London Art Chase

by Natalie Grant

  “What do you think of the tea, Maddie?” Mom asked.

  Maddie smoothed out her napkin. Enough. She was fine, and whatever cacophony thing was going on inside of her would eventually sort itself out. She was sure it would.

  “You’re right, Mom, the clotted cream is delicious,” Maddie said.

  Mom could always read Maddie’s face. Probably, Mom could see more of the cacophony than Maddie realized, but still, she wouldn’t push. Mom waited until Maddie was ready to talk and never put her on the spot in front of everyone.

  “I want to have tea at the Savoy every day,” Lulu announced, snatching the last petit four before anyone else could.

  Mia leaned back in her seat. “I’m stuffed!”

  “Me too,” Miss Julia said. “But I’m stuffed in the best kind of way . . . Ready to take London by storm.”

  “Good thing too,” Mom said, smiling. “You’ll need all that energy later to keep up with these girls.”

  “True!” Miss Julia said.

  “Shall we head back to our carriage before it turns into a pumpkin?” Dad asked, as he finished paying the bill.

  “Our carriage? What pumpkin?” Lulu asked.

  “Cinderella . . .” Mia said.

  “OH!” Lulu said, standing up and twirling. “I get it now.”

  “Come on, my sweetest of princesses,” Mom said, leading the way.

  Maddie hoped she’d be swept up into the fun of it all again very soon.

  SIX

  Everyone wanted to walk after all of that food, so they decided to take the sidewalk along the river. As they waited at a crosswalk, a uniformed man rode by on a horse. He wore a black helmet that tilted low over his eyebrows, making his eyes look shadowed and stern.

  “Who’s that?” Lulu asked as the light changed and they crossed the street. “Why’s he riding a horse?”

  “That,” Mom said, “is a bobby. Actually, I have a story for you about bobbies.”

  “What’s a bobby?” Mia asked.

  “That’s what I’m going to tell you.” Mom sat on a bench and waited while everyone gathered around. “Grandma’s great-great-great grandfather”—Mom ticked off greats on her fingers—“was named Sir Robert Peel. He was called ‘Sir’ because he was knighted by the queen. And do you want to know what he did? He invented the London police force. He thought that London needed officers to protect the people, so he decided who should be an officer and what they should wear. Now they call all the officers in London bobbies, after Robert Peel. Even though his name was Robert, everyone called him Bob. And that’s why they started calling the police bobbies.”

  “Whoa!” Lulu gasped.

  “Awesome!” Maddie said, watching the bobby ride away.

  “So we’re royalty?” Mia asked.

  Miss Julia, Mom, and Dad all burst out laughing.

  “Not exactly,” Mom finally said.

  “But we’re Glimmer girls!” Lulu jumped off the bench and started to dance around. “Let’s say our family motto Mommy wrote for us!”

  All the girls chorused, “Glimmer girls, sparkle and shine, but most of all, be kind.”

  As she chimed along, Maddie’s gloominess began to fade. Even if she wasn’t sure what her special place in the Glimmer family was yet, she knew that being a Glimmer girl was a good thing to be. Being a Glimmer girl meant she got to come to London and have tea at the Savoy and learn about bobbies and ride in strange cabs and pose for pictures on top of bronze lions. It meant she got to watch concerts in which her mom sang for thousands of people, and then bask in the glow she always felt when Mom sang the song she’d written especially for them. It meant she got to have Mia for a twin. Even when being a twin was hard, it was the best thing in the world to have a sister she could trust and have adventures with and even swap secrets with too. And being a Glimmer girl also meant Maddie got to have Lulu for a little sister—Lulu, who always made Maddie laugh and who helped her be brave enough to try things she wouldn’t try otherwise.

  “Wait a second!” Lulu said, throwing out her arms and catching both of her sisters in their stomachs.

  “Ouch, Lulu!” Mia said.

  “Oof!” Maddie said.

  Lulu rounded on them with fingers in the air. “Our great-great-great . . . well, whatever . . . old guy in our family invented the police. That means we should be excellent at solving crime. Like the mystery of who stole my suitcase, for instance.”

