Secrets at Meadowbrook Manor

‘So the place is well looked after?’ Gemma asked, making a note and adding Vicky’s name to the back of the book with all the people she needed to remember.

‘To be honest, at the moment Meadowbrook runs itself. I try to help tidy and clean sometimes, but it does take a lot to run the estate – Daddy taught us that. For example, Freddie and I organise the Meadowbrook events, which isn’t profit-making but we hold them to raise money for the sanctuary, and we involve the whole community. Parker’s Hollow is incredibly important to us, and with regards to the hotel we will have to keep that in mind.’

‘Fair enough.’ Gemma wondered just what the community was like – she hoped they wouldn’t be against the hotel, but that was a worry for later. ‘I can’t wait to see the famous sanctuary.’ Although she had heard a lot about the sanctuary, she hadn’t quite got her head round it.

The Singers’ father had set it up with Connor, because he was passionate about animals and wanted to make sure they were cared for. It started small but had grown and was quite well known nowadays, which Pippa explained was a double-edged sword. People came if they wanted to adopt a dog or a cat, but they also knew if they left animals here they’d be looked after. So it seemed when one was re-homed more would appear. They also had farm animals that were permanent residents and two alpacas. How this fitted in with a luxury hotel, Gemma had no idea.

‘Well, of course it’s at the heart of Meadowbrook now, and we have to raise money to keep it going, so that takes a lot of organisation. Our next big event will be the Easter party, so you can see how that works. But we also open our gardens every month, and we get coach trips booking to visit, even in winter. Anyone from the village can come in for free, but for outsiders we charge.’

Gemma was scribbling furiously. ‘I did some research and saw the gardens were an attraction,’ Gemma said. Although again, a luxury hotel break being interrupted by coachloads of people coming to admire the gardens; well that was another conundrum for her.

‘Our roses won a big award at a national show last year and it’s all gone berserk. It’s Gus’s baby, along with his partner, Amanda, now, so I’ll let him tell you about them but yes, they are a growing attraction, and they generate a nice amount of income for the sanctuary.’

‘So when the hotel is open you still intend on having all these events?’ Gemma’s brain was beginning to tick over.

‘Well of course, the hotel will be a separate company and hopefully make money – or Harry will have my head – but we’ll still need to raise money for the sanctuary. And well, that’s as far as I’ve got really. I did think about us using here as a wedding venue too.’

‘Pippa, if people want to stay somewhere quiet they might not want a coach full of people to appear suddenly, or to be part of the events.’ She saw Pippa’s beautiful face drop and immediately felt guilty. Why when she was only pointing something sensible out, she didn’t know, but Pippa did look crestfallen. ‘But that’s OK, I will keep that in mind when I’m coming up with ideas.’

Gemma was even more unsure how it all would work, but she kept telling herself that it was early days and she didn’t need all the answers right now. As long as she got them at some point …

‘Oh! Thank goodness. I knew you were the right person. It’s just, well, Meadowbrook is Meadowbrook and you’ll soon see that, so the hotel has to reflect that. We have to keep our father’s vision alive with whatever we do, you see. But of course you already understand that.’

‘I do?’ She did?

‘The covering letter you sent in with your CV, about the soul of Meadowbrook.’ Pippa tilted her head.

‘Of course, Pippa, of course,’ she reassured her. After all, that she did understand. The animal sanctuary, annual events and coachload of gardening enthusiasts she wasn’t quite as sure about.

‘Freddie, are you sure I’m not going to die?’ Gemma’s voice was carried into the wind, and if he heard her, Freddie didn’t answer.

Gemma was holding on to the side of the buggy for dear life and trying to decide whether or not it was less scary with her eyes shut. On reflection, it was slightly less nauseating with them open. She snuck a glance at him – he was driving very intently and too fast across a bumpy field, up towards the lake. However, she couldn’t help but think, again, that he was the best-looking man she had ever been this close to, or met. Even if he was also the worst driver.

Her ex-boyfriend, Chris, was nothing to rave about, although to be fair, neither was she. He was a couple of inches taller than Gemma who was five foot five, he had mousy brown hair, eyes that her nan always said were a bit too small and unremarkable features. She knew her nan didn’t think much of him – in her pre-dementia days – but it was only now she could see that it was because he was constantly putting her down. At the time, she felt they were perfectly matched – two people who would pretty much go unnoticed through life. But Chris still thought he was too good for her, and he never tired of reminding her, until he left her, as most people in her life seemed to do.

