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‘Oh! That’s so lovely of you to say.’ Pippa flushed pink. ‘It’s so important to me to make this work. You see, it’s sort of the only real job I’ve ever had, and I haven’t even really started yet! But I need to prove that I can do this, and I know you are the person to help me. Anyway, enough about that.’
Gemma was getting used to the idea that Pippa jumped from topic to topic. She had got an inkling of how much opening the hotel meant to her when they first met. Pippa explained how she had gone from living with her father – who had now passed away – to getting married in her early twenties to a man who had hurt her very badly. She didn’t know the full story, but Pippa was so open she assumed she probably would at some stage. And Gemma felt a huge responsibility to help her. She was determined to do so.
Gemma stood up. She caught her reflection in the large, ornate full-length mirror and it took her by surprise, for a moment.
She’d undergone a bit of a makeover before her job interview; a long overdue image change. Her dark blonde hair had been lightened and cut into shoulder-length layers, giving it the illusion of thickness. She started wearing make-up, only a bit, but it did brighten her up. Gemma had never thought of herself as attractive, mainly because no one apart from her nan ever told her she was. But not anymore. New job, new Gemma, and now all she had to do was to meet Pippa’s family and help them to open a hotel. How hard could it be?
She followed Pippa down the long, curved staircase, once again marvelling at the house and almost losing her footing. She couldn’t begin to imagine how it would feel to live in it, or to have grown up here. A fantasy life.
‘They’re in here, the dining room,’ Pippa said as she opened the door, stepping back to let Gemma go first.
Sitting around the most enormous dining table, she found herself looking at the rest of the family. She gulped and tried to find a smile.
The dining room was every bit as magnificent as she expected. She was so busy staring at a huge portrait of a handsome man, a beautiful woman with three small children and a baby, which she knew must be the Singer family, that she walked into the table.
‘Ow,’ she said, reddening and rubbing her hip.
‘Are you all right?’ Pippa asked as her family, all sat along one side of the table, looked at her with puzzled expressions.
‘Sorry, I was looking at …’ Words failed her.
Collecting herself, she concentrated on the siblings, who she felt she knew from her Internet research. Despite the fact that two of them had dark hair (Harriet and Gus) and one of them blonde like Pippa (Freddie), they shared familiar similarities. There was also an older woman, and another man with messy brown hair and a smile that almost put her at ease, who she assumed must be Gwen and Connor from details that Pippa had shared and she had committed to her memory.
Gwen was the family’s housekeeper and second mum. She was semi-retired but she still pretty much ran the domestic side of Meadowbrook. Connor, her son, was Harriet’s boyfriend, and they lived together in one of the cottages she’d passed on her way here. Gwen lived in the other. Gemma was piecing it all together in her mind, trying to keep track and concentrate. She needed to make sure she knew and remembered everything.
Freddie looked a bit like a male version of Pippa and was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen – he looked like a film star. The photo she had seen of him didn’t quite do him justice; he was even more gorgeous in real life. As he smiled at her, her knees buckled, but she grabbed the table to steady herself.
Next to him sat Gus, who was handsome in a more traditional way; hair flecked with grey, dark brown eyes and a serious expression. Harriet was undoubtedly attractive, well groomed and had an air of sophistication about her – they were a good-looking family. Intimidatingly so. Especially Harriet, whose demeanour was sharper and who was still eyeing Gemma with suspicion.
If Gemma were normal, she might have felt a stab of jealousy. Here she was, with no family except for a nan wasting away in a nursing home, and here were they, all attractive, living in luxury and having each other. But Gemma didn’t do jealousy. Envy maybe, but not full-blown resentment. It wasn’t in her nature.
‘This is Gemma Matthews,’ Pippa said with a flourish. ‘Gemma, from left to right, that’s Freddie, Gus, and Harriet.’ She paused and smiled. ‘And of course Gwen, who’s lovely and the best cook ever; she’ll help us to design all the menus for the hotel. And finally Connor, Harry’s boyfriend who runs the animal sanctuary and is also a vet.’
‘Hello,’ Gemma said. She was gripping the table so tightly her knuckles turned white.
There was a woof and a shaggy Old English sheepdog rushed out from under the table and bounded up to Gemma.