  “No one stole your suitcase, Lulu,” Mia said. “It was just lost along the way.”

  “You don’t know that,” Lulu said. “Anything could have happened to it.”

  “I’ll bet they’ve delivered it to our hotel room already,” Mia said.

  “But what if they haven’t? What if someone took it and—”

  “And what? They’re playing with your toys? Do you really think that would happen?” Mia asked.

  Lulu started to sing a few notes that sounded like the beginning of a theme song. “The Glimmer girls are on the case!”

  Maddie couldn’t help laughing. At least Lulu wasn’t crying over the suitcase anymore.

  “It would be fun to be detectives, wouldn’t it?” Maddie asked Mia.

  “But what would we investigate?” Mia asked. “Who would the suspects be?”

  “We can look for clues!” Lulu shouted, continuing on with her theme song.

  Another bobby clopped past on his horse, and Lulu shouted after him, “We’re related to Sir Robert Peel!”

  “Is that right?” The bobby circled back and dismounted.

  “Actually, it is,” Mom said. “I was just telling the girls about their great-great-great grandfather, and about why London police are called bobbies.”

  “Fascinating,” he said.

  “So, we’re going to investigate our first crime,” Lulu said.

  “Really, and what is that?” the bobby asked.

  “Someone stole my suitcase,” Lulu said.

  “Actually, it got lost on our flight,” Mia said.

  Maddie looked from Mia to Lulu, praying her sisters wouldn’t get in a fight right now, not in front of a police officer.

  Instead of looking annoyed, though, the bobby nodded and pursed his lips. Then, after consideration, he said, “I suppose the suitcase could have been stolen. Or it could have been lost. When something goes wrong, the first thing a bobby must do is to think through all of the possibilities. We must never rule out any scenarios until we’re sure they’re impossible.”

  “What’s the second thing a bobby does?” Lulu asked.

  “Well, usually we’d look for obvious clues. Then, if it appears the situation truly is a crime, we’d call for backup. That’s because three minds are always better than one.”

  “So we should look for clues!” Lulu bounced up and down on her toes. “About my suitcase!”

  “You can certainly keep your eyes open,” the bobby said. “Are the airline officials looking for your suitcase?”

  “Yes,” Mia said.

  “Well, then, if it were me, first I’d see what they discover. If they can’t find your suitcase in a reasonable amount of time, maybe it’s time to dig a little deeper. In any case, it’s good to have such clever minds on the case. Particularly minds that descended from Sir Robert Peel.”

  “What does descended mean?” Lulu asked.

  “That means he’s your relative from a long time ago,” Mom said. “And now, Glimmer girls, I think it’s time for us to say good-bye to our new friend.”

  “True. I should head out on my patrol,” the bobby said, remounting his horse.

  “Good-bye!” they all called and waved.

  Mid-wave, Lulu let out a huge yawn. Maddie found herself yawning too.

  “We’re all tired,” Mom said. “But every girl deserves to see the lights of London. Let’s ride around a little and then we can go back to the hotel and get a great night’s sleep.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Dad said, wrapping an arm around her and raising his other hand to hail a new c
ab.

  SEVEN

  We’re here!” Lulu announced, pushing her way through the concert hall doors.

  She bolted down the aisle the way Mom always told her not to do, because she might stumble and fall into one of the seats. Lulu never fell though—the faster she went, the more sure-footed she seemed. Once Lulu made it to the stage, she hurried up the steps and threw herself into one band member after another’s arms for giant hugs.

  “We’re in London!” she announced with each hug. “London!”

  Maddie and Mia made it up to the stage after Lulu, but they also made the rounds, handing out hugs. Maddie loved every single person in Mom’s band. And even though she knew they’d be there for the concert, it was always surprising seeing them in each city on tour—like running into your aunts and uncles halfway around the world.

  “So, we think we should sing a song in Mom’s concert,” Mia said to Richie, the drummer.

  “Your own song, huh?” he said, smiling over at Mom. “And what would you sing?”

  “Something about dreaming big, I think,” Mia said.

