Finding Home in Hartfell (Hartfell Village #1)

Chapter Five

Back at Home Farm, Pippa was relieved that Gil’s Land Rover hadn’t returned so she wouldn’t have to face him again just yet. After the conversation with Daphne and Violet in the shop, she was wondering about doing a little research on the house and her family’s history here. It might help her understand more of her own story and where it fitted in this place. And then there was Gil. Who was his gran and where had he been until now? And even more importantly, why was he back?

Pippa found antibacterial spray under the kitchen sink and wiped down the worktops and cupboards before unloading her bags. She ought to learn more about the vet practice on the property too, and for that she needed to speak with Elaine. She realised, as she put the shopping away, that she’d forgotten to buy coffee. She’d have to and soon; she couldn’t be without it, and she was not going to be beholden to Gil for anything.

But first, Harriet needed breakfast. She filled a bowl with granola and made toast with marmalade, carrying it upstairs. At home she’d usually text Harriet when meals were ready, but her daughter might ignore it in her current mood. And however angry she was with Pippa right now, food could only improve things.

‘Harriet?’ Pippa knocked gently on her bedroom door. ‘I’ve brought you some breakfast.’

A few seconds stretched by before she heard a muffled ‘Come in.’ Opening the door awkwardly with one hand, she pushed it aside to enter, just in time to see Harriet swipe at her face.

‘Are you all right?’ Pippa put the tray down beside the bed. Her question probably hadn’t been the right one. Too direct, because Harriet nodded fiercely as she lunged at the toast. This room was chilly, and Pippa tried not to feel oppressed by the gloom. It was no more attractive than her own, but the furniture was at least a nice set of antique oak.

‘When did I ever eat granola, Mum?’ She scowled and Pippa took in a slow, silent breath as she perched on the end of the bed, ignoring the sting in her heart at such a greeting.

‘On occasions, in an emergency.’ She pasted on a smile, working hard at her patience. ‘And I thought this might qualify as one, given the state of the house and barely any food in it.’

‘Gil’s right,’ Harriet said resentfully. One slice of toast was half gone, and her stare was accusing. ‘You should have told me about the Wi-Fi.’

‘But then you wouldn’t have come. And I didn’t know for sure until we got here.’

‘I might,’ Harriet replied eventually, and Pippa felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe there was still time to salvage something of their adventure. ‘But I want to go home. I’ve got loads of homework to do and I can’t FaceTime Isla or message anyone online.’

‘You can’t stay at home on your own, Harriet, not yet,’ Pippa replied carefully, preparing herself for a fight as the hope faded. ‘And your dad’s away again, he’ll only be back in time for your holiday at the end of the summer.’

‘So? Brooke will be there. She can keep an eye on me. It’s not like I need looking after anymore. Plus, Isla’s around until netball camp and then we’ll be together anyway.’

Pippa’s quiet optimism was swiftly replaced by alarm. She needed to knock that notion on the head right now.

‘I’m sorry but that’s not a feasible option.’ Nick’s current girlfriend, Brooke, was a thirty-three-year-old model who occasionally had to be reminded of Harriet’s own name. Nurturing she was not and right now Pippa felt her daughter needed loving care more than she needed Wi-Fi, whatever Harriet thought. ‘You know Brooke is at home even less than your dad. Besides, I might have a plan about the Wi-Fi. I’m going to have a chat with Elaine, who’s the receptionist at the vets.’ Pippa hoped Harriet was feigning her disinterest as she picked up the second piece of toast. ‘Maybe she can find you a quiet corner where you can hang out, do your homework and keep in touch with Isla and everyone else.’

‘Mmm.’

‘Mmm good or mmm bad?’

‘What if Gil says no?’ Harriet took a bite and swallowed it. ‘It’s his decision, he’s the boss. And you haven’t exactly made a good impression.’

Pippa didn’t enjoy knowing that Harriet must have overheard more of the row with Gil in the kitchen than she’d realised. ‘Well, neither has he,’ she replied briskly. ‘So let’s just see what Elaine says and take it from there.’

Harriet did have a point though, and Pippa really hoped her own standing with Gil wouldn’t count against her when it came to getting Harriet access to the Wi-Fi. He had children of his own, surely he wouldn’t deny her to spite Pippa.

