Mystery of the Queen's Jewels (6 page)

“In England they're called chips,” Henry explained.

Violet didn't usually like fish, but when she tasted hers, she found it was delicious. Benny was surprised to find that there was a bottle of vinegar to sprinkle on the french fries instead of ketchup.

As they ate, Jessie looked around and then began to talk. “I've had the feeling that someone was following us all morning. I'm getting tired of this. Why would someone follow us?”

“Maybe he's spying on us, watching what we're doing,” suggested Benny.

“Or maybe we have something he wants,” Violet said.

“Like what?” Jessie asked. “It just doesn't make sense.”

“We've noticed a lot of things that don't make sense,” said. Henry. “Like the unfriendly way Donna acts.”

“Andrew acted pretty strange, too, the other day,” Jessie reminded them. “And it's odd that the woman on the tube hadn't heard of him.”

“Do you think one of them is following us?” asked Henry. “We've seen both of them wearing raincoats.”

As they talked, the children finished their lunch and got up to leave. They had just reached the door when someone familiar stepped inside. “Look, everyone!” Violet called out. “It's Charles Finchley, from the airplane!”

“H
ello!” Jessie said. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, if it isn't the Aldens!” said Charles. Like the first time they'd met him, he was carrying a pile of newspapers, and he had a coat draped over his arm. “How funny to run into you here! Are you enjoying your visit? What have you been doing?” he asked.

“We are,” said Henry. “We've been to Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard.” Henry went on, “We also visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and—”

Suddenly Charles interrupted him. “Why don't you join me for lunch and you can tell me all about it.”

“We've just finished eating,” said Violet.

“Oh, yes, I guess you have,” said Charles. He seemed at a loss for what to say next. Then suddenly his face brightened. “I've an idea,” he said. “How about tea tomorrow afternoon?”

“That sounds great,” said Jessie. The others nodded eagerly.

“I'll meet you at half past three at the Olde Tea Shoppe on Chiswick Lane,” said Charles.

“All right, we'll see you there!” said Jessie.

When they were out on the street, Henry turned to the others. “Wasn't it a coincidence, in this whole big city, to run into Charles?”

“It sure was,” said Jessie.

“It was awfully nice of him to invite us to tea, wasn't it?” Violet commented.

Quite unlike himself, Benny was walking along quietly with a worried look on his face.

“Is something wrong?” Jessie asked him at last.

“Yes,” said Benny. “What am I going to do tomorrow?”

“What do you mean?” asked Jessie.

“I don't like tea!” cried Benny.

The others smiled. “They serve lots of yummy things at tea, like pastries and cookies,” said Jessie. “Don't worry, you'll be just fine.”

That night the Aldens ate dinner at a restaurant near their inn and then headed back to their rooms to go to bed. Jessie and Violet had just reached the door to their room when they heard a voice coming from Andrew's room.

“Yes, I've hidden it,” the person was saying.

“Is that Andrew?” Jessie whispered to Violet.

Violet nodded silently.

“Don't worry!” Andrew went on angrily. “I know it's worth a lot of money. But it's in a safe place. No one will ever suspect.”

“Oh, my goodness!” Jessie said, her eyes wide. She was so startled that she dropped the key to their room and it rattled on the wooden floor.

“What was that?” Andrew was saying. “I thought I heard something outside.”

“Hurry!” Violet said as Jessie picked up the key and fumbled with it. She was so nervous that she dropped it on the floor again.

“Jessie!” Violet cried.

At last Jessie managed to get their door open. The two girls rushed into their room and shut the door behind them.

“Did you hear the way Andrew was talking?” Violet asked her big sister.

“Yes!” said Jessie. “He didn't sound at all like himself! He sounded so angry. And he was talking about hiding something.”

Violet nodded silently.

“But he seems like such a nice man,” said Jessie. “I can't believe he would do anything wrong.”

“Do you think we should do something? Tell Grandfather?” Violet asked.

“What would we tell him?” said Jessie. “That we'd been eavesdropping on Andrew and he sounded angry? We don't even know what he was talking about — or who he was talking to. I think we should just try to forget about it. It's not any of our business.”

“I guess you're right,” said Violet.

The next day, since they weren't meeting Charles until the afternoon, the children set out to visit Harrods, one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world.

“Why are we going shopping?” Benny wanted to know. “That doesn't sound like much fun.”

“But this isn't any ordinary store,” Henry explained. “This store sells
everything
.”

“And afterward, Benny, we're going to buy food and take it to a park for a picnic,” said Jessie.

“Now,
that
sounds like fun,” said Benny.

The children spent the first part of the morning visiting several different floors in the huge store. Just as Henry had said, Harrods sold everything, from luggage to pianos.

The children were surprised to find a pet department, where they saw colorful fish in tanks and lots of pretty birds. They cuddled some tiny kittens and played with a bunch of puppies.

“These make me miss Watch,” said Jessie, recalling their own dog, who was at home.

The Aldens browsed through the children's book department and spent a long time in the toy department, which contained piles of stuffed animals and games of every kind. Violet looked at the beautiful dolls in elegant dresses, while Henry, Benny, and Jessie played with the mechanical trains and remote-control cars.

There was even a children's haircutting area, and a department that sold children's furniture.

“Look at that bed shaped like a car!” said Benny, pointing.

“I like the bunk beds in the shape of a double-decker bus!” said Violet.

