Alice-Miranda at Sea

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘Oh, we met him too, when we were exploring yesterday. His name’s Alex,’ Alice-Miranda replied.

  ‘He must be Dr Lush’s brother,’ Millie whispered.

  The admiral didn’t hear her. ‘Yes, that’s it. Alexander Lushkov. Russian name, I think. Mmm.’ He thought for a moment. ‘You haven’t observed any unusual behaviour among the passengers today, have you?’

  Neville moved in behind Millie and stared at the floor, willing a hole to open up and swallow him into the depths below.

  ‘What sort of behaviour?’ Millie asked.

  The admiral cleared his throat. ‘Just anything out of the ordinary. People acting strangely, as though they don’t really belong.’

  ‘No, not at all,’ said Alice-Miranda. ‘Has something happened?’

  The admiral shook his head. ‘No, no, just a feeling, that’s all.’

  ‘Oh, really, do you get them, too?’ Alice-Miranda stared at the old man intently. ‘It happens to me quite often, and you know, I have had a strange feeling about a few things on the ship since we arrived. I just can’t say exactly what they are yet.’

  Admiral Harding nodded, then a horrified look passed over his face. ‘Good heavens, lad, have those trainers been through a war?’ The old man continued to stare at Neville’s grubby shoes. ‘Have you got a voice, son?’

  ‘Y-y-y-es, sir,’ Neville wheezed.

  ‘Are you unwell?’ The admiral strode forward and peered around Millie’s shoulder where Neville was trying to make himself invisible. He was holding his trumpet case behind his leg and Millie had his kit bag slung over her shoulder. Fortunately both seemed to go unnoticed by the admiral.

  ‘N-n-n-no, s-s-sir,’ Neville stammered.

  ‘You’re not a stowaway are you, lad? Dr Lush was trying to tell me we had a boy hiding on board the ship. I can’t imagine anything more preposterous now, can you?’

  ‘Oh, Admiral Harding.’ Alice-Miranda walked forward and looped her arm into the old man’s. ‘What a thing to say! That’s Neville and he’s with us.’

  ‘Oh, of course he is.’ The admiral nodded and then whispered, ‘Are his parents friends with your parents?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ Alice-Miranda replied.

  ‘Oh, they must be with the Ridleys,’ the admiral decided. Alice-Miranda did not correct him. ‘Anyway, my dear, I must be off to do the rounds. Hurry back to the party. There was some rather fierce dancing going on up there – your dear Shilly and Mrs Oliver were giving the young ones a great run for their money.’

  Alice-Miranda walked the admiral to the other end of the corridor.

  ‘And if you notice anything unusual, you will come and see me on the bridge . . .’ The admiral’s voice floated back down the hall as he walked away with his tiny guide.

  Millie and Neville stopped and pretended to admire a cubist Picasso adorning the wall beside the Albert Suite. When the admiral had shuffled off around the corner, Alice-Miranda raced back to join her friends.

  Neville was fumbling with his key. He jiggled it into the lock, opened the door and the children hurried inside.

  Millie raced into the bedroom and wrenched open the wardrobe door.

  ‘No, the other end,’ Neville panted. ‘I threw the bag onto the top shelf.’

  Millie scampered onto the lower shelves and hauled herself up as far as she could. She felt around for the laundry bag but there was only empty space.

  Alice-Miranda stood on the bed and jumped up to see if she could catch a glimpse of anything.

  ‘There’s nothing there.’ She jumped several more times to be sure.

  ‘But I threw it up there just before I left.’ Neville looked as though he was about to cry. ‘You do believe me, don’t you?’

  ‘Of course we do Neville.’ Alice-Miranda hopped down off the bed and placed her arm around his shoulders. Neville flinched. He wasn’t used to being consoled by girls.

  ‘Dr Lush must have taken it,’ Millie decided. ‘He was on his way up here, that’s the only explanation.’

  ‘You heard the admiral, Millie,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Dr Lush is with Aunty Gee.’

  Neville’s stomach growled like a hungry kitten.

  ‘I think we should order you some food before you pass out.’ Alice-Miranda skipped into the sitting room, picked up the telephone and dialled through to the kitchen. A few moments later she declared, ‘It will be here shortly,’ and placed the handset back into the cradle.

