The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Provence chapter sampler

The door flew open and a small boy with dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes jumped out onto the stone step. ‘A horse!’ He spoke in English with a breathy French accent and a full-bodied lisp. ‘I knew there was an English writer and a girl moving in next door, but I did not know there’d be a shaggy grey horse!’ Finnegan bounded forward. He towered over the boy, grinning and dribbling on his head. ‘A dribbling horse!’ The boy squealed with delight. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Finnegan’s neck. Freja smiled, despite her fear of children. ‘He’s not a horse,’ she whispered. ‘He’s a dog — an overgrown Irish wolfhound called Finnegan.’ ‘Finnegan!’ gasped the boy. ‘I love him! Bonjour , doggy! Welcome to Claviers! My name is Pippin Perrier, and I’m five and three-quarters, and I will be your best friend forever and ever and ever!’ He grabbed Finnegan by the ears, stretched up on tippy-toes and kissed him on both sides of his muzzle. ‘Mwah! Mwah!’ Finnegan sneezed and licked Pippin’s face thoroughly in return. The deal was sealed. ‘Tobias Appleby at your service!’ Tobias stepped forward, chuckling, and shook the boy’s hand. ‘And this is Freja Peachtree, my … my …’ He scratched his head and stared up into the clear blue sky. ‘My favourite person in the whole wide world!’ Pippin jumped off the step and bounced across the cobblestones. Grabbing Freja by the ears, he pulled her

19

Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog