‘Good morning, everyone.’ Ophelia Grimm stood centre stage in the assembly hall the following morning. ‘I’m sorry to have dragged you away from your Saturday activities but I have a very important announcement to make and I wanted you all to hear it at the same time.’

At the side of the hall, several local newspaper reporters and photographers had gathered and the local radio journalist was crouched down in front of the lectern, pushing his fluffy microphone towards the headmistress.

Alice-Miranda, Jacinta, Millie and Sloane were sitting together in the audience.

‘What are Miss Hephzibah and Miss Henrietta doing here?’ Millie whispered. The two elderly women had been escorted onto the stage by Charlie Weatherly and were now seated at the end of the teachers’ row, smiling at the girls.

Sloane shrugged. ‘It must be something to do with the teaching college. I can’t believe we’re missing a game for this.’

Miss Grimm was about to speak, when she was distracted by someone entering the hall.

‘Hello, hello girls, lovely to be here on this special day!’ Silas Wiley strode down the centre aisle, his robes flowing and chain jangling.

‘Seriously, what’s he doing here?’ one journalist asked another.

‘I’ve never known anyone so keen to get his face in the paper,’ said the other, shaking his head. ‘And the robes? Again? You’ve got to be kidding me.’

Silas smiled at the cameras as he trotted towards the stage.

‘Mayor Wiley,’ Ophelia Grimm frowned. ‘This is an unexpected surprise. What an honour to have you with us.’

Alice-Miranda felt her heart beat faster.

Silas strode across the stage and shook hands with Miss Grimm. ‘Carry on, Miss Grimm. But I’d like some time after you, if I may?’ Silas grinned at her and, after the teachers and guests had shuffled down, took a seat.

The headmistress shot the man a sidelong glance then continued her announcement. ‘Girls, as you all know, quite a few months ago now, Professor Winterbottom and I made plans with Miss Fayle and Mrs Sykes to open a teaching college as part of the renovation of Caledonia Manor. Unfortunately, we have had no end of problems with some of the planning permissions with the council.’ She turned and glared at Silas Wiley, who tried not to squirm under her gaze. ‘So, I am afraid to say that the current project has now been put on hold.’

‘Boring, who cares?’ Sloane grouched.

The photographers snapped away, mostly in a bid to capture the sour look on Silas’s face.

‘But I have some good news. Many years ago, Caledonia Manor served as the original site of the Fayle School for Boys. As such, we have been able to employ a loophole,’ Miss Grimm went on.

Jacinta reached out and grabbed Alice-Miranda’s hand. Alice-Miranda smiled at her friend.

‘I’m delighted to announce that we will extend Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale all the way through to leaving. As of next year, we will be a primary and secondary academy.’

The whole hall erupted with cheers.

‘We can stay!’ Susannah leapt into the air and hugged Ashima. Danika, the Head Prefect, jumped up from her seat on stage and hugged Miss Reedy.

Sloane’s jaw dropped. Millie’s did the same.

Alice-Miranda and Jacinta hugged each other tightly.

‘You knew.’ Millie’s eyes were wide as she looked at her friends.

Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘But we couldn’t tell. Miss Hephzibah thought that Caledonia Manor had been used as a school once before, but she had to find the documents to prove it. We all hoped they hadn’t been burned in the fire. Turns out they were in Pro­fessor Winterbottom’s office over at Fayle. He remembered finding them when he made the changes to the charter earlier in the year.’

Jacinta leaned around and smiled at her friend. ‘Your mother’s meddling actually did some good, Sloane.’

‘This is the best news ever,’ Sloane blurted.

‘Girls, please calm down,’ Miss Grimm commanded.

Danika raced forward, leaned into the microphone and shouted, ‘Three cheers for Miss Grimm.’

The girls responded and Miss Grimm took a step back. She waited for the cheering to die down and tried again.

‘Girls, there are a few people to thank for this development. Miss Hephzibah and Miss Henrietta, who have so kindly agreed to make use of their beautiful house in this way; Professor Winterbottom, who helped us with the details; and Alice-Miranda, who first came to me with the idea.’

‘What about Jacinta?’ Sloane called.

‘Yes, Jacinta Headlington-Bear, we have you to thank too. If you hadn’t got into trouble over at Sainsbury Palace, I might never have known the truth about several things, nor had the gumption to do what I should have done years ago.’

Silas Wiley was growing impatient. The journalists all had their hands up eager to ask questions and the flashes were going off like fireworks.

He stood up and walked to the podium. Alice-Miranda watched him and tapped her fingers anxiously on her lap.

