Read Online Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster 2 by Jacqueline Harvey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jacqueline Harvey
Tags: Fiction
Ads: Link
Could this really be the Queen? The very same woman she had invited to her birthday party when they were girls, and from whom she never received a reply?
Outside, Digby and Pierre were putting the finishing touches to the morning tea. A row of trestle tables heaved under the weight of cream buns, chocolate eclairs, sponge cakes and a scrumptious selection of biscuits and slices. Most had been supplied by Pierre, with some additions from the parents and teachers.
‘Well come on, Pierre,’ Digby called to his friend. ‘We should be getting in. I think Clementine and Lavender are about to be judged.’
The two men placed a long gauze cover over the tables and headed inside.
Clementine Rose and Lavender – now in her costume – followed Mrs Bottomley around to the side entrance of the hall.
‘Okay, Lavender, just do your best.’ Clementine reached down and gave the little pig a scratch behind the ear. She walked across the stage and was joined by a whole line of children and their pets, which were dressed in a range of outfits. There was a West Highland terrier in a sailor suit, a bunny dressed as a bellhop and, of course, Lavender in her tutu. Poppy was there too with one of the barn cats from their farm. It was a large tabby called Jezabel, dressed in a bride’s outfit that Poppy had borrowed from one of her dolls. Jezabel did not look as if she was enjoying the experience one little bit.
‘Oh my,’ Queen Georgiana gasped as she surveyed the group in front of her. ‘Don’t you all look gorgeous?’
She walked up and down the line, greeting the pets and their owners. Digby slid into a seat next to Lady Clarissa. He glanced around and saw Aunt Violet standing at the back of the hall. He motioned for her to come and sit down but she ignored him completely.
After a short deliberation, Queen Georgiana again took the microphone from Miss Critchley to announce the winner.
‘It gives me great pleasure to award the Best Dressed pet to . . . Lavender, the little teacup pig.’ She smiled at Clementine, who beamed back at her.
‘That’s our girl,’ Digby called from the back of the hall. Everyone clapped and laughed.
Queen Georgiana passed the microphone back to Miss Critchley and proceeded to pin the blue rosette onto Lavender’s tutu. The little pig nibbled Her Majesty’s finger and Clementine curtsied.
‘Well,’ Miss Critchley began, ‘I can’t believe it’s time for our final category: the Pet Most Like its Owner.’
All of the students and their pets, other than those entered in the last section, were now jammed in together at the front of the hall with parents and friends sitting on the rows of seats behind.
‘I love this part of the competition,’ Miss Critchley beamed. ‘It’s always a lot of fun. So, without any further ado, here are the entrants.’
The children and their pets filed across the stage. Among them were a girl from the fourth grade with blonde curls and her equally blonde curly-haired poodle; a lad from the sixth grade with slicked back hair holding a large skink in a terrarium; and a kindergarten boy with rather large ears, who was leading a basset hound. Another boy was wearing a dalmatian costume and holding the most adorable dalmatian puppy. Queen Georgiana was grinning broadly as she tried to decide on a winner.
No one noticed the unusual creature that had slunk onto the side of the stage. He padded along behind the group and emerged in the middle, between a girl with a guinea pig and a lad with a ferret.
The creature looked out at the audience with a sneer on its face.
Queen Georgiana caught her breath. ‘Oh my. Who do we have here?’
A little girl in the front row squealed, ‘There’s a monster. There’s a monster.’
‘Good lord, what is that?’ a man asked loudly from the middle of the hall.
The father with the dragon tattoo leapt to his feet and said, ‘Quick, get a cage before it bites someone and they turn into an alien too. I’ve read about those
Outside, Digby and Pierre were putting the finishing touches to the morning tea. A row of trestle tables heaved under the weight of cream buns, chocolate eclairs, sponge cakes and a scrumptious selection of biscuits and slices. Most had been supplied by Pierre, with some additions from the parents and teachers.
‘Well come on, Pierre,’ Digby called to his friend. ‘We should be getting in. I think Clementine and Lavender are about to be judged.’
The two men placed a long gauze cover over the tables and headed inside.
Clementine Rose and Lavender – now in her costume – followed Mrs Bottomley around to the side entrance of the hall.
‘Okay, Lavender, just do your best.’ Clementine reached down and gave the little pig a scratch behind the ear. She walked across the stage and was joined by a whole line of children and their pets, which were dressed in a range of outfits. There was a West Highland terrier in a sailor suit, a bunny dressed as a bellhop and, of course, Lavender in her tutu. Poppy was there too with one of the barn cats from their farm. It was a large tabby called Jezabel, dressed in a bride’s outfit that Poppy had borrowed from one of her dolls. Jezabel did not look as if she was enjoying the experience one little bit.
‘Oh my,’ Queen Georgiana gasped as she surveyed the group in front of her. ‘Don’t you all look gorgeous?’
She walked up and down the line, greeting the pets and their owners. Digby slid into a seat next to Lady Clarissa. He glanced around and saw Aunt Violet standing at the back of the hall. He motioned for her to come and sit down but she ignored him completely.
After a short deliberation, Queen Georgiana again took the microphone from Miss Critchley to announce the winner.
‘It gives me great pleasure to award the Best Dressed pet to . . . Lavender, the little teacup pig.’ She smiled at Clementine, who beamed back at her.
‘That’s our girl,’ Digby called from the back of the hall. Everyone clapped and laughed.
Queen Georgiana passed the microphone back to Miss Critchley and proceeded to pin the blue rosette onto Lavender’s tutu. The little pig nibbled Her Majesty’s finger and Clementine curtsied.
‘Well,’ Miss Critchley began, ‘I can’t believe it’s time for our final category: the Pet Most Like its Owner.’
All of the students and their pets, other than those entered in the last section, were now jammed in together at the front of the hall with parents and friends sitting on the rows of seats behind.
‘I love this part of the competition,’ Miss Critchley beamed. ‘It’s always a lot of fun. So, without any further ado, here are the entrants.’
The children and their pets filed across the stage. Among them were a girl from the fourth grade with blonde curls and her equally blonde curly-haired poodle; a lad from the sixth grade with slicked back hair holding a large skink in a terrarium; and a kindergarten boy with rather large ears, who was leading a basset hound. Another boy was wearing a dalmatian costume and holding the most adorable dalmatian puppy. Queen Georgiana was grinning broadly as she tried to decide on a winner.
No one noticed the unusual creature that had slunk onto the side of the stage. He padded along behind the group and emerged in the middle, between a girl with a guinea pig and a lad with a ferret.
The creature looked out at the audience with a sneer on its face.
Queen Georgiana caught her breath. ‘Oh my. Who do we have here?’
A little girl in the front row squealed, ‘There’s a monster. There’s a monster.’
‘Good lord, what is that?’ a man asked loudly from the middle of the hall.
The father with the dragon tattoo leapt to his feet and said, ‘Quick, get a cage before it bites someone and they turn into an alien too. I’ve read about those
Similar Books
