I slip my hand in my pocket. There’s something there. It’s a half sovereign. My own. A golden half sovereign. All ten shillings worth of it. My own. The old man gave it to me. But I am not to spend it, he tells me. If it is mine, I wonder, then why can I not spend it? I should like to spend it. I should be able to buy such things with it. But the old man is very strict about this, it is the only thing that stops him smiling.

The old man has told me I must look after my half sovereign particularly. He has asked me several times whether I still have it. He asks me to bring it out into the light and show it to him. I do. And each time he says, ‘Very good. Well done, James Henry.’ I like it when he says that. I feel the coin around my hand, warm it up a bit.

I hear a sharp loud whistle now calling out, gave me quite the shock. The train is slowing down. We’re coming into a station.

‘We’re here, James Henry,’ says the old man.

I smile back and ask, ‘London?’

‘London,’ he says, ‘Filching.’

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Sara O’Connor, wonderful editor, and everyone at Hot Key for all their enthusiasm and help, for being who they are – they are an extraordinary team. Very many thanks are due to my long-suffering agent Isobel Dixon, whose faith never wavers, and who keeps me buoyant. To Elisabetta Sgarbi at Bompiani for always being there. To the marvellous Christopher Merrill who sent me to China and to a museum of rescued objects that gave me the first inspiration for this book. To Elizabeth Butler Cullingford and James Magnuson for letting me teach fairy tales and creative writing, and providing me with wonderful students, and for all their support. To my mother for so very much (and with apologies for stealing family names). And most of all to my wife Elizabeth and my children Gus and Matilda for everything.

About the Author

EDWARD CAREY is the author and illustrator of two novels for adults, Observatory Mansions and Alva and Irva, which was longlisted for the IMPAC Literary Award. The Iremonger Trilogy is his first work for young readers. Born in England, he now lives with his wife and their two children in Austin, Texas, where he wrote the Iremonger Trilogy because he missed feeling cold and gloomy.

“Heap House torques and tempers our memories
of Dickensian London into a singularly jaunty
and creepy tale of agreeable misfits.”
—Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of Wicked

@EdwardCarey70

Jacket design and illustration by Edward Carey
Author photograph © Tom langdon

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