Princess Ellie's Secret Read online

  The more Ellie thought about the idea, the more she liked it. By lunchtime, she was convinced she had discovered the perfect solution to the Shadow problem. She was bursting to tell her parents the good news. But when she rushed into the dining room, she found them deep in conversation. They looked up briefly and smiled. Then they ignored her and went back to talking to each other.

  Ellie considered butting in, but decided against it when she realized they were talking about taxes. Although she found that one of the most boring topics in the world, her parents seemed to find it fascinating. They definitely wouldn’t like being interrupted, and she needed them in a good mood to listen to her plan.

  She wandered across the room to choose what she wanted to eat from the silver dishes laid out on the sideboard. The selection of food was mouth-watering. There were cold meats and fish of every kind, tomatoes cut into lilies, delicate curls of cucumber and warm crusty rolls. Ellie was careful not to let the butler give her too much. She wanted to leave room for the profiteroles dripping in chocolate sauce, which were piled temptingly on a crystal dish.

  She was just finishing the last of her smoked salmon, when the Queen finally stopped talking. She smiled at Ellie and asked, “Are you feeling better, dear? You looked so upset after our little talk.”

  Ellie smiled back. “I’m fine now,” she said. “I’ve had…”

  “Good,” interrupted the King before Ellie could finish. “I’m glad you’ve realized that it’s right to sell Shadow.”

  “No, no,” cried Ellie. “We don’t need to sell him. I’ve had the most wonderful idea.”

  “Not another one,” sighed the King.

  “This one’s much better,” said Ellie. “All we have to do is…”

  “No,” said the King, firmly. “We’ve made up our minds. We must do what’s right for Shadow, and that means finding him a new home. The dealer is coming to collect him at the end of next week.”

  Ellie turned desperately to her mother for help. “Please listen,” she begged. “This idea’s perfect. I know it is.”

  But the Queen was just as firm. “I’m sorry, Aurelia, but it’s already arranged. There is absolutely no point in arguing.”

  Ellie burst into tears and ran out of the room. She didn’t even glance at the profiteroles piled uneaten on the sideboard.

  But she wasn’t going to give up. She was sure her idea would work. She just had to think of a way to prove it.

  Chapter 5

  Ellie was relieved when Kate came back from school. She needed to talk to someone who would listen – someone who would take her side and help her to keep Shadow.

  They sat together in Ellie’s bedroom while she told Kate the events of the day. It was the pinkest bedroom in the world. The King had designed it, and he was sure all princesses liked pink. Unfortunately, Ellie didn’t.

  Kate squealed with delight when she heard Ellie’s idea about teaching Shadow to drive. “That’s brilliant. It solves everything.”

  Ellie sighed. “It would if my mum and dad would let us do it.”

  “You’ll just have to persuade them,” said Kate.

  “How can I?” groaned Ellie. “They won’t even listen.”

  Kate sat on the rose pink carpet and looked at the pony posters which covered the pink and white striped wallpaper. “Maybe you should show them the photo,” she suggested. “The one that gave you the idea in the first place.”

  Ellie brightened up. “I don’t think they’d look at a picture. But what if we teach Shadow to pull a carriage? Then we can show them the real thing and prove that my idea works!” She paused thoughtfully for a moment. “We’ll have to do it in secret,” she added. “We don’t want them to stop us.”

  “That’s brilliant,” said Kate. “I love secrets. What do we have to do?”

  “I’m not sure,” said Ellie. “But we can soon find out.” She grabbed her Encyclopedia of Horses, found the right page and started reading. But her excitement soon turned to dismay. “It says here that it’ll take at least six weeks to teach Shadow.”

  “That’s hopeless,” said Kate. “He’ll be gone in less than two.”

  “I know,” moaned Ellie. “There just isn’t enough time.”

  They stared dismally at the book. Then Ellie suggested they went for a ride. “It’ll cheer us up,” she said. “And it might help us to think.”

