Alice-Miranda unfurled the page again. She walked across to her desk and pulled a magnifying glass from the drawer.

  ‘You’re right. Let’s not give up yet,’ she said.

  Ellie arrived home, surprised to find her mother and brother in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music on the radio. She thought Juliette would have been at work and her brother was supposed to be in after-school care.

  The cloying smell turned Ellie’s stomach – she’d been feeling sick all day.

  ‘Hungry?’ Juliette called, as Ellie stormed into the hallway and threw her backpack into her room.

  ‘No!’ the girl yelled back.

  ‘I swapped a shift so I could pick Myles up from school because today’s the last day before Christmas holidays. Unfortunately, that means I have to work tomorrow.’

  Ellie’s heart hammered. She knew that was code for, ‘And you’re on babysitting duties.’

  She could hear Myles singing along loudly to ‘Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer’. He sang every word and yet he only spoke when he chose to.

  ‘Remember, we’re heading out to see the Christmas light ceremony tonight,’ Juliette said, as she appeared in Ellie’s doorway. ‘Myles is so excited. I told him I’d buy you some sparklers to celebrate together.’

  ‘I’m going to Hazel’s,’ Ellie said, bluntly. ‘And I’m not babysitting tomorrow if that’s what you were getting at.’

  Juliette frowned. ‘But we talked about this, Ellie. You said that you’d come with us and Myles is really looking forward to it – and you know I have to work.’

  ‘I promised Hazel I’d go with her,’ the girl said. ‘And we’ve got stuff on tomorrow too.’

  Juliette took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted was to fight with her daughter, but it seemed par for the course these days.

  ‘I need you to look after Myles tomorrow,’ Juliette said.

  Ellie could feel the heat rising up her neck.

  ‘Why can’t you get a sitter? I shouldn’t have to do it, Mum. I’m fourteen and for the first time in my life I have friends. Why is that so hard to understand?’ Ellie gritted her teeth.

  ‘I’d really like to meet these friends of yours,’ Juliette said.

  ‘They’re busy,’ Ellie said. She sat on the end of her bed, facing away from her mother.

  ‘Ellie – honey, what’s wrong?’ Juliette asked, walking over and putting her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. The girl recoiled and spun around.

  ‘Don’t,’ she spat and stood up. ‘Just leave me alone.’

  Juliette Byers could feel the tears prickling the back of her eyes, but she wouldn’t cry.

  ‘Ellie, come on, darling. This isn’t like you at all,’ the woman tried again.

  ‘Go away, Mum. I’m not worth worrying about,’ Ellie said. ‘And I’m not looking after Myles tomorrow – I won’t.’

  ‘What’s the matter, Ellie?’ Myles said, appearing in the doorway. ‘Don’t you want to be my friend anymore?’

  Ellie’s heart sank. Myles padded into the room and over to where she was standing with her arms crossed and her back to the door (and to her mother).

  ‘Ellie – we’re going to see the lights,’ he said. ‘And there’re going to be decorations too.’

  The fact that he was telling her all this – it meant something to Myles.

  She bit her lip and pressed her eyes together tightly, willing the tears that were building to stay away.

  She turned to look at the boy. He had that goofy grin on his face – the one that always made her smile too.

  ‘I’ll see you there a little later,’ she said and pulled him into her embrace. ‘I promise. And make sure that you take your decorations with you.’

  It was a tactical comment. If he had his own things, he might not want to pocket others that didn’t belong to him.

  Myles nodded and pressed his forehead hard against hers.

  ‘Thank you,’ Juliette mouthed at her daughter.

  She steered Myles back into the hallway with the promise of more hot chocolate and some Christmas craft.

  Ellie walked over and looked at the mirror on the ancient dressing table. The silver inside the glass had bled around the edges and it was cracked in one corner. She stared at her reflection, wondering who the girl staring back at her even was.

  ‘Hurry up, everyone,’ Caprice called, as Millie arrived in the kitchen.

  ‘Keep your hair on,’ Millie retorted. ‘Jacinta’s just gone back to get her scarf and the boys are already outside.’ They were kicking a football around on the driveway. ‘Alice-Miranda’s looking for her parents and I’m not sure where the other girls are.’

