“Oh, I see,” joked Grandpa. “I’m too embarrassing to be seen round town with, am I?”

  “In a word, Grandpa, yeah!” laughed Daisy, giving her grandfather a hug.

  Poppy loved wandering around the cobbled streets of Camomile Cove with her cousin. There were so many pretty shops selling clothes and shoes, crafts, jewellery and cakes. The whole town nestled into the pretty cove so that the golden beach and blue sea could be seen from almost every point.

  “Are we going for a chocolate nut sundae at the Lighthouse Café after Ned’s?” asked Poppy. “I’ve got enough money for both of us!”

  Daisy smiled at her little cousin. “Yes, if we have time. But we must try their new special. It’s a hotfudge and vanilla–ice-cream tower with real fudge pieces! It’s so delicious,” she told Poppy.

  “Yummy!” enthused Poppy as she linked arms with Daisy.

  They made their way along the High Street, passing Daisy’s father’s antique shop and Bijou, their favourite clothes boutique. Once they reached Ned’s they lost themselves in the smell of saddle soap and the assortment of gorgeous pony accessories. There were shelves full of ointments and medicines, vitamins, toothbrushes, hoof picks, pony shampoo, tail guards, fetlock boots in jazzy patterns, blankets, rugs and saddle covers. Poppy loved all the riding hats, jodhpurs, gloves and jackets. The shop had once been an old coaching inn, with stabling for horses while their owners took refreshments inside.

  “I can’t decide what to buy!” exclaimed Poppy, loving everything she saw.

  “Well, what about some pony shampoo so Twinketoes smells of roses at the competition?” suggested Daisy.

  “That’s a good idea. And what are you going to get for Parsley?” asked Poppy.

  “Fetlock boots to protect his legs and fly repellent to keep the pests away!” decided Daisy.

  Just as they were paying at the counter, the shop bell jangled and two very glamorous girls came in. They were Lilac Farrington and Fern Zitelli. The two girls were firm friends once more, after their huge falling out over the You’re a Star! talent contest.

  They were wearing lovely cream jodhpurs, padded green jackets with cord collars, and short brown jodhpur boots, which Poppy thought were very smart.

  “Oh, hi, Daisy, hi, Poppy!” called Lilac as she saw the cousins at the cash desk.

  “Hello, Lilac,” they replied. “Hi, Fern!”

  “Are you entering the Pony Club competition?” asked Lilac.

  Poppy and Daisy nodded.

  “Me too!” said Lilac. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’ve got a new pony!”

  “Oh, someone did mention it,” said Daisy. “Are you pleased with him?”

  “Just a bit!” Lilac replied. “He’s adorable. How would you like to come and see him? He’s just along in Sandcastle Stables on the seafront.”

  Poppy and Daisy looked at each other. This was an offer they simply couldn’t refuse. After Lilac and Fern had bought some saddle soap and hoof oil, the four girls strolled along the beach, chatting about ponies and the competition all the way. Poppy thought Lilac seemed much nicer now, even if she was still a bit of a show-off.

  Poppy’s mouth fell open when she entered Sandcastle Stables. It was a professional stable for racehorses and other liveried ponies. The yard was pristine, the stall doors gleamed with varnish and all the horses looked like they’d been given beauty treatments. Poppy had never seen anything like it.

  Fern had a pony there called The Duke, who looked very handsome, and in the stall next to his was Lilac’s new pony.

  “And here is Black Beauty!” she announced proudly as she opened his stable door.

  An exquisitely beautiful black pony emerged from the darkness. At first Poppy only saw the white diamond between his eyes; then his glossy black coat came into focus. He had huge inky-blue eyes, a dainty head and a flowing black mane and tail. He was the most perfect pony Poppy had ever seen.

  Lilac very kindly asked the girls if they would like to ride him around the yard.

  “No thank you, Lilac,” replied Daisy before Poppy had a chance to say anything. “I’m afraid we’re running out of time. We said we’d be an hour and we haven’t even been to the Lighthouse Café yet, but thanks for letting us see him. He’s a beauty for sure!”

  Poppy was a little disappointed. She would have loved to spend more time with Black Beauty and try him out.