In the gift area the children saw a beautiful snow globe with a wooden base. Inside was a hand-carved scene of old London, with bits of glitter floating around.

“Isn't that lovely,” said Violet.

“Grandfather gave us some money to buy souvenirs,” said Henry. “Let's get that, and we'll all be able to enjoy it.”

“Yes, we can put it on the mantel in the living room at home,” suggested Violet. “Every time we see it we'll remember the wonderful time we've had here in London.”

“Let's bring back something special for Mrs. McGregor, too,” said Benny.

“What a thoughtful idea,” said Jessie. “How about one of these?” She picked up a basket that was filled with different kinds of English tea and sweet biscuits.

“She'll love it,” said Violet.

“Can we get our food for the picnic now?” asked Benny. “I'm getting hungry.”

The children paid for their things and then went down to the food halls, which were bustling with crowds of people and lots of noise. There were various sections where you could buy different kinds of foods. In the bakery area Jessie and Violet picked out a loaf of crusty bread and some chocolate-covered cookies. Henry and Benny bought four red apples in the produce section and some cheese in the dairy department. In no time their picnic was complete.

After the hustle and bustle of Harrods, the Aldens were happy to walk to nearby Hyde Park, which was peaceful and quiet. They found a shady spot under a tree and sat down. Once they'd spread out their lunch, they began to eat.

“Isn't it nice that we haven't seen anyone following us today?” said Violet, who was munching a crisp apple.

“Yes,” said Henry, taking a bite of bread and cheese.

Jessie had been digging around in Benny's backpack, which they'd brought with them, as usual. At last she pulled out a colorful brochure. “Tonight's the night we're going to the theater. Grandfather gave me this listing of all the current shows so that we can read about the one we're going to.”

“Is it Andrew's show?
The Mystery Man
?” asked Benny.

“No, Grandfather said that one was sold out,” said Jessie. “But speaking of Andrew, Violet and I heard something very strange last night.” She and Violet told their brothers what they'd overheard.

“That doesn't sound like Andrew,” said Henry. “Maybe there's a side of him we don't know.”

“It was very strange,” said Jessie. “He sounded almost like a different person.”

“Maybe it was a different person!” cried Benny. “Maybe it was the man with the beard! Or the old man!”

Violet and Jessie thought for a moment. “I guess it could have been someone else,” said Jessie after a while. “I just assumed it was Andrew, since it was his room. Maybe he had a friend with him.”

“I don't know,” said Violet. “But it was scary.”

Jessie didn't want her sister to be frightened, so she quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, tonight we're going to see
A Tale of Magic
.” Jessie read from the brochure, “It says,
‘An exciting story about a group of children who take a magical journey to solve a mystery.
' ”

“That sounds great!” Benny said. “What does it say there about Andrew's show?”

Jessie looked down the list of plays. “That's strange,” she said. “I see it listed here, but I don't see Andrew's name. Didn't he say he was the star?”

“Yes,” said Violet.

“It says here that the star is someone named Ambrose Prince,” Jessie said.

“That could be Andrew's stage name,” suggested Henry. “Or maybe the listing you're reading is out of date. Maybe Ambrose Prince quit the show and Andrew is the new star.”

“Maybe,” said Jessie. “Or maybe Andrew wasn't telling us the truth. After what we heard last night, I don't know what to think. And remember that woman on the tube yesterday, who knew so much about the theater but hadn't heard of Andrew?”

Violet sighed. “I wonder if Andrew's up to something that he doesn't want anyone to know about.”

“You may be right,” said Henry.

“It seems like everyone at our inn is up to something,” said Jessie. “Remember Mrs. Brown said Donna has a ‘secret plan'?”

“What do you think it could be?” asked Benny.

“Who knows,” said Henry “But I guess that explains why she's always acting so secretive.”

When they'd finished eating, the Aldens strolled about the pathways that crisscrossed the park. Their walk led them into another park called Kensington Gardens, where they saw several statues. Henry liked one of a man riding on a horse, while Violet's favorite was of Peter Pan. “It says on this plaque that the man who wrote the book
Peter Pan
lived near here,” she said excitedly. “I love that book!”

A little farther on, they came across a large pond, where they watched people sailing model boats and fed their leftover crusts of bread to a family of ducks. There was also a playground, where they stayed until it was time to go meet Charles for tea.

T
he night before, Grandfather had helped the children locate Chiswick Lane on a map. It was a small street close to Kensington Gardens. It took only about ten minutes to walk there from the playground.

“There's the tea shop,” said Violet, pointing to a storefront with a big glass window and lovely lace curtains. When the children entered they found a room with several small tables and a long buffet at the back. Charles was already there, sitting at a table near the window.

“Hello!” the children called out as they went to sit down with him.

“Good to see you!” Charles said with a big smile. There was a small pot of tea on the table, and as he poured himself a cup, his hand shook and tea spilled onto the table. “Oh, dear, look what a mess I'm making,” Charles said, reaching for his napkin to wipe up the spill. But in cleaning it up, his hand knocked the teacup and more tea spilled out.

“Let me help you,” Violet said. She wondered why Charles seemed so nervous.

Just then a waitress came to the table. “I'll take care of that, Mr. Finchley,” she said, clearing away the spilled teacup and wiping the table. “There. Would you children like some tea as well, or would you prefer hot cocoa?”

“Hot cocoa!” cried Benny. The others nodded eagerly.

“Four cups of cocoa, Doris,” Charles told the waitress.