Gemma’s nan always told her that feeling sorry for yourself was unattractive and Gemma tried, tried really hard, to remember that, but sometimes she failed. It was as if she couldn’t shake the expectation that everyone would leave her. And now, in many ways her nan had too, although she also knew that that wasn’t her choice.

So, the new Gemma was trying even harder. Although she didn’t have Pippa’s ethereal beauty, or Harriet’s striking looks, she wasn’t unattractive. Since her makeover she was beginning to think she wasn’t too bad at all. But a lifetime of feeling unremarkable wasn’t just going to go away overnight. It was more inside than out. She was still a work-in-progress, especially at Meadowbrook where she was surrounded by beautiful, confident people, who reflected the house perfectly. Perhaps some of that would rub off on her if she were lucky. Or if she survived this buggy ride.

‘You probably won’t die. But at least you’ll feel alive when we reach our destination in one piece,’ he finally replied, screeching to a halt. ‘Voilà, the lake.’

They both climbed out of the buggy, and although her legs were still a bit jelly-like, she surveyed the horizon. It was a cold, crisp day, and the light bouncing off the lake reflected that. It was so peaceful, the winter sun shimmering on the surface as the water lay flat, and apart from the odd birdcall, it was blissfully silent.

‘Do people fish?’ she asked, finally.

‘No, we swam in it as kids though, and I think Harriet still does sometimes. Not me – I prefer the indoor heated pool. There are public footpaths through the land, so we do get walkers, which is fine. Why, do you fish?’ Freddie grinned.

‘No.’ Gemma wondered why he made her feel so awkward. ‘I was just asking – you know, for the hotel.’ She went closer to the lake, stumbling as she caught her foot on a large unseen stone.

‘Bloody hell, don’t fall in,’ Freddie said, moving to help her as she righted herself. ‘It’ll be freezing. No, I wouldn’t think we’d want to attract men in waders and suchlike anyway. No, my vision for the hotel is more Bright Young Things.’

‘You want to attract bright young people?’

He turned to her, his lips curling up. ‘No, well yes, but I mean like the film. Glamorous young people, having good old-fashioned fun and drinking cocktails made by moi – you know, I’ve done a cocktail-making course. Via the Internet, but still, they sent me a certificate.’

Gemma wondered if Freddie was joking, but for once he looked serious.

‘You can learn via the Internet?’ Gemma asked, trying not to sound as astounded as she felt.

‘Yes, of course. They put loads of videos up, so I not only learnt recipes, but also technique. Even the whole throwing of the cocktail shaker, although I wasn’t very good at that. But I perfected the mixing. I am officially a mixologist now. Well, I think I am. And tonight I will show you, and you can sample some of my signature drinks. I intend to be in charge of the bar at the hotel, and I’m going to design the drinks menu. It’s my area of expertise after all.’

‘Well, I’m not much of a drinker, remember.’ Gemma was terrified. He was so sure of himself, although he didn’t seem arrogant. She could only dream of a fraction of his confidence. She wondered if he would spare her any.

‘Bloody shame.’ He shook his head in disgust, and Gemma realised she might have to start drinking cocktails to keep the job.

‘But I’ll look forward to sampling some of your concoctions, of course.’ She attempted a laugh.

‘Oh brilliant, and if I were you I’d get good and hammered tonight.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘You’ve got a meeting with Harriet tomorrow morning. She’s much easier to deal with with a hangover, believe me. Right, come on, I’ll show you where we host our main events and then take you to the animal sanctuary. Back in the buggy.’

‘If I have to,’ Gemma mumbled under her breath.

Just as she thought she was getting the hang of all this, she felt the ground being swept from under her again. Literally this time, as the buggy seemed to take off into the air.

She was so pleased to have her feet on the ground again, she almost threw herself down to kiss it. They had parked up at the animal sanctuary, and as Harriet had gone somewhere for supplies and Connor was working at the vets’ practice, Freddie – with the help of Amy, one of the full-time workers – gave Gemma the tour. Amy clearly had a crush on Freddie, as she hung on his every word and practically ignored Gemma. Freddie was flirting with her masterfully, but then Amy was young and pretty, so why wouldn’t he?

