I’m a bit young for such an important job, I suppose, but Lady Kraken herself – the owner of the hotel – gave it to me. Even Mr Mollusc, the hotel manager, can’t argue with that. He’d like to, of course – he hates anything in the hotel that doesn’t make money. If he’d had his way, the Lost-and-Foundery would have been shut down as soon as he became manager, and my little cubbyhole in the reception lobby boarded up for good. And if that had happened, I’d never have met the girl.

The girl I found scrambling through my window.

The girl who said, “Hide me!”

“Hide me!”

I look her up and down. Well, mostly up, because she’s got herself stuck on the window latch, and the cellar windows are near the ceiling. If she’s a burglar, she’s not a very good one.

“Please!”

I get her unstuck, although that means nearly being squashed as she tumbles inside. It’s snowing, so a whole lot of winter comes in through the window too.

We get to our feet and now I’m face to face with her: a girl in a ratty pullover with a woolly bobble hat over a mass of curly hair. She looks like she’s about to speak, but stops at the sound of raised voices up above. Raised voices that are getting closer. The girl opens her eyes wide with panic.

“In here!” I whisper, and pull her over to a large travel trunk that’s been in the Lost-and-Foundery, unclaimed, for decades. Before she can say anything, I shove her inside and close the lid.

The voices are right up at my cubbyhole now – the whining, wheedling sound of Mr Mollusc trying to deal with someone difficult. I grab a few lost bags, brollies and bits, dump them on top of the trunk and hope they look as if they’ve been there for years. Then the bell on my counter, the one people ring when they want my attention, starts ting-ting-ting-ing like crazy. I straighten my cap, run up the steps to my cubbyhole and turn on my how-may-I-help-you? face, as if nothing strange has just happened at all.

Mr Mollusc is the first person I see, trying to smooth his hair over his bald patch.

“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding,” he’s spluttering to someone. “If you would just allow me to make enquiries…”