Ellie was determined not to do anything else wrong. She tried hard to eat her meal in the way Miss Stringle had taught her. She chose the correct silver knife and fork from the gleaming selection by her plate, kept her mouth closed while she chewed, and only spilt a couple of drops of gravy on the crisp, white tablecloth. She even remembered not to drum her feet against the chair leg or play with her crystal glass while the adults talked politics.
At first the smell of wet jodhpurs and horse was hardly noticeable. But the room was very warm and the warmth made the smell grow stronger and stronger. By the time they had finished their strawberries and ice cream, Ellie was sure it was impossible to ignore.
She looked nervously round the table to see if any of the others had noticed. The Prime Minister obviously had. When he realized she was looking at him, he wrinkled his nose and sniffed dramatically.
“How are things at the stables?” he asked with a smile.
“Wonderful,” said Ellie. “We’ve a new groom and she’s going to let me look after my ponies myself.”
“Really!” said the Queen with surprise. “And what exactly does that involve?”
“It’s grooming and mucking out and cleaning tack and filling buckets and…”
“But that’s work,” said the King. “You’re a princess, Aurelia, and princesses don’t work.”
Ellie stared at him in dismay. What if he wouldn’t allow her to look after her ponies? What if he sent Meg away and got another groom like George? “But it’s much more fun than sitting in the palace on my own,” she said.
“That doesn’t make any difference,” said the King, firmly.
The Prime Minister coughed gently to attract their attention. “Perhaps it makes it a hobby rather than work,” he said and winked at Ellie.
Ellie grinned at him in delight. “That’s right,” she said, bravely. “It’s definitely a hobby. And I’m sure princesses are allowed to have hobbies.”
The Queen smiled. “I’m sure they are too,” she said. “Provided they remember to get changed before they come to dinner.”
Ellie was so delighted that she jumped up and kissed her. “I promise I will,” she said. She decided not to mention the wellingtons. It seemed more sensible to stop while she was winning.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Ellie leaped out of bed as soon as she woke up. It was Saturday so there were no lessons. Instead, she could spend the whole day at the stables.
She was already dressed by the time the maid arrived with her breakfast on a silver tray. Ellie ignored the perfectly boiled egg and gulped down the orange juice.
Then she grabbed the buttered toast and ate it as she ran down to the stables.
“I thought you and Sundance might like a lesson today,” said Meg. “But first we’ll turn the others out into the field.”
Ellie chose to lead Shadow. She thought he would be the easiest because he was the smallest. But she was wrong. Rainbow and Moonbeam walked quietly, but Shadow didn’t want to. Every few steps he dropped his head to grab a mouthful of grass or dived into the hedge to eat tasty leaves. Soon, Ellie’s arm ached from being yanked in one direction after another.
She was relieved when they reached the field. Meg turned Rainbow and Moonbeam loose first. They trotted across the grass together, arching their necks and sniffing the morning air. Ellie watched them go. Then she carefully unbuckled Shadow’s headcollar and took it off. But the little Shetland had much less energetic ideas. He didn’t go anywhere. He just started eating the grass in front of him.
Back in the yard, Meg helped Ellie to groom Sundance. He seemed to enjoy it and lifted his feet willingly so Ellie could clean them out with a hoof pick.
When his coat was gleaming and his hooves were freshly painted with oil, Meg showed Ellie how to put on his saddle and bridle. Then they set off to the sand school for the lesson. It was a big area of sand with a wooden fence around the outside and some jumps in the middle.
Ellie had ridden in there many times with George but this time she felt very nervous. She was worried in case Meg didn’t think her riding was good enough. She tried hard to keep her heels down and her back straight as she trotted Sundance round the school. He wasn’t nervous at all. He trotted confidently with his head up and his ears pricked forward. Soon, Ellie relaxed too and started to enjoy herself. Meg was a good teacher and quick to praise everything she did right.