‘So, how many animals do you have?’ Gemma asked as they started by visiting the dogs.

‘Loads,’ Freddie replied. ‘Would you say, Amy?’

‘Oh yes,’ Amy breathed. ‘Loads.’

Gemma was sure it wasn’t going to be the most informative tour ever.

She rubbed her temples. The dogs, who were incredibly excited and loud, had given her a headache, although she felt so sorry for them, all abandoned when they should have been in loving homes. She tried not to think that she could identify with them. They moved on to the cats, who were much more calming. The chickens were a surprise, as Freddie seemed very fond of them, and then she had been introduced to – yes, really – two alpacas, four pigs, three mini ponies, a donkey, a blind sheep, her “guide” lamb and three goats.

‘So the alpacas, Sebastian and Samantha, are a bit stuck-up,’ Freddie explained.

‘Really?’ Gemma noticed they seemed to be doing their best to ignore her.

‘I think they think they’re better than us, but anyway, come on, there’s more to see.’

Gemma shook her head.

She tried to remember all the animal names, but there were so many, as Freddie told her the brief history and Amy showed how competent she was with each one – including the hoity alpacas, by petting them, or in the case of the pigs, giving them some food.

Gemma wasn’t much of a country girl – in fact, she wasn’t a country girl at all, so she was finding it quite intimidating. Even Cookie, Clover and Brian, the miniature ponies who were sweet and tiny, managed to scare her a bit.

‘See over there …’ Freddie pointed to the next field, where there were two cows, both with impressive horns, although one was much bigger than the other. They looked pretty aggressive. Freddie was standing very close to her, and Gemma could feel the heat radiating from him. Amy approached and wedged herself to Freddie’s other side. Gemma nodded.

‘That is David. You see, we had two gay cows.’

‘Gay cows?’ Just as Meadowbrook couldn’t seem any more eccentric.

‘Well bulls technically, as they’re boys. David, who you see there, and Elton.’

‘Elton and David?’ Gemma wondered if she were dreaming.

‘Yes, they weren’t the friendliest to others, but they adored each other. Sadly, Elton died.’

‘Oh no!’ She felt sorry for David suddenly.

‘Funny story, actually. Well not Elton dying, that was awful – we all cried that day – but I run the social media and I tweeted it and everyone thought that I meant Elton John had died, so it sort of went viral. Then I had to explain quickly that it was Elton, the gay cow, but it had already made a newspaper, and I got in a fair bit of trouble with Harriet, but it did get us a lot more Twitter followers, so it’s not all bad.’

‘So who’s the cow, or bull with him now?’

‘She’s a cow, and after Elton died, David was pining badly, so Connor thought he would try to find him a companion. Well this poor cow who had been treated quite badly came up, and so Connor somehow got them together and they seemed to get on. Between you and me, I think she’s a bit of a fag hag. She’s called Madonna.’

‘Of course she is.’ Gemma couldn’t help but laugh. This might be the maddest place she had ever been, but it was also the most entertaining. She realised how little she laughed in life, and with Freddie she felt like laughing a lot. This was a positive, and she was going to hold on tight.

Chapter 5

Gemma groaned when she opened her eyes. Her head felt fuzzy and heavy, not a sensation she was used to. In order to impress Freddie, she had made an effort last night to enjoy his cocktails, which he’d mixed for her and Pippa in the drawing room, and it hadn’t taken much to get her drunk. Oh God, she was mortified.

She’d embarrassingly had to go to bed just as Freddie was getting into his (Martini) stride. She vaguely remembered Freddie making a cutting comment to Pippa about why on earth she had to hire such a lightweight. Oh God, she rubbed her temples. Pippa had said that she didn’t make her applicants drink as part of the interview process. Freddie said she should have done, and Gemma tripped on the stairs, screamed, and they both had to help her up to bed.

She would have been offended if the stairs hadn’t been moving. She was also too busy trying to see only one Pippa and one Freddie.

