Peril en Pointe

by Helen Lipscombe

  ‘Has Madame still got your bracelet?’ says Lottie. ‘You should ask for it back. It is your birfday, ain’t it.’

  Spencer yawns. ‘Better hurry up and open the rest. Haven’t got a clue what the time is without my Swanphone.’

  The Bombardier has sent me a book, The Beginner’s Guide to Fly-fishing. Hear you’re next to a lake, old gal, says the card.

  ‘Is he an elephant short of a circus?’ asks Lottie.

  Spencer blows on his hands. ‘We could always burn it. I’m frozen.’

  I grab it back. ‘I think it’s very sweet of the Bombardier to remember.’

  ‘Well, let’s hope this isn’t a pipe and slippers.’ Spencer passes me a large parcel wrapped in lots of brown paper and tied with old-fashioned string. My hands shake a little as I tear away the layers. Deep down I know it can’t be from Mum, but still . . .

  ‘That’s more like it, ’cept it looks like an Easter egg and it ain’t Easter,’ says Lottie.

  ‘It’s better than an Easter egg.’ I hold up the box so Lottie can see inside. ‘Look, it’s a white chocolate ballet shoe.’

  ‘Who’s it from, Milly?’ asks Lottie.

  I search the pretty gold packaging for a message. ‘I don’t know. I can’t find a label.’

  ‘Never mind the label,’ says Spencer. ‘When are we going to eat it?’

  ‘Later. I’m stuffed.’

  ‘Me too.’ Lottie springs up. ‘Time to get back. I could do wiv a warm-up.’

  When I get back to the dorm, I pop the silver charm and Madge’s doobries in my music box, and slide it under my bed.

  I’m still wondering where to hide the chocolate ballet shoe when Madame’s head bobs past the window.

  My bracelet! I throw the box down. It slides off the bed as I shoot outside.

  ‘Madame, wait!’

  A gust of wind blows off Madame’s fur-lined hood. ‘I am on my way out, Millicent. What do you want?’

  Her eyes narrow as I explain about Bab’s birthday present and ask for my bracelet. ‘If I promise not to wear it, please can I have it back?’

  ‘Zat will not be possible. Rules are rules. Zey apply to everyone, even Eva Kydd’s daughter. I will make sure it is returned to you at ze end of term.’

  ‘She wouldn’t give it to you?’ says Lottie at lunchtime.

  ‘I’ll speak to my father,’ says Spencer. ‘See if he can give her a heart transplant.’

  ‘Ain’t you got to have one in the first place? Eurgh!’ Lottie glugs down her water then glugs down mine. She pokes out her tongue and wipes it on her napkin. ‘Salt in the custard.’

  Behind Lottie, Danny clears his throat and a little crowd gathers alongside him. ‘Sorry to interrupt. We heard it was your birthday, Milly. So, we clubbed together and got you this.’

  Danny gives me a parcel. ‘Excuse the wrapping,’ says Fleur. ‘Danny needs practice.’

  Dangling out of the paper is a little golden tail. I tear off the tape. Inside is a hot-water bottle lion with golden fur and a fluffy mane.

  Danny grins. ‘It’s not Boris, but it’s the closest we could find.’

  For the second time today, I’m lost for words. ‘Thanks, everyone.’

  ‘Happy birthday,’ says Danny. ‘See you in Spy Craft.’

  ‘I hope the Captain doesn’t spring anuvver test on us,’ says Lottie, as we climb the stairs to the gym. ‘I got two out of ten in Effics last week. What did you get, Spencer?’

  ‘A very solid one,’ says Spencer. ‘Ethics are overrated, if you ask me. But you can ask me anything from the Guide to Espionage. It’s Ivan’s favourite book.’

  ‘Anyfink? OK, what’s Rule Eleven?’

  ‘Never discount the obvious.’

  ‘Rule Twelve?’

  ‘When you’ve discounted the obvious. Look again.’

  ‘Rule Nineteen?’

  ‘Panic is the enemy of reason.’

  Lottie shrugs. ‘Swot.’

  ‘The Captain can give me all the tests he likes today,’ I say. ‘I don’t care.’

  And I really don’t. I thought my thirteenth was going to be a birthday I’d want to forget, but thanks to my friends it’s turning into one I’ll always remember.

  Lottie points at the gym. ‘What’s goin’ on?’ We pause as everyone piles onto the landing.

  Spencer grins. ‘Happy birthday, Kydd. Looks like Spy Craft’s been cancelled.’