  They fetched Moonbeam and Rainbow from the field, put them in their stables and went to fetch the grooming kit.

  “Shut the door quickly,” yelled Meg, as they stepped inside. A gust of wind had lifted the pile of papers she was reading and blown them all over the floor.

  “Sorry,” said Ellie, as she scrabbled about helping to pick them up.

  “I’m looking for Shadow’s paperwork,” Meg explained. Then she looked at Ellie’s miserable face and added, “I’m sorry. I have to do what I’m told. And it is the best thing for Shadow.”

  Ellie stared angrily at the paper in her hand.

  “I think this is what you want!” she said, as she held it out to Meg. “What does ‘R and D’ mean?”

  Meg looked at the paper with surprise. “It’s short for ‘ride and drive’.”

  “And what does that mean?” asked Kate.

  Meg smiled. “It means you can either ride Shadow or you can harness him to a carriage and drive him.”

  Ellie stared at her in disbelief. “So Shadow knows how to pull a carriage?”

  “Definitely,” said Meg. “And all this time, none of us knew.”

  “Wow!” cried Ellie with a triumphant grin. “Maybe our plan will work after all.”

  Meg looked at her suspiciously. “What are you two up to?” she asked.

  Ellie hesitated. It was Meg who had stopped her plan to retire Shadow. Would she stop this one too?

  Meg must have guessed what she was thinking. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t tell anyone your secret unless it’s going to put you or Shadow in danger.”

  “Thanks,” said Ellie, and launched into an excited explanation of her idea and how there wasn’t enough time to teach Shadow. “But he already knows how to pull a carriage so everything’s all right,” she finished in a rush.

  “Remember he hasn’t done it for ages,” said Meg. “He’ll need a quick revision course. And he’ll need a set of driving harness the right size and something for him to pull.”

  “Could you ask your parents to buy them for you?” asked Kate.

  “It’s too risky,” Ellie replied. “If I tell them our plan, they’re sure to stop it.”

  Meg looked at the bill of sale again. “It says here that Shadow came complete with tack. I’m sure I’ve seen a set of harness around here somewhere. I wonder if it’s his.” She started burrowing through a pile of rugs in the far corner of the tack room. Ellie and Kate rushed to help in the search.

  “There’s so much stuff,” said Kate, as she opened a cupboard and a pile of old stirrups tumbled out.

  “I know,” said Ellie, pushing a bundle of reins off a bench. “I don’t think George liked throwing things away.”

  Suddenly, Ellie noticed that the bench top had hinges. There must be a storage box underneath. She heaved open the lid and peered inside. To her delight, she found a set of black leather harness that looked just the right size for Shadow.

  “That’s solved one problem anyway,” announced Kate.

  “But we still need a carriage,” sighed Ellie.

  Meg took the harness from her and smiled. “Don’t bother about that now. Go and have your ride. Moonbeam and Rainbow must be wondering what’s happened to you.”

  The pleasure of riding soon pushed Ellie’s worries about Shadow to the back of her mind. She and Kate rode up through the woods, exploring the twisting paths and jumping over fallen logs. When they reached the open hilltop, they had a long canter across the heather. Then they stopped to give the ponies a rest.

  Kate looked down at the palace. “What are those buildings at the back?” she asked. “I
’ve never noticed them before.”

  “They’re just used for storing things,” explained Ellie. “We hardly ever get rid of anything. Being royal means our old stuff isn’t junk – it’s history.” Then she remembered the carriage in the photo. Was there a chance that it still existed?

  Chapter 6

  Ellie and Kate rode back to the palace as quickly as they could. They wanted to search the outbuildings right away, but there wasn’t time before dinner. Luckily, the King and Queen had gone to a banquet in the town. That meant there was no long-winded formal meal for Ellie to sit through. Instead, she had supper with Miss Stringle and ate as quickly as she could without being accused of bad manners. As soon as she had finished, she pretended she had a headache and persuaded Miss Stringle to let her go to her room to watch TV. But instead, Ellie slipped outside to meet Kate, who was waiting at the kitchen door with a couple of torches.

