Tiptoeing through the room, she listened at the next door that led to her father’s study. It sounded as if there was someone moving on the other side. Holding her breath, she opened the door a little.
The room was empty. The papers on the king’s desk were rustling in the breeze blowing through an open window.
Millie crossed to the next door which led to the Royal Library. Was Jess having more luck in the kitchen? What if the thief had gone upstairs? No one was checking up there.
The library was empty too. Sunlight glinted on a thousand specks of dust floating above the vast bookcases. Millie hurried across the polished floor, making the dust swirl. There was just the Crimson Room left – a room with a large fireplace and soft red sofas. It was the room the queen liked to use in winter when it was cold. Once she’d checked in there, she’d have to turn back and think about where else to look.
She thrust the door open and froze. Her hand tightened on the doorknob.
Miss Parnell was standing over Edward’s birthday cake with a long, sharp knife. Her orange-stained fingers gripped the knife handle and a look of determination gleamed in her eyes. Slowly, she brought the knife down until it hung just above the sparkling blue icing.
Chapter Eleven
A Glint of Gold
Millie’s insides turned cold as she saw Miss Parnell plunge the knife into the icing. “Stop it! Why have you stolen the cake?”
Miss Parnell looked up in surprise and her face darkened. “Stolen the cake!” She pretended to laugh. “Don’t be silly, Princess Amelia! I’m just cutting it into slices for the guests. Go back to the banquet hall and I’ll be along in a moment.”
“You shouldn’t have taken it away!” Millie’s voice trembled. “And where’s my brother’s crown? Did you take that too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t know anything about the missing crown.” Miss Parnell put down the knife and picked up the massive cake. Her eyes darted to the outer door that led into the courtyard.
“Millie! Where are you?” Jess called.
Her voice was faint. Millie knew she must be several rooms away. “I’m in the Crimson Room!” she called back. “Come quickly! I’ve found the cake.”
There was the sound of a door slamming and footsteps.
Miss Parnell tried to hold the cake with one hand while she opened the outer door. The cake wobbled dangerously and an icing duck fell to the floor.
Jess burst in from the library. “You said you’d found the … oh!” She stared at the dance teacher.
“After three, we grab the cake,” Millie muttered out of the side of her mouth. “One, two, three!”
Jess and Millie dived opposite ways round the red sofa. Miss Parnell slammed the cake back on the table and snatched up the knife. “Stay back!” she screeched. “I’m keeping this cake.”
“What’s going on here?” King James came through the library door carrying Prince Edward. Queen Belinda and Mr Steen followed him. “Miss Parnell, why is the prince’s birthday cake here? It was meant to be in the banquet hall.”
Miss Parnell put down the knife and glued a smile to her face. “Oh, Your Majesty! I’m sorry if you were worried. Princess Amelia and Jess were playing with the cake and being a bit careless, I’m afraid, so Cook Walsh asked me to take it somewhere quiet to cut it into slices for the guests.”
Millie’s cheeks reddened. How dare she?
A white-aproned figure appeared behind the King. Cook Walsh waved her wooden spoon at Miss Parnell. “I said no such thing! Your Majesty, I never asked her to take the cake anywhere.”
Miss Parnell shrank back. “Well, I did it for the best, I’m sure. Now if you excuse me I’ll finish up here and bring the cake to the banquet hall in a moment.” Her fingers brushed the sparkling blue icing.
Suddenly, Millie felt the clues fall into place.
She remembered the figure running away from her mother’s room. She remembered Mr Steen sending everyone to look for the crown. She knew for certain that Miss Parnell had been told to search in the kitchen.
“We’d only just finished mixing the cake,” she muttered to herself. “That’s when she went down there.”
Jess shot her a questioning glance. Widening her eyes, Millie jerked her head towards the cake. A look of understanding spread across her friend’s face.
“At least the cake’s been found,” said Queen Belinda. “We can tell our guests. They’ll be so happy after the disappointment about Edward’s crown.”
“You’re right, my dear,” King James said to the queen. “Let’s return to our guests and let them know that all is well. Miss Parnell, please bring the cake back to the banquet hall. We’ll await you there. I’m sure you had good intentions in moving it, even though it was a little foolish.”
The queen took the king’s arm and they turned to walk away.
“No, wait!” shouted Millie.
“There’s one more surprise!” Jess picked up the cake knife before Miss Parnell could reach it.
“Amelia!” cried Queen Belinda. “What is this all about?”
“Everything’s been so busy,” began Millie, “that we never told you how someone messed up the kitchen last night.”
Miss Parnell’s hands twitched and she clasped them tightly.
“That’s true!” Cook nodded. “It was in such a muddle!”
“One of the things that got spoilt was Cook’s practice birthday cake,” Millie told them. “It was broken from top to bottom. Of course, the person that spoiled it didn’t know it was the practice one. Did you, Miss Parnell?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Princess Amelia! You shouldn’t talk such nonsense in front of everyone.” Miss Parnell’s eyes flicked back to the birthday cake.
Jess leaned closer to the sparkly blue icing. “The top of this cake is quite bumpy. See that lump there, right next to the elephant?”
