Alice-Miranda Holds the Key 15

by Jacqueline Harvey

  Just as Marjorie reached the girls, Hugh Kennington-Jones pulled up outside the kitchen door.

  ‘Daddy’s home!’ Alice-Miranda sang out and raced to the driver’s door.

  ‘Hello darling,’ he said, giving her a huge hug. ‘I’ve missed you.’

  Alice-Miranda beamed up at him. ‘Miss Plunkett’s here,’ she said excitedly.

  ‘Ah, yes, so I see.’ Hugh walked over to greet the woman, with his daughter in tow. ‘Marjorie. Well done, my dear.’

  The woman shrugged. ‘It had nothing to do with me. You have a very clever doctor to thank for blowing this case wide open.’

  Alice-Miranda gasped.

  ‘Have you solved the case?’ Millie asked, and the two girls danced about on the spot.

  Hugh smiled. ‘We’re close. At least we know where to look now.’

  Cecelia rushed out of the house and embraced her husband. ‘Hello darling.’

  ‘That’s the best news ever!’ Alice-Miranda exclaimed. She hugged her father again and then her mother.

  Marjorie considered the two girls in front of her and cocked her head to the side. ‘Who was that in the window upstairs?’ she asked.

  Hugh frowned, wondering what the woman was talking about.

  Alice-Miranda and Millie exchanged knowing looks, which Marjorie Plunkett didn’t fail to miss.

  ‘There’s only these two down here.’ Cecelia grinned. ‘Unless they’re hiding someone.’

  Millie laughed nervously. ‘No, of course not. Why would we do that? That’s just silly.’

  Alice-Miranda grabbed Millie’s arm, hoping it would cause her to close her mouth.

  Fortunately, the group walked into the kitchen, where the smell of garlic and tomato sauce filled the air and turned the conversation to food.

  ‘Marjorie, you’ll join us for something to eat, won’t you?’ Cecelia asked, already pulling out an extra bowl from the cupboard.

  Marjorie collapsed into a chair and sighed. ‘Actually, that would be lovely. I’m famished,’ she replied gratefully. She put her phone on silent mode and placed it on the tabletop.

  Alice-Miranda snuck into the pantry, trying not to draw attention to herself.

  ‘What are you after, dear?’ Mrs Smith called as she dished up three bowls of spaghetti for Hugh, Cecelia and Marjorie.

  Alice-Miranda grimaced. Squirrelling away food for Chessie was proving harder than she’d anticipated. ‘Oh, nothing,’ she replied. ‘I was just … looking.’

  She grabbed a paper napkin and walked back to the bench, where she wrapped up several slices of garlic bread and popped them inside her jacket. What she didn’t realise was that Marjorie Plunkett had been watching her the whole time.

  ‘So, who is this clever doctor to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude?’ Hugh asked, sprinkling a generous helping of parmesan over his pasta.

  Marjorie tore her gaze away from Alice-Miranda and smiled. ‘Her name is Adrienne Treloar. She’s over at the children’s hospital in Chattering.’

  ‘Treloar?’ Millie repeated. ‘We had the Treloar children here this afternoon. Their mother is a doctor.’

  ‘You’re quite right, Millie. Is her husband Bentley Treloar?’ Hugh asked.

  Marjorie Plunkett looked at them in surprise. ‘What a coincidence. Adrienne didn’t mention that she knew you.’

  ‘Bentley’s worked for Kennington’s for years,’ Hugh explained. ‘He’s a very clever fellow – does a bit of research and development at the packaging factory on the edge of the village, but he mostly works the night shift now. He could run the place but prefers not to. Didn’t you say the contamination most likely came from plastic containers?’

  Marjorie nodded. ‘No wonder Dr Treloar has been able to figure out what’s been making everyone sick. Apparently, the woman’s been toiling day and night, going through every possible option on top of her regular duties. It all makes sense, really. Dr Treloar would have a far greater awareness of the ingredients in plastic if her husband works in the factory.’

  Mrs Oliver walked in through the kitchen door and greeted the group.

  ‘Oh, Dolly, you look dead on your feet.’ Cecelia stood up and raced to pull out a chair for the woman. Alice-Miranda was standing beside her, waiting for the right time to dash upstairs.