  “I’ll be the star!” Lulu said, leaping and twirling, nearly tripping over a coiled-up cord.

  Dad caught her, laughing. “If there’s a Glimmer girls song, all three of you will be the stars.”

  Lulu’s face fell. Mia knew the song wasn’t the only problem; there was also Lulu’s dashed plans to be the Glimmer Girls Detective Agency. This morning, her suitcase arrived at the hotel just after Mom and Dad had left. Even though Lulu was happy to have her toys back, she’d really wanted to be a detective and figure out who stole her suitcase.

  “It’s okay, Lulu,” Maddie said. “Maybe the Glimmer girls will find another case.”

  “I knew your suitcase wasn’t stolen,” Mia said, and then when Maddie shot her a be-careful look, she threw up her hands in innocence. “What?”

  “The suitcase showed up?” Mom asked.

  “Yes.” Lulu looked more like a wilted tulip than her usual, radiant self.

  “The airline delivered it this morning just after you left,” Miss Julia said. “Apparently, they accidentally sent it to Paris rather than to London.”

  “Lulu, your suitcase visited the Eiffel Tower!” Mom said. “That’s fantastic.”

  “I want to visit the Eiffel Tower!” Lulu wailed.

  Clearly, the situation was going downhill.

  “You know what, Lulu?” Mom said, “We may not have time to prep a song for you girls to sing with me while we’re in London, but maybe you can sing with me in a concert another time. It might be a lot of fun, actually. We should try out a song with the band to see how it feels. Want to?”

  “Right now?” Lulu’s eyes went wide.

  “Yes, yes, yes!” Mia said, pumping her fists.

  Maddie’s stomach twisted into a knot. Even though everyone in the room was a friend, she couldn’t imagine singing, right here, right now. Maybe Mia and Lulu thought it would be fun to jump around and sing when they weren’t ready, but to Maddie, that sounded like the most embarrassing thing in the world. Even when she’d prepared for weeks for her piano concerts, her hands still shook on her way to the stage.

  “I think we should sing ‘This Little Light of Mine.’ ” Mom turned to her band. “What do you all think? Can we rock out that old-school children’s song, Glimmer girls’ style?”

  Richie beat out a rhythm in response. Everyone scurried to hook up instruments, pick up guitars, and adjust amps. Miss Julia and the three backup singers headed out to the theater seats. Dad handed Mia, Lulu, and Maddie wireless microphones.

  “You can do this, Mads,” Dad said. “Just sing like no one’s watching.”

  The trouble was, everyone was watching.

  Dad counted everyone in, and started the first chords on the piano. As the music started up, the drums, guitars, and piano all rumbled through Maddie’s body, making her feel full and tingly and ready to dance. Mia and Lulu danced in time with the music.

  “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” Mom started.

  Mia and Lulu sang along. The sound filled the entire room, and Maddie could hear each distinct voice—Mom, Mia, Lulu. She stared at the microphone in her hands. Opening her own mouth to join in seemed impossible.

  “Come on, Maddie,” Mia called, bumping her with her hip. “Sing with us!”

  With effort, Maddie opened her mouth and began singing along. At first, her voice sounded like a rusted old gate, squeaky and awkward. She was sure that as soon as anyone heard it, they’d laugh. But as the song continued, she realized everyone was smiling and having fun. No one was laughing at her. Mia caught her eye and grinned, nodding encouragement. Maddie let go inch by inch, and soon she was truly singing out loud—she could hear her own voice weaving together with the others. Truthfully, she had to admit that singing with her mom and sisters was fun. She couldn’t keep her feet still, thanks to the way the drummer kept beating out the rhythm. The band played the familiar song in a funky way, with the keys and bass taking the lead, making the song feel more like a party than anything else. As the last round of the chorus wound down, they all moved to center stage and sang their hearts out. Then, Miss Julia and the backup singers jumped to their feet and clapped and whistled and yee-hawed. Mom pulled all the girls into a giant hug and then they all bowed and bowed again.

  Laughing, Mom went down to the auditorium to talk to Miss Julia about the day.