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea to look now?” asked Kate, nervously. “It’ll be dark soon.”

  Ellie felt nervous too, but she tried not to let it show. “We can’t wait!” she said. “We’re running out of time.”

  The outbuildings seemed bigger close up. They also looked dark and neglected. Ellie had never dared to go inside before. There were sure to be spiders and maybe there were bats and rats as well. For a moment, her fear overwhelmed her and she wondered if they should abandon the whole idea. Then she thought of Shadow and knew she must keep going. She took a deep breath to calm herself and walked up to a large, wooden door.

  “Won’t it be locked?” said Kate. She sounded as if she’d be pleased if it were.

  “Not necessarily,” said Ellie. “They won’t have put the crown jewels in here.” She grabbed hold of the handle, turned it, and pulled. The door creaked open unwillingly on rusty hinges.

  The two girls crept inside. In the dim light from the grimy windows, they could see stacks of boxes, crates and strange-shaped objects shrouded with dustsheets.

  “I don’t think anyone’s been in here for years,” said Ellie.

  “This stuff must be really old, then,” said Kate, peering under the nearest dustsheet.

  The suit of armour underneath wobbled precariously and then crashed to the ground. The noise made both girls jump. It echoed around the building, sounding extra loud in the surrounding silence.

  “Eeek!” shrieked Kate, when a mouse shot out of the helmet. It scuttled across the floor and disappeared.

  Ellie ran in pursuit. “That’s more the size of thing we’re looking for.”

  “What? The mouse?” teased Kate.

  “Don’t be daft,” said Ellie. “I mean this thing it’s hiding behind.”

  She lifted the dustsheet and felt a thrill of excitement as she spotted a large wooden wheel. “Come on,” she called, and wriggled underneath the sheet for a better look.

  Kate followed her, and they both switched on their torches. But they didn’t find a carriage. The wheel was attached to a strange, wooden hut.

  “What on earth is it?” asked Kate.

  “I think it’s for getting changed in at the beach,” said Ellie, who had seen something like it in a history book.

  “I suppose your ancestors were too posh to wrap themselves in a towel like everyone else,” laughed Kate.

  She wanted to look inside but Ellie dragged her away. “We haven’t got time,” she said. “That’s much too big for Shadow to pull. We’ve got to keep looking.”

  They searched and searched in the fading light. But the only other thing they found with wheels was a strange-looking pram.

  Eventually, Kate looked at her watch by the light of her torch. “I’ll have to go soon or my gran will get worried.”

  Ellie knew she’d have to go too. “Just five more minutes,” she said, pointing to a pile of packing cases. “We haven’t looked behind those yet.”

  They ran round the end of the pile and peered into the gloom. In front of them was something big, its shape hidden by a dustsheet. Ellie ran forward and peered under the edge. “There’s a wheel,” she yelled. Kate joined her and together they heaved the sheet onto the ground. Then they gave a whoop of delight. Standing before them was the pony carriage. It didn’t look quite as smart as in the photo. The varnish was peeling in places and the cushions were filthy.

  Kate lifted the shafts and tried to pull the carriage. Nothing happened. She pulled harder. Still nothing.

  “Oh, no!” cried Ellie. “It must work.” She grabbed hold of one of the shafts, leaving Kate with the other. “One, two, three, go,” she yelled.

  The two girls pulled as hard as they could. But it made no difference. The wheels were well and truly stuck.

  Chapter 7

  Ellie could hardly sleep that night for worrying. Kate had said her grandad would be able to make the carriage move. Ellie knew he was really good at fixing things, but suppose the wheels were stuck so firmly that even he couldn’t shift them. What would they do then?

  In the morning, she climbed out of bed feeling tired and gloomy. But she cheered up a little when she remembered it was Saturday and the start of half-term. Miss Stringle thought holidays were a waste of time, but Ellie didn’t. What was the point in being a princess if she had to do lessons when all the other children in the kingdom were having fun? Since Kate’s arrival at the palace, Ellie had insisted on having the same breaks as her friend. Now she was really glad that she had. With only a few days left to save Shadow, she couldn’t afford to waste any time.

