Meadowbrook, but she didn’t need the money, so she could walk away. But, on the other hand, what about the others? And what about the fact her father wanted them to do this. She’d be defying him, letting her family down. Her head started aching, it was all so confusing.
‘You’re about to find out.’ David pressed play and their father’s voice rang out in the room once more.
‘I hope you all living here in Meadowbrook Manor for a year will redefine your relationship with each other. As children you were all so close, but well, I know when I sent Harry to boarding school it started to change. I do take responsibility for that but I can’t turn the clock back. I am sorry. I want you all to find your way back to being a family and this is the only way I could think of to do that. Now, you guys know about my animals.’ David pressed pause again.
Harriet had never seen the sanctuary, but she’d heard plenty about it from her dad. Harriet had to admit she had only shown a very cursory polite interest in it. She had sort of put it down to him going slightly mad with loneliness, if she was honest. Rescuing animals in order to rescue himself. But she never said that.
‘I visited Daddy’s animals all the time,’ Pippa said. Pippa probably encouraged him to get more as well, she was so soft.
‘Fleur loved going with Dad to see them too,’ Gus added sadly. ‘She helped out at the sanctuary quite a lot.’
‘Not you, Gus?’ Freddie asked.
‘No, unfortunately I seem to be allergic to most animals,’ he replied.
‘But when we were young we had dogs and cats and you were OK,’ Freddie pointed out.
‘I obviously developed the allergies as an adult.’ Gus was determinedly not meeting anyone’s eyes.
‘More likely that you just didn’t want to get your hands dirty,’ Freddie quipped.
‘Shut up, Fred.’ Harriet was reminded of how much the two boys bickered when they were young.
‘Can we please get on with it,’ David interrupted gently, looking at his watch. ‘I know it’s a lot to take in but, unfortunately, I have other appointments.’ He looked guilty as he pressed play again.
‘Right, so probably all of you know how important that sanctuary has become to me.’ Andrew shifted in his chair. ‘But it’s also important to Connor, and the village and – most of all – to the animals we help. Year on year we have grown in size, had so many different animals, and as well as my children, and the house, it really is my pride and joy. So the second condition is that you run the animal sanctuary with Connor, to ensure it stays open, thrives, which also involves raising money for it; an amount that you will find specified in the exact terms.’
‘Oh God, no.’ Freddie put his head in his hands.
‘Oh yes.’ It was scary how their father seemed to hear them. Or maybe, Harriet thought, he actually knew them much better than they gave him credit for. ‘I expect you to help Connor, I expect you all to get your hands dirty – you’ve become too soft the lot of you – but more than that, you will also take over my role, which was the finances among other things. We raise money by holding village fêtes, open days and all sorts of events. It not only brings in money but it helps to involve the community of Parker’s Hollow and keeps the sanctuary profile raised. If it thrives under your management, that will also ensure you all get to share the bulk of my estate. But, of course, if you don’t raise the funds specified, then you forfeit any right to the money or the house.’ He took another drink out of his tumbler. ‘And it will all go elsewhere.’ He sat back looking triumphant.
Harriet didn’t know how to describe the emotions that she was feeling. Just what was her father thinking? They had barely been able to keep a goldfish alive between them as children. How on earth were the four of them supposed to run an animal sanctuary? As well as live together at Meadowbrook? It was utter madness.
‘Can I just summarise?’ Pippa asked. ‘Not only do we have to live here for a year, without my husband, but we also have to run an animal sanctuary, raising money to keep it open?’
‘Yes, that’s about right,’ David replied, his face expressionless.
‘I supported Dad’s rescue centre, I really did, but I didn’t expect to have to work for it!’ Pippa looked terrified. ‘And how on earth am I supposed to explain all this to Mark? I mean it’s not as if we need the money.’
When they were younger, it was clear that although the loveliest, Pippa wasn’t the most academic of the siblings. Harriet was academically gifted, everyone said from the minute she started school really. Gus, not quite so, but he worked hard and got very good grades. Freddie was also cleverer than he liked to make out, though he was lazy, but Pippa, well, she was terrible at school. She just got by, but because she tried hard she was never in trouble, but you could see the teachers scratching their heads. How could the Singer siblings have a Pippa among them? Of course, when it was discovered she had dyslexia that explained why she found some things so difficult and it did become easier with the right help; Harriet had spent hours trying to help her with homework back before she went away to boarding school. But Pippa was beautiful, she was sweet, she was kind, and she wasn’t interested in school. Harriet remembered being jealous when Pippa begged her father not to send her to boarding school and he agreed. But she felt guilty when she confronted Pippa about this and her little sister admitted that she could cope with being near the bottom of the class at home, but only just. She didn’t want to go to Harriet’s school and be in the shadow of her clever sister.
When Pippa left school, she embarked on a number of courses. Cooking, flower arranging, she took a childcare course, typing, just about everything available, but she told Harriet nothing felt right. And, of course, being the only child still at home, Andrew was happy to let her carry on doing what she wanted. Soon after, Pippa told Harriet she had met someone and was in love. And that someone was Mark and they had a fairytale wedding. So why did her father seem to think he was bad for her? From what Harriet had seen, admittedly in a very short time, he seemed to take care of her, protect her, which was what their father would have wanted. Surely?
‘Right, kids, I am sure I have given you more than enough food for thought,’ her father’s voice interrupted her. She still couldn’t get used to seeing him, hearing him, yet knowing he was gone for good. She wanted to reach out and touch the screen, just to be able to one last time, but she knew it was him but not him at the same time. The voice, the confident, loud, slightly booming Somerset lilt that was so familiar, would soon be gone. She almost couldn’t bear it. ‘But to conclude. If you agree the terms, the final will will be read in a year’s time and you’ll all be rich. As for other provisions, Gwen gets her cottage, a sum of money, and she has a job for as long as she wants one, and that certainly includes this year. Yes, she is your housekeeper, but she’s there to check on you all, make sure you are all right, take care of you all. And Connor, he gets his cottage, some money, and I expect you to support his work. I’ve set up a trust fund for Fleur. But I can’t stress enough, the animal sanctuary must flourish, it’s so important to me and I hope it will become important to all of you too. How you divide the labour is up to you.’ There was another pause but no one dared speak.
‘In conclusion, my children, I love you. I miss you, but I hope that by doing this I will have given you the best gift that a father can give. You might not think so now, but mark my words, the animal sanctuary helped me, maybe even saved me when I was lost, and as you, my children, are all lost in your own ways, I fully believe it will do the same for you. And at the same time you are getting your family back. And trust me, it might be too late for me, but it’s not for you. You will see what’s important, I truly
