The Mystery of the Lake Monster

by Paula Harrison

Footsteps sounded in the entrance hall and King James marched into the room with Mr Steen trailing behind him.

  “Amelia, what’s going on?” boomed the king. “Steen keeps going on about a missing key, and you and Jess ran off just now like deer being chased by a lion.”

  Millie explained that the Sky Sapphire was gone and how they thought it was all mixed up with the pretend lake monster. The guards returned in the middle of it all and everyone crowded into the State Room to gaze at the jewel cabinet.

  The king’s eyebrows lowered. “You mean the lake creature was made by some scoundrel to distract us? I’ve never heard of anything so wicked!”

  “Don’t worry, Your Majesty!” the chief guard told him. “We’ll find the queen’s sapphire if we have to search every corner of Peveril Palace. We’ll ask each person to turn out their pockets too.” He sent a man to stand at the bottom of the grand staircase to keep everyone away while the guards began searching the upper floors.

  “I don’t know who would do something like this,” said Queen Belinda sadly. “That necklace meant so much to me.”

  “I’m sure the guards will find it,” said the Duke of Sherborne.

  “Perhaps a nice cup of tea would help,” added the duchess. “Why don’t we all go into the parlour and sit down while the guards finish their search.”

  “I’ll bring tea for everyone,” said Jess, quickly. “And some of Cook’s butterfly cakes.”

  Millie and Jess went to the kitchen and Jess set the copper kettle on the stove while Millie put butterfly cakes on a china plate. Her mind was spinning. Had the lake monster been a fake all along? When they’d seen it from the bridge that first time it had looked very different from the lumpy sack monster.

  Millie carried the plate of cakes to the door. There was a rustle of skirts at the end of the passage and a figure disappeared up the back stairs. “Jess!” hissed Millie. “Lady Snood’s just gone up the servants’ stairs. She must be trying to avoid the guards!”

  Jess ran out. “Do you think she’s hiding the Sky Sapphire? Are you sure it was her?”

  “I think so!” Millie put down the plate and dashed to the stairs with Jess behind her. When they got to the top, they saw Lady Snood’s door swing closed.

  Jess pulled Millie back as a guard came out of Lord Dellwort’s room. When he was gone, they slipped over to her ladyship’s door and listened closely. Muffled thuds came from inside. Millie and Jess exchanged looks.

  “What are we going to say?” whispered Millie.

  “I don’t know! Let’s just make it up as we go.” Jess knocked smartly and went in.

  Lady Snood went pink when she saw them and put something behind her back. “What’s this?” she snapped. “I didn’t expect to be disturbed.”

  “I’m sorry, Your Ladyship.” Jess dropped a curtsy. “I just wondered if you’d like your chamber swept.”

  Millie tried to see what Lady Snood was hiding but her ladyship kept her arm firmly behind her back.

  “No, I don’t want my room cleaned just now.” Lady Snood looked down her long nose. “Please go and shut the door behind you.”

  “Perhaps we could bring you a cup of tea and a butterfly cake?” Millie edged closer.

  “No, thank you! I’m not thirsty—” Lady Snood dropped something and a bunched-up piece of white material fell to the floor. “Oh bother! Now see what you made me do.”

  The material unrolled as her ladyship picked it up again. It was a pair of long, white bloomers with extra lace around the legs of the knickers.

  “Oh!” Millie’s eyes went as round as teacups. “Well … um … we really shouldn’t disturb you any more.”

  “Now you’re here you may as well help,” snapped Lady Snood, whipping more frilly underwear out of the drawer. “I really can’t have those guards rummaging through my undergarments when they search my room. I need somewhere to put them.”

  Millie bit her lip as she tried not to giggle. “We’ll fetch a basket and keep your garments in the laundry room,” she told Lady Snood.

  The girls fetched the basket and, once Lady Snood had stuffed her underwear inside, Millie laid a thick cloak over the top. They took the basket downstairs and stored it safely in the laundry room.

  “If Lady Snood was really the thief she would have been hiding the jewel, not her underwear,” said Millie as they closed the laundry door. “I think we were wrong about her.”