  ‘If Dr Lush thinks you have his trumpet case, maybe we should hide this, in case he comes back and takes it.’ Millie picked up Neville’s case and began looking for a suitable place to conceal it. ‘What about in that cupboard next to the mini bar?’ she suggested. The boy nodded.

  Millie closed the cupboard door and plonked down on the couch next to Neville who was holding his head in his hands.

  ‘This is such a mess,’ he mumbled.

  ‘It’s all right, Neville,’ said Alice-Miranda as she opened the door of the mini bar. ‘How about I pour you a cold drink? I don’t know about you, but I’m rather thirsty.’

  ‘May I have lemonade?’ Millie asked.

  There was a sharp rap on the cabin door.

  ‘Oh no, it’s them!’ Neville stood up to flee.

  ‘Don’t be silly, Neville.’ Alice-Miranda passed Millie a glass of fizzing liquid. ‘I’m sure it’s just your dinner.’

  She bounced into the foyer and opened the door. A strong smell of curry drifted into the room.

  ‘Hello, I’m Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith- Kennington-Jones,’ Alice-Miranda introduced herself. ‘And you must be Mr Henderson. Thank you so much for bringing Neville some dinner.’

  ‘I was surprised to get the call, miss,’ Henderson replied. ‘I thought Master Neville must have eaten at the party.’

  ‘No, he wasn’t feeling well, so my friend Millie and I offered to accompany him back here and stay with him for a bit,’ Alice-Miranda explained. ‘Didn’t I see you yesterday up on the bridge, Mr Henderson? With the First Officer.’

  ‘Yes, miss,’ he replied. ‘He certainly likes to keep me busy.’ The steward entered the sitting room and placed the tray on the dining table.

  ‘Are you all right, Master Neville?’ he asked, eyeing his young charge. ‘Is your forehead sore?’

  Neville shook his head and cast his eyes to the ground.

  ‘If there’s anything more I can do, you know how to reach me.’ Henderson uncovered the steaming plates. ‘Oh, and I found your trumpet case.’

  ‘My trumpet case?’ Neville’s voice quivered.

  ‘Yes, I was surprised to see it poking out from behind a pot plant in a storeroom near the ballroom. I know how attached to it you are,’ Henderson explained.

  Millie and Alice-Miranda shot one another a look.

  ‘Thank you very much, Mr Henderson,’ Alice-Miranda said quickly.

  ‘Where is it?’ Millie demanded.

  ‘I put it in the bedroom under the pillow. I thought Master Neville would find it as soon as he went to bed tonight,’ Henderson replied. ‘I’ll get it for you.’

  Henderson walked through into the bedroom. His eyes darted around at the open wardrobe doors and rumpled duvet cover, which he immediately set about straightening up.

  ‘Sorry, it’s a mess.’ Alice-Miranda had followed the steward into the room. ‘We can fix it.’

  ‘It’s no bother.’ Henderson closed the wardrobe doors. ‘What were you looking for?’ He pulled the trumpet case from its hiding spot under the pillows, and handed it to Neville. All three of the children had joined him in the bedroom.

  ‘Neville’s trumpet case, of course,’ Millie said. ‘Weren’t we, Neville?’ She nudged the poor lad in the ribs.

  ‘Yes,’ he murmured.

  ‘But since you found i
t, we don’t need to look any more,’ said Alice-Miranda.

  ‘Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be off.’ Henderson made a beeline for the door, muttering something to himself about having to report to the bridge, again.

  Millie raced out of the bedroom and retrieved Neville’s case from the cupboard where it was hidden. She plonked it beside Lush’s on the bed. ‘Gosh, it does look exactly like your case, Neville.’

  ‘Imagine that there were two young musicians out there in the world who had identical cases, and placed identical smiley face stickers in the middle of the lid. What a strange coincidence,’ Alice-Miranda marvelled.

  ‘Do you r-r-really think there might be s-s-stolen jewels in there?’ Neville stammered.

  ‘Of course not,’ Alice-Miranda replied. But she wasn’t so sure. There were certainly some odd things going on.

