Mystery of the Queen's Jewels by Gertrude Chandler Warner

and walked away.
    â€œThis is my favorite tea shop,” said Charles. “I come here quite often to enjoy the wonderful buffet. Why don’t you all go up and pick out whatever you’d like.” He motioned to the long table in the back.
    â€œOkay,” said Benny, springing up from the table. He could see an assortment of cakes from where they were sitting. The others got up, also.
    â€œAren’t you coming?” Jessie asked when she noticed that Charles was still seated.
    â€œNo, I’ll just have tea right now,” he said.
    â€œIf you’re not going up, I’ll stay here, too, and—” Jessie began.
    â€œNo, no, no — please — go ahead,” Charles said quickly. He seemed upset but then he collected himself. “Really, I’m quite comfortable by myself.”
    â€œAll right,” said Jessie, following the others. She wondered what was bothering Charles.
    The buffet was indeed wonderful, as Charles had said. At one end there were tiny sandwiches filled with cucumber, cheese, or eggsalad. They were made on very thin bread and cut into pretty shapes like hearts and diamonds.
    Beside the tea sandwiches was a basket of scones, surrounded by several dishes of jam. Next came the pastries and cakes, which were layered with chocolate, whipped cream, and fruit fillings.
    â€œI want one of everything!” said Benny
    â€œYou may have that if you like,” said Doris as she walked by, carrying a tray of hot cocoa to their table.
    â€œWhy don’t you start with just a few things,” said Jessie. “You can always come back for more.”
    â€œLook at that cake,” said Benny, pointing to a cake at the end of the buffet. It was elaborately decorated with swirls of chocolate icing and large red strawberries. He’d never seen a cake so fancy — or so delicious-looking. “Do you think Mrs. McGregor could make one like that for my next birthday?”

    â€œI’m sure she could. She’s such a good cook. Just tell her about it when we get home,” said Violet.
    â€œI have a good idea,” said Benny. “I’ll take a picture of it!” He headed back to the table to get the camera out of his backpack. When he got there, Charles looked surprised to see him.
    â€œOh, hello — aren’t you having anything for tea?” Charles asked.
    â€œI want to take a picture of one of those cakes first,” Benny said. He reached under the chair he’d been sitting in. “That’s funny.” He looked under the chair. “I thought I left my backpack right here.”
    â€œOh, here it is,” said Charles, pulling the backpack up from under the table. “Somehow it got pushed over to my side of the table.”
    â€œThanks,” said Benny. He took out his camera and went back to the buffet.
    A moment later, the Aldens returned to the table, their plates piled with goodies.
    â€œWe brought some extra sandwiches and scones for you,” said Jessie.
    â€œHow thoughtful,” said Charles.
    As the Aldens tasted each of the items from the buffet, they chatted with Charles about their sightseeing. They told him what a wonderful time they’d had at Buckingham Palace and Harrods, and how excited they were about the play they were seeing that night. While he seemed friendly enough, the Aldens couldn’t help noticing that Charles didn’t seem to be paying complete attention to them. It seemed as if he was thinking about something else.
    They were almost done eating when Henry said, “One strange thing has happened during our visit.”
    â€œReally?” said Charles. “What’s that?”
    â€œSeveral times we thought we saw someone following us,” Henry explained.
    â€œThat is odd,” said Charles. All of a sudden he looked at his watch. “Oh, dear, I’ve just remembered I have an appointment.” He motioned to Doris, who brought the check.