For John and Pauline
Contents
Cover
Dedication
Chapter One: The Artist of Bodkin Street
Chapter Two: The Runaway Cheese
Chapter Three: The Picture Left Behind
Chapter Four: The Clue Inside the Painting
Chapter Five: Gilbert Small Helps Out
Chapter Six: The Soldiers’ Parade
Chapter Seven: The Cheese Stealer
Chapter Eight: The Man in the Tall Grey Hat
Chapter Nine: The Little Black Cat
Chapter Ten: Climbing the Tower
Chapter Eleven: The King’s Gold
Chapter Twelve: Brushes and Paint
Rainbow Wordsearch
Spot the Difference
Royal Chocolate Cake
Double Trouble!
Chapter One
Copyright
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.
“Why don’t we swap places? I’ll get my picture painted and you can finish my chores. No one will ever know!” Jess’s eyes twinkled. She and Millie swapped places all the time so that they could both do their favourite things. Jess would go to Millie’s horse-riding lesson while Millie went to the palace kitchen to bake cakes with Cook Walsh. It was pretty awesome to be a maid and a princess all in one day!
Millie clapped her hands excitedly. “I’d love to swap! But are you sure you don’t mind?”
Jess grinned. “Course not! We’d better hurry though. What do I have to wear?”
Millie went to her big wooden wardrobe and took out a long purple dress with sparkly beads all over the top and a silver sash around the waist. Jess took off her maid uniform and gave it to Millie, before pulling the dress over her white petticoat.
Millie put the maid dress on and fastened the apron round her waist. Then she brushed Jess’s long hair until it hung beautifully over her shoulders before clipping an emerald necklace round her friend’s neck.
Jess gazed into the large gold-framed mirror and her heart skipped. She was used to wearing royal clothes but this was one of Millie’s finest dresses which was only worn on very special occasions.
“You look great!” Millie beamed. “Are you all right? Is the dress too scratchy?”
“It’s fine! You’d better take this.” Jess picked up her mob cap and put it on Millie’s head. “I hope Mr Steen doesn’t give you too many chores.”
“Don’t worry about me—” Millie broke off at the sound of footsteps.
There was a sharp knock on the door. “Come in!” the girls called together.
Mr Steen, the royal butler, opened the door, his eyebrows lowered in disapproval. “You were meant to fetch the princess right away, Jess,” he said to Millie. “The royal carriage is waiting.”
“Sorry, Mr Steen.” Millie turned away to hide a giggle.
“Here!” Jess handed her friend a gauzy white scarf and stared meaningfully at the stain on Millie’s skin. “This will keep your neck warm.”
“Oh! Thank you.” Millie wrapped it round her neck to hide the yellow mark.
Jess felt a fluttering in her stomach as she followed the butler downstairs. Riding out in the royal carriage wearing a special dress and an emerald necklace seemed very daring. As she sat down in the carriage, she noticed one of the gardeners leaning on his spade and staring through a window into the banquet hall.
Just then Mr Larum, Millie’s teacher, rushed down the steps carrying a large package wrapped in brown paper and string. “I’m ready!” he gasped as he climbed into the carriage. “And I’ve got the royal paintings.”
“You there!” Mr Steen spotted the gardener leaning on his spade. “You’re new here, aren’t you? Aren’t there some flower beds that need digging?”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” The gardener pulled his straw hat down low and hurried away.
The coachman called to the horses and the carriage rolled forward. Jess watched the royal lake and the golden palace gates go by. Then they were rumbling down the street towards the city of Plumchester.
Mr Larum sat opposite Jess holding the wrapped-up paintings carefully. King James had noticed their frames needed mending so he’d asked Mr Larum to take them to the artist in Bodkin Street who would surely know how to fix them.
“There is such a lot of history behind these paintings,” said Mr Larum, straightening his dark-rimmed glasses. “They were painted more than a hundred years ago during the reign of King Ned, your great-grandfather.”
Jess smiled and tried to listen but there were so many exciting things outside the window. Street sellers were setting out stalls with everything from fruit to feather hats. Halfpenny Square, where the biggest market was held, was filling with people and noise.
As the carriage rolled along, Jess tried to remember one thing about each person she saw – the lace on a lady’s sleeves or the colour of a man’s coat. It was something she’d been practising in case it came in handy for solving mysteries.
She and Millie had solved quite a few puzzles lately. It had all begun when Prince Edward’s little diamond crown went missing right before his first birthday. The two girls had searched for clues and found the crown. Jess couldn’t help wondering whether there was another mystery out there, waiting to be discovered.
At last, the carriage turned left and drew to a stop in Bodkin Street. Jess flung the carriage door open and jumped down, quite forgetting to let the coachman open it for her like a princess should. She loved Bodkin Street. She’d lived here in her parents’ dressmaking shop, Buttons and Bows, before becoming a maid at the palace. She knew every house and shop in the lane, except the exciting new artist’s studio.
