Free The Trouble at Wakeley Court (An Angela Marchmont Mystery Book 8) by Clara Benson Page A

walked on one side of Angela and Violet on the other, and Angela was pleased to find that Violet seemed a very nice girl, if a little staid, and had excellent manners. Florrie and Irina followed behind.
    As they completed their circuit of the building they saw William again. The twins were still there with him, peering into the engine with great interest.
    ‘Hallo, William,’ said Barbara grandly. ‘Are these kids bothering you?’
    ‘Not at all,’ he replied. ‘As a matter of fact, they’re being very helpful.’
    ‘He’s been showing us how to fix it,’ said one twin, a girl of about eleven, who appeared to have smeared oil all over her face in her excitement.
    ‘So I see,’ said Barbara. ‘You’ll be in for it when Matron sees you. You’d better go back and wash. You’re filthy.’
    ‘You’re a fine one to talk,’ said the girl boldly. ‘You’ve got ink all over your hands and some on your nose, too.’
    Before Barbara could tell her off, a bell rang for early bed-time, and the two younger girls ran away, laughing.
    ‘Well!’ said Barbara. ‘Just wait until I see her again. It’s simply not done to cheek a bigger girl.’
    ‘You do it yourself all the time,’ Florrie pointed out.
    ‘That’s different,’ said Barbara. ‘I say, though, it must be useful being a twin, don’t you think? I mean to say, they can do one another’s detentions. I wish I had someone who could pretend to be me when I needed it.’
    ‘Yes, but what if one of you was very very good and the other was very very bad?’ said Florrie. ‘It seems rather unfair on the good twin to have to take the bad twin’s punishments.’
    ‘Oh, I dare say some agreement might be reached,’ said Barbara vaguely. ‘A financial agreement, I mean.’
    Angela happened to glance at Irina while this exchange was going on, and to her utter astonishment saw that the girl was regarding William from under her eyelashes in a way that was quite unmistakable. William had evidently seen it too, for a touch of pink tinged his cheeks and he did not seem to know where to look. In the end he settled for staring at the ground.
    ‘We’d better go back in,’ said Violet at last. ‘It’s nearly dark and we don’t want to get a black mark from Miss Finch.’
    Barbara snorted but did not argue, and the girls moved off. Angela remained behind for a moment with William.
    ‘Keep an eye on the new gardener,’ she said quietly. ‘I don’t know his name.’
    ‘It’s Edwards, ma’am,’ said William.
    ‘Goodness, that was fast work!’ said Angela. ‘We’ve only been here three hours.’
    ‘The kitchen-maids were talking about him. They don’t like him much,’ said William.
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘He stares at them through the window when they’re working,’ he said. ‘And he doesn’t talk to anyone.’
    ‘Hmm,’ said Angela. ‘I wonder if Edwards is his real name, or even if he’s English. You might try and get him in conversation, and see if you can find out.’
    ‘Certainly, ma’am,’ said William. He looked about him. ‘Funny—it’s difficult to think of something happening in this out-of-the-way place. And I haven’t seen anyone yet who looks at all like a princess. I wonder which one she is.’
    ‘You’ve just met her,’ said Angela. ‘She’s the tall girl with the dark hair who was here with Barbara just now.’
    William’s face was such a picture that Angela had to turn away and bite her lip hard to avoid laughing out loud.
    ‘Yes,’ she went on, once she had regained command of herself. ‘She is Princess Irina, the only daughter of Grand Duke Feodor of Morania, and first in line to the throne of that country. Rather an interesting young lady, don’t you think?’
    ‘I’ll say,’ was all William could manage.
    Angela went on, ‘Girls from these foreign countries grow up rather more quickly than English ones, I understand.’
    ‘Is that so?’ said William, recovering himself.
    ‘Yes,’ said Angela. She paused.