‘So how did you sleep? I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier.’

‘When you were arguing with Gil, you mean.’ Harriet ceased twisting bedclothes between her fingers and leaned across to slide her empty plate onto the bedside table. ‘Who is he, Mum? Grandad never said a word about a lodger.’

So Jonny and Harriet had discussed Hartfell, which was more than he’d done with Pippa. ‘I really don’t know. I had no idea there was someone else in the house either, but he’s moving out later.’ When he had time in between all the life-saving heroics, presumably. ‘At least not having a tenant in the house will make a sale easier.’

‘Where will he go?’

‘I don’t know that either and it’s none of our business anyway. What do you think of your room?’ Pippa decided a swift change of subject away from Gil was opportune.

‘S’all right.’ Harriet’s gaze skimmed over the bedroom. ‘And before you ask again, I slept fine. What about you?’

‘Me?’ It took Pippa a moment to reply; she couldn’t remember the last time Harriet had enquired after her well-being, unless it was related to a temporary inability to cook or drive. ‘Not bad thanks, once I dropped off. Not keen on the mattress though. Yours doesn’t feel much better.’

‘It’s not going to matter, is it, seeing as we’ll be gone in a week.’ Harriet had a way of looking at her sometimes, as though she could read Pippa’s mind like a map, and now it was her fingers winding the bedclothes under the scrutiny.

Even mentioning Gil brought back the memory of him introducing himself in bed this morning, those scowling and sardonic blue eyes, the glorious bare chest and untidy blond hair. Pippa really hoped she didn’t look flushed again; Harriet would definitely not approve of such thoughts.

It probably was a good thing he wasn’t very amenable to Pippa. It was so long since she’d been on a date, much less had a relationship, that she might’ve been tempted to shove Lola out of the way and join him in bed if he’d shown any encouragement. She offered Harriet a hasty and over-bright smile to disguise her wild imaginings. ‘So, have you any plans for today?’

‘Dunno.’ Harriet picked up her phone and stared pointedly at it. ‘What is there to do here?’

‘I’m afraid you’ve got me there.’ Pippa’s laugh was light, thankful she hadn’t said ‘nothing’ out loud. ‘But that’s the fun of our adventure, isn’t it? That we can explore Hartfell together.’

‘Make up your mind, Mum. Are you having an adventure or leaving as soon as possible?’

‘Can’t we do both? A bit of adventuring together and be home in a week? And, in the unlikely event that we are still here after netball camp…’ Pippa hadn’t been planning to play her trump card yet, but needs must. ‘Cassie will pick you and Isla up, and they’ll stay with us for a couple of days en route to Isla’s grandparents.’

‘Really?’ Harriet’s face lit up and Pippa felt a rush of joy at making her happy again. ‘That’d be brilliant, Mum.’

‘You do know, don’t you, that if there’s something wrong you can tell me.’ Pippa wasn’t expecting the wobble in her voice and had to gulp back the worry. She hadn’t intended to bring this up either but the chance to press home her advantage was irresistible. ‘Anything, whatever it is, I promise I’ll help and support you. I’m on your side, Harriet, always.’

‘Why would there be something wrong?’

Even if Harriet’s words were meant to appease, her flattened tone was enough to set Pippa’s alarm bells ringing.

‘I just wondered, that’s all,’ Pippa replied casually. ‘We haven’t had much time together recently.’

‘I’m fine.’ Harriet shot her a look as she slid earbuds in, and Pippa knew the conversation was over. ‘Let me know about the Wi-Fi, yeah?’

Pippa nodded as she got up, squeezing Harriet’s free hand anyway, trying to impart her love and concern without saying the unwelcome words out loud. She’d just have to keep trying and she’d message Cassie too, see if Isla had let anything about Harriet slip.

She needed another coffee after trying and failing to get Harriet to open up, and right now she couldn’t care less whose it was. She made a mug of instant to drink with her own toast and wolfed both down, her stomach growling gratefully. Then she picked up her phone to go on Amazon and order a basic coffee machine, until she remembered the lack of Wi-Fi, and clunked her phone back down again. Now she understood more of how Harriet felt, and it wasn’t nice.

