The Pullein-Thompson sisters: Black Beauty's Family & Other Stories (eBook) Pre-order out 22 May 2025

As this is a pre-order, firstly you'll get a confirmation email. The actual file will be delivered on the release date, via email with a link to download. If you need help, the email from Bookfunnel, who handle our delivery, will walk you through downloading the file that works best for you.

You can read the ebooks on any ereader (Amazon, Kobo, Nook), your tablet, phone, computer, and/or in the free Bookfunnel app.

A sample from Chill Valley Point-to-Point:

IT was on a cold snow-swept January afternoon that we first started planning our Chill Valley Point-to-Point.
Laurence and the Days and I were all together in the Days’ dining-room, where a log fire burned in the open fireplace, and the curtains were already drawn, hiding the cold expanse outside. Our hounds had shown excellent sport during November and December, but now bad weather had stopped hunting and the last few days had seemed endless to us all.

“We can hold it over Colonel Hayward’s land,” said Andrew, the eldest of the Days, and huntsman to the Chill Valley Hunt. “I’m sure he’ll let us.”

Kate, dark-haired second whip said: “Yes, I’m sure he’ll love to have us. But can we ride? It’s not going to be much fun if we can’t.”

“Whether we ride or not doesn’t matter half so much as how much money we make,” answered my brother, Laurence, who is always bothering about the hunt’s finances. “We’ll need to charge a pound at least for cars, and advertise it ages in advance.”

“We’ll have it in March, I suppose,” said Valentine, who had taken an afternoon off from her secretarial course purposely to discuss the Point-to-Point. “Will you be able to get down for the day?” she asked Laurence.

Laurence was reading law at Oxford, but at the moment he was on holiday. “Yes, easily,” he said, and then, turning to me: “Do you think you’ll be able to get Overture fit for me, Sandy? That is if we’re allowed to ride.”

“Of course we can ride,” said Andrew firmly. “Hunt
horses often compete in their own Point-to-Points.”

As we made plans we became more and more excited. Already I could see myself galloping past the winning post on Daystar, who is fourteen three, grey, and half-Arab. In my imagination I heard the roar of crowds, and felt Daystar’s long stride beneath me. I had never ridden in a Point-to-Point, nor had I ever watched one. But to win a Ladies’ Race had always been among my ambitions.

“We’ll have to decide about our colours,” cried Kate. “I want blue and yellow. Oh, I do think it’s going to be fun.”

“I bags yellow and black,” said Laurence. Harry, the youngest of the Days, came into the room then.

“Hullo, what’s all the excitement about?” he asked.

Andrew explained and Harry pushed his fair, wavy hair off his forehead and said: “Gosh! That’s super! But who am I going to ride? I’m really much too big for Lollipop now.”

“And you’re much too young to ride,” said Valentine firmly.

Harry, who was only eleven, looked glum. “Well, I look much older than my age,” he said.

“We’ll have to get our horses jolly fit,” said Andrew.

“What races shall we have?” asked Laurence. “An Open, Adjacent’s and Ladies’? That doesn’t seem awfully many.”

“We can have a Farmers’ if we want another. That’ll give me more chance,” said Andrew, whose profession is farming and whose horse, Mulligatawny, is a wonderful hunter, but rather slow.

“We’ll have to get going pretty soon,” said Laurence.

“We’ve only got a couple of months. And we must make sure we don’t clash with any other nearby Point-to-Point.”

Outside, a snowdrift fell with a soft crash from the roof on to the snow below.

“I’ll write to the appropriate people to-night,” said Valentine, who is our hunt secretary and very efficient, “and telephone Colonel Hayward.”

Andrew looked at his watch and said: “Gosh, it’s milking time. I must be off.”

Laurence and I looked at the Chill Valley hounds sleeping peacefully in their lodging rooms, before we turned for home. Snow was still falling in large silent flakes, and Laurence said: “It can’t go on for ever.” We turned up the collars of our mackintoshes and plunged our hands deep into our pockets. “We’ll have to make a straw ring if the weather doesn’t pick up soon,” he said.

“I hope Kate gets a ride for the Point-to-Point,” I said. “I don’t think Dusty’s up to it. Do you?”

“Not really,” Laurence agreed.

Dusty is Kate’s ten-year-old grey, fourteen-hand pony. Like Mulligatawny, she is a wonderful hunter but rather slow.

Black Raven
Human: Farmer Hutton, Hannah Strutt, Mother Massey, Charles Templeman, Cathy Templeman, Giles Aldcroft
Horses: Black Raven, Black Alice

Black Piper
Human: Mr O’Donovan, Horace Birchington, Rod Pickering, Stan Eagle, James Mackeson
Horses: Black Piper, Galway Lass, Prunella, Brigadier

Chill Valley Point-to-Point
Human: Laurence and Sandy, Kate, Andrew and Valentine Day, David Peterborough, Colonel Hayward
Horses: Daystar, Overture, Mulligatawny, Simon, Minerva

Black Beauty's Family 2