AS PETER RAN DOWN the path into Kensington Gardens, Tink flew alongside his right ear, silent for a change, happy to be released from the aromatic confines of Peter’s shirt.
Peter repeated the small man’s directions to himself.
Second path to the right.
He crossed one path, then—emboldened by the darkness enveloping him—jumped and swooped upward, flying now, squinting ahead to see….
And there it was: the second path.
Peter and Tink veered right, rising even higher. To their right, Peter saw a large oval pond and, looming in the distance, the massive form of Kensington Palace. Flying faster now, they crossed a broad expanse of lawn to the south of the palace. Just ahead loomed the mansions lining Kensington Palace Gardens, their windows glowing yellow in the deepening night fog.
As he drew near the end of the path, Peter slowed and settled quietly to the ground next to the wide, gently sloping street. To Tink’s dismay, Peter snatched her and once again tucked her under his shirt. He hesitated, taking in his surroundings, then decided to keep to the opposite side, away from the streetlights. He trotted past one huge home after another, looking for…
A white house with two towers.
There! He saw it. Just ahead and across the street: a grand white mansion with a square tower at each end.
Molly’s house. At last!
“Tink,” he whispered excitedly. “We found it!”
Oh, hooray, came the bells, muffled and distinctly unenthusiastic.
Peter started forward, then hesitated. Should he just knock on the front door in his bedraggled, filthy condition? If he did, wouldn’t a servant just turn him away? Perhaps it would be better to fly and try to find Molly’s window and tap on it. Peter studied the house: it had a great many windows. Too many. He would try the front door first. If that didn’t work, he’d think of something else.
He took another few steps, then stopped again as he saw the distinctive form of a man standing in shadow near the streetlight in front of the house. The man was no pedestrian: he stood rock-still, facing the street.
A guard, Peter thought.
Peter watched the man for a moment, trying to think of a plan. He decided that he would simply walk past him. If the man stopped him, Peter would say he had an important message for Molly Aster. If the man refused to let him pass, Peter would leave, then fly back into the darkness and try to find Molly’s window.
Taking a deep breath, Peter began walking toward the man, but stopped and quickly retreated as he heard the clopping of hooves coming up the street toward him.
A cab rumbled out of the darkness into the glow of the streetlamp. It stopped across from the Aster house. The cab’s door opened, and a man stepped out.
Peter gasped.
It was Slank.