Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead (5 page)

‘Yum, is that strawberry sponge?' Alice-Miranda licked her lips as she slid into her seat beside Millie in the dining room.

‘Sure is.' Millie pushed a plate of the sticky confection towards her friend.

‘I've just had a lovely chat with Sloane,' Alice-Miranda announced.

‘I can't imagine how,' Jacinta glowered. ‘You didn't see what she and her mother were doing when we went back to the house before.'

‘What were they doing?' Alice-Miranda quizzed.

‘Going through Jacinta's things,' said Millie. ‘And getting awfully wound up about Jacinta's mother, for some strange reason.'

‘Oh.' Alice-Miranda rested her fork against the side of her plate. ‘Well, I'm sure they were just excited about being at school. It's such a great adventure being a boarder.'

Millie agreed. ‘That's what I said, but I have to admit that I have a bad feeling about those two. I think Sloane's trouble with a capital T and her mother is even worse.'

Alice-Miranda frowned. ‘I'm sure they'll be fine. Sometimes it just takes a little while to settle into somewhere new.'

Jacinta and Millie smiled at their little friend and shook their heads. She could always be relied upon to think the best of everyone.

The bell rang to signify the end of morning tea and Alice-Miranda, Millie and Jacinta took their dirty plates and cups to the sideboard.

‘Are you going to try out for the play?' Alice-Miranda asked the girls.

‘Yes, of course,' said Millie.

Jacinta nodded. ‘I wonder if one of the dwarfs could be a gymnast? And what about you Alice-Miranda? Will you audition?'

‘I think so – I'm going to get a script from Miss Reedy after school. I can get copies for both of you as well.'

The girls parted company, heading off to their various lessons. Alice-Miranda and Millie decided they would take a walk to the stables at lunchtime to see how Alice-Miranda's pony, Bonaparte, was getting on. Jacinta tried not to wrinkle her nose and said she planned to do some gymnastics training instead.

Alice-Miranda had been thrilled that her parents agreed to let Bony come back to school with her. After all, she had settled in so well and there was no doubt Bonaparte could do with being ridden more often. Hopefully his new surroundings would keep the little monster out of trouble. At least while he was at school he would stay out of Mr Greening's prized vegetable patch at Highton Hall.

There was only an hour of class time before lunch. Alice-Miranda had her favourite English class with Miss Reedy while Millie was at PE and Jacinta had Mathematics. Just after 1 pm, Alice-Miranda and
Millie met at the dining room where they collected some sandwiches to take with them to the stables.

They bounded off across the oval and down the lane, chatting between bites of lunch.

‘Hello there Bonaparte,' Alice-Miranda called, as she and Millie entered the cool brick stable block.

A loud whinny pierced the air as Bonaparte spun around and thrust his head over the half door of the stable.

‘Are you starving again, you poor man?' Millie fetched a loose carrot from the feed room and held it out to him. ‘Steady on there, greedy guts,' she scolded, as Bonaparte almost inhaled her hand along with the carrot.

Alice-Miranda picked up a brush, opened the stall door and walked inside. She began giving the pony a quick rub down. A young lad pushing a wheelbarrow full of straw entered the building and plodded towards them.

‘Hello miss.' The boy put the barrow down and addressed Millie. ‘Is he yours?' He motioned at Bonaparte's stable, where Alice-Miranda was hidden from view.

‘No,' Millie replied. ‘Definitely not.'

Alice-Miranda scrambled onto the stall door, her
feet dangling in the air as she hoisted herself up with her arms. ‘He's mine.'

‘Goodness, miss, you do surprise me,' the boy replied.

‘Why is that?' Alice-Miranda asked.

‘Well, he's a bit of a monster, that one – you take care in there.'

‘Oh dear, have you been a bad boy already, Bonaparte? I'm sorry if he's given you any trouble. He's really very sweet but he seems to be a bit set against young lads. Our poor Max at home cops it all the time. Just be firm, that's the trick.' Alice-Miranda slid down the door. She emerged from the stable and brushed Bonaparte's grey fuzz from her uniform.

‘Hello,' she said, holding her hand out to the young man. ‘My name is Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones, and I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr …'

‘It's Wally, Wally Whitstable.' The boy reached out slowly and shook her hand.

‘And this is Millie,' said Alice-Miranda. Millie reached forward and shook his hand too.

