parents died when she was young; her mother Jessica died in childbirth and her father, Sir Nicholas, is a distant cousin of Sir Ambrose, and died intestate six months before the story takes place. Her aunt Anne Mortimer is her sole carer; her name, which Sir Ambrose dislikes, is a portmanteau of 'Jessica' and 'Anne'. Miss Mortimer does not want to send Jesanne to Britain, but Sir Ambrose threatens legal action, as all the heirs to the Dragon House are dead and Jesanne is the next in line to the inheritance.

Answer: German shepherds

Sir Ambrose is pleased to discover that Jesanne also loves dogs - she has a German shepherd puppy called Sanchia - as he considers loving dogs to be the mark of a true Gellibrand, and the family have bred dogs for generations. He himself breeds German shepherds and has two of his own called Storm and Donna, and Sanchia soon becomes part of the pack.

He also has a faithful old mastiff called Beowulf. There is also a mother cat called Gipsy with kittens, who lives in the kitchen. (In real life, Elinor M Brent-Dyer was a big dog person and had German shepherds of her own, and wrote another book involving one called 'They Both Liked Dogs').

Answer: He pretended to be his father's old cousin Anna, who was ill with smallpox.

The Gellibrand family history is a complicated and dark one; Sir Ambrose tells Jesanne that one Gellibrand in three has died in their beds, and his own children have all died of various causes. Dragon House was built during the reign of Henry VII, and during the English Civil War, the Gellibrands remained Catholic and often sheltered priests. Sir Ambrose shows Jesanne the old chapel, which has access to a hidden priests' hole, which in turn leads to a secret passageway.

He also tells her about a missing staircase, which has been missing since the Civil War, but nobody knows why. One of the rooms in the south wing of the house was also used as a hiding place for Caspar Gellibrand; he disguised himself as his aunt Anna, who was suffering from smallpox.

The real one had died, so they put her body in the priest's hole before smuggling it into the family vault, while Caspar lay in her bed pretending to be her. He later went to France and died there, and the Gellibrands held an honorary funeral for him.

Answer: Dogs

Miss Mercier has an old-fashioned approach and believes that Jesanne should not spend so much time riding or going for walks as it tires her out, that she should do needlework in the evenings instead of playing chess with Sir Ambrose, and should learn the piano instead of the cello. Jesanne takes the cello very seriously and hopes to have lessons once Sir Ambrose can find a teacher. Miss Mercier also disapproves of Jesanne learning Latin, as she thinks girls do not need it, and does not believe her when Jesanne tries to explain that she has been learning it since childhood.

She is also frightened of dogs, especially German shepherds - possibly because of anti-German sentiment - and does not want Sanchia in the schoolroom, claiming it's 'unhealthy'. Luckily, Sir Ambrose has Jesanne's back, but Miss Mercier still finds ways of getting at her. Mr Jennings, the Dragon House estate manager, has a niece called Lois who later joins her for lessons, and the two become close friends.

Answer: Anointing the doors of the house with oil of cloves

The journal - or 'Journall' - is a great book that has been kept over the centuries by generations of Gellibrands. Sir Ambrose explains the Christmas ritual to Jesanne, stating that the heir can only be told about it by their immediate predecessor. Both of them wear medieval-style gowns and walk around the house, with Sir Ambrose carrying a lantern - a tribute to St Joseph, who was often depicted with one - and Beowulf accompanying them.

The Gellibrands traditionally welcome those in need at Christmas, and every time a Gellibrand goes into a room, they must say, "Is anyone here? If it be so, then come forth and share our Christmas cheer. For at this season of the year none cometh to the Gellibrands but is fed and comforted in the Name of Christ. Who was denied a resting-place, save among the cattle." In the chapel, the line "but is now the King of Heaven, throned and crowned with glory" is added at the end.

While this is going on, the servants and all the other animals must leave the house. Jesanne takes a great interest in the Journall, and later goes through it to see if she can find any information about the staircase.

Answer: The south lodge

Jesanne receives several lovely presents, but the biggest surprise of all is when Sir Ambrose presents her with the south lodge. It is her own private space and she is allowed to have friends over, on condition that she keeps it clean (although a kitchen maid helps with the really dirty jobs) and looks after it herself.