  “Who could it be then?” asked Jess.

  “I wish I knew! We can’t let them get away with it.” Millie glanced out of the window. Dark clouds hung low over the lake. Yesterday they had been hunting for the monster and everything had seemed strange and exciting, but the creature wasn’t real and her mother’s sapphire necklace was gone.

  “Whoever took the jewel must have been waiting for the right moment,” said Jess.

  “I was thinking that too!” Millie rubbed her aching forehead. “The thief knew that it was safe to slip into the State Room once the guards sounded the alarm. Whoever it was took the sapphire and then came to the lake to join everyone else.”

  “Which means they must have been one of the last people to get there,” added Jess. “So it wasn’t the Duke and Duchess of Sherborne. I saw them go into the boathouse.”

  Millie’s heart skipped a beat. “I know who arrived last! He was the one that suggested sounding the alarm too. He planned the whole thing!”

  “Who?” Jess stared. “Millie, who is it?”

  Millie spun round and started running. “He’s probably still got the Sky Sapphire,” she called back. “I’m going to catch him before he gets away!”

  Chapter Eleven

  The Hidden Jewel

  Jess and Millie stopped in the parlour doorway, trying to catch their breath. The king, the queen, Lord Dellwort, Lady Snood and the duke and duchess were sitting near the fireplace. Connie was pouring cups of tea for them all. “It’s all right,” she said looking pointedly at Jess. “I finished making the tea for you.”

  “Thanks, Connie.” Jess scanned the guests. Who was Millie talking about? She tried to picture everyone by the lake that morning. Who had been the last to get there? Not the guards or Mr Polly or Connie and certainly not the Duke and Duchess of Sherborne. Suddenly, she noticed Lord Dellwort smirking as he twirled his moustache.

  She nudged Millie, muttering, “Do you think it’s him?”

  “I’m sure it is!” Millie whispered fiercely. “See how smug he looks.”

  The chief guard entered, bowing to the king and queen. “Sorry for the interruption, Your Majesties. We’re searching for the sapphire and we’re asking everyone in the palace to turn out their pockets.”

  The king began to wave him away. “There’s no need for our guests to do that.”

  “It’s quite all right!” The Duke of Sherborne showed the guard his empty pockets. Then each guest did the same. The duchess even opened her little golden purse which was full of face powder and perfume.

  Jess held her breath when it was Lord Dellwort’s turn but he smiled broadly and showed everyone his empty pockets. The girls exchanged looks. Where was the Sky Sapphire?

  “It’s a shame that such a precious jewel has gone missing.” Lord Dellwort sat down and straightened his hat. “Do you think I could have some more tea?”

  Millie glared at him. “I think you know EXACTLY where the Sky Sapphire is because you took it!”

  “Amelia!” gasped Queen Belinda. “Apologize to his lordship.”

  “But, Mother – I’m sure that he planned the whole thing!” cried Millie. “He went to the jewel cabinet when everyone else ran down to the lake.”

  “That’s enough!” The queen went pink. “We do not say things like that to our guests. Now apologize at once or you won’t be allowed to go to the festival tomorrow.”

  Jess stepped forward before Millie could reply. She had been gazing at Lord Dellwort’s hat with its black silk band around the brim. Why was he wearing it? He wasn’t outdoors and it wasn’t cold in th
e parlour.

  Maybe there was another reason for keeping it on. Someone as sneaky as Lord Dellwort was much too clever to hide the jewel in his pocket.

  “Excuse me, sir,” she said, curtsying. “Shall I take your hat for you?”

  Lord Dellwort held the hat to his head. “No, thank you. I prefer to wear it.”

  Jess nudged Millie.

  “Oh, hat!” Millie’s eyebrows rose. “Um … yes! I’m so sorry about what I said just now, Your Lordship. I don’t know why I was so silly. Let me pour you that cup of tea you asked for.” She went to Lord Dellwort, offering to take his teacup.

