The Faerie Ring (10 page)

“The queen’s ring?” Fiona asked.

“Yes.” Tiki looked over at her. “We’re talking about who will pay the most and how we can get the money without being caught.”

“Oh.” Fiona yawned again. “Why don’t you just sell it back to the royals?” She gave them a sleepy smile. “They probably want it returned. Maybe they’ll give you a reward.”

Tiki’s eyes locked on the young girl. Sell the ring back to the royals? An image of the handbill she’d found outside the station flashed before her. There was a reward being offered. It was clear that they were desperate for the ring’s return. Why not pretend they’d found the ring and return it for the reward? Tiki’s lips stretched in a big smile. “Fiona, you’re brilliant.”

*   *   *

A
T
first light, Tiki snuck out of the clockmaker’s shop and hurried outside. There was a large section of wall on the front of Charing Cross that was designed to post information. It didn’t take long to find another handbill tacked there. She ripped it free.

She skimmed over the words and came to a stop on the red letters scrawled across the middle of the page. Five hundred pounds! A fortune.

Her gaze riveted on one line: “If you have any information, contact Captain Davis-Smith of the Royal Horse Guards.” Tiki hurried back inside and showed the handbill to Shamus, Toots, and Fiona.

“Five hundred pounds?” Fiona stared at Tiki with wide eyes. “We’d be bloody rich.”

“We’d never run out of food again,” Toots cried. He skipped around the room in excitement.

“But how can we tell the Guards we have the ring without getting arrested?” Shamus asked. “If we tell them we know where it is, they’ll want to know how we know. It’s not like a bunch of street rats are going to be able to hand them the ring and they’ll hand us the reward.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t work that way.”

“You’re right.” Tiki sighed. “Somehow, we’ve got to give them the ring without being seen.”

Toots stopped and looked at her with wide eyes. “No way to do that unless you’re invisible.”

*   *   *

T
HEY
spent hours discussing ways to collect the reward, but in the end there was always the possibility of getting caught. In the meantime, food needed to be either stolen or purchased with stolen coins.

Tiki nodded at Fiona, and they both edged closer to their mark. The woman’s vivid red hair, with the blue hat pinned to the center of her head, reminded Tiki of an actress who used to shop at Mr. Potts’s bookstore. But this woman was much larger, and her stout arms were so full of packages that she could barely see where she was going. Her bright blue handbag dangled on her arm like a sweet begging to be eaten.

“Flowers, mum?” Fiona called out to the woman, holding up a red rose she had snitched from a nearby shop.

“Oh, no, thank you, dear, not a hand to hold it with, I’m afraid,” the woman replied. Tiki put her head down and moved forward, her shoulder bumping hard against the woman’s arm as she reached for the coin purse within the handbag. Instead, the strap snapped and the whole thing fell into her arms.

“S’cuse me,” the woman called in a singsong voice, unable to see Tiki below her bundles amid the thick Christmas holiday traffic. Tiki grunted in return as she shoved the heavy bag under the coat hanging over her arm and gave Fiona a slight nod.

“Hey, you there!”

Startled, Tiki glanced back over her shoulder. Her breath froze in her throat. A bobby was staring right at her.

“I want a word with you.”

“Fi, run!” Tiki took off, tucking the coat and handbag under her arm as she raced around startled travelers. She skidded around a corner and headed down a hallway, zigzagging around people and trolleys filled with luggage. Daring a glance behind, Tiki saw the bobby’s blue suit hurrying around the corner, his head swiveling back and forth as he looked for her. On impulse, she dove into Mr. Potts’s bookstore, located along one of the walls within the station down from where the trains loaded. Her breath came in great gasps as she hurried into the store, looking for a place to stash the coat and handbag.

“Can I help you?” a wavery voice called.

Tiki raced to the end of the aisle, stopped in the darkest corner, and dropped to the floor. She pulled a number of books from the lowest shelf and shoved her dark coat with the bag wrapped inside onto the shelf in their place. With a grunt, she hefted the stack of books and dropped them on a nearby shelf.

Taking a deep breath, Tiki slid her hands in her pockets and whistled a soft tune as she tried to catch her breath. She sauntered toward the front of the shop, perusing the titles on the shelf as she walked.

“Wot you be about today, young miss?”

