Contents

  Cover

  Dedication

  Chapter One: The Quarrelsome Cousins

  Chapter Two: The Golden Silk

  Chapter Three: The Empty Hanger

  Chapter Four: Seeing Double

  Chapter Five: Back to Bodkin Street

  Chapter Six: The Mystery in the Cupboard

  Chapter Seven: Alfie

  Chapter Eight: The Strangest Clue

  Chapter Nine: The Ebony Jewellery Box

  Chapter Ten: The Girl in Front of the Mirror

  Chapter Eleven: The Best Dog in the World

  Chapter Twelve: Making Amends

  Find the characters

  Let’s get creative!

  Ice Pops!

  Spot the Difference

  Find that dress!

  Who could it be?

  Tiara Friends: The Case of the Stolen Crown: Chapter One: Cake Mixture

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  The Quarrelsome Cousins

  Millie and Jess hurried down the back stairs of Peveril Palace. Stopping on the bottom step, Jess peeked down the servants’ corridor. “It’s all right!” she hissed. “There’s no one here.” Bounding across the passageway, she opened the door to the stable yard.

  “Come on, Jax!” Millie dashed through the door and a golden spaniel with floppy ears scampered after her.

  The royal stable yard was empty. Millie smiled, watching Jax bound up and down with his tail wagging. It was a lovely morning and the white walls of Peveril Palace were gleaming in the sunshine.

  “I can’t wait to go horse riding,” said Jess. “I’m so glad we swapped!”

  “Me too!” Millie grinned. Jess was her best friend and they looked so much alike that they could have been twins! They both had glossy brown hair with golden tints at the front, long eyelashes and upturned noses. They were the same height and both had hazel eyes (although Jess’s were a little darker).

  Looking exactly the same was really handy and the girls swapped places all the time! That way they both got to do the things they loved best. This time Jess was going riding while Millie gave Jax a bath. Jess had put on Millie’s royal riding clothes and a green velvet cloak. Millie was wearing Jess’s maid uniform with a little white apron and mob cap.

  No one would have guessed that Jess was really the palace maid while Millie was Princess Amelia, daughter of the king and queen!

  “This should do for Jax’s bath!” Jess pushed a large wooden tub towards the water pump.

  Seeing the tub, Jax whined and scampered away towards the stables.

  “Jax!” called Millie. “Oh dear! He really doesn’t like baths.”

  The girls chased the golden spaniel, catching him at the corner of the stables. Jax picked up a muddy blue glove in his mouth and dropped it proudly at Millie’s feet.

  “That’s the glove I lost last week.” Millie rubbed Jax’s coat. “Good boy!”

  “He must have known it was yours,” said Jess. “He has such a good sense of smell.”

  Together the girls took Jax to the tub. Jess crouched down and put her arms round the muddy spaniel. He stared back at her with big brown eyes. “Poor old Jax! You’ve never liked soap and water, have you?”

  “But he looks so golden and fluffy afterwards!” Millie turned on the pump. “I want to give him a good wash while you’re riding. If I hurry, I can be done before my cousins start searching for me.” She smiled as she watched the water froth and swirl into the tub. A princess wasn’t supposed to wash dogs – especially in the middle of the stable yard – but now she was wearing Jess’s clothes no one would stop her!

  She took a bar of soap from her apron pocket. “Ready, Jax!”

  “Woof!” Jax sniffed the soap suspiciously.

  A loud whinny came from the stables and Jess’s eyes lit up. “I should go!” She held out her little finger to Millie. “I’ll find you after I’ve finished riding, Double Trouble!”

  Millie linked her pinkie with Jess’s. Double Trouble was their secret name. The two girls had been born in the same month and they’d known each other since they were little. Jess’s mother was a dressmaker who made clothes for the royal family.

  When Jess was old enough she had come to Peveril Palace to work as a maid, and she and Millie had become best friends. This summer they’d even solved their first mystery together when a thief had stolen the baby prince’s diamond crown.

  Jess turned to go, her riding cloak flapping.

  “Come on, Jax!” Millie lifted the reluctant dog into the tub. “I’m going to get you nice and clean.”

  “PRINCESS AMELIA!”

