Lady Marigold's laced shoes tapped against the hard tiles of the bank. Her brother walked beside her and her soon to be husband walked a few paces ahead. Marigold was not entirely sure why they had started their day by visiting the bank. It was their last day in New York before they returned home and Marigold Wentworth had hoped to spend it exploring the city one last time.

She had asked, of course, but Marigold was instantly reminded that things such as money were not a woman's business. Lady Marigold found that rather daft and by the disapproving look on August Wentworth's face, he too thought that Leopold Harvey spoke an awful lot of nonsense.

It didn't surprise either Wentworth. Leopold was a man of distasteful thoughts and more often than not he vocalised them, leaving Marigold feeling foolish and outright embarrassed to be associated with him, nevermind the future 'Mrs Harvey' which made her feel rather queasy whenever she remembered. It was not that Leopold was a disgusting man, it was that he was a vile man. Leopold was a vile man with a narrow mind and little care for anything beside himself.

Leopold stopped in front of one of the many desks and introduced himself to the suited man behind it. There was a moment of hushed chatter before the man stood up from his desk and requested that Leopold followed him.

Marigold shared a glance with her brother. Even August had no idea why it was so important for Leopold to divert the plans Marigold had laid out the previous night. If they had stuck to Marigold's carefully thought out schedule they'd be tucked away in a little cafe drinking coffee instead of being questioned by a strange lady who held a meeting in front of the bank calling for the exposure of witches under the Second Salemers – Which Leopold had called 'Utter rubbish'.

"What is he doing?" Marigold hooked her arm around August's as they followed Leopold to where he met the bank worker.

The golden gate was locked behind the bank worker and the man extended his arm out, pointing towards a room at the far end of the bank. Leopold took his black bowler hat from his head and held it in his hand as he walked beside the man.

"Something you won't be happy about, I suppose," August tapped his sister's hand that held his arm.

August struggled to understand why his parents had agreed to the marriage. They had always wanted the best for their daughter. Marigold was given her own tutor who taught her everything from needlework to arithmetic. From the age of nine, Lady Marigold was fluent in both French and German and by eleven she could play the Piano so beautifully it brought a tear to her father's eye whenever he heard her play. Marigold simply lived up to the title she had been given at birth. Leopold Harvey... He was just Leopold Harvey.

"Well, we know that isn't one of his priorities," August hummed in agreement as he led his sister after Leopold. Lady Marigold was well aware that Leopold's only priority when it came to their marriage was having Marigold beneath him – in their bed chambers and in society life as his wife.

"You will find out for me, won't you?" Marigold spoke quieter as she passed a bench where two men sat. One had darker hair and a rather impressive moustache sat upon his lip, he raised his hand awkwardly at Marigold and her brother which they returned. The other, with reddish brown, tousled hair offered Marigold a tight lipped smile that was just as awkward as the man's wave. They didn't look like friends, nor acquaintances, they appeared to be strangers. "He won't tell me. He never does," Marigold continued as the second man looked around as if he had lost something.

August grasped his sister's hand as Leopold came to a stop. The bank worker stepped inside the room and Leopold turned to the Wentworth siblings. Leopold's eyebrows furrowed, Lady Marigold and August had only been a few steps behind him but they had slowed their pace to keep some distance from Mr Harvey as they often did with their parents in public.

"Quickly now," Leopold checked the time on his pocket watch as he spat his words.

Marigold stopped herself from rolling her eyes. August, however, showed his obvious annoyance with a loud sigh and with each step towards Leopold, August wondered if he could kidnap his sister and stowaway to Paris. He knew that Marigold would not protest, if anything she'd be overjoyed.

"Care to explain why we're here, Leopold?" August asked.

"It's Mr Harvey to you, boy," Leopold pointed at August with his thumb. "Your sister will be my wife by the end of this year and I'd hate for you to forget your place in the family,"

August hummed and a glint of humour flickered in his blue eyes, "Well, until then..." Marigold ducked her head to hide her smile, "Leopold, why are we at the bank?".

Leopold narrowed his eyes. When Phillip had suggested a voyage to America, Leopold had expected it to be just him and the future Mrs Harvey but no, he had been burdened with August Wentworth's presence from the moment he arrived at the Wentworth's home six weeks ago.

Leopold sighed, "I have told you once and I will tell you again. Matters-".

"Matters such as money do not concern women," August spoke at the same time as Leopold. Leopold had told him more than once, he told him nearly every day during their time away from home and each time, August only found himself despising Mr Harvey with every syllable that passed his lips.

Leopold nodded, "So, you do listen. Good," August held his tongue, the last thing he wanted was for himself or Leopold to humiliate her. "While your ears are still in working condition, as Lady Wentworth's guardian-" August turned his head slightly to catch his sister's gaze, 'chaperone' would have worked just fine. "I'd like for you to listen in on this meeting and I do not require your input," Leopold stated.

"And what shall I do? Make myself busy counting those who come and go from the bank?" Marigold suggested sarcastically.