“Now let’s see how well you ride without stirrups,” said Meg.
Ellie was horrified. No one had ever asked her to do that before. “I can’t,” she said. “I’ll fall off.”
“No, you won’t,” said Meg. She helped Ellie cross her stirrups over the front of the saddle so they were out of the way. “Now off you go. It’s not as hard as you think.”
Ellie squeezed nervously with her legs and Sundance walked forward. Perhaps Meg was right. It felt strange riding without stirrups but it wasn’t difficult.
“Now trot on,” called Meg.
Trotting was much harder. Ellie bumped and bounced so much in the saddle that she had to grab Sundance’s mane to steady herself. As they went round the first corner, she slipped sideways and thought she was going to slide right off. Sundance stopped before she did.
“He’s worried about you,” said Meg. “He’s stopping because he doesn’t think you’re safe.”
“I don’t think I am either,” said Ellie, as she gave the chestnut pony a grateful pat.
“You’re leaning forward. That’s what’s causing the problem. You’ll find it much easier if you sit up straight.”
Ellie felt more confident knowing Sundance was trying to help. As he started to trot again, she tried hard to keep her head up and her shoulders back. It made a big difference. She didn’t bounce nearly as much and she felt much safer.
Suddenly, she spotted a flash of green beside the barn. There was someone there. She turned her head to see better. But she accidentally leaned forward at the same time so she started to bump around again. She had to stop looking to get her balance back. She just had time to see a girl peering out from behind the barn – a girl who was watching her.
Ellie was sure it was the same face she’d seen the day before. But she didn’t have another chance to look until Sundance trotted back to that part of the sand school again. By then, the watcher had gone.
Chapter 7
Ellie kept a lookout for the mystery stranger as she rode back to the yard. But she didn’t see anyone. “I hope that girl’s gone for good,” she thought. “I don’t like her watching me.”
She untacked Sundance without any help and brushed away the mark left by the saddle. Then she led him out to the field and turned him loose with the others.
Sundance gave a playful buck as he trotted away. Then he rolled on the grass to give his back a good scratch. When he had finished, he stood up and shook himself from nose to tail before finally settling down to graze.
“Now it’s time to muck out,” said Meg. She gave Ellie a wheelbarrow, a fork, a shovel and a broom, and showed her how to take the manure and dirty straw out of Sundance’s stable.
It was a completely new experience for Ellie. She had never tried doing such a dirty job before and, at first, the smell of the sodden straw made her wrinkle her nose. But she soon got used to it and worked her way slowly and carefully across the stable. When she had stacked all the clean bedding in a heap at the back, she swept the floor so everything looked neat and tidy. Then, feeling very pleased with herself, she set off to the muck heap with her barrow piled high with wet, dirty straw.
When she arrived, she realized she had to push it right to the top before she could empty it. There were some planks of wood to push the barrow along but it was still hard to make it go up such a steep slope. Her first attempt failed. The barrow just stopped halfway up and then rolled down again, pushing her with it.
“Perhaps I need more speed,” she thought. She pulled the barrow back far enough to get a run up. Then she raced at the heap as fas
t as she could.
The barrow shot up the planks, bouncing slightly as it went. Ellie kept pushing hard until suddenly the barrow dropped off the end of the last plank. The wheel sank into the soft straw and the barrow stopped. Ellie couldn’t. She bumped into the barrow which promptly tipped over sideways. She went with it, fell over the handle and landed flat on her face in the dirty straw.
Luckily, the muck heap was soft so only her pride was hurt. “Thank goodness no one saw me,” she thought, as she struggled to her feet. But then she heard a sound. It was muffled, and stopped almost as soon as it had started, but she was sure it was a laugh.
Ellie looked around. Meg was still in the yard but the noise had come from the barn. There was someone in there and they were watching her. It must be that girl again! This time Ellie wasn’t going to let her get away.