Tiki feigned surprise as she glanced up. “Oh, hello, Mr. Potts. Didn’t see you when I wandered in.” Large windows covered the front of the shop, providing a wide-open view to the railway station filled with passersby. Tiki eased toward the window.

“Didn’t look like you were ‘wandering’ to me. Looked like you were flyin’.” The stooped old man eyed her suspiciously. “Not runnin’ from somebody, were you?”

“Who, me?” Tiki asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced at a stack of newspapers balanced on the corner of his old desk, the headline in bold print:
QUEEN VICTORIA TO HOST A MASKED BALL FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS ON DECEMBER 16
^TH
.

Four days away. She envisioned the piles of food she’d seen in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace, imagined the music of the orchestra playing in the distance. She wondered whether Prince Leo would be there.

Tiki scanned the area outside the store. “Have you got any new books for me to read?”

“As a matter of fact, I’ve got a new one right back here.” The old man shuffled away, disappearing between the racks of books.

“Why did you leave the child?”

Tiki jumped and whirled around to stare in surprise at the familiar blond girl who stood behind her. Where had she come from?

“W-what?” Tiki stuttered.

The girl stepped closer, and for a second Tiki caught a whiff of something that reminded her of the succulent smell of honeysuckle on a hot summer day.

“I want to know why you took the child to that place and left her? She’s
your
responsibility.” The girl’s striking beauty was diminished by the anger that blazed in her eyes. For a second, Tiki was afraid the girl was going to strike her.

Tiki took a step back. “Who are you? What do you want?”

A scream rang outside the bookstore, and Tiki jerked around. A bobby had Fiona by the arm and was marching her away.

Tiki rushed out the door and raced toward Fiona and the bobby. She slowed as she neared, sneaking up behind the two of them, keeping on her toes as she shadowed their steps. There had to be a way to get the bobby to release Fiona.

“Watch it!” a voice called on her left.

Tiki jumped out of the way as a porter pushed an overloaded trolley of suitcases toward her. As the cart veered to miss her, a small valise fell to the floor near her feet. Before the porter could slow the heavy cart enough to retrace his steps, Tiki wrapped her fingers around the soft sides of the bag. Her eyes shifted from the porter to the policeman. Clutching the valise in front of her, Tiki headed for the bobby.

When she was a step behind him, she yelled.

“Officer!”

The man’s shoulders jerked in surprise, and he turned in response. Using both hands, Tiki shoved the valise as hard as she could straight into his stomach, forcing him to drop his hold on Fiona. As soon as he loosened his grip, Fiona ran.

“Found this, sir, someone must’ve dropped it,” Tiki said. From behind, she could hear the porter shouting. She grabbed the bill of her cap and dipped her head, then turned and darted away through the crowds.

*   *   *

S
EVERAL
hours later, Fiona sat across from Tiki as they took turns pulling one item at a time from the stolen handbag they had retrieved from Mr. Potts’s bookshop. Fiona pulled out a small silver box. She snapped open the lid.

“Look at this,” she cried in delight. Inside, resting on a bed of red silk, lay a small silver filigreed brush and mirror. She pulled out the brush and ran it through her short, scruffy hair. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

Tiki eyed the set. “I wonder how much they’re worth?”

“Ooh, feel how heavy this is.” Fiona pulled a small purse from the bag. She grinned as she shook it, the coins jingling inside.

“Open it, see how much there is,” Tiki urged.

Fiona loosened the drawstrings and poured the coins into Tiki’s hands in a tinkling waterfall. “Look at it all.” Her face glowed with excitement.

Tiki nodded in satisfaction. “Hot-cross buns for Toots tonight, eh? Maybe we can sneak one into the hospital for Clara, too.” She closed her fingers around the coins and noticed the dirt encrusted under her nails. Filthy, every single one of them. When was the last time she’d had a bath? When she was little her mother would bathe her two or three times a week with scented soap.

“What are you looking at, Teek?”

Tiki sighed. “Nothing. I was just thinking I need a bath.”

Fiona laughed. “What for?”

“I’m tired of being dirty all the time.”

“The way I see it, there’s no point in getting all cleaned up unless you’re planning on going to a ball. You’ll just get dirty all over again the next day.” Fiona leaned forward to peer into the depths of the bag, her short brown hair sticking up in all directions. “What else is in there?”

Tiki’s eyes were riveted on Fiona. “What did you say?”

