Everything she required was, as far as her aunt was concerned, provided for her by Hermione’s castoffs and if she asked for anything personal it invariably meant a long argument and usually also a lecture on ingratitude.
‘I will manage without it,’ Alita decided. ‘Who will notice me anyway?’
Picking up her whip, she left The Castle by a side door and went to the stables.
“Which horse have you sent to the front for Mr. Wilbur?” she asked Sam.
“I thinks Sparkling Knight took ’is fancy, miss,” Sam answered, “and the boys ’ave saddled Flamingo for you.”
“Thank you, Sam. You had better start praying that I will bring home the bacon!”
Sam chuckled at her use of a stable boys’ expression.
“Don’t you let ’Is Grace hear you a-talkin’ like that, Miss Alita, or ’e’ll be sayin’ as we’re a bad i
