The Merryweather Jewel Thefts.

Chapter 1

"What do we do now?" William hissed to Sedgefield, who shrugged lamely at him.
"Don't just shrug! We are hiding in the bathroom-no, private bathroom of Duchess Helena Roche, after sneaking in through her bedroom window in search of jewels which, quite frankly, aren't here, and all you can do is shrug! Really?" William complained, as quietly as possible.

"Allie?"

"And now, she's standing out there, with her HUSBAND, Sedgefield, and when they come into this bathroom, which they will, what are we going to do?" William continued. He would have gone further, had Sedgefield not calmly and deliberately put a hand over his mouth.
"Will you just stop panicking for a moment and listen?" Sedgefield hissed, putting his ear to the door, still with a very firm hand over William's mouth.
"The jewels, my dear! Where did you put them?" the voice of Duke Roche ordered.
"They're in the bathroom cabinet, dear, in my wash bag" the Duchess replied. Sedgefield signalled to William, and he scampered over to the cabinet, and began looking through the wash bag. The voices carried on.

"ALLIE!"

"Do you think we fooled them?"
"I'd say we did, old girl. Those idiots have no idea that the real Duke and Duchess Roche are away in France."

"Allie! For God's sake! Are you deaf?" Isabel stormed up the stairs, to where I was reading in the window seat in the upstairs hallway of 15A Praed Street.

"No, I'm reading!" I replied coldly. "You don't need to shout."

"A letter came for you" Isabel told me, shoving a letter into my hands. "Hopefully it'll be a new commission, so you can finally be out from under my feet" she added.

"Am I really that much of a bother, Isabel? It's only been two months!" I asked sweetly.

"Two months too many" Isabel said, under her breath, but I knew she meant for me to catch the words. "Come on, Allie, open it! Where are you going this time?" she then asked, jumping up onto the window seat with me, and squishing me against the wall. Really, she was so much bigger than me I wondered how I had survived our childhood.

I opened the letter and began to read. My jaw dropped.

"Miss Winter. I know it's been a while, but I'm afraid I need your help." Isabel read over my shoulder. "You see, Fisher and I are on the case of a jewel thief down in the Merryweather Country Club in Sussex, and we're not getting anywhere, and we're worried that the thief will strike again. Fisher suggested I write to you, and ask you to come down and see if you can sort the whole mess out, before any more jewels get stolen. I will send Fisher down to pick you up on the 20th of the month, if you think you can help. Bring your best clothes; Merryweather Country Club isn't usually a place for a governess. Sincerely, Chief Inspector Benjamin Barnes of Scotland Yard!" she finished with a squeal.

"I don't believe it!" I murmured.

"Allie, look! The letter's been diverted!" Isabel pointed out suddenly. "Today's the 20th! You need to pack!"

"Oops!" I squealed, jumping up, and running into my room. "What should I pack, do you think?"

"You should pack my old black dress, for a start" Isabel suggested.

"No! It's black, and I'm not going to Sussex wearing black!" I said obstinately, throwing it at her, just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. You pack" I ordered. "Oh, and not the black one!" I yelled up the stairs, as I ran down to the door. Opening it, I smiled as I saw Barnes and Fisher.

"I'm sorry" I apologised. "The letter got diverted, and I only got it this morning. I'm packing now-"

"There have been a few developments since I wrote to you" Barnes admitted. "Two more thefts have taken place. I'm afraid you booking in as a guest isn't going to cut it anymore."