Fabulous Five 031 - The Fabulous Five Together Again (3 page)

That evening The Lab Five and Christie's parents went over
the list of things to do that the girls had drawn up.

"Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Old Bailey,
and Madame Tussaud's wax museum," Mr. Winchell read aloud. "You'll
love the museum. Besides the wax models of famous people, there are all sorts
of torture chamber displays."

Beth looked up with a gleeful expression on her face. "All
right!"

"You'll get to see the crown jewels at the lower of
London," said Mrs. Winchell. "What about the Old Curiosity Shop that
Charles Dickens wrote about? It has a lot of things about him in it. You liked
that when we were there, Christie."

"Yeah, that's neat," replied Christie. "Add
that to the list, Jana."

"Okay," her friend replied. "Right after
having our picture taken in front of Big Ben."

"Who put down the London Hard Rock Cafe?" asked
Mr. Winchell.

Melanie raised her hand. "Me. I want a T-shirt from
there."

"Why don't we all go there for dinner one night,"
suggested Mrs. Winchell. "I've got an idea. Let's plan on having Christie's
birthday dinner there."

"Great," everyone agreed.

"Hey, Dad," said Christie. "Can you take us
to Connie's on Friday so we can go horseback riding?"

"Let me check with Mrs. Davies, the woman from my
company who's here this week, to see what her plans are," answered her
father. "She was intending to stay through the weekend, but she seems
happy with what she's seen so far. She may actually go back to the States on
Friday. If she does, I can take you."

"When are they going to transfer you back home, Mr.
Winchell?" asked Katie.

He smiled. "Things are going well, but I can't believe
I'll be transferred back any time soon."

Beth made a sour face. "Darn!" The others looked
down.

"So," Christie piped up, trying to change the
subject, "tomorrow we'll go to Buckingham Palace."

Katie smiled. "You'll finally get to see the palace, Mel.
But then we're going to Old Bailey, too."

Later that night Christie and Jana were the first ones to
arrive upstairs to get ready for bed.

"It's so much fun having you guys here," Christie
said, following Jana as she went into the bathroom to wash her face. "Isn't
London exciting?"

Jana nodded. "I'm having a great time."

"Are you?" Christie said. "I'm glad to hear
that . . ." She hesitated. "I've been wondering if something's wrong.
You seem so quiet."

Jana looked at Christie's reflection in the mirror and
sighed. "I guess I'm not hiding it very well, am I? I'm worried about my
father."

"What's up?" asked Christie, immediately thinking
of Mr. Morgan's drinking problem, which was what had led Jana's mom to divorce
him. For as long as Christie could remember he had disappointed Jana. Once in
elementary school he had promised to take Jana on a vacation out west, then
never showed up.

"I got a letter from him," Jana explained. "He
said he'd met a lady and was going to quit drinking. Her name is Erma Benfield.
He said she's a wonderful person and is going to help him. He sounded excited."

"That's great!" Christie smiled broadly. "Good
for him." Then she frowned. "But that should make you happy, not sad."

"It did," said Jana. "At first it all seemed
wonderful. He wrote a few times, telling me how things were going at his
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Then he and Erma got married. He sent me
pictures of them with the justice of the peace at City Hall.

"Then he stopped writing. I've written him twice,
asking if everything is okay, but he hasn't answered."

"Maybe he's busy," Christie suggested. "Maybe
they're off on a honeymoon."

"I doubt it," Jana replied. "I think either
he's started drinking again or my stepmother is intercepting my letters and not
giving them to him."

"Why would she do a thing like that?" asked
Christie in amazement.

Jana shrugged. "Jealousy? I've tried to be friendly. In
my letters I've asked him to say hello to her for me, but I've
never
gotten any messages back from her. Maybe she doesn't want him reminded of his
past." Tears brimmed in Jana's eyes.

"Oh, Jana," said Christie, stepping up to her
friend and hugging her. "Have you thought about writing to him where he
works?"

