She stared across the huge expanse of land soaring to the sky, dotted with farmhouses and barns, and marked by high stone walls. In winter the weather must be brutal, but on a summer’s day like this, the view was glorious. Back in London the city, beautiful though it was, didn’t make her long to sketch quite like this and she’d return when she had more time to enjoy it. She was the only one in the family who painted; her dad and Raf wrote songs, and Tilly had trained as a chef and created exquisite dishes almost too good to eat. As she turned around, Pippa was musing again from where her longing to express herself in colour, form and texture had come from. She needed to download a proper map to explore out here; it would be easy to get lost and she didn’t want to leave Harriet for too long.
Back at the farm Pippa spotted Lola ambling across the yard as she snuck into the garden, hoping to avoid Gil. But two voices were drifting on the breeze, and she clamped her lips together. Had he brought someone back to the caravan last night and in full view of Harriet’s room?
Pippa forgot all about remaining out of sight and stormed into the yard to confront him. She halted the moment she saw Elaine talking with Gil outside the caravan, and heard him say that it was totally fine, and he’d manage. The older woman looked upset, and Pippa smiled uncertainly as Elaine looked across. ‘Hi Elaine.’
‘Oh, Pippa, hi.’ There was an anxiety in Elaine’s expression that hadn’t been present yesterday. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m fine, thanks.’ She hesitated, not wanting to intrude but concerned about Elaine. ‘Is everything okay?’ She glanced at Gil, who gave her a nod and folded his arms.
‘Not really.’ Elaine bit her lip. ‘I’m sorry to call so early. My father’s in hospital after a nasty fall, and he lives on his own. I don’t really know how he’s going to manage, or even if he’ll be able to go back home at all.’
‘Oh Elaine, I’m so sorry.’ Pippa’s irritation with Gil for assuming he’d had an overnight guest was gone. ‘I hope he’s going to be okay. Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘I don’t think so, but thank you. It’s very kind of you to offer.’ Elaine’s eyes were darting between Pippa, Gil, and the phone in her hand. ‘I don’t know how long I’ll be away, and I’m worried about leaving Gil on his own. I know it’s only four mornings a week, but there’s lots to do.’
‘Elaine, it’s fine, really. Please don’t worry about me. Your dad needs you and that comes first. Take as long as you want, there’s no rush.’
Pippa blinked, unused to the sincere tone and warm words from Gil, and steeled herself against liking it too much. There was no point in suddenly wishing that things between them were different and she could avoid all confrontations. She had some decisions to make about Home Farm and soon, and it was a shock to remember quite how much they would impact his life.
‘Maybe there is something you could do, please?’ Elaine laid a trembling hand on Pippa’s arm. ‘I know you’re busy with things here, but perhaps you could help Gil, in the practice? Look after reception when he’s consulting so he doesn’t have to do it all on his own? The system is quite straightforward and I’m sure you’d pick it up very quickly. Clients can book appointments online, but the farmers still prefer to ring and speak to someone.’
‘Me?’ Pippa spluttered, her gaze jumping to Gil in time to see the kindness fall from his face, swiftly replaced by a look of dismay. ‘I’m sorry, Elaine, I really don’t think I could.’
‘No, of course not, it was only a thought.’ Elaine offered a weak smile, the glimpse of hope gone. ‘It’s just that he’s working so hard to keep the practice going and I wouldn’t want to be the reason why it would have to close. Perhaps you can get a temp in, Gil.’
Pippa felt another flicker of guilt. She’d literally just offered to help and had refused Elaine’s only request because it involved Gil. Shewason her summer break, and she supposed there would be hours to fill whilst she was here. And Elaine had been kind, had supported her request to use the Wi-Fi when Gil would have likely refused her. She took a deep breath, silently praying that it wouldn’t mean she’d have to extend her stay.
‘You really mustn’t be worrying whilst you’re away, you have enough to think about with your dad,’ she said firmly, trying not to look at Gil to gauge his reaction. ‘Of course I’ll do it.’
After a lovely lunch at the pub, where Harriet had got on brilliantly with Kenny, and Vince had been summoned from the kitchen to meet them, she’d returned to her room for the evening and Pippa was perched on the lumpy orange sofa in the sitting room. None of her plumping could improve the cushions and she was finding it difficult to settle in what she now knew had been Gil’s childhood home, after the one with his parents in Dorset.
