Read Clementine Rose and the Perfect Present 3 for Free Online

giggled. ‘I hope the chickens are locked away.’
    ‘What? What chickens? What are you talking about?’ Aunt Violet asked the child disdainfully.
    Mrs Gunalingam laughed and so did Arya. The woman winked. ‘We got it.’
    Violet Appleby strode out of the kitchen towards the entrance hall.
    ‘I’d better go too,’ said Clementine reluctantly. ‘Aunt Violet’s not always the most helpful with the guests.’
    Mrs Gunalingam nodded. After a few minutes alone with the woman she knew exactly what Clementine was talking about.
    Clementine caught up to her great-aunt in the hallway.
    ‘Violet Appleby,’ said Aunt Violet as she looked at the mother and daughter. She didn’t feel the need for any additional niceties.
    ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Appleby.’ Harriet Fox extended her hand, which Aunt Violet ignored completely.
    ‘Your rooms are on the second floor. Let me see –’ Aunt Violet scanned the list, which was attached to a plastic clipboard. ‘Mr and Mrs Fox are in the Peony Suite and Harriet, you’re in the Rose Room.’
    ‘What about Uncle Orville? Roberta asked.
    Aunt Violet ran her finger down the list. ‘He’s not here.’ She tapped the pen she was holding on the page.
    ‘What do you mean he’s not here?’ Roberta Fox fumed. ‘Of course he’s here.’ She went to snatch the clipboard from Aunt Violet’s hand.
    Aunt Violet clutched it to her chest.
    ‘Give me that!’ Roberta tugged at the board.
    Aunt Violet made a fierce face at her. ‘No!’
    ‘Your niece said that she could accommodate the whole family and Uncle Orville is part of the family so I want to see where she has put him.’
    Aunt Violet clung to the clipboard.
    ‘Oh look,’ Roberta Fox peered over Aunt Violet’s shoulder. ‘There’s Uncle Orville with your father now.’
    Aunt Violet turned and just as she did, Roberta Fox tore the clipboard out of her hands.
    ‘Why, you!’ Aunt Violet’s mouth gaped open.
    Roberta scanned the list. ‘I think you’ve been doing some creative rearranging, Miss Appleby. Just wait until your niece gets wind of this.’
    ‘It’s my house and I can put people wherever I jolly well want,’ Aunt Violet huffed.
    Roberta Fox wrinkled her nose like an angry otter. ‘Why don’t you go and make a fresh pot of tea? This little one can help us find our rooms.’
    ‘I can do that,’ Clementine agreed.
    Aunt Violet stormed towards the kitchen.
    The front door opened and Mr Fox appeared at last with Uncle Orville in tow. The old man wore a smart suit with a waistcoat and a bowler hat. Clementine thought he looked as if his face could do with an iron – there were so many crinkles.
    ‘It says here that Uncle Orville is in the Daffodil Room,’ said Mrs Fox.
    Clementine gasped. ‘But that’s my room.’ She wondered when her mother had planned to tell her about that.
    ‘All right then, shall we go?’ asked Hector Fox. He looked at Clementine, who was suddenly feeling a lot less excited about the wedding party.
    Clementine led the group upstairs. First she showed Harriet to the Rose Room, which she seemed to like very much. The Peony Suite was a little further along the corridor. Then she had to take Uncle Orville up to her room. She was surprised when she opened the door to find that most of her things had gone and even her wardrobe was bare. It can’t have been a mistake. Her mother had clearly planned to give her room away.
    ‘I hope you like it,’ Clementine said grumpily. She looked around for Lavender’s basket and even that was missing. ‘Stupid wedding,’ she said under her breath.
    ‘Thank you, dear,’ the old man said. He smiled sweetly at her. ‘It’s a very nice room.’
    ‘Yes, I know,’ she snapped. ‘That’s because it’s mine.’
    ‘No, no, dear, I don’t need anything else. I’ll be fine.’ The man nodded and put his tiny suitcase on the bed to unpack.
    Clementine walked out of the room and down the hallway. She knew she shouldn’t be cross about