Clementine Rose and the Best News Yet Page 7

  The man’s face fell.

  ‘I was in the attic looking for my old rabbit, so Niki could have a spare one in case he lost Babbit again,’ Clementine said, bringing the other bunny out from behind her back. ‘Here,’ she passed it to the boy, whose smile grew twice as wide.

  ‘Father, how could you?’ Katie demanded, eyeballing the old man.

  ‘It worked when you were little, and you had that awful blankie you carried everywhere,’ the man said. ‘But perhaps it was a bit too soon. I’m sorry, it was unkind,’ the man said.

  Katie Froggett looked at Clementine, shame faced. ‘I can’t believe that I accused you – a child.’

  Clementine shrugged. Her baby brother or sister was about to arrive and she had more important things to worry about. ‘It’s okay. You fixed the nursery so I didn’t get into trouble.’

  The woman looked confused. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘But you’re an interior designer, and someone fixed the painting, and built the cot and everything else last night,’ Clementine said, confused. Mr Froggett stood in the background with a curious smile.

  ‘It was you!’ Will said, pointing.

  ‘Guilty as charged,’ the man said. ‘But I had help from your Uncle Digby. When Niki went missing yesterday, I noticed he had paint on his hands, even though someone had done her best to wipe it off.’ Mr Froggett glanced at his wife. ‘I didn’t want you getting into trouble for something our son was responsible for.’

  Clementine was about to reply when the front door flew open and Drew charged in with Basil right behind him.

  ‘Where is she?’ he puffed.

  Clementine pointed to the stairs just as her mother let out the loudest scream yet. Everyone jumped. Drew raced away.

  ‘Hello,’ another voice called.

  Clementine spun around. The house was busier than the village hall when they had held the Bake-Off auditions. There in front of her stood Father Bob, pulling the little carriage he’d promised. It had a harness out the front that Clementine planned to attach to Lavender so they could take the baby for walks around the garden.

  ‘Have I missed something?’ the man asked, craning his neck to see the assembled crowd in the sitting room.

  Clementine gasped. She and Will looked at one another. ‘Father Bob – you need to come with us!’

  She took hold of the man’s hand and pulled him up the stairs with Will right behind them. Uncle Digby was standing outside her mother and Drew’s closed door. Clarissa screamed and roared one last time. There was a short silence and then the sweetest sound in the world filled the house. The cries of a newborn baby.

  ‘It’s here!’ Clementine said. She turned to Will and hugged her brother tightly.

  The door opened and Drew poked his head outside.

  ‘We have a baby girl!’ he beamed. ‘What are you two waiting for?’

  Clementine took Father Bob’s hand as the man protested that he should probably stay outside. ‘No, I have something you need to do,’ the child said, reaching into her pocket.

  Inside the bedroom was the whole family plus Dr Everingham, Mrs Mogg, Mrs Tribble and Father Bob. Clarissa’s face was red but Clementine couldn’t ever remember her looking so happy.

  ‘Do you want to see your little sister?’ Clarissa asked.

  Clementine and Will approached the bed and stared at the pink baby, who was wrapped in a cream blanket.

  ‘She’s all wrinkly,’ Will said, touching her forehead.

  ‘She’s perfect,’ Clementine said. ‘I love you so much, little sister. And Uncle Digby loves you, Granny.’ She turned to face the pair.

  ‘Clemmie, this is not the time,’ the woman batted her hand.

  ‘Yes it is,’ Clementine pulled the ring box from her pocket. ‘Uncle Digby was going to ask you to marry him on your holiday until I said that you didn’t want to get married again. It was all my fault.’

  Aunt Violet stared at the man in surprise. ‘Is that true, Pertwhistle?’

  The old man was nodding, a strange expression on his face.

  ‘So Father Bob can marry you right now,’ Clementine said, passing Uncle Digby the box.

  ‘What? Here?’ Aunt Violet said. ‘We’re not even properly dressed. And I haven’t agreed to anything.’

  Uncle Digby grinned and got down on bended knee. ‘Will you marry me, Violet Appleby?’

  The woman’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Really, Pertwhistle . . .’ There was a long pause. Everyone else gulped. ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

  A cheer went up around the room.

  The pair hugged tightly and kissed on the lips.

  ‘I have an idea,’ Clarissa said, cradling the newborn. ‘Why don’t we schedule the wedding outside in the garden in an hour. I hear there’s quite a crowd downstairs who would no doubt love to be part of it. And we have plenty of food.’

  There were laughs and grins all around.

  ‘Perfect, that’s just perfect!’ a voice rang out in the background. ‘If anyone can pull this off, it will be me!’

  Everyone wondered where Sebastian Smote had come from. The man immediately brightened the room, as always, dressed as he was in an aqua suit with a pink shirt and yellow bow tie. ‘I brought that present you were after, Clemmie – just what every baby needs, their own unicorn rocker – and I’m sorry for being so blunt on the phone. My bride had just cancelled her order for fifty bowls of goldfish and now I’m stuck with them! Honestly, I don’t know why people want live fish as decorations at their weddings – it’s ridiculous. Never again!’

  Everyone laughed, though Clementine was thinking maybe she and Will could take two of the fish for themselves.

  ‘Let’s leave the family on their own, shall we?’ Father Bob shuffled everyone outside.

  ‘Mummy, what’s the baby’s name?’ Clementine asked, standing on her tip toes beside the bed, her eyes focused on her little sister.

  Clarissa smiled at Drew. ‘Do you have any good ideas, Clemmie?’

  Clementine tapped her chin. ‘I’ve been thinking about it a lot. What about Clara, because that’s sort of like your name, Mummy, and it goes with Clemmie too, and Grace, after Granny, because that’s what I used to call her when I talked to her painting on the wall in the stairs before I knew her name was Violet.’