‘Are you new here, Wally?' Millie asked. She noticed he had the most brilliant emerald-green eyes and a shock of red hair to rival her own.

‘Yup, Charlie put me on last week – said that there were lots of ponies coming for the term and he needed some help. I like horses, I really do. I'm hoping to be a strapper if I can. I don't imagine race-horses could be any more difficult than that bloke.' Wally motioned his head towards Bonaparte.

‘That sounds like fun,' Alice-Miranda smiled. ‘And I am sorry about Bony. I hope in time you might learn to like him a little bit. He's really quite lovable when you get to know him.'

‘Do you have a pony, miss?' Wally asked Millie.

‘Yes, his name's Chudley Chops.' Millie shook her head and rolled her eyes. ‘I know, like the dog food. Everyone thought it was a very funny joke when I decided to call him Chudley and then Dad added Chops because he thought it was hilarious. Anyway, we just call him Chops for short and he's arriving very early on Saturday morning.'

‘Well, I'll be pleased to make the acquaintance of old Chudley Chops. Now, I'd best get off and finish mucking out, and I think by my watch it must be time for your afternoon lessons.' Wally excused himself.

Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘We'll see you soon, Wally. And you behave yourself, Bonaparte. Stay out of trouble.'

Bonaparte whinnied loudly in reply and shook his head up and down as if to agree.

‘So, you will be a good boy,' Alice-Miranda laughed.

‘Yes and I'll believe that when I see it,' Millie grabbed her friend's hand and they charged off to class.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Classes were busy and most of the girls spent any spare time learning lines in preparation for the upcoming auditions. Alice-Miranda, Jacinta and Millie were each trying out for several different parts, but Sloane informed them that there was only one decent role in the whole thing and there was no doubt it would be hers.

Sloane didn't seem especially keen to make friends with anyone, in spite of her mother's insistence that
she and Jacinta would become BFFs. Her attempts at conversation usually involved questions about what the girls' parents did and where they lived and if they had a holiday house or a yacht. Alice-Miranda said that Sloane was probably just nervous and not good at making chitchat, but Millie thought she was a bit on the nosy side.

Jacinta and Sloane had come to an uneasy truce. With no further evidence of Sloane meddling with her things, Jacinta decided she would give her a chance. But it wasn't always easy, especially when she overheard Sloane talking to her mother on the telephone and the whole topic of conversation seemed to be her own mother and what she was reportedly up to that week.

At Friday's afternoon tea, which consisted of the most delicious apple pie, Millie asked around to see who would like to go out on a riding party on Saturday.

‘Count me in,' Alice-Miranda nodded.

‘Me too,' Susannah agreed.

‘Urgh, me not.' Jacinta pulled a face. ‘I've got training and you know how I feel about horses – I'd rather file my nails.'

The other girls laughed.

‘What about you, Sloane? Would you like to come riding?' Alice-Miranda asked.

‘Um, yes, of course, but my new horse, Harry, hasn't arrived yet. He should have been here but Mummy messed up the transport,' she sulked.

‘That's all right. I think there are a couple of spare ponies that Mr Charles is looking after for someone in the village. I'll ask him if you can ride one of those,' Alice-Miranda offered.

Sloane hesitated. ‘Oh, okay.'

‘They're pussycats, believe me,' said Alice-Miranda. ‘I rode a gorgeous fellow called Stumps last term because Bonaparte was still at home. He's the sweetest little man.'

‘A
little
pony? I don't think he'll be good enough for me.' Sloane seemed to have regained her confidence.

‘Oh, he might be small, but he's fast, especially going uphill,' Alice-Miranda smiled.

Sloane gulped. ‘Well, it's just that I'm used to having a really big proper horse, not some dinky pony. I'm just not sure …'

‘Oh, come on, Sloane – if you can handle proper horses, I'm sure you'll have no problems with old Stumps,' Millie grinned.

And so it was all arranged. Alice-Miranda and Millie marched off to find Mr Charles and tell him of their plans. A quick visit to Mrs Smith ensured there would be a picnic feast fit for a king. She insisted that they should have egg sandwiches and tea and scones with jam and cream. The group would ride as far as Gertrude's Grove where Wally would deliver their spread in time for lunch.

