The boy looked over at her in surprise and slowed to a walk.
‘My name is Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones,’ she said with a smile. ‘I was just visiting your mother.’
‘Oh,’ he panted. ‘I’m Daniel.’
‘It’s very nice to meet you, Daniel. Have you by any chance seen a red-haired girl with two ponies? One is black and the other bay. I left her out in the lane but they seem to have disappeared,’ she said.
The boy shook his head. ‘Sorry, I haven’t seen anyone.’
Alice-Miranda looked up and down the road, hoping they might have wandered over to another clump of grass.
‘You can get a better view from around the back,’ Daniel said, motioning for the girl to follow. They circled to the rear of the house. To the left of the driveway, a large mound of dirt overgrown with grass rose up steeply at the side of a stone outbuilding. ‘Dad was using it for the garden, before …’ Daniel stopped himself and scaled the pile.
Alice-Miranda scrambled up after him. ‘That’s a great view,’ she said as she peered across the fields and down the road. ‘There they are!’ she exclaimed, pointing to two ponies in the distance. She squinted, wondering why Millie was riding Bony instead of Chops. ‘Millie!’ the girl shouted, waving her arms in the air.
Millie saw her and waved back. Alice-Miranda and Daniel thumped down the mound, sending little avalanches of dirt tumbling to the ground as the red-haired girl steered the horses into the driveway. She wiped her brow and slipped from the saddle, landing with a thud, then passed Alice-Miranda the reins.
‘I need a drink,’ Millie said, racing to a garden tap by the fence and guzzling water like a camel in the desert.
‘What happened?’ Alice-Miranda asked, noticing the tide line of sweat on Chops’s flank.
Millie turned off the tap and patted her face. ‘Some lunatics in a white van spooked them. Bony took off, and Chops and I raced after him. I was about to give up when I saw him way off in a field and then he ran into the woods and we had to go after him all over again.’
‘I know that van,’ Daniel said. ‘Two young guys would have been in it. I don’t know who they are but they’re always roaring up and down the road.’
‘Someone needs to report them,’ Millie said, still peeved. ‘We could have been killed.’
‘But you weren’t, so we should be thankful for that,’ Alice-Miranda replied quickly, noticing the look on Daniel’s face. The girl blew gently into Bony’s nostrils and patted his cheek. ‘It’s okay, boy. You’re safe now.’
‘He’s bleeding,’ Daniel said, noticing a red trickle on the pony’s foreleg.
Millie squatted down to inspect the cut. ‘It’s not deep, thank goodness. It’s a miracle he’s still in one piece, really.’
‘You poor boy,’ Alice-Miranda cooed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a sugar cube, which Bonaparte hoovered from her outstretched hand.
‘Do your neighbours have dogs?’ Millie asked.
Daniel looked at her blankly. ‘What neighbours?’
‘Over there somewhere,’ Millie said, pointing in the direction from which they’d come. ‘I don’t know how far we went, but when I finally caught up to Bonaparte he’d stopped beside a stream and I could have sworn I heard dogs barking and a shed door opening.’
‘That’s old army land,’ the boy said. ‘It used to be a target range and a munitions dump. Didn’t you see the signs?’
Millie shook her head. ‘Great, so we could have been blown up too.’
‘Someone told my dad there’s a bunch of old bunkers built into the side of the hill,’ Daniel said.
‘Does the army still use it?’ Millie asked, relieved that she didn’t encounter any tanks or soldiers on training exercises.
‘I don’t know,’ the boy replied. ‘I just know that there are a lot of “Keep Out” signs, which is why I never run there.’
‘Well, I’m pretty sure I heard dogs,’ Millie insisted.
Daniel frowned. ‘I don’t know why they’d be up there, unless they belong to the army.’
But Alice-Miranda had a strange feeling. It seemed odd to her that there were a whole lot of barking dogs in the middle of nowhere. ‘Did the police search that land for your mother’s dogs?’
‘I suppose so,’ Daniel said. He looked at her as the same thought dawned on him.
‘Please don’t go there,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘It sounds dangerous. I’ll talk to Constable Derby.’
Daniel nodded. ‘Okay, but let me know what he says.’