‘Oh, and not forgetting Hilda,’ Pippa said as Gemma bent down to stroke her.
Well the dog was friendly at least and gave her a chance to try to compose herself. Whether she was nervous, intimidated, terrified or a combination of the three she was unsure, but she needed to pull herself together. She hadn’t yet managed to get through an hour at Meadowbrook – how would she manage six months?
‘Sit down,’ Harriet commanded, sounding formal.
Gemma immediately did as she was told. She knew that Harriet used to work in investments in New York and had a reputation as quite a “ballbreaker”.
‘Right,’ Harriet continued. ‘Sorry to jump right in, but Pippa hired you before she actually told us she had even interviewed anyone.’ She didn’t sound delighted and Gemma felt uneasy at this piece of news.
‘But, Harry, you said I could take the lead with the hotel,’ Pippa objected.
‘Well yes, and I know we’ve been through this a thousand times, but Gemma needs to understand that it’s still a family business,’ Gus pointed out, although he smiled reassuringly at Gemma. ‘Pip, decisions this big should be shared.’
‘Exactly,’ Harriet added.
‘I agree,’ Freddie concurred. ‘The thing is, Gemma, that this is our hotel, not just Pippa’s, and I know my little sister is a little overenthusiastic about it but well, I also think that we should have met you before she offered you the job.’
Gemma felt her heart sink. They were going to sack her before she’d even had a chance to see the whole house at this rate. Perhaps she shouldn’t have unpacked.
‘Hang on,’ Pippa said. ‘Of course the hotel is a family business, which is why you are all here, but I am going to take charge, we agreed, so I think that I was perfectly within my rights to hire Gemma.’
As Gemma’s head swung between the siblings, she wondered just what was going on.
‘If you really believed that then why didn’t you tell us before you actually offered her the job?’ Harriet pushed. ‘Instead of just having her turn up.’ She smiled, slightly smugly, having made her point.
Gemma would not like to argue with Harriet.
‘It was a surprise,’ Pippa said, but she glanced down at the table a little shamefaced.
Gemma’s heart sank. Pippa didn’t have the blessing of the others to hire her, and she had done it without them because she didn’t want them to disagree with her. Which she had a feeling they would have done. She couldn’t imagine Harriet hiring her in a million years. Harriet would have hired someone more like herself, probably.
‘Oh, great way to run a business.’ Harriet’s voice was laced with sarcasm. ‘If only I’d managed to run a multimillion-pound trading desk by surprising everyone.’
‘Now hang on, this isn’t the same thing,’ Pippa argued. ‘And I know you wanted to be involved, but I thought as I would be working the most closely with the hotel consultant then I should have the final say.’
‘Well it is almost the same, because it’s our future,’ Freddie countered. ‘The future of our family home.’
‘And therefore we need to agree on the big decisions,’ Harriet persisted.
Gemma wondered if she should just leave. It was as if they had forgotten she was there.
‘Hold on,’ Gwen said. ‘Before you all descend into a massive argument in front of Gemma, and let’s face it, we’ve been through this enough times before she got here, perhaps we should give Pippa and Gemma a chance.’ Her voice was calm and reasonable, and Gemma wanted to throw herself into her arms. ‘After all, she’s here now.’
‘I agree,’ Connor said, earning himself a scowl from his girlfriend. ‘No, Harry, I mean I agree with you, Pippa shouldn’t have gone behind your back, but … So how about you let Gemma show you that she’s the right person for the job?’ He leant over and kissed Harriet’s cheek as she pretended to pull away from him without actually doing so. They were clearly in love – it was written over both their faces.
‘A probation period then,’ Harriet said.
Gemma groaned inwardly. It was like being given sweets and then having most of them taken away again.
‘That’s a good compromise,’ Gus reasoned.
‘One month.’ Harriet stared at Gemma, who looked at the table.
‘I’m OK with that.’ Freddie shrugged.
‘I guess that’s fair,’ Gus added.
‘Well, I suppose I don’t have a choice.’ Pippa didn’t sound very keen.
Nor was Gemma. She thought about the fact that she had left her job for this, and the fact that her nan’s bungalow would be sold soon and she would have nowhere to live. Not to mention the care home fees that needed paying. She needed this job. She had no choice but to do whatever it took to keep it. She decided to take a chance, to seize the day, something she had never done before, but something she vowed she would do from now on.
