hair, but was far prettier than she ever thought she was. When she’d worked for the hotel, Gemma and Pippa had become firm friends. But then just as the hotel opened, she and Freddie fell in love – a case of opposites attract, obviously. Freddie was her loud, party-loving brother and Gemma was shy, quiet, anxious and, especially when she first arrived at Meadowbrook, a bundle of nerves. But she was also bright, sensible and with a fun side, and Freddie seemed to have unearthed those qualities in her. In fact, they brought out the best in each other. When the hotel opened, Gemma had resigned. She wanted to do something outside the family now she was dating Freddie. But Meadowbrook Hotel still felt as if it were a part of Gemma; it was important to all of them and of course Gemma was roped in to help when they needed her. She’d gone to college to study business as a mature student, which she loved.
‘Right, well, back to this party. What do you need us to do?’ Gemma asked.
‘I need you guys to stay here and help set up, if that’s OK?’
‘Sure, but I need to go and get my cocktail bar ready,’ Freddie said.
The bar was his domain, which given his predilection for alcohol could have been a bad thing, but Freddie took the bar seriously and hadn’t – yet – drunk it dry. He was becoming known for mixing fantastic cocktails and actually, having the responsibility had done him good. That and Gemma, of course.
‘Can’t wait to try them; although seeing’s as I’ve hardly touched a drink for the best part of a year, you need to go easy on me,’ Harriet grinned, the old spark seemingly back in her eyes.
‘Harry, have you got your jumper on inside out?’ Freddie asked.
Pippa carried two mugs of steaming coffee out through the back door of the kitchen and into the garden. She wasn’t surprised to have seen Gus pottering out there earlier. Gus, her eldest brother, loved the gardens and he could often be found out there when he wasn’t painting or with his family.
‘Hey,’ she called, waving at him as he was trimming one of the garden’s many bushes.
He stopped, squinted and then beamed.
‘Pippa, just what I need,’ he said as he bounded over to her.
Gus was thirty-nine and looked like a male version of Harriet, apart from his nose. He was tall, with thinning dark hair and a stocky build. Despite his looks, he was sensitive, quiet and creative. Definitely the most creative of the Singers.
She handed him the mug and they stood side by side in silence, looking at the winter sun glinting in the greenery.
‘It looks beautiful,’ she said, which was true.
‘All the hard work’s definitely paid off. Amanda’s flat out today, but she’s going to finish early so she can come up to the house. I know you probably need me to help with the party, but I just fancied being out here alone for a bit.’
‘I understand, Gus.’ Pippa gave his arm a squeeze. ‘But, yes, when you’re ready, it’s all hands on deck. Where’s Fleur, by the way?’
Amanda, who was in charge of the Meadowbrook gardens and had worked for their father, was Gus’s second wife. Fleur, her niece, was his sixteen-year-old daughter from his first marriage.
‘She’ll be up later with the rest of the family; although I’m sure she’ll be wearing something inappropriate and trying to sneak alcohol,’ he complained.
Before Toby’s arrival, as their only niece, all the Singers doted on Fleur and she was also very close to their late father. Gus and she had a tempestuous relationship, mainly owing to the fact that he was overprotective and not ready for his little girl to grow up.
‘I’m sure she won’t,’ Pippa lied, as that was exactly what Fleur would be doing. ‘Anyway, I’d better go and check on the caterers. All OK?’
‘Yes, I’ll finish up here and be in in a bit to help.’ He gave her a hug, handed the empty mug back to her and went back to his pottering.
The peace of earlier in the day was forgotten as Pippa moved around the house. The kitchen was full of catering staff now, who were preparing food for the evening, so Pippa, on discovering everything was under control, ducked out. She stood in the doorway to the bar, watching Freddie and Gemma laughing. It was heartwarming to see how close her best friend and her brother were, they were so in love. Gemma was passing bottles to Freddie, who was making drinks, but every now and then he’d stop to kiss her. Pippa felt a little like a voyeur, but she didn’t want to interrupt their moment, so she carried on.
She ran upstairs and checked the rooms were all ready. It might seem silly but she wanted her siblings and her to sleep in their old rooms for one night. She’d got them all prepared, her room, Harriet’s, Gus’s and Freddie’s. Fleur and Gus’s stepdaughter, Hayley, had rooms on the top floor, which used to be the attic rooms for staff back in the day, and Gwen said she may stay over with her partner, Gerry, but she hadn’t quite committed. Gwen had never slept in the main house, only in her apartment, and although she was family, she still said it didn’t seem right. The rooms weren’t the same as when they all lived there, of course, for they were now decorated as hotel rooms, more neutral. Pippa finished her inspection, satisfied that it was all ready as she headed back downstairs.
Flower arrangements were being set up in the reception area as well as the bar and dining room. Pippa had a florist who delivered every week to ensure the hotel always looked its best and in summer they used flowers from the gardens, too. The dining room was ready to receive the buffet food, which would be laid out on the huge dining table. It was all under control and Pippa was almost disappointed to find that she really didn’t need to do anything.
She decided to head out for a walk before it was time to get changed. As she passed the drawing room, she glanced in and saw that Toby and Harriet were on the sofa. Toby was on her chest and they were both fast asleep. She smiled at the sight of mother and child and quietly headed out.
She found herself at the sanctuary, where the animals, oblivious to the festivities, carried on as normal. One of the paddocks saw the donkey, Gerald, and the ponies grazing, while another was home to four goats – three adults and a baby. The pigs, who were Gus’s favourites, had a space beyond that, next to the field where the two alpacas, Sebastian and Samantha, glared at everyone who passed. In the far field were the cows, or to be precise, the bull, David, the cow, Madonna, and their baby calf, Drake. They weren’t the friendliest, either. Fleur got to name most new arrivals, and liked to name them after rappers – hence baby calf Drake and baby goat Kanye.
As Pippa made her way to the sanctuary office, she passed the chicken pen, the cat quarters and the large kennel, which was apparent by the noise coming from it. Although she loved the sanctuary, she wished that the domestic animals had all been re-homed. She wanted them all in loving homes and the fact they weren’t made her sad. Although Meadowbrook did have a good re-homing success rate, there were always animals coming in to replace those who left and that wasn’t good – or at least not for the animals, as it generally meant they’d suffered.
‘Penny for them?’ Connor asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Connor, Harriet’s partner, was tall, good-looking in a scruffy way, with unruly dark hair and the kindest smile. He had dimples that Toby seemed to have inherited in his cheeks and where Harriet could be scary, Connor was the most laid-back person Pippa had ever met. Yet again, opposites in many ways, but they’d been soulmates from childhood; although they didn’t realise it until after Andrew’s death and when it was almost too late.
