Princess Ellie to the Rescue Read online

  About This Book

  Princess Ellie is pony-mad! And she’s fed up with being a princess! She hates soppy pink dresses and boring waving lessons. She’d much rather be riding one of her four gorgeous ponies, or even mucking out the royal stables.

  But someone is spying on her – a mysterious stranger who doesn’t want to be seen. Then disaster strikes, and Ellie’s sure the girl in the woods must be to blame. Can she solve the mystery and rescue her beloved Sundance before it’s too late?

  Contents

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Pony-Mad Fun & Facts

  A Letter from Diana Kimpton

  Meet Sundance, Princess Ellie’s Pony

  Princess Ellie’s Pony-Mad Quiz

  Quiz Answers

  How to Groom Your Horse

  Collect All the Pony-Mad Princess eBooks

  Copyright

  For Jasmine

  Chapter 1

  “Bother,” said the Princess as the book she’d been balancing on her head crashed to the floor.

  Miss Stringle picked it up and sighed as she looked at the title. “Not again, Princess Aurelia. Perhaps you would find waving lessons easier if you practised more instead of reading these silly pony stories.”

  “But I like them. And I like to be called Princess Ellie.”

  Miss Stringle sighed again. “I’ve told you before. That is not a suitable name for a princess.” She held out the book. “Now, stand as tall as you can and try once more.”

  Ellie straightened her head, balanced the book carefully on top of it and set out across the room. The skirt of her frothy pink dress swirled around her legs as she walked.

  “No, no!” shouted Miss Stringle. “Dainty steps. Not big strides.”

  Ellie slowed down.

  “Now wave,” said Miss Stringle.

  Ellie raised her right hand slowly and waved at an imaginary crowd.

  “And smile!”

  Ellie pulled her lips back and showed her teeth. She didn’t feel like smiling. She felt very foolish. No one in her pony books ever had to do anything like this. They had masses of friends, went to ordinary schools and spent all their spare time having fun with their ponies. All the things that Ellie wanted, but couldn’t have. Sometimes Ellie hated being a princess.

  She reached the other side of the room with relief and let the book slide off her head. “I’ve finished,” she said, as she caught it neatly. “Can I go now?”

  Miss Stringle smiled. “Of course you can, Your Highness. Have a lovely ride.”

  Ellie raced out of the palace classroom and up the spiral staircase to her bedroom. It was probably the pinkest room in the entire world. Her father, the King, had planned the decorations when she was born and he was convinced princesses liked pink.

  Ellie didn’t. She had managed to cover the pink walls with pony posters and bookcases full of pony books. But there was nothing she could do about the rose pink carpet, pink striped curtains and pink four-poster bed.

  She threw off her dress and grabbed her pale pink jodhpurs from a cupboard. As she struggled into them, she glanced at the clock. She didn’t want to be late. George was always cross when she was late.

  Then she remembered. George wasn’t there any more. After caring for the royal horses for forty years, he had retired to the seaside. Today she would meet the new groom for the first time.

  She pulled on her shiny black leather riding boots, thankful that no one in the kingdom made pink ones her size.“It will be strange without George,” she thought. “I wonder if the new groom will have as many rules.” George had hundreds of them, most of which began, “Princesses don’t…”

  Ellie pushed her everyday crown on her head and picked up her hard hat. She paused for a moment to straighten its gold and pink silk cover. Then she ran out of the room and down the back staircase to the stables.

  To her surprise, there was no sign of the new groom. But there was a new horse. A beautiful grey thoroughbred looked out of the stable where George’s horse had lived. She walked over to him and stroked his neck. His coat was as soft as velvet. The horse whickered gently and nuzzled her pockets in search of titbits.

  “Hello.”

  The cheerful voice made Ellie jump. She turned and saw a tall, slim woman walking towards her carrying a saddle and bridle. She had friendly brown eyes and her long, dark hair was tied back in a ponytail.

  “I see you’ve met my Gipsy,” said the woman as she put the saddle on the stable door. “I’m Meg. I’m the new groom. And you, I imagine, are Princess Aurelia.”

  Ellie nodded nervously.

  “That’s a real mouthful of a name,” continued Meg with a smile. “Are you always called that or do your friends shorten it?”

  “I like to be called Ellie,” she replied, bravely. She didn’t mention that she hadn’t any friends or that everyone else insisted on calling her Aurelia or “Your Royal Highness”.

  “All right then. Ellie it is.” Meg grinned and pulled a sheet of royal notepaper from her pocket. “This note from your father says you want to ride Sundance today.”

  “Yes, please,” said Ellie, hardly able to believe what she’d just heard. Meg was the first person to ever call her Ellie. Maybe everything would be different now. Maybe she could have as much fun with her ponies as the children did in her books.

  “Then you’d better get him tacked up. I’ll see to Gipsy and then we can be off.”

  Meg went into Gipsy’s stable leaving Ellie open-mouthed with shock. George had never let her do anything in the stables. Although she had four ponies of her own, she had never been allowed to look after them. She knew tacking up meant putting on the saddle and bridle. But she had absolutely no idea how to do it.

