Lady Eggley looked Ella up and down, a deep frown creasing her forehead.
Ella suddenly realised how dusty her skirt looked and that bits of hay were sticking to her jumper. “Um, I can explain—” she began.
“You can explain!” screeched Lady Eggley. “Nothing you say can excuse such unruly behaviour! This is not what we expect of our princesses.”
Ella’s cheeks flushed. “I’m really sorry.”
“Hiding like that – such cheek! And just look at the state of you!” Lady Eggley took hold of Ella’s hand and examined her fingernails.
Just then, Molly ran into the room. “Oh, Lady Eggley. You’ve found her.” She cast a mean grin at Ella behind the teacher’s back. “But where’s the rabbit?”
Ella hoped that Daisy was still hidden under the red cloth behind the throne.
Lady Eggley’s attention was still fixed on Ella’s fingernails. “You must learn to scrub these nails thoroughly. Do it at least twenty times a day!” She let go of Ella’s hand. “Now, unless you have some good reason for being in here, I shall have to find you a punishment.”
Molly’s grin widened.
“Did someone say punishment?” Rebecca walked in. Her eyes flicked from Ella’s worried face to Molly’s grin.
“I’m afraid that Ella has been very naughty.” Lady Eggley brushed a speck of dust from her sleeve. “She came in here by herself without permission. She hid from me and she is not clean and tidy. Therefore I shall be deciding on a suitable punishment for her.”
“Excellent!” said Rebecca firmly. “I need someone to help me carry lots of bags of hay. That can be Ella’s punishment. I’m sure you won’t object, Lady Eggley; I really need the extra help.”
“Of course!” said the teacher graciously. “I will leave her in your charge. And remember, Princess Ella, I shall be checking your fingernails from now on.” She nodded to Rebecca and swept from the room.
Molly glanced round the room again and Ella knew she was still looking for Daisy.
“Run along then, Molly,” said Rebecca.
Molly looked annoyed but had no choice but to go.
Rebecca turned to Ella and smiled. “Are you all right, Ella? I saw your friends outside the pet barn just now and they told me all about how difficult Molly has been. I’d started to think you didn’t want to look after your little rabbit but I hear that isn’t true.”
“It isn’t true at all!” cried Ella. “I really do want to take care of Daisy. It was awful when Molly wouldn’t give us time to come down to the barn.” Her eyes flicked sideways, expecting to catch a glimpse of the rabbit. Where was Daisy?
“Well, Lady Eggley is expecting you to help me so we’d better head to the barn,” said Rebecca. “Moving the hay is actually quite a nice job, I think! And you’ll be able to say hello to your bunny again.”
Ella flushed. She knew she should explain to Rebecca that her rabbit was here in the Throne Room but what if the pet keeper was really shocked? What if she was so cross that she wouldn’t let her keep Daisy any more?
Ella decided she should be honest. “Um, the thing is,” she began. “I left the pet barn in a bit of a hurry and—”
“Oh, don’t worry!” said Rebecca. “If you’d rather help carry the hay tomorrow then that’s fine. It doesn’t have to be done today. I won’t tell Lady Eggley if you don’t!” She gave Ella a wink.
Ella swallowed. Rebecca hadn’t really understood.
Just then, Lottie, Summer and Rosalind ran in. “There you are!” said Rosalind. “We were beginning to think you’d vanished.”
“Hello, girls! Well, I must get on.” Rebecca marched to the door. “There are ponies to feed and groom, hamsters to clean out and goodness knows what else!” And she was gone before Ella could say anything more.
“What happened, Ella?” said Lottie. “We couldn’t see you anywhere.”
“I was here all the time but I had to hide when Lady Eggley stood outside in the hallway.” Ella dived behind the throne to look for her rabbit.
“Are you OK?” said Rosalind, watching her in surprise.
“I have to find Daisy. She’s somewhere round here.” Ella pulled up the red material that circled the bottom of the throne and felt around underneath. Her fingers swept across empty floorboards. She crouched right down behind the throne and put her head under the red cloth.
“Daisy! Where are you?” Ella looked around frantically. “I put her here. She can’t have just disappeared!”
The other girls peered underneath the red cloth too.
“She can’t be very far. There’s nowhere else to hide,” said Summer.
The girls spread out, checking behind chairs and even on the trophy shelves.
Ella suddenly remembered the golden shell and the mysterious door. “Oh, I nearly forgot!” She ran to the corner. “I thought this was a locked cupboard but when I pushed one shell on the back of the throne the door opened like magic. I tried to close it but…” She caught her breath. The door was only open a tiny crack but it was still large enough for a baby rabbit to squeeze through.
“You mean the door opens with a magic switch?” said Lottie. “I’d like to see that!”
Ella pulled the door open and golden light poured through. Inside was an alcove with an old-fashioned lantern. The light from the lantern shone on to a stone passage that curved away around a corner.
“Wow!” Rosalind gasped, peering into the passageway.
“I wonder where it leads,” said Summer.
“Poor Daisy!” said Ella. “She must have squeezed through when no one was looking. We have to find her.”
Bong! The castle bell rang out three times and then footsteps came down the hallway. Ella closed the mysterious door quickly and stood in front of it.
Molly came in. “That was the bell for dinner,” she told them. “Hurry up – or I’ll tell Lady Eggley that you were messing around in here again.”
Rosalind squeezed Ella’s hand and whispered. “Don’t worry! We’ll come back.”
Ella followed the others out of the room. She knew Molly was watching her and she tried hard not to look back at the door. I’ll explore that secret passage once Molly’s not looking! she told herself fiercely. She won’t stop me finding Daisy.