Judith Eagle

"Clara Starling lives a life of dull rules, deadly routine, and flavorless meals under her cold uncle's strict regime--until the day Uncle disappears, leaving Clara alone in his old mansion. When streetwise orphan Peter and his rescue cat arrive unexpectedly, the children seize the chance to live by their own rules. But when the pair's wild romps through the halls of Braithwaite Manor reveal a single, worn ballet slipper, they are hurled into a mystery...