‘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 readHaworth & Fuller Veterinary Practice. Right. So Gil’s name was on the door, as it were, and she suspected it made things a whole lot more complicated. She pushed it open and stepped into a practical and neat waiting room, white again with pale green lino on the floor. Half a dozen chairs were set against two walls, a mop and bucket leaning nearby. Animal and pet products were stacked on shelves and in cabinets on the third wall, collars and leads hanging from hooks a bright splash against the white.
Two doors, plus another with a WC for clients, led off the room. A portly middle-aged man in a shabby blue jacket with a cat carrier perched on his knee was waiting, and he gave Pippa a curious look as she hovered uncertainly. At the far end Elaine was sitting behind a reception counter, more rows of shelving offering a selection of medication above her head.
‘Pippa, hi, you found us.’ She stood up with a bright smile. Her olive green gilet and striped shirt were practical and stylish above jeans, and auburn hair was drawn back from her face, revealing excellent cheekbones and lip gloss. ‘Would you like that coffee now?’
‘I’d love one, thanks.’ Pippa thought of Elaine discovering her and Gil in the middle of a slanging match only a couple of hours ago as she approached the counter, wondering uncomfortably how much of it Elaine had heard. She was usually so careful with first impressions, especially if people were likely to know to whom she was related. She’d had her share of social media misfortunes and was wary of more. ‘If you’re sure you have time?’
