The Amber Pendant

by Imogen White

  Rui grabbed hold of the chair and held it still. “How was Mr Gupta involved?”

  “Over their breakfast together, Miss Templeforth had asked him about his contact at the museum, the new curator, a Mr Ormerod.”

  “Ormerod!” Rui interjected, facing Rose. He placed the lamp on the floor, next to the rocking chair. The lamplight sent crooked shadows up the walls to the ceiling.

  “The man with the monocle and the pipe.” Rose nodded. She spun back to the butler as he started up once more.

  “This Ormerod had invited Mr Gupta to travel to Hove to see an ancient cup. Knowing this to be Mr Gupta’s specialism.” Crank placed his fingers to his lips, organizing everything in his mind before continuing.

  “This explains why he stepped forward to chaperone me here!” Rui said.

  Rose nodded, though she couldn’t help wondering how much Mr Gupta had actually told the butler, and how much Crank had eavesdropped.

  “Then Mr Gupta talked about an Englishman he met many years ago,” the butler continued, “who perished in a fire of some kind. He said his wife had also died in the accident. That the matter was very personal to him.”

  Rose and Rui leaned closer.

  “This dead man was the only person who ever knew about some ancient spell he had translated and recorded in his journal. A spell that involved the Amber Cup. When Ormerod started asking about it, Mr Gupta became gravely alarmed.”

  “It’s exactly as we thought, Rose,” Rui said, rubbing his hands together.

  “As their communications continued, he became suspicious of this Ormerod and the brotherhood he claimed to be involved with – especially when they promised to allow him to participate in a ritual they planned, involving the cup, should he travel to Hove with his journal. He knew then that they had to be stopped.”

  Rui stepped forward. “Yes, of course! He knew only too well of the cup’s power and the danger it posed if used with the wrong intentions. And they certainly did want him involved in the ritual.” Rui glanced at Rose.

  They wanted his dead body. Rose held the back of her hand to her mouth. It was horrible to think that they had tricked Mr Gupta to come here, not only to steal his journal, but to use his body in the spell too. “And then what happened?” she asked.

  The butler continued. “Mr Gupta had explained to the mistress that he had met a man who owned a pendant like hers many years before.”

  “Yes!” Rose said, remembering the newspaper article showing both men together.

  “And this Ormerod had charged Mr Gupta with removing Miss Templeforth’s pendant on her death. Mr Gupta said he had gone along with it all in the hope of exposing them – letting them think he was their man, but he had brought with him all the evidence in his journal.”

  “Yes!” Rui punched his palm.

  “After hearing all this, the mistress confided in Mr Gupta of the great evil at work. She was worried about the safety of the cup and she worried for your safety too.” He glanced sideways at Rose, then looked away. “She told him you were to be the new guardian after her demise. YOU!” Again Crank began to rock back and forth. “I have devoted my entire working life to her service, and then it turns out that some wretch from the workhouse is to be lorded up as her favourite!”

  “I didn’t ask for none of this,” Rose protested.

  “What happened to Miss Templeforth?” Rui pushed on, the dusty room flickering in the lamplight.

  “It was shortly after this conversation that she died. A visitation from the forces of darkness consumed her. I got there as soon as I could, but it was too late.” Resting his hand on his brow, he shook his head. “The tuberculosis had weakened her so. Her last words were ‘protect the pendant and protect Rose Muddle’ and then she passed. God rest her soul.”

  “But how did you end up with the pendant?” Rui’s eyes glared at him accusingly.

  “I felt distraught with grief at her passing. It was Mr Gupta who hurriedly devised a plan. He’d arranged to meet with a member of the group later that day.”

  “The Brotherhood of the Black Sun.” Rui scowled. Pacing over to the mantelpiece he lifted up the picture of the king, seemingly deep in thought, as he listened to the butler.

  “Yes, but he changed his plans, intending to speak with Gypsy Lee at the Pleasure Gardens first. Miss Templeforth had identified her as an ally and confidant.”

  Rose remembered the slipper and monkey prints up near Enna’s caravan. So, he’d gone there to warn her – but she wasn’t there. Had Banks followed Mr Gupta, planning to take the pendant and the journal and then kill him?

