Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape 5 Read Online Free

smiled and nodded.
    ‘Yes, of course, but you’ll have to ask your grandmother,’ Clarissa said.
    The boy dashed to the kitchen. He was back in no time, grinning. ‘Granny said I could go.’
    ‘What about your sister?’ Clarissa asked. ‘Do you think she’d like to come as well?’
    Freddy shook his head firmly. ‘No. She’s busy.’
    ‘You can be our tour guide,’ Clementine said.
    Freddy nodded. ‘Can we go now?’
    Lady Clarissa thought the lad was awfully eager to get moving. He rushed down the hall and wrenched open the front door.
    ‘Come on, there’s a lot to see,’ the boy said as he held the door open for Lady Clarissa, Clementine and Lavender.
    As Freddy pulled it shut behind him, a shrill voice screeched, ‘Freddy, where are you? You’re supposed to be helping me with my dance.’
    There was the sound of a door slamming and pounding feet on the stairs.
    Clementine looked back at the house. ‘I think that was your sister.’
    ‘I didn’t hear anything,’ the boy replied and bounded off down the garden path.
    Clementine looked at her mother, who shrugged, and the pair kept walking.

Freddy turned out to be a wonderful guide indeed. He introduced Clementine and her mother to Mrs Lee, who owned the village store, and Mr Alessi, the fish and chip shop owner. Mr Alessi’s brothers ran a small fleet of fishing boats that were moored in the harbour. Freddy took them past Mr Phipps’s workshop, where Uncle Digby’s little car was hoisted up high. Lastly, they met Mrs Pink, who owned the bakery and tearooms.
    Clementine thought the village was one of the prettiest she’d ever seen. She loved the whitewashed houses and shops and grand sandstone buildings. Just past the harbour was the beach. On a grassy knoll behind that was a caravan park with mobile homes of all shapes and sizes dotted across green lawns. There were tents too. Some were small, while others looked almost like houses.
    ‘Granny says the caravan park has the best spot in town,’ Freddy explained as they walked along the seawall that separated the harbour and the beach.
    ‘Can we stay in a caravan one day, Mummy?’ Clementine asked. She liked the thought of a little home where everything was in reach. It would be different to Penberthy House, which was enormous.
    ‘That’s a lovely idea, sweetheart,’ Lady Clarissa said with a smile. ‘Perhaps we can save that for a holiday for the two of us. I don’t think Aunt Violet would approve.’
    Clementine giggled at the thought of her great-aunt sleeping in a caravan, or even worse, a tent. ‘Can we walk on the sand?’
    Lady Clarissa nodded. ‘Yes, of course. Give me your shoes and you and Freddy can take Lavender for a run along the water’s edge.’
    Clementine kicked off her sandals and Freddy did too. She carried Lavender down a set of old concrete steps and then set the pig down on the beach. Clementine and Freddy laughed as Lavender hopped about, unaccustomed to the strange texture under her trotters. Clarissa snapped some photographs of the unsuspecting children.
    ‘She’s a rabbit pig,’ Freddy said as Lavender leapt into the air, her curly tail wriggling madly.
    Clementine unclipped her lead and began to run towards the sea. The water was almost flat, with just the tiniest of waves curling onto the shore. The little pig chased after her but stopped when she reached the wet sand.
    Lavender put one foot forward, dipping her trotter into a puddle, then she squealed and raced away towards Freddy.
    Clarissa laughed and sat down on the steps, enjoying the warm sun on her back.

    Eventually Clementine coaxed Lavender into the shallows. She and Freddy hooted with laughter as they ran in and out with Lavender chasing them.
    After a while, Clementine took Lavender up onto the dry sand and the two of them plonked down. Freddy sat beside them.
    ‘What class are you in?’ Clementine asked the boy.
    ‘Year two,’ Freddy replied.
    ‘I’m in kindy,’ Clementine said. ‘I love