He believes it is important for her to know how to do housework and sees the lodge as a good opportunity for her to learn. Mrs Spike, the housekeeper, will help provide food. Lois comes to visit, and has a moment of sadness as she misses her parents, who are in Burma.

She and Jesanne also help distribute a huge basketful of presents to the Gellibrands' servants, as is the tradition. (The carving of the Taj Mahal is a present given to Lois on behalf of the cats.)

Answer: He slips on a banana peel and breaks his leg.

While looking through the Journall, Sir Ambrose, Jesanne and Lois come across some pages which are stuck together, which may contain information about the lost staircase. Lois suggests that there may be a photography technique that could help them read the writing, and Sir Ambrose promises to contact a photography firm in London to see if they can help.

However, while in London, he slips on a banana peel and breaks his leg, and because he is in his eighties, it will take a while for him to recover, even though he is fit for his age. Jesanne is devastated at the news, as he is the only family she has in England, but Mr Jennings reassures her that Sir Ambrose will be fine.

Answer: He worried that the bit about Nicholas declaring against the King in the Civil War would bring a slur on his family.

Back in the days of the English Civil War, the old Sir Ambrose had an argument on the now lost staircase with his son Nicholas, who declared that he was on the side of Parliament. The Gellibrands being Royalists, Sir Ambrose kicked him out and had his name erased from the family records. Nicholas later asked Oliver Cromwell to allow Stephen Gellibrand, his brother, to keep the Dragon House, as Nicholas himself did not want to inherit it. Fortunately for him, Cromwell agreed and allowed Stephen to keep it as long as he did not rebel against the government. Stephen also allowed Nicholas to live there. Back in the present, Jesanne, the current Sir Ambrose and Lois are reading the Journall when they come to an entry by Caspar Gellibrand, Nicholas' nephew, which reveals that the old Sir Ambrose was worried Nicholas would betray the family to Parliament for remaining Catholic. Caspar was worried that the entry concerning Nicholas' declaration against the King would make the family look bad, so he sealed the pages.

It is also revealed that he walled up the old staircase where the argument between Nicholas and Sir Ambrose took place, because of the 'bitter memories' associated with it, and left it to erode away.

Answer: Little Tommy

Little Tommy, one of Gipsy's kittens, is given to Jesanne as a Christmas present. Little Tommy climbs out of the schoolroom window and onto the ivy, and gets stuck in a hole in the wall. Jesanne hears him crying and climbs down the ivy to get him. Lois runs to the gardeners to fetch help and a ladder, and the servants keep quiet while Jesanne is climbing down, but Miss Mercier shouts at her and Jesanne slips.

Her foot goes through a hole in the ivy and she realises that it must be where the staircase used to be, and then she falls on the ground and hits her head, twists her ankle and breaks her wrist.

She is taken to hospital and Lois refuses to reassure Miss Mercier about Jesanne's wellbeing, blaming her for the accident. While Jesanne is in recovery, Sir Ambrose has the workmen cut away the ivy and the ruins of the staircase are revealed.

Answer: Jesanne and Lois join the Chalet School.

Sir Ambrose has the sealed pages photographed and discovers that Nicholas Gellibrand had hidden certain secret papers in a special place where Cromwell would not find them. The papers are revealed to be lists of recusants and priests who had hidden in the Dragon House, as well as a plan of the Dragon House which includes the priest's hole.

The workmen do some digging and discover various items hidden in the wall where the staircase was, including a statue of the Virgin Mary, a box containing the papers, a ring belonging to Nicholas' wife, and a rosary. Miss Mercier seems in a better mood than usual, and Sir Ambrose reveals to Jesanne that she is engaged to be married and wants Jesanne for a bridesmaid (much to Jesanne's disgust). Finally, Jesanne gets an amazing surprise when her aunt Anne appears, and Sir Ambrose reveals that she will be living in the Dragon House for a few years and will help look after Jesanne and Lois. Sir Ambrose hopes to take them back to New Zealand on a trip in future.

The girls do join the Chalet School, but not in this book!