Page 30 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

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The day of the car show dawned and Pia was awake far too early, but there was absolutely no chance of her getting back to sleep, not with all that adrenaline racing around her veins. She threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and went down to the kitchen to be greeted, as she was every day, by Bertie and Teddy scampering over to see her, their tails wagging excitedly. Honestly, she wasn’t sure how she would have got through this last week without them. They offered so much emotional support, simply by being there and bringing a routine to the day which gave her some sense of normality.

She made herself a mug of coffee and plucked a banana from the fruit bowl, before sitting at the kitchen table savouring the peace and quiet, knowing it wouldn’t last for long. It would be such a busy day, and she knew she probably wouldn’t sit down from the time the first visitor came through the gates until the last visitor had left at the end of the day. She took some time to get her thoughts in order, running through her mental checklist of everything she needed to do, although really all the preparation work had been done and there would be nothing more to do until Tom and Stu arrived in a couple of hours’time for a final briefing meeting. Ivy would be coming in too and would be serving breakfast for anyone on the Primrose Hall team who wanted it. Pia picked up her phone and dashed off a text to Jackson.

Morning! Hope you had a good night’s sleep? Today’s the day! We’ll miss you and I’ll be thinking about you, but we’re all determined to do you proud! Will send over lots of photos and I’ve lined someone up to do some filming. I’ll keep you posted. The dogs send their love and so do I! Speak to you later xxx

She’d felt a pang of sadness pressing on the green arrow to send. Hopefully Jackson would still be asleep, although she knew that the days started early in hospital and it might be a very long day for him, stuck in bed, thinking about all that he was missing out on. Still, as she kept reminding herself, and him, it was only for one year, and there’d be so many other car shows in their future.

She jumped up from the table, determined not to let the negative thoughts overwhelm her. In the boot room she pulled on her coat and trainers and, with the dogs taking their cue, they rushed to the door to join her.

‘Come on then, boys,’ she called, and all three of them were relieved to step outside. Pia took a deep breath, relishing the sensation of the cool air on her skin, her heart lifting as she watched the dogs lolloping across the grass. At least she’d done something right already, the weather forecast promised warm and sunny spells, with no prospect of rain, and she didn’t care what anyone might say, she was definitely going to take full credit for that.

With a sense of expectation wafting in the air, the grounds of Primrose Hall looked stunning, which was primarily downto Mateo’s passion for horticulture and all his hard work. The lawns were newly mown and the beds in front of her were filled with summer blooms of lupins in purples and pinks, puffy sweet-smelling peonies and swathes of blue delphiniums. Over near the stables was the rose garden, filled with old-fashioned varieties, and on the brink of the hill that swept down towards the valley was a bank of wildflowers that always reminded Pia of long-ago summers with long white socks and glasses of lemonade. All the visitors today couldn’t fail to be impressed with the beauty of their surroundings, especially with the tall and imposing redwood trees providing a protective embrace all around them into the distance. Even for those long-suffering partners who weren’t petrol heads themselves, they would hopefully find something of interest to amuse them in the grounds of the hall. There were several pathways to be explored around the gardens with so many different shrubs and flowers to admire, and old stone benches positioned in secluded spots where you could sit for a moment to appreciate the best views of the countryside. There was even a gateway through to Primrose Woods country park if anyone wanted to venture further afield.

Pia walked around the boundary of the property, which abutted the woods, allowing the dogs to mooch around at their leisure, accompanied by the glorious dawn chorus. She was amused at how much racket they made. It was a noise she would often wake up to, but it was a sound she would never grow tired of. Occasionally on their walks the dogs would spot a squirrel and they would be off in hot pursuit, but both Bertie and Teddy were never quite fast enough to reach those scurrying nimble creatures before they hot-footed it up the nearest tree. She came across one of those stone benches and took the opportunity to sit and watch the dogs as they romped around the grounds, their antics making her laugh, as she was happy to simply soak up the atmosphere.

