“I could have,” Alice agreed. “But the problem is that I don't have the letters anymore, so I can't double-check the word. That's why I need
your help. Aunt Penelope acted so strange. She might have taken them, or told someone to take them. Do you think you can help me find them?”
“Miss Alice?” A deep voice made them jump. Jasper, Alice's bodyguard, was standing in the doorway.
X
ena scanned the bodyguard's face, but even with her talent for reading people's expressions and body language, she couldn't tell if he had overheard them talking about the letters that Queen Charlotte had written. It was really starting to look as though someone had taken them. Jasper had been present when the letters were discussed at breakfast, making him one of the suspects, so it would be awkward if he knew they were investigating.
Jasper didn't seem to notice he had startled them. He said, “Miss Penelope wishes to know if you and your guests would like your tea in here instead of in the dining room. She is occupied with a visitor and says you may be excused from tea with her if you prefer not to wait until she's free.”
“Yes, please.” Alice was beet red. Her voice
trembled as she asked her guests, “What will you have?”
“What is there?” Xander asked.
“Anything you like,” Alice said.
It must be nice being a princess and being able to order whatever you wanted, Xander thought. “Could we have muffins?” he asked, his mouth already watering at the prospect of the soft, slightly sweet pastry slathered with butter.
“Of course. Xena?”
“Muffins are fine with me.”
Alice nodded at Jasper, who gave a slight bow and left.
“How come we didn't hear him?” Xena asked. Her hearing was unusually acute, and normally she would have known when someone was approaching.
“He wears soft-soled shoes,” Alice explained. “And he's well trained in being quiet. He might have to sneak up on someone who's planning to hurt me.”
“Do you think he heard anything?” Xander asked.
“I hope not,” Alice said. “We didn't really say anything, though, did we? I just told you what I read. If someone who can read old Borogovian
took the letters, they'd know everything I said anyway, wouldn't they?”
She looked so anxious that Xena hastened to reassure her. But Xena couldn't help worrying that now the bodyguard knew that she and Xander were not there only to record Alice's audition, but also to talk with her about the mysterious letters.
“Who else in the house understands that old kind of Borogovian?” Xander asked.
“I'm not sure,” Alice said. “Miss Jenny must. Anyone who knows the modern language and has a dictionary could figure it out if they had enough time. That would mean just about everybody in the house!”
“Including Jasper?” Xena asked.
Alice nodded. “And if he thought there was something worth telling my aunt, he'd do it. He does
everything
she says and doesn't even ask why. He even says he's in favor of Rathonia taking over Borogovia just because she is.”
“Why does your aunt want Rathonia to take over?” Xander asked.
“She feels Rathonia will bring prosperity to Borogovia and the royal family, which means her and me. But Gemma told me that she and
her mom think we should stay independent. Borogovia fought really hard to separate from Rathonia back in the sixteenth century, and Gemma says that it would be like betraying all those patriotic soldiers who died for independence if we let the takeover happen.”
“That's brave of Miss Jenny,” Xena said. “Isn't she afraid your aunt will fire her for disagreeing with her like that?”
“Oh, Aunt Penelope could never do that!” Alice sounded shocked. “Women in Miss Jenny's family have been nannies for the Borogovian royal family for more than a hundred years. When Miss Mimsy retired, she brought in her niece from the country to take care of Queen Stella's children and grandchildren. That was Miss Jenny's great-grandmother. Everything in Borogovia is run by tradition. People just wouldn't accept it if my aunt fired Miss Jenny. But my aunt did tell her and Gemma to stop talking to me about the Rathonian question.”
“How do
you
feel about it?” Xena asked.
Alice shrugged. “I don't know that much about it. I guess I feel like my aunt does. That's what scares me the most about becoming queen. I'll have to take a stand one way or another when
I make my coronation speech right after the ceremony.”
It was hard to imagine Alice making important decisions, but this talk wasn't getting the audition video done. Xena glanced at the clock. “We'd better get started. Your aunt will wonder what we're doing.”
Xander had already set up the camera and microphone. “What are you going to sing?”
“I haven't decided,” Alice said.
He ran through the titles of some of the songs at the top of the charts, but Alice shook her head again and again. “It's not that I don't like them,” she explained. “I just don't know them.”
“Well, what music
do
you know?” Xena asked.
“Mostly Borogovian folk songs.” Xena and Xander exchanged glances. They didn't remember any contestant singing folk songs, especially in a foreign language. Alice would have better luck with a pop song.
“And some show tunes,” Alice added.
“Well, let's try one of those,” Xander said.
Alice came around from behind the table. They had never seen her out of her school
uniform, and were surprised that on a Saturday, while she was doing homework, she wore an expensive-looking dress, shiny shoes, and a pretty necklace. She put one hand on the piano, and as she prepared to sing, once again the change in her was dramatic. She threw her shoulders back, and she almost seemed taller. Her face shone, and her lips parted in a confident smile.