If they’d been in London, they’d have plans for the weekend. Probably separate ones, but plans nonetheless. For Pippa it would likely be a gallery, one she hadn’t yet discovered or visited for a while. She was often invited to openings, and she loved meeting others who understood her passion, however relieved she felt not to be the artist having their work on display. Harriet would be playing netball or off somewhere with Isla, catching a movie, hanging out in town or at friends’ houses. She and Pippa both adored musical theatre and down the years they’d seen everything.

Pippa’s gaze was drawn back to the view from the kitchen window, certainly a much prettier one than hers at home, which looked out onto the courtyard garden with tall buildings on every side. She collected her plate and mug and washed them up, defiantly leaving Gil’s dirty mug for him to deal with, even though her fingers itched to wash it. She opened the back door, ready to explore.

The terrace stretched across the back of the house, a cloudless blue sky uncluttered by buildings, cranes and planes helping to lift her mood. She followed a rough stone path through the garden, listening to the unfamiliar sound of sheep bleating somewhere beyond it. Hand brushing her thigh, she trailed her fingers through the long grass as she strolled, ancient trees around the edge of the garden tall and lush with vivid green leaves. Birdsong and buzzing insects were gentle in the warm air and when her eyes landed on a clump of bright blue cornflowers, her mind leapt ahead to painting it, capturing those fragile petals in shades of violet, blue and lavender.

The untamed garden seemed part of the wild landscape rising to a heather-topped fell beyond a spiky hawthorn hedge. At the end she leaned on a gate leading to a field, smiling at merry white lambs plump from summer grass, bounding in the sun as their mothers dozed, shorn of their thick woollen coats and strangely thin beside their babies. She turned away and followed the path back towards the house, swinging left when she reached the terrace. She opened another gate onto the farmyard, deciding that now might be the right moment to take Elaine up on her earlier invitation for coffee.

The yard wasn’t quite as unkempt and unloved as the house, with three stone buildings forming a courtyard with two more open-sided barns behind. One building was almost empty when Pippa stuck her head inside, wooden beams soaring to the exposed roof timbers. A channel leading to a drain ran along the floor and the barn was divided by concrete panels into stalls. Pipework and metal drinking troughs were rusting, in places hanging loose. Years of muck had left yellowed stains on the walls, and dust and spiders’ webs were thick in every window.

She opened a door onto the far end of the barn, finding a huge workshop crammed with tools, old furniture, slates propped against a wall, rolled up lengths of carpet, a rough mangle and even a tatty upright piano. She doubted new owners would fancy keeping any of that tat and a massive skip was another thing she needed to sort.

Outside, double doors led into the second barn, half of the roof hidden by a loft full of sweet-smelling bales that she presumed were hay. This building had been split into four stables divided by wooden partitions, and a glance over the first door was enough to reveal evidence of occupation. A haynet was suspended from a ring in the wall, and a bucket of clean water and neat bedding made from what looked like wood shavings covered the concrete floor.

She pulled a face, guessing this stable belonged to the chunky little pony in the paddock along the drive, but what about the rest? Were there more residents she hadn’t yet discovered? She sincerely hoped not. A fifth stable was a makeshift storeroom, with metal bins for feed and more buckets and ropes hanging neatly from hooks on the wall.

Was all this what her dad had meant when he’d said the house needed sorting out? Was she expected to evict an array of four-legged sitting tenants along with the irascible human one? She wished she’d paid more attention to the email from her dad’s solicitor. After looking in at the vets, she’d go back to the house, risk having a shower in that bathroom and see if she could persuade Harriet to join her in doing something nice. What that might be, Pippa had no idea.

A discreet sign on the wall of the final building was white with blue lettering and read Haworth we’ve only got one more patient to see.’ She glanced towards the chap and his cat, which was mewling quietly. ‘Then Gil’s on call for the rest of the weekend, but hopefully it’ll be a quiet one.’

‘You mentioned something about a locum earlier. How many vets do you have here?’

‘Nine in total, plus the nursing team and admin staff, but that’s across the two branches.’ Elaine raised an empty mug, covered in sheep. ‘How do you like your coffee?’

‘Espresso would be perfect, thanks.’ Pippa had noticed a box of capsules next to the machine. ‘I could do with the caffeine.’

‘I imagine you could,’ Elaine said sympathetically, removing a capsule from the box. ‘I’m sorry that you and Gil haven’t got off to the best start.’

