About the Book
Clementine Rose is so excited! She’s going to start school with her best friends Sophie and Poppy and she can’t wait. But when she gets there, instead of the lovely Miss Critchley, her teacher is the much sterner and shoutier Mrs Bottomley. And then there’s Angus, a little boy who delights in tormenting her from the moment they first meet. After her first day, Clementine decides school may not be so much fun after all. But the announcement of a Pet Day changes everything. If Lavender the teacup pig can come to school with Clementine, everything will be all right . . . won’t it?
Contents
Cover
About the Book
Title
Dedication
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Cast of Characters
About the Author
More Clementine Rose
Also by
Copyright Notice
Join the Conversation
For Ian, as always, and for Eden,
who looks a lot like Clementine Rose!
Clementine Rose pushed back the bed covers and slipped down onto the cool wooden floor. A full moon hung low in the sky, lighting up pockets of the garden outside and casting a yellow glow over her room. Somewhere, a shutter was banging in the breeze, keeping time like a drummer in a marching band. But that’s not what woke Clementine up. She was used to the noises of Penberthy House. It talked to her all the time.
Clementine tiptoed to the end of her bed and knelt down. She rested her head on Lavender’s tummy but the little pig was fast asleep in her basket. Her shallow breaths were interrupted every now and then by a snorty grunt.
‘I’d better get dressed,’ Clementine whispered. ‘I don’t want to be late on the first day.’
Clementine skipped over to her wardrobe. Hanging on the door was her favourite new outfit. There was a pretty pink and white checked tunic, white socks and red shoes. Clementine especially adored the red blazer with swirly letters embroidered on the pocket. It was her new school uniform, which she had insisted on wearing around the house for the past week. Clementine had packed and repacked her schoolbag for almost a month too.
Clementine wriggled out of her pyjamas and got dressed, buckling her shoes last of all. She brushed her hair and pinned it off her face with a red bow. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
‘Very smart,’ she whispered to herself, just as Mrs Mogg had done when Clementine had appeared at the village store in her uniform the day before. Clementine glanced at her pet, who hadn’t moved a muscle. She decided to let Lavender sleep in and headed downstairs to find her mother and Uncle Digby.
On the way, she stopped to chat with her grandparents. Well, with the portraits of her grandparents that hung on the wall.
‘Good morning, Granny and Grandpa. Today’s that big day I was telling you all about yesterday and the day before and the day before that. I can’t wait. I’ll get to play with Sophie and Poppy and I’m going to learn how to read and do numbers and tell the time. Did you like school?’ She peered up at her grandfather. She could have sworn he nodded his head ever so slightly.
‘What about you, Granny?’ She looked at the portrait of her grandmother dressed in a splendid gown, with the Appleby diamond tiara on her head. She wore the matching necklace and earrings too. Everyone had thought the jewellery was lost until Aunt Violet had found it when she came to stay. Now the tiara and earrings were safely hidden away in the vault while her mother decided what to do with them; the necklace was still missing. Uncle Digby said that if the jewellery was sold it would bring enough money to pay for a new roof, which Penberthy House badly needed. But Lady Clarissa said that she would wait a while to decide. The roof had leaked for years and they were used to putting the buckets out, so there was no hurry.
Clementine studied her grandmother’s expression. There was just a hint of a lovely smile. She took that to mean that she had enjoyed school too.
Clementine looked at the next portrait along, which showed a beautiful young woman. Clementine had called her Grace until, to her surprise, her Great-Aunt Violet had arrived at the house a few months ago and revealed that she was the woman in the painting. Clementine was shocked to learn that the woman was still alive because everyone else in the pictures was long gone.
Aunt Violet and Clementine hadn’t exactly hit it off when they first met but for now the old woman was away on a world cruise, so Clementine didn’t have to worry about her. Sooner or later, though, she’d be back.