  Chapter 2

  For a moment, Ellie wondered if she should ask for help. But this was the first chance she had ever had to do something in the stables by herself. If Meg realized how little she knew, she might not let her try again. “Tacking up can’t be that difficult,” she thought. “I’m sure I can work out how to do it.”

  Ellie walked over to the tack room and hesitated. This had been George’s special place. She could almost hear him saying, “Princesses don’t go in there.” But George wasn’t around any more and Meg had told her to fetch Sundance’s saddle. It must be all right to go in.

  Ellie stepped inside and breathed in the lovely smell of leather. The saddles were on racks along one wall with the bridles hanging underneath. She stared at them nervously.

  They all looked the same. How could she tell which was Sundance’s? Then she realized that above each one was a nameplate decorated with a golden crown.

  Sundance’s rack was so high that she had to stand on tiptoe to reach it. The saddle was heavier than she expected. The bridle wasn’t, but it was hard to carry them both at the same time. The reins dragged on the ground as she walked across the yard.

  “Hello, Sundance,” she said as she went into the stable. The chestnut pony pricked his ears forward in a friendly way and walked towards her. His feet rustled the thick layer of straw on the floor.

  “I’m tacking you up today,” she told the pony. Her voice sounded more confident than she felt. She carefully put the saddle on the door just as Meg had done with Gipsy’s. Then she looked at the bridle. She could recognize the reins and the metal bit which went in Sundance’s mouth. But there seemed to be so many other straps and buckles. She wasn’t sure which ones she had to undo.

 
“I’ll just have to guess,” she decided. She chose one of the buckles and unfastened it. The bit swung down and dangled by one strap. She had no idea if that was supposed to happen. So she picked another buckle and undid that one. The bit fell off completely and landed in the straw. She was sure that was wrong.

  Sundance seemed to think so too. He put his head down and nuzzled the bit curiously.

  Suddenly the door swung open and Meg came in. “How are you getting on?” she asked. Then she saw the pieces of the bridle and laughed.

  Ellie felt so stupid that she nearly burst into tears. But she didn’t want Meg to see her cry so she did the only other thing she could think of. She thrust the tangle of straps into Meg’s hands, put on her most royal expression and stormed out of the stable saying, “Princesses don’t tack up.”

  Chapter 3

  As soon as Ellie was outside she felt even more stupid. She had always wanted to look after her ponies herself, like the children in her books. Now she had spoiled the only chance she ever had to do it.

  She sniffed loudly and wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. Then she walked miserably along the yard to Rainbow’s stable. The grey Welsh pony was standing quietly with her head over the door. Ellie gave Rainbow a peppermint and stroked her neck. The warm smell of horse made Ellie feel calmer.

  She moved along to the next stable and saw Moonbeam, the palomino, quietly eating hay. Her mane and tail were snow white and the rest of her was a beautiful creamy gold. She came over when she saw Ellie and politely took a peppermint from her hand. Then she nuzzled Ellie’s pockets looking for more.

  Suddenly there was a loud noise from the end stable. Shadow, the black Shetland, had smelled the peppermints and was banging the wall to make sure he wasn’t forgotten. Ellie ran along the yard to see him. He was too small to put his head over the door so she had to reach down to give him his sweet. She ruffled his mane and sighed as he crunched it. “I’ve ruined everything,” she said.

  Then she heard a clatter of hooves behind her. She turned around and saw Meg leading Sundance.

  “I’ve tacked him up for you,” she said, gently. “Do you still want to ride?”

  “Yes, please,” said Ellie, her voice unsteady from the nearness of her tears. “And I’m sorry I was rude.”

  “That’s all right,” said Meg. “It was wrong of me to laugh. I should have checked you knew what to do.” She pulled down the stirrups and held Sundance’s reins. “Now jump on and we’ll have a lovely ride to cheer you up.”

  Ellie felt better once she was on Sundance’s back. She leaned forward and patted the chestnut pony’s neck while she watched Meg mount Gipsy. Then she followed her out of the yard and into the palace grounds.

  As they rode side by side, Meg asked, “Did you mean what you said in the stable? You don’t have to tack up if you don’t want to.”

  “But I do,” said Ellie, quickly. “I want to tack up and groom and muck out and make feeds and clean saddles and everything.” Then she stopped and added quietly, “But I don’t know how. George never let me.”

  “Then I’d better teach you,” said Meg. “But first of all, let’s have a gallop across this field. Unless princesses don’t gallop.”

  Ellie laughed, happily. “This one does,” she said.

  “Follow me then,” said Meg, and raced away on Gipsy.

  Ellie squeezed her legs against Sundance’s sides. The pony leaped forward willingly and galloped after the grey thoroughbred. Ellie leaned forward in the saddle and felt the wind whistle past her face. She could hear Sundance’s hooves drumming on the ground as the pony carried her swiftly across the grass.

  As they neared the other side of the field, Sundance started to tire. Ellie let him slow to a gentle canter until they reached the fence where Meg was waiting. Then they rode slowly along the edge of the field, letting Sundance and Gipsy get their breath back.

