‘Godfathers, child, I might have married the old coot, but I didn’t take his name. I’ve been Violet Appleby all my life – I wasn’t about to change it. Besides, Pertwhistle is such a silly name – even though it does suit him rather well. You’re home from school already, I see. My parents used to say that the more you paid, the less you stayed – quite right, I think. Clemmie finishes this afternoon and not a minute too soon. Honestly, the child is exhausted,’ the woman said, raking a strand of hair back behind her left ear.

  ‘Yes, we finished on Wednesday morning after our concert and Christmas dinner on Tuesday night,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Do you remember my friend Millie? I think you met at one of Mummy’s garden parties.’

  ‘Vaguely,’ the woman replied. She gave Millie a look up and down while at the same time wrinkling her lip.

  Millie almost laughed. The woman’s rudeness was legendary, so it was good to see that although Miss Appleby had softened a little after her recent marriage, she was still her usual crusty self. A complete turnaround would have been concerning.

  ‘How’s Lady Clarissa and Clara?’ Alice-Miranda asked. Her mother said that she’d run into the woman not long ago and the little girl was absolutely gorgeous.

  ‘They’re both well – though Clarissa still does far too much. They’re concentrating on weddings at the hotel these days.’

  ‘Is Mr Smote still helping out?’ Alice-Miranda asked. ‘He’s such fun.’

  Violet Appleby rolled her eyes. ‘Such a buffoon, did you say? Although, to be honest, I’m not sure how he puts up with some of the bridezillas he has to contend with. There was one girl recently who wanted a white rabbit on every table.’

  ‘I suppose they’re probably not that easy to come by – white china rabbits,’ Millie said.

  ‘Not china, my dear. This batty girl wanted a real rabbit on every table – dressed in a cerise-coloured bow to match her bridesmaids. Can you imagine it? Anyway, Smote told her that the white rabbits were all taken and she could only have grey ones, so she changed her mind.’

  Alice-Miranda and Millie both giggled.

  ‘And Clara is a darling child – not nearly as disagreeable as her older sister – at least, not yet,’ Violet said.

  ‘Clementine is a lovely girl,’ Alice-Miranda rebuffed. ‘I’ve always found her the sweetest and that little pig of hers, Lavender, is darling.’

  Violet nodded. ‘Mostly, I’d agree with you, but lately Clementine has become obsessed with craft. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent pointing out pieces of glitter on the floor and if there’s one thing I like even less than weddings, it’s a hot glue gun.’

  The girls exchanged wry looks.

  ‘Are you working here?’ Millie asked.

  ‘I volunteer a couple of days a week. It gets me out of babysitting duties. Digby loves drool and dirty nappies, but I can think of nothing worse – except weddings, glitter and hot glue guns. Although it’s hardly glamorous here either, is it? Sorting through people’s cast-offs,’ Violet replied.

  ‘I think it’s wonderful,’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘A very important job, especially as all the money goes to charity. I might have found the perfect present for Mrs Oliver in the window.’

  Alice-Miranda hurried to take the teapot from the table. It was very much like the one that had sprung a leak at home.

  ‘That’s a rather nice piece – I suspect it’s probably Japanese or Chinese. I have a feeling it might be a genuine antique, so if that’s the case you’re getting yourself something of a bargain. I was considering buying it myself,’ Violet said, raising her left eyebrow. ‘But you can have it. We’ve got enough teapots at home.’

  Alice-Miranda smiled. ‘Mrs Oliver will love it. Do you know where it came from?’

  A frown appeared on Violet Appleby’s forehead. She paused and tapped her cheek. ‘Now that you mention it, I think it was among the box of things Delia Wickham dropped off at the start of the week. I’m here on a Tuesday and Thursday. It belonged to her sister, but clearly held no sentimentality for Delia. I think the two were on tricky terms. Happens so often in families, doesn’t it? I mean, Clarissa and I didn’t speak for such a long time and look at us now. It’s never too late to mend fences. Although Delia’s sister passed away and I’m not entirely sure they were reconciled. Pity, really.’