  ‘We’ll be late,’ Caprice said.

  ‘No, we won’t,’ Millie replied. ‘We’re getting food first. There’s this amazing crepe truck and a burger van and pizza. Speaking of food, have you talked to your mother at all?’

  Caprice shook her head. ‘No, I’m sure that she doesn’t have time to be worrying about me.’

  ‘And you still don’t know where she is?’ Millie asked.

  ‘No,’ Caprice said. ‘And vice versa.’

  Millie frowned. ‘But you said that you called and let her know that you were coming here. You told her about the accident too, didn’t you?’

  Caprice’s eyebrows jumped up. She swallowed hard. ‘Of course. I didn’t mean it like that.’

  Millie frowned again and this time the lines were even deeper. ‘Caprice – you know I can read you like a book. There’s something you’re not telling me.’

  Caprice grabbed the girl’s arm. ‘Please don’t say anything. Cecelia will kill me – and then if I’m not already dead my mother will too.’ There was a frightened look in her eyes.

  ‘What are you worried about?’ Millie asked. ‘Surely your mother would want to know where you are?’

  Caprice sighed. ‘I was so mad that she dumped me at the last minute to work. Then I was worried that she wouldn’t let me come, so I didn’t tell her. She’s called a few times and I’ve ignored her.’

  Millie grinned. ‘I suppose I’d be pretty annoyed if my parents changed their plans like that too – but you really should let her know where you are. And I’m surprised that Mrs Clarkson let you get away with it.’

  ‘I think she was desperate to get rid of me, and I might have lied and told her that I’d spoken to Mummy. But please don’t tell anyone else,’ Caprice said and bit her lip.

  Millie nodded. ‘I won’t. But your mother might be a bit cross when she finds out.’

  ‘I’m not even sure that she will be. Mummy’s so preoccupied with work at the moment,’ Caprice said.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ Millie asked.

  Caprice shrugged. ‘I know I tell everyone how famous and successful she is, but I have a feeling that things aren’t going too well. In fact, I know they aren’t.’

  ‘How bad is it?’ Millie asked.

  ‘Let’s just say it’s lucky I’m on a scholarship at school or I’m fairly certain my parents would have to pull me out,’ the girl replied. ‘I think Sweet Things is about to be axed. There’s this new chef, Sophie Garceau – she has a show called Pressure Cooker and everyone loves it, and her. To make matters even worse, the restaurants aren’t doing well either. They don’t think I know, but I overheard Mum and Dad talking. That’s why I was so excited about going to Italy – I thought we could all escape and forget about things for a while and just have a good Christmas.’

  Millie’s eyebrows jumped up.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear it, but my lips are sealed,’ Millie said, as Alice-Miranda bounced into the kitchen.

  ‘Thank you,’ Caprice mouthed.

  ‘Where is everyone?’

  ‘Coming!’ Jacinta called out as she charged into the room, followed by Britt, Sloane and Chessie.

  ‘We’d better get a move on,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Mummy said to go ahead and she’ll catch us up in a bit. Daddy’s still not home from work, but he said that he’ll meet us there.’

  Dolly Oliver walked through from the side sitting room where she and Mrs Shillingsworth had just been doing some gift wrapping of their own.

  ‘Come along then,’ Dolly said. The group walked outside where a chill wind had sprung up.

  ‘Make sure you’ve all got enough warm clothes on,’ Shilly said.

  The children set off along the driveway, collecting Mr and Mrs Greening on the way. Everyone was off to the light ceremony, including their stablehand, Max, who had already gone on ahead.

  When they reached the barns at the edge of the farm, they were joined by Jasper and Poppy Bauer and their parents, Heinrich and Lilly. The woman greeted Lucas with a hug and a kiss. (No one was shocked, given he was her nephew.) And Poppy swiftly hitched a ride on the boy’s back. Jacinta loped along beside the pair, letting herself imagine life when they were older. Maybe she and Lucas would have a little girl like Poppy themselves one day.

  ‘Did you get a chance to call Miss Wickham?’ Millie asked Alice-Miranda.