  Whatever had happened, she knew clever old Mr Gupta messed things up by keeping the pendant and the journal out of reach.

  “Mr Gupta wanted to discover the identity of the leader of the brotherhood,” Mr Crank continued. “It had been suggested by Ormerod that, whoever this leader was, he held great power and influence. But his identity remained shrouded in secrecy. Mr Gupta had his own suspicions and he set off to prove them.”

  “I knew it, Rose!” Rui grinned. “Mr Gupta was an honourable man! He was carrying out his own investigation all along.”

  Rose gave a sad smile. “Yep, you was right. Poor Mr Gupta.”

  The butler scratched his neck. “He said he would hide his journal and asked me to make it look as though it had been stolen.”

  “So it was you what turned over Mr Gupta’s room?” Rose said, as the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle slotted into place.

  “I did. To lead them on a false trail. He instructed me to take the pendant and leave the house. Go into hiding. Keep it safe. He remained concerned for the safety of you both and wanted to divert attention away from you and from the house. He said he would return to me here at my mother’s – but he never did.”

  Rui closed his eyes. “Mr Gupta was murdered yesterday afternoon.”

  “MURDERED?” The butler slumped back into the chair. “What do you mean? By whom?”

  “The Brotherhood of the Black Sun finished him off,” Rose said, placing an arm around Rui.

  “Murdered… I’m a failure,” Mr Crank began. “Before he left, he warned me not to touch the pendant with my bare hands. If I had been in possession of my own mind, I could have…” The butler choked.

  “But you did touch it. You were holding it when we found you,” Rui said.

  “I know!” Mr Crank looked wretched, and Rose couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He gripped his head. “Forgive me. I saw how it affected those girls and I knew it was different when you picked it up… The mistress was impressed by you because of it. I wanted to know if I possessed the same qualities she admired in you. I was foolish, I couldn’t resist the urge to see if it would control me. I thought I was…stronger.”

  “Stronger than some wretch from the workhouse you mean?” Rui muttered.

  “She chose Rose over me. I felt confused,” he said, lowering his eyes. “I was jealous.” His shoulders trembled.

  An unexpected wave of pity came over Rose. Crank suddenly looked like a tired old man, as though his sixty years had marched up behind him and told him to give up, told him he was finished. “You were proper loyal to the mistress, and I know she thought the world of you, Sir.”

  “Do you really think so?” He wiped his eyes. “What would she think of me now though?” he sniffed.

  Rose kneeled before him and took his hands in hers. “Don’t go blaming yourself. None of us is perfect. Least of all me. You stopped some bad people from getting this pendant and that’s a very good thing. The mercy is, we got to you before that black sun lot did.”

  John placed his hand over hers. “Can you ever forgive me?”

  “I already have,” she smiled. “There’s much bigger fish swimming in all of this. And they need catching. And I think, thanks to you and Mr Gupta, we got everything we need to get ’em.”

  Outside the rain fell in sheets, filling the cold narrow streets which bled into one another. Rose was soaked through to her stockings, but she
couldn’t care less. She held the pendant with its chain around her neck. I’ve got it back. She could feel it humming next to her skin and happiness and relief filled her. They now had everything they needed to stop Funnel and his gang. Every member of that group would pay for murdering Mr Gupta she promised herself, gritting her teeth. And whatever they had done to Enna Lee.

  Back at the house Rose and Rui’s disguises and suitcases were waiting for them. With a quick change of clothes, they planned to escape with the pendant, bound for London town, before the brotherhood could work out what was going on. Rose would be Great-Aunt Uma and Rui her footboy.

  “Once we are safely in London we’ll ask my uncle to speak to his friend the King. He will send his own guards to apprehend these villains. We have the newspaper clipping of Anthony Funnel, proving Mayor Stitchworthy is a fraud.”

  “And they will find out what happened to Enna,” Rose added.

  “Absolutely.” Rui nodded.

  Thirteen Sackville Road loomed in front of them once more. Rose fished out the cook’s heavy front-door key. A crack of thunder, followed immediately by a bolt of lightning, made her jump. They ran between the stone lions and up the steps to the main door.