  ‘That’s sad,’ Alice-Miranda said, while Violet wrapped the teapot in layers of tissue paper. ‘I wonder if the teapot was special to Miss Wickham’s sister.’

  ‘Who knows?’ Violet said. ‘And we probably won’t ever find out now.’

  Alice-Miranda thought that was likely true though Mrs Oliver was going to love it. She was looking forward to getting home and wrapping all of the gifts she’d bought.

  Millie had been browsing while Alice-Miranda paid for the teapot and found a perfect gift for her father. A pair of binoculars. He’d recently mislaid his and told Millie on the phone the other week that he needed to get some more. It was how he kept check of the sheep in the top fields from the house.

  Millie took them to the counter and paid as well.

  ‘Have a lovely Christmas, Miss Appleby,’ Alice-Miranda said, as the pair turned to leave. ‘Will we see you at the Christmas light ceremony this evening?’

  ‘Godfathers, is that happening again?’ the woman replied, then rolled her eyes. ‘I suppose the children will want to come along.’

  It was hard to imagine the woman was unaware of the event, given the village was crawling with workers putting the finishing touches to the display. There was a man up a light pole right outside the shop and across the road in the village square, a scissor lift had two people inside hanging the last of the baubles on the giant tree.

  ‘We’ll see you tonight,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘Oh, I suppose so,’ the woman replied with a sigh.

  The girls exited the shop and walked out into the chilly air. At least today the sun was shining and the forecast was for a clear night – that would help draw a crowd.

  Millie giggled. ‘It’s good to see some things never change. I remember when you first introduced me to Miss Appleby. I thought she made the old version of Miss Grimm look positively angelic.’

  ‘I don’t think she’s nearly as awful as she makes out,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Mummy said that she saw Mr Pertwhistle and Miss Appleby in the village a little while ago with baby Clara and they were both goo-ing and gah-ing over the child as much as each other. I suspect she likes people to believe she’s mean and then when she happens to do something kind it’s far more shocking.’

  The pair walked across to Kennington’s and inside to the little coffee shop that formed part of the shopfront, where the rest of the group were already sipping hot chocolates and devouring ham and cheese toasties.

  ‘Sorry, we’re late,’ Millie said. ‘But at least we got everything we wanted.’

  It sounded like the outing was a success all round.

  ‘Oh, blow,’ Alice-Miranda muttered to herself.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Sloane asked.

  ‘I forgot to bring the donations box. It’s still sitting in my room. I’ll have to remember to tell Mummy and see if anyone’s coming back later today or bring it myself,’ the child said. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’

  The girl ducked through the rear door that led to the supermarket section of the complex, where she was surprised to see a new donations box sitting on the counter. She didn’t feel quite so bad now – knowing that people could still dispense of their spare change if they felt inclined. Alice-Miranda turned to leave and noticed two boys, dressed in dark overcoats and heavy boots, standing just inside the entrance to the shop. They were pointing at the counter. She had a feeling she’d seen them before somewhere.

  ‘I don’t reckon she ever took it in the first place,’ one of the boys said. He had long strands of greasy hair and a pimply complexion.

  ‘Anyways, doesn’t matter much, she’s given us a great idea – and we’ll see how good she is at coming through on that one,’ the second lad said. ‘Should be a doddle with everyone here at the light-up.’

  Alice-Miranda realised then that the lads had been standing out the front of Hoxton Manor when they’d been driving home the other day. She frowned and wondered exactly what it was they were planning. The pair gave her a strange feeling and she was often right about those.

  The child hurried back to her friends where Millie had ordered them some toasties and hot chocolates too.

  ‘My goodness,’ Dolly Oliver exclaimed as the children tumbled through the kitchen door laden with bags. ‘Is there anything left in the shops?’

  ‘I think my dad is going to be very happy with the gift I got him,’ Neville said. ‘Who knew that I’d find a squirrel nutcracker? He’s wanted one forever.’

  Dolly grinned and after several more excited revelations about their purchases, she ushered the children into the side sitting room where Cecelia had left rolls and rolls of wrapping, sticky tape and ribbons. Given that some of the gifts were for each other, the children quickly hurried away to different parts of the house to wrap their presents.