  ‘Clara Grace,’ Clarissa and Drew said together.

  ‘That is quite lovely,’ Aunt Violet said, holding Digby’s hand tightly.

  The baby gurgled. ‘I think your sister likes it too,’ Drew said. Clarissa nodded.

  Clementine leaned in closer. ‘Welcome to the world, Clara Grace Barnsley. I hope you’re ready to be busy. We’re going to play soccer, and do ballet, and take Lavender for walks, and skip, and cook and everything else you can think of – oh, and I’ll teach you some poems as well.’

  Will chuckled and gave his sister a wink.

  ‘Steady on, Clemmie,’ Drew said. ‘She’s just a baby.’

  Clementine kissed Clara’s forehead and turned to her family. ‘I don’t mind. She’s going to be my little sister forever and you know, we’ve got all the time in the world.’

  Our Baby

  by Clementine Rose Appleby

  Pink and wriggly

  Squishy and soft,

  Our baby loves milk and snuggles.

  Chubby and kicking

  Sleepy and quiet,

  Our baby loves bath time and cuddles.

  Giggles and gurgles

  Chuckles and chortles,

  Our baby loves crawling and mischief.

  Running and playing

  Chasing and squealing,

  Our baby loves all of us.

  Mrs Mogg – baby-sized soccer clothes

  Mr Mogg – tiny skipping rope

  Father Bob – carriage for Lavender to pull the baby around in

  Mrs Tribble – blanket for the carriage and hair bows

  Mrs Bottomley – special recipe book and miniature cooking utensils

 
; Mr Smee – miniature soccer posts and ball

  Pierre – tiny baking set

  Odette – plush pig just like Lavender

  Ana – baby-sized ballet shoes and tutu

  Sebastian Smote – unicorn rocker

  The Appleby household

  Clementine Rose Appleby

  Seven-year-old daughter of Lady Clarissa

  Lavender

  Clementine’s teacup pig

  Lady Clarissa Appleby

  Clementine’s mother and owner of Penberthy House

  Digby Pertwhistle

  Butler at Penberthy House

  Aunt Violet Appleby

  Clementine’s grandmother

  Pharaoh

  Aunt Violet’s beloved sphynx cat

  Drew Barnsley

  Clarissa’s husband

  Will Barnsley

  Drew’s son

  Clara Grace Barnsley

  Clementine’s baby sister

  Friends and village folk

  Basil Hobbs

  Documentary filmmaker and neighbour

  Ana Hobbs (nee Barkov)

  Former prima ballerina and neighbour

  Pierre Rousseau

  Owner of Pierre’s Patisserie in Highton Mill

  Odette Rousseau

  Sophie’s mother

  Sophie Rousseau

  Clementine’s best friend

  Jules Rousseau

  Nine-year-old brother of Sophie

  Father Bob

  Village minister

  Margaret Mogg

  Owner of the Penberthy Floss village shop

  Clyde Mogg

  Margaret Mogg’s husband

  Joshua Tribble

  Clementine’s classmate

  Mrs Tribble

  Joshua’s mother

  Mr Roderick Smee

  Year One teacher

  Sebastian Smote

  Wedding planner

  Ethel Bottomley

  Kindergarten teacher at Ellery Prep

  Dr Everingham

  Doctor

  Others

  Nikolai Popov; Katie, Matthew and Niki Froggett

  Guests at Penberthy House Hotel

  Jacqueline Harvey taught for many years in girls’ boarding schools. She is the author of the bestselling Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and Kensy and Max series, and was awarded Honour Book in the 2006 Australian CBC Awards for her picture book The Sound of the Sea. She now writes full-time and is working on more Alice-Miranda and Kensy and Max adventures, and some exciting new projects too.

  jacquelineharvey.com.au

  Jacqueline Harvey is a passionate educator who enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing with children and adults alike. She is an ambassador for Dymocks Children’s Charities and Room to Read. Find out more at dcc.gofundraise.com.au and roomtoread.org.

  Books by Jacqueline Harvey

  Kensy and Max: Breaking News

  Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act

  Kensy and Max: Undercover

  Kensy and Max: Out of Sight

  Alice-Miranda at School

  Alice-Miranda on Holiday

  Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead

  Alice-Miranda at Sea

  Alice-Miranda in New York

  Alice-Miranda Shows the Way

  Alice-Miranda in Paris

  Alice-Miranda Shines Bright

  Alice-Miranda in Japan

  Alice-Miranda at Camp

  Alice-Miranda at the Palace

  Alice-Miranda in the Alps

  Alice-Miranda to the Rescue

  Alice-Miranda in China

  Alice-Miranda Holds the Key

  Alice-Miranda in Hollywood

  Alice-Miranda in Scotland

  Alice-Miranda Keeps the Beat

  Clementine Rose and the Surprise Visitor

  Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

  Clementine Rose and the Perfect Present

  Clementine Rose and the Farm Fiasco

  Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape

  Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box

  Clementine Rose and the Famous Friend

  Clementine Rose and the Ballet Break-In

  Clementine Rose and the Movie Magic

  Clementine Rose and the Birthday Emergency

  Clementine Rose and the Special Promise

  Clementine Rose and the Paris Puzzle

  Clementine Rose and the Wedding Wobbles

  Clementine Rose and the Bake-Off Dilemma

  Clementine Rose and the Best News Yet

  PUFFIN BOOKS

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  Penguin Random House Australia is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.

  First published by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, in 2019

  Copyright © Jacqueline Harvey 2019

  The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, published, performed in public or communicated to the public in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd or its authorised licensees.

  Cover and internal illustrations by J.Yi © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  Cover design by Leanne Beattie © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  Internal design by Midland Typesetters, Australia © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  ISBN 9780143786061

  penguin.com.au

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