  ‘You smell good enough to eat, young lady,’ Dolly quipped, and her stomach let out a loud growl in agreement. ‘Did you work your way through a whole loaf of garlic bread?’

  Mrs Smith chuckled and immediately set about preparing a serving of dinner for the woman.

  ‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ Alice-Miranda said, and darted away. She needed to get upstairs and talk to Chessie. She’d barely had a minute to herself all afternoon and only got to look at the newspaper article when she’d locked herself in the loo for five minutes.

  Alice-Miranda opened her bedroom door and walked inside to find Chessie sitting on the bed reading.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness it’s you,’ Chessie exhaled. She placed the book facedown on the duvet. ‘For a second I thought I was a goner.’

  ‘I’ve brought you some garlic bread, but I’m afraid that’s all I can get for now.’ Alice-Miranda produced the napkin from her pocket. ‘Sorry, it’s a bit squashed.’

  ‘I don’t mind,’ Chessie said happily. She took the slices and piled them on the bedside table.

  ‘Chessie, there’s something I need to ask you,’ Alice-Miranda said, pulling the article from her other pocket. She handed it to the girl. ‘Who is that man?’

  Chessie examined the black-and-white photo and gasped. ‘That’s Mummy’s brother. Uncle Desmond lives overseas now and I haven’t seen him for ages. Why do you ask?’

  Alice-Miranda bit her lip. There was no easy way to say this. ‘Chessie, I think your uncle might be the reason your mother sent you so far away to school,’ she said.

  Chessie’s eyes widened. ‘What do you mean?’

  Alice-Miranda sat on the bed and invited Chessie to sit beside her. Then she told the girl everything she knew about the Paper Moon Foundation and what Desmond Berwick had done. Chessie listened to the story without once interrupting. She was shocked to learn that the man she thought she knew was someone entirely different.

  ‘Please let me tell Mummy you’re here?’ Alice-Miranda implored.

  Chessie stared at the pattern on the duvet cover, missing Rodney more than ever. She still didn’t understand why her mother hadn’t wanted her home for the holidays, especially if her uncle was now in jail. It was fair enough to be sent away to a school where no one would know about him, but the rest of it really didn’t add up.

  ‘Not yet,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I’m not ready.’

  Meanwhile, downstairs, Doreen Smith attended to the washing-up. Shilly was still cleaning in the dining room and had vowed not to go to bed until she could cross it off her list. Lily had gone home to her family over an hour ago.

  ‘I’ve been doing some research on plastics contamination ever since you called, Hugh,’ Dolly said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. ‘You need to do a thorough check of all the factories that supply packaging for any of the Kennington’s goods. And as for it being an accident, I’m not so sure about that.’

  Hugh frowned. ‘Do you really think it could have been deliberate?’

  ‘It’s a very odd thing,’ Dolly said. ‘To create a poison, you’d need to have some fairly accurate quantities and compounds and know exactly how to release it.’

  Hugh sighed. ‘Golly, Alice-Miranda could have been right all along.’

  ‘I’ve got teams on it now and I’m hoping they’ll have the checks done by tomorrow,’ Marjorie said, her eyes flicking to her buzzing phone. She excused herself to take the call and headed out of the kitchen. She charged through the small dining room and into a larger drawing room. To say the woman on the end of the line was hysterical was something of an understatement. But the revelation that her daughter had been missing now for three days was even more shocking. It took her s
everal minutes to explain how she had been able to disappear for that long, but Marjorie Plunkett had an inkling she might be able to solve the mystery far more quickly than the Kennington’s affair. She told the woman she’d call her back shortly, then added that she might need to come over to Highton Hall.

  Marjorie trotted up the staircase in the entry foyer and waited. Two minutes later, a door opened and Alice-Miranda stepped out. With the stealth of a lioness hunting its prey, Marjorie was beside the girl before she had time to pull the door shut.

  ‘I need to talk to you, young lady,’ Marjorie said.

  Alice-Miranda smiled and ducked under the woman’s arm. ‘Of course, Miss Plunkett. Shall we go downstairs?’

  ‘No, I think we’ll go in here,’ Marjorie said, pushing open the girl’s bedroom door.

  Alice-Miranda gulped and raced ahead of her into the room, but it was no use.