Uncle Digby always said that a day at the seaside would cheer anyone up. So Clementine thought Aunt Violet should be the happiest person on earth by the time she returned from her cruise. When she had told her mother and Uncle Digby that, they had both laughed and said that they hoped very much that she was right.
Downstairs in the hallway, the ancient grandfather clock began to chime. Clemmie always thought it sounded sad.
She counted the chimes out loud. ‘One, two, three, four. Mummy will have to get that silly clock fixed. It can’t be four o’clock because everyone knows that’s in the afternoon. Have a good day,’ she said to her relatives on the wall. ‘I’ll tell you all about school when I get home and maybe, Grandpa, I’ll have learned a new poem for you.’ Ever since Clemmie could talk, Uncle Digby had taught her poems, which she loved to recite. She often performed for guests who came to stay too, and even though she couldn’t yet read, she had a wonderful memory.
Clementine bounced down the stairs and along the hallway to the kitchen. It was still in darkness. Pharaoh, Aunt Violet’s sphynx cat, was asleep in his basket beside the stove.
‘Mummy and Uncle Digby must be having a sleep-in, like Lavender and Pharaoh,’ Clementine said to herself. She hoped they would be up soon.
The little girl climbed onto the stool in the pantry and pulled out a box of cereal, set a bowl and a spoon on the table and fetched the milk from the fridge.
She managed to pour her breakfast without spilling too much. Thankfully, none landed on her uniform.
Clementine listened to the sounds of the house as she ate. Sometimes when people came to stay they asked her mother if Penberthy House had any ghosts. Most children Clemmie’s age would have been frightened by the idea, but she often imagined her grandfather and grandmother coming to life at night-time, stepping out of their paintings and having tea in the sitting room, or drifting through the halls.
Clementine swallowed the last spoonful of cereal. ‘Good,’ she said to herself. ‘Now I can go as soon as Mummy and . . . Uncle Digby . . .’ Her eyelids drooped and she yawned loudly.
She rested her head on the table and within a minute she was fast asleep.
‘Clemmie.’ Lady Clarissa gently stroked her daughter’s hair. ‘Wake up, sleepyhead.’
Clementine’s face crumpled and she struggled to open her eyes until she remembered what day it was and sat bolt upright.
‘Did I miss it?’ she asked.
‘Miss what?’ her mother replied.
‘School, of course.’ Clementine sniffed. She could smell toast cooking.
‘No, Clemmie, it’s just after seven.’ Her mother shook her head. ‘How long have you been up?’
‘I don’t know. The clock chimed four times but it must be broken because that’s in
the afternoon,’ Clementine explained.
‘Oh dear, you’ve been up for hours, silly sausage. I hope you’re not too tired for your first day.’ Lady Clarissa put a plate of hot buttery toast with strawberry jam in front of her daughter. ‘Four o’clock can be in the morning too, Clemmie, and it’s very early – at least three hours before you usually get up.’
‘Oh.’ Clementine frowned. ‘Well, today I’ll learn how to tell the time and then I won’t get up too early tomorrow.’
Digby Pertwhistle arrived in the kitchen. He had been the butler at Penberthy House for longer than anyone could remember and was more like a beloved uncle to Clarissa and Clementine than an employee. He and Clarissa ran the house as a country hotel, but unfortunately guests were few and far between.
‘Good morning, Clementine. Are you all ready for the big day?’ he asked, his grey eyes twinkling.
‘Oh yes, Uncle Digby,’ said Clementine, nodding. ‘I’ve been ready forever.’
Digby and Clarissa smiled at one another. That was certainly true.
‘Well, eat up your toast and drink your juice. You’ll need lots of energy. I’ve packed your morning tea and I think –’ her mother opened the lid of the red lunchbox which had Clementine’s name written neatly on the lid – ‘Uncle Digby has added a treat.’ She snapped the lid closed again.
The old man winked at Clementine. She tried to wink back but she just double blinked instead.