  While he was looking at Millie, Jess sneaked up behind him. With a sudden sweep of her arm, she knocked his hat to the floor.

  “JESS!” cried Queen Belinda, then she stopped.

  The hat lay upturned on the floor. Inside was a necklace with a beautiful sky blue jewel shaped like a teardrop. Millie picked up the delicate gold chain and the sapphire spun gently, glistening in the light.

  “It was you all along!” King James looked stunned.

  “Nonsense! This is just a mistake,” Lord Dellwort blustered. “I don’t know how that necklace got there.”

  “Yes, you do!” Jess told him. “First, you stole the key to the jewel cabinet – you probably took it out of Mr Steen’s pocket. Then all you had to do was find a way to get to the cabinet when no one was around.”

  “You must have got your idea when everyone was interested in the lake monster,” added Millie. “Then you stole the vegetables and sacks to make a fake creature, and you chose the turnips because they float. Dragging the pretend monster to the lake must have left those scrape marks on the muddy shore.”

  “I nearly got away with it too.” Lord Dellwort’s face twisted into a sneer. “But right from the start you girls were in my way. I went to the boathouse last night to hide the rest of the sacks and turnips and there you were – snooping around.” He glared at Millie and Jess. “You two are the biggest pests in the palace!”

  The queen took the necklace from Millie. “We trusted you,” she said to Lord Dellwort. “You were here as our guest to see the festival.”

  “Who cares about the silly festival!” said Lord Dellwort scornfully. “I only came because I needed money. I could have sold that sapphire for a lot of gold coins.”

  The king rose to his feet, his face growing red. “Take him away!” he commanded, and the chief guard marched his lordship from the room.

  “Dear me! It’s all been much too exciting.” Lady Snood dabbed her face with a lacy handkerchief before turning to Jess. “Would you mind getting me some of those delicious-sounding butterfly cakes? I think they’d be the perfect thing to calm my nerves.”

  Jess smiled. “I’ll fetch them right away.”

  “I’ll help you!” said Millie.

  As Jess and Millie left the parlour, Lady Snood said to the queen, “Those girls are very smart and brave. They remind me of myself at that age!”

  The people of Plumchester streamed through the palace gates for the festival the next day. Autumn sunshine warmed the air and the leaves on the trees were starting to turn gold. Many people had brought along things for the competitions, but none of the cakes looked as good as Cook’s, Jess thought.

  Queen Belinda took Prince Edward to watch the performers on the croquet lawn. Violin players struck up a jig while dancers in bright costumes leapt and twirled to the music. The little prince giggled and clapped along. The queen smiled and touched the sparkling Sky Sapphire hanging round her neck.

  Millie and Jess went down to the lake where Mr Steen was judging the fruit and vegetable stall, ready to hand out the prizes.

  “Would you like some help, Mr Steen?” asked Jess.

  The butler dismissed her with a wave of his skinny arm. “Go and enjoy yourself! Have a slice of Cook’s wonderful chocolate cake. You deserve to have some fun and the best thing is there’s no monster to ruin the day!”

  Millie raised her eyebrows as they carried on walking. “Do you think he’s feeling all right? He’s never told you to have some fun before.”

  Jess grinned. “I think he’s glad the creature in the lake was just pretend.”

  “I sort of wish it had been real. It would have been so exciting!” Millie stopped to throw a stone in the water. Ripples rolled outwards from where it landed.

  A moment later, the reeds beside the bank started to rustle.

  Millie clutched Jess’s arm, hissing, “Something’s in there!”

  A soggy golden beast leapt out of the water carrying an oddly-shaped branch in his mouth.

  “Jax, you made us jump!” exclaimed Jess. “Have you been making friends with the ducks again?”

  Millie wrestled the branch out of the dog’s mouth. “Look at this!” She turned the log over and showed Jess two dark hollows in the wood that seemed just like eyes. “It’s the monster’s head we saw in the water that misty day on the bridge. It was just a branch all the time!”

  “It’s strange how your eyes can trick you!” Jess smiled. “We should remember that when the next mystery comes along. Never trust what you see – not till you’re absolutely sure.”

