Ellie’s excitement grew all week. She found it even harder than usual to concentrate on her lessons. She didn’t want to think of anything except the camping trip.
It was easy to decide which ponies to take. Moonbeam and Rainbow were the obvious choices. Shadow the Shetland was too small, Sundance was too good at escaping and Starlight, the newest arrival, wasn’t fit enough to be ridden very much yet.
Choosing a campsite was more difficult. Miss Stringle wanted it close to the palace, while Ellie wanted it as far away as possible. Neither of them would change their minds, until Meg discovered the perfect spot, a pretty clearing in the woods on the other side of the deer park. Ellie and Kate fell in love with the dappled sunshine and the babbling stream as soon as they saw them, and even Miss Stringle had to agree it was a good choice. It was far enough from the palace to be private, but close enough for the food still to be hot when it arrived.
At long last, Friday came. The last waving lesson of the week was over, and it was time to set out for the campsite. Ellie and Kate mounted Moonbeam and Rainbow, and everyone came to see them off. Even the servants were leaning out of the palace windows, waving goodbye.
Meg gave the girls a large envelope containing a treasure hunt to keep them busy on Saturday. Kate’s gran, the palace cook, gave them food for midnight feasts. Even Miss Stringle gave them a gift-wrapped present.
“It’s pencils and paper,” she explained. “In case you want to write an essay while you’re away.”
“Is she mad?” whispered Kate.
“No,” replied Ellie, pushing the unopened parcel to the bottom of her backpack. “She’s a teacher. She always wants to spoil everything by making me write about it.”
The King and Queen were the last to say their farewells. They had put on their second-best crowns to mark the importance of the occasion. The Queen looked worried as she kissed Ellie goodbye. “I do hope you enjoy it,” she said.
“But I don’t expect you will,” added the King. He handed Ellie a mobile phone in a red velvet case embroidered with the royal crest. “Call us when you’ve had enough, and we’ll come and bring you home.”
“I won’t need it,” declared Ellie. She thrust the phone into her backpack, tucking it firmly under Miss Stringle’s parcel. “This is going to be the best weekend of my whole life. I’ll see you on Sunday when we get back.”
Moonbeam seemed to share her excitement and was eager to be on the move. She tossed her head as Ellie shortened the reins, sending her snow-white mane cascading in all directions.
“This is going to be fantastic,” said Kate, as she rode up beside her on Rainbow.
After one last wave at everyone, they trotted out of the stable yard and away from the palace. It was a route they often took when they went for a ride. But today it felt different. Today it was leading them to an adventure.
As they turned into the deer park, Ellie looked back. The Queen was still there, waving her handkerchief. For the first time, Ellie realized how strange it was going to be at bedtime when there was no one to kiss her goodnight. But she pushed the thought away and concentrated on the pleasure of riding.
Although they were keen to reach the campsite, they decided not to go there by the shortest route. Riding the long way round would make it feel further away and more of an adventure. It would also let the ponies burn off their surplus energy before they settled down for the night.
They cantered along the edge of the deer park. Then they slowed to a walk and turned onto a path that zig-zagged its way up the hillside. It was so narrow that the bracken on either side swished against their legs. Moonbeam grabbed some as she went past. The leaves were too big to fit in her mouth, so they hung out either side.
“You’re nearly as greedy as Shadow,” laughed Ellie, as she leaned forward and pulled out the leaves from between the pony’s teeth.
The path grew wider when they reached the wood, so they started to trot. Dappled sunlight shone between the branches, and the ponies’ hooves made hardly any sound on the soft ground. Ellie’s excitement grew and grew as each step took them closer to the campsite.
At long last, they reached the edge of the trees and rode out into the sunshine. Then they stopped and stared in surprise.
“Wow!” said Kate. “I’ve never seen a tent like that before.”
Neither had Ellie. The tent on the front of her book had been made of sensible green canvas. This one was neither sensible nor green. It was bright pink and decorated with gold bows and embroidered gold crowns. Miniature versions of the royal flag fluttered at each end. Even the ropes that held it up were made of golden cord.
“I’m sorry,” laughed Ellie. “Miss Stringle never mentioned this.”
Fortunately, her governess had left the horsey part of the arrangements to Meg, so the pony shelter was made of simple white canvas. It was large and airy, with a roof to protect Moonbeam and Rainbow from the rain, and three sides to protect them from the wind. The fourth side was open to make sure they had plenty of light.
Ellie felt very proud as she led Moonbeam inside. It was the first time she and Kate had ever been completely responsible for the ponies by themselves. They quickly unsaddled them, put on their headcollars and tied them to the rope that ran along the back of the shelter. Then they left the ponies munching their hay while they went to fetch water.
They couldn’t resist exploring the pink tent on the way. The inside was nearly as grand as the outside. The roof was lined with gold silk and embroidered with silver stars. There was pink satin ribbon wound round the tent poles and the floor was covered with pink carpet.
To Ellie’s relief, Miss Stringle had remembered that she wanted to sleep on the ground. So there were no four-poster camp beds, just two sleeping bags – one on each side of the tent. At the far end, stood a packet of cornflakes and a carton of milk, ready for the morning.
The most exciting thing of all was that there wasn’t an adult in sight. They really were free to do as they pleased. “This is brilliant,” said Ellie, as she picked up her bucket and headed for the stream.
Even fetching the water was more exciting than using a tap. The stream bubbled over rocks and down a tiny waterfall into a wide, shallow pool with stepping stones across it. It was such a good place to play that they stayed much longer than they needed to.
The sun was low in the sky by the time they carried their full buckets back to camp.
The tents looked peaceful in the evening sunlight. But as soon as they reached the pony shelter, they realized that something was horribly wrong. Moonbeam’s headcollar was still tied to the rope, but her head wasn’t in it any more. The palomino pony had disappeared.
