The Case of the Stolen Crown

by Paula Harrison

  Contents

  Cover

  Dedication

  Chapter One: Cake Mixture

  Chapter Two: The Little Wooden Box

  Chapter Three: Spying in Plumchester

  Chapter Four: Buttons and Bows

  Chapter Five: The Footprint in the Gallery

  Chapter Six: A Disaster in the Dark

  Chapter Seven: The Marks in the Flour

  Chapter Eight: Two Princesses

  Chapter Nine: Jess’s Ballroom Dance

  Chapter Ten: The Surprise Behind the Curtain

  Chapter Eleven: A Glint of Gold

  Chapter Twelve: A Special Treat

  Royal Cupcakes

  Spot the Difference

  Time to Decorate!

  Help Mr Larum!

  Hidden Gems

  Quiz…

  Shopping time…

  Tiara Friends: The Secret of the Silk Dress: Chapter One: The Quarrelsome Cousins

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Cake Mixture

  Millie stirred the cake mixture so fast that the spoon flew round the bowl. She had to make sure there were no lumps. The cake was for her brother Prince Edward’s first birthday and she wanted it to be perfect. Her arm started to ache but she kept on stirring.

  The mixture turned beautifully smooth and golden. A curl escaped from Millie’s white mob cap and a spot of mixture splattered on to her maid’s apron. A cheerful fire warmed the palace kitchen. Gleaming saucepans hung on the wall and there were shelves filled with pots of herbs and spices.

  “Can I lick the spoon yet?” Jess danced round the table, her green satin dress swishing as she twirled. Hop – step, step, spin. Her hair, tied up with a green velvet ribbon, bounced as she moved.

  Millie smiled at her friend. “Soon! It’s nearly done.”

  A plump woman with grey hair bustled out of the pantry. “There! That’s all the deliveries put away.” She wiped her hands on her apron and peered at the mixing bowl. “How are you getting on with that mixture, Jess? Did you see the practice cake I made yesterday?” She pointed to a finished cake. “Looks like your fresh one will be even nicer.”

  The two girls exchanged looks.

  “Yes, I think it’s nearly ready.” Millie smiled at Cook. “But actually, I’m not Jess. I’m Millie!”

  Cook Walsh laughed and shook her head. “Goodness me! Of course it’s you, Princess Amelia! You girls are such scamps for swapping places.

  Mind you don’t get caught!” She took the mixing bowl from Millie and gave it an extra stir.

  “No one ever notices!” said Jess, twirling again. “I’ve just been to Millie’s ballroom-dancing lesson and Miss Parnell didn’t suspect a thing.”

  Amelia (Millie for short) and Jess had been best friends ever since Jess became a maid at Peveril Palace three years ago. Jess’s parents owned a dressmaking shop a few streets away. Jess’s mother had made clothes for Millie since she was little and was well-respected at the palace. Jess had a chamber near the kitchen where she stayed most of the week, going home to stay with her parents on her days off.

  The two girls were born in the same month; although Millie was fond of pointing out that she was ten days older. They both had glossy brown hair with hints of gold at the front. Their eyes were hazel, though Jess’s were a little darker. They were exactly the same height. In fact they were so similar that it was very hard to tell them apart.

  Queen Belinda and Mary, Jess’s mother, had thought the likeness very handy. It meant Jess could do dress fittings for the princess’s clothes while Millie was busy with other royal duties. But as soon as Jess tried on Millie’s things, Millie wanted to try on Jess’s. Since then, the two girls had swapped clothes more times than they could count and all without anyone (except Cook) finding out their secret.

  Cook shook her head again. “Well, just be careful! Goodness knows what the queen would say if she saw you in that cap and apron. Now let’s get this practice cake out of the way and put your fresh one in the oven.” She lifted the finished cake off the table and put it on the side.

  “I like wearing Jess’s uniform.” Millie smoothed the white apron. “Especially if it means I get a chance to bake a cake!”

  “And I like taking dance lessons.” Jess did a pirouette. “Though I don’t think I’d want to wear this dress ALL day long.”

