Secrets at Meadowbrook Manor Read online

  ‘I see.’

  ‘But at the same time they are crucial to our gardens and more than that, the gardens are important to them. It gets them out, it gives them so much, and we would never take that away from them.’

  ‘It’s going to be difficult to characterise this hotel, isn’t it?’

  Gus had a point. If you’re paying a large sum of money to stay in a boutique hotel in the country, did you want squealing old ladies wielding trowels? Oh, goodness, how on earth was she going to pull this off?

  ‘The thing is …’ Gus said, showing her to a beautifully ornate garden bench and gesturing her to sit, ‘Meadowbrook is our father. But now we’re all trying to put our stamp on it too. Harriet loves the house and wants it to be successful – in Harry’s mind, being successful means making money. She’s not greedy, but still the hotel needs to be profitable because she doesn’t do anything that isn’t. Fred, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, wants a party hotel. He used to organise parties and club nights for a living, and was very successful for a while, although of course he drank most of his profits. And although he’s calmed down a lot, well a bit …’ Gus paused to scratch his head ‘… he wants the house to be full of fun. Pippa wants it to be a place to heal people, which as it’s not a hospital or rehab, we’re all a bit sceptical about. I know what she means, this place does make you better, it made us all better, and it’s a very special house for that, but as I said, you can’t suddenly open a hotel for broken hearts – everyone would think you were mad.’

  ‘Of course they would.’ Gemma smiled. ‘And you?’

  ‘I want Meadowbrook to be full of creativity. I worked in insurance before my father died – can you believe that?’ Gemma shook her head, although she knew this already. ‘Well, I did, and I was boring, miserable and grey. I looked grey, I thought grey, but then I started working on these gardens, and I felt something I hadn’t since childhood. I also started painting again – I loved art as a child and wasn’t bad at it, but Dad didn’t approve – that’s another story. So anyway, I kind of want to offer people the chance to garden, paint, bake with Gwen even, work with the animals, get the whole Meadowbrook experience. But then of course that’s not an easy thing to put into a package, is it?’

  ‘No, it really isn’t.’ Gemma felt her heart sinking. After conversations with each of the Singers she was feeling increasingly confused, baffled and totally at sea about what the hotel model could actually be.

  ‘Right, well you’ve got your work cut out for you. Oh look, there’s Amanda and the ladies – come on and I’ll introduce you.’

  Gemma was crying again, but this time with laughter. The gardening club were the best bunch of women she had ever met, and they also sort of reminded her of her nan, before she got ill. Edie was immediately her favourite, as she took her to show her how she cultivated the amazing roses.

  ‘I’ve managed to grow some from scratch, and also some hybrids. See, I think of this one as the Singer rose.’ She showed Gemma a peach-and-red coloured rose, which was just starting to bud.

  ‘I am impressed, Edie,’ Gemma said. ‘This is incredible.’

  ‘Well I have loved these gardens for years, and I put my heart into it. It’s a real treat for me to get to work on them as well. I mean, who normally gets the chance? Andrew Singer let us all share these gardens, God bless his soul, and I’ll always love him for that. Oh, and I had a hip replacement last year too. I’m like a new person now!’ Edie gave a jump to demonstrate her fitness, then she grabbed hold of Gemma as she landed, almost taking them both down.

  ‘One day, do you think you’ll show me how to look after the roses?’

  ‘Of course I will, love, but now come on, meet the others.’

  Gemma tried to remember names – she didn’t want to write them down as that seemed rude – but she started forgetting after she was introduced to Margaret, Rose and Dawn. There were ten of them altogether, including Edie, and each was as welcoming as Edie had been. She managed to enjoy hugs and excitement as the women vied with each other to show Gemma their part of the garden. And Gemma lapped them all up.

  Amanda, an attractive woman with long red hair, tied back, wearing overalls, which she somehow managed to look good in, stood back and let the women enjoy their time, boasting about their work to someone new. Pride radiated from each and every one of them, and Gemma could see how magic Meadowbrook was yet again. These women largely lived alone in small homes and some lived in a retirement complex in the village. In Meadowbrook’s garden, they were given a new lease of life, and they worked hard in return. She also discovered many of them got involved in the Meadowbrook events. She could feel the community spirit radiating from everyone around her, and it made it feel as if Meadowbrook were wrapping around them all like a blanket. She tried not to blink back tears. This felt like family; she missed her nan more than she ever thought possible.