‘I’ve got the camera ready,’ said Digby. He walked over to the sideboard and picked up a small black bag.
‘Goody!’ said Clementine. She finished the last bite of her toast and jumped down from the chair. ‘I’ll just get Lavender ready. She had a sleep-in.’
‘Clemmie, I don’t know if we can take her with us today,’ said her mother. ‘I’m not sure how the school feels about pets.’
‘But I told her she could come. Please,’ Clementine begged her mother.
Pharaoh let out a loud meow as he stood up in his basket and arched his back.
‘No, Pharaoh, you are definitely not coming. Can you imagine what would happen if we took you to town and you got away?’ Digby shook his head.
‘We don’t want to make Aunt Violet cross again, that’s for sure,’ Clementine replied. ‘But Lavender will be so sad if she has to stay home. She’s been looking forward to school for as long as I have.’
‘Well, what about if I take care of Lavender when you and your mother go into school,’ Digby suggested. ‘We can go for a walk around the village and I can pop into the patisserie and see Pierre.’
‘And you can get a great big cream bun for your morning tea!’ Clementine announced.
‘Oh, I haven’t had one of Pierre’s cream buns for ages.’ Digby’s stomach gurgled at the thought of it.
‘All right, now run along, Clemmie, and brush your teeth. We’ll have to leave soon,’ her mother instructed.
Clementine skipped up the back stairs to her room on the third floor, singing to herself on the way, ‘I get to go to school today, I can’t wait, hip hip hooray . . .’
‘Look, Clementine, there’s Sophie and Jules,’ Lady Clarissa said as Digby Pertwhistle’s ancient Mini Minor trundled to a halt outside the school gates. Clementine loved the way the ironwork on the gates was woven together with fancy letters on either side, the same as on her blazer pocket.
Ellery Prep was in the centre of Highton Mill, a short drive from her home in Penberthy Floss. The limestone school buildings nestled behind a neatly trimmed hedge, and several chimney pots poked up into the sky from the slate rooftops. Behind the classrooms and the office there was a large field where the children played at break times. The far end of the ground was bordered by an ancient stone cottage with a rambling garden of creepers and flowers that did their best to invade the school grounds.
‘And there’s Poppy and Jasper and Lily too!’ Clementine leaned forward, craning her neck to see who else was among the group arriving at the gate.
‘So, young lady, what do you think you’re going to learn today?’ Digby asked.
‘Everything!’ she exclaimed.
‘Clemmie, I don’t know if you’ll learn everything on the first day,’ Lady Clarissa said. ‘You might have to be a little bit patient.’
‘But I don’t like being patient.’ Clementine frowned and shook her head. Lavender grunted as if to agree.
‘Oh dear, even the pig knows that’s true,’ Digby laughed.
‘Come on, we’d better get you inside,’ said Lady Clarissa as she got out of the car. Clementine hopped out and lifted Lavender off the seat and put her on the ground. Today the little pig was in her best red collar and matching lead.
Digby retrieved Clemmie’s enormous backpack from the boot. ‘Ready?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Mummy, can you take Lavender’s lead for a minute?’
Digby settled the bag onto Clementine’s shoulders. ‘You still look like a tortoise, my dear,’ he said with a smile, ‘but at least now you’re part of a family of tortoises.’ He gestured towards the growing crowd of new students, whose gigantic bags were almost tipping them backwards.
‘Clementine!’ Poppy caught sight of her friend and raced towards her. Sophie saw her and rushed over too.
The three girls linked arms and giggled.
Lady Clarissa said hello to Poppy and Sophie and walked over to where their mothers, Lily and Odette, were standing together talking. Sophie’s brother Jules and Poppy’s brother Jasper had disappeared inside the school grounds. They were older and knew exactly what to do.
Clementine and her friends were chatting about this and that when Clemmie noticed a boy with wild brown curls. He was standing beside a stout woman with the same brown curls and he was staring at Clementine and frowning.