"I don't even know if he's got a job," replied
Jana, wiping her nose with a tissue. "Besides, what would I say—Are you
drinking again, or is your wife hiding my letters from you?"

"I guess you couldn't do that," Christie admitted.

"Now I don't know what to do," said Jana.

"Well, one thing you can do is try to forget him while you're
on vacation," offered Christie. "There's not a thing you can do about
it now. Who knows? Maybe there'll be a letter waiting for you when you get
home."

Jana shook her head. "That's wishful thinking. But you're
right," she said, smiling a little. "I'm on vacation with my best
friends, and I'm going to enjoy it."

"Good!" responded Christie. As they headed back
toward the bedroom to join the others, she added, "Let's start a pillow
fight."

Jana laughed. "Great idea. I'll take Katie, you get
Beth, and then we'll both jump Melanie!"

"There they are," said Christie. Phoebe, Nicki,
and Eleanore were waiting at the Green Park exit to the Underground. Christie
looked at the three of them closely as she and The Fab Five approached. Had
they gotten over their irritation at her, Melanie, and Beth?

"What kept you?" asked Nicki. "We've been
standing here so long, I've grown moss on my north side."

Christie grinned. Nicki was back to her old self.

"We stayed up late last night talking and had trouble
getting up this morning. Sorry we kept you waiting."

"I'm excited about seeing Buckingham Palace," said
Melanie. "I hope we get a chance to see Princess Di."

"Whoop-de-do," replied Nicki, circling one finger
in the air.

Melanie looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Don't mind Nicki," volunteered Phoebe. "She's
just not into castles. Her favorite things to see are the torture chambers in
the Tower of London and Madame Tussaud's."

"Do you want to go by St. James's Palace before we go
to Buckingham?" asked Eleanore. "It's on the way, and the changing of
the guard is at eleven-thirty. We've got time."

"What's at St. James's Palace?" asked Beth.

"It's where the Queen Mum lives when she's in London,"
Eleanore told her.

"The Queen Mum?" asked Katie, looking confused.

"The Queen's mother," explained Christie.

"Well, why don't the British just say
that
,
instead of Queen Mum?" asked Beth.

Christie held her breath as Nicki opened her mouth to say
something, and then closed it. Whew, she thought, flashing her British friend a
grateful smile. Nicki
is
on good behavior. Maybe everyone will get along
a little better today.

"Unless Princess Di's visiting or something, I'm not
interested in seeing St. James's Palace," decided Melanie.

"It might be fun," Jana said. "Maybe we could
go there quickly."

"No," protested Beth. "Let's head for
Buckingham Palace—"

"What's all the argie-bargie about, anyway?"
interrupted Nicki. "If no one wants to see St. James's Palace, we won't
go."

"It was just a suggestion," said Eleanore.

"It was a good one," Jana piped up quickly. "But
I guess we'll skip it."

As they walked along in the direction of Buckingham Palace,
Melanie glanced down a side street. "Oh, look. There's one of those cute
soldiers in the red uniforms and big, black hats. Can we go see him? I want
someone to take my picture standing beside him." She headed down the side
street before anyone could respond. The others followed.

"Hi," called Melanie, approaching the guard. "Can
I have my picture taken with you, please?" The young soldier didn't
respond. In fact he gave no indication that he even knew she was there.

Melanie looked up into his face, which was partially hidden
under his tall bearskin hat. "What's wrong with him, anyway?" she
asked.

Beth looked at the young man closely. "Maybe he's dead
and just hasn't fallen down yet."

"No, he's not," said Eleanore, laughing. "The
guards aren't
supposed
to talk to anyone."

"Do you think it would be all right if I stood next to
him and had my picture taken?" Melanie asked.

"Sure," said Phoebe. "Tourists do it all the
time."

"Be careful," cautioned Nicki, smirking. "If
you make him smile or move, they'll put you in the dungeon at the Tower of
London."

