Read Online The Bag of Bones by Vivian French - Free Book Online Page A

overspread his flat green face. Seeing a puddle at the side of the track, he took off his head and dunked it in the muddy water. After a few moments he put himself back together again and smiled through the dribbles of mud. “Find Marcus!” he said. “Clever Gubble!” And he began to stump along the track at a determined trot.

Prince Marcus was having troubles of his own. He and Arry were safely back at Gorebreath, but his plan to leave almost immediately had been frustrated by his mother. Queen Mildred had been deeply shocked to see the twins returning early and insisted on reading them a long lecture on the Importance of Always Observing Royal Etiquette. Marcus wriggled and squirmed and tried to explain that they’d left for the best of reasons, but his mother took no notice and simply talked over him. After half an hour he was beginning to wonder if his only hope of stopping the tirade was to fall on the floor in a wild fit of remorse, but at last the queen ran out of breath. “So,” she said, “I do hope that you will never do such a thing again. The two of you must write Queen Bluebell a letter of apology, and we’ll send it by royal courier this afternoon.”
    Marcus’s eyes lit up. “Or I could take it! With . . .” he tried desperately to think of another reason to convince his mother. “With . . . some roses!”
    Queen Mildred looked at him in astonishment. “Marcus, dear, how extremely thoughtful of you! That would be most suitable. In fact, perhaps you both should go.”
    “I’d be much quicker if I went by myself,” Marcus said hastily. “After all, we don’t want to keep Queen Bluebell waiting.”
    His mother raised an eyebrow. She was not normally suspicious, but this concern for Queen Bluebell was distinctly out of character. “Marcus, dear — you’re not planning anything, are you?”
    Marcus dug his elbow into Arry’s ribs, and Arry turned his grunt into a cough. “It’s OK, Mother. Marcus is quite right. His pony’s much faster than mine, and besides . . .” Arry blushed. “I was rather wanting to write Princess Nina-Rose a poem.”
    “How very, very lovely.” Queen Mildred’s suspicions melted away, and she beamed at her oldest son as she settled herself on a sofa. “Did you ask her if she’ll dance with you at the Declaration Ball? You haven’t told me anything about your visit this morning, you know. How was dear Bluebell? And who else was there? Was Nina-Rose as pretty as ever?” The queen nodded knowingly. “Perhaps dear Nina-Rose will be chosen as Bluebell’s successor. Wouldn’t that be just too lovely?”
    Marcus, on the point of exploding, folded his arms and glared. “Shouldn’t we be writing our letters?” he demanded. “Arry can tell you all about it after I’ve gone — can’t you, Arry?”
    Arry, who had sat down next to his mother all ready for a comfortable chat, saw the look in his brother’s eye and leaped to his feet. “Er — yes. Yes, of course I can. That would be wonderful. I’ll be back in a moment, Mother.” And he followed Marcus out to their old schoolroom.
    “Honestly, Arry,” Marcus said as he dug out paper and pens, “you could have tried to stop her from going on and on and on like that. Do you want this stupid feather or not?”
    “Nothing stops her once she gets started,” Arry said with absolute truth. “You know that. If you hadn’t wriggled so much, she’d probably have stopped sooner, but she thought you weren’t listening.”
    “I wasn’t,” Marcus admitted. “Anyway — let’s get these letters done, and then I’ll go.”
    Arry gave him an anxious look. “Will you be back tonight?”
    “Of course not!” Marcus stared at his twin. “I’ve got to ask Gracie to the ball before I go tearing off after your bird. Didn’t Nina-Rose say something about it being seen in Flailing?” He reached up and took an old rolled-up map down from a shelf. “See? It’s miles away.”
    Arry looked at the map