CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Unfortunately, we were so busy trying to track down all of the props on Letty’s list that we didn’t manage to do any more detecting that evening. The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly, and I had to admit that Lucas Quest was quite good as Banquo, even if he did look a bit silly all wrapped up in his winter get-up. When Maxwell asked him if he might like to take off his coat, Lucas shivered and said he was just worried about losing his voice and letting everyone down.

When they were rehearsing a scene he wasn’t in, I was surprised to look up and find Lucas standing next to me as I sorted through a box of prop helmets. I gave him a small smile, and in return earned a grin so dazzling it made me feel like I needed a pair of sunglasses. “Hi,” said Lucas Quest, giving a little self-conscious laugh. “I saw you looking at me; you must be a member of the QFF? Always nice to meet a fan!”

I snorted, then seeing that he was serious I said, “Er– no, actually. I’m not a member, sorry.”

Lucas’s smile dimmed a little. “But you’ve seen Love Vampire: Vampire in Love.” It seemed like it should be a question but he said it as if he was just saying a fact about me like, “Your eyes are green.”

“Nope,” I said lightly. “It’s not really my kind of thing, to be honest.”

“Oh.” Lucas floundered. “There’s going to be another one you know,” he blurted. “A Love Vampire sequel. And my part’s much bigger this time.”

“Oh, right,” I said. “Well, that’s nice for you. . .” Neither of us were sure what to say next so we stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment. “Well, I’d better get back to this,” I said gesturing towards the box in front of me.

“Right, yes,” Lucas said. “Er. . . bye then.” He wandered off, his gloved hands stuffed in his coat pockets, until a pair of girls I didn’t know wearing purple QFF badges fluttered over to him, and the toothpaste-advert-worthy smile came out again. I shook my head. What a strange boy.

After the rehearsal had finished and everyone had left, Ingrid, Kip and I tidied the props and mooched through the hall. In one of the post cubbyholes that covered the far wall I spied an envelope sticking out above the gold plaque with my name on it. I rushed over to it and felt my heart grow a bit inside my chest as I recognized the writing as Pym’s. “Yes!” I waved the envelope in the air. “A letter from the circus!”

“Oh, lucky you—” Kip began, but just then we were distracted by a sudden crash coming from somewhere above on the grand stone staircase that ran up the middle of the main building.

“Is somebody there?” I called, climbing the stairs with Kip and Ingrid hot on my heels. “Are you all right?”

As we rounded the first bend in the staircase we came upon a very red-faced Maxwell Dangerfield, wrestling with a large oil portrait which had clearly been hanging on the wall.

“Ah, children!” he cried. “I wonder if you could give me some assistance.” We hurried over and between us managed to hang the enormous picture back on the wall.

“Thank you,” he panted when we were done, and he pulled out a handkerchief with which he wiped his glowing face. “I was just admiring this painting here when I realized that it would be perfect for hanging in one of the interior sets for the play. I’m afraid I got rather carried away and took it down to have a better look, but then I couldn’t get it back up. What a blessing that you were still around – I thought everyone had gone home.” He gave us a very toothy smile.

I looked at the painting. It was one of many that crowded the walls lining the staircase, and I must have walked past it a hundred times without ever noticing it before. It was a pretty gloomy portrait of a serious-looking man with a neat grey beard. He was dressed all in black including his top hat, and carrying a cane, the handle of which was shaped like a duck’s head. You could tell that the building behind him was Saint Smithen’s.

Kip had his head cocked to one side and he was staring very hard at the portrait.

“What’s wrong, Kip?” I asked.

Kip paused before speaking, looking very serious. “Do you think . . . that top hat makes him look taller?” he asked.

I groaned and Ingrid looked like she was trying not to laugh.

Maxwell Dangerfield looked confused. “Taller?” he echoed.

“Yes,” Kip nodded. “You may not have noticed so much, because I recently grew one eighth of an inch thanks to an increase in my sprout consumption, but I am actually very slightly vertically challenged.”

Maxwell cleared his throat. “Ah,” he murmured, obviously not sure how to respond.

Kip nodded again. “You’re right. I think the hat would look great on me.”

Maxwell seemed to have recovered by now. “Perhaps you could ask Magda if we have one in the costume department?” he said smoothly, with another charming smile.

“Great idea, thanks!” said Kip, looking thrilled.

With that we all walked back down the stairs and Maxwell bid us goodnight.

“I look forward to another rehearsal on Thursday” he said, and after he had left we said goodnight to Kip, and Ingrid and I headed back to our room.

When I was settled into bed and Ingrid was happily reading, I tore open the envelope containing the letter from my family.

By the end of the letter I was spluttering with giggles and I could barely breathe. Letty and Ingrid wanted to know what on earth was going on so I read them the letter and we all ended up laughing so loudly that there was a sharp knock at the door. I gulped and swallowed my mirth as quickly as I could.

Miss Susan’s face appeared, looking just as cross as it usually did when it was looking in my direction. “Why am I not surprised to find all this racket is coming from your room, Poppy?”

“Sorry, miss,” I said. But something terrible was happening. All those laughs that I had stuffed down and swallowed when Miss Susan knocked on the door were shaking inside me like wriggly, wobbly jelly. I couldn’t look Ingrid and Letty in the eye, but from the way their shoulders were shaking it looked as if they were having the same problem.

“It’s time you had the lights off and were all asleep,” Miss Susan was saying. “I could hear your commotion from all the way down the hall.”

“S-s-sorry, miss,” I gasped again, my voice wobbling dangerously.

Miss Susan gave me a piercing glare and without any further ado she switched off the light and shut the door behind her. I buried my face in my pillow and muffled all the laughter that spilled out of me. Just when I had calmed down Letty’s voice whispered through the dark – “Lion sick!” – and the three of us dissolved into nearly silent giggles once more.