  ‘Hi,’ a voice said.

  Gemma turned, hoping her eyes weren’t too misty, and found herself looking at Amanda.

  ‘I didn’t want to interrupt the ladies, but now they’ve turned their attention to tea and biscuits, I can say hello properly.’

  She was attractive, her face a little weathered, which made sense as she worked outside. Although Gemma didn’t know Gus well yet, she could already see them as a good fit.

  ‘It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. And the wonderful job you do with the gardens,’ Gemma said, tears fully pushed back.

  ‘We’re all lucky to have this to work with …’ Amanda gestured around. ‘Anyway, welcome to Meadowbrook. As someone else outside the family, see me as an ally. They are all wonderful, of course I’m biased with Gus, but they are just so passionately wrapped up in life here, in the memory of their father, that they can seem a little …’

  ‘Tricky?’ Gemma offered.

  ‘Good way to describe them. Anyway, just so you know, if you ever need to chat, just give me a shout.’

  ‘That’s really nice of you.’ Gemma felt shy, a bit like being the new girl at school.

  ‘Not at all. Have they got you working at the animal shelter?’

  ‘I’m starting after the weekend – cats.’

  ‘Oh, good call. We have Fleur’s two kittens living with us now. They were here, but since Gus moved in with me and Fleur stays every weekend, it made sense. They’re pretty naughty though; although my daughter, Hayley, loves them too.’

  ‘It seems you’ve got a lovely family,’ Gemma said.

  ‘It’s been a lot of work but yes, we are all figuring it out. The girls get on really well, although Fleur is a bit older, fourteen, which can be a difficult age. Gus is wonderful and I couldn’t be luckier to have him.’

  ‘It sounds great.’

  Gemma didn’t know what it felt like to love someone so much that your eyes actually lit up when you talked about them. She certainly didn’t feel that with Chris, did she? Her nan, yes, but then that was different. Chris, well, she wasn’t sure how she had let him dominate her for so long. And even then, he was the one who ended the relationship. She never saw it, did she? Now she was beginning to. She was learning that men weren’t all like Chris, who cared only about himself and treated Gemma like she was his own shabby doormat. Oh God, it was dawning on her more and more what a fool she had been.

  ‘Oh, there’s a downside, Gus’s ex-wife is a total bitch. She ran off with his friend, yet she continues to try to make his life hell. And poor Fleur, now she’s older, is caught in the middle. I can’t really say too much as it upsets him, but I don’t think his ex liked it when he inherited from his father, and she doesn’t like him being with me. But most of all, she hates that Fleur seems to prefer to spend her time over here at the moment. So, you know, nothing’s perfect.’

  ‘Meadowbrook seems as near to it as you can get, though,’ Gemma breathed.

  ‘Yes, yes, it really is. Come on, let’s go and get tea and you’ll hear all the village gossip.’

  Amanda gave her arm a
squeeze and led the way, and Gemma was more than happy to follow.

  Chapter 7

  Gemma sat cross-legged on her bed with her books and notes spread out in front of her. She had been at Meadowbrook just under a week, but she was already fretting that her focus wasn’t what it should be. Not least because she was going home tomorrow. She had toyed with the idea of splashing money she barely had on a second-hand car, but when she broached the subject with Pippa, she insisted that she borrow her car. Pippa said to think of it like a company car, yet another perk of the job.

  She had to go to the bungalow, where she was reluctantly going to stay until Sunday evening to start sorting through some of her nan’s belongings. The process from her nan going into the home to her putting the bungalow on the market and now it being under offer seemed to have taken ages, but with the sale going through, she needed to be on top of it all.

  Gemma wasn’t looking forward to going back. It was as if she had slightly lost herself in her new life, during the past few days at Meadowbrook, and now she was going to be reminded of her reality.