‘I will,’ the girl said. ‘We should be going. Miss Pepper will have something we can put on that cut. It was good to meet you, Daniel.’
‘Yeah, it was good to meet you too,’ he replied.
‘See you at Chudleigh’s,’ Alice-Miranda said as she pulled the reins over Bony’s head and threw herself into the saddle.
‘It was a bit scary, really,’ Millie admitted as they trotted along the road. ‘I just had no idea whether Bony would be in one piece or if I’d ever find him.’
Alice-Miranda leaned forward and patted the pony’s head. ‘That was brave, going after him.’
‘More like stupid, especially now that I know about the munitions base,’ Millie said, grinning. ‘I clearly missed all those signs on the road.’
The girls continued along the lane, where the overhanging trees created patterns of dappled sunlight. They reached the entrance to Chesterfield Downs and turned into the driveway, just as a sparkling black four-wheel drive with tinted windows roared past.
Alice-Miranda turned her head. ‘That’s odd,’ she said. ‘That looked just like Major Foxley’s car.’
‘Maybe he decided to see Mrs Finchley himself,’ Millie said.
‘Perhaps,’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘It’s just that he said he’d be on the other side of the country today. Of course, his plans could have changed.’ The child shrugged and thought no more of it.
Roberta Dankworth put down the telephone and squealed like a pen full of piglets. ‘Barry!’ she screeched. ‘Barry! Where are you?’
Her husband was at the other end of the house, locked in the study and up to his neck in paperwork. At the sound of his wife’s voice, he leapt from the chair, flung open the door and ran down the hallway to the kitchen, where Roberta was jumping up and down on the spot. ‘What’s the matter? What’s happened?’ he gasped.
‘They’re coming at the end of the week!’ she said, blinking back tears.
‘Who’s coming?’
‘Dog Days! They’ve decided they don’t want to do a one-off special on the Poochie Palace, they want to devote three entire episodes to me and my babies.’ Roberta smiled as a huge tear wobbled from her eye, splashing onto the top of her cheek.
‘But what about Chudleigh’s?’ the man said. ‘You need to stay focused, darling.’
‘They’re going to film that too,’ Roberta replied.
‘Are you sure you want a camera crew traipsing around after you in the lead-up to the show?’ He looked at his wife, unsure whether she was crying tears of joy or devastation.
‘Of course I do! Citrine’s already firmed as favourite to take out Best in Show again. Can’t you just see the look on everyone’s faces when they find out the cameras are there for me?’ Roberta pushed her hair behind her ear. ‘You’ll need to make up the bed in the spare room right away.’
Barry frowned. ‘Why?’
‘Well, the crew are going to stay in their campervan but we can hardly expect Darius Loveday to rough it now, can we?’ Roberta pulled some lip gloss from her jacket pocket and began to apply a liberal slathering.
Barry’s eyes widened. ‘What’s Darius Loveday got to do with this?’
‘He’s the new host,’ Roberta said.
‘But he does all those serious current-affairs shows,’ Barry said. ‘Has he been demoted?’
Roberta’s mouth dropped open. ‘Don’t you think my babies are serious news?’
‘I didn’t mean it l
ike that,’ Barry said quickly. ‘It’s just that he’s a well-respected journalist, that’s all, and you could hardly put him and that ditzy Penny Bell in the same basket.’
‘She was lovely and so pretty,’ Roberta said, ‘but they’ve obviously decided they need someone with a more impressive pedigree.’
‘So Loveday’s staying here? With us?’ Barry asked.
‘Yes, until Chudleigh’s is finished.’ Roberta fluttered her eyelashes as she caught sight of her reflection in the huge mirror overhanging the fireplace.
‘Why can’t he find his own accommodation?’ Barry mumbled to himself. He had a bad feeling about all of this. It was one thing for Dog Days to do a one-off special on the Poochie Palace, but having the crew follow Roberta around for the next week didn’t seem like the best idea. Describing the lead-up to the show as stressful didn’t cover half of it, not to mention the fallout if Citrine didn’t win.