She ran towards the source of the sound, slipping and sliding as she came down the muck heap. As she raced through the barn door, she caught a brief glimpse of two legs disappearing through a window.
By the time she reached the window and looked out, there was no one to be seen. The watcher had disappeared again, but this time she’d left something behind. There was a piece of green cloth caught on a nail that stuck out of the wood.
Ellie pulled it off and looked at it. Whoever had been watching her had been wearing a green fleece. And now they were wearing a fleece with a hole.
Ellie wondered if she should tell anyone what she’d seen. But she decided not to. It was only a girl – a girl who had no right to be there. “This is my place and they’re my ponies,” thought Ellie. “I can handle this myself.”
She pushed the scrap of material into the pocket of her jodhpurs and went back to help Meg.
Chapter 8
That night the weather changed. High winds brought dark clouds rolling in from the west and heavy rain lashed at the palace windows. In the morning, the noise of the storm made Ellie wake earlier than usual. She lay in bed wishing she could spend all day at the stables again. But she couldn’t. She had to go with her parents to visit Great Aunt Edwina who lived in a completely boring country house with no animals, no games and no TV.
Ellie knew she could ride when she got back, but that seemed such a long time away. She wanted to see her ponies before that. So she got out of bed, slipped into her riding clothes and crept downstairs.
She opened the side door quietly, pulled up the hood on her waxed jacket and ran across to the stable yard. Gipsy put his head over his door when he heard Ellie’s footsteps. He looked as if he had only just woken up. There were strands of straw caught in his mane from where he’d been lying down.
Ellie stroked the grey horse and looked across at the ponies’ stables. It was only then she realized something was wrong. Sundance’s door was wide open.
She raced across the rain-soaked yard and looked inside. But she was too late. The stable was empty. Sundance had disappeared.
For a moment, Ellie was so shocked that she couldn’t think what to do. Then she rushed back to the palace, calling for help.
Her shouts echoed through the building. Doors flew open in response and soon she was surrounded by maids, cleaners and secretaries, all asking what was wrong.
“Out of my way,” shouted the King, as he pushed his way through the crowd. When he reached Ellie, he kneeled down and hugged her. “What on earth’s happened?” he asked, gently.
“It’s Sundance,” sobbed Ellie. “He’s gone.”
“Call security! Call out the guard!” shouted the Queen, who had just rushed up in her red velvet dressing gown and silk pyjamas. Her everyday crown was perched precariously on top of her curlers.
Ellie led her parents down to the yard to show them the empty stable. The maids came with them carrying huge umbrellas to protect everyone from the pouring rain.
Meg was waiting for them. She looked as upset as Ellie felt. “I checked the stables just before I went to bed,” she said. “He was definitely there then.”
“He must have been stolen,” said the Queen. “Whoever could have done such a dreadful thing?”
The King looked around carefully, as if he was searching for clues. “There’s no sign that they went anywhere else. It looks as if they knew where Sundance would be.” He paused and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That’s strange,” he said in a puzzled voice. “It must be someone who’s been to the stables before.”
His words sent a shiver down Ellie’s spine as she remembered the mysterious stranger. “There’s been a girl hanging around,” she said. “I’ve seen her watching me and Sundance.”
Everyone stared at her in horror.
“You silly child,” shouted the King. “You should have told us.”
Ellie burst into tears. “I wish I had,” she sobbed. “I’m really sorry. I thought I could handle it. I never dreamed she’d do anything awful like this.” She sniffed loudly and wiped away the tears with her hand in a most unprincesslike fashion.
The Queen swiftly passed her a lace-trimmed handkerchief. “Well, at least you’ve told us now,” she said, calmly.
Suddenly there was a commotion on the other side of the yard. A soldier came in leading a girl by the arm. “I found her outside,” he said. “She insists she wants to talk to the Princess.”