  ‘Francesca Compton-Halls?’ Marjorie looked at the dark-haired girl who was sitting in the middle of the giant four-poster bed, munching on some garlic bread.

  The girl coughed and sputtered, almost choking on the crumbs.

  ‘Miss Plunkett, I can explain,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Chessie didn’t mean to do anything wrong. And we were going to tell Mummy and Daddy as soon as she felt up to it.’

  ‘Francesca, I need to call your mother right away to let her know you’re safe. The poor woman is beside herself,’ Marjorie said, already dialling the number.

  Fat tears spilled onto Chessie’s cheeks. ‘I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Alice-Miranda and Millie were only trying to help,’ the girl sobbed.

  Marjorie got off the phone and regarded the pair. ‘Chessie, I’m Marjorie Plunkett. I know this year has been hard for you, but trust me when I say that it’s been hard for your mother too.’

  ‘I don’t understand. Who are you and how do you know my mother?’ Chessie peered at the woman through her wet lashes.

  ‘I’ll explain everything when she gets here,’ Marjorie said as the door opened.

  Millie stepped into the room and her jaw almost hit the floor when she realised that Miss Plunkett was there too. ‘Um, what’s going on?’ she asked.

  Alice-Miranda shrugged.

  ‘In view of something your mother told me today, I think this might actually be the best thing, Chessie,’ Marjorie said.

  The girls looked at one another, wondering what this was all about.

  Marjorie walked over and rested her hand on Chessie’s shoulder. ‘Go and wash your face. Then how about we get you something a bit more nutritious to eat?’

  ‘I’ll organise it,’ Millie offered.

  ‘And can you let Hugh and Cee know that Lady Tavistock will be arriving soon?’ Marjorie instructed. ‘When she gets here, I need them all to come upstairs.’

  Millie returned a few minutes later with a bowl of bolognaise, which Chessie practically inhaled. She hadn’t realised just how hungry she’d been and was feeling quite a lot better with something in her stomach.

  Not twenty minutes later, Hugh led Lady Tavistock into the room. Jemima pounced on Chessie, hugging her as if there was no tomorrow. Between the two of them, there were more tears than a cinema full of women watching a Lawrence Ridley romantic comedy.

  ‘Oh, darling, I am so sorry,’ Jemima sobbed, her shoulders heaving. ‘This is all my fault.’

  ‘No, Chessie. Your mother’s wrong about that. If anyone’s to blame it’s me,’ Marjorie said.

  Hugh and Cecelia were both completely confounded by the scene in front of them and were at a loss as to how Lady Tavistock’s daughter happened to be in Alice-Miranda’s bedroom.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Hugh said, scratching his head.

  With the rest of the group spread around the room, Marjorie and Jemima took turns telling them everything about Jemima’s brother, Desmond Berwick. Although the man had protested his innocence throughout the whole sordid Paper Moon affair, Jemima had always harboured the suspicion that he had no intentions of clearing his name when he got out of jail. Apparently, he’d been boasting to his cellmate that he had enough money to live like a king – something the man had been kind enough to pass on to Jemima during one of her regular visits.

  Since then, Jemima had known it would be up to her to stop him. He’d ruined not only his own life and reputation but hers and their mother’s as well. As Queen Georgiana had been a patron of the Paper Moon Foundation, Jemima had written to Her Majesty to say that she wanted to do everything possible to not only bring her brother to justice but to recover the missing funds. That was when Jemima had begun working with Marjorie.

  When Jemima had fallen in love with Anthony, she’d been terrified he would break things off with her once he’d learned of her brother. In hindsight, she probably should have let him in on things before now. She resolved to tell him that very night, no matter the consequences. Hugh and Cecelia assured the woman that she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Anthony was an honourable man and it was clear he was madly in love with her. Jemima had sent Chessie away to school to protect her and to give her time to continue her investigations. She needed her brother to think that she was still on his side so that he would lead her to the money.

  ‘So we have met before, haven’t we?’ Cecelia said. ‘At a charity ball. But there’s something different about you …’

  ‘Oh, I know what it is!’ Chessie jumped in. ‘Mummy had her nose fixed after an accident and her eyes changed colour, which was a bit weird.’

  ‘Something like that,’ Jemima said, nodding sheepishly.