‘I don’t know what you’re upset about, Barry,’ Roberta snapped. ‘Your business is going to get loads of publicity too. Anyway, don’t just stand there. This place has to be spotless from top to bottom.’ She pointed at two boxes in the sitting room. ‘All that mess there needs to be sorted out. I’ll be in the Poochie Palace. Sapphire needs a full hair treatment and I’m going to give her some highlights. Her coat’s been very lacklustre lately. And look at you, Farrah – my goodness, what is that you’ve got on yourself?’
‘Roberta, take it easy. You’re not showing Sapphire and I’m sure that no one will notice if Farrah’s got a couple of dirty smudges,’ Barry said.
‘How can you say that, Barry?’ Roberta gasped. She beckoned Farrah to her, and the little poodle leapt into her arms. ‘Daddy didn’t mean it, baby girl. He knows you hate it when you don’t look your best.’
‘I’ll give Farrah a bath later,’ Barry offered. ‘Why don’t we work together to get the rest of the house unpacked and then I can help you with the dogs?’
Roberta raised her pointer finger in the air to shush him. ‘Don’t interfere, Barry. You know this is a very tense time for me.’
The woman turned on her heel and flounced out the back door, leaving her husband in the kitchen rubbing his temples. Talk about Dog Days, he was having one himself.
Vera Bird held Siggy’s lead in her left hand and together they pranced through the centre of Becca’s dog kennel like a pair of consummate professionals.
‘Mrs Bird, that was fabulous,’ Becca said, clapping from the other end of the building. ‘You look as if you’ve done this a thousand times before.’
‘You’re a natural,’ Daniel agreed.
The old woman turned and smiled. ‘I think it’s got more to do with Siggy than me, dear. She’s wonderfully obedient and not the least bit overexcitable, which can cause all sorts of problems in my experience … from watching my sister showing her dogs years ago.’
Becca and Mrs Bird had been practising for over an hour. Daniel was there too. He had been different the past couple of days. He’d told her about meeting Alice-Miranda and her friend and the dogs Millie thought she’d heard on the defence land. Becca had immediately telephoned Constable Derby the next morning and, true to her word, Alice-Miranda had spoken to him too, but the man assured Becca that they’d searched all over the neighbouring properties for her dogs and there was no evidence of them there or anywhere else close by. Although she and Daniel were both disappointed, working towards this year’s Chudleigh’s had lifted their spirits.
Inside the shed was a large central area designed as a practice show ring, with oversized kennels lining the walls on either side. There was a separate grooming room too. The set-up was far from plush but it served its purpose and had cost a considerable amount nonetheless.
‘Now, Daniel,’ Vera said, ‘how about you pretend to be a judge? I’ll get Siggy to stand and you can come and inspect her.’
Becca smiled. For someone who claimed to know very little about dog shows, Vera Bird was remarkably in tune with things. She wheeled herself to the side while Daniel made his way to the centre of the ring. He waited for Vera to run past, then watched her stop and put Siggy into position with her legs spaced apart and her head up. Daniel walked over and studied the dog’s face and then ran his hands down her legs and along her back, examining the creature for bone structure. He went on to check her coat, ears, mouth and eyes too.
Daniel didn’t say a word, just as the judges never did either. He looked at Mrs Bird and nodded, which was her signal to move on.
‘Well, that was perfect,’ Vera said.
Daniel grinned. ‘Remember that Siggy has known me since she was born. Let’s hope she performs as well with the judges.’
Vera Bird patted the dog and removed her lead.
‘I can’t imagine after all this time away that we’ll get anywhere near the winner’s podium,’ Becca said, coming to join them, ‘but goodness me, Siggy, you’re looking fabulous.’ The dog walked over to her and she gave her a pat.
‘I think we should go in with our hopes held high,’ Vera said. ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely to win? I’m sure that would make many people extremely happy.’
Becca pulled a face. ‘Perhaps not everyone.’
‘Is the show scene very competitive these days?’ Vera asked.
Becca laughed. ‘I take it you’ve never met a woman called Roberta Dankworth then.’
‘She’s horrible,’ Daniel groaned. ‘She’s this big show-off who always dresses like her dogs.’
‘She wouldn’t be the first to do that, dear,’ Vera said, chuckling. ‘I remember a fellow called Lexington Smythe. He had a black standard poodle called Pelican and you could barely tell them apart in the show ring. They used to prance about and the entire audience would fall all over themselves laughing.’