  The shout made the girls jump. Millie twisted round so fast that her mob cap nearly fell off. She clutched at it desperately.

  Millie’s aunt, Lady Havering, was standing in the doorway, her nose wrinkling at the smell of the stable yard. She was wearing a cream-coloured dress and a wide hat. Her daughters, Veronica and Alice, stood behind her. They had arrived yesterday and were staying at Peveril Palace for a few days.

  Millie’s cousins were wearing smart dresses and gold bracelets. With her fair hair and wrinkled nose, Veronica looked like a smaller version of her mother. Alice was shorter and had smooth dark hair that hung just above her shoulders.

  At nine years old, she was the same age as Millie and Jess, while Veronica was two years older. Alice stood on tiptoes to try and see over her mother’s shoulder but Veronica nudged her out of the way.

  Jess, who was halfway across the yard, scurried back to Millie. “What shall we do?” she whispered.

  “Amelia! Did you hear me?” Lady Havering looked sternly at Jess.

  Millie murmured out of the corner of her mouth, “Say something, Jess! Remember – you’re supposed to be me!”

  “Oh!” Jess turned red and curtsied to Lady Havering. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you said at all.”

  Lady Havering frowned. “Veronica and Alice need new clothes, so your mother is taking us all to a dressmaker in Plumchester. You need to get ready immediately.” She eyed Jess’s outfit. “There’s mud all over your cloak. Honestly, Amelia. No one would believe you were a royal princess!”

  Jess opened her mouth and closed it again.

  “It was my fault,” said Millie, wanting to cover for her friend. “I needed a little help with Jax.”

  Hearing his name, Jax pulled free and leapt out of the tub. He galloped across the stable yard splashing water everywhere. Lady Havering gave a shriek and retreated indoors with Veronica and Alice. Millie and Jess chased after Jax, trying not to giggle.

  Millie and Jess dashed to Millie’s bedchamber and swapped clothes before rushing downstairs. They nearly knocked over Mr Steen the butler on the palace steps. Two carriages were waiting on the drive. Each one had glossy red doors with a golden crown painted in the middle.

  “You’re just in time, Amelia!” Queen Belinda smiled at her daughter. “Jess, we’d love you to come too. It’s your parents’ shop we’re visiting after all. You can both sit in the other carriage with Veronica and Alice.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty!” said Jess.

  Millie beamed. She loved visiting Buttons and Bows, the dressmaking shop run by Jess’s mother and father. There was always something new to look at, like patterned ribbons or scarves made from silk. Once she’d found a whole jar of green buttons shaped like frogs with little black eyes.

  She and Jess climbed in and Mr Steen closed the carriage door. The coachman shouted to the horses, and the carriage rumbled down the drive and through the palace’s golden gates. The streets of Plumchester were crowded with women in bonnets and men in boots and caps. There were stalls selling everything from turnips to candlestick holders. On the corner, a flower seller held out big bunches of roses to the passers-by.

  “I don’t know why we couldn’t have had dresses made at home.” Veronica wrinkled her nose. “This place smells awful.”

  “But you’ll love Buttons and Bows!” cried Millie. “Jess’s mother is an amazing dressmaker.”

  Veronica sighed and fiddled with her gold bracelet.

  “I’m glad we’re here. There’s always so much to see in the city.” Alice leaned closer to the window.

  “Stop squashing me, Alice!” Veronica pushed her sister away. “You’re always doing that.”

  “Ouch!” squeaked Alice. “I only wanted to look at that flower stall. You don’t have to hit me.”

  Millie and Jess exchanged looks. Millie had often wished that she and Jess were sisters. She had a brother – Prince Edward – who was only one year old. But Alice and Veronica were always arguing and didn’t seem to like being sisters at all.

  The carriage rolled to a stop in Bodkin Street in front of Buttons and Bows and everyone climbed out. The scent of freshly baked bread drifted across the street from Mr Bibby’s bakery. Next door to Buttons and Bows was Miss Clackton’s Pet Emporium. Miss Clackton waved to Millie and Jess through the window. She had a black-and-white kitten draped over each shoulder.