  Alice-Miranda headed to her room, while Millie asked Mrs Oliver if she could help her wrap the tweed flat cap she’d purchased for her grandfather. Dolly was thrilled with it and said that it would match the tweed tie she’d bought him perfectly. What a lovely combination and they hadn’t even conferred.

  Upstairs, Alice-Miranda pulled out the teapot. She unwrapped it from the tissue paper to check that Miss Appleby had removed the price from the bottom. It really didn’t look as if it had been used terribly much at all – which caused her to wonder if perhaps it didn’t pour particularly well. Alice-Miranda decided she’d test it in the bathroom. There was no point giving it to Mrs Oliver if it didn’t work – although perhaps she could plant herbs in it instead.

  Alice-Miranda turned on the tap and held the pot underneath, and lo and behold when she tried to pour the water out – nothing. Not even a drop.

  She tipped the pot upside down and the water cascaded into the sink from the large opening.

  ‘I wonder what’s blocking that spout,’ she said to herself, as she dried the pot and took it back into her bedroom to examine the inside with her torch. Oddly, there was something. It looked like a glass bottle – of all things – and a tiny one at that. Alice-Miranda tried to dislodge it with her finger, but she couldn’t get a grip. There just wasn’t enough space but a pair of tweezers might do the trick.

  She ran back to the bathroom and located what she was looking for. After much poking and prodding, she realised that perhaps the best way to come at it was from the other end of the spout. She pushed the tweezers inside and within a minute she could feel the bottle coming loose. Eventually it fell into the pot and she pulled it out.

  ‘Good gracious – whatever are you doing in here?’ the girl said aloud as she realised that inside the bottle was a piece of paper.

  There was a knock on the door.

  ‘Alice-Miranda, do you have any more sticky tape?’ Jacinta called.

  ‘Of course – come in,’ the girl replied.

  Jacinta opened the door and ducked her head around. A long row of gifts was lined up along the wall – there were things the girl had been collecting all year for their neighbours and people who worked in the village, as well as some of the gifts she’d bought today.

  Alice-Miranda was holding the little glass bottle she’d just removed from the teapot’s spout.

  ‘What’s that?’ Jacinta asked.

  ‘The most delicious mystery,’ Alice-Miranda said and explained about the teapot she’d bought for Mrs Oliver and what she’d just found inside.

  ‘Have you opened it yet?’ Jacinta asked.

  Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘Shall we?’

  The girl pulled the tiny stopper from the top of the bottle and was about to grab the paper with the tweezers when Jacinta yelled, ‘Stop!’

  Alice-Miranda looked up. ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘I think everyone should be here. What if it’s something important – like the location of a buried treasure or a death bed confession?’

  ‘I’m sure that it’s probably nothing like that,’ Alice-Miranda said, but it was quite exciting, nonetheless.

  ‘Oh, come on,’ Jacinta said. ‘Let’s have some fun – we can be like those spy kids you love so much.’

  ‘Fine – we’ll round everyone up,’ Alice-Miranda said. She pushed the page back inside the bottle and put it in her pocket, then the pair hurried away to find their friends.

  ‘Meet you back here in ten minutes,’ Jacinta said. ‘And no peeking before we’re all together.’

  Alice-Miranda grinned and nodded. ‘You know I wouldn’t.’

  ‘Yes – I’m not sure why I even said that. If it was me on the other hand – I wouldn’t trust myself for a second,’ Jacinta said.

  The girls split up and raced away. Alice-Miranda flew downstairs while Jacinta checked the bedrooms upstairs. Soon all ten children were back inside Alice-Miranda’s bedroom waiting for the big reveal. Jacinta hadn’t told them what was going on – just that there was something thrilling they needed to see.

  Alice-Miranda had told the others much the same.

  When everyone was seated on the floor and on the bed and the rocking horse, Alice-Miranda regaled them with the tale of the bottle inside the teapot spout.

  ‘Did you check that it works now?’ Neville asked.

  ‘Who cares?’ Caprice said. ‘Alice-Miranda has a secret message to reveal.’

  The others agreed.

