Page 26 - Book 8 Matty Hedgehog and the Paper Chase

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Matty Hedgehog and the Paper Chase
Across the meadow, Rowley Weasel was getting ready for the special coffee morning he hosted every other Saturday. It was a chance to invite friends and family from across the valley and catch up with news. On this glorious September morning, he had been up for hours sweeping and dusting his cottage, and his neighbour, Cyril Rat, who lived in the mill, had brought him a wheelbarrow full of logs for the wood burner and a box of corn buns.
‘I heard you knocking and banging at five this morning. Are we expecting royalty?’ he asked.
‘You haven’t forgotten already, Cyril? I told you about Tilly’s plan yesterday.’
‘Is all this for Charlie Rabbit’s benefit?’ Cyril asked, staring at the food and napkins on the table.
Rowley tapped the side of his nose. ‘I have it on good authority that Charlie is courting a rabbit called Velvet. He’s known her for ages and his girls thought that he was planning to get married. Anyway, he told his mother and his daughters that he wasn’t. However, Charlie can change his mind in a second, as we all know. Tilly views this morning as an opportunity for Velvet to get to know the neighbourhood.’
‘Nah! What she really wants is to see if Velvet is suitable for her son and grandchildren. This might be the best coffee morning that we have had for weeks,’ laughed Cyril, wheeling the barrow away.
***
That morning, Tilly and her grandchildren sat in the kitchen chatting, and enjoying a late breakfast. Their dad had shut