Smiling, she waved to Miss Clackton, the kind but scatty owner of the Pet Emporium next door to her parents’ shop. The Pet Emporium was a place for pampering pets and was filled with every kind of animal toy and treat Jess could think of.
The wonderful smell of freshly baked cakes drifted out of
Mr Bibby’s bakery just across the road. Next door to the bakery was the ironmonger’s and Mr Heddon, who ran the shop, was sweeping the doorstep.
“This way, Princess Amelia.” The coachman beckoned her towards a bright red front door. Gilbert Small’s Studio was painted in gold letters on a sign above the window.
Jess stepped forward eagerly. Mr Gilbert Small was the only person in Bodkin Street that she’d never met. It was only two weeks since he’d moved in and set up his artist studio and this was Jess’s first chance to look inside! A proper painter like Mr Small must be very serious and probably frowned a lot while trying to get his pictures just right.
The coachman held the door and Mr Larum staggered inside with his package of paintings. Following him, Jess gazed around with wide eyes. Tall trees with dangling tropical fruit were painted across the walls. Pictures of birds with bright feathers and monkeys with furry faces peeped from the painted branches. Dazzling flowers in magenta, gold and crimson were drawn on the forest floor. Overhead, the ceiling was a beautiful shade of blue.
Jess caught her breath. It was like stepping into a jungle.
“Welcome, welcome!” boomed a large man with ginger hair and a beard. He shook Mr Larum’s hand. “Nice to see you, sir! And this must be the princess.”
“Hello!” Jess tried not to stare as she curtsied. How could someone called Mr Small be so enormous? He was like a ginger-haired giant.
Mr Larum unwrapped the parcel of paintings and began talking to Gilbert Small about the repairs, so Jess looked around the room. Paintings of places and people were stacked against the walls. Beside a large easel was a chair with a sleepy ginger cat lying on it. Jess peeked at the paper on the easel but it was blank.
“I’ll let you get on.” Mr Larum shook the artist’s hand again. “I’ll be back with the carriage at midday.”
Mr Small stacked the royal pictures that Mr Larum had brought carefully to one side. Then he stroked the sleeping ginger cat. “Rumble-tum! You’re sitting on the young lady’s chair. This is Rumble-tum,” he told Jess. “I gave him that name because he purrs so loudly.”
Rumble-tum yawned and stretched, before climbing down.
“Will it take you long to paint me, Mr Small?” Jess asked timidly as she sat down on the chair.
“Call me Gilbert!” he boomed, lines creasing round his eyes as he smiled. “No, it won’t take too long. Now sit as comfortably as you can and I’ll start the picture.”
Jess tried to sit very still but she jumped when Rumble-tum sprang on to her knees. She stroked the cat’s fluffy ginger ears and he curled up on her lap, purring loudly. Jess smiled. “I think Rumble-tum wants to be in the picture too!”
Chapter Two
The Runaway
Cheese
Gilbert Small made lots of little marks with his pencil and stopped to look up at Jess every now and then.
After a few minutes, Miss Clackton burst in with a kitten in one hand and a paper bag full of iced buns in the other. Her straggly hair was escaping from a hair clip and her dress was covered with bird seeds.
“Yoo hoo!” She beamed at Jess. “Are you having your picture painted? I’ve brought Fluffy to meet Rumble-tum. I think they’re going to be great friends!” She dropped the kitten into Jess’s lap next to the ginger cat. Rumble-tum gave the kitten a lick and then went back to sleep again.
Soon more passers-by came in. There were two ladies wearing velvet jackets, an old man with a limp and a young man with a tall grey hat. Everyone stopped to admire Gilbert’s picture even though he’d only drawn Jess’s mouth and nose.
Gilbert chuckled and put down his pencil. “Let’s stop for a little while,” he said to Jess. “I’ll set the kettle to boil and mend those picture frames for the king.” He spread out the paintings Mr Larum had brought on a table.
“These are wonderful!” Miss Clackton peered at the pictures. “Just look at that adorable cat!”
Jess carefully set Rumble-tum and the kitten down, and went over to look. The largest picture was of the palace and royal garden. The three smaller ones showed places in Plumchester – Halfpenny Square, St Anne’s church and the soldiers’ garrison. There was a black cat with sparkling green eyes in each of the smaller paintings.
“These pictures were painted by the great artist Arthur Black. See, there’s his name.” Gilbert pointed to a squiggle in the corner of the paintings. “They’re worth an awful lot of money.”
“We’d better keep an eye on them then!” said Miss Clackton, with a laugh. “We don’t want anyone running away with the king’s most valuable pictures.”
