Free Alice-Miranda Shows the Way by Jacqueline Harvey Page A

him.
    Dick Wigglesworth shook his head. ‘I don’t believe it.’
    â€˜There’ll be no stopping him in the Queen’s Cup now,’ said Freddy with a smile.
    Dick’s shoulders slumped and he sighed loudly.
    â€˜Are you all right, Mr Wigglesworth?’ Millie asked.
    â€˜Yes lass, fine, just fine,’ he said slowly.
    Rockstar snorted and sidestepped, then spun around as if looking for something. Alice-Miranda charged around the turn and when Bonaparte crossed the finish line, Rockstar greeted him with an ear-splitting whinny.
    â€˜That was amazing,’ said Millie. She was standing on the lower fence rail with her arms slung over the top. Beside her, Freddy and Mr Wigglesworth were shaking their heads in disbelief.
    â€˜Well done, Mr Walt. That was incredible,’ Alice-Miranda said to the young lad.
    He was grinning broadly. ‘I can’t believe it. I stayed on him!’ He reached down and patted Rockstar’s neck.
    Alice-Miranda patted her little fellow’s neck too. ‘Well done, Bonaparte. Good boy.’

A mbrosia Headlington-Bear reached into the centre console and pushed the U-shaped lever. In a series of robotic movements, the roof of the shiny silver sports car folded itself neatly into a panel above the boot. A click and a pop signified the end of the process.
    â€˜That is sooooo cool,’ Sloane gasped. ‘I want a car just like this when I grow up.’
    â€˜It’s not even that warm, Mummy. I don’t see why you need to show off and put the roof down,’ Jacinta fumed.
    â€˜Darling,’ her mother cooed. ‘What’s the point in having a convertible if you don’t get to use it? And Sloane seems to like it.’
    â€˜Sloane would.’ Jacinta turned and glared at her friend in the back seat.
    â€˜Come on ’Cinta, don’t be in a grump. We’ve had such a lovely day.’ Ambrosia stuck out her lip, making sure that Sloane could see her in the rear-vision mirror.
    Sloane clasped her hands over her mouth to smother a giggle.
    â€˜My name is Jacinta, Mother, with a J.’ Jacinta folded her arms in front of her and stared through the passenger window, which she refused to put down just because the rest of the vehicle was open to the elements.
    The unlikely threesome had been enjoying a particularly pleasant day until Ambrosia insisted that they stop at the village general store on their way back from seeing a movie in the city. It was the conversation that followed that had made Jacinta see red.
    â€˜If I’m going to spend some time in this place, the locals should really know that I’m here,’ Ambrosia had informed the girls as the sports car sped into thevillage. ‘I mean, once the paparazzi get hold of the location, the place is likely to be swarming with photographers.’
    â€˜Don’t you mean, once your publicist lets it slip, Mummy, which I’m surprised she hasn’t done already.’
    â€˜Oh, I couldn’t have anyone taking photos of me outside the cottage before we fixed it up,’ Ambrosia complained.
    Jacinta rolled her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t know about that, seeing as you haven’t taken me there yet – even though you’ve had it for a couple of months now.’
    â€˜Darling, you know tradesmen, they never finish anything on time,’ Ambrosia said with a pout. ‘Of course I want you to come and stay.’
    â€˜Mummy, you don’t have to tell the paparazzi about the village. Wouldn’t it be nice just to have some time for us – without anyone wanting to take your photograph?’
    â€˜Jacinta, you know that’s not how the paps operate. We help each other. They sell photographs to magazines and I stay on top of everyone’s invitation list,’ Ambrosia informed her daughter.
    At this revelation, Jacinta’s mood had gone from fizz to fug.
    Sloane had tried to help her friend find the positives.