Read Online Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster 2 by Jacqueline Harvey - Free Book Online Page A

bring Clementine’s bag. I don’t think she realised that it was missing. But you can’t park here,’ he said, pointing at the sign.
    ‘Pooh! I’ll only be a minute,’ she said, waving her hand at him.
    ‘Well, I can take the bag for you and then you don’t need to come in at all,’ Digby offered.
    Aunt Violet shook her head. ‘No, I’ll take it myself.’ She pursed her lips together tightly. ‘I want Clementine to understand that she has to be more careful with her things. She can’t expect someone to rescue her every time she’s careless.’
    ‘Oh,’ said Digby. ‘Of course. She is five, after all. I don’t suppose it has anything to do with you wanting to meet Queen Georgiana?’
    ‘Of course not,’ Aunt Violet snapped.
    ‘You’re not even a little curious?’ Digby teased.
    ‘No.’ She shook her head.
    ‘Well, I think you’ll find Clementine over in the hall with the rest of the children. The Best Dressed category will be coming up soon. Then you might like to stay for morning tea – after you’ve moved the car, of course.’
    Violet ignored Digby’s last comment and marched through the gates. She almost bumped into Clementine and Lavender, who were on their way to the classroom to get ready. Mrs Bottomley was leading the group – in a straight line, of course. Her mouth was pinched and her eyebrows looked crosser than ever. She was not enjoying Pet Day one little bit, although the layered sponge cake she’d made for the event had been a great triumph, so she had that to look forward to at morning tea.
    ‘Aunt Violet!’ Clementine exclaimed. ‘I’m glad you changed your mind.’
    ‘I did no such thing,’ the woman snarled. She held the black bag aloft. ‘You forgot this.’
    ‘Oh, thank you for bringing it. Otherwise we would have missed out.’ Clementine smiled at her great-aunt. She hadn’t even realised that the bag was missing.
    ‘Well, yes, you need to be more careful in future, Clementine. I can’t go running around after you at the drop of a hat,’ said Aunt Violet. She looked as if she had just sucked a lemon.
    ‘Thank you, Aunt Violet,’ Clementine said again. ‘Are you going to stay for the judging?’ Clementine asked.
    ‘No, I’m going home to make another cup of tea. The one I was trying to make when your grandfather scolded me about your bag will be stone cold,’ Aunt Violet replied.
    ‘Did Grandpa talk to you too? That’s so exciting!’ Clementine gushed.
    ‘No, of course he did not talk to me,’ said Aunt Violet. ‘I didn’t mean it like that at all.’
    But Clementine knew there was something more. She gave Aunt Violet a wave and skipped along with Lavender beside her on the way to the classroom.
    Inside the hall, there were peals of laughter as Queen Georgiana announced the winner of the Dribbliest Pet category.
    It was a tie. Father Bob had kindly loaned his bulldog, Adrian, to Eddie Whipple, a six-year-old lad from Penberthy Floss. The other winner was Angus’s giant mastiff, Martin. The Queen was calling for a mop to clean the stage before the next category, Best Dressed.
    Aunt Violet was drawn towards the noise and wondered what on earth was going on. She poked her head into the back of the hall and watched as Her Majesty directed the school caretaker, Quentin Pickles, who was slipping and sliding all over the place.
    ‘Come on, man.’ Queen Georgiana pointed at a pool on the stage. ‘You missed a bit just there.’ The audience was hooting.
    ‘Oh, for goodness sake, give it to me.’ Her Majesty wrestled the mop from Mr Pickles, whose face had turned a stony white.
    ‘But, Ma’am, you’re the Queen. You can’t mop floors. That’s my job,’ the old man protested, clutching the mop back to his chest.
    ‘Yes, you’re quite right. I am the Queen, so I can jolly well do anything I please.’ Queen Georgiana flashed him a cheeky grin.
    The parents and children wondered if they were watching a pantomime.
    Violet Appleby pursed her lips.