  “And never be scared of a turnip monster!” Millie linked arms with Jess and they climbed the hill to get a slice of Cook’s wonderful chocolate cake.

  Turn over for some fun

  puzzles and quizzes – grab a

  friend and play together!

  Find the Sapphire!

  Can you help Millie and Jess find the missing necklace in the castle maze?

  Investigate the Lake

  Can you find the six lake creatures hidden in this word search?

  D U C K L I N G F F

  P B A E G E A O K B

  D I A M O N D O P A

  O A E E P X E S W P

  T Q M R S D U E H L

  T D X A W P I Z D H

  E S I L A V E J A U

  R U M O N S T E R A

  A T B H B S E V R E

  Z J F Y F I S H I L

  Otter

  Goose

  Swan

  Duckling

  Monster

  Fish

  Who has been

  swimming in the lake?

  Connect the dots to reveal the lake creature…

  Spot the difference

  Can you spot the five differences?

  Princess Butterfly

  Cupcakes

  After a day of solving mysteries, make some butterfly cakes using Jess and Millie’s favourite recipe.

  Ingredients

  For the cake:

  •110g self-raising flour

  •110g caster sugar

  •110g butter/margarine

  •2 tsp baking powder

  •2 eggs

  For the icing:

  •110g butter

  •220g icing sugar

  •A tbsp of milk

  •Sprinkles

  Equipment

  Bun tin, mixing bowl, wooden spoon, 12 cake cases, whisk.

  •Ask a grown-up to preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan)/200ºC (electric)/Gas mark 6.

  •Lay out 12 cake cases in a bun tin.

  •Mix the sugar, flour and baking powder together.

  •Add the butter/margarine and eggs.

  •Whisk all of it together.

  •Using a teaspoon, fill the cake cases with the mixture (be sure to give them an even amount each).

  •Put the tray in the oven for 15 minutes, until they are golden brown.

  •Take them out of the oven and let them cool.

  •Make the icing by whisking the butter and sugar together with a spoon of milk, until it is light and fluffy.

  •Use a knife (or ask a grown-up) to scoop a hole out of the top of the cake.

  •Cut the scooped out cake in half. Fill the hole in the cake with icing and then place the cut out cake on top (like wings).

  •Sprinkle some sprinkles on top of your cakes, and enjoy!

  You must have an a
dult around to help you.

  Here is a peek at the next Tiara

  Friends adventure…

  Chapter One

  The Artist of

  Bodkin Street

  Jess dashed up the back stairs of Peveril Palace. Her white apron was smudged with sooty fingerprints and her mob cap was falling over one ear. She knocked on the door to Princess Amelia’s chamber before bursting in.

  “Millie!” she gasped. “Your mother sent me to fetch you. The carriage is waiting to take you to Plumchester.”

  Princess Amelia (called Millie, for short) swung round, holding one hand to her neck. The two girls were the same age and they looked so much alike that they could have been twins. They both had glossy brown hair that curled over their shoulders, small noses and hazel eyes. The only difference between them was that Jess’s eyes were a little darker.

  They’d been best friends ever since Jess came to Peveril Palace to work as a maid. They loved looking the same and they secretly called themselves Double Trouble!

  “I can’t go to Plumchester!” cried Millie. “Mother wants me to have my portrait painted by that new artist in Bodkin Street.”

  “Don’t you want to have your picture painted?” asked Jess.

  “It’s not that – look!” Millie took her hand away from her neck and showed Jess a bright yellow stain across her skin. “I put on face paints last night – I was pretending to be a lion in the jungle. I washed most of it off before I went to bed but I must have missed this bit and now I can’t get rid of it. Mother will be so cross! She warned me not to make a mess.”

  Jess grinned. “I bet you looked great as a lion. Can’t you put on a silk scarf to hide the mark?”

  “I know Mother won’t let me. She’s already decided exactly what I should wear. The portrait’s going to be a present for Grandmother in Glenbarr so it has to be perfect.” Millie pulled a face.