  ‘I did but she was out,’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘I’ll try again in the morning, though I’m sure I’ll see her tomorrow night at the party, or perhaps she’ll be at the light ceremony too.’

  Millie nodded. She looked ahead and realised that Neville was walking beside Chessie. The pair seemed deep in conversation. She wondered where Sep was and if he knew that yet again, he and Neville were competing for the one girl’s affections.

  Alice-Miranda began talking to Britt, who was on the other side of the trio. Millie turned around and was surprised that Sep was right behind her. She stumbled and almost fell backwards, but Sep grabbed her before she landed in a puddle.

  ‘Oops,’ she said.

  ‘That was close,’ Sep said, grinning. ‘Couldn’t have you covered in mud, Millie – especially not in that lovely coat.’

  Millie felt her insides turn to mush.

  ‘What? This old thing,’ she said, rolling her eyes. She hardly dared to imagine that Sep had actually noticed her – but her coat was rather nice. Her parents had bought it for her last winter and she’d loved it more than anything she’d ever owned before.

  ‘You know you don’t always have to put yourself down, Millie,’ Sep said.

  ‘Okay,’ the girl squeaked. In her head she was telling herself off for being so stupid. Sep was talking to her – he was saying nice things and she needed to say something sensible. Millie drew herself up taller and smiled.

  ‘So, did you get all the gifts you were after?’ she asked.

  Sep nodded. ‘I think so. Though there was one that I’m still not sure about – I really want it to be perfect.’

  The pair fell back behind the others and talked all the way to the village. Millie felt as if a swarm of butterflies had invaded her tummy and she couldn’t have loved it more.

  Kane Hendrix held onto the steering wheel and looked across at his younger brother beside him. ‘Are you sure that they’re all going out?’

  ‘She said they were,’ Jake replied, turning to look at Ellie. She was sitting on the floor in the back of the van, leaning against the side wall. Hazel was next to her and Liam opposite.

  Ellie had been wondering how they were going to steal the baubles, but it had now become clear. Kane had arrived home a while ago in a black van that belonged to the parcel delivery company he worked for.

  ‘But what if there is someone home?’ Ellie asked. Her mind was a whirl of worries.

  ‘Well, then you’re a liar,’ Kane said. ‘But I’ve got it covered. I’m delivering a parcel – then I realise I’ve messed up the address and it’s for someone else on the estate. I’ve been here heaps of times before, so it’s not as though seeing me would be a surprise.’

  Ellie couldn’t believe the situation she’d got herself into.

  ‘What if they have an alarm system?’ Ellie asked quietly. ‘And cameras?’

  Kane scoffed. ‘From what I’ve seen on my rounds, rich people – I mean properly rich people – don’t seem to be that worried about security. Back door’s never locked here, as far as I know – not even when they’re away. I’ve popped a parcel inside a couple of times – there was a note from one of the staff to do it. And I’ve never seen any evidence of cameras or the like.’

  Ellie picked at the skin around her fingernails and bit the quicks. The family was super trusting, that’s for sure – especially with dirtbags like Kane and his friends around.

  ‘Are you excited?’ Hazel asked, raising her eyebrows at the girl.

  Ellie nodded but didn’t say a word.

  ‘Don’t look so scared then. Enjoy it,’ Hazel said. ‘It’s not as if we’re doing anything wrong. Think of it as a community service.’

  Ellie had started thinking that it wasn’t like that at all. Stealing was stealing – wasn’t it?

  The van drove on and Ellie could hear Jake and Kane chatting away in the front seat. They were talking about when they were going to start decorating all the houses with the stuff they’d stolen so far and that it was all stored in a shed – but they didn’t say if it was at their house or Liam’s, or somewhere else. Jake said something about having a map of the addresses that were in for a Christmas surprise. Ellie almost died when she heard him mention the row of terraces she lived in.

  ‘No, not there,’ she blurted.

  ‘Why?’ Liam said. ‘Those places need cheering up more than anywhere in the village.’ A smirk appeared on the boy’s lips. ‘Do you live in one of those dumps?’