Leopold nodded. "Yes. Sit there," Leopold pointed at the bench that had previously been occupied by the two men.

Marigold forced a smile onto her face and with a nod she dropped her arm from August's. Leopold smiled, somehow mistaking the one Lady Marigold wore as a true expression. Leopold tucked – or at least tried to tuck – a strand of Marigold's hair behind her ear but it refused to stay put which only frustrated the man.

"Right," Leopold huffed, "Stay put," Leopold's hand thudded against the side of Marigold's face as he not so delicately cupped her cheek. Marigold grimaced. Leopold was never gentle with his touch. "Don't wander. Understand?".

"Yes".

Marigold slumped into the bench. Even if she had twenty seconds, Marigold was going to take advantage of the freedom she had been granted.

Looking up at the ceiling of the bank, Lady Marigold's eyes followed the marble pattern that went from one side to the next. The pattern was chaotic, yet simply pretty and it made Marigold miss the calm cream walls of her home that had been thoughtfully decorated over the years with paintings, flower presses, needle work and other handmaid and gifted ornaments, some of which Marigold had acquired on her travels.

The silver, diamond necklace her father had bought Marigold for her twentieth birthday peaked out of the neckline of the thick, fur trimmed coat Leopold had gifted her. It shone in the golden light that hung above her as her chest rose and fell with each slow inhale and exhale. Marigold leaned her head back and she closed her eyes for a brief moment to soak in the silence she found without Leopold beside her, but before she could let herself completely relax, the silver jewellery was snatched from her neck.

Marigold's eyes shot open as a gasp left her mouth. Marigold clutched her hand over her chest and she hoped she had imagined it but when she didn't feel the jewels against her skin, Lady Marigold knew she hadn't.

Standing up straight, Marigold turned on her heel in hopes of spotting the thief before they exited the bank with her necklace but as she glanced around in search of someone who was acting strange or possibly tucking something into their pocket, Marigold's eyes settled on a small black beast with a long brown snout.

The animal, which looked somewhat like a platypus from the descriptions Marigold had seen in books, tilted its head as it stared back at her with black beady eyes. Marigold had seen many animals but something about the beast that slowly stuffed Lady Marigold's necklace into its stomach pouch was different to the ones she had studied with August.

With widened eyes, Marigold hurried towards the animal. The animal scurried away with part of the necklace chain hanging from its pouch. Marigold's shoes tapped loudly on the hard bank flooring as she chased the animal towards the front of the bank.

The beast disappeared behind a man who stood in line and while Marigold tried to spot it again, it snatched the man's pocket watch and the buckle off his wife's shoes.

Apologies slipped from Marigold's lips as she bumped shoulders with a man who was exiting the bank and another who was entering the bank. The whole thing was rather bizarre but Marigold refused to let the animal escape with her necklace.

Marigold came to a sudden halt as out of the corner of her eye she noticed the animal running across the top of the deposit desk's golden gate, "Really?" Marigold tilted her head and a smile grew on her lips, "How did you manage that?" Marigold muttered.

Lady Marigold continued to apologise to the bank customers she bumped into as she rushed towards the animal that was quickly making its getaway. She knew August would find it all rather hilarious, Leopold on the other hand, well, Marigold didn't ponder too much about what Mr Harvey thought.

The animal slid down the gate, its eye caught by a bag of gold that sat on the bottom shelf of a trolley. The animal jumped onto the trolley, going unnoticed by the bank worker that pushed it into the elevator as the beast stared back at Marigold.

"You didn't see that, did you?".

Marigold jumped at the British accent that came from the man who appeared beside her. She had been too caught up in the chase to realise that one of the men who had been sitting on the bench before her had also been following the animal through the bank and doing a much better job at slipping between the queues with his suitcase in hand.

The man didn't meet Marigold's eye as she turned to look at him, "That- that-" Marigold racked her brain, calling it a platypus didn't seem right. "Thing stole my necklace," Lady Marigold touched her chest where her silver necklace had previously laid.

"That's a Niffler," The man stated. Marigold blinked. Niffler. She'd never heard of a Niffler before. "It stole my..." The man glanced down at his wrist, "My watch".

Lady Marigold suspected the man was lying.

"Your watch?" Marigold glanced down at the man's wrist, the sleeves of his long blue coat covered them.

"Yes," The man nodded. His eyes, which were a sort of green with a hint of blue, met Marigold's briefly as she looked back up at him, "It stole my watch".

Marigold was still unconvinced but at the same time, she didn't want to underestimate the Niffler that had snatched her necklace.

Niffler.

Lady Marigold had read thousands of books in her life and at least a hundred of them had been about the animals of the world. Yet, a Niffler – a thieving beast with a rather adorable face – had oddly never been mentioned, at least not to Marigold's recollection.