Alice launched into a song that sounded vaguely familiar to Xena and Xander. She came to the end, and it was hard for Xena not to burst into applause until Xander had turned off the recorder.
“That was
great
!” Xena said.
Alice turned pink again, this time from pleasure, and flopped into one of the poufy chairs. “Do you think so? It's from one of my favorite musicals,
Annie Get Your Gun
.”
The door opened again, but instead of Jasper, a tall woman came in. She would have been pretty if it weren't for the scowl that had worn lines around her mouth and eyes. She wore a long dress and high heels, and her hair and nails gleamed. Xena suddenly felt sloppy in her comfortable weekend clothes.
Alice jumped up and smoothed her dress. All
the confidence she had shown a few minutes ago disappeared as she stood uncertainly. “Aunt Penelope,” she said, “I'd like you to meet my friends, Xena and Xander Holmes.”
“Xander? What kind of name is that?”
“It's short for Alexander,” he said.
Aliceâs aunt either didn't hear him or didn't care what he said. She turned to Xena and asked, “You're the children who are related to that detective?” She said “that detective” the way someone else would say “that burglar” or “that swindler,” and both Xena and Xander became indignant. Xena, standing behind Xander, touched him lightly on the shoulder to remind him to keep his temper, then said, “Yes, ma'am. Sherlock Holmes was our great-great-great-grandfather.”
“Ha!” Aunt Penelope said. “Not so great as all that!”
“No, that's how many greats,” Xander said. “He was our father's father'sâ”
“What I mean,” the woman said, as though addressing someone who wasn't very intelligent, “is that he wasn't as great a detective as everyone thought he was. As some people still think he was.”
“He was too!” This time it was Xena who needed restraining. “Just because he couldn't solveâ” She stopped short before she blurted out
because he couldn't solve Princess Stella's kidnapping,
and instead finished lamely, “He couldn't solve all his cases because sometimes he was called away on something more important by the queen or the prime minister.
They
trusted him.”
“He was a very odd man,” Alice's aunt went on, as though she hadn't heard Xena. “Most foreigners are. Borogovian ways are very ancient and traditional. Foreigners will never learn them, and will never be able to understand why it's important for us to ally with our neighbor Rathonia. And now it is time for you children to go. Her Highness has a great deal to do.”
Xander turned his back on her and packed up the recorder. Xena saw that he was about to explode, so to cover, she thanked Alice for her hospitality. Alice stammered something about how they were welcome anytime, and then Jasper came in to lead them out. Xena stuffed her notebook back into her schoolbag and followed him.
They didn't notice the amazing paintings or
the beautiful rooms this time. Jasper hurried them through the corridors and the chambers, and almost before they knew it, they were standing outside the gate, which clanged shut behind them.
“Well! Can you believe
that
?” Xena was shaking with anger.
Xander said, “And to top it all off, we didn't even get any muffins!”
X
ena and Xander rode the Tube home from Alice's house in silence, still fuming. Xander was too full of angry energy to sit. He stood the whole way, holding on to a strap and imagining cutting remarks he could have made to Alice's aunt to make her stop insulting Sherlock Holmes, yet which wouldn't be so disrespectful that he'd get in trouble. Xena kept remembering how miserable Alice had looked. She didn't think that Alice's aunt hit her; surely the nasty woman wouldn't dare touch someone who would someday be her queen. But the royal house, beautiful and full of marvels as it was, seemed cold and hard. And as they rode the clacking train and then went into their small but warm and cozy apartment, cluttered with furniture that was showing wear after their months in London, she felt sorry for Alice.
Xander commandeered the computer and downloaded Alice's audition. She had barely stayed within the thirty-second limit dictated by the rules of
Talented Brits
, so he trimmed the opening and closing. Xander manipulated the recording to make it look like he had zoomed in on her face a few times when she was looking especially expressive, and then pulled back to show her whole body swaying to the music.
“Xena!” he called. “Come look at this!”
He heard her exclaim “Darn!” from her bedroom. She came out holding a schoolbag. “Look what I did! I was in such a hurry to get out of there before I yelled at that awful woman that I grabbed the wrong schoolbag. Now I have Alice's and she must have mine.”
“You'll have to go back there tomorrow and swap them. That new phone Mom is testing is in there, isn't it?”
“
Double
darn!” Xena had forgotten about the phone.
“And you know what just occurred to me? Why did Alice's aunt mention Sherlock to us, and the whole thing with Rathonia? It had nothing to do with what she was talking about. Do you think she was spying on us and heard us
talking with Alice about Rathonia and the kidnapped baby? Or maybe that Jasper guy was eavesdropping and told her. It's weird that she'd bring it up out of the blue.”
Xena considered this. “Maybe. I hope he doesn't tell Alice's aunt that Alice thinks she might have taken the letters.” She hated when people eavesdropped on her.