“I did my best!” said Cook. “The top of the cake came out very uneven. It’s never really happened before!”
“I know why the cake is bumpy,” Millie told her. “You see there’s something inside that’s not supposed to be there!”
“Let’s show them,” said Jess.
Millie held the cake steady while Jess sliced gently down the middle. The knife clinked as it met something hard. There was a glint of gold in the middle and the sparkle of diamonds.
“The Baby Diamond Crown!” cried the queen. “That’s wonderful! How did you know it was in there?”
Millie nodded at Miss Parnell. “She must have taken it from your room but then Mr Steen wanted the whole palace searched. So, when she was sent to check the kitchen, she dropped the crown inside the cake mixture. No one would think to look in there! The cake went into the oven with the crown inside it and it’s been there ever since!”
“You wicked woman!” Cook shook her wooden spoon at the dance teacher again. “I should’ve known you were up to something – sniffing around my kitchen like that.”
“And that’s why Miss Parnell made the kitchen so untidy last night,” added Millie. “She hoped to get the stolen crown out of the cake, but when she couldn’t she messed up everything so that no one would guess what was going on.”
“But her fingers got stained with saffron, just like mine did when I cleaned up the spices later.” Jess pointed from her own orange fingers to Miss Parnell’s.
“Guards!” bellowed the king. “Remove Miss Parnell from the palace immediately.”
A guard dressed in red uniform marched in and led the dance teacher through the courtyard door. Miss Parnell muttered something about horrible princesses and nasty maids, and cast a sulky look at the king as she was taken away.
Surprised by his father’s loud voice, Edward began to cry.
Cook took an icing sheep from the top of the cake and gave it to him. “Don’t worry, dearie! Cook will get your crown out of there and fix the cake back together, easy as pie! But first we’re going to sing you ‘Happy Birthday’!”
Edward stopped crying a
nd gave Cook a smile. “Happee Burday!” he gurgled before putting the icing sheep in his mouth.
Chapter Twelve
A Special Treat
After everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Prince Edward, Cook took the crown out of the cake and cleaned off all the crumbs. Queen Belinda placed it on the prince’s head and the diamonds shone brightly on the band of gold.
King James, who was still holding Edward, smiled broadly. “You did some excellent detective work finding the crown, girls. It certainly deserves a treat. Name anything you would like. Anything at all!”
Queen Belinda’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure, my dear? Anything?”
“Of course! They’re sensible girls, I’m sure,” said the king.
Jess and Millie looked at each other. Jess’s heart skipped a beat. A chance to do whatever they liked! It might be a long time till the grown-ups were as kind as this again. Even Mr Steen was nodding and smiling at them!
Millie whispered in Jess’s ear. “How about the lake?”
“I was thinking that too!” cried Jess.
They turned to the king and said together, “We’d like to go rowing on the lake, please!”
“Excellent!” said the king. “Mr Steen will open the boathouse for you.”
“Just make sure you’re careful climbing in and out of the boat,” said the queen.
Cook Walsh brought the cake to the kitchen and put it back together using a little extra icing. The king, queen and most of the guests crowded round the table to watch. Jess and Millie helped with the final touches. Jess squeezed some sugary icing from the piping bag and Millie moulded it into a flower before sticking it over the last crack on the top of the cake.
Cook smoothed away the last dab of icing. “There we are!”
“It looks as good as new!” said Queen Belinda. “Thank you, Cook Walsh! You really are amazing.”
“I had some very good helpers.” Cook smiled at Jess and Millie.
Mr Steen gathered up the cake. “I shall set this in its place of honour in the banquet hall, Your Majesties.”
“Thank you, Mr Steen!” said Queen Belinda. “Now you must all come and join the party. Cook and Jess – I absolutely insist that you come and enjoy yourselves!”
Later that afternoon, the girls took a rowing boat out on the palace lake. Jess trailed her fingers through the water. “This is great – I wish we could take a boat out every day.”
“It’s brilliant!” Millie pulled hard on the oars. “Isn’t it, Jax?”
Jax gave a sharp woof. He was sitting in the prow of the little rowing boat. His eyes were bright and the breeze ruffled his coat.
“The best thing is, with Miss Parnell gone, there’ll be no more dancing lessons for a while,” said Millie. “Not until they find a new teacher.”
Jess grinned. “Not that you went to many of the lessons.”
“I let you teach me the steps afterwards,” protested Millie. “I would much rather be baking with Cook Walsh though. It was so funny when she shook her wooden spoon at Miss Parnell. I thought she was going to rap her on the head!”
“Cook is quite fierce sometimes! Here, shall I have another go?” Jess took the oars and rowed a little before stopping to let a family of ducks paddle by. Jax barked at them, as if to hurry them along.
“I think you were amazing to realize where Miss Parnell had hidden the crown,” Jess told Millie. “She thought she’d tricked everyone.”
“You spotted her orange fingers,” said Millie. “I think we were a pretty good team!”