  A fox trotted across their path. It stopped for a moment to look at them before continuing calmly on its way. Ellie watched as it squeezed under the fence and disappeared into a patch of woodland. She peered between the trees trying to catch another glimpse of it. But instead she saw a human face looking back at her.

  Suddenly a bird flew out from the bushes and startled Sundance. He snorted with fear and jumped sideways. The movement took Ellie by surprise. Her left foot came out of its stirrup and for a moment she thought she was going to fall off. But she managed to stay in the saddle and soon calmed her pony down.

  “Well done,” said Meg as Sundance walked forward again.

  Ellie glowed with pride. Then she looked back at the woods. The face had gone. Perhaps she had imagined it. But as they rode away, she had the strangest feeling that she was being watched.

  Chapter 4

  The pleasure of riding soon stopped Ellie wondering any more about the mysterious watcher. By the time they got back to the palace, she had almost forgotten the whole incident. “That’s the best ride I’ve ever had,” she told Meg. “I loved that gallop.”

  “So did I,” said Meg. “Now put Sundance in his stable and I’ll show you how to look after him.”

  First, Meg taught Ellie how to run the stirrups up to the top of the leathers and undo the girth so the saddle came off easily. Then, she showed her which strap to undo on the bridle and how to pull it off gently so the bit fell out of Sundance’s mouth without banging his teeth. Finally, Meg handed Ellie a brush and told her to brush the saddle mark off the pony’s back while she put the saddle and bridle away.

  Ellie was blissfully happy. It was warm in the stable and it smelled of horse. For the first time, Sundance really felt like her own pony.

  “Is there anything else I can do?” she asked when Meg came back.

  “You can help me fill the haynets and water buckets if you like. But don’t you have to get back for dinner?”

  Ellie knew it was getting late but she was reluctant to leave when she was enjoying herself so much. “I’ve loads of time,” she said, knowing it wasn’t quite true. Surely it wouldn’t matter if she was late just this once.

  Meg took her to the barn and showed her how to fill the nets with armfuls of soft, sweet-smelling hay. “Make sure it’s hay, not straw,” she said. “It’s easy to tell the difference. The straw has thicker stems.”

  The job took much longer than Ellie had expected and it was nearly dark by the time they had finished. Meg went to hang the hay in the stables while Ellie filled the water buckets. She had never carried buckets full of water before and was surprised how heavy they were. To make matters worse, the water slopped about as she walked so her jodhpurs and boots were soon soaked.

  “You really need some wellingtons,” said Meg, when she saw how wet Ellie was. “And it might be a good idea to leave your crown at home.”

  “It’s only my everyday one,” said Ellie. “Mum and Dad would be cross if I didn’t wear it. But they might agree to welly boots. I’ll ask them this evening.” Then she remembered. This evening the Prime Minister was coming to dinner. It was really important she got there on time. She’d be in real trouble if she was late. She glanced at her watch and panicked. “Oh no!” she cried. “I’m late. I’ve got to go.” She dumped the last bucket in Sundance’s stable and shut the door. Then she ran off across the yard.

  “Thanks for your help,” Meg shouted after her. “See you in the morning.”

  Ellie paused just long enough to wave goodbye before she raced over to the back door of the palace and hurtled up the stairs to her bedroom.

  The clock beside her bed stared at her accusingly. Its bright pink hands showed she had only five minutes to get clean, changed, and down to the dining room.

  Ellie glanced at herself in the long mirror on the wall. She didn’t look much like a princess at the moment. Her face was dirty, her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were red from excitement and exercise.

  “There’s no time for a shower,” she thought as she pulled off her jacket and shirt. “I’ll just have to do the best I can.
” She washed her hands quickly, wiped the dirty marks off her face with a wet flannel and pulled the hay out of her curly, blonde hair with a comb. Then she popped her tiara on her head and slipped on one of her best dresses. It was a deep rose pink with sequins on the bodice and several layers of net petticoat under the knee-length skirt. Ellie’s fingers struggled with the white satin sash as she tried to tie it in a bow behind her back.

  As soon as she had succeeded, she ran down the spiral stairs and along the corridor to the dining room. Her feet were almost silent on the thick red carpet. She paused outside the door, smoothing the folds of her skirt as she tried to calm herself down. Then she stood up as straight as Miss Stringle had taught her, and went in.

  The King and Queen were already at the table chatting to the Prime Minister. They all looked up when she arrived. But slowly their smiles changed to looks of surprise. They seemed to be staring at her feet.

  Ellie looked down and groaned. Sticking out from the bottom of her dress was a pair of very dirty jodhpurs and an even dirtier pair of boots. She had been in such a rush that she’d forgotten to take them off.

  Chapter 5

  Ellie wondered desperately what to do. Should she leave or should she stay? Then she made up her mind. She couldn’t keep them waiting even longer while she got changed properly. She’d just have to act as if nothing was wrong.

  Trying to look more confident than she felt, she strode across to the candle-lit table and sat down in her place. “I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting,” she said.

  To her relief, the Queen followed Ellie’s lead. “Well, at least you’re here now,” she said, waving to the servants to bring the food.