MUM WAS FOLLOWING the road towards Periwinkle Lane, desperately trying to cheer Poppy up. She felt so bad about what had happened. But Poppy was devastated by the news that she was not in the competition – nothing seemed to be working. Even Daisy’s gossip from Smuggler’s Cove High, which Poppy usually loved hearing, couldn’t distract her.
As Mum approached the final turn for Camomile Cove, she noticed a lady on horseback waving wildly in the distance.
“Look, Aunt Lavender,” said Daisy, spotting the rider too. “I think she wants us to stop.”
Poppy’s mum began to slow down and they saw that it was Bluebell Lambton from the Pony Club headquarters. She was flagging them down while also keeping a tight rein on her frisky dark bay mare.
Mum stopped the car and jumped out. Poppy and Daisy rolled down the windows and waved.
“Ah, glad to have caught you!” said Bluebell. “It’s about your little girl and the competition . . .”
When Bluebell explained that a place had now become available, Mum was so excited that she hugged the lady’s horse, Minty, and then turned back towards the girls. Poppy and Daisy, who had been hanging out of the windows, straining to hear the conversation, had already got out of the car.
Poppy ran up to hug her mum then turned to Bluebell. “Thank you, Mrs Lambton! Thank you so much!”
Daisy and Poppy then joined hands and danced along the hedgerow, with Daisy making up a celebration song:
“You’re in the Pony Club,
No more need to blub!
You’re in the Pony Show,
You’re really going to go!
Wey-hey!”
Mum gave Bluebell the envelope with all the forms, which she tucked safely inside her jacket, and they watched as she cantered back towards the Pony Club.
“Yippee, I’m definitely in the competition!” Poppy said as they got back in the car and made their way into Camomile Cove, where the blue sky and even bluer sea met on the horizon. “Thanks for sorting it all out, Mum!”
“All in a day’s work, Poppy! I’m just sorry that I forgot to post it in the first place,” said Mum, who was feeling hugely relieved.
It was the sort of blunder that would never have happened before she had the twins. She loved them to bits but she sometimes felt sorry for Poppy: it was difficult for her to get used to sharing Mum with her little brother and sister.
When they arrived at Shellbay House, Mum nipped in for a quick coffee with her sister, Delphi, while Poppy and Daisy went off to play in the Summer House.
The next day the cousins met at Riverside Stables again.
“My friend Lily called me last night,” said Daisy as the two girls sat in the tack room cleaning the bridles and saddles. “Wait till you hear what she told me!”
Poppy settled down on a bale of straw in the corner of the room with a rosy red apple, eager to hear her cousin’s news.
“Apparently Lilac Farrington has enrolled in my event in the pony competition!” revealed Daisy.
“Oh no!” said Poppy, remembering the dreadful problems Lilac had caused for their band, the Beach Babes, at the You’re a Star! talent contest. “But she is our friend now, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she’s always quite sweet to me at Smuggler’s Cove High, but you know what she can be like in a competition!” said Daisy.
Poppy nodded. “Does she have a fast pony?”
“He’s new. I haven’t seen him but I’ve heard he’s called Black Beauty – and lives up to his name!” replied Daisy.
“Wow!” exclaimed Poppy. She thought Lilac’s pony sounded gorgeous. “Well, if the competition is going to be tough, we’d better get on with our practice, instead of lazing around here all day!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” agreed Daisy. “Come on, let’s get out into the paddock.”
As the girls led their ponies out, Mrs Meadowsweet, the kind farmer’s wife, appeared. She was wearing her usual flowery apron and smelled of apple pie. She and her husband owned Riverside Stables.
“Hello, girls!” she called.
“Hello, Mrs Meadowsweet!” the girls replied, making their way towards her.
“Practising for the Pony Club event, dears?”
The cousins nodded.
“You know that our Sally used to compete in shows like this many moons ago?” she began. “Well, we’ve lots of practice fences and poles in the barn. They haven’t seen the light of day for ages! How would you like to set up a course in the paddock – you could time each other and what-not?”
Poppy and Daisy beamed.
“That would be amazing, Mrs Meadowsweet!” said Daisy. “Just show us where they are, and we’ll carry them down to the paddock. Thanks so much!”
“They’re a bit heavy, love. I’ll ask Farmer Meadowsweet to take them along in his trailer. Oh, he used to love it when Sally was eventing. What grand times we had at the competitions! And we loved to watch her practise too.”
The girls waited excitedly as the farmer gradually brought over more and more coloured poles, bars, cups, posts and fences. And with his help, the girls designed and assembled a practice course.
Poppy and Daisy got up onto their ponies and tried it out. Meanwhile, Farmer and Mrs Meadowsweet came out to watch them, bringing with them a picnic of newly baked bread and freshly churned butter.
“Come and get refreshments!” called Mrs Meadowsweet, opening a bottle of her famous oranges and lemons fizz.
Poppy and Daisy were having a wonderful time. They lay in the sun, munching on fresh bread, washed down with the delicious juice, while Mrs Meadowsweet told them all about Sally’s show-jumping adventures.