‘Can I just say,’ she started, trying to ignore the wobble in her voice, ‘I have given up a full-time job to come here, and I was overjoyed at the idea that I would get a chance to help you to set up a brand-new hotel, but if you aren’t able to agree with each other, I’m not sure how this is going to work.’ She paused as she felt all eyes on her. ‘I mean it is a family business as you’ve pointed out, and the future of your family home, so before we start, everyone needs to be on the same page.’
‘Good point, Gemma,’ Gwen said. ‘Don’t worry, love, they bicker a lot. You’ll get used to it, but when the chips are down they all support each other. Don’t you?’ Gwen glared at each of them in turn.
‘Of course we do,’ Pippa mumbled. ‘Gemma, will you accept a trial period, just to keep the peace? After all, I knew as soon as I met you, you were right for Meadowbrook, so therefore I have every confidence in you, even if my siblings don’t in me.’ She folded her arms.
Gemma felt sick. She had to resist holding her hands up and saying she wasn’t sure she could do it after all. But then again she thought of her nan, before she got ill, telling her that she was capable of so much, that she needed to aim for the stars and start taking risks. It was one of the last, most lucid conversations they’d had. She needed to take her words on board. She owed her that much.
‘Of course. I’m confident in my abilities and am happy to prove it to you all,’ she replied, feeling her leg shaking under the table and hoping she was a good liar, because she clearly needed to be.
‘Right, well that’s all decided.’ Harriet finally smiled. ‘So, welcome to Meadowbrook, Gemma, and perhaps we can now all go to the kitchen and have a nice cup of tea and some of Gwen’s famous cake.’
‘Great, thanks.’ Gemma felt relief pumping through her veins, although she also felt a bit faint.
‘Or I could make a cocktail?’ Freddie suggested.
‘Fred, it’s only three o’clock,’ Gus said.
‘All right, all right, tea it is then.’ He rolled his eyes.
Gemma felt as if she had jumped, or rather stumbled over the first hurdle. Hilda sat at her feet and thumped her tail against her leg. She had won over Pippa and Hilda, Gwen and Connor seemed supportive, so just the other three to go then.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a pleasant blur. Harriet was a little warmer towards her – slightly south of Siberia anyway, as they sat in the largest kitchen that Gemma had ever seen, apart from on Downton Abbey. Gwen put the most sumptuous-looking cake in the centre of the kitchen table, Connor and Gus made tea, and as they all sat around the less formal table, Hilda settled herself by the Aga and promptly fell asleep. It was such a family scene, Gemma thought, but one that drew tears to her eyes, as she had never had a family like this. Visions of Sunday afternoon tea with her nan and her, sat alone around the small Formica table, illustrated her childhood. Her granddad died before she was born. Her father left days after her birth, followed four years later by her mother. She hadn’t seen either of them since. Her nan took over Gemma’s care with a devotion that she knew she was lucky to have.
Gemma loved her nan and she couldn’t have wished for more love in her childhood. She hated to sound as if she were ungrateful, but she often wondered what would have happened had her parents not left. When she was younger she fantasised that they hadn’t, that they had stayed together and given Gemma siblings. Pure childish fantasy.
‘Harry, I have to get back to the sanctuary,’ Connor said, standing up, putting his hand on Harriet’s shoulder and kissing her.
Gemma noticed the smile creep into Harriet’s face, making her look so much prettier than she did when she was scowling.
‘I’ll be down later. Leave anything you need me to do in the office.’
‘Gemma, you should think yourself lucky that you were interviewed by Pippa. When Harry had to hire an admin officer for the sanctuary she practically reduced every candidate to tears. All they have to do is make coffee and file and yet she acted as if she were hiring the next CEO of a multinational,’ Freddie quipped.
‘I am just thorough,’ Harriet snapped, then smiled. ‘But I did hire the only person who didn’t burst into tears.’
Gemma didn’t know why she was speechless but she couldn’t find her voice.
‘There’s part of me who will always think I’m a woman on a trading floor having to show a bunch of sexist men who’s boss,’ Harriet continued. ‘So I will apologise for that ahead of time.’
‘Well, the hotel business is definitely competitive,’ Gemma said, finally able to speak.
