7. Twin Rings

7 Twin Rings Shocked by the beam of light, the guard sprang into action and thundered toward Stanley, Arthur, and Lady Laura. "What is the meaning of this?" he bellowed. He pushed Lady Laura out of the way and stood in front of Stanley. "I demand an explanation!" Lady Laura blinked. She did not know what had happened. "I just want to read the message,"

she told Arthur in a tight voice. She did not understand—yet—that it had all been a trick. Arthur looked at his feet. He looked to Stanley for help. He knew the "message" was just a paper with some scribbles on it. Stanley was still reeling from the message he had received from the ultraviolet light. In disbelief, he gripped the flashlight in his hand. Lady Laura was not wearing the Windsor Ring after all. The light had revealed some cloudy spots on the red, white, and blue stones. Now Stanley knew it was a perfect fake. His mission had failed. He would not be able to return the missing crown jewel to the queen or—someday—to the new king. Stanley sighed. He decided to be honest. Well, mostly honest. "I am here on a mission," he explained to Lady Laura and the guard. "My brother is only trying to help. We have been looking for some stolen property." The guard's eyes bulged out, just as they had when he first spotted Stanley. "Yes, I have purchased some property," he said.

Stanley looked at his brother. What did that have to do with anything? Maybe, with his furry hat, the guard had not heard quite right? Lady Laura stood up even straighter than before. "I know it is unusual," she explained, "for a member of the Queen's Guard to do business with a member of the royal family, but it is true. I have sold him a plot of land." Stanley felt like he had wandered into the wrong conversation. Arthur looked like he was about to laugh again. Just then, Detective Bates arrived. He showed his badge from Scotland Yard. "I hove been working with Stonley Lombchop," he told Lady Laura and the guard. "He has been on a special assignment for the queen. Now could you tell me more about this... property?"

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The guard spoke up. "It's a beautiful spot, sir. Perfect for my farm. Many acres for the sheep to graze. And plenty of space for planting, too. No trees and flat as a pancake." Now Stanley was the one who almost laughed. The guard and Lady Laura had not been talking about him at all! They had been talking about a piece of land! Detective Bates continued. "Very well, sir," he told the guard. "But yours is not the property in question. We are searching for a missing ring." Arthur could not help himself. He pointed right at Lady Laura's finger. "A ring that looks like that one!" "But we know that's not it!" Stanley pointed out in a hurry. "Are you familiar with the Windsor Ring?" Detective Bates asked the guard and Lady Laura. "It appears that your ring is its twin. And there's been a... misunderstanding." Lady Laura stood up a little straighter. "Oh, I think I understand just perfectly," she said, scowling. "You thought I was a thief!"

Now they were attracting quite a crowd. Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop had arrived. So had Lucy, Lady Laura's niece. Lady Laura wrapped a protective arm around the girl. Then her eyes filled with tears. "You thought I was a thief," repeated Lady Laura, "because everyone thinks I am a thief. But I never stole the Windsor Ring. The truth is much worse than that. I lost it!" Detective Bates gasped. "How did you lose it, ma'am?" "I wore it to a family wedding," said Lady Laura. "Right here in this very ballroom!" She paused to catch her breath. "Then I never saw it again! And I could never admit I had lost one of the crown jewels, you understand. So I made up a different story." Stanley couldn't believe it. In her own way, Lady Laura was undercover, too! "A skilled jeweler made me a copy of the Windsor Ring. I made sure that members of the royal family saw me wearing it. I let them think I had taken a crown jewel! My reputation was ruined, and I had to sell some of my land. I have