  ‘Well, I think we should take a look.’ Millie began to fiddle with the lock on the side of Dr Lush’s case. ‘If Dr Lush is responsible for all those thefts, then this is a very important discovery. Your father said that the Orlov diamond is one of the largest in the world.’

  Although Alice-Miranda never liked to think the worst of anyone, she agreed that this was a mystery that had to be solved.

  Millie snapped open the locks and slowly raised the lid. But there wasn’t a diamond in sight.

  ‘What’s that?’ Millie could barely mask her disappointment.

  Alice-Miranda peered inside.

  ‘It’s an urn. Like a vase, only with a lid, and by the looks of this one, I’d say it’s rather precious,’ Alice-Miranda replied.

  Neville pointed at a gold plate on the base. ‘What’s that?’ It was engraved but the letters were not English.

  ‘I think it’s Russian.’ Alice-Miranda leaned in close to have a better look. ‘Can you pass me a piece of paper and a pen please, Millie?’

  Millie raced over to the writing desk and retrieved a notepad and pen.

  Alice-Miranda set about copying the characters down.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Millie asked.

  ‘I think I know someone who can tell us what this says,’ she said slowly, as she concentrated on getting the letters right.

  ‘What are we going to do about Dr Lush and Mr Alex?’ Neville rasped. ‘They’re going to tell the admiral about me and then I’m going to be in trouble. And what about the bag of jewels? They must have taken them.’

  Alice-Miranda was silent. Things were not right on the Octavia and she was determined to find out what was going on before anything could spoil her favourite aunt’s wedding day.

  Alice-Miranda left Neville to eat his dinner and headed back upstairs to the party. She thought that her mother would be wondering where on earth she and Millie had got to. Millie offered to stay with the nervous lad and said that she could probably fend off the good doctor if he arrived at the suite. She wasn’t quite sure how but she would think of something. Dr Lush’s trumpet case was placed in the wardrobe and Neville’s was returned to the cabinet for safe-keeping.

  As Alice-Miranda arrived at the ballroom, she was greeted by the sound of laughter rising above the strains of an expertly played sitar. To her delight, Mrs Oliver and Shilly were treating the whole room to a dance they had clearly prepared earlier.

  Alice-Miranda interrupted her mother’s giggling. ‘Hello Mummy.’

  ‘Oh, hello there, darling. Where on earth have you been? I was beginning to worry – although I know I shouldn’t. I mean, we are on a ship and it’s not as if you’re likely to be kidnapped or meet any dangerous criminals now, is it? Isn’t this just the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen?’ Cecelia pointed towards the shimmying senior citizens who had the entire ballroom mesmerised.

  ‘Wow, they’re very good,’ Alice-Miranda agreed, taking in the spectacle before her.

  Lucas walked over to where Alice-Miranda was standing beside her mother. ‘Would you like to dance? I think we’re all being instructed to take the lead from Mrs Oliver and Shilly and it sort of looks like fun,’ Lucas asked.

  ‘Oh, hello Lucas. Yes it certainly does.’ Alice-Miranda glanced around the room. ‘Where are Jacinta and Sep?’

  ‘They’re already out there,’ Lucas pointed towards Jacinta in her hot pink sari and Sep in his Nehru shirt and black trousers. ‘Where’s Millie?’

  Alice-Miranda didn’t lie. ‘She’s just keeping a friend company for a little while. She’ll be back soon.’

  ‘Well, her parents seem to be enjoying themselves, that’s for sure.’ Lucas chuckled at Pippa and Hamish, who looked as though they were having a great time keeping up with Mrs Oliver and Ambrose, who had joined her on the dance floor. ‘Isn’t that Jacinta’s mother over there in the corner?’

  ‘Why don’t you go and join Sep and Jacinta? I don’t think a partner is an absolute requirement of this type of dancing,’ Alice-Miranda suggested as she looked at the rows of eager participants. ‘I’ll be there soon.’

  Alice-Miranda scurried towards the far corner where Ambrosia Headlington-Bear was sitting alone, staring into the crowd. Her citrus-yellow sari looked exquisite against her tanned skin. Her huge green eyes were framed by the longest of lashes and her make-up was perfect. An oval sapphire the size of a pigeon’s egg and encircled by diamonds was lashed around her throat, held in place by five rows of lustrous pearls.