‘We might get on just fine then, because I’m nothing if not competitive,’ Harriet said, putting her hand out, palm flat towards Gemma.
Gemma ducked as if she were about to be hit, and Harriet rolled her eyes. Freddie laughed and even Gus looked amused. Gemma chastised herself – of course Harriet wasn’t going to strike her. What was wrong with her?
‘I was going for a high five, but never mind,’ Harriet said, shaking her head.
‘Gemma, tomorrow I’ll give you a tour of the land – I’ve got a buggy,’ Freddie offered.
‘And he’s not afraid to use it,’ Gus quipped.
‘I hope you’re not too fainthearted,’ was Harriet’s parting shot.
Gemma was pretty fainthearted, but she had a feeling that she needed to change, and fast, to fit in here.
Chapter 4
A beeping interrupted her dreams and as she woke, Gemma wondered briefly where she was. She fully opened her eyes, feeling momentarily content as she looked around marvelling at her surroundings. She stretched and felt as if her whole body had been rested. It was definitely the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, and there was no denying that the bedding was of the highest quality, nicer than that of the last hotel she worked in. She had learnt all about thread counts and Egyptian cotton bedding, and her guess was that this was pretty damn expensive. Meadowbrook was pure luxury already, so to turn it into a lovely boutique hotel didn’t seem like much of a stretch. Although she had a long, long road ahead of her.
Last night she had eaten dinner with Pippa and Freddie in the kitchen. The others all had plans, but Gwen had prepared a meal – apparently she normally did – which they warmed up in the Aga. Gemma, having been too nervous to eat much in the days leading up to her arrival at Meadowbrook, devoured every delicious mouthful. Freddie had chatted about his ideas for a specialist cocktail bar as he kept the wine flowing.
Gemma had sipped the expensive-tasting wine cautiously.
‘Don’t you like wine?’ Freddie asked, refilling his and Pippa’s glasses but noting hers was still almost full.
‘Yes, but I’m just not much of a drinker,’ Gemma replied, taking a sip.
Freddie gaped at her in horror. Thankfully, Pippa had saved her by gushing about how much of a success the hotel was going to be now she was on board. The upside was that they didn’t expect much from her; the downside was that filtering all the information being thrown at her was quite exhausting.
After they’d eaten, Gemma had pleaded exhaustion and had headed off to bed early. There she washed, changed into her pyjamas, set her alarm and then settled down with her text books, reading as much as she could before she must have fallen asleep.
There was so much going on, and she needed to process it, but she was feeling very overwhelmed. She told herself it was only day one, and she had, if she survived her probation, six months to get plans for Meadowbrook together, so there was no need to panic just yet. But Gemma was good at panicking.
She sat up in bed and wondered what they would need to do to the room she was in. It was pretty perfect. Expensive wallpaper on some walls, Farrow & Ball paint on the others, along with furniture of the highest quality. There was a pale pink chaise longue and a pale grey velvet armchair, a dressing table with a stool that matched the chaise and a walk-in wardrobe, bigger than Gemma had ever seen. It looked shamefully understocked with Gemma’s clothes.
The en suite bathroom was also ridiculously luxurious, putting the beige suite in her nan’s house to shame. When Gemma thought about her daily routine there – the shower above the small bath that trickled rather than gushed and was never quite the right temperature – she couldn’t compare it. This was a million miles from what she was used to. The huge bath was brass coloured and was almost big enough for a family of four. The shower had its own compartment with a glass wall along one side and the largest showerhead she’d ever seen. The basin and loo matched the bath; basically, the whole room looked as if it had stepped out of an interiors magazine – which she was pretty sure it had.
Gemma thought, briefly, how she wished people could see her now. Sat up in the huge bed, about to start the job of a lifetime. Firstly her nan, who would be so proud to see her doing so well. Then those who hadn’t been quite so supportive. There was a long list, but at the top would be her ex-boyfriend, Chris, who had done his best to destroy what little self-esteem she had before dumping her when her nan took priority over his needs. And then her ex-boss, Clarissa, who took the tiny bit of self-esteem that she had escaped Chris with and tried to stamp all over that. They had nearly succeeded, but not quite, because she was here. She couldn’t believe it. Boring, ordinary Gemma Matthews was at Meadowbrook Manor.