She’d gone shopping earlier and Harriet had decided to go with her. They’d driven to a lovely market town about fifteen miles away and stocked up on food, cutlery, pans, and a basic white dinner service for four. Harriet had thawed as she’d soaked up Wi-Fi in the pub afterwards and they’d even laughed together, which to Pippa felt like a huge win.
Another unexpected consequence of Elaine going away, Pippa had learned earlier, was that she also looked after Posy the Shetland pony, popping down each day to take care of her. She’d showed Pippa how to muck out Posy’s stable, refill the haynet and how much feed the pony was allowed to keep her weight at a reasonable level. Over lunch at the pub Pippa had been thrilled when Harriet agreed to help.
So tomorrow, she had Posy to deal with before her first morning in the surgery. Gil had made himself scarce during the induction with Elaine and Pippa had known from his glittering blue eyes that he wasn’t comfortable with the new arrangement. But having her in situ was apparently preferable to managing alone and he’d wished Elaine all the best with her dad.
Pippa picked up her phone, frustrated at the lack of signal as she attempted to message Cassie. She couldn’t be bothered to stroll down to the village now, it would keep until tomorrow when she’d be at the vets. Just the thought of being around Gil made her stomach clench with nerves. Her sister Tilly had sent another request, which Pippa had read at the pub, asking if she could put her in touch with an influencer Pippa knew vaguely who might be interested in Tilly’s Greek B&B.
Her youngest sister Phoebe, who was twenty, effortlessly stunning and dabbling with modelling whilst she decided what kind of career she might like, also wanted to know if she might borrow Pippa’s house for a shoot, could she recommend a caterer and if so, would she mind contacting them on Phoebe’s behalf? Pippa sighed and shoved her phone away; they were all requests she’d deal with tomorrow.
She couldn’t escape thoughts of Gil in this room with his grandmother, imagining them cleaving together through their shared loss. The house seemed trapped by the past and she doubted the decor had altered in decades. Beige walls were plain above a dark green carpet and every scrap of wooden furniture was dark. Her gaze went to a cabinet on the left of the mantelpiece, its four shelves filled with clutter. Curiosity getting the better of guilt, Pippa got up to have a closer look.
She turned a tiny key in its lock and carefully opened the doors. Everything was layered in thick grey dust and some fluttered to the floor at the disturbance. A porcelain tea service was dirty but still pretty, bright with delicate yellow flowers. She saw a blue trinket box with a jewelled lid and a small silver bell, dulled from neglect. She ran a finger over a miniature bible in a box, the clasp broken, and her breath faltered when she noticed a group of medals held together by frayed ribbon and realised they were awards for swimming.
The bottom shelf was full of photograph albums, and she removed one, settling on the window seat overlooking the back garden for better light. She flicked through black-and-white images of farming life down the years, searching for anyone who might be familiar. She didn’t recognise the faces of men, women and children lined up outside the chapel in their Sunday best, or gathering the harvest in the fields alongside horses and carts. Was Ivy, whom Violet had mentioned, in these photographs, and would Pippa even know her if she was?
She got up and replaced the album with another, retaking her seat in the window. This one was more recent, the photographs moving gradually from black and white to colour. Her fingers on the page froze when her eyes landed on an image of her dad as a teenager, probably not much older than Harriet was now. His arm was slung around the shoulders of a taller boy, blond and unmistakably familiar, both laughing.
‘What are you doing?’
Pippa yelped, startled from thoughts of the past and the photograph album slid to the floor. She shrank back as Gil marched across and snatched it from the carpet. A muscle was pounding in his cheek, and she scrambled up, trying to gather her thoughts.
‘I’m so sorry, I—’
‘Your father might own this house but that doesn’t give you the right to rifle through anything you find. All this belonged to my grandparents and I haven’t got anywhere else to put it.’
‘Gil, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, truly.’ She made herself hold his gaze, chilled by that cool stare. ‘In the album, is that…?’ She had to know, and she swallowed. ‘Your dad, with mine?’