  As they walked back to the café, Poppy couldn’t stop thinking about Lilac’s pony and the amazing stables. Everything there was so much plusher than at Riverside.

  “Why don’t you keep Parsley here?” asked Poppy. “I’d definitely keep Twinks here if I lived in Camomile Cove.”

  “Poppy, it’s very expensive. All that matters is how much you love your pony and how well you look after him,” said Daisy. “And anyway, remember that fabulous practice course we have now at Riverside, with Sally’s old jumps!”

  “I know,” agreed Poppy, “but I would have loved to ride on Black Beauty!”

  “Sorry about that,” apologized Daisy, “but you should never get on a horse you don’t know much about. He’s gorgeous, but he looks quite highly strung. We don’t want any bumps or bruises before the competition, do we? But at least we’ve seen him!”

  Poppy nodded. She was still daydreaming about Black Beauty as she tucked into her delicious fudgetower ice cream at the Lighthouse Café. It was nearly as tasty as the chocolate nut sundae, but not quite!

  Chapter 5

  POPPY AND DAISY spent the next two and a half weeks working with their ponies, in between other school holiday treats. The highlight for Poppy was when her very own “acceptance to compete” letter from Bluebell Lambton arrived.

  She put the letter under her pillow so it wouldn’t get lost and she could check it every night. It was official: Poppy was taking part! Luckily, Twinkletoes was jumping perfectly and Parsley was on good form too. The extra jumps and fences the Meadowsweets had put up meant that their preparation for the competition was going really well.

  Poppy and Daisy had been inspired by Sandcastle Stables and were constantly sweeping, scrubbing and painting Riverside, much to the Meadowsweets’ delight.

  “Everything looks tickety-boo!” exclaimed Mrs Meadowsweet one day. “I must get our Sally to come and see it.”

  A few days before the competition, Poppy was brimming over with excitement. She desperately wanted to win a rosette; she was also dying to see Black Beauty in action. While Daisy took Parsley around the paddock, Poppy decided to try out the shampoo she’d bought for Twinkletoes.

  She led him out of his stall and tied him up in the yard. She then found the shampoo and poured it into a black bucket. Next, she turned on the hose and began to add water to the sweetsmelling pony shampoo.

  Brilliant, it’s really bubbly, she thought.

  But as she directed the water into the bubbles, Poppy began to realize that something wasn’t quite right. The bubbles began to spill out over the side of the bucket and onto the yard.

  “Oh, no!” she cried, seeing them multiplying. Surely, if she continued to spray water over the bubbles, they would soon disappear, but there were so many soap suds on the ground that they just formed more and more bubbles.

  Poppy looked around for a drain. She was now soaked through, with bubbles even sitting on the end of her nose. Twinkletoes started trying to sidestep out of the froth – it looked as though he was tap-dancing on a cloud of white bubbles.

  “Oh, please go away, bubbles!” said Poppy. “Before Mrs Meadowsweet sees what a mess I’ve made!”

  Just then, Sally, the Meadowsweets’ daughter, who ran the Lavender Lake Garden Centre, appeared. She had come to watch the girls practising on her old jumps and to see how well the stables were being run.

  “Goodness!” she said. “There are enough bubbles here to bathe all the residents of Honeypot Hill and Camomile Cove!”

  “I’m so sorry, Sally. I was just trying to shampoo Twinks and it’s all gone a bit too . . . um . . . bubbly!”

  “My mum did say it was cleaner than ever over here,” laughed Sally, “and she wasn’t wrong! You do realize these bottles of shampoo have enough in them to wash at least twenty ponies?”

  “Um, no!” admitted Poppy. “I was so excited about trying it out that I . . . um . . . didn’t read the instructions. Sorry.”

  “Not to worry, it’s not a disaster,” said Sally. “I think the best thing to do is wash all the ponies at Riverside with these soap suds. It’s better than wasting them all. Come on, Poppy. Let’s tie them up out here and give them all a good shampooing!”

  They led the other ponies into the yard. There was a gorgeous palomino pony called Nilla and a bay mare called Plum as well as several little Shetland ponies and an adorable dappled grey called Fred. Even Patch the stable dog got involved, darting around between the ponies and snapping at the bubbles.