She waved at him but he didn’t wave back. He just kept on staring.
‘Who’s that boy over there?’ Clementine asked her friends.
‘Where?’ they replied.
‘Over there next to the lady with the curly hair. He keeps looking at me.’
‘I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before,’ Sophie replied.
Poppy shrugged.
It was almost a quarter past nine. All the older students had disappeared into their classrooms and it was time for the new students to meet with Miss Critchley, the head teacher.
Clementine Rose thought that Miss Critchley, a pretty young woman with long auburn curls, was the most beautiful lady she’d ever seen. On the day Clemmie had gone for her interview, Miss Critchley had been wearing a pale pink cardigan with silk roses embroidered around the collar and a pale pink dress with a matching pair of ballet flats. Clementine had decided to ask Mrs Mogg if she could make her a dress just like it.
‘Clementine, we have to go in,’ her mother called. Lily and Odette beckoned for Poppy and Sophie to join them too.
Clementine nodded at her mother. ‘I’ll just say goodbye to Uncle Digby and Lavender.’ She raced away to where Digby Pertwhistle was standing a little further along the footpath. Lavender had been chomping on a clump of sweet clover growing beside the fence.
‘Have a wonderful day, my dear,’ said Digby. He leaned down and Clementine wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.
‘Thank you, Uncle Digby,’ she said, smiling excitedly. Then Clemmie bent down and gave Lavender a kiss on the top of her bristly head. ‘Be a good girl for Uncle Digby and I will see you after school.’
Lavender grunted.
‘No, you can’t come with me, Lavender. Mummy says there’s a rule that pigs aren’t allowed to go to school.’ Clementine sighed. ‘I know, it’s silly, but I shouldn’t break the rules on my first day.’ Clemmie then leaned down and whispered into Lavender’s ear. ‘One day, I’ll find a way for you to come.’
‘Run along, Clemmie, you don’t want to be late. I think I’ll go and pay Pierre that visit.’ Digby winked at the girl.
Clementine double blinked back at him. She hadn’t noticed that the boy with curly hair was
still staring at her.
As Digby strolled off, the boy approached Clementine. ‘Your dad’s a hundred,’ he said.
Clementine looked at him and frowned. ‘My dad? Oh, you mean Uncle Digby. He’s not my dad,’ she replied. ‘And he’s not a hundred. He’s seventy-one.’
‘Where’s your dad, then?’ the boy asked.
‘He’s a mystery,’ Clementine replied.
‘He’s a mystery?’ the boy repeated. ‘That’s stupid. How can a dad be a mystery?’
‘I don’t know exactly, but mine is,’ Clementine replied. She’d never been asked about her father before. Everyone in Penberthy Floss knew that she had arrived at Lady Clarissa’s house in the back of Pierre Rousseau’s van, in a basket of dinner rolls. It had been an unusual way to join a family, but the adoption papers had all been in order and Clementine had definitely gone to the right home.
Clementine wanted to tell the boy that he was stupid too but then she remembered what her mother and Uncle Digby were always telling her: ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.’
She kept quiet and rushed off to her mother, except that her tongue poked out at him at the last second. She didn’t really mean to. It just sort of happened.
‘Well, excuse me, young lady!’ The boy’s curly-haired mother had reappeared just in time to spot Clemmie’s lizard tongue. ‘You’re a rude little creature, aren’t you?’
Clementine felt like a thousand butterflies were having a party in her tummy. And they hadn’t been invited.
The children and their parents were ushered into the small school hall, which also doubled as the gymnasium. Clementine sat next to her mother with Sophie on the other side and Poppy along further. There were twenty children starting in the kindergarten class. Miss Critchley approached the microphone and welcomed the students and their parents.
Clementine was busy studying the young woman’s outfit. Today she had on a dark blue blouse with a bow at the front and a pair of grey pants. Her hair was pulled back softly from her face. Clementine still thought she was the most beautiful lady she’d ever seen.
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