The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

Author:Adrienne Kress [Kress, Adrienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Girls & Women, cookie429
ISBN: 9780803737617
Publisher: Dial
Published: 2012-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

26

Break and Enter

KENSINGTON GARDENS WAS heavenly first thing in the morning. The picturesque paths were free of nannies and prams, the Round Pond and its surrounds empty except for three sleeping swans, with the only sound the faint wind in the trees. And the morning light danced over everything in a relaxed manner that suggested it was in no rush to proceed with the day.

Nellie made her way contentedly along the Broad Walk to the high street, and eventually turned back up Kensington Palace Gardens Road—a private street nicknamed “Millionaires’ Row,” gated to vehicles but open to foot traffic. It was a gorgeous street, lined with trees that soared above and canopied overhead. The neo-Classical homes, all unique in their own magnificent extravagance, were protected behind tall wrought-iron fences and white stone pillars, but their height and size still left them susceptible to preying eyes.

Nellie’s were rather probing this morning as she wandered down the street, careful not to draw any particular attention. When she reached number eighteen, she stopped and stared at the building behind its carefully crafted number plate. It was, like the palace the street was named after, made of red brick accented with white. It towered, four tall stories, the bottom three displaying tall white windows, and the top, a sloping roof through which smaller windows peeked out and on which five chimneys proudly stood sentinel. There was no sign of life in the house, though Nellie imagined the servants were moving about, preparing for breakfast and airing out the living spaces. She saw a few drapes twitch as she gazed, which confirmed her suspicions.

She knew she was too early. But she’d arrived now on purpose. Her plan was simple, and it relied on her patience. Wait until Mr. Carter vacated the property, then slip inside.

Foolhardy, perhaps, for anyone but her. Your average robber probably would have thought her totally barking mad for trying to slip into such a place during the day, but Nellie was a whiz at making herself invisible. She understood how helpful a shadow could be, how she could make herself smaller by turning one way or the other, or crouching, or bending to mimic whatever she was hiding behind. How many times had she had to slip out of the Magician’s boxes, or bend herself up out of the spectators’ line of sight, or conceal herself in plain view in the audience? Too many to count. She could hide.

She could also do wonders with a rope. Scale the sides of set pieces, lean out and over, swing across a vast auditorium. And there wasn’t a lock she couldn’t pick.

So for her, the trick was not in getting into the house or keeping out of sight, it was waiting for Mr. Carter to head out to the bank for the day.

Nellie had learned a fair bit about Mr. Carter in the last couple days. While Cora had set out to talk with him, Nellie had been asking around town, finding out where he lived and how he made his money.

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