  ‘Okay – so this is what I found,’ Alice-Miranda said, pulling the bottle from her pocket and holding it up. She popped the top and, using the tweezers in her other pocket, removed the paper. It was rolled around and around. As she unfurled it, she could see that the writing was tiny script – beautifully written but very small.

  The girl squinted. ‘This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought.’

  ‘Hurry up! What does it say?’ Sloane gasped.

  ‘Okay,’ Alice-Miranda said, then began to read.

  My darling, if ever you find this, then you will know two things. One, that I am no longer here on earth and two, that I have done a despicable thing. For that I am truly sorry. You deserved so much better. My actions were unforgivable – but you must remember that I only did it for you.

  The girl paused.

  ‘Wow – this is deep,’ Millie said.

  ‘So, it is a deathbed confession – of sorts,’ Jacinta added, surprised that she had forecast the contents. ‘Amazing.’

  ‘Come on – keep going,’ Caprice ordered.

  The children were all on the edge of their seats.

  ‘It might just be a joke, you know,’ Lucas said. ‘Someone being funny.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Sep said. ‘Why would they go to all that trouble to hide it? This isn’t sounding as if it’s going to end in a laugh.’

  Alice-Miranda continued.

  Our daughter was ill. I knew she wouldn’t live past a few years. And we’d tried for a baby for so long. I couldn’t bear it. Not knowing that this was our last chance. Their child was healthy and they were planning to have more. It didn’t seem fair. I did what I had to do.

  The children were all leaning forward, hanging on Alice-Miranda’s every word.

  ‘What did they do?’ Sloane demanded.

  ‘Yes, please keep reading,’ Britt said.

  But the truth is . . .

  ‘What?’ the group chorused.

  Alice-Miranda looked up. ‘It’s smudged. I can’t read it.’

  ‘You have to,’ Caprice jumped up and ran to the girl’s side. ‘It can’t stop there – we need to know.’

  ‘Yes – who wrote it and why was it hidden inside a teapot spout?’ Neville said. ‘This is the greatest mystery ever.’

  Alice-Miranda scanned the rest of the page. It must have been wet at some stage because the ink bled into the page and was now faded beyond recognition. There was one thing near the end she could just make out.

  I love you, my darling, and I beg your forgiveness. Ast

  The group was on the edge of their seats.

  ‘That’s it – I can’t read anything more and the last sentence starts with three letters, a-s-t,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘But that doesn’t mean anything,’ Millie said. What’s a-s-t? Astonishingly, astoundingly?’

  ‘It could be a name,’ Britt said. ‘Perhaps it’s Astrid.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ Sep said.

  ‘Do you know anything about the teapot?’ Jacinta asked.

  Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘I do, actually. Miss Appleby said that it was among a box of things that Miss Wickham – she’s Mr Turner’s housekeeper – dropped off that had belonged to her sister. Her sister passed away recently and the pair weren’t on good terms – at least, that’s what Miss Appleby said.’

  ‘We should take it to her and see whether she has any ideas,’ Millie said.

  Alice-Miranda frowned. ‘I was planning to give the teapot to Mrs Oliver for Christmas. I could call Miss Wickham and see if we can meet – although I suspect she’s very busy with the party preparations, given that it’s tomorrow night.’

  The others agreed that’s exactly what she should do, but in the meantime most of the children had to get back to their wrapping. They weren’t as speedy as Alice-Miranda.

  ‘We’ve got the Christmas light ceremony tonight too,’ the girl reminded everyone. ‘Mummy says that we’ll leave at half five so we can get something to eat beforehand.’

  The children disappeared but Millie stayed behind.

  ‘I wish we could read that smudged part of the note,’ the girl said.

  ‘I’m almost afraid of what we might find out,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘It sounds as if whoever wrote it was extremely upset about whatever it was they did.’

  ‘True – but it could be important too. They talk about a baby being sick – that’s pretty drastic – and someone else’s child was healthy,’ Millie said, as she hopped up onto Alice-Miranda’s bed. She picked up Brummel Bear and hugged him tightly. ‘If it was something that affected your entire life then I think you’d want to know. It’s a bit like those long-lost family shows on television. Grandpa and I were watching one of the episodes a while back and we were both blubbering.’