  Across the road, Mr Heddon scowled at the girls and closed the door to his ironmonger shop. Millie looked away quickly. Mr Heddon was well known for his grumpy manner but today he seemed even more bad-tempered than usual.

  “I hope this shop has some elegant cloth,” said Lady Havering sternly. “I don’t want my daughters wearing shabby materials.”

  “It does have good cloth, Mother!” cried Alice. “Look!”

  Hanging in the window was a long sheet of golden silk that shimmered in the light. Millie thought it was the most beautiful cloth she’d ever seen.

  The shop door swung open and Mrs Woolhead, Jess’s mother, stood there beaming. “Welcome to Buttons and Bows, everyone!”

  Chapter Two

  The Golden Silk

  Queen Belinda and Lady Havering went into the dressmaking shop, followed by Millie and her cousins. Jess’s mother bustled around, finding chairs for the two ladies. Jess came in last. She was pleased to see the smiles on everyone’s faces as they gazed round the bright and cosy room.

  The shelves along each wall were stacked with neat bundles of cloth. Underneath the glass counter were colourful cotton reels and hundreds of shiny buttons. A tall, silver-edged mirror stood in the middle of the shop ready for any customers trying on new clothes.

  Mrs Woolhead began checking Veronica’s height with her tape measure while Lady Havering gave out orders. “The skirt must reach her ankles,” she said, tapping on the counter with her fingernail. “And the hem has to be sewn with the utmost neatness.”

  Jess fetched dozens of brightly coloured bundles of cloth for Lady Havering to inspect. At last, the lady decided that Veronica should have the gold silk they had seen hanging in the window, while Alice’s dress should be made from orange satin. The two girls stood still while Mrs Woolhead carefully cut and pinned the material around them.

  Veronica stood before the tall mirror. She smiled at her reflection, preening as she smoothed the shimmering silk.

  “But, Mother! Why does Veronica get the gold silk?” cried Alice. “I saw it first!”

  “Quiet, Alice. I’ve made up my mind,” said Lady Havering.

  “It’s a shame there isn’t enough for two dresses.” Mrs Woolhead gave Alice a kindly smile. “But I’m afraid this is the very last of a roll of silk that came on a ship from the east. We don’t expect any more till spring.”

  Mrs Woolhead agreed to finish sewing the dresses, ready for them to be collected the next day. Lady Havering got out her purse to pay while Queen Belinda examined some red ribbon behind the counter.

  Veronica smirked at Alice. “The gold silk looks better on me anyway,” she said quietly. “And that orange cloth matches your freckles.”

  Alice scowled at her sister.

  “Why don’t we go to Mr Bibby’s bakery next,” suggested Millie, trying to stop an argument. “His cakes are really delicious!”

  “We’re going to Emerald Alley next,” snapped Lady Havering, who had overheard. “I simply must take a look in the jewellers’ shops.”

  “Why don’t we leave the girls here in Bodkin Street?” said Queen Belinda. “They can buy a cake while we’re gone. We’ll only be half an hour.” She smiled at the girls as she followed Lady Havering into the carriage.

  Jess hung back to help her mother tidy the bundles of cloth. “Has Father gone out?”

  “He’s buying wool at the market.” Her mother put the last bundle back on the shelf and wiped her forehead. “Thank you, sweetheart. Now here’s half a penny for you to spend at the bakery.”

  Jess hugged her mother and hurried out of Buttons and Bows. Millie and her cousins were already inside Mr Bibby’s, choosing from mouth-watering rows of cakes. Jess picked a berry cupcake topped with purple icing and gave her halfpenny to round-cheeked Mr Bibby.

  Alice pointed to Miss Clackton’s Pet Emporium. “Look at that red-and-blue parrot in the window. I’d love to go in there!”

  “I wouldn’t!” Veronica sniffed. “Parrots are such horrid squawky birds.”

  Alice glared at Veronica. “I think they’re funny.”

  “Why don’t you take Alice to Miss Clackton’s,” Millie said to Jess. “And I’ll stay here with Veronica.”

  Jess nodded. It seemed a good idea to keep Alice and Veronica apart, but she felt sorry for Millie being stuck with the grumpy Veronica!