  Cook Walsh smiled at them affectionately. “Who would have thought it? Peveril Palace has a maid that likes ballroom dancing and a princess that loves baking. The world is a funny place!”

  The girls smiled back, their cheeks dimpling in exactly the same place and their hazel eyes sparkling.

  “It’s true!” said Jess. “We may look the same but we don’t like the same things at all! C’mon, Millie. If you’ve finished cooking I’d better teach you the new dance steps I learned. You’ll need to know them for the party.”

  There were footsteps in the passageway.

  “Cook Walsh, have you seen Princess Amelia?” called Queen Belinda. “I’ve been looking for her everywhere!”

  Millie jumped and her mob cap fell off. She grabbed it and quickly crammed it back on her head. “Jess, what shall we do?” she whispered.

  “You have to act like you’re me,” hissed Jess. “I’ll hide!” She dashed into the pantry and closed the door behind her.

  The queen walked into the kitchen carrying Prince Edward. The little prince waved his chubby arms and gurgled. He was dressed in velvet breeches and a frilly white shirt. On top of his blond curls was a little golden crown sparkling with diamonds.

  “Good morning, Your Majesty,” said Cook. “Oh, look at the little prince! How gorgeous he looks in his crown.”

  Millie, who had busied herself tidying the table when her mother came in, risked a quick look over her shoulder. Her baby brother did look quite sweet. She recognized the golden circlet on Edward’s head. It was called the Baby Diamond Crown. It had been worn by each royal baby on their first birthday for hundreds of years.

  Queen Belinda smiled. “Thank you, Cook! I wanted to put his party clothes on to make sure they fit. All the guests will want to see him looking smart and wearing the Baby Diamond Crown. It’s traditional!” The queen gently stopped the baby prince from grabbing the crown and pulling it off. “If you see Amelia could you tell her I need her upstairs straight away,” she continued. “I want her to try on her party clothes too. I think the dress may need some lace and beads to finish it off.”

  “I’ll tell her, Your Majesty,” replied Cook Walsh.

  Millie pulled her cap lower as the queen swept past. Cook was right. Her mother would have quite a few things to say if she found out that Millie and Jess had swapped places. Queen Belinda could be quite strict about royal rules and etiquette.

  The pantry door opened a little and Jess peered round. “Is it safe?”

  “She’s gone! We’d better go and swap clothes again.” Millie gave Cook a quick hug. “Thanks, Cook! I loved helping with the cake.”

  Cook smiled. “Off you go now! And remember: your mother wants you straight away.”

  Millie and Jess ran up the bare wooden stairs to Millie’s royal chamber. Millie wasn’t really supposed to use the back stairs as they were for the servants, but it was quicker, and the brass stair rail on the first floor was brilliant for sliding down.

  There was no time for sliding this morning.

  Jess and Millie took the left passageway leading to the royal chambers. Lanterns fixed to the wall cast a dim light over the corridor. Kings and queens with stern eyes stared down from dark paintings. Millie tried not to look at them too much. She started imagining they didn’t approve of her wearing a mai
d’s uniform. Don’t be silly, she told herself, they’re just pictures!

  Another maid called Connie came out of a nearby chamber carrying a tray of cups and plates. She hardly glanced at the girls. Connie was three years older and thought she was ever so grown-up!

  As Connie passed, there was a sharp click at the far end of the passage. A shadowy figure closed the door to the queen’s chamber and ran away. In the gloom Millie couldn’t make out who it was. The figure vanished round the corner into the long gallery.

  “Was that Mr Steen?” whispered Jess. “I couldn’t see.”

  Millie frowned. “I don’t know.” There was something strange about the way the person had scuttled away. Mr Steen was the royal butler and liked to roam the palace giving out orders, but he didn’t usually run around like that.

  “If it was him we should get out of here before he comes back,” urged Jess. “He’s bound to have a long list of jobs he wants me do to.” She eyed Millie in the maid uniform. “Actually he’ll just give all the scrubbing and dusting to you!”

  “That sounds even worse than Miss Parnell’s dancing lessons!” Millie pulled a funny look of horror. “C’mon!” Grabbing Jess’s hand, she dragged her along the corridor.