  She was also cross about the way she was conducting herself. The way she was with Gus, showing him her vulnerable side. And Amanda had been so open and lovely that Gemma had told her more than she intended to. Nothing bad, just about her nan, but that was personal, and she was trying to be purely professional. She was terrified of being too open, of crossing the line, and in order to keep the lines clear she had to hold herself back. If she started letting them see her, too much of her, who knew where it would end? She couldn’t take that risk, although already she feared she was.

  She was here to do a job, not make friends, but with Pippa’s insistence on them becoming “great pals”, Freddie’s attempts to loosen her up, and her fondness for Amanda and Gus, it was already proving difficult. Even Harriet seemed to be blurring the lines, by asking her questions about herself that Gemma didn’t really want to answer. Nothing awful, just about her upbringing and her schooling, friends, that sort of thing. But although to most people that would seem normal, Gemma wanted to keep all that to herself. She needed to keep her professional head on; she needed to keep her barriers up. She couldn’t afford to forget why she was here.

  She was reading about hotel management, hoping her text books, whilst factual, would help her to put some of the nuts and bolts in place, when there was a knock at the door. She scooped the books up and shoved them under the bed.

  ‘Come in,’ she trilled.

  The door opened and Pippa appeared. As usual, she looked effortlessly gorgeous, even in jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt, and she always seemed to be smiling. Although she had been warned that Pippa had a temper, and could be stubborn, Gemma had never seen any evidence of this. She hoped she never would.

  ‘We missed you at dinner tonight,’ Pippa said, striding into the room and sitting cross-legged on Gemma’s bed.

  Earlier, Gemma told Freddie – or rather mumbled to him – that she wouldn’t make dinner as she had work to catch up on and she’d grab a sandwich later. The reality was that she couldn’t face it. She was feeling emotional, so it felt safer to be alone. And she was used to being on her own every evening, since her nan had gone into the home, so being with people, anyone, was taking some getting used to. She knew she was too hard on herself. She expected to know what to do, how to handle the family, but she didn’t and that frightened her.

  ‘Sorry, but I really wanted to get stuck into work as I’m off for the weekend.’

  ‘We’re going to make such a winning team, I just know it.’ Pippa looked at Gemma expectantly.

  ‘Oh yes,’ Gemma said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm. ‘I totally agree.’

  ‘And we’re going to be the best of friends,’ Pippa continued, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it to her chest. ‘I mean, I haven’t had a proper girlfriend for years. Mark, my ex-husband, didn’t like me having friends, so I lost touch with all of them, and then I did get back in touch with one, Bella, but she went out with Connor. And he broke up with her because he was in love with Harriet, and she was so upset she couldn’t see me anymore, so I lost her. And of course I have Harry, I suppose, but she’s my bossy older sister, so you can be my first post-divorce, real non-family friend.’

  Gemma was a little taken aback, although she had come to expect these outbursts from Pippa, which could sometimes be hard to follow.

  ‘Well, of course, but you are also my boss,’ she pointed out. Arm’s-length, she warned herself.

  ‘I hate to think of myself like that, as a boss. I’d rather think we’re partners, and in the spirit of partners we can of course be friends. I really enjoy our chats, don’t you?’

  ‘Um, yes.’ They were a bit one-sided though, Gemma thought wryly.

  ‘And I am so glad that I divorced Mark. It’s taken a while, but I am so much happier now. I didn’t realise how unhappy I was until it was over, and I’ve got Harriet to thank for it really, although we almost fell out over it. We did fall out for a while, actually. The thing is, Mark wanted to get his hands on Daddy’s money, and he was plotting with Freddie’s ex-girlfriend.’ A sad look passed over Pippa’s face, and her eyes filled with tears.

  ‘My God, that’s terrible.’ Gemma instinctively reached out to give Pippa’s arm a squeeze. And poor Freddie – he didn’t come across as the sort who would let anyone mess him around, but then it just went to show …

  ‘He was controlling and pompous, and he put me down a lot actually.’ Pippa had tears in her eyes.

  ‘Pippa, my ex-boyfriend was a bit similar,’ Gemma said without thinking. ‘I mean, he put me down all the time. Chris liked to tell me what to do. In the end he finished with me, because he thought that we’d move into my nan’s house when she went into the home. When I told him I had to sell it to pay the fees, he dumped me.’