Gemma vaguely remembered saying to Pippa, as she helped her into her room, that she had no nice clothes, and she had an even fuzzier recollection of Pippa saying she would help. She wished the details were clearer. She wasn’t quite sure, but she seemed to recall that Pippa said their father wouldn’t let them spend much money for the year after he died – did that make sense? He’d given them a small allowance to live on, so they’d had to buy clothes in charity shops. She couldn’t see Harriet Singer, or Freddie, wearing second-hand clothes. Maybe she dreamt it. Maybe she had a drunken reality that wasn’t real at all. And this was why she stayed away from alcohol most of the time. Or actually it wasn’t – staying away from alcohol was another way in which she wasn’t normal.

Abandoning her failed attempts to go back to sleep, she shuffled out of bed and put on her gym clothes. It was only six o’clock, but she was going to use the gym, hoping that she might begin to feel better. It was such a privilege, having a gym on tap. In her last job she wasn’t allowed to use the hotel gym – it was for guests only, and she couldn’t afford expensive city gym membership prices, so she had joined a local running club. She wasn’t very good at it, but she enjoyed the feeling exercise gave her, so she looked forward to the weekly group, when her nan’s health allowed. She’d given it up for a while, but when her nan went into the home, she had started running more and more, and now she felt that she needed it – it seemed to help to keep her sane. It allowed her to breathe.

She was grateful not to bump into either Pippa or Freddie as she made her way down to the basement. Meadowbrook was a different world. Yesterday, she had been given a full tour of the house, and she’d been taken to the garden room, which hadn’t been used for years, because apparently it reminded Andrew Singer, their father, of his late wife. It had been her favourite room, and when she died he shut it away; it hadn’t even had the door opened until recently. Pippa said they sort of forgot about it, which seemed ridiculous.

Gemma couldn’t imagine living in a house where you had enough rooms that you could shut one off and not notice, but that was Meadowbrook. The garden room did what the name said, and opened out onto the garden, which would make it wonderful for the hotel. Although the siblings were nervous about it, Pippa said they realised that it was time to lay the last of the ghosts to rest – especially as they all hoped their mum and dad had been reunited wherever they were now. It was quite moving as they surveyed the room, which was at least as large in size as the drawing room.

Although at the moment it was dusty and full of old furniture, one of the walls was practically made up of floor-to-ceiling French windows currently covered with heavy velvet drapes. She realised it must have been so painful for Andrew Singer to shut off such an amazing room. It would take a lot of work, but she could see it being Freddie’s bar. In the day, guests could enjoy coffee, tea or light refreshments while enjoying the garden view, and in the evenings, it would be perfect for cocktails. In the summer, the doors could be opened, so that they could use the terrace for outside drinking and dining. Gemma began to get excited, as she could see it becoming a reality. Then the enormity of the task she had undertaken hit her once again, and she shrank back to uncertainty.

Trying to ignore the niggling doubts in her mind, she concentrated on the treadmill. She made a mental note when she went home for the weekend to pick up her swimming costume; the pool looked so inviting, perhaps she could add a daily swim to her routine. She knew she was already drawn into Meadowbrook, and she dreaded to think what would happen if she got fired after the probationary period.

She could only imagine what it was like growing up surrounded by this luxury, but at least the Singers were all trying to do something with Meadowbrook, which Gemma now understood. Because Pippa and Freddie were rattling around at home, and Meadowbrook felt as if it were a house that needed to be filled with people.

Yes, Gemma could see it being one of the most appealing hotels in the area. What with the beautiful house, set in the stunning grounds, you couldn’t fail to have a luxurious, relaxing, perhaps even romantic break here. She still wasn’t sure where the sanctuary would fit in with that, but she felt, instinctively, that somehow it would. Romance over the alpacas? She wished she felt confident enough to say what she thought sometimes; then she wouldn’t come across as so uptight. She wished she were more like Freddie, or any of them actually.

Gemma headed into the kitchen after finishing her run, having showered and dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a white blouse.

‘Oh hi, Gem,’ Pippa said.

‘I used the gym, I hope you don’t mind,’ Gemma mumbled.

Pippa looked so stylish in a plain black dress and tights with her hair pulled back from her beautiful face. She felt a stab of envy again. Where and at what point did life decide who would be pretty, rich and with a family who adored them? Or like her, unremarkable, worried about money, average in most ways and with parents who didn’t like her enough, let alone love her, even to stay in her life? How was that even fair? She tried to push her thoughts to the back of her dusty mind. What was wrong with her?

‘Of course not, you need to treat this place as if it’s your home, honestly.’

In theory, Pippa was someone to dislike for literally having it all, but there was nothing about her that you could remotely take offence against.

‘I’m so sorry about last night. I tried to warn Freddie I wasn’t a drinker but, well, I don’t think he realised how much I meant it.’ Gemma flushed.

‘Oh, don’t worry. Fred is a terror. He feeds everyone his lethal cocktails. We have reined him in a bit. He was off the rails at one point – ten times worse than now. I mean he does like a drink, it’s not a secret, but actually he can handle it now, and he can also go days without one. To be fair he doesn’t often, but he can. Anyway plying you with cocktails, it’s almost The Freddie Test.’

‘Then I well and truly failed. He seemed very disappointed.’

‘Oh don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine. Harriet’s going to meet you in Dad’s office in twenty minutes. She wants to explain everything; she doesn’t think I’ve given you a thorough background to us and to Meadowbrook. She’s probably right. I get so excited you see, I just get carried away.’

‘I understand,’ Gemma said carefully. ‘And I guess Harriet is rightly protective of all of you, as well as the house.’

‘Yes, that’s exactly it! I knew you’d understand. I knew instantly when I met you, but I also knew if I let Harriet get involved she’d try to take over. I knew that this hotel didn’t need a carbon copy of Harriet, which is exactly who she would hire; it needed someone like you.’

‘Well I’ll do my best for you,’ she replied, feeling the pressure being loaded on top of the layer of flattery. Yes, she could see that Harriet would have taken over, and she saw Pippa in a bit of a new light. She was ballsy to go ahead and hire Gemma without the others knowing. She wasn’t as meek as she sometimes came across.

‘Oh, and when you’ve finished with Harriet, I’m going to help you with your wardrobe. I feel awful that I didn’t tell you that you’d need more casual wear than suits, but we’re about the same size and I’ve got loads of spare clothes. I’ve also got scruffier things, which you’ll need when you get more involved.’

‘What do you mean?’ Gemma startled. Although, most of her clothes were tatty actually.

‘Ah, perhaps I should have explained this before, but you see we all have our jobs at the animal sanctuary and, actually, it would be really good if you’d join us and help out – we think it’ll give you more of a feel for the place.’

‘You mean I have to work with the animals?’ Gemma heard the horror in her voice and felt her heart sink.

Visiting the sanctuary had shown her how terrifying she found most of them. Surely they wouldn’t make her muck out the pigs, or deal with that scary-looking bull? Or even Madonna. And the hostile alpacas. This was not in the job description. Although thinking about it, not much was in the job description.

‘Oh, don’t worry, it’ll be fine. We all felt that way when Daddy said we had to in his will, but we all came to love working at the animal sanctuary and you will too.’

Pippa beamed and Gemma thought she must be mad. She would rather have a meeting with Harriet every day than do that.

Gemma sighed deeply, tried to remember her “calm” mantra and knocked on the office door.

‘Come in,’ a clear, well-spoken voice rang out.

Gemma said a silent prayer and pushed the door open. She stepped into the study, which still very much belonged to Andrew Singer. A huge mahogany desk dominated the room, with Harriet sat looking seriously terrifying behind it. There were some landscapes on the walls, very much in keeping with the rest of the house, a modern TV screen on another wall, and two leather sofas along with a drinks trolley, which looked pretty well stocked. The most dominating thing about the room, though, was a huge portrait of Andrew Singer. It was as if he were in the room with her.

‘Sit down.’ Harriet pointed at the sofa, facing the desk.

Gemma did as she was told and tried to look at Harriet rather than staring at the image of her father.

‘We haven’t changed a thing about our father’s study,’ she said, her voice softening as she spoke of him. ‘Apart from putting the painting of him in here. It was upstairs – Dad was a little vain you see – but it seems right here, in his study.’

‘I understand,’ Gemma said carefully. ‘I guess this is his personality right here too.’

‘Yes, yes it is. I know when we open this hotel, if we do—’ she narrowed her eyes at Gemma, who felt her cheeks flame ‘—then I suppose this will have to be changed, but it’s so hard to eliminate him.’