‘Oh, I remember him,’ Becca said, her eyes lighting up.
Vera’s face froze. ‘Really?’
‘Well, not personally but I remember my husband telling me about him from when he was a boy,’ Becca said.
‘Did your husband tell you lots of stories?’ Vera asked quietly.
‘Only the funny ones,’ Becca said with a sad smile. She missed Sandon so desperately, her chest ached at the very mention of him. ‘Now, I think we should have some supper. Would you like to stay and join us, Mrs Bird?’
‘I should be getting home,’ the woman said.
‘Are you sure? I’ve got what I hope’s a half-respectable stew on the stove and Daniel was going to warm up some rolls too,’ Becca said.
‘Thank you, dear, but I’d best be off,’ Vera said. She had a car full of things she needed to unpack and there was a new vacuum that was coming on the market this evening.
‘Where do you live, Mrs Bird?’ Daniel asked. ‘I know it’s down the road somewhere but how far is it?’
‘Quite a way,’ the woman said, gathering her things.
Daniel frowned. ‘I’ve never seen your house when I’ve been out running.’
‘It’s much too far,’ the woman said. She picked up her handbag from the chair inside the door. ‘I’ll be up first thing tomorrow. I think we need some more practice on the obedience testing.’
‘But I haven’t entered her in that category,’ Becca said.
Vera’s shoulders sagged. ‘What a pity. I wonder if we could get a late pass. Never mind, we can work that out tomorrow. Goodbye, Siggy, my darling girl.’ Vera bent down and kissed the dog’s snout, then dashed out the door.
‘Do you think it’s a bit strange that Mrs Bird hasn’t invited us to her place?’ Daniel asked.
Becca shrugged. ‘Some people don’t like having guests. All I know is, she’s wonderful with Siggy and I’m excited about the show. Have you thought whether you’ll help me present the Finchley Award?’
Becca had telephoned Alistair Foxley, who had been most apologetic about his lack of contact. He’d said that the Chudleigh’s committee wanted to honour her husband and father-in-law and he hoped that she would agree.
Daniel nodded
. ‘I know that’s what Dad would have wanted.’
Becca’s eyes brimmed with tears. ‘He’d be so proud of you,’ she said, hugging him around the middle.
‘I just wish he were here,’ Daniel replied.
‘Oh, sweetheart, you and me both,’ Becca said, and kissed her son’s cheek.
Jacinta hopped off the school minibus that had brought the older girls over from Caledonia Manor for their choir practice.
‘Hey,’ Lucas called, jogging towards her. ‘How was your day?’
The girl turned and smiled. ‘Busy. I can’t believe how much stuff we’ve been given to do for the dog show on top of all our lessons and homework, and I still have to train every afternoon too.’
Lucas nodded. ‘It’s crazy at Fayle as well. Mrs Parker’s been over every afternoon bossing the professor around. We’ve been building portable enclosures this week because Nosey says we need extra accommodation for the dogs. She’s even talked him into handing over the dormitories,’ Lucas said.
‘Where are you going to sleep on the weekend?’ Jacinta asked.
‘We’re putting up tents on the oval. At least Professor Winterbottom said that he’d make it count towards the next level of the Queen’s Colours,’ the boy replied with a grin.
Millie, Alice-Miranda and Sloane caught up to the pair, and Sep hurried up the driveway with George Figworth.
‘So I gather your puppy’s gone?’ Sep asked.
Millie shook her head. ‘No, he’s still here. Miss Grimm let us keep him in the boarding house last night.’
‘I bet Howie wasn’t too thrilled about that,’ the boy said, his eyes twinkling.
‘She complained and moaned and said that she had too many things to do without having to look after a puppy as well, but when we were having our cocoa, he climbed up on her lap and just sat there looking at her with those adorable big eyes. We’re keeping him for sure,’ Millie added. ‘Why did you think he was gone?’
‘The posters have disappeared,’ the boy said.
Millie looked at Alice-Miranda and Sloane. ‘Did you take them down?’
Alice-Miranda to the Rescue Page 14