Free Clementine Rose and the Perfect Present 3 by Jacqueline Harvey

Clarissa that Angus had been sad that Clementine wasn’t coming to his party, but he’d be very happy now.
    Clementine wondered if that was true or if Mrs Archibald had just said it to be kind. But when she got to school, Angus ran straight up to her.
    ‘I’m glad you’re coming to my party,’ he said, grinning.
    ‘Thank you, Angus,’ Clementine replied.
    ‘Yeah, ’cos now my dragon will have something tasty to eat.’
    Poppy rolled her eyes at him. ‘You don’t even have a dragon.’
    ‘Yes, I do, and it eats girls,’ Angus said and pulled a face. ‘But it only likes sweet ones so that means it won’t eat you, Poppy.’
    Clementine leapt to her friend’s defence. ‘That’s not very nice, Angus! But at least it won’t eat me either.’
    ‘Yes it will,’ Angus insisted.
    Joshua had been standing beside Angus the whole time, and now he gave his friend a funny look. ‘Do you like her?’ he asked.
    ‘No way!’ Angus shook his head. ‘She’s a girl and I don’t like any girls.’ Angus ran off into the playground with Joshua hot on his heels.
    Astrid walked over to Poppy and Clementine. ‘Angus does like you,’ she said.
    Clementine was confused by this comment. ‘I don’t think so. He’s always so mean to me.’
    ‘It’s a boy thing,’ Astrid explained. ‘They’re always mean to girls they like, so he probably likes you too, Poppy.’
    Poppy pulled a face. ‘Well, I don’t like him , that’s for sure.’
    ‘I don’t understand boys,’ Clementine said seriously. But she was glad that Astrid did.
    The day seemed to go by in a blink. Lady Clarissa picked Clementine up after school and when they got home the marquee was gone and there was hardly anything to remind Clemmie of the excitement of the weekend.
    That evening, her mother helped pack her princess costume into a separate bag along with Angus’s present, which Clementine took from the sideboard in the kitchen where it had been sitting next to Uncle Digby’s.
    Clementine took ages to fall asleep. She was so excited about the party and she couldn’t wait for Uncle Digby to get home either.
    Unlike Monday, Tuesday seemed to drag on forever. Mrs Bottomley got cross with the children asking her what time it was over and over. She decided she might as well use their interest to have some lessons on reading a clock. Clementine thought that was long overdue. She’d been wanting to learn to tell the time ever since the first day.
    When the bell finally rang, Mrs Bottomley supervised the children getting changed into their costumes. Much to Clementine’s distaste, Mrs Bottomley made them form two straight lines to march the short distance to Angus’s house. It was only around the corner from the school. They must have looked a strange lot in their crowns and robes, especially the children who were brandishing swords and sceptres.
    The group was ushered out into the back garden.
    ‘Hello Mr Smote,’ Clementine cried, as she ran up to the man. He too was dressed as a king.
    ‘Clementine!’ He made a deep bow. ‘How lovely to see you again.’
    She glanced around the garden and saw a huge cardboard castle. It was big enough for the children to clamber into. There were shields hanging from the fence and even some wooden horses for the guests to be photographed riding.
    ‘You really are a magician!’ Clementine said.
    ‘It was nothing much,’ the man replied modestly. ‘And Angus is such a good boy.’
    Mr Smote definitely hadn’t seen Angus at school, Clementine thought to herself.
    Angus’s mother and Mr Smote had arranged lots of games for the children to play. There was pass the parcel and pin the tail on the pony, musical statues and hide and seek. Clementine and her friends weren’t as keen on that one, as Angus kept pointing out where he kept his dragon.
    Astrid marched off to the bottom of the garden and hid right where Angus said the dragon had its lair. Clementine thought she was terribly brave.
    The afternoon went very