  The girls dashed into Millie’s chamber, quickly shut the door and fell on the bed giggling.

  Chapter Two

  The Little

  Wooden Box

  Millie and Jess laughed even harder when a golden cocker spaniel leapt on to the bed. His wagging tail thumped against Millie’s knee.

  “Jax, you’re joining in!” Millie threw her arms around the dog. “I bet you want a walk but I’ve got to try on my ball dress now.”

  “I’ll take him,” offered Jess. “We can go down to the lake. He likes it there.” She stroked Jax’s floppy ears which felt as soft as velvet. “Would you like that, boy?”

  “Woof!” Jax thumped his tail even harder.

  Jess pulled the ribbon from her hair and wriggled out of the green satin dress. “Ready to swap?”

  “Ready!” Millie took off the maid’s uniform and mob cap. Underneath, the girls wore cotton petticoats that looked like thin white dresses.

  A large round mirror edged with carved golden leaves hung on the wall. Millie glanced into the glass and smiled to see herself and Jess looking like twins – two girls in petticoats with glossy brown hair curling over their shoulders.

  Then Jess pulled on her maid’s uniform and tucked her hair beneath her cap. Millie fetched the pale purple ball dress from her wardrobe and put it on.

  Jess studied the fine dress. “Your mother’s right. It needs lace and beads. We could buy some from Buttons and Bows.”

  Millie’s eyes lit up at the mention of Jess’s parents’ shop. “That’s a good idea! I’d love to go to Bodkin Street—” She broke off as she heard the queen calling. Her mother’s voice sounded high and sharp.

  Jess heard it too. “Something’s wrong!” She opened the chamber door.

  “I just can’t find it anywhere!” the queen was saying. “I’m sure I put it right here.”

  Millie hurried to her mother’s chamber with Jess right behind her. Prince Edward was sitting on the crimson bed quilt, gurgling as he played with a little wooden horse. The queen dashed around him, looking under pillows and behind curtains. Her dark hair was escaping from its usually tidy knot and her cheeks were flushed.

  Mr Steen the butler stood beside the dressing table. “Are you sure you left it here, Your Majesty?” His eyebrows rose snootily. “You didn’t put it back in the Royal Jewel Cabinet where it belongs?”

  “No, no! At least I don’t think so!” Queen Belinda lifted up Prince Edward to look underneath him before carefully putting him down again.

  “Have you lost something?” asked Millie.

  “Yes! Edward’s little crown.” The queen lifted the corner of the bed quilt to peer underneath. “It has to be here somewhere!”

  “Let me help, Your Majesty.” Jess crouched down to look under the bed.

  Millie began opening the dressing-table drawers.

  “I’m sure I left it here on the dressing table,” said Queen Belinda. “I took Edward into his room for a nap but he didn’t want to sleep. By the time I came back the crown was gone!”

  “Was anyone else here?” asked Millie, remembering the figure she’d seen in the passageway.

  “No, I was alone.” The queen smoothed her hair. “Maybe I did put it back in the cabinet … or maybe I left it downstairs! I did go to the kitchen and speak to Cook Walsh.”

  By now, more people had gathered in the doorway. There was Mr Larum, a bear-like man with dark-rimmed glasses, who came to the palace three days a week to teach Millie science, history and mathematics. Miss Parnell, the dance and deportment teacher, stood next to him, her high-heeled shoe tapping on the floor. The red scarf around her neck matched the red colouring on her lips.

  Even the Lord Chamberlain, the king and queen’s most trusted advisor, had come to see what all the fuss was about. His long robe trailed along the floor. “Is everything all right, Your Majesty?” he quavered, resting on his walking stick.

  “The Baby Diamond Crown has been misplaced,” Mr Steen told him. “We must begin a search for it immediately. Lord Chamberlain, would you check the Royal Jewel Cabinet, please? Remember we are looking for a small golden crown set with diamonds.”

  The Lord Chamberlain bowed and hobbled away, his stick tapping as he went. Millie thought he accepted being ordered around by the butler very well.

  “Miss Parnell, please would you check the kitchen, since Her Majesty was there earlier. Mr Larum, please check the banquet hall and the parlour,” continued Mr Steen.

