Chapter One
Mango, the tiny Border terrier, was only seven weeks old when Sophie Roseâs big brother, Ben, announced that he was going to get married to his girlfriend, the beautiful model, Victoria.
âWe plan to get married in June,â said Ben, as the whole family were having tea one Sunday afternoon.
âAnd weâd like Sophie to be our bridesmaid,â Victoria added excitedly.
All eyes turned to Sophie, who was so busy feeding Mango doggy choc-drops she hadnât heard a word anyone had said.
âHere, boy,â she whispered. âThese are yummy scrummy!â
Sophieâs dad nudged her gently. âSophie, did you hear what Victoria said?â he asked.
Sophie jumped in surprise and looked up at the four faces all gaping at her. âWhatâs the matter?â she asked.
âI just asked you to be my bridesmaid!â laughed Victoria. âBut if youâre not interested we could always ask somebody else,â she teased.
âBRIDESMAID!â yelled Sophie, leaping up into the air. âOf course I want to be your bridesmaid.â
Mangoâs little golden ears pricked up. âWoof! Woof!â he yapped.
Sophie scooped him into her arms. âMango wants to be a bridesmaid, too!â she said.
âHeâs far too small,â said Victoria. âAnyway, I donât think a dress would suit him!â
âWe prefer our bridesmaids with two legs rather than four!â chuckled Ben.
Sophie tickled Mangoâs velvet-soft pink tummy. âNever mind, Pudding,â she said, calling him by her favourite nickname. âYou can come and watch the wedding.â
âDonât be a naughty bridesmaid!â laughed Mum. âNot even sweet little puppies like Mango can go to weddings.â
âWhy not?â asked Sophie. âDogs are manâs best friend,â she said, quoting one of her dadâs favourite expressions.
Mr Rose ruffled his daughterâs soft blonde hair. âQuite right, Angel,â he said fondly. âBut that doesnât mean to say Mango can come to the wedding.â
Chapter Two
Victoria and Ben were planning a really posh wedding. Ben and his best man were going to wear top hats, striped trousers and tails. Every time Ben said the word âtailsâ Sophie giggled and Mango wagged his own short little tail.
âNot his kind of tail,â said Ben, pointing at Mangoâs little curly tail. âIâm talking about coat tails.â
âAnd whatâs Victoria going to wear?â asked Sophie.
âIâm not allowed to know that!â said Ben.
âYouâll have to ask her that yourself.â
Sophie decided that the best way of having a secret conversation with Victoria was to go for a walk with her â and Mango, of course. With Mango on his lead they set off for the common.
âI made my dress months ago, before Ben proposed to me,â Victoria told Sophie.
âWow! Did you know he would ask you to marry him?â Sophie asked.
âI knew he would â it was just a question of when he would,â Victoria answered confidently.
âI didnât even know you could sew,â Sophie added.
âOh yes, I love sewing!â Victoria exclaimed. âBefore I started modelling I was at art school studying fashion design. We had to do everything there â from cutting out patterns to sewing â then we had to model the clothes we had made.
âWow!â gasped Sophie, deeply impressed. âSo what have you designed for your wedding dress?â she cried.
âWell, you know the glittery tops embroidered with beads that have been all the rage this winter?â
Sophie nodded. She knew exactly the tops Victoria was talking about because sheâd seen her favourite girl band wearing them on TV.
âIâve made one of those in padded cream silk, decorated with beads and embroidered with cherubs.â
Sophieâs big blue eyes opened wide in amazement. âWasnât that difficult?â
âIt wasnât difficult but it was very complicated,â Victoria admitted. âThen I made the skirt which is silver organza over white silk.â
âHave you got a veil?â Sophie asked.
âYes, a very long one â and a diamanté tiara. Oh, and youâll have a beautiful golden headband,â Victoria added.
Sophie was SO excited she danced up and down.
âPlease, please tell me what else Iâm going to wear, Victoria,â she begged.
âWOOF!â grumbled Mango, as Sophieâs legs got tangled up in his lead.
âWait until we get to the common and let Mango go, then Iâll tell you,â laughed Victoria as Mango tugged impatiently at his lead.
They found a bench by the river, where they sat down. Victoria then took a sketchbook and pencil out of the rucksack she was carrying. As Mango scampered at the watersâ edge, yapping at the ducks, Victoria quickly sketched out Sophieâs bridesmaid dress.
âItâll have a tight cream bodice trimmed with gold embroidery and a long billowing skirt of gold organza,â she explained.
âIt looks beautiful!â gasped Sophie.
âYouâll wear your hair long and loose and have little satin slippers on your feet,â Victoria added, as she sketched in Sophieâs face and blonde hair.