Millie looked over at her. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Fine,’ the tiny child answered. But Millie wasn’t so sure.

‘Yes, yes, lovely news,’ Silas said as he shoved Miss Grimm to one side. ‘And I’m so glad that the council has been able to work with you to make things happen so quickly.’

‘The council had nothing to do with it,’ Sloane yelled.

Silas ignored her. ‘Now, I’d like to make an announcement too, if I may.’

His next words were completely drowned out by the sound of a helicopter overhead. He waited a minute, expecting the noise to abate, but it only intensified.

Finally the racket stopped. Silas opened his mouth for another attempt, but the whole school suddenly rose to its feet.

‘Girls, please, you don’t have to stand on my account.’ But they hadn’t. Silas turned around to see what they were looking at. ‘Your Majesty!’ he croaked.

Queen Georgiana strode towards the lectern, nodding at Miss Grimm, who curtseyed back. Her lady-in-waiting, Mrs Marmalade, and bodyguard, Dalton, hovered at the edge of the stage.

‘Good morning, everyone,’ Queen Georgiana boomed into the microphone.

The girls chorused ‘good morning’ back.

‘What’s she doing here?’ Sloane whispered.

Alice-Miranda finally felt as if she could breathe again.

Millie frowned at her friend, wondering what she’d been up to this time.

‘Please be seated. I was staying at Chesterfield Downs and couldn’t resist being here this morning to celebrate some very good news. Of course, I am as thrilled as you are about Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale continuing to leaving. I wish that had been the case when my granddaughters were here.’

Livinia Reedy shuddered. She was very glad that hadn’t been the case at all.

‘And now I know that Mayor Wiley has some very good news to share with you as well.’ She smiled at Silas, who had retreated to his seat. He wondered how on earth she knew, but he was almost bursting inside that the Queen herself had chosen to come and applaud his entrepreneurial flair.

‘Why don’t you come up here?’ Queen Georgiana turned to the man, who was relishing every moment.

Silas stood up and strode towards the lectern, jangling like a key chain. Who would have thought he’d be sharing the podium with the Queen?

‘Mayor Wiley, I think one of the hallmarks of your time in office will be your generosity to the community,’ she began.

Silas grinned like a shark.

‘I know that you would love to have made this announcement yourself, given that the land in question falls into your council region, but I’m afraid I would like to honour the man myself, if I may?’

This wasn’t what Silas was expecting to hear. He suddenly had a sinking feeling that the announcement she was about to make didn’t involve his hundred-year mining lease.

‘Just this week, I have learned that a very generous member of our community, Mr Stanley Frost, has decided to give his magnificent property, known as Wood End, to the Queen’s Preservation Trust.’ Queen Georgiana glanced towards Silas.

He almost choked.

‘Of course, Mr Frost and any descendants of the family will retain the right to live in the cottage and use the land for their own purposes. I know that Mr Frost has always given you girls access to enjoy the woods and this will simply protect the area from greedy developers and other invasive ventures, such as – perish the thought –’ Queen Georgiana turned to Silas Wiley and raised her eyebrows ‘– mining.’

The girls clapped loudly. Millie whistled until Miss Grimm cast an evil stare in her direction.

Silas couldn’t believe his ears. ‘But I have a claim,’ he murmured. ‘And a licence.’

‘Afraid not, Mr Wiley. The only one who can issue that is me, and you’d be getting that land over my dead body,’ Queen Georgiana whispered back.

Silas Wiley hadn’t noticed Ursula and her father standing at the back of the room. They’d crept in earlier.

‘I’m proud of you, Dad,’ said Ursula. She squeezed her father’s hand.

Alice-Miranda spotted the pair. She leapt from her seat and called, ‘Mr Frost’s here.’

‘Oh, lovely.’ Queen Georgiana peered out into the audience. ‘Mr Frost, would you like to come up, please?’

Stanley Frost, supported by his daughter, made his way to the stage.

‘Ursula?’ Silas blurted. ‘What on earth?’

‘Thank you, Mr Frost.’ Queen Georgiana shook the old man’s hand.

‘But, but!’ Silas spluttered.

‘Come now, Mayor Wiley, I’ve just made you a hero, when you could so easily have been the villain,’ Queen Georgiana hissed through gritted teeth as she stood beside Stanley Frost and his daughter. Silas gulped and shuffled in between them as the cameras flashed.

‘Thank you, Your Majesty,’ Stanley smiled. ‘And thank you to that little one out there, who came up with the idea in the first place.’

Queen Georgiana winked at Alice-Miranda, who winked right back.