The girl was about Ellie’s age. She was soaking wet and her long, straight hair was matted to her head. The zip on her waxed jacket was undone. Underneath it she was wearing a green fleece – a fleece with a familiar-shaped hole.
“She’s the thief!” yelled Ellie. She pulled the scrap of green material from her pocket and held it up to show it was a perfect match.
“I’m not!” shouted the girl as she pulled her arm free of the soldier’s grasp. “I’m Kate. I’m staying with my grandparents. My gran’s the palace cook.”
Ellie stared at her suspiciously. “So why were you watching me?” she asked.
For the first time, Kate looked slightly guilty. “Gran told me not to bother you,” she said. “But I love horses so much I just wanted to be near them.”
The Queen stepped forward and pointed at her accusingly. “Is that why you stole Princess Aurelia’s pony?” she asked.
“I didn’t take him,” said Kate. “No one did. He got out by himself.”
“Rubbish,” said the King. “Horses can’t open doors.”
“Some of them can,” said Meg, thoughtfully. She closed the stable door and tested the bolt. It slid backwards and forwards easily. “Maybe Sundance has only just learned.”
Kate rushed over and grabbed Ellie by the hands. “You’ve got to believe me,” she pleaded. “I came to see the ponies really early before anyone was up. I saw Sundance undo the bolt with his tongue and run off, so I followed him. I thought I could catch him and bring him back. But he’s fallen in a ditch and he can’t get out.”
Ellie felt her stomach knot with fear. She couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Sundance. “What are we going to do?” she asked. “We’ve got to save him.”
“We’ll send out a rescue team,” said her father. He listened carefully while Kate described the exact position of the ditch. Then he shook his head. “It’ll take a long time to get heavy lifting gear out there.”
Ellie imagined how frightened Sundance must be. “We can’t leave him on his own,” she said. “I’ll run on ahead and keep him calm.”
“But princesses don’t…” began her father, stepping in front of her to block her path.
“This one does,” said Ellie, as she ducked past him and ran off into the driving rain.
Kate ran after her. “You’ll get there quicker if I show you the way.”
Behind them, Ellie could hear voices shouting “Come back” and “Be careful” but she didn’t care. All that mattered was keeping Sundance safe.
Chapter 9
Ellie and Kate ran side by side up the lane and across the park to the stream. Normally this was a gentle, babbling brook. But the rain had swollen it into a torrent. As their feet pou
nded across the wooden bridge, Ellie glanced over the side at the deep, fast-flowing water. She felt a shiver of fear. The rain would be filling the ditch as well.
“This way,” said Kate when they reached the other side. She led them up a slope and then turned right into the wood.
To Ellie’s relief, the trees gave them a little shelter from the wind and rain. She was already soaking wet and she was tired too. Running so far and so fast was hard work and she wasn’t used to it. But she couldn’t stop now. Sundance needed her.
They ran through the wood, twisting and turning between the trees until they came to a large area of sloping ground.
“Sundance is down there,” said Kate.
It was difficult to run down the hill. Their feet slithered and slipped on the wet grass. But they didn’t stop until they reached the ditch where Sundance was trapped. It was deeper than Ellie had expected. Its sides were steep and muddy. Large grooves showed where Sundance’s hooves had slid in the slippery mud as he had tried unsuccessfully to climb out.
Ellie’s eyes filled with tears when she saw the chestnut pony. He was completely exhausted by his efforts to escape, and was lying on his side in the shallow water at the bottom of the ditch. Luckily, his head was resting a little way up the bank, just clear of the surface, so he could still breathe.
“Sundance, Sundance,” Ellie called. “We’re here and there’s help on the way.”
The pony lifted his head slightly when he heard her voice, and whickered gently. Then his head fell back onto the bank and he lay still.
“He’s too tired and weak to save himself,” said Ellie. “He can’t even stand up.”
Kate nodded. “That’s not the only problem. There’s much more water in the ditch than when I left.”
Princess Ellie to the Rescue Page 2
