Kensy pushed the lift button and prayed they weren’t about to meet anyone. To the twins’ great relief, the doors opened to reveal an empty carriage.

‘I don’t know where you think we’re going,’ Max grumbled, following her into the lift. ‘If it was Fitz, we have no idea where he went and this building isn’t exactly small. There are thirteen storeys.’

‘It was Fitz. I’d know that bald head anywhere.’ Kensy swiped the pass and pressed the button to take them to the top floor. ‘And I’m not leaving until I see Dame Spencer. Shouldn’t we do everything we can to find Mum and Dad?’

The doors slid back and the two terriers scuttled into a dimly lit hall. There was a black-and-white marble floor and timber panelling lined with portraits of men from another time. Each was illuminated by a brass picture light, which reminded Kensy of the paintings on the stairwell at Alexandria, although some were a touch more modern. It wasn’t until they reached the last one that Max stopped.

‘Kens,’ he whispered, pointing to the brass plaque beneath it.

The man in the picture was handsome with a thick head of salt-and-pepper hair and clear blue eyes. Apart from a small dimple in his left cheek, he could have been …

Sharp footsteps in the hallway interrupted his thoughts and both children spun around to find Song coming towards them. He had swapped his usual black dinner jacket for a tail coat and white tie. Wellie and Mac skittered behind Max’s legs and began to growl, baring their teeth.

‘Good afternoon, Master Maxim, Miss Kensington,’ the butler said with a deep bow. ‘I am – Aaaachooooo!’ An almighty sneeze cut the man short, and was followed by another three in quick succession. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and blew his nose. ‘Please excuse me. I am dreadfully allergic to canines.’

Max’s eyebrows jumped. ‘You’re Dame Spencer’s city butler.’

‘Quite right, Master Maxim. I am Sidney,’ the man sniffled. ‘At your service.’

Kensy’s eyes widened. ‘Song didn’t tell us you were twins!’ she blurted. It was strange that he left that bit out.

Sidney nodded. ‘Song is my younger brother by a minute and a half.’

Kensy grinned. ‘Max is younger than me by half an hour,’ she boasted.

‘And she never lets me forget it,’ Max said, rolling his eyes.

The butler chortled with understanding. ‘Well, Confucius says –’

‘Oh, don’t tell me you like country music too?’ Kensy said, recoiling.

‘No, Miss Kensington. That is ghastly stuff.’ Sidney shook his head vehemently. ‘I am a big fan of the King.’

Kensy turned to her brother. ‘Does he mean Elvis Presley?’

Sidney swivelled his hips and spun his left arm like a flywheel. ‘Thank you, thank you very much,’ he boomed in a deep voice.

Kensy and Max stuffed their fists into their mouths to stop themselves from laughing as they followed their private Elvis impersonator to the end of the corridor. It was only when a female voice beckoned them to enter that Kensy began to feel slightly queasy. She found herself questioning if this had been a good idea after all.

The butler led them into a beautifully decorated office with a vast mahogany desk and matching bookshelves behind it. There was a black marble fireplace and several comfortable-looking lounges. A colourful Chinese rug sat beneath them in the middle of the polished timber floor. ‘Ma’am, I would like to introduce Master Maxim Grey and his sister, Miss Kensington Grey,’ the man said, bowing, before retreating from the room.

Max gulped, remembering how his father often warned them to be careful of what they wished for.

Dame Spencer stood up from behind her desk. She was dressed in a striking navy pants suit, her soft grey hair framing an older but still very attractive face. Her piercing green eyes reminded Max of someone but he couldn’t place it.

‘Hello children, it’s lovely to meet you,’ she said. Her voice was clipped and perfunctory, as if she had a million other things she would rather be doing. ‘I see you’ve brought the dogs.’

Max didn’t know whether to let them go or to hold on more tightly, and Dame Spencer didn’t help him with the decision either.

‘We didn’t mean to interrupt your work,’ Kensy began. ‘We just wanted to meet you and thank you for your wonderful hospitality … in person.’

Max nodded. ‘Yes, thank you,’ he echoed. ‘I love your library at Alexandria. It’s amazing, especially with all those first editions. And the automaton Song showed us is incredible. We’d never seen anything like that before.’

Cordelia’s lips began to curve into a smile but stopped halfway.

Kensy nudged her brother to continue.

Max looked at her and frowned. He didn’t see why it was up to him to speak, seeing as though it was Kensy who got them into this mess in the first place. ‘As soon as Fitz brings our parents back, we’ll be off to Zermatt for the winter, but perhaps we might visit you again one day,’ he said lamely.

‘For goodness sake, Max,’ Kensy sighed. She turned to the woman. ‘We don’t want to visit you again,’ she said plainly. ‘No offence. We were just wondering whether you had reporters in Africa who might be able to help track down our parents. We wouldn’t expect you to help us for free. Max and I have been saving up our birthday money for years and we hardly ever touch our bank accounts. Or maybe you could run a story about Mum and Dad and then more people will be on the lookout? They’re probably not the only aid workers missing …’

Dame Spencer remained stony-faced as the girl prattled on, her lips pressed tightly in a straight line.

Kensy was about to start up again when her brother touched her arm. ‘We’re really sorry to have bothered you, Dame Spencer,’ the boy said. ‘We should head home – to your home – and I think Wellie might have to go to the toilet.’

All eyes turned to the pup dancing about in circles.

‘Oh, he just wants a cuddle.’ Dame Spencer walked around her desk and bent down to pick up the dog, cradling him in her arms. Wellie rewarded her with a tongue to the cheek. ‘I’m sorry, children, but you’ve caught me at an impossible time. I will see what I can do to help locate your parents, but I can’t promise anything.’

There was a loud knock on the door before Song poked his head in. To say he looked sheepish was something of an understatement. ‘My apologies, ma’am. I …’

Cordelia silenced him with a hand. She set Wellie down on the floor and gave Mac a ruffle on the head before walking back around to the other side of her desk. ‘Thank you for coming to see me,’ she said. ‘Make sure you look after them, Song, and perhaps you could keep a closer eye on things in future.’

Song bowed and, blushing, guided the children and dogs out the door.

The twins looked at one another, their faces etched with disappointment. Dame Spencer might have been a lot of things, but helpful wasn’t one of them.