"Hey! Mr. English guy!". Marigold turned, assuming that the American man who had shouted was calling to the man beside her or possibly either August or Leopold, if they were done with their meeting. "I think your egg is hatching," Marigold recognised the American man, who was holding a large white egg in his hand, as the man with the moustache who had also been sitting on the bench.

He definitely wasn't talking to Marigold's brother or fiance.

Marigold's head snapped towards the elevator as it dinged closed. The Wentworth girl sighed, she could already hear her father berating her for losing something so valuable. If it hadn't been stolen by an animal, Lady Marigold would have gone to the police but she highly doubted that they would do anything more than laugh in her face if she told them the truth.

"Bloody brilliant," Marigold muttered.

There was a quiet swish which Marigold mistook as her blood rushing to her head as she hurriedly tried to think of a lie. Leopold would notice within seconds that her necklace was missing and she wished to avoid being interrogated, but before she could think of anything convincing the man beside her pulled Marigold into his side and everything became a sort of blur.

With a slip of her foot, Marigold mindlessly caught a handle bar beside her and steadied her feet. Lady Marigold felt as if she had been trapped on a rocking ship for hours and that nauseous feeling was made worse as she quickly realised that she stood on a set of stairs with the two men.

The Englishman held a stick between his teeth and as the American man asked 'What just happened?' – Which was exactly what Marigold wondered – The Englishman gently took the egg from him.

Lady Marigold had seen her fair share of unusual things in her life, and August Wentworth had a habit of tracking them down, but Marigold had to pinch her wrist to make sure she had not dreamt the bird-like creature that cracked out of the egg shell with a chirp.

The Englishman stared at the creature with such adoration and he lowered his hand so Marigold could see the baby animal close up. It was a bird of some sort, but like the Niffler Marigold couldn't place it in the books she had read. It had scales which were a variety of blues and light purples and tiny wings that peaked out of the egg.

It was extraordinary and Marigold's eyes shone with wonder as the Englishman stepped past her, leaving both Lady Marigold and the American man utterly confused.

"But, excuse me?" The American man muttered before he glanced through the stairs railing. The man ducked with a sharp exhale of breath and fell onto the step next to Marigold. They were on the stairs that led to the vaults. "I was over there. Came over...I was over there," The poor man tried to rationalise but there was no explanation, not one that he or Marigold could conjure up.

Marigold hesitantly followed the Englishman down the stairs towards the vault. So far, he had shown that he was rather harmless but if he was not, Marigold had been told that she had a rather hard punch and if that failed, there was an alarm at the bottom of the stairs.

The man was crouched in front of one of the vaults, placing the hatched animal into his suitcase and talking to it, "Everyone settle down. Stay. Dougal, don't make me come in there. Don't make me come down there".

Harmless, possibly but most definitely eccentric.

The Niffler that had stolen Marigold's necklace, reappeared. It scurried past the Englishman and began to squeeze itself under the vault door. Marigold and the American man glanced at each other. Neither were sure if they were dreaming.

The Englishman stood up with his stick in his hand. "Absolutely not," He pointed the stick at the vault and said "Alohomora".

The vault handles began to spin and they clicked quietly as the vault unlocked.

"Oh, so you're gonna steal the money, huh?" Simultaneously the three of them looked over their shoulders. The bank worker who had caught them by the vault sounded the alarm which rung out through the entire bank.

"Petrificus totalus".

The bank worker froze as he was hit by a blue light and he fell flat onto his back like a plank of wood with a dull thud.

"Mr Bingley!" The American man muttered.

"Oh my," Marigold whispered.

The vault door opened and Lady Marigold turned back to the Englishman who was stepping inside it after sitting his suitcase down on the bank floor. Many of the safe doors were unlocked, money, jewellery and other valuable goods laid on the floor and the Niffler who had another necklace hanging from its pouch sat in a drawer, stuffing a gold bar into its stomach pouch.

"Really?" The man grabbed the animal before it could escape and shook it upside down. Jewels, coins and just about anything shiny fell out of the Niffler's pouch and clattered onto the floor as the Niffler tried to escape him, "No. Don't play that," The man tickled the animal's stomach and the rest of its stolen items, including Marigold's necklace, fell to the floor.

Marigold thought she had seen everything during her trip to Europe but she had been greatly mistaken, the gambling pubs that August took Marigold to were nothing in comparison to what she had witnessed in the vault.

Footsteps alerted them to the police who had quickly arrived at the 'robbery'. This was new. Marigold had never encountered the police, not in England, Europe nor in America. The Englishman snatched Marigold's necklace off the floor and tucked it into his pocket. He had no time to return the jewellery.

"Don't shoot!".

The Englishman grabbed his suitcase and held the Niffler in his other hand like a ragdoll as their American associate begged the police not to shoot at them and Marigold held her hands up by her head, surrendering over a crime she had not even committed.

"Take my arm," The man snapped his head towards Marigold. Lady Marigold's eyes widened, "My arm. Hold it".

chapter one is finally out, it was supposed to be published last night but i fell asleep...