Alice-Miranda Shows the Way Read Online Free PDF Page A

taking you out?’ Alice-Miranda repeated.
    â€˜Yes.’ Jacinta wiped her face with her towel and grimaced.
    â€˜But that’s lovely,’ Alice-Miranda enthused.
    â€˜We’ll see. Sloane’s coming with me, just in case Mummy is foul.’
    Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘I bet you’ll have lots of fun. Your mother was pretty upset about you being abducted on board the Octavia . I’m sure she’s changed for the better.’
    The tall girl shrugged. Jacinta knew that a couple of visits didn’t mean Ambrosia was in the running for mother of the year. But underneath her bravado, she was rather hoping that their relationship had turned a corner.
    Jacinta stared into the foggy mirror as Sloaneappeared in the bathroom. ‘Hey, what are you wearing?’ she growled.
    â€˜Uh, a dress ,’ Sloane replied.
    â€˜But that’s my dress,’ Jacinta snapped.
    â€˜You said that I could wear anything in your wardrobe, so I chose this.’ Sloane stared back at Jacinta in the mirror.
    â€˜It looks lovely,’ said Alice-Miranda.
    â€˜I don’t remember saying that,’ Jacinta pouted.
    â€˜I do,’ Millie piped up from the other side of a shower cubicle where she had just turned off the tap. ‘You said it at lunch the other day.’
    Jacinta was cornered.
    â€˜If you don’t want me to wear it, I can find something else,’ Sloane offered.
    Jacinta looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. ‘Really? You’ll change?’
    â€˜Of course. I only wore it because when you unwrapped the parcel from your mother last week you didn’t seem to like it very much. You’ve got heaps of clothes in that enormous wardrobe of yours,’ Sloane said. ‘I’ll find something else.’
    â€˜Well, I would like to wear it,’ said Jacinta, watching Sloane carefully.
    Millie emerged with a towel wrapped aroundher and a cute shower cap covered in ponies on her head. She and Alice-Miranda exchanged smiles. Jacinta and Sloane had certainly both come a long way lately.
    Sloane glanced at Alice-Miranda, who was wearing jodhpurs and a shirt. ‘I suppose you’re spending the day on that nag of yours?’ The blonde girl tousled her hair with her fingers and then pulled a brush out of her toiletries bag.
    â€˜Yes,’ Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘First we’re going to see Miss Hephzibah and Miss Henrietta and have a look at what’s been happening at Caledonia Manor, and then we’re going to ride over and visit Mr Walt at Chesterfield Downs. If there’s time we’ll go to Fayle and say hello to Lucas and Sep but that might have to wait until tomorrow. We should do some proper training for the show too. We’re going to enter all the pairs events in hacking and then I think we should try the barrel racing and keyhole too – they’re loads of fun.’
    Sloane wrinkled her nose. ‘I can’t imagine. And don’t bother going to Fayle. Lucas and Sep are out on some horrible cadet camp this weekend. Do you think there could be anything more revolting than traipsing around the woods pretending to be soldiers?’
    â€˜It sounds like fun to me,’ said Alice-Miranda. ‘What are you two doing?’
    â€˜Ambrosia’s taking us to the movies and then to have milkshakes,’ said Sloane, looking pleased with herself. ‘But say hello to Granny Henrietta and tell her I’ll get over and visit her soon.’
    Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘We will.’
    One by one the girls finished their morning ablutions and headed back to their rooms.

    Alice-Miranda and Millie said goodbye to Jacinta and Sloane and raced off to the stables. There was no sign of anyone about so the girls tacked up the ponies and wrote a note on the blackboard indicating their plans.
    â€˜I wonder where Mr Boots is,’ said Alice-Miranda as she nimbly threw her leg over Bonaparte.
    â€˜He