Fiona looked up in surprise. “I said, what else is in the bag?”

“No, before that.”

Fiona gave her a confused look. “I said, unless you’re going to a ball, what’s the point of bathing?”

Tiki jumped to her feet. “Fi, that’s it!”

The swinging plank of wood that marked the entrance to their home shifted to one side and Toots and Shamus came in, breathing hard. Toots collapsed on a pile of blankets next to Tiki, rolling on his back and gasping, his sides heaving in and out like a bellows. Shamus leaned against the wall, his hands on his knees.

Shamus gulped for air. “There’s a lot of bobbies out there tonight.”

“We had a little trouble earlier ourselves,” Fiona said.

Tiki looked from one to the other. “What happened? Did you steal something?”

“Just this.” Shamus grinned, opening his coat to reveal a large meat pasty. “And this.” He pulled open the other side of his jacket, disclosing a loaf of fresh bread.

“And this,” Toots added from the floor. He pulled a fresh chunk of cheddar from under his shirt and grinned with pride.

Tiki and Fiona laughed together. “A feast! We’ll have food for a week!”

*   *   *

I
T
was almost an hour later when Toots heaved a sigh as he passed a loud burst of gas.

“Ugghh, Toots, stop it,” Fiona said. “Why do you always do that?” Next to her, Shamus plugged his nose.

Tiki groaned as she loosed her long braid. “Toots, does that only happen when you eat or if you just breathe the air?”

Toots giggled. “I heard a couple of the bobbies talking in the station today. They were saying that they’ve tripled the guards over at the palace. What with the queen’s ring getting snatched and all. Guards on every door to make sure nothing else gets stolen.”

“Yes.” Tiki nodded. “But that’s no problem for us.” She paused, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Why’s that?” Shamus asked.

“Because the royals aren’t guarding against something being returned.”

Three sets of eyes turned to look at her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Toots asked.

“I’ve figured out how to collect the reward for the ring.”

“You have?” Fiona gasped.

“Tell us,” Toots cried.

Shamus gave her a questioning look, his response slow and measured, as usual. “Let’s hear it, then.”

“The queen is going to have a masked ball on the sixteenth.” Tiki leaned forward, her eyes shining with excitement. “I’m planning on attending.”

Fiona clapped her hands in delight. “A ball? Will you wear a beautiful gown?” She pushed herself off the floor and twirled in place, holding imaginary skirts out from her side.

Toots turned his nose up in disgust. “Why would you want to go to a ruddy ball?”

“What are you thinking, Teek?” Shamus asked.

“I’ll sneak into the ball, hide the ring, and get out.” She smiled, pleased with herself. “Then we’ll collect the reward and tell the royals where the ring is after we have the money.”

“That’s brilliant, Teek.” Toots jumped up excitedly. “How’re you going to do that, exactly?”

“But will you dance first?” Fiona asked.

Shamus snorted out a disbelieving laugh. “I think you’ve gone daft.”

Tiki smiled. “I have a plan. First, I’ll have to find a dress,” she said. “And then—”

“And what do you mean, you’ll ‘hide the ring’?” Shamus interrupted.

Tiki shifted her gaze to him. “It’s obvious we can’t just walk up to the Guards and hand someone the ring. We’ve gone round and round trying to figure out a way to trade the ring for the reward, but in the end it’s just too risky.”

“But where are you going to hide it at, Teek?” Fiona asked. Her face was alight at the idea of Tiki attending a royal ball.

“I’m going to hide the ring in bloody Buckingham Palace. Right back where I found it.” Tiki beamed at them. This was the solution they’d been looking for. Not only would she not have to worry anymore about being arrested for stealing the ring, but she would be able to claim the reward and also be rid of Rieker and the faeries at the same time. It was perfect.

“You’ve lost your bloody mind.” Shamus paced back and forth, his hands behind his back.

Fiona twirled and hummed a snippet of a tune. “I’d like to go to a ball.”

“But how will they know where to look?” Toots asked.

“Shh, the lot of you need to be quiet and just listen for a minute.” Tiki leaned forward again, her voice low. “I’m going to sneak into the ball and hide the ring. Someplace where no one will think to look. Then I’m going to sneak back out. They won’t even know I was there. I’ll be invisible, just like Toots said.” She smiled over at the young boy.