Chapter 3 The bed and breakfast a cool old place looked like the houses described in the Vicky and Alice books How do I flush the toilet asked Amanda Just pull the chain silly shouted Leah from their bedroom Amanda looked around The only chain hung from a porcelain box high up on the wall She gave it a tug The toilet flushed Amazing she thought Breakfast came on a huge plate bacon sausages eggs fried potatoes mushrooms fried tomatoes and baked beans Amanda took a piece of unbuttered toast from a silver rack She placed a square of butter in the middle and tried to spread it The butter refused to move over the cold darkened piece of bread which eventually broke in half She decided to eat it without butter and dunked it in the soft egg yolk Where are we going today I need to work on the boat said Mr Anderson I can drop you off at Osborne House for the morning Mrs Anderson thought it would be fun to explore Oh droll I went there on a school trip once It was boring Leah rolled her eyes What is it asked Amanda It was the summer vacation house of Queen Victo ria and her family They have some very nice displays there now and I know you would enjoy it Amanda You could have tea there and I will pick you up after lunch said Mr Anderson Well at least the gardens are nice there We could take a stroll around and talk I guess There isn't much else to do here anyway Leah winked at Aman
Leah's dad dropped the girls off at the entrance of a large house How could this be a summer vacation home Osborne House looked like a palace to Amanda A large wild boar greeted the girls on one side of the front door and a huge mastiff dog stood on the other side Luckily they were made of stone Once inside Amanda was amazed at how elegant and mag nificent the house appeared The walls covered in paintings and the hallways lined with bronze sculp tures made it feel more like a museum than a home Pretty posh isn't it said Leah A painting of a family covered one entire wall in what seemed like the dining room Is this them The royal family asked Amanda A woman wearing a crown an elegant gentleman three pretty little girls in frilly dresses a young boy in a sailor suit and a baby made up the painting Yes that s Queen Victoria Prince Albert and five of their nine children replied Leah Nine children What a large family I would love to have all those brothers and sisters Not me replied Leah They'd just be a nui Sance Amanda looked at the names under the painting The three little girls were called Victoria Alice and Helena Let s check out the nursery it might be more inter esting than this Leah started up a set of marble stairs The nursery seemed much cosier than the rest of the house The furniture still fancy but in smaller proportions looked adorable An old music box with a medieval castle scene sat on a table When Amanda turned the handle the figures began to move A knight on a horse pranced over the draw bridge and a princess appeared on a
This is so awesome remarked Amanda A dollhouse and a rocking horse stood in another corner beside two cribs and a small bed A bookshelf lined another wall Amanda could not resist glancing through the well worn novels She spotted a row of Vicky and Alice books I can't believe it Amanda didn't know there were so many of them twenty two in all She ran her eyes down the line of books to see which ones she had read Vicky and Alice at the Seashore was there but wait a minute number 14 is miss ing A small gap appeared where it should have been Leah looked out the window Come and see the garden from here Amanda It's a lovely view We really should go for a walk in it Amanda joined her friend and agreed that the chil dren certainly had a great view from their bedroom window They could even see the sea Hey aren't those the teenagers you know The ones who said hello to you on the ferry A girl with a bright pink Mohawk and a boy in an England T shirt ran in and out of the shrubs and stat ues as it running away from someone Yes that s them all right and it looks like she has a book in her hand How fast can we get to the gar den Amanda looked around for a
Chapter 4 This way Leah pointed to a set of back stairs leading to a door The girls opened the door and found themselves on a balcony overlooking the gar den They're over there by the fountain Amanda started down another set of stairs Hey you stop Amanda shouted as she ran past the stone fountain surrounded by red and yellow tulips The teenagers slipped out of sight behind a hedge Amanda passed a large carved black dog a row of bird baths and a granite bench She narrowed her eyes but couldn't see them anymore Leah ran up beside her Wowza Amanda You sure were running fast What is it I think they stole a book out of the nursery A Vicky and Alice book is missing Where could they have gone I told you they were wasters I can't see them any where Leah scanned the grounds That makes me so angry Why would anyone want to steal a Vicky and Alice book Amanda shook her head Leah put her arm around her friend Let s have a cup of tea I don't think there is anything we can do about it The girls walked through the gardens and back to the terrace teahouse Leah ordered tea for two The tea came in a large china pot painted with pink roses just like the ones growing in the garden around them The waitress brought a three tiered china serving platter filled with mini cakes scones and dainty