  ‘Hello Mrs Headlington . . . I mean, Ambrosia.’ Alice-Miranda sat down in the empty chair beside her.

  ‘Oh, hello.’ Ambrosia’s eyes flickered towards the child.

  ‘That’s a gorgeous choker,’ Alice-Miranda admired.

  ‘Yes, Neville gave it to me for our anniversary. It once belonged to Catherine the Great, or so his personal assistant wrote in the note that was with it when it arrived.’ Ambrosia fingered the jewel.

  ‘Neville? How do you know Neville?’ Alice-Miranda asked, wide-eyed.

  ‘He’s my husband. Neville Headlington-Bear,’ Ambrosia sneered.

  ‘Oh, your husband, of course.’ Alice-Miranda thought for a moment. ‘But didn’t Mr Headlington-Bear give it to you in person?’

  Ambrosia made a strange sort of grunting noise. ‘You’re kidding, aren’t you? I haven’t seen him in months.’

  ‘Oh.’ Alice-Miranda stopped, puzzled. ‘But he’s here on the ship with you now, isn’t he?’

  ‘As far as I know, my husband is somewhere in the depths of Africa signing a deal on a mining venture or something equally dull,’ Ambrosia replied.

  Alice-Miranda was rapidly putting the pieces together. No wonder Neville hadn’t been discovered by the crew.

  ‘Are you having a good time?’ she asked.

  ‘No, not really,’ Ambrosia replied tartly.

  ‘Is there something the matter?’ the child persisted.

  ‘Well, I don’t know anyone and no one seems especially interested to know me,’ Ambrosia pouted.

  ‘Well, of course you know Jacinta,’ Alice-Miranda said gently. ‘And I’d be very happy to introduce you around. Although, I have to warn you that some of our distant relatives are a little bit interesting. I think eccentric is what I’d prefer to call them – but they’re guaranteed to keep you amused.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Ambrosia insisted. ‘I’ll never see any of them again after we get off the ship anyway.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure that’s not the case,’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘Jacinta and I are going to be friends forever. You and Mr Headlington-Bear will be like part of the family.’

  ‘Family,’ Ambrosia scoffed. ‘I can’t imagine.’

  ‘I can’t think of anything better than family. I’ve always longed for brothers and sisters but Mummy said that wasn’t to be . . . but now I’ve got Millie and Jacinta and Sep and Lucas and all my other friends at school, and Mrs Oliver and Shilly and everyone at home. We might not be re
lated by blood but I consider them my family just the same,’ Alice-Miranda prattled.

  ‘They’re only using you.’ Ambrosia’s words sliced through the air.

  ‘I don’t see what you mean,’ said Alice-Miranda, wrinkling her nose.

  ‘They only like you because you’re rich and you can give them things they’d never have, take them places they’d never go, give them a life they can’t afford.’ Ambrosia’s emerald eyes filled with tears.

  ‘Is that what people do to you?’ Alice-Miranda reached out and touched Ambrosia’s creamy hand.

  ‘Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.’ The woman withdrew her hand and wiped the moisture from her eye. ‘Run along with your friends.’

  ‘Why don’t you come and join us?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  Ambrosia was watching her only daughter as she shimmied and shook, laughing with the two handsome lads Ambrosia had met the night before and a rather ancient grey-haired woman who was swaying wildly with a walking stick in her left hand.

  ‘But I’ll have to warn you to stay out of Granny Bert’s reach – she looks rather dangerous with that stick,’ Alice-Miranda giggled as she surveyed the show in front of them.

  ‘No. I’ll stay here,’ Ambrosia protested.

  Alice-Miranda tried again. ‘Please come. Jacinta would love to spend more time with you.’

  ‘Jacinta doesn’t need me.’ Ambrosia stood and stalked to the other side of the room.

  Alice-Miranda frowned. Grown-ups could be so complicated at times.

  While watching the dance floor, Alice-Miranda had come up with a plan. But Neville would have to agree, and that might prove difficult. Earlier she had promised him that she wouldn’t tell anyone about him and she’d already told Millie.