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Bramble. She’s not my real sister though. Can’t be – she’s too ugly!’
    ‘Thistle!’ his mother said, catching hold of his ear. ‘Of course Bramble is your real sister, and she should be home by now. I wonder what’s keeping her.’
    ‘Ouch!’ Thistle said. ‘Let go!’
    ‘Now, then,’ said Loretta releasing her son. ‘You can all help me make the sandwiches. Except Archie. He’s our guest.’
    She disappeared into the walk-in larder and returned carrying a half-eaten birthday cake with blue icing, which she placed on the table.
    She nodded to herself in a self-satisfied way, and flashed a smile. ‘There,’ she said. ‘I made a cake for your birthday, Archie.’
    ‘A birthday cake for me?’ asked Archie, with a note of surprise. ‘But how did you know I was coming?’
    Loretta smiled. ‘I had a feeling you might drop by,’ she said. ‘What with it being your twelfth birthday and all.’

9
Foxe Sandwiches for Tea
    A few minutes later, Bramble Foxe strode into the kitchen carrying a large cardboard box.
    ‘What ho!’ she called in a loud, cheerful voice like Woodbine’s.
    ‘Ah, there you are Bramble,’ Loretta said. ‘This is your cousin Archie. And, Archie, this is your cousin Bramble.’
    ‘Cousin?’ said Bramble. ‘Since when did we have a cousin?’
    Loretta gave her a dark look. ‘You’ve always had a cousin, you just hadn’t met him before. Now say hello.’
    Bramble grinned. ‘All right, Archie?’
    Archie smiled awkwardly. Bramble seemed a bit older than him.
    ‘He’s my brother’s son,’ said Loretta in reply to Bramble’s unspoken question. ‘He’s going tobe staying with us for a while. Anyway, where’ve you been all this time, darling? I was starting to worry.’
    ‘We were late getting out,’ Bramble said. ‘There’s something odd going on at work. Apparently a boy was attacked. I’ve got a note about a special meeting later this week. No one knows what it’s about, but we’ve all been told to be extra vigilant.’
    She put the cardboard box on the kitchen floor. Archie peered across the table and saw that the box was full of old books. Bramble pulled out a chair.
    ‘Looks like a good haul,’ Woodbine said, rubbing his hands together.
    ‘Yes,’ said Bramble. ‘I picked them up from a charity shop on the way home. But I’m not sure any of them are keepers.’
    ‘All right, enough shop talk at tea time,’ Loretta said. ‘Would you like a sandwich, dear?’ she asked Archie, holding out a plate. Archie, who had watched her prepare them with growing apprehension, did his best to look hungry.
    ‘Yes, please,’ he said.
    ‘These are lemon curd and ketchup. These are tuna and jam, and these are cheese … and banana.’ Loretta pointed a purple fingernail at each one.
    Archie’s hand hesitated in mid-air. He caught sight of Thistle and Bramble both watching to seehow he would react. He knew his credibility was on the line.
    ‘I’ll try the banana and cheese,’ he said, helping himself from the plate and taking a big bite. His cousins grinned.
    ‘Tuck in everyone!’ Loretta trilled.
    This appeared to be a signal for Thistle, Bramble and Woodbine to wage war with one another. They immediately began grabbing the sandwiches within reach and piling them onto their plates. Then they feverishly opened the little unlabelled pots of homemade this and that, sniffed them, and thrusting their knives, forks and spoons inside, extracted the contents. All of this activity was combined with elbow jousting to fend off anyone else who might be going for the same morsel of food.
    Archie found it all highly entertaining. One minute, he was sitting with four human beings, the next three of them had embarked on a food frenzy that would have shamed a troupe of baboons.
    ‘Now, Thistle, remember your manners!’ cried Loretta, swatting Thistle’s hand with a tea towel as he reached across Archie to pour himself a drink. ‘Really, Woodbine, do you have to eat three