  Millie raised an eyebrow. Now wasn’t the time to delve any deeper, but she did have many questions.

  Jemima also revealed she was concerned about how Desmond was continually asking to see his niece and, now that he had been released from prison, kept harping on about it day and night. Everyone agreed that the best thing was for Chessie to stay on at Highton Hall. If Jemima’s assessment was correct, her brother would stop at nothing to see the girl and they needed to work out why. He surely had some ulterior motive, but what that was still remained a mystery.

  The three girls lay side by side in Alice-Miranda’s giant bed, exhausted from a night of revelations.

  ‘Well, that was unexpected,’ Millie said, staring at the canopy above them.

  ‘I can’t believe the lengths my mother has gone to in order to get to the truth,’ Chessie said, shaking her head. ‘And I can’t believe my uncle is such a horrible rogue.’

  Alice-Miranda gave her a playful nudge. ‘At least we get to be together until the weekend.’

  ‘Do you think I’ll really be able to get it out of him?’ Chessie asked, turning to look at her new friends.

  ‘Miss Plunkett seemed to think so.’ Millie rolled onto her side and propped her head on her hand. ‘I like that woman. She’s an awesome spy. Maybe that’s what I’ll be when I grow up.’

  Chessie pushed back the covers. ‘If you don’t mind, I think I’ll sleep in the other room. I’m an awful snorer and I don’t want to keep you up.’

  Millie smiled and waved her hand. ‘You are free to go.’

  ‘I wish I had Rodney with me,’ Chessie said, hopping onto the plush carpet. It felt odd making friends without him.

  Alice-Miranda smacked her head and sat bolt upright. ‘I’d completely forgotten to tell you – I know where he is. It’s a long story, but he’s found his way into Imogen’s hot little hands and I’m afraid she’s quite attached to the fellow already.’

  Chessie felt a pang of jealousy. ‘That’s okay,’ she said. ‘It helps to know he’s just next door and, seriously, I should be able to go to bed without a stuffed toy at my age.’

  ‘Do you want me to try to rescue him now?’ Millie offered. ‘I’m sure with my new stealth skills I could be in and out without Imogen so much as stirring.’

  ‘I wouldn’t risk it,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Aunt Charlotte may kill you if you wake them up.’

  ‘Don’t worry. We can get him in the morning,�
� Chessie said. She padded over to the connecting bathroom when she paused and turned around. ‘Thank you both for everything. Just when I’d forgotten what it was like to have a real friend, the two of you showed up and I couldn’t be happier.’

  Alice-Miranda and Millie jumped down from the four-poster bed and hugged the girl.

  ‘Sleep well,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  Chessie grinned. ‘Sweet dreams,’ she replied, and disappeared through the bathroom door and into the room beyond.

  The rest of the week zoomed by. Alice-Miranda, Millie and Chessie had the most marvellous time, playing on the farm with Poppy and Jasper in the mornings, and looking after the Treloar children and the twins in the afternoons. Despite numerous attempts to wrestle Rodney back from Imogen, the toddler steadfastly refused to give him up. Chessie was terribly gracious about letting the little girl keep him – for now. She spoke to her mother on the phone at least twice a day, and Jemima and Anthony visited each night too. Anthony had been shocked to learn his wife’s secret but was relieved to find out there was a reason why she’d been so cagey about having Chessie come to stay.

  Alice-Miranda’s dreams, however, had been far from sweet. For almost a week she’d woken up in the most befuddled state, having had the same nightmare over and over again. But she decided not to worry anyone and carried on through the days with a smile on her face.

  Kennington’s was back in business after every factory and plant had been declared safe. It transpired that an odd computer glitch had caused a mix-up with the formulas at the local packaging factory. Thankfully, it was easily fixed, and Hugh had a team of engineers install fail-safe mechanisms to ensure it would never happen again. To everyone’s great relief, all patients had now been discharged from hospital and it seemed, at last, that the horror was over.

  Adrienne Treloar’s interview on Wednesday afternoon had gone even better than she could have hoped and she’d been offered the job as Head of Paediatrics the following morning. Bentley sent her a huge bouquet of flowers and the most beautiful card telling her how proud he was. The best part was knowing that it was killing Edwin Rochester to have to put her in charge. The man had never liked her and the feeling was absolutely mutual.