“We should try some more mystery solving.” Jess nodded towards the shore where Mr Steen was serving strawberries and cream to the guests. “See that lady in the pink hat with the golden feather. What if she was actually an acrobat in disguise? See how she’s tapping her foot as if she wants to get up and perform.”
Millie giggled, noticing the strange bulges underneath her friend’s mob cap. “I’m not sure about that, but I can see a mystery right here that needs solving. The mystery of the lumpy cap!” She leaned forward and pulled off Jess’s cap.
“Huh?” Jess clutched at her head. She was still wearing the amethyst tiara from earlier. It gleamed brightly in the sunshine. “Oh! I changed back into my maid clothes so fast – I must’ve forgotten to take it off!”
“No wonder it was making such a lumpy shape under your cap. I’m glad we’re matching again.” Millie touched her own tiara before holding out her pinkie.
Jess grinned as she linked fingers. “We’re Double Trouble!”
Royal Cupcakes
Make your own cupcakes fit for a prince or princess.
Ingredients
For the cake:
•100g self-raising flour
•100g caster sugar
•100g butter
•½ tsp baking powder
•2 eggs
For the icing:
•100g butter
•225g icing sugar
•50g strawberries
Equipment
Muffin tray/Muffin cases/Mixing bowl/Wire rack
•Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a muffin tray with muffin cases.
•Add the butter, sugar, flour and baking powder to a mixing bowl then add the eggs and beat until smooth.
•Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 15-18 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
•Leave the cakes to cool a little in the tin, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
•To make the icing, beat the butter and half the icing sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the remaining sugar and mashed strawberries and mix until smooth.
•Cut a small circle from the top of each cake with a knife, then scoop out with a teaspoon and spoon the strawberry buttercream into the centre of the cakes.
•Eat and enjoy!
Spot the Difference
Can you spot the 5 differences?
Time to Decorate!
Can you help Cook Walsh get ready for the party by decorating Prince Edward’s birthday cake?
Help Mr Larum!
Can you help Mr Larum find his missing books which are hidden in the castle maze.
Hidden Gems
Can you find the six hidden gems within this word search?
Diamond Emerald Jade
Sapphire Pearl Ruby
Quiz…
Are you more like Millie or Jess?
Do you prefer:
•A - Cooking
•B - Dancing
What is your favourite animal?
•A - Dog
•B - Cat
•What jewellery would you rather have?
•A - Diamond ring
•B - Ruby necklace
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
•A - Yes
•B - No
Shopping time…
Can you help Millie and Jess buy some decorations for Millie’s dress by picking the right path to get to Buttons and Bows?
Turn the page for a peek at the next Tiara Friends adventure…
Chapter One
The Quarrelsome
Cousins
Millie and Jess hurried down the back stairs of Peveril Palace. Stopping on the bottom step, Jess peeked down the servants’ corridor. “It’s all right!” she hissed. “There’s no one here.” Bounding across the passageway, she opened the door to the stable yard.
“Come on, Jax!” Millie dashed through the door and a golden spaniel with floppy ears scampered after her.
The royal stable yard was empty. Millie smiled, watching Jax bound up and down with his tail wagging. It was a lovely morning and the white walls of Peveril Palace were gleaming in the sunshine.
“I can’t wait to go horse riding,” said Jess. “I’m so glad we swapped!”
“Me too!” Millie grinned. Jess was her best friend and they looked so much alike that they could have been twins! They both had glossy brown hair with golden tints at the front, long eyelashes an
d upturned noses. They were the same height and both had hazel eyes (although Jess’s were a little darker).
Looking exactly the same was really handy and the girls swapped places all the time! That way they both got to do the things they loved best. This time Jess was going riding while Millie gave Jax a bath. Jess had put on Millie’s royal riding clothes and a green velvet cloak. Millie was wearing Jess’s maid uniform with a little white apron and mob cap.
No one would have guessed that Jess was really the palace maid while Millie was Princess Amelia, daughter of the king and queen!
“This should do for Jax’s bath!” Jess pushed a large wooden tub towards the water pump.
Seeing the tub, Jax whined and scampered away towards the stables.
“Jax!” called Millie. “Oh dear! He really doesn’t like baths.”
The girls chased the golden spaniel, catching him at the corner of the stables. Jax picked up a muddy blue glove in his mouth and dropped it proudly at Millie’s feet.
“That’s the glove I lost last week.” Millie rubbed Jax’s coat. “Good boy!”
“He must have known it was yours,” said Jess. “He has such a good sense of smell.”
Together the girls took Jax to the tub. Jess crouched down and put her arms round the muddy spaniel. He stared back at her with big brown eyes. “Poor old Jax! You’ve never liked soap and water, have you?”
“But he looks so golden and fluffy afterwards!” Millie turned on the pump. “I want to give him a good wash while you’re riding. If I hurry, I can be done before my cousins start searching for me.” She smiled as she watched the water froth and swirl into the tub. A princess wasn’t supposed to wash dogs – especially in the middle of the stable yard – but now she was wearing Jess’s clothes no one would stop her!
She took a bar of soap from her apron pocket. “Ready, Jax!”
The Case of the Stolen Crown Page 5