Just before 10 am on Saturday, Sloane Sykes asked her room mate if she had a spare pair of riding breeches she could borrow. And a shirt and helmet and gloves, if possible, as hers were still at home, along with the elusive new horse that was due to arrive any day now. Although Jacinta hated riding, her mother had insisted that she have a complete outfit, just in case she changed her mind. This time Jacinta found herself handing over her belongings quite happily.

‘You know, if you don't like to ride, you should just say so,' Jacinta offered.

‘It's not that at all.' Sloane stood admiring her reflection in the long mirror behind their bedroom door. Certainly the outfit suited her.

‘Well, there's no shame in saying what you really think,' Jacinta tried again.

‘I
love
riding and I'm
very good
at it,' Sloane said, almost too emphatically.

‘Okay then, have a good time.' Jacinta pulled on her tracksuit pants and sat down to lace up her shoes. ‘I'll see you after training.'

Sloane was halfway out the door when she turned back. ‘Does your mother come and take you out at the weekends?'

Jacinta looked up and frowned. ‘You're kidding, aren't you? I think
your mother
knows more about where my mother is from week to week. I haven't seen her since Christmas.'

‘Oh,' Sloane mouthed. ‘So I guess I won't be able to meet her anytime soon. My mother was hoping they could have tea together when she comes to collect me for mid-term.'

‘Well, unless every last one of my mother's friends suddenly wind up in hospital or worse, I can
pretty much guarantee that I'll be staying here for mid-term, so tell your mother that if she had hoped to meet the oh-so-famous Ambrosia Headlington-Bear, she's going to be sorely disappointed.'

Jacinta picked up her gym bag and pushed past Sloane. She was very glad she wasn't going riding. Horses weren't the only thing she found irritating.

Sloane was beginning to wonder what the point of being at boarding school really was. So far, she hadn't met anyone remotely famous and her room mate's mother was turning out to be a huge disappointment. As for being invited away on holidays, she hadn't any prospects yet. School was okay – the lessons were quite good and the teachers seemed to know their stuff, but what use was it if you didn't get to meet the right people?

Her mother promised that boarding school would change her life. In fact, both Sloane's parents had been thrilled when her step-granny Henrietta had arranged for her and her brother to go to boarding school. The old woman didn't have any children of her own, so when she married Sloane's grandfather, Percy Sykes, rather late in life, she inherited Sloane and Septimus as grandchildren. When Percy died last year and left Sloane's parents his grocery shop with the flat above,
they sold the lot quick smart, even though Henrietta was supposed to be able to live there for as long as it suited her. In September's opinion, Henrietta was both ancient and dotty, so she convinced her husband that the elderly lady would be better served in an aged person's home. It hadn't been too hard for them to shuffle her off to a place called Golden Gates. The nurses told September and Smedley that Henrietta kept asking to see her family. But Henrietta didn't have any other relatives, so clearly, thought September, the old woman
was
losing her mind!

Sloane had started to wonder if her mother thought she was an inconvenience too, just like Granny Henrietta. She glanced at her watch and went to telephone her mother. September insisted that she call home every day for an update.

‘Hello Mummy.' Sloane sounded less than excited.

‘Well, how are you getting on then? Where have you been invited to?' her mother asked.

‘Nowhere. It's completely dull here and I want to come home,' Sloane nagged. ‘The girls are all so boring and they don't do anything fun. Jacinta told me her mother won't even be coming to get her at mid-term.'

‘Well,' said September, changing tack, ‘try someone else then. You know the little one's parents are completely loaded. I think you'll find they're richer than the Queen – and most likely related.'

‘Good grief, no. She's the most painful Pollyanna I've ever met. She smiles
all
the time and she's happy
all
the time and she never complains about anything, not ever. It's just not normal,' Sloane grouched. ‘And when are you sending my horse? I'm going riding today and I have to borrow this horrid little pony – and I had to sponge Jacinta's riding gear as well. If you want me to fit in here, I can't be borrowing things all the time.'

‘Sloane, you know we can't afford a horse,' her mother whispered. ‘What with your grandfather only leaving us such a dreadful, cheap little shop and flat. But don't worry; your father's new business is going to be a licence to print money. It won't be long until we can buy you everything you could possibly want. But for now, you know there's no harm in borrowing. If the girls offer, it would be rude not to.'

Sloane hung up the phone. In her opinion, life simply wasn't fair.