  Lottie tugs my sleeve. ‘Wait a minute. Am I seein’ fings or is Perkins cryin’?’

  Willow doesn’t notice me as she pushes past. I get a horrible prickly feeling. Something is terribly wrong.

  Dipti and Fleur run towards us.

  ‘Oi! Where’s everyone goin’?’ shouts Lottie.

  ‘Emergency assembly,’ pants Dipti.

  I ignore the flashing on my wrist. ‘Why? What’s happened?’

  ‘Haven’t you heard?’ says Fleur.

  ‘Heard what?’

  ‘It’s Bumble. She’s been – she’s been . . .’

  ‘Spit it out,’ says Spencer. ‘She’s been what? Good? Bad? To see the queen?

  Dipti and Fleur both take breaths. ‘Poisoned!’

  The noise in the theatre is deafening. Ms Celia is waiting onstage. Her forehead is busy thinking.

  ‘There’s Merv,’ I say. ‘He might know what happened.’

  We wriggle through the children huddled in the aisles and plonk down next to Merv. My Swanphone flashes again. His eyebrow is busy worrying.

  ‘Haven’t you checked your messages?’

  ‘Quieten down, please!’ says Ms Celia. ‘It seems most of you are already aware that one of our year eights has been taken gravely ill . . .’

  ‘Kydd!’ says Merv. ‘Your Swanphone!’

  ‘SHHH. This is an emergency, Merv.’

  Merv makes a funny little whining sound.

  ‘OK, OK.’ I glance at my Swanphone. The Captain has sent me a video message. His expression is stormy.

  ‘Kydd. Please report to the infirmary immediately.’

  There’s another.

  ‘Kydd, stop whatever it is you’re doing and report to the infirmary NOW.’

  And another.

  ‘Kydd, if you’re not dead already, you will be if you don’t show up in the next five seconds.’

  Uh-oh. ‘I’d better go to the infirmary.’

  ‘Told you,’ says Merv.

  ‘About time,’ says the Captain when I push through the door. He takes me by the arm.

  ‘Ouch! What’s happening? Is Amy here? Is she going to be all right?’

  ‘She’s alive. For now.’ The Captain sits me down. ‘Wait there and don’t move.’ Seconds later, he comes back with Nurse.

  ‘How are you feeling, Milly?’ she says, sticking a thermometer on my tongue before I can answer. ‘Okey-dokey, I’m just going to take your pulse. Any nausea?’

  I shake my head as she takes out the thermometer.

  ‘Well?’ says the Captain.

  ‘All normal. The readings on her Swanphone were correct.’

  The Captain heaves a sigh. ‘Thank God. Kydd, do you recognize this?’ He shows me a picture on his Swanphone. Pieces of broken white chocolate are scattered across Bumble’s bed.

  ‘Y-yes. It was one of my birthday presents. I was saving it for later.’

  ‘Did you take it out of the packaging? Did you see anyone eat it?’

  ‘N-no. It was still in the box when I left it in my room. We’d had lots to eat, you see, and . . .’ Suddenly, I realize what this means. ‘Amy ate my chocolate?’

  The Captain nods.

  ‘And the chocolate was poisoned?’

  ‘Aye. Korolev is back to his old tricks again. You do see what that means, pet?’

  My scalp prickles. The poison was meant for me.

  19

  The Ghost of Edwina Meekes

  I’m still in bed when the Captain messages me the next morning with a summons to meet him in the infirmary. Lottie springs up and rubs her eyes. T
he Captain overruled Madame and agreed that she could sleep in Bumble’s bed last night. It’s reassuring to know that if someone wants to hurt me, they’ll have to get past Lottie first.

  Willow moans, ‘Is Bumble dead?’

  I feel all woozy thinking about it. ‘He – he didn’t say. Sorry, Willow, I’ve got to go.’

  Lottie leads the way. ‘Wait here,’ she says as we approach the archway. She throws herself against the wall, looks side to side, up and down, and beckons me through. ‘Wait! Don’t look now. Behind you. Ten o’clock.’ Lottie crouches, ready to pounce.

  ‘It’s OK,’ I whisper behind her. ‘It’s only Danny.’

  Danny’s face is as pale as Merv’s. ‘Have you heard any news about Bumble?’

  I shake my head. ‘I’m going to the infirmary now. I’ll let you know.’

  When we arrive, the Captain thanks Lottie and sends her away. ‘Come in, Kydd. We need to talk.’