‘That’s one way of putting it.’ Pippa wished she could laugh but humour simply wouldn’t come. ‘I hadn’t even heard of him before I—’

She’d been about to blurt out ‘barged into his bedroom’ and abruptly changed her mind. She already liked Elaine and didn’t imagine her gossiping about her boss, but she couldn’t vouch for the chap still casting sidelong glances Pippa’s way. One of the doors opened and a middle-aged woman in dark jeans and a navy polo shirt appeared. She smiled at the chap as she called a name and he ambled into the consulting room, clutching the carrier and still-mewling cat, and the door closed.

‘That was Wendy, our locum.’ Elaine passed Pippa the mug, which she accepted with thanks. ‘She’s covering for someone who’s off sick. Gil would like to hang on to her as she’s got plenty of farm experience, but of course he can’t offer a full-time job right now, not with things the way they are.’

‘I see.’ Pippa didn’t, not really. She noticed two black-and-white photographs pinned to the only wall without shelves; two men in each, standing beside a cow and a calf in one and amongst a flock of sheep in the second.

‘Biscuit, Pippa? We keep some for clients, along with the tissues. I promise they’re not dog treats.’

‘Yes please.’ Pippa wouldn’t normally resort to sugar before lunch but today was not turning out well, and she was half tempted to ask for a tissue as well. She wasn’t generally given to weeping either, but her dad and his scheming might reduce her to tears soon. She thanked Elaine again, this time for the tin of wrapped chocolate biscuits she was offering. Pippa took one, along with a deep breath.

‘So how are things, at the practice? I hope you don’t mind me asking but my dad didn’t give me much information before we arrived here.’

‘Of course not, I should think you need to know what you’re dealing with.’ Elaine settled back in the chair with her own coffee. ‘The practice was originally set up by Mr Fuller and Eddie Haworth, who farmed here when it was still part of the old estate. Gil’s grandad,’ she clarified, raising a hand to the photographs. ‘That’s him there, on the left in both pictures.’

Pippa was searching for a family resemblance to Gil in the stern-faced man staring back. But the images were too old, too faded, to distinguish anything other than perhaps a similarity in height and build.

‘When Mr Fuller died,’ Elaine continued, ‘another partner joined and eventually as modern medicine, treatment and surgery improved, the practice merged with a larger one in town. They kept this branch open, mostly for the local farmers, although we do have regular consultations for clients with companion animals who prefer not to go into town. But of course we can’t offer everything here. The building is outdated, and our kennels and X-ray facilities desperately need an upgrade, as well as the operating theatre and the lab. We have two consulting rooms, a treatment room and dispense drugs, but if it’s anything more serious then clients have to go into town. Occasionally vets on call will see patients out of hours here but it depends on the type of emergency they present.’

‘I see.’ Pippa was savouring a final mouthful of espresso after the two mugs of average coffee earlier. Gil had been right about that at least; she didn’t enjoy instant. ‘So when the house is sold, this branch will close, and all the clients will have to go into town.’

‘Sold?’ Elaine’s manicured eyebrows jumped upwards. ‘So that’s Jonny’s plan, is it? Gil suspected as much, he thought Jonny had sent you to do his dirty work for him and persuade him to quit.’

‘Er, well, it’s not decided yet,’ Pippa said hastily, trying to backtrack. ‘There’s a lot to think about before any decisions are made. Obviously, having a tenant in situ complicates things a bit, and then there’s the vets.’

She had been the one to translate her dad’s instruction of ‘sort’ into ‘sell’. But what else was there to do with Home Farm but sell it, and put Hartfell behind them once and for all? This place was nothing to do with Pippa and her life in London, even if Violet from the shop did think she resembled someone local.

‘So I take it you don’t know the practice is up for sale and that Gil wants to split it, take on the farm work and expand here, then?’ Elaine’s eye contact was unwavering. ‘Or about the time limit Jonny gave him to raise the money?’

‘I’m afraid I don’t.’ Pippa made a conscious effort to relax her jaw, wondering if steam escaping from ears was an actual thing. If it was, hers would be hissing by now as she began to realise the full extent of what Jonny had landed her in the middle of. ‘Could you please enlighten me, Elaine?’