  Poppy and Sally had so much fun hosing and sponging that they didn’t notice Twinkletoes shivering as he stood in the cold water.

  “What’s all this?” asked Daisy, surprised by the scene that met her when she returned from the practice paddock.

  “There’s been a bit of an accident,” explained Poppy, her nose and hair still covered in soap suds. She told her cousin all about what she had done.

  “Want us to give Parsley a bath? There are still loads of bubbles floating around!”

  Daisy nodded and laughed. “Thanks, Poppy. That would be brilliant.”

  Chapter 6

  THE NEXT MORNING, Poppy ate a good breakfast of porridge oats made with creamy milk and sweetened with a dash of honey, followed by a warm butter croissant topped with Granny Bumble’s strawberry jam. With only three days to go before the event, she was trying to remember everything Daisy had taught her. She vaguely heard the phone ringing.

  “It’s David Sage on the line for you, Poppy!” called Mum. “It’s about Twinkletoes – he’s not well.”

  “Oh, no!” cried Poppy as she dashed into the hall to pick up the phone.

  When she finished talking to David, she looked very worried indeed.

  “What is it, darling?” asked Mum, concerned.

  “David thinks Twinks has caught a chill,” explained Poppy, not even thinking about the competition, just worried about her beloved pony. “Can I go down to the stables now?”

  “Yes, sweetheart.” Mum smiled at her. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. David will know how to make him better and Twinkletoes is a strong little thing.”

  When Poppy arrived at the stables, Mrs Meadowsweet came out to meet her. She looked very anxious, which made Poppy feel even more worried.

  “Oh, Poppy! Bad news, I’m afraid. Twinkletoes developed a chill and then a high temperature during the night. David has checked him over and says he’ll be back before lunch to look at him again. In the meantime, we’ve got to keep him warm and get him to drink as much water as possible.”

  Poppy burst into tears. “It’s all my fault for getting him soaked yesterday!” she wailed.

  “Don’t be silly, Poppy. Sally told me all about that, but none of the other ponies are ill and they were all wet too, weren’t they? It’s just one of those things, dear. David suggested that you should rest Twinkletoes for a couple of days – then he should be fine. Oh, look, here comes Daisy!”

  Daisy was very sorry to learn that Twinkletoes was unwell and did her best to comfort Poppy. The girls decided to go and see for themselves how the pony was doing. They found him lying down in his stall with his head hanging low, looking very sorry for himself. He nickered softly when he saw Poppy, trying to show that he was pleased to see her. She dived in beside him and hugged him tight.

  “I’ve helped to make you better before and I’ll do it again!” she promised. “Daisy, would you sit with him just while I go home? I need to get some things.”

  Daisy agreed and Poppy dashed home as fast as her legs would take her. As quick as a flash, she packed an overnight bag with pyjamas, toothbrush, change of clothes and, most important of all, her flower healing wand, which had worked so well when Grandpa was sick.

  “Mum!” she called. “See you tomorrow. I’m going to sleep at the stables until Twinkletoes is better!”

  Mum saw Poppy disappear down the path like a streak of lightning. She put the twins in the pram, gathered together some fruit, bread, cheese and bottled water on the pram basket for lunch, and followed Poppy down to the stables. Mum loved Twinkletoes too, but there was no way she was going to let Poppy sleep there.

  When Mum arrived, she found Poppy offering Twinkletoes a baby’s bottle full of water. Daisy had supported Poppy all she could, but now she had to catch the train home to meet her friends, Lily and Rose.

  Mum and Poppy stayed with Twinkletoes all morning while the twins played with the chickens and kittens. At lunch time they heard David Sage come into the yard. He examined the little chestnut pony thoroughly. Poppy was desperately hoping that he would say that Twinkletoes was well on the way to recovery, but it was bad news.

  “I’m afraid it’s gone to his chest,” David told them. “It’s more serious than I thought. We do know he’s a little fighter but he’s going to need lots of looking after.”

  He left a bottle of medicine to be given to Twinkletoes.