  The parrot in the window flapped its bright wings as Jess and Alice opened the door to the Pet Emporium. Sleepy kittens in a basket beside the counter pricked up their ears.

  “Morning, girls!” Miss Clackton rushed up to them. Her straggly hair was escaping from a bun and her glasses were slipping down her nose. “Hello, Jess! Who is your friend?”

  “This is Alice, Princess Amelia’s cousin,” explained Jess. Alice looked as if she wanted to pet the kittens but Miss Clackton took her arm. “Come, my dear! I’ll show you round. I have everything you could possibly want to completely pamper your pet. See – these are combs and ribbons for puppies and little doggie mirrors for them to look at themselves.”

  Jess tried to imagine Jax, the palace spaniel, dressed up in ribbons and staring at himself in a tiny round mirror. She turned away to hide a giggle.

  “And here’s the storeroom with all the best food for every pet and decorations to make them gorgeous!” Miss Clackton showed Alice the huge storeroom stacked high with tins and boxes. “And this corridor leads right out into the back yard.”

  “Can I see the parrot?” asked Alice. “Does he talk?”

  “Of course you can!” Returning to the main shop, Miss Clackton carefully opened the bird’s cage. “Sometimes he says Henry, which is his name, but that’s the only word he knows.” She held out her hand. “Come here, Henry!”

  The parrot ignored her. Flying out of the cage, he swooped over the counter and woke the kittens with a loud squawk. Then he circled the shop five times before flying down the corridor into the storeroom.

  “Henry!” gasped Miss Clackton, pushing up her glasses. “Catch him, Jess!”

  Jess dashed into the storeroom and found Henry perched on a tower of doggie-treat boxes. At the end of the corridor, a glimpse of blue sky showed that the back door was open. “Quick, Alice!” Jess called over her shoulder. “We have to shut that door before Henry flies away.”

  “I’ll do it!” Alice ran along the passage.

  Jess tiptoed towards Henry, who was eyeing her beadily. Just as she made a grab for the bird, he squawked, “Henry!” Then he took off, sending doggie-treat boxes cascading to the floor. Jess chased him back into the main shop where Miss Clackton was trying to calm the excited kittens. She and Jess chased Henry round and round. When the parrot settled somewhere, they tried to creep closer. But each time Henry waited until they were almost in reach before launching into the air again.

  “This isn’t working!” gasped Jess.

  “I know what might help.” Miss Clackton opened a tin and poured sunflower seeds into her hand. “Look, Henry! Treats!”

  The parrot gazed at the seeds suspiciously. At last he landed on Miss Clackton’s arm and began pecking at the food.

  “Such a naughty parrot!” Miss Clackton stroked his feathers before putting him back in his cage. “Look at the mess you’ve made.”

  The shop floor was covered with pet combs and bits of sawdust. Jess began sweeping but she stopped when she saw the queen’s carriage draw up outside. “Alice, we have to go,” she called.

  Alice appeared at the storeroom door, her dark hair tangled. “I’ve tidied up in here as much as I can.”

  “Thank you, dear! Do come again.” Miss Clackton waved as they left.

  Jess took Alice to the waiting carriage and the coachman opened the door. “You go ahead,” she told the other girl. “I’ll fetch Millie and Veronica.”

  As she rushed across the street a delivery boy ran into her, nearly knocking her over. The boy’s cap fell off. It had a stripy grey pattern and was covered with mud. Jess went to pick it up but the boy grabbed it first. He ran on without even looking at her, clutching a bulging bag with one arm.

  Jess frowned. He should at least have said sorry. Straightening up, she noticed Mr Heddon in the ironmonger shop, glaring at her through the window. She wondered why he looked so cross.

  “Jess!” Her mother dashed out of Buttons and Bows. “You didn’t take the dress, did you?”

  Jess stared at her. “What dress?”

  “The gold silk dress that I’m making for Lady Havering,” said her mother.

  “What do you mean?” A feeling of dread slid down Jess’s insides.

  “I only went upstairs to fetch another needle.” Mrs Woolhead crumpled her apron in her hands. “But when I came down the dress was gone.”

  Chapter Three

  The Empty Hanger

 

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