  I look through the window into the ward. The row of single beds is neatly made. There’s not one Bumble-shaped lump under the blankets. My knees decide to take a little nap.

  The Captain holds my arm. ‘Sit down, pet. You’re as white as the walls. Deep breaths, there’s a good lass. It’s all right. Ms Celia’s antidote worked. Amy’s gone home. She’s still weak, but with a bit of rest she’ll be dancing again before you know it.’

  Footsteps pad behind me. ‘Amy will miss ze Scarlet Slippers?’

  ‘Yes, Madame. Nurse says she’ll be back next term.’

  ‘Zat is unfortunate.’

  I sit up slowly. ‘Can I go now?’

  ‘Not yet, Millicent.’ Madame glares at the Captain. ‘You have not told her, Captain?’

  ‘Told me what?’

  The Captain pulls on his beard. ‘Madge has given us the lab results from your birthday present. The chocolate wasn’t from Korolev.’

  My neck tingles. ‘So, who was it from?’

  ‘The parcel was an inside job.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  Madame perches on the chair next to me and pats my arm. I squirm under her cold fingers. ‘Ze parcel, it was not posted. It was from someone inside ze school.’

  I shrink into the chair.

  Someone in school hates me enough to want to poison me.

  The obvious suspect is Willow Perkins but deep down I know Willow isn’t a murderer. Plus, she’d know she was being monitored continually. Whoever left the package took a huge risk. ‘Captain, if someone left it in reception, wouldn’t they have been caught on camera? Wouldn’t Merv have seen them?’

  ‘No such luck, pet. There’s been a problem with some of the security cameras.’

  Madame’s nails dig into my arm. ‘I am sorry, Millicent. But zere are questions zat must be asked.’ Her voice is snow-soft. Snow-cold. ‘Ze chocolate was found on Amy’s bed. Do you remember leaving it zere?’

  ‘I-I didn’t leave it on her bed, Madame. At least, I don’t think I did. I saw you through the window and threw it down. Amy must have picked it up from the floor.’ I wriggle my arm away and rub the half-moons Madame’s nails have made in my skin.

  The Captain nods. ‘Aye, that’s feasible enough.’

  Madame stiffens. ‘Are you sure, Captain? Ze chocolate may have been intended for someone else all along. How do we know zat Millicent did not herself leave it on Amy’s bed?’

  ‘What do you mean? You think I wanted to poison Amy?’ My voice is all screechy. In fact, the screechier it gets, the better I feel. ‘You think I sent the chocolate to myself? This is about Mum, isn’t it? You were jealous of her and you’re taking it out on me!’

  ‘Shhh, pet. There’s no point in making things worse for yourself.’

  Madame holds up her hand. ‘I will handle zis, Captain. Millicent knows all about jealousy, don’t you, ma chère? It is not Amy you wished to poison. Your jealousy of Willow is well known. Have you not tried to injure her in ze past? Perhaps you decided to take things a step further . . .’

  I jump up. ‘NO! No, I would never do anything like that!’

  The Captain looks past me. ‘Nurse, what does her Swanphone say?’

  Nurse is sitting quietly in the corner. ‘The readings indicate that she’s telling the truth.’

  Madame pahs. ‘Remember, Captain, ze Swan-phone is not foolproof when it comes to ze detection of lies.’ Her Swanphone glows and she frowns at her wrist. ‘I will let ze matter go – for now. Zere is a delivery I must see to.’

  Nurse sees Madame out and the Captain lays a heavy hand on my shoulder. ‘Kydd, promise us you won’t say anything to anyone until we’ve got to the bottom of this.’

  I shake my head. If Willow hears about it, I may as well pack my bags and leave.

  ‘Good lass. You can go for breakfast now.’ The kindness in his voice is like a squirt of de-icer on a frosty windscreen. ‘But please be vigilant. As far as I’m concerned, you’re still in danger.’

  I trudge back to find Lottie but she’s not in the refectory. In the hall, I spot Pip from Meekes.

  ‘Hello, miss.’ Pip’s voice is as wobbly as the tower of shoeboxes in his arms.

  I run over to help. ‘Is there something wrong, Pip?’

  Pip stacks the boxes next to the reception desk and pulls a tissue from the pocket of his overall. ‘Sorry to be the one to pass on the bad news, Miss. But Heart Maker’s had an accident. I told him those stairs were dangerous.’

  The air whooshes out of me like a whoopee cushion without a whoop. ‘I’ll go and see him. Is he in hospital?’

