‘Marjorie,’ Queen Georgiana called as she approached the badminton courts, ‘may I have a word?’

Marjorie and Lloyd were in the middle of beating the socks off Elsa and Freddy. Freddy was storming around the court while Elsa was doing her best to placate him. At that moment, Marjorie slammed the shuttlecock. It flew over the net and bounced off Freddy’s balding crown.

‘Ow!’ the man whimpered. ‘That wasn’t very sporting.’

‘Sorry, Freddy, you’ll just have to learn to move faster.’ Marjorie winked at him, then ran over to the sideline.

‘Good shot, Marjorie!’ Her Majesty exclaimed.

Marjorie grinned. ‘Thank you, Ma’am.’

‘I just wanted to let you know that I’ve lined up those ducks,’ Queen Georgiana whispered. ‘And I’ve met your man Bunyan too.’

Marjorie gave a small nod. ‘Very good, Ma’am.’

‘Oh, I think my team is about to make a start at French cricket,’ Her Majesty announced loudly. ‘Wish us luck. And those grandsons of mine are in huge trouble when I find them, Freddy. Did you know they tampered with our boules jack? Just wait until I get my hands on them for ruining our game. My team was looking good for the win,’ Her Majesty blustered before heading on her way.

‘What was that about, darling?’ Lloyd Lancaster-Brown asked.

‘Nothing to worry about,’ Marjorie said, patting him on the arm.

‘Are we finishing this game or not?’ Freddy called tetchily from the other end of the court.

‘I’d just as soon not,’ Elsa said, her nerves threadbare. ‘I should look for the boys and work out what they have to do to make amends with their grandmother.’

‘Forget about them, Elsa. Boys will be boys,’ Freddy said, not realising his mother had walked back to retrieve her sunhat.

‘And perhaps,’ Queen Georgiana boomed, ‘fathers should be fathers.’

Freddy leapt into the air. ‘Yes, Mama,’ he said before slinking off the court.

Lloyd looked at Marjorie. ‘Why don’t you have a rest in the marquee for a few minutes? I’ve just realised I need to get one of the butlers to press my pants for tonight, so I’d best go and get that organised.’

‘I’m sure Balfour could arrange it for you, darling,’ Marjorie gestured to Braxton, who was standing beside the giant clock.

‘Over my dead body,’ Lloyd hissed.

Marjorie frowned.

‘It’s all right. He’s busy playing timekeeper. I’ll find someone to do it inside.’

Lloyd kissed Marjorie’s cheek and sped off, leaving her wondering what that was all about.

Caprice trudged back towards the palace, annoyed at the twins for leaving her high and dry. The last thing she felt like doing was peeling more potatoes. She bypassed the service entrance and decided to take herself for a wander through the gardens, away from the games.

Evesbury Palace was like nothing she’d ever seen. There was a new surprise around every corner – statues, ponds, a maze or a woodland with hollowed-out trunks, where Caprice almost expected to find real fairies. Apart from the trilling of larks and the rustling of leaves, there was a magical silence about the place.

Caprice followed a stream into a grove of trees but stopped when she heard voices. She couldn’t see where they were coming from but they were low and clearly didn’t want anyone to hear their conversation. Naturally, she crouched down behind an oak tree to listen.

‘So are we still on track?’ the first voice asked.

‘Yes,’ the second replied.

‘Good. Timing is everything. We should be ready to make a move by Tuesday at the latest.’

‘What about Fiona?’

‘She’s onside. At least, she will be by tonight.’

‘But how?’

‘Never mind. Let’s just say, it’s done.’

Caprice peered around the tree, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was speaking. But she could only see their backs through the undergrowth. They were both wearing polo shirts, one white and the other a pale pink. She craned her neck to see who they were when, suddenly, she overbalanced and fell into the clearing with a dull thud. The girl scrambled to her feet and peeked through the hedge, hoping they hadn’t noticed her.

‘Oh, hello Caprice,’ Edgar said as he and Louis traipsed into the glade. ‘We’ve been looking for you everywhere.’

The girl spun around and narrowed her eyes at the pair. ‘You left me to take the blame.’

‘It’s not our fault you didn’t follow us,’ Edgar scoffed.

‘Your grandmother is furious,’ Caprice said.

‘She’ll get over it.’ Louis seemed as if he couldn’t care less. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Nothing,’ the child replied. ‘I just heard some voices. I don’t know who they were.’ Caprice turned back to see if they were still there but they’d gone.

‘What were they talking about?’

‘Someone called Fiona,’ Caprice said with a shrug. ‘It didn’t mean anything to me.’

Edgar yawned. ‘Sounds boring.’

‘Come on, then, what are we going to do now?’ Louis asked.

Caprice shook her head. ‘I’m not doing anything with you two. I have to go back to the kitchens.’

‘That’s a shame,’ Edgar said. ‘I was going to suggest showing you the tower, but if you’d rather help your mummy …’

Caprice’s eyes lit up. ‘Are you kidding? Lead the way!’