First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Childrenâs Books in 2000
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Text Copyright © Diane Redmond 2000
Illustrations copyright © Strawberrie Donnelly 2000
Cover photograph copyright © Alan Powdrill
Diane Redmond asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780006754664
Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780007571703 Version: 2014-11-12
Izzy did not want to be a bridesmaid. Well, that isnât quite true, she did want to be a bridesmaid, in fact sheâd always wanted to be a bridesmaid, but NOT on Saturday May 8th. And not at two oâclock in the afternoon. Her sister Clare had chosen to get married on the exact date and time of her riding schoolâs gymkhana. A day she had ringed on her Pony Club calendar ages ago. How could her sister have forgotten that she was going to ride Crackers in the Chase me Charlie race and dress him up as a unicorn for the fancy dress competition?
Izzy wanted to get excited, she really wanted to, but every time she heard the word âweddingâ sheâd think âgymkhanaâ and scowl.
âMy sister, Isabella,â said Clare when her best friend, Zoe, came round, âis going to be my bridesmaid â my grumpy bridesmaid,â Clare added with a laugh.
Izzy stuck her tongue out at her big sister who knew she hated being called Isabella.
âZoe is going to be my ungrumpy bridesmaid,â said Clare.
âHmph!â snorted Izzy.
Izzy ate her supper in a grump. Clare pretended not to notice â she was too busy talking to Zoe about her plans for the big day.
âI want a silvery wedding dress, with a billowing veil held by a tiara dotted with blue stars.â
âYou got that idea from the pantomime!â Izzy interrupted grumpily.
Clare had played the part of the Fairy Queen in the local drama clubâs Christmas production of âCinderellaâ.
âSo what if I did,â said Clare, sailing on like a ship in full flow. âI thought of dressing the bridesmaids in gold, like fairies tripping before their fairy queen!â
âI donât think I fancy that!â giggled Zoe.
âAnd an open-topped carriage pulled by silver horses,â Clare finished in a rush.
Mum, whoâd been worrying about the cost of the wedding for weeks, choked as some of her food went down the wrong way.
âWHAT?â she spluttered.
âThereâs no such thing as a silver horse,â said Izzy. âYou can have grey, dark grey or light grey but not silver. ââCourse there are palominos,â she added helpfully. âTheyâre pale blonde with creamy mane and tailsâ¦â her voice trailed away.
Nobody was listening to her â not even her mum!
Izzy broke the bad news to Crackers in the pony paddock.
âHi, boy!â she called.
At the sound of her voice Crackers neighed loudly and trotted over to greet her. Izzy laughed as he cheekily poked his nose into her jeansâ pockets and snuffled about for a sweet.
âHere you are,â she said, offering him a mint on the flat of her palm. As he noisily crunched the sweet Izzy blurted out, âMy big sisterâs getting married on May 8th so we canât do the gymkhana!â The thirteen hands silver grey tossed his long silky mane. âIt really isnât my fault,â Izzy added sadly.
To take her mind off the disappointment Izzy tacked up Crackers and took him into the field for a Chase me Charlie practice but neither of them had their heart in the race.
âThereâs no point in practising if weâre not doing the real thing,â Izzy said to her friend Nina.
âCheer up,â said Nina. âAt least youâll be going to church in a horse-drawn carriage.â
Izzy nodded. âI bet it will rain!â she said glumly.
A few hours later Izzy returned home, hot and dirty after mucking out Crackersâ stable. As she kicked off her riding boots she could hear Clare on the phone in the lounge.
âHello, is that the pony and carriage hiring company? Good. Iâd like to book an open-topped carriage for my wedding with a pair of silver ponies to pull it.â