  Rose placed the key in the lock.

  “You have Albion’s pendant, Rose. We got it back and outwitted the Brotherhood of the Black Sun,” Rui exclaimed, peering beneath the rim of his dripping tweed hat. Bahula’s face protruded from Rui’s coat offering a gummy grin.

  Rose twisted the key until it clicked. She was pleased to have got the pendant, and the journal was safe too. Maybe I’ve turned out to be a good guardian after all? Rose smiled to herself. The pendant vibrated against her skin suddenly, and a very dark feeling took hold of her. She pushed open the front door.

  “Rui, something ain’t right.” Rose shut the door and turned, staring across the lobby to the library door, which slowly swung open. Rui gasped, and was suddenly rigid by her side.

  Inside a roaring fire lit up the big room. Its flames silhouetted the figure of a man, with a familiar bushy moustache, sitting in the winged armchair staring at them unwaveringly, and next to him the smaller figure of a young girl with hair curled into perfect ringlets.

  “Come, come, I have been waiting for you.” Banks’s voice cut across to them as he slowly rose from the chair. “Snodgrass, block their exit, would you?”

  “Boo!” Snodgrass appeared behind them. Pulling a face, he drew the internal bolt across.

  Rose’s eyes swelled with horror. The pendant tried to warn me. That’s why it vibrated. She pursed her lips, hating herself for not realizing what it was trying to tell her soon enough.

  “Detective Banks?” Rui dropped Bahula to the floor; the monkey whipped around and cowered at his heels. “W-what is it you want – and who let you in?”

  “I’ve been letting you carry on your merry dance, hoping it would lead to the treasure. And sure enough it did. Now,” he turned to Rose, “you have something that doesn’t belong to you and I have come for it.” Banks strode towards them, pulling on his black gloves.

  Rose discreetly covered the pendant with her collar.

  Yes!” Rui stepped forward and produced the decoy book he’d made earlier. “Erm, now, yes. The book you were after – that of Mr Gupta’s, I found it quite unexpectedly. We planned to deliver it to the police station tomorrow and—”

  “I don’t need that. Because, you see…I have this.” Banks retrieved something from his coat pocket.

  “How did—?” Rui’s shoulders slumped.

  Banks waved Mr Gupta’s real journal in the air. He gave a greedy smile. “Oh, and your urgent (STOP) Telegram (STOP) Didn’t get sent either (STOP) Which means you’re both mincemeat (STOP).”

  Snodgrass burst into laughter behind them. “Witty, Sir. So very witty.”

  “Don’t interrupt, Snodgrass,” Banks barked, glaring directly at Rose. “You know very well what I want; I want the pendant.” He wiped his nose on the back of his gloved hand. “You really thought you two dim-witted underlings and your bumbling monkey could outwit me – an officer of the law!” He bent low, his teeth clenched. “I have had you under surveillance since I spotted you outside the shop. Watching and waiting. Stopped off at the post office straight after you. We knew you’d be after the pendant next – that it calls to you. We’ve been awaiting your return. Now HAND IT OVER.” His spittle flew at Rose’s face.

  Rose stepped back, clutching the pendant to her chest. “It’s mine –” I ain’t parting with it, not now, not after all this – “and in the eyes of the law it…”

  “SILENCE!” Banks lunged towards her. Bahula leaped from behind Rose, and made a grab for Banks.

  “Now!” the detective ordered, quickly sidestepping the monkey.

  A weighted net flew through the air, ensnaring Bahula mid-leap. He fell heavily to the floor, whimpering, his little arms waving about and entangling him further in the net with every movement.

  “BAHULA!” Rui shouted. “You shall not harm my monkey and you shall not take Rose’s pendant.” Rui dashed forward, his fists flying at Banks. “I know it was you who murdered Mr Gupta.” Rui pulled at the detective’s coat as he tried to reach the journal, but Banks held it high above his head, laughing, before shoving Rui to the floor. Rui fell heavily backwards. Rose gasped as she saw Rui stuff something in his pocket, but before she could work anything out—

  “Lights please, Missy!” Banks announced with a hollow clap. The lobby lit up.