  Ellie shook her head. ‘No – of course not.’

  Hazel turned to look at her. ‘Actually, I just realised I don’t know where you live either – and you’ve never invited me over.’

  The girl had been dreading the question for ages but fortunately they were interrupted by Kane, who said that they’d arrived at their destination.

  ‘Looks like the coast is clear,’ the lad said. He parked the van down beside a brick barn, out of sight. Liam opened the sliding door and he jumped out, followed by Hazel. Ellie was still sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees.

  ‘Hurry up, slow coach,’ Hazel said. ‘We haven’t got all night.’

  Ellie stood up and exited the vehicle. She followed the others and almost died when she caught sight of the size of the house. Hazel’s house was big enough, but this was like a palace.

  ‘I’ll never find the charity box in there,’ the girl gasped.

  ‘Of course not,’ Jake said. ‘Just take something else and we’ll know you can be trusted.’

  Ellie gulped. Somehow that seemed even worse.

  Kane told everyone to stay close to the barn while he scouted the perimeter. He took a parcel to the back door and rang the bell, then waited. But after a while he decided there was no one home.

  ‘Come on,’ he motioned to the rest of the group to follow him. They rounded the edge of the house and spotted the Christmas display.

  ‘Paydirt,’ Liam declared. ‘These baubles are mad. They’re going to look fantastic in someone’s front garden – way better than here.’

  ‘Yeah – I reckon,’ Jake said. ‘But I hope they’re not heavy.’

  Ellie had followed the rest of them.

  ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Kane whispered. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be proving your worth?’

  Ellie swallowed hard and scurried back to the porch where Kane had been ringing the bell. She tried the handle and was surprised that, like the boy said, the door opened and she found herself in a huge old-fashioned kitchen with a scrubbed-pine table and the biggest cooker she’d ever clapped eyes on. The place smelled like a hug. Ellie had never been inside a house like this before – so grand – and warm. What a dream, not feeling chilled to the bone every winter. That would be heaven.

  But she wasn’t there to enjoy the Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones family’s hospitality. She had to find something to take and fast.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple – everywhere she looked there were ‘things’, but what could she take that no one would miss?

  She decided on a teaspoon – that seemed inconsequential enough.

  Ellie pulled out a couple of drawers before she found what she was after.

  Then she slipped the silver spoon into her jacket pocket and headed for the back door. She could see Hazel holding a giant bauble with her brother and racing back towards the barn to load it into the van. Liam was carrying a reindeer made from wire.

  Ellie was about to leave when her stomach cramped violently. Could the timing have been any worse? She needed the toilet and fast. She looked around, wondering where there might be a bathroom. Surely, there had to be one somewhere close by. Ellie raced into a small sitting room off the kitchen but there was nothing. So she headed back through the kitchen door into a hallway that led to some of the most magnificent rooms she’d ever seen. Still nothing. If there was a powder room somewhere, it was certainly well hidden. She passed by an enormous Christmas tree and raced up the staircase, turning the handle of the first door she came to. It was a bedroom – and a beautiful one at that. There was another door and thankfully a bathroom. Ellie unzipped her jeans and sat down, feeling a flood of relief wash over her.

  ‘Oh my gosh,’ she mumbled and quickly put herself back together and washed her hands. She stepped out into the bedroom with its gorgeous four-poster bed, a doll’s house that looked as if it belonged in a museum and a giant rocking horse with a mane that she could have sworn was real.

  This must be Alice-Miranda’s room.

  Of course, it was. Spoilt brat. The kid had everything. Imagine growing up and never wondering where your next meal was coming from or if you’d have a warm bed to sleep in. It must have been the best feeling in the world.

  Ellie noticed the bookcase with so many of her favourite titles. There were copies of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess side by side. Ellie pulled them both out. She flicked to the imprint page and realised that the volume she was holding was a first edition. And then she spotted the presents all lined up along the wall between the huge double height windows. Ellie knelt down to take a closer look. There must have been fifty gifts at least and she was shocked to see the label Juliette Byers and Family on one of the tags. Why was the kid giving her family presents? That was ridiculous. The child was ridiculous.