"Here," said Melanie, eyeing Nicki warily and
handing her camera to Christie. "Would you take my picture?"

Melanie stood close to the soldier and smiled broadly. Just
as Christie was about to snap the photo, the soldier raised his knee almost
chest high and slammed his foot down.

Melanie jumped back out of the way, a look of fear and
amazement on her face. "Wha . . . ?"

The soldier slapped his rifle, shifted it to the other side,
and stamped his foot again.

The London girls roared with laughter at the look on Melanie's
face. Nicki bent over, holding her stomach. Between peals of laughter, she
managed to say, "I've got to have a copy of that picture."

Melanie looked wounded. "What'd he do that for?"
she asked. "I thought he was going to shoot me."

Phoebe struggled to keep a straight face. "The guards
do that at set times. You just happened to be next to him at the wrong moment."

Melanie looked up at the building they were standing in
front of. "What is this place, anyway?"

"I'm not sure we should tell you," replied Eleanore,
giggling.

Christie tried to break the news to Melanie gently. "Actually,
it's St. James's Palace, Mel."

"Oh," said Melanie, looking embarrassed. Nicki,
Eleanore, and Phoebe began laughing all over again.

Christie started to join in, but stopped when she noticed
the look on Melanie's face. Her friend was usually able to laugh at herself,
but this time Melanie seemed upset. The incident had really bothered her, and
the British girls' teasing wasn't helping. Christie wished she could find a way
to ease the tension between the two groups.

When the girls reached the wide avenue called the Mall that
led directly to Buckingham Palace, they saw that people were starting to gather
along the curb for the changing of the guard.

"We'd better find a place to stand before it gets too
crowded," suggested Phoebe.

"Wow," said Katie, looking at the palace. "This
place is only a little bit larger than my house."

"And that's just the back door," remarked
Eleanore.

"Who's the statue of?" asked Jana, pointing at a
huge statue surrounded by a pool of water outside the palace gate.

"That's the Queen Victoria Memorial," answered Phoebe.
"Victoria's regarded as one of our greatest queens."

"That's one thing I've always admired you British for,"
commented Katie. "You let a woman run your country."

"I hate to disappoint you, Katie," said Christie, "but
the queen doesn't run the country anymore; the prime minister does."

"I know that," Katie said. "But at least
there was a female prime minister when Margaret Thatcher was in office. In the
States we've never had a female president or even vice president."

"The Queen's flag's up," observed Eleanore,
pointing to a tall flagpole on top of the palace. "That means she's here."

"Isn't she always?" asked Beth.

"No," responded Phoebe. "Sometimes she stays
in the country at Windsor Castle."

"Oh, my gosh," exclaimed Melanie. "Do you
mean she has two palaces to live in?"

Phoebe nodded.

"Here come the guards!" cried Beth.

Down the avenue came soldiers on horseback. They were
carrying swords and wearing brightly colored jackets and silver helmets trimmed
in gold. It was a magnificent parade. When the soldiers had passed, the crowd
moved out into the street behind them and followed.

"Everyone's going to watch the changing of the guard
now," explained Christie. "Some of the arriving soldiers will stay to
protect the palace, while the ones who were there will get a break. We can go
and watch, if you want."

"Maybe we'll see Princess Di," said Melanie
hopefully.

"Fat chance," replied Nicki. "Even if she is
here, she won't be sticking her head out every five minutes to see if the post
has come."

"We didn't expect her to," snapped Katie. "But
we're not complete pessimists—like
some
people."

"Why don't we go to the Tower of London,"
interrupted Christie hastily. "We can use our travel cards and catch a
bus. You guys have been wanting to ride a double-decker."

She turned to lead the way. Katie, Jana, Melanie, and Beth
were right behind her; Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore followed them.

On the way they stopped by the Houses of Parliament so Jana
could have her picture taken with Big Ben in the background.

