"You let him get away!" Eden cried in distress. "We should follow them!"

Maeve didn't move, and her face remained impassive.

"Miss Victory, I am here to protect you, not anyone else," she said. "If I went after them, I would be abandoning my post, and if I took you with me, I would be placing you in peril. Either way, I would lose my job, and rightly so."

"But I think that boy is in terrible danger," Eden said, her eyes wide.

"I think so too," Maeve said soberly. "However, we can't take off looking for him – the others will raise the alarm if we don't meet them."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Eden asked desperately.

"I'll report it to the Captain of the Guard, of course," Maeve said. "He'll let the police know, and it's for the proper authorities to investigate."

Although everything Maeve said was rational, Eden still felt bitterly disappointed. "We'd better get back to the markets, then," she said dully, turning to retrace their steps.

"We must have words, Miss Victory," Maeve said, as they walked back together. "The rule is that nobody must wander off alone, and you broke that rule thrice. Once when leaving Nurse May, another time when you saw the old gentleman being robbed, and again when you ran away to chase the little boy, disobeying a direct instruction to stay where you were."

"I'm sorry," said Eden contritely. "I didn't think."

"I thought you were good at controlling your emotions," Maeve said. "But you need to learn to control your impulses. You confronted a thief in the markets, and put yourself in the path of a dangerous man. Imagine what might have happened if anything had gone wrong."

"I was taught to always give people assistance when it's needed," Eden said. "If I saw a shepherd with an injured sheep, or a fisherman in difficulties, I'd do what I could for them."

"That's all well and good in your own country," Maeve said, "but you're in a city now. You can't help everyone you come across."

"Am I going to get into trouble?" Eden asked.

Maeve snorted. "Trouble! The worst that would happen to you is a scolding, and perhaps being confined to the palace grounds for the remainder of your visit," she said. "I'm the one that would get hauled over the coals and stood down."

"I don't want that," Eden said. "I want you to keep on being my bodyguard."

"Well, I'm glad," said Maeve, "but if you don't start following my directions, I will be handing in my resignation before they can sack me."

They had thought they would be able to scramble over the barricade and get back into the markets the same way they left. To their dismay, they discovered it was now being guarded by a tall grey-haired man in a blue uniform. He had a sleek, well-fed look and was wiping his mouth, as if he'd just finished a good lunch at The Red Rose Coffee House before returning to his post.

"Excuse me, sir," Maeve said to him politely. "May we get back over the fence into the markets? I dropped something and had to go after it when it rolled under the fence."

"No you may not," the guard said severely. "Entry to the markets is only via Little Market Street, and you need to pay to get in. The money goes to charity, and I'd be robbing the poor to let you in for nothing."

"But we already paid," Eden argued. "We were already in the markets."

Maeve gave her a repressive look before saying, "Of course we will pay again, sir. Look, I have the money here for you."

She put her hand in her pocket, before her face turned quite white, so that every freckle on it stood out like a handful of carelessly thrown tiny copper coins.

"I am not authorised to take payment," the guard said, almost seeming to relish keeping them out. "You will have to walk down to Mercury Street and go round to the entrance at Little Market Street."

"We need to find the people we are with," Eden said, frowning at him. "We might miss them if we do that."

"Then you shouldn't have climbed the fence like a pair of hoydens," the guard said disapprovingly. "In my day, young ladies knew how to comport themselves. Now you just walk straight down to Mercury Street, which is where you belong, no doubt."

He placed his arms and hands on the top of the fence, and looked at them sternly, to make it clear they were not going to get back on his watch.

"Don't worry," Eden said comfortingly to Maeve as they turned to go back down the lane. "It won't take that long to walk, and it's only two coppers to get back in. We'll find the others."

"We won't get back in," Maeve said in a low voice. "The purse of money is missing. That little wretch must have taken it."

Eden relieved her feelings by giving voice to an unladylike expression.

"Miss Victory, I've lost someone's money. I'm going to get the sack on my first day as a bodyguard," Maeve said with the stoicism of the doomed. "The worst part will be disappointing Mum, because she was the one who asked if I could work for the palace."

Eden thought hard for a moment. "What money was in the purse? Was it only mine, or the nurse's as well?"

"Just yours," Maeve answered. "I left all the nurse's money at the store, to pay for her shopping."

Eden's face cleared. "That's alright then. I'll tell everyone what happened."

Maeve gave a little intake of breath, and said, "That's very kind, but it was my responsibility -"

"And it was my fault," Eden said firmly. "I'm not letting you take punishment for something I did."

"This is Mercury Street here," Maeve said as the two of them reached the end of the lane and turned left. Their voices became unconsciously more discreet, now that they had left the relative seclusion of Red Rose Lane.

"The guard at the fence said this is where we belong," Eden recalled. "What did he mean?"

"Oh, there's a gang of thieves on Mercury Street, they say," Maeve said. "He meant we looked like we might be members of it. He wasn't being serious. I don't think so, anyway."

