Alice-Miranda at the Palace 11 by Jacqueline Harvey

she really say that about the rest of us?’
    â€˜I think they’re joking, Sloane,’ Millie whispered.
    â€˜Aunty Gee?’ one of the boys scoffed. ‘You know she’s not really your aunt. She’s the Queen and you should call her “Your Majesty”. Seriously, who do you think you are?’
    â€˜A bunch of jumped-up little commoners, if you ask me,’ his brother said.
    â€˜Who are you calling commoners?’ Millie demanded, outraged.
    â€˜You!’ The boy glared at her.
    â€˜Your grandmother asked us to call her Aunty Gee,’ Jacinta retorted. ‘And it would be impolite not to call Her Majesty by the name she requested.’
    â€˜Listen to you, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes,’ one of the boys taunted.
    â€˜Me? I think you’ve got that wrong,’ Jacinta replied. ‘I used to be known as our school’s second-best tantrum thrower.’
    â€˜Yeah right,’ the boy sneered.
    Jacinta nodded. ‘It’s true. I had some of the biggest tantrums you’re ever likely to see and I was almost expelled from school too.’
    Lucas reached out and touched Jacinta on the arm. ‘But you’re not like that anymore.’
    â€˜Come on, Jacinta. I’m hungry and I think I saw Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Lawrence arriving with the babies,’ Alice-Miranda said. The last thing they needed was a scene.
    One of the boys stepped out to block their path. ‘You’re not going anywhere.’
    â€˜You need to pay us back for ruining our game,’ his brother agreed.
    Alice-Miranda folded her arms. ‘Well, that’s just silly.’
    The two boys looked at each other. Then one of them turned and pointed at Jacinta. ‘She has to throw a tantrum,’ he said, ‘so that everyone sees.’
    â€˜What?’ Jacinta frowned. ‘No, I don’t.’
    â€˜Yes, you do,’ the boys snapped at the same time.
    Lucas put an arm around Jacinta. ‘Just leave her alone.’
    â€˜You can’t tell us what to do,’ Louis spat.
    â€˜Edgar! Louis!’
    The group turned to see a rotund blonde woman rushing down the path towards them. She looked as if she’d raided a game reserve, with her zebra-print dress, leopard-print hat and a crocodile-skin handbag and shoes.
    â€˜I’ve been looking for you everywhere,’ she puffed.
    The two boys’ shoulders drooped and their faces fell. ‘Hello Mother,’ they said in unison.
    The woman peered past the twins at Alice-Miranda and the other children. ‘Oh, have you made some new friends?’
    The boys looked at each other and gave a half-nod.
    â€˜As if,’ Jacinta muttered.
    Alice-Miranda stepped forward. ‘Hello, I’m Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones,’ she said, then proceeded to introduce the rest of the group.
    â€˜I’m Edgar and Louis’ mother, Elsa. I’m so pleased the boys have met you all. They spend fartoo much time together, and I’m afraid that’s not always a good thing.’ She turned her attention back to her sons. ‘The look your grandmother gave me a few moments ago – I was almost certain you were in some sort of trouble. You should come and say hello to Aunt Valentina and the rest of Granny’s friends, or you’ll definitely be in the bad books.’
    â€˜We should go and say hello to Granny too,’ Alice-Miranda piped up, seizing the opportunity to escape.
    â€˜Oh, of course. Valentina’s your grandmother. She’s always had such a soft spot for my children. Anyway, it’s lovely to meet you all. Look, there’s Prunella Spencer. Prunella!’ Elsa hurried over to a woman in a red-and-white polka-dot ensemble.
    Alice-Miranda smiled. She couldn’t remember Granny ever having a soft spot for Aunty Gee’s grandchildren. In fact, she was sure it was quite the opposite. Her grandmother had often delighted in telling terrible stories