“I'm going to call my cell and see if Alice answers, so we can get the right schoolbags,” she said. “Can I use your phone?”
Xena's phone rang until she was sure that the voice mail was about to pick up, but finally Alice answered.
“Hello, Xander?” Her voice was tentative.
“It's Xena. I'm calling from my brother's phone. I think I got your schoolbag by mistake.”
She heard papers rustling, and then Alice said, “Yup, this one isn't mine. Mr. Frankâhe's Miss Jenny's husbandâis busy getting ready to go out of town until Monday, but he can drive it over to you then. Would that work?”
“It would for my homework, but the phone is something my mom is testing. It's an experimental one, and the company she works for is really paranoid that someone will get their
hands on their new stuff and copy it. Can I come tomorrow and get it?”
“Oh, yes!” Alice sounded so happy about another visit that Xena felt guilty for not picking up on how lonely she was and offering to come over without the excuse of the phone. “And Xena ⦔ Alice hesitated, then continued, “Would it be okay if I used your phone for a little while?”
“Sure, it has unlimited texts on it, so go ahead. When should I come over tomorrow?”
“Whenever you like.” She lowered her voice. “I wanted to tell you something anyway, and I didn't want to have to wait until school was back in session.”
“Can you tell me now?”
Xander looked up, alerted by something in his sister's voice.
Alice hesitated again, and then said, “Okay. My aunt asked what you were doing here and I told her about the audition video, and she got
really
mad. She said that I had gone behind her back and someone in my position can't go onstage in front of a lot of people and make a spectacle of herself.” Xena heard that Alice was holding back tears. “She said that even if the judges of
Talented Brits
call me in for a live audition, she won't let me go.”
“Oh, wow, Alice.” Xena was at a loss for what to say. “I'm really, really sorry we got you in trouble.”
“It wasn't your fault. You and Xander were so nice to help.” Alice took a ragged breath. “Later, I went to look for her. Sometimes she changes her mind, although she always says I misunderstood her the first time. She would never admit to being wrong. She was in the parlorâyou know, that room with the blue wallpaper?”
Xena had seen so many rooms that she didn't remember which one was which, but she said yes to encourage Alice to go on.
“She was talking to someone. I was just about to knock when I heard her say something about Princess Stella.”
Xena froze. Princess Stella? The baby who had been kidnapped? “What did she say?”
“I didn't hear that part. But then she said, âIf people knew the truth, things would be quite different. We must make sure that no one ever finds out.'”
Xander went around the table. He gestured to Xena to hold the phone away from her ear so
that he could hear, but it was already too late. Alice's voice dropped to a whisper as she said, “Someone's coming!” Suddenly there was no one on the other end.
Xena closed the phone slowly and handed it to Xander. “What was that all about?” he asked, and she explained.
“I want to go with you tomorrow,” he said. “Something's going on that we need to check into.” She nodded, too worried to answer.
They were quiet at dinner, and when their parents suggested watching an old movie together on TV, they said “Sure” without enthusiasm. Their dad popped popcorn, and they all piled onto the couch. The movie turned out to be funnier than they had expected, and for a while they forgot about Princess Stella, Borogovia, and Alice's unpleasant aunt.
When the movie ended, their dad reached for the remote, but their mother said, “Let's just watch the beginning of the news. The kids don't have to go to bed right nowâthey have the week off.”
“Some people have all the luck,” their father pretended to grumble.
The announcer came on and said the transit
strike had started that afternoon, just after Xena and Xander had gotten home from Alice's.
“Phew!” Xena said. “What if we had been stuck out there? But how can we get back to the mansion tomorrow?”
“I can take you in the afternoon,” their father offered. “I want to get some work done in the morning while I'm fresh.”
Xena didn't see how they could stand to wait until the afternoon. She couldn't help feeling worried about Alice.
“Mom?” Xander turned his big blue eyes on their mother. Even she was known to cave sometimes when he turned on the charm.
“Sorry,” she said. “I have a brunch appointment with friends on the other side of town. I won't be back until mid-afternoon. Looks like your dad is a better bet.”
Â
The next morning, they were up early, even though they had both been woken up more than once by thunder that sounded as though it was crashing right down on their apartment building. It was still pouring when their dad came into the kitchen to refresh his coffee. Xander asked, “Is this a good time for you to take a break?”
He switched on the radio and shook his head. “Sorry, son. I'm just hitting my stride.”
Xander was about to beg when Xena said sharply, “Hush!” Xander was going to tell her that she couldn't boss him around when he realized what the announcer on the radio was saying. “Princess Alice of Borogovia has vanished from her London mansion. Preliminary reports indicate that she has run away, perhaps overwhelmed by the pressure of her upcoming coronation. Police are at the mansion, investigating the disappearance.
“Tomorrow's weatherâ” But they weren't listening. They turned to each other and stared wordlessly.
Xander finally broke the silence. “Alice?
Disappeared?
”