  Miss Parnell’s long ponytail swished as she spun round to leave. Mr Larum lumbered after her.

  “And, Jess,” Mr Steen’s voice grew sharper, “you must look in the prince’s room and make sure you search properly.”

  “Yes, sir.” Jess hurried away.

  “Oh dear! It’ll be a terrible shame if Edward can’t wear the Baby Diamond Crown at his party,” said Queen Belinda. “For hundreds of years each royal baby has worn that crown on their first birthday. Everyone will notice!”

  “We will make every effort to find it, Your Majesty.” Mr Steen bowed and strutted from the room. With his thin frame and black suit, he always reminded Millie of a strange two-legged spider.

  Millie helped her mother search the bedroom all over again. Jax wandered into the room and decided to help by tugging at the bed quilt. Prince Edward chuckled, his rosy cheeks dimpling. Queen Belinda didn’t look quite so impressed.

  “Sorry!” Millie caught hold of the spaniel’s collar. “He’s getting restless. I’d better take him for a walk.” She pulled Jax out of the door and dashed back to her chamber to fetch his lead.

  Before she took Jax for his walk, she wanted to find Jess and talk things over. The picture of the shadowy figure running away from her mother’s room kept popping into her head. She wondered who it had been. Did they have anything to do with the missing crown? She quickly put on Jax’s lead and hurried out along the gallery to find Jess.

  The gallery was a long passage at the top of the grand staircase. It was lined with bookcases on one side. On the other side, a golden railing formed a barrier and Millie leaned over it to get a perfect view of the entrance hall below.

  Jess was standing, half-hidden, behind the door to the banquet hall. Millie peered at her friend. What on earth was Jess doing? She looked as if she was hiding from someone.

  The cuckoo clock on the wall near Jess began to chime and the cuckoo popped out to give its loud cry. The clock was deafening and could be heard all over the palace, but Jess didn’t even twitch.

  Millie leaned over a little more, ignoring Jax who was pulling on his lead. The only other person in the entrance hall was Mr Steen, who was crouching down close to the massive front door. The butler was bending over a small wooden chest. As Millie watched, he closed the lid and turned a s
ilver key in the lock. Picking up the chest he hurried out of the palace, taking the steps two at a time.

  Millie took in a sharp breath. Why wasn’t Mr Steen searching for the missing crown any more, and where was he going with that little wooden box?

  Chapter Three

  Spying in

  Plumchester

  Jess peered out from behind the door to the banquet hall and saw Mr Steen disappearing down the palace steps. She dashed out of her hiding place, her black skirt swishing round her legs.

  The door had closed behind the butler but she heaved it open again. Mr Steen was walking down the long cobbled driveway towards the golden gates at the entrance to the palace grounds. He’d left instead of helping search for the crown. Why?

  She turned, hearing someone on the stairs, but it was only Millie with Jax. “Did you see that?” she demanded. “Mr Steen went out and he took a box with him.”

  “I can’t believe he’s left when my brother’s crown hasn’t been found!” Millie gulped. “I’m starting to wonder… Do you think my mother really lost the crown or do you think it was stolen?”

  “I don’t know.” Jess bit her lip. “But I definitely saw Mr Steen put something into that box before he left. We’ve got to find out what he’s up to.”

  Millie’s face dropped. “You’ll have to go after him by yourself, Jess. I can’t leave the palace grounds like this. Everyone in Plumchester will recognize me. Princesses aren’t supposed to run around the town!”

  Bored of standing still, Jax barked loudly and pulled on his lead. The girls shushed him.

  “Here, let me take him!” Jess grabbed the spaniel’s lead. “I’ve got an idea about how to disguise you. Come on!” She ran through the banquet hall and down the little passage that led to the kitchen, the laundry room and the cellar.

  There were voices coming from the kitchen. Turning to Millie, Jess put a finger to her lips and she held her breath as they tiptoed past the kitchen door. She hoped Jax wouldn’t make a sound. The door was slightly ajar and Jess caught a glimpse of Miss Parnell and Cook Walsh.