She told herself off for getting carried away. She wasn’t here to gloat and of course, she needed to be vigilant; she had a huge task ahead of her. Being the sort of person who rarely got noticed throughout her life, Gemma noticed everything. That was one of her best skills, and she was sure that the key to the Meadowbrook Hotel was to find out what the house and the Singer siblings were really like, to unearth their personalities, to understand both the house and them fully. The hotel business was competitive and to stand out from the crowd wasn’t going to be easy. But she believed the answers lay somewhere within Meadowbrook’s walls.
Reluctantly getting out of bed, she opted for a quick shower – which didn’t disappoint – before dressing. Her heart sunk as she realised that she really hadn’t thought that latter part of it through. Not just because her clothes didn’t in any way reflect the glamorous surroundings, but also because next to the stylish Singer sisters, she felt dowdy. She had brought work suits – all grey, navy and brown – and very few casual clothes. And compared to Pippa and Harriet in their expensive jeans and soft cashmere jumpers, her clothes were cheap and outdated. Looking at the few bits she’d brought, she realised she’d stand out, for the wrong reasons. God, even Gwen was more fashionable than she was. She tried to breathe and told herself that she wasn’t going to cry or fall apart over her clothes. She would explain to Pippa that she hadn’t been sure what to bring and she would ask advice. After all, she could always go shopping at the weekend, although she would have to watch what she spent.
Previously, Gemma hadn’t the time, the money nor the energy to worry about what she looked like outside work. She had never been much of a girly girl. She didn’t make friends easily and the few friends she had tended to be as uninterested in fashion as she was. At her last job the women she worked with had all been bitchy and seemed to look down on her, mainly because of Clarissa, who had taken an instant dislike to Gemma and ensured everyone who wanted to keep their jobs followed suit. Pushing her dark thoughts away again, she turned her attention to getting ready.
She opted for a pair of dark blue jeans and a red jumper, which had seen better days but weren’t too bad, she supposed. But she still didn’t look like the Gemma she was trying to be and therefore she didn’t feel like her. Confident, capable and attractive, that was who she needed to be. That was who she wanted to be, and she would strive to get there. She needed to take pride in herself, not just for shallow reasons, but also it was time she began to believe what her nan had been trying to tell her all her life – that she was good enough.
Feeling like a visitor – which of course she was – she tentatively made her way downstairs, taking her time, drinking in her surroundings. She studied each piece of art, wondering what the origins were. She took her phone out and took photos – they would inspire her when she was working in her room, hopefully. She made her way to the kitchen, to find Pippa already there looking both groomed and beautiful. She was making a pot of coffee and munching a piece of toast at the same time.
‘Good morning, Gemma. I was going to bring you a drink, but then I realised I don’t know if you prefer tea or coffee, or how you take it,’ Pippa said, smiling warmly in greeting.
‘Coffee please, just white please, no sugar.’
Gemma went to stand by the Aga, enjoying the warmth. She watched how Pippa glided about the kitchen, making everything look effortless. Gemma sighed inwardly – would she ever be able do that? She took a seat at the kitchen table and when Pippa handed her her coffee, she decided to try to claw back some control.
‘Tell me about how the house runs at the moment,’ she asked, pulling out her notebook. She was going to ensure she had it on her at all times. No detail was too small to miss.
‘Of course, Gwen took care of everything really; we’ve only just convinced her into semi-retirement. She used to live here. I’ll show you her apartment; it’s at the back of the house. But because only Freddie and I are here, she moved back into her cottage. Between you and me, she’s got a sort of boyfriend, Gerry, and I think she wants her own space for their relationship.’
‘So who takes care of the house now?’ Gemma couldn’t see Freddie with a pair of Marigolds, that was for sure.
‘We have a cleaning company that comes in twice a week. Gwen manages them – we daren’t mess with her when it comes to this house! We also have a local girl, Vicky, who comes up three times a week. She does a few bits, laundry and ironing. She also works for Harry and she cooks from time to time. The idea is that she will take on a bigger housekeeping role when the hotel opens. She’s quite keen to do more cooking as well, and so we are sort of training her up, or Gwen is anyway. None of us can really cook – we were terribly spoilt by Gwen. We still are.’