When Pippa made her way to the show, she set off to explore, passing farmers across every generation gathered around the various holding pens, chatting as the animals nibbled at feed before the serious business of showing began. Further on, rows of stalls were lined up, offering mental health support to those working in rural locations, charities raising funds with a tombola and coconut shy on others. Dorothy had brought the alpacas, Pippa spotting Rufus and Rupert penned just along from the sheep, staring warily at the crowds descending. She prayed Rupert wouldn’t spit on Raf; she didn’t imagine that her brother would appreciate such animal antics.
The food courts were doing a roaring trade, and children were already slithering down a bouncy slide and leaping on trampolines, parents waiting nearby glad of momentary respite. The double-decker bus repurposed as a bar had seats, already full, on the top deck and the list of cocktails looked tempting. Pippa promised herself one later if the day went to plan. A band was tuning up on a shallow stage beneath an open-sided marquee, their first set due to begin in an hour.
Native ponies were being shown in hand in the main arena and vintage tractors were proving popular as visitors inspected them and posed for selfies. The local fell rescue service was well represented, as was an artisan gin distillery, handmade soap, candles and locally produced chocolates, and she bought some of each, saving her goodies for later. She was welcomed wherever she went, and realised she was actually starting to enjoy herself. The show was clearly a success, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Pippa, hi!’
She turned, thinking about collecting Raf from the house for his appearance. Rose was standing behind a table at another stall offering advice and support to those farming in protected landscapes, alongside a second displaying a beautifully presented range of skincare. Each box was white, with the brand name, Remedy & Rose, pretty inside a soft pink rose.
‘Can I tempt you into reading our latest newsletter?’ Rose held out a few A4 pages stapled together. ‘Or you can scan this QR code and download it later, I’m afraid the 4G isn’t brilliant out here.’
‘I’ll scan.’ Pippa reached for her phone and scanned the code; something to read later perhaps. ‘Thanks, Rose. Good day so far?’
‘For sure, it’s very busy. The weather helps of course, but then we don’t usually get a rock star and a rock star’s daughter as special guests.’
‘Not sure about special,’ Pippa said wryly, putting her phone away. ‘Notorious might be more like it.’ She admired the beautifully presented range of skincare, everything from bars of soap and handwash, to shower gels, moisturiser and muscle rub.
‘I think it’s brilliant, I hope I get to meet Raf.’ Rose’s striking brown eyes were merry, and she thanked a couple who picked up a leaflet before wandering off. ‘Do you think he’ll have time to say hello?’
‘I’ll make sure he does.’ Pippa also made a mental note to tell Raf to behave himself. Rose was different to his usual girlfriends, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do his best to charm her. Lay off the locals, would be Pippa’s firm message. The last thing she needed was her brother breaking someone’s heart here and taking off on tour again.
‘Are you a volunteer?’ She was scanning the information laid out on the table, details of an upcoming farm visit, a talk on farm diversification and a social evening next month.
‘No, I work part-time for the Yorkshire Dales Park Authority, I’m one of the FPL officers.’ Seeing Pippa looking blank, Rose smiled before carrying on. ‘Farming in a Protected Landscape. We’re a link between the park authority and the farmers, offering information and support, and helping the two to work together. I farm with my brother, although he does most of the day-to-day. I help out but I’m more on the diversification side of things, hence the skincare.’
‘It’s gorgeous.’ Pippa picked up a muscle rub and two lip balms. ‘I’ll take these please. Harriet will love the vanilla one and I’m definitely feeling the difference when I run on those fells.’
‘Thanks, Pippa, that’s lovely.’ Rose reached for her phone. After Pippa tapped her own phone and the internet thought about it, the transaction went through. ‘I hope it helps. There’s ginger in the muscle rub because it’s anti-inflammatory and the chamomile is very calming.’
Pippa thanked her and slipped her goodies into a bag which was becoming heavy; she’d leave it at the house when she returned for Raf.
‘Actually, I think you and I have another connection.’ Rose leaned forward. ‘My son Alfie has very recently met Harriet. He was delivering haylage to Dorothy with my brother the other day, and James said Alfie came home with stars in his eyes.’
‘Alfie’s your son! Right.’ Pippa liked him even more now. Not that she hadn’t to begin with, but there was a warmth and an openness to Rose that was very inviting. ‘I’ve barely seen Harriet since.’
‘Same. Although Alfie helps James as much as he can anyway. He can’t wait for school to finish next week so he can farm all summer.’ Rose raised a hand to point. ‘If you’re looking for Harriet, I think she’s over at the Young Farmers’ with him. They’ve got a few things planned for fundraising and he’s taking his turn on the dunking stool. Not a bad thing to do on a lovely day like this.’
‘No.’ Pippa agreed, turning to have a look. Harriet was laughing with a bunch of teenagers, Alfie at her side, as another boy picked up a hammer and whacked it down on a high striker, trying to make the bell at the top ring. Pippa and Rose shared a smile at the cheers that followed his success.
‘How would you fancy joining me for a walk sometime, Pippa?’ Rose was tidying the flyers on the table after a little boy had muddled them up. ‘It’s not a formal thing. A few of us local women got together for coffee and decided we’d rather meet outdoors and do something active. Early morning works best before we’re swallowed up by other commitments, so we meet outside the pub every Wednesday at six. Kenny’s a sweetheart and he has takeaway coffee and muffins ready for when we get back. Usually it’s a walk but if it’s nice we might strip off and have a dip in the river. Not skinny dip,’ Rose added hastily as she caught the look on Pippa’s face. ‘Not unless that’s your thing. No pressure either way, you do you.’
‘It does sound lovely. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here but I appreciate the invitation, thank you.’
‘You’re very welcome,’ Rose replied. ‘We’d love to see you, even if it’s only just the once. You can message me if you like, my details are in the newsletter.’
‘Thank you. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.’
‘So what do you think of Alfie and Harriet? She’s a wonderful young lady, Pippa. So polite and respectful.’
Pippa was very thankful that Harriet’s good manners extended beyond their home. But that had never been in doubt, it was just her mum with whom she was so tetchy. ‘It’s very sweet,’ she said carefully. ‘But I really hope neither of them find it hard to separate once we leave, probably in a week or so.’
‘So soon?’ Rose’s hand stilled on a sheaf of flyers. ‘Harriet said she thought you might be here for the summer.’
Pippa coughed, wondering where that idea had come from. ‘I’m not sure. I have some decisions to make on the house and we’ll be going home once Elaine returns. Harriet has netball camp coming up and she’ll be going away with her dad in August.’
‘So you’re selling it, then, the house? That’s what everyone’s expecting.’ Rose nodded sadly. ‘It does make sense seeing as you don’t have a connection to the village now, but it’ll be devastating to lose the practice. All the local farmers rely on it.’
‘It’s not certain. There are some things to decide first.’ Pippa loathed fabricating the truth and felt that was a compromise she could hang on to for now.
