fingers and held them in the air. âShe gave me a hug on board the Octavia and you know Her Majesty doesnât just hug anyone.â
Wally laughed at the thought of QueenGeorgiana offering random hugs to strangers. He glanced at his watch.
âHadnât you two better be getting back to class? You donât want to miss your afternoon lessons,â he said.
âI do,â Millie groaned. âIâve got PE and Miss Wall is making us run cross country. Iâd rather do Jacintaâs dirty laundry than run that course.â
Alice-Miranda let go of Bonyâs foot and ducked around under his head. She popped up hanging over the stable door. âYou know, if Charlie doesnât find someone, Millie and I can take over here for a little while. I donât mind mucking out,â she offered.
âPooh! Speak for yourself.â Millie hauled herself up onto Chopsâs bare back. âIâd rather go riding.â
âWe can still ride,â Alice-Miranda said, âbut theyâre our ponies. We should be looking after them.â
Millie grinned mischievously. âMaybe we can get Sloane to give us a hand.â
âI think youâve got more chance of Chops winning the Queenâs Cup,â Alice-Miranda giggled.
âYouâre right about that,â Wally nodded.
O n Wednesday after school Alice-Miranda and Millie saddled up their ponies and headed out for a short ride. There wasnât enough time to go on their favourite route over to Gertrudeâs Grove, so instead they headed in the opposite direction, down along the river to Duckâs Flat.
âWe should go and see Miss Hephzibah and Miss Henrietta on the weekend,â Alice-Miranda turned and called to Millie, who was having trouble getting Chops to keep up.
âCaledonia Manor looks incredible. They should be ready to open the teaching college soon,â Millie called back. She gave Chops a sharp kick in the flank, to little effect. âI think I might retire Chops soon and start riding Stumps instead.â
Chops seemed to take this rather personally and launched himself into a fast-paced canter alongside Bonaparte, who turned his head and attempted to give the old fellow a nip.
âBonaparte!â Alice-Miranda tugged sharply on the reins. âBehave yourself, you naughty little beast.â
âIâm not stopping now,â Millie shouted as Chops surged forward, picking up the pace and belting off across the paddock. âRace you to the pond.â
Alice-Miranda urged Bony into a canter and then a gallop. She liked the way the crisp afternoon air prickled her face.
Millie reached their destination first, as Alice-Miranda knew she would. Although Chops impersonated a sloth most days, when he got going there was no way Bonaparte could beat him. Millie leapt out of the saddle and led the pony to the edge of the pond for a drink. Alice-Miranda did the same and the two girls stood side by side as Bony and Chops slurped the cool water.
On the far side of the pond swam a brown mother duck followed by five fuzzy ducklings.
âOh, theyâre so sweet,â said Alice-Miranda as she watched the little ones race to stay close to their mother.
Then something else caught her attention.
âDo you see that?â She tapped Millie on the shoulder and pointed.
âWhat?â said Millie, squinting into the distance.
âI think itâs the top of a tent,â Alice-Miranda decided. âWe should go and say hello. The campers probably donât know theyâre on private property.â
Alice-Miranda gathered Bonyâs reins and led him around the edge of the pond and over the stream via an ancient stone causeway. Millie and Chops followed.
âHello, is anyone here?â Alice-Miranda called as she approached the camp site. A two-man tent was pitched beside a scrubby bush. Wisps of smoke rose from a camp fire and beside it, a young man was sitting