When the sun sets more than once a day and the world's diamonds are stolen, a small brave girl, struggling to belong, has secrets to discover.
Marigold leaves her lonely life to join extraordinary thieves, Bert and Bob. Who is their Mistress? What i...
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At the top of her tower of books, Marigold tried not to think about Lady Artifice's plans for her. She poured some water from Jet's bowl over the carrot tops she was growing on the narrow window ledge. She'd asked Bert not to eat the whole of the vegetable. With teeth, which were as big and strong as a horse's, he'd happily bitten off the tops for her. She smiled as she examined the thin stems and delicate leaves rising up from them towards the sunlight.
'Bert! Bob! Jet!' shrieked the unmistakable voice of Lady Artifice from above.
Marigold jumped. She had to drop the bowl to stop herself stop herself falling from the tower.
'Look out!' she called down to Bert and Jet.
Crash! It struck the floor and smashed into three pieces. As she caught sight of Bert's stripey back and Jet's tail disappearing through the door, she realised her friends were never in danger of being hit. She wondered where Bob was. She looked across the room and found him huddled in a corner. He was kissing a diamond. He ran his finger along a spine of a book. A section of the shelf it was on moved forward.
It's a door.
Marigold leant forward and tried to peer into the dark hole behind it. Bob dragged the diamond from his lips and pushed it into the hole.
What's he up to?
'Bob!' came Lady Artifice's cry.
She watched him secure the secret door and drag himself to his feet.
'Seven flights of stairs', he moaned.
'It's eight actually', she said.
Surprised, the pig thing looked around to locate her.
'You've forgotten the one up to the entrance hall' she smiled.
He stared up at her and snorted with contempt. The library door was banged behind him. She waited for the familiar click of the key turning in the lock. But there was only the fading sound of Bob's huffing and puffing. Silence. She studied the door suspiciously - as if she couldn't trust her own ears. She climbed down the book tower and ran to the door. She reached out her hand and pushed it.
The door swung open. Marigold slipped through it. She found herself running up the steps.
In the entrance hall, purple, red and green patches of light were glowing on the floor. The sun was illuminating the stained glass windows. Despite the coat of dirt on them, she could now make out their patterns of swirling tulips and parrots.
It's a different place during daylight.
The sun was also streaming through the tiny gaps between the heavy front door and its frame. It felt like it was calling to her. Could she get out? She tugged at the large round metal handle. The door began to move a little.
