‘Now, make sure that you do everything Clarissa asks and don’t get into any trouble,’ Odette instructed her two children as they stood on the driveway beside Clementine and her mother.

‘Come on, Odette, we ’ave to get all the way to Downsfordvale before dark,’ Pierre called from the driver’s seat.

Odette gave her children a kiss on each cheek and then did the same to Clementine and Clarissa.

‘Sacrebleu, Odette, ’urry up. It’s only for one night. We will come back and get them tomorrow. Maybe.’ Pierre grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

‘That’s fine with us, Papa,’ Jules told his father. ‘We love it here.’

‘Maybe your Mama and me, we’ll leave you with Lady Clarissa for a week and take an ’oliday,’ Pierre teased.

‘We’re having a camp-out,’ said Clementine. ‘That’s like a holiday.’

‘In the library,’ Sophie added, as her mother closed the passenger door.

‘Au revoir,’ Odette called.

‘Goodbye,’ the children chorused as the little van sped off down the driveway.

Lady Clarissa would gladly have kept Sophie and Jules for a week. Jules was a wonderful big brother to Sophie, and he and Clementine got along famously too.

‘Come on then, what would you all like for afternoon tea?’ Clarissa asked. ‘Your father has left me half the patisserie, I think.’

‘Chocolate brownie for me,’ Sophie said.

‘Chocolate eclair for me,’ Jules said.

‘Is there a meringue?’ Clementine was imagining the sweet tingly confection melt away in her mouth.

‘Several, I think,’ Clarissa nodded.

‘Yum! We need to have lots of energy if we’re going camping in the library,’ said Clementine.

‘Why?’ Sophie asked, her brown eyes wide.

‘Because we’re going on a safari,’ said Clementine, as if it was obvious. ‘Just like Grandpa did when he was young, except we’re not going to shoot the animals, we’ll just take some photographs.’

Jules laughed. ‘So this is another adventure of yours, Clementine. Like last time when you said that all the people in the portraits on the walls had come to life and you told us about them.’ Sophie and Jules loved Clementine’s stories.

Clementine nodded. The three children followed Lady Clarissa into the entrance hall and Lavender trotted along behind.

‘Do you remember when I told you about that lady up there?’ Clementine pointed at Aunt Violet’s portrait. ‘I said that her name was Grace and she was beautiful and kind.’

Sophie and Jules nodded.

‘Well, that’s not her name.’

Lady Clarissa disappeared into the hallway on her way to the kitchen.

‘What is her name?’ Sophie asked.

‘It’s Violet and she’s not beautiful. She’s snappy and cross, and she’s asleep upstairs,’ Clementine said.

Sophie and Jules gasped.

‘But I thought she was dead, like your grandfather,’ Sophie said, her mouth gaping.

‘I thought so too, but she came on Friday,’ Clementine explained. ‘And I don’t think she likes me very much and she definitely doesn’t like Lavender. She has a sphynx that looks like a giant rat and this afternoon she said that she might like to have my bedroom. But she does wear nice clothes and she has some of the loveliest shoes I’ve ever seen and she didn’t tell on me last night about Mr Sparks’s hair.’

‘What happened to Mr Sparks’s hair?’ Sophie asked.

‘It’s complicated,’ Clementine replied. ‘I’ll tell you later.’

‘Maybe she just doesn’t know you very well yet,’ Jules suggested.

‘Maybe, but she really doesn’t like Uncle Digby,’ Clementine confirmed.

‘We should stay out of her way, then,’ Jules decided. ‘Your house is so big we shouldn’t have to see her at all.’

The two girls nodded.

‘Come on, let’s get something to eat and then we can start building our tents.’ Clementine raced off towards the kitchen with Sophie, Jules and Lavender hot on her heels.