"Are we safe here?" Eden asked, eyeing the street suspiciously.

To her eyes, it didn't seem much different to any of the other streets she had seen; parallel to Little Market Street, it was wider and straighter, lined with shops and offices. Carriages and carts rumbled purposefully over the cobblestones, and there were many others walking the pavement like themselves, including a few women on their own.

"Safe enough at this hour," Maeve said. "And we've nothing left to steal in any case." She sounded bitter.

It was only a few minutes before they reached the corner of Tarry Lane, with its public baths in a long yellow brick building covered by a red tiled roof. They walked up the dark, crooked laneway, hiding for a few minutes in the doorway of an apothecary's shop when Maeve thought someone might be following them.

It was while they were huddled in the doorway, Eden breathing in the bittersweet aroma of medicinal herbs, that they heard horse's hooves ringing along the lane, and wheels clattering after them.

"It's a quarter to one," said Maeve, after pulling her watch out of her coat pocket. "That's our carriage."

Maeve was still deciding whether Eden should sit inside the carriage while she guarded it from the outside, or if Eden would be safer with Maeve sitting with her, when this one-sided debate proved unnecessary. Lucy turned the corner into the lane with a nurse on either side, and Jarvis walked behind them, slightly to the side so he could search for danger.

"There you are!" squealed Lucy in delight. "I knew we'd all meet up alright. Didn't I say that, Jarvis?"

Jarvis gave Maeve a quick flicker that may have been relief, and then a piercing glance at Eden, who was turned sideways towards him, perched uncertainly on the first step of the carriage she had never begun climbing.

"Well, miss. I told you that you would lose that ribbon, didn't I?" he said with a grin.

Eden gave a little cry, and clutched the back of her hat, to find it bereft. That foul Nettie Pike had stolen it!

⋆⋅•⋅⊰∙∘⋆ ❆ ⋆∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋆

By unspoken agreement, Maeve and Eden maintained a prudent vagueness about their time at the markets, allowing Lucy to chatter on about the new shop where she'd found the most marvellous presents. Whoever had sent the carriage had been thoughtful enough to include a picnic basket, and many gaps could be filled by offering around lunch, or asking if anyone would like another drink.

"I'm not hungry, really," Lucy said. "I've already had cream buns and hot chocolate with whipped cream, but that doesn't seem like proper food once you see sandwiches and fruit."

Eden remembered her half-drunk hot chocolate with a pang, and had a moment of indignation at the hot chestnuts she hadn't been allowed to eat.

It was while they were climbing down the steps of the carriage into the courtyard, thanking the driver, that Jarvis said, "Oh I almost forgot. Don't forget to hand in the rest of the money, Maeve."

"It was only my money," Eden said quickly, "and it's ... all gone."

Jarvis' face never showed much, but there was an odd stiffness to it as he said, "Oh?"

It was harder than Eden had thought to say, "Yes. Something ... happened. It wasn't Maeve's fault, it was all mine, and as it was my own money, I hope nobody needs to get into trouble for it."

It was very hard not to drop her eyes. Jarvis only kept looking at her, an unnervingly direct look.

"Then perhaps I could have the purse back," Jarvis said mildly. "It belongs to the palace."

"I lost it," said Eden, her voice sounding louder than she intended. "I'm dreadfully sorry, Jarvis. My father can pay to have it replaced, if you like."

"No matter," he said. "However, I will have to report this to the Captain of the Guard. And I think you'd best put in your own report to the palace, Miss Eden".

Eden nodded dumbly, before Jarvis raised his voice and addressed the group generally.

"Well I hope you all enjoyed yourselves, and got your shopping done. Maeve and I must run through a few things together. Have a good afternoon."

⋆⋅•⋅⊰∙∘⋆ ❆ ⋆∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋆

"What was that all about?" Lucy asked curiously, as she and Eden began walking back to the palace together after farewelling the nurses, who were making their way to the staff entrance.

"I'll tell you when we get to the tower," Eden muttered. 

Lucy made a sound of frustration, because it would be ages before they got up all those stairs again. They both climbed as fast as possible with a dogged intensity until their calves ached.

At last Lucy pushed the heavy door open, and they were alone. Their packages had been delivered and were sitting on the beds, each in a light wooden box. Eden's was stamped with MAEVE. She quickly checked through it to make sure everything had arrived safely, and was relieved to see that her ship in a bottle was undamaged.

"Never mind about the shopping now," Lucy said impatiently. "Tell me everything."

Eden sat down on the bed, and began at once. She explained about her attempt to escape from Nurse May, and Maeve taking her to Market Square, where she had met Ben Gosling, the old sailor, who almost seemed to know who she was.

"How strange!" Lucy said. "But how - ?"

"Never mind about that," Eden said, as she quickly told her about seeing Nettie Pike try to steal an old gentleman's purse, and the little boy who looked like a white mouse.

Lucy had gasped very satisfyingly throughout the story, but when Eden got to the part about the frightening man who had taken the little boy, she let out a little scream, and clutched Eden tight for a moment.