  Maddie took Mia’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” Mia asked.

  “For making me sing, even when I didn’t want to. It was fun.”

  “So does that mean you want to sing in a concert?” Mia asked.

  “I can’t wait to sing in a concert!” Lulu announced.

  “No way!” Maddie said, not even having to think about it. “Not me.”

  “You never know,” Mia said. “You might change your mind.”

  “Girls, are you ready to go to the National Gallery?” Miss Julia asked. “We have until seven tonight—that’s when the concert starts.”

  “And we’ll sing with Mommy!” Lulu shouted.

  “Not tonight, Lulu,” Mom said. “But maybe sometime soon. We’ll see.”

  It was finally time to go see the paintings. Maddie checked her bag one more time to make sure she had her sketchbook and pencils. Hopefully she would have time to sketch a few of the paintings. Lots of artists did this, sitting in galleries and learning from famous painters by drawing versions of their images. Sitting with sketchbook and pencils in hand, Maddie felt the exact opposite of how she felt when she walked onstage to perform. Instead of the spotlight being on her, her own eyes were the spotlights. When she was drawing, she could see people and places clearly, much more clearly than she saw when she hurried by on her way somewhere. Especially with people. She’d see something inside of them, something absolutely unique to them, something you could draw but not necessarily put into words. Maybe what she was seeing, actually, was their glimmer. Maddie twined her pencil from finger to finger, thinking.

  “What do you say we ride on a double-decker bus to the gallery?” Miss Julia asked.

  “Is that like a double-decker ice cream cone?” Lulu asked.

  “Similar. It’s a bus with two floors. We can ride on the top, which is a little like sitting on the roof,” Miss Julia said.

  “Seriously?” Mia asked.

  “Seriously,” Miss Julia said.

  “See you soon, girls,” Dad called from the piano.

  “I hope you have a spectacular day.” Mom gave Mia and Lulu hugs. When she pulled Maddie in tight, she whispered in her ear, “I’m proud of you.”

  Maddie hugged Mom back. Her sisters and Miss Julia were on their way out the door, so she ran to catch up.

  “Bye!” they all called, and headed out of the hall for the day’s adventure.

  EIGHT

  When they stepped outside, the wind whipped their hair every which way. Maddie was glad she’d worn he
r hair up in a ponytail, so at least it was out of her eyes.

  Mia fought the wind to wrestle her jacket closed. “You said it would rain all the time, Miss Julia, but it hasn’t rained at all since we’ve been here.”

  Miss Julia checked the sky. “We’ll see what happens. I’m carrying my umbrella, just in case.”

  “Mommy says carrying an umbrella makes it so it won’t rain,” Lulu said.

  “Well, her theory has turned out to be correct so far,” Miss Julia said, trying to keep her big yellow hat on her head and finally giving up. She took it off and juggled that, the umbrella, and her purse in her arms, letting her frizzy, red hair fly wildly.

  “Too bad you can’t carry something to make the wind go away,” Mia said.

  “I like the wind,” Lulu said, jumping up and holding out her arms. “Look, it can almost pick me up.”

  “Careful, or you might get blown out into the street,” Miss Julia said.

  Lulu frowned at Miss Julia. “But I’m a long way from the street.”

  “She’s teasing you,” Mia said, putting an arm around her little sister.

  Lulu wrinkled her nose at Mia and then ducked away, turning her attention to hopscotching along the sidewalk, avoiding the cracks. She was so busy watching her feet that she nearly missed the bus station.

  “Lulu,” Mia called. “Come back!”

  “Huh?” Lulu stopped and looked back, her face registering surprise that they were all so far behind.

  Maddie laughed. “You were about to walk away into London and leave the rest of us behind.”

  Lulu tip-tapped her toes. “Wouldn’t it be fun to have a giant hide-and-go-seek game in London, like I could go hide and you all could come find me?”

  “You wouldn’t think that was so fun when we couldn’t find you,” Miss Julia said.

  Lulu tilted her head, thinking. “No, I guess not, at least not after a little while. But at first it would be fun. All on my own, on the streets of London, having an adventure . . .”