  Pip nods miserably and his fringe flops into his eyes. ‘Everyone’s saying Edwina Meekes did it, miss.’

  ‘You mean the poltergeist?’

  He stares at his shoes. ‘We’re all wondering who’s going to be next.’

  I spot Madame crossing the hall towards us and my hands squeeze into fists.

  ‘Madame, Heart Maker’s in hospital. I have to go and see him.’

  ‘He’s in intensive care,’ Pip explains. ‘They don’t know if he’ll pull through. Mrs H-P’s beside herself. We all are.’

  Madame’s face turns from white to grey. ‘You think after everything zat has happened, you will be allowed to leave ze school? You will go to class immediately. And you,’ she says to Pip, ‘will return to Meekes.’

  She shoos Pip from the hall but he calls out from the door. ‘Miss Millicent – I almost forgot. Heart Maker gave me a message before they took him away.’ His shoulders begin to shake. ‘Said to keep wearing your m-mum’s homing shoes. S-said you’d know what he meant. S-said you’d got to keep dancing.’

  I slump in the corner. Pull on my flats. Go to the barre. Stare at the floor. Poor Mr Stubbs.

  When Madame comes in and says, ‘Bonjours, les enfants,’ I don’t reply.

  When Lottie asks if I’m OK, I say I’m tickety-boo.

  When the warm-up begins, my arms and legs are too heavy to move.

  First Bumble and now Mr Stubbs. They can’t die. They can’t.

  20

  Merv’s MUMB

  December brings icy weather and more bad news. Mr Stubbs is getting worse.

  And the poisoner is still at large.

  Thanks to the Captain, Madame has kept her theory about the poisoned chocolate to herself. With just a week to go until the schools arrive for the Scarlet Slippers, my only comfort is the thought that I might see Mum again soon.

  I haven’t even been able to tell Lottie and Spencer about the chocolate. After the poisoning, the Captain ordered Filipp to EKAT – Escort Kydd at All Times. It’s impossible to do anything you’ve been told not to do with a huppity mentor at your side from dawn till dusk.

  ‘What’s up, Milly?’ says Lottie as we enter the refectory. ‘Spencer finks you’ve been actin’ strange lately.’

  Using only my eyebrows, I try to explain that I can’t talk in front of Filipp.

  ‘Told you,’ says Spencer. ‘She’s got that look on her face again, and she hasn’t said a word in over a minute. T
hat’s not normal . . .’

  Spencer’s voice is drowned by a boo. Before I know it, I’m wiping a squashed satsuma from my forehead, and listening to laughter hoot from table to table.

  ‘What’s goin’ on?’ says Lottie.

  ‘Ask Milly!’ shouts Danny. ‘Ask her who posted the chocolate that almost killed Bumble.’

  Spencer steers us to a table as far away from Willow and her friends as possible. ‘OK, Kydd. Time to spill.’

  I explain about my so-called birthday present. ‘Sorry, the Captain made me swear not to tell you. But now everyone’s found out, they obviously think I left the chocolate out for Amy and Willow on purpose!’

  Lottie makes a sound like a lion.

  ‘Whoa . . .’ Spencer grabs her hood. ‘Not so fast, Shorty. Even you can’t take on half the year. And if you look on the bright side, at least Kydd’s had one of her five a day.’

  Lottie bangs her fist on the table. ‘Perkins is the poison around here. She’s the one who left the chocolate on Bumble’s bed. Her friends’ll believe anyfink.’

  Filipp gives me a sly smile. ‘You’re cleverer than you look.’

  ‘Shut up, Filipp,’ we all say together.

  I push back my chair. ‘I can’t stay here.’

  ‘Well, wherever you’re goin’, I’m comin’ wiv you,’ says Lottie. ‘Where are you goin’?’

  ‘To the kitchen, to research poison.’

  Seems like the most obvious place to start.

  As it turns out, Cook is quite the expert.

  ‘They used arsenic in the old days,’ she shudders. ‘That old devil, Korolev, used Alpha X. It’s not fatal but it plays havoc with your waterworks.’

  I ask her how she knows so much. Cook squints at Filipp through the steam, then back at me again. ‘It’s supposed to be a secret, but you won’t tell anyone, will you?’

  ‘Cross my heart,’ says Lottie.

  Topsy pops her head through the kitchen hatch. ‘Tell anyone what?’

  Apart from Mrs Topping’s blue hairnet, they look exactly the same.

  ‘Well, my Trevor, that’s Emmeline’s pop – he was a spy until they got him.’