  “Poppy,” said Mum after they’d given the pony some medicine and made sure he was as comfortable as possible, “you really should come home now – we can come back in time for his next dose.”

  But Poppy shook her head with such determination that Mum knew there was no point in trying to persuade her headstrong daughter to change her mind.

  “OK, then. If you really do insist on staying here all day and all night, I’ll send Dad down with two sleeping bags as soon as he gets home from work. I’m sure Twinks will be fine, Poppy, especially with you looking after him. Try not to worry too much,” she said. “I’ll let Mrs Meadowsweet know what the plan is.”

  When Mum and the twins had left, Poppy burst into tears. She was so worried about her pony and was quite sure it was all her fault, whatever everyone else said.

  Mrs Meadowsweet came down to keep Poppy company for the rest of the afternoon. When Dad arrived in the early evening, she went back up to the farmhouse.

  Dad and Poppy laid out their beds in the stall, checked that Twinkletoes was comfortable, and then, at Mrs Meadowsweet’s invitation, went up to the farmhouse for some supper.

  When they got back, Dad tucked Poppy up in her sleeping bag with a fluffy pillow from the farmhouse under her head and settled down beside her. Poppy immediately fell into a deep and exhausted sleep.

  David Sage dropped by for a last look at the sick pony, but he couldn’t see much improvement.

  “She’s devoted, that’s for sure!” he said to Dad as they both looked at Poppy, lying asleep in the straw. “I’ll go over to the big veterinary practice in Camomile Cove first thing tomorrow – they might have some stronger antibiotics. I’ll see you then.”

  “Thanks, David,” said Dad. “I appreciate all your help.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s my job. But this little pony, he’s a bit special,” said David. “And so is this little princess.”

  Poppy woke very early the next morning and felt all achy. Dad was still fast asleep. Poppy looked over at her pony. He seemed far worse. He looked at her with big, sad eyes, as if to say, “What’s going on? What’s wrong with me?”

  Poppy sat by his side until David arrived with the antibiotics. After he’d had given Twinkletoes his jab he turned to Poppy.

  “I hear you are due to compete in a pony competition on Twinks soon?”

  “Yes, in two days’ time. We’ve been practising for ages,” said Poppy.

  “Well, Twinkletoes is definitely going to get better but I’m afraid I don’t think he’ll be well enough in time for that,” said David. “I’m sorry. Maybe you could use one of the Meadowsweets’ ponies. I’m sure they’d let you ride Plum, for instance.”

  Poppy thought about this for a moment. “I only really want to ride on Twinkletoes,” she said, “but I suppose I could think about trying out another a pony. But only if I see that Twinkletoes is getting better – otherwise I’d never be able to concentrate.”

  Poppy’s dad was now wide awake and he liked David’s idea about Poppy riding another pony. He decided to find out if this might be possible and headed back to Honeysuckle Cottage to ring the Pony Club.

  Meanwhile Poppy lovingly plaited Twinkletoes’ mane and tail and softly brushed his coat. She gave him drinks of water, while Mrs Meadowsweet kept an eye on things and brought Poppy a delicious bowl of creamy porridge, drizzled with raspberry jam.

  Dad soon got through to Bluebell Lambton. He explained the situation with Poppy’s pony and told her that another pony was available at the stables.

  “I’m sorry, Mr Cotton, but the rules state that only the registered pony can compete.

  So, unless Twinkletoes gets better, Poppy will not be able to take part,” Bluebell told him. Again, she felt very sorry, but she had done as much as she could for Poppy Cotton; this was one thing she couldn’t alter.

  Dad thanked her and said goodbye. He was disappointed that this solution wasn’t going to work and nervous about telling the news to Poppy. She would be so upset if she couldn’t compete. It was bad enough that her beloved pony was ill, but this would be too much.

  “I’ll go down to Riverside to tell her, James,” said Mum. “You look after the twins.”

  Chapter 7

  WHEN MUM REACHED Twinkletoes’ stable, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The plucky little pony was standing up and Poppy was gently leading him round with Mrs Meadowsweet looking on.

  “It’s amazing, Mum!” exclaimed Poppy. “Ever since David brought him that other medicine, he’s been getting a bit better every hour.”

 

1 2 3 4