The other customers came closer to look at the royal paintings before Gilbert took them into the back room to fix the frames. Miss Clackton handed out the buns which were topped with soft white icing.
At last, Miss Clackton and the customers left and Gilbert worked on his picture of Jess. He finished sketching with his pencil and began painting her dress and hair. He stopped now and then to give Jess some drawing tips. He even showed her how to mix the paints together.
“So blue and red make purple.” Jess mixed the blobs of paint together and swirled them round and round on the palette. “This is so much fun!”
“I’m afraid it’s time to go,” said Mr Larum, who had just come in.
“Shall I come back tomorrow?” said Jess, eagerly. “You need to finish my picture, don’t you? Could I bring my friend too? She likes to draw and I know she’d love it here.”
Gilbert smiled. “Your friend is very welcome. I’ll even let you add some animals to the jungle on my wall.”
“That would be amazing!” gasped Jess.
Gilbert wrapped up the royal paintings and handed them back to Mr Larum. His eyes twinkled as he shook Jess’s hand and said goodbye.
Jess gazed out of the carriage window on the way home. She had so much to tell Millie! She knew her friend would love Rumble-tum. Millie loved animals and there were no cats at Peveril Palace, just Jax their crazy but lovable golden cocker spaniel.
The carriage rattled past Halfpenny Square and carried on towards the palace. Mr Larum held tight to the wrapped–up paintings. Suddenly the carriage slowed down.
“Hey! Is anyone there?” shouted the coachman.
They came to a stop and there was a thud as the coachman climbed down from his box.
“What on earth is he doing?” cried Mr Larum. “I don’t want to wait around. I have things to do back at the palace.”
Jess peered through the window. A cart full of large circles of cheese was blocking the road ahead. Its back was open and the cheese was rolling down the wooden ramp and spilling out on to the street.
“I don’t think we can get past,” said Jess. “There’s cheese on the road!”
“Cheese? That’s ridiculous!” Mr Larum laid the paintings on the seat and leaned out the window, calling, “Hello there! Can anyone move that cheese? We’ve got to get back to the palace.”
“I’m doing my best, sir!” called the coachman. “But there doesn’t seem to be anyone in charge of this cart.”
“Dear me!” Mr Larum climbed out and began giving the coachman instructions.
Jess scrambled down too and managed to push three cheeses back into the cart. Each one was the size of a small wheel. They were really heavy and had a very strong smell. Some had escaped, rolling right down the hill towards the river.
“Your Highness! You mustn’t do that,” exclaimed Mr Larum. “You might get that lovely dress dirty.” He opened the carriage door and tried to usher Jess back inside.
Jess was just about to argue that she didn’t mind getting dirty when she caught sight of some ripped brown paper on the carriage seat. Darting up the steps, she grabbed the shreds of paper that the paintings had been wrapped in.
One painting still lay on the seat. But there had been four of them before!
A horrible cold feeling grew in her tummy. “Mr Larum! Some of the paintings are gone!”
“They can’t be! I counted
them when we left Mr Small’s studio. They’re all wrapped up in paper.” Mr Larum followed Jess into the carriage and his face went white. “Oh my goodness! Someone’s taken them. Some scoundrel came in here while we weren’t looking.” Dashing down the steps, he called to the coachman for help.
Jess jumped out. Was there someone running away with a stack of paintings under their arm? She shaded her eyes and looked up and down the road. No one nearby looked suspicious. No one was carrying paintings under their arm.
“King James will be so cross!” Mr Larum took off his round glasses and wiped them. “Three royal paintings stolen! Who would dare do such a thing right in front of us? We’re lucky the thief didn’t take them all.”
Jess looked at the painting lying on the carriage seat. It was the largest picture – the one of the palace and royal garden. The three smaller paintings – the ones with the little black cat – were gone.
Chapter Three
The Picture Left
Behind
As soon as Millie heard the news about the missing paintings, she grabbed a feather duster and hurried off to find Jess. Being a maid for the whole morning had been fun. She’d done some chores for Mr Steen, but she’d also helped Cook Walsh make a cake and played with her dog, Jax, in the garden.
She wondered what had happened in Plumchester. Surely Mr Larum hadn’t been careless enough to lose the royal paintings?
Mr Steen, the butler, passed her halfway up the palace stairs. As usual, his dark hair was neat and there wasn’t a speck of dust on his black suit. “Have you finished polishing all the silverware in the banquet hall?”
“Yes, sir,” said Millie.
The butler raised one eyebrow. “And did you make sure everything looked perfect?”
“Um … I think so.” Millie tried to remember how good her polishing had been. She’d been daydreaming about collecting clues and solving mysteries at the time so she wasn’t completely sure.
“Well, don’t be long with the dusting. There’s still plenty to do.” Mr Steen walked stiffly down the stairs.
The Hunt for Hidden Treasure Page 1