"Eden, you might have been hurt, or worse!" she cried. "How can you have an adventure the first time you go to the market? Nothing ever happens to me, and I've been dozens of times."

After that, the news that Maeve and Eden had been robbed fell pretty flat, although Lucy dutifully denounced Nettie Pike as a wanton thief who would no doubt come to a bad end.

"Let's go and tell Bernard," Lucy said, standing up. "We can't know about this poor little boy and do nothing about it."

"And I'd better tell him it's my fault the purse was stolen," Eden said.

Bernard's private drawing room was on the same floor as the family drawing room and dining room, on an identical long blue corridor lined with portraits of past royals. When Lucy knocked, her brother called out, "Come in," in the type of voice that people use when they're being interrupted, and hope you won't take up too much of their time.

However, when he saw who it was, he stood up with a smile, saying, "Ah, girls! What a nice surprise. Did you show Eden the markets, Lucy? Everything alright?" He ushered them into two comfortable chairs before going back behind his desk.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Eden replied, and at Bernard's prompting, changed it to, "I mean, yes, Bernard. At least, they aren't quite alright, but that's my fault. I did something wrong, and I'm worried that my bodyguard Maeve will pay for it."

As her story tumbled out about Nettie Pike, and Maeve getting robbed, Bernard listened with his hands clasped together on the desk, and an indulgent expression.

"It was very brave of you to take on a pickpocket, Eden," he said. "I'm sorry that your money was stolen, and I'll make sure the Captain of the Guard is informed. No, no, there's no need to replace the purse – we have heaps of the things! I assure you that er, Maeve, is it? She won't be reprimanded over this."

"Thank you very much, Bernard," Eden said. "I would hate for anything to go wrong for Maeve on her first day, when she's been such a good bodyguard."

"And thank you for owning up most honestly," Bernard said. "Don't let this spoil your Yuletide, Eden. The opening ceremony is tonight, and that will be a lot of fun. You're always welcome to drop in, but I'd better get back to work – still a few things to sort out before the big day." He made moves to stand up.

"But Bernard, there's a lot more to the story," Lucy said, as Bernard sat down again with a long-suffering expression. "Eden, tell him about the little boy – the one who looks like a white mouse."

Bernard looked more and more concerned as Eden's story went on, and he let out an exclamation when she described being confronted by the man in the lane, who had snatched the boy up and taken him.

"By the mercy of the gods were you not harmed!" he cried in distress. "How did your bodyguard ever allow this situation to arise?"

"I ran after the little boy to help him," Eden said, in a slow, steady voice. "Maeve called me back, and told me to stay where I was, but I disobeyed her. I was so worried about the little boy that I kept running, and Maeve had no choice but to follow me. She tried to persuade the little boy to come with us, and he almost did, but then that man - " She involuntarily shuddered before going on. "When the man took the boy, I wanted to go after him, but Maeve wouldn't let me."

"I should think not," Bernard said indignantly. "If she had done so, she would have been dismissed from her post in disgrace. I'm still shaken by what I've heard, and will be requesting a copy of Maeve's report. You made a serious error in ignoring instruction from your bodyguard, but I can see your intentions were honourable, and I think you've had enough of a fright that you won't do it again."

"What about the little boy?" Lucy persisted. "He's been taken by someone, and we don't know where. And I'm sure he doesn't want to be a thief. Can't you do something, Bernard?"

"My dear Lucy, there are tens of thousands of children in the kingdom," Bernard said. "I've done more for children during my reign than any other monarch, but I can't help all of them individually."

"We're not asking you to help all of them," Lucy said. "Just this one. Please, Bernard."

Her brother sighed. "I'll talk to Sir Richard Fort, the Commissioner of Police," he said.  "I'm seeing him this afternoon to discuss security over Yuletide, and I'll mention it to him. I can't promise anything, mind. Can you tell me anything which might assist Sir Richard?"

Eden gave all the details she could think of while Bernard wrote them down carefully in a large notebook.

"There's something else," Lucy said. "An old sailor talked to Eden in the markets, and he made it sound as if he knew who Eden was."

Eden nodded. "He said his name was Ben Gosling. He had a table right near the monument in the square. He said something about keeping my name quiet, but said I could call on him if I ever needed to."

Bernard seemed perturbed, but tried to speak breezily. "It's probably nothing, but I'll ask Sir Richard if his men can look into it. We can't be too careful when it comes to protecting you."

Bernard looked at the clock and said, "I'm expecting Sir Richard any moment now, so please excuse me, girls. I'll see you at the celebrations tonight."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

LINDENSEA LORE

Private Memorandum
From: Sir Richard Fort, Commissioner of Police
To: King Bernard of Lindensea
Date: 19th December 1456 
Time: 5 o'clock in the evening

Your Majesty,

Regarding our meeting at a quarter past two this afternoon, I put some of my best men on the case and have gained information about the person or persons you mentioned which may be of some interest.  Request a brief meeting tomorrow morning to discuss.

R.H. Fort