  OK, so much for arm’s-length, but she found she couldn’t help herself. She was not only angry, but also feeling something akin to relief. She’d never told anyone about Chris, apart from her nan, but her nan hadn’t seemed to understand.

  ‘Oh my God, I knew we had so much in common. Although, of course, you didn’t have Harry to save you. You see, Harriet found out about the plotting, but Fred and I refused to believe her, which caused a rift between us. Poor Gus was stuck in the middle. It all worked out in the end, though. Gwen videoed them together and proved it to us, but it was a pretty horrible time, I can tell you.’

  ‘It must have been. Imagine losing your father then having your husband turn on you too,’ Gemma said, feeling bad for Pippa, Freddie and herself. ‘I do understand. I lost my nan and then Chris – well, not exactly the same but similar.’

  Gemma felt tears pricking her eyes as she looked at Pippa. She had felt so browbeaten, so hurt, so many things. It felt that only now, at Meadowbrook, was she beginning to process them.

  ‘It’s so weird how similar, really! And poor Fred was upset too. Well, actually, his ego was bruised mainly. He didn’t love Loretta, that’s his ex, as much as I thought I loved Mark, but actually I let Mark control me for so long I didn’t know myself anymore.’

  Gemma nodded. God, it sounded so much like Chris, but without the big house, the inheritance or the brother.

  ‘Thank you for being so understanding. I guess I’ll let you get on.’

  Pippa looked as if she would like an invitation to stay, but Gemma suddenly felt exhausted and needed to sleep.

  ‘I really need to pack. I know I’m only off for the weekend, but I need to make sure I have the essentials.’ She tried to sound light-hearted. ‘And thanks again for lending me the car.’

  ‘Well, we’ll see you for dinner Sunday evening? We usually all go to the local pub, so I hope you’ll join us. About seven?’

  ‘I’ll be back before then, so that will be lovely.’

  Gemma knew better than to try to get out of it – it seemed that being with the family was part of the job description. It really was a wonderful job, good pay, great living cond
itions, but it was also the strangest job she’d ever had, and one she really didn’t know if she understood. No, she definitely didn’t understand.

  After Pippa finally left her room, Gemma started to pack. She threw some of her clothes into a holdall; she didn’t worry about looking good back home, so she took her old clothes rather than the nice ones Pippa had lent her.

  She thought that when she got her first paycheque she might go and treat herself to some new clothes. Having worn those that Pippa had passed to her, she was beginning to enjoy looking better than she usually did. Surely, it was better late than never? She was twenty-eight, not twelve, but so what? She did feel a bit of a new lease of life coursing through her veins. Was that the Meadowbrook effect?

  She left early and the house was quiet. She walked quietly to the front door, where a bunch of flowers caught her eye. They were just the sort her nan loved, wild garden flowers, and there was a note attached. She picked it up.

  Gemma, Amanda and I remembered you saying your nan loved her garden flowers, so we picked these for her. I do hope she likes them.

  Love,

  Gus and Amanda

  Bloody hell, she thought as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She felt as if she were being drowned in kindness, and she didn’t quite know how to handle this alien feeling.

  Driving Pippa’s shiny Mini Countryman was also a new experience, she thought as she pulled herself together. If she didn’t stop being so emotional then Harriet would definitely fire her. She was pretty sure of that. She felt a rush of freedom as she drove away from Meadowbrook and also some relief, as she didn’t have to worry about what she did or said for a while. She programmed the sat nav as she wasn’t sure of the best way to get home and as it’d been a while since she’d driven, she felt nervous as she negotiated the traffic.

  When she told Pippa she was going home for the weekend, Pippa made it clear that she was more than welcome to stay at Meadowbrook at the weekends. In fact, she said she’d rather have her there as the house felt less empty. And Gemma would be grateful not to go back to the bungalow. It reminded her too much of the past. It had been her home, but now it belonged to no one. Her nan was never coming back to live there, and although she used to wonder if her mum would come back and find her, she never had. She used to worry that if they moved or even went on holiday – which was a week in a caravan every summer – her parents wouldn’t know how to find her.