Next they caught a bus and dashed to the upper deck. As they
rode along the Thames River, Christie pointed out interesting sights.

"Those dragons at the ends of the bridges are supposed
to protect London," she explained, pointing to statues of the mythical
animals. "And that's the Westminster Pier, where you can catch a
sightseeing boat. Over there is where the Globe Theatre used to be. That's
where Shakespeare's plays used to be staged. It's now being rebuilt."

When they reached the Tower of London, they stopped for
sandwiches at a kiosk before going through the entrance gate.

As they paid their way into the Tower, Jana looked at the
stone walls that stretched in two directions. "I was expecting to see a
tower," she said. "This is more like a fort."

"It started out as a single tower," replied
Christie. "The other towers and walls were added later."

Christie led the tour, showing her friends the Bloody Tower,
where two young princes were imprisoned and murdered; the Traitor's Gate, where
prisoners were brought in by boat; and the White Tower, with its torture
chamber and chapel. Inside the Jewel House, The Fabulous Five oohed and aahed
over all the huge diamonds, gold crowns, jeweled necklaces, and beautiful
scepters in the royal collection.

When they had finished their tour, the girls piled onto
another bus and went to England's Central Criminal Court, known as Old Bailey.

"I can't believe I'm standing in front of the most
famous criminal court in the world," said Katie, looking up at the gray
stone building with awe. "Inside those walls some of the greatest trials
in history were conducted, like Jack the Ripper's. Hundreds of spies and
murderers and even some famous sea captains were put on trial here. This is
awesome."

"Maybe you'd like to take her place," suggested
Nicki, pointing up at a statue of Blind Justice that stood high atop the
building.

"No thanks," retorted Katie. "But I would
like to go inside and see if there are any lawyers or judges wearing white wigs
and robes."

"Why don't you go on in," suggested Eleanore,
sitting down on the steps. "I'll wait out here. My feet are sore."

"I'll wait here, too," said Phoebe, sitting down
beside her. Nicki plopped down next to her without saying anything.

"We'll be right back," Christie reassured them.
She knew the three of them weren't having much fun. They had been to all these
places before. Still Christie had hoped they would join in explaining things to
The Fab Five. Instead they were just following along, barely saying a word.

Inside Old Bailey Katie gazed up at the high ceilings. "Do
you know that Old Bailey is built on the site of the notorious Newgate jail?"

"What's that?" asked Jana.

"A prison for debtors," Katie explained. "They
were thrown into dark, dank cells for not paying what they owed. Others were
imprisoned for stealing something as small as a loaf of bread. Lots of people
died in Newgate."

"What happened to it?" asked Beth.

"It was destroyed in 1902," answered Katie.

"Boy, are you lucky we didn't have a Newgate jail at
home when you ran up all those credit-card bills, Beth," teased Melanie. "You'd
have been in jail for life." The others laughed.

For the first time since they'd left home that morning,
Christie felt relaxed. The Fab Five seemed to be more relaxed, too, now that
Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore weren't around. She wished her two sets of friends
would try to get to know one another. She was getting pretty stressed out over
trying to keep both groups happy.

"Look, Katie, there's a female barrister, or whatever
it is they call lawyers over here."

"Barrister's correct," Katie answered as the woman
in flowing black robes and white wig that barely covered her real hair passed. "I
think wearing those robes and wigs is so cool—it's such an old tradition."

Phoebe got up when she saw the five of them coming out of
the building. "Seen enough for one day?" she asked.

"I have," said Jana. "I'm exhausted. You guys
must be, too."

"I'm going to take a bus directly home," said
Eleanore, dusting off the seat of her jeans.

"We'll see you tonight at Montague's, won't we?"
asked Christie. The London girls assured her they would.

"Thanks for coming with us," called Katie as they
headed off on their separate ways. "It was fun."

Christie winced as she heard Nicki say sarcastically, "Yeah,
it was a ball."