  As soon as breakfast was over, she ran to her room and pulled on a pale pink fleece over her rose pink jeans. Then she tugged on her boots and raced downstairs towards the stables, wishing her father would buy her clothes that weren’t pink. In the hall, she nearly collided with the King and Queen, who were walking along reading a letter. They looked very unhappy.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Ellie.

  “It’s Great Aunt Edwina,” said the Queen with a sigh.

  “Is she ill?” asked Ellie.

  The King shook his head. “No,” he said. “It’s worse than that. She’s fighting fit and coming to stay on Wednesday.”

  Great Aunt Edwina was an extremely difficult guest. Nothing was ever right and she constantly complained that everything had been so much better when she was a girl.

  “It’s a good thing you insisted on that holiday,” said the Queen. “You’ll be able to help us entertain her.”

  Ellie opened her mouth to say she was too busy. Then she shut it again quickly before any words came out. She couldn’t risk giving away her secret now. But she needed every minute she could find to save Shadow. There was no time to spare for Great Aunt Edwina.

  Kate was waiting for her in the stable yard, bubbling with excitement. “He’s done it,” she yelled.

  “Who’s done what?” asked Ellie.

  “My grandad,” replied Kate. “He’s managed to move the carriage all the way to his workshop. It only needed some grease on the wheels to help them turn.”

  Ellie felt a twinge of disappointment that she hadn’t been there to watch. But that was immediately swamped by her delight at the good news. Kate said her grandad was going to meet them later to show them how to make it as good as new.

  In the meantime, they could concentrate all their efforts on Shadow. They brushed him carefully. Then they led him to the sand school where Meg showed them how to put on the harness.

  “What are those?” asked Ellie, pointing to some pieces of leather beside Shadow’s eyes.

  “They’re blinkers,” explained Meg. “They stop him seeing the carriage behind him.” She threaded the reins through some rings on a pad on Shadow’s back and passed them to Ellie. “It’s time to get started,” she said.

  “Don’t we need these?” asked Kate, pointing at some straps Meg had left hanging on the fence.

  “Not today,” said Meg. “We won’t need those until he starts to pull something.”

  Ellie stood behind Shadow wondering how to make him move. If she was ri
ding him, she would squeeze him with her legs but she couldn’t do that from the ground.

  “Use your voice,” said Meg.

  “Walk on,” called Ellie and, to her delight, Shadow immediately stepped forward, turning his ears towards her as he waited for the next instruction.

  Ellie pulled gently on the reins and said “Whoa” firmly. Shadow stopped.

  “Brilliant,” said Kate.

  Ellie told Shadow to walk on again and they practised twisting and turning around the school. The Shetland behaved so well that Ellie became more ambitious. “Trot on,” she called.

  Shadow leaped forward eagerly into a bouncy trot while Ellie pounded along behind him. Shadow trotted faster and faster. Ellie struggled to keep up, but it was hard work running in the sand.

  She was just about to tell him to walk again when she tripped and fell flat on her face.

  The fall knocked the wind out of her, but she kept hold of the reins. Shadow felt the pull on them and stopped. He turned his head round curiously to see what she was doing.

  Meg ran over and took hold of his bridle, while Kate helped Ellie to her feet. “He coped with that brilliantly,” Meg said. “But next time we’ll practise where it’s easier to run.”

  “Let’s use the deer park,” said Ellie, as she brushed the sand from her clothes. “You can’t see it from the palace so no one will discover our secret before we’re ready.”

  With that agreed, they set off to the workshop to start work on the carriage. Kate’s grandad was already there. He patiently showed them how to rub down the peeling woodwork and paint on new varnish.

  “You’ll need to wear something old and tatty,” he told Ellie. “That varnish will ruin those smart clothes of yours.”