  Rose blinked, adjusting to the brightness as Rui scrambled back to her side. The girl with blonde ringlets stood balanced on a chair by the wall-lamp switch. She grinned at Rose.

  “R-Rose,” Rui stammered under his breath as he stared across the lobby. She followed his line of vision to the staircase, where all the members of the Brotherhood of the Black Sun were standing.

  “The kitchen. Rui. Run,” Rose whispered, not moving her lips, thinking they could escape from the backyard over the wall into Potts’s Laundry Emporium.

  “Well, well, well. How very entertaining,” Funnel’s wicked voice spoke from behind them. Rose spun around, grabbing Rui’s arm. Funnel sat in the chair in the recess next to the door, his hands resting on his walking stick.

  Rose’s eyes found his pendant – the other pendant – which throbbed from red, to black, to red again. She whimpered. Standing up, Funnel rolled a mint humbug in his mouth. His cane clipped the tiles as he walked towards them, kicking Bahula as he passed by.

  Bahula yelped and Rose wanted to comfort him, but a huge arm hooked around her neck dragging her to the floor. Iron handcuffs clicked onto her wrists, weighing her arms down. She tried desperately to struggle free but other hands gripped her.

  “Gehr off!” she shouted, kicking out. A thin hand stinking of onions clamped over her mouth, but she managed to bite it hard.

  “Yee-oooww!” Snodgrass shouted, gripping his hand to his chest. “The vicious scab just bit me!”

  “Quiet, Snodgrass.” Banks turned to the others. “Tie and gag them and take them through to the library.”

  “We know who you really are!” Rose spluttered at Funnel, determined to expose him, but someone thrust her head backwards. She tried to beat him off but another pinned her down and pushed a ball of muslin into her mouth. She retched as a length of cloth tied it in place.

  Without a backward glance, Funnel strode away into the library. “Bring them through to me once they’re secured,” he ordered.

  “I’m the nephew to the Maharajah of—Arrgghh…” Rose listened as Rui’s words were smothered.

  “And I’m the Queen of Sheba,” a gravelly voice grunted back.

  Foul laughter trickled around the room. The biggest of them, Grobbs, hauled Rose onto his back, and the library lurched up and down as he carried her through on his shoulders, the heavy handcuffs biting into her wrists and the muslin drying her mouth.

  He threw her onto the floorboards sending pain shooting down her leg. Seconds later Rui lande
d alongside her, handcuffed and gagged too, with a gash on his eyebrow and blood trickling down the side of his face.

  Yelping inside the tangle of net, Bahula thudded down next to them. The brotherhood stood in front of tall bookshelves, next to where the shadows of the animal skulls danced in the firelight.

  Rose glanced around the room in panic. The girl with the ringlets sat in Miss Templeforth’s armchair swinging her legs beneath her and twisting a lock of hair around her finger. When their eyes met, she waved.

  Next to her, Funnel stood warming his hands by the fire, staring at the grand portrait above it. “Emily Templeforth,” he sighed. “A heavenly creature, by far the fairer of the Templeforth sisters.”

  He knew Emily Templeforth? Her thoughts gathered. If Enna knew Funnel back then – as Miss Templeforth did – then of course her sister Emily may well have done too. Rose watched him intently as he continued.

  “Things could have been different for us, for you and me, Emily. But now that seems like a lifetime ago. I have changed…”

  Things could have been different for him and Emily Templeforth? What’s he on about?

  Funnel’s soft smile contorted into a grimace as he turned to Banks. “You’re certain the gypsy woman, Lee, is not going to be bothering us?”

  “She’s securely bound and incarcerated in the shop’s cellar. Nobody could escape from there. Nobody. Not even that slippery charlatan,” Banks clipped.

  Enna is alive! A spark of hope ignited inside Rose.

  “Nothing can stop us now.” Banks rubbed his gloved hands together.

  “Good,” Funnel grinned, clenching his fists. “Verrulf wishes to end her himself. Tricky business, killing someone of her ilk.”