In a few hours, this place would be abuzz with visitors and activity and Pia was looking forward to welcoming them all. It was what she and Jackson had worked so hard for. It had always been Jackson’s intention, ever since he had bought the hall when it was a crumbling ruin standing neglected amongst overgrown vegetation, to share it with the local community once it had been restored to its former glory. He often told Pia how he considered himself to be only the custodian of the hall, with a duty to preserve it for future generations.

Every day, Pia was struck by how lucky she was to call the magnificent Primrose Hall, set in the beautiful verdant countryside, her home. She tried to imagine what her mum and dad would say if they were still around to see all this for themselves, and she could just picture their wide-eyed amazement. They would be so proud that she had stepped right out of her comfort zone and taken on a busy and demanding role, achieving so much in a relatively short space of time. More than that, they’d be thrilled that she’d found some security and contentment of her own after caring for her parents for so long.

‘We should get back!’ she said, more to herself than the dogs, who were currently investigating a mole hill over by the meadow. Mateo would not be pleased! The local wildlife was the bane of his existence, especially the moles who were determined to leave their mounds of earth all over his pristine lawns, the squirrels who buried their nuts in the grass and flowerbeds, and the foxes who deposited something much less savoury in all sorts of places. Pia would always listen sympathetically to Mateo as he grumbled about the visiting fauna, but secretly it delighted her to think of all the animals converging in the grounds, having their very own party.

Back at the hall, and after a quick shower and change of clothes, Pia was pleased to find Frank and Mateo in the kitchen,and Ivy had the coffee on and had laid out some pastries and fresh fruit on the oak table.

Soon Tom and Stu arrived too, along with another couple of guys who would be marshalling the stewards hired for the day. Pia had arranged walkie-talkies so that they could all keep in touch and alert each other to any issues that might arise. Hopefully, she had thought of everything, but you could never tell with these events, and usually something cropped up. After the sausage and bacon rolls had been served, everyone made moves to get outside and do some last-minute checks.

‘Honestly, Tom, I can’t thank you enough for coming. It just gives me so much confidence knowing that I can call on you and Stu in case of any problems. It’s a shame Jackson’s not here, but it can’t be helped. I can imagine his mood this morning, knowing he’ll be missing out.’

‘Well, I’m very pleased to be here. The forecast is looking good, so I think we’ll be in for a great day. Don’t worry about Jackson. I’ve already had several texts from him reminding me about certain things that need doing, an inventory of where things are kept and a list of people I need to talk to. You know, it’s almost as though he’s here.’ Tom slipped an arm round Pia’s waist and gave her a sidelong grin.

‘Well, aren’t you the lucky one? He’s not even replied to my text. I’m going into the hospital tonight to give him a blow-by-blow account of the day, so I need to remember to take lots of photos.’

She’d signed up one of the young stewards to film as much of the day’s events as was possible and it was a little later, as she stood with him outside the front portico of the hall to watch as the classic cars started to arrive, that she felt a ripple of goosebumps travel along her arms. The cars, in all different shapes, sizes and colours, made a stately procession as they drove along the wide driveway and Pia thought how splendidthey looked as they made their approach to the grounds. She bit on her lip, overcome by an unexpected swirl of emotion. She might not know the first thing about vehicles from a bygone age but the sight of them all together, pootling along the drive, stirred a reaction deep down inside of her.

Stu was ready and waiting with his clipboard to direct the participating cars and motorbikes into their display positions and she could see him in the distance, leaning down to talk to the drivers in turn through their car windows, before directing them to the main arena. She spotted Tom too walking around the grounds, chatting to each of the stallholders. From that point on, the day took on a momentum of its own and soon the visitors were arriving, bringing with them a palpable excitement in the air. Pia was pleased to see so many familiar faces and everyone was eager to know how Jackson was doing.

‘He’s much better than he was, thank you. He’s a bit fed up being confined to his hospital bed, but he’s going in the right direction.’

‘Well, send him our love and best wishes, won’t you?’

It was the same message from everyone she bumped into, the air of goodwill radiating around the show lifting her spirits even further. She took a leisurely amble around the grounds, making sure she stopped at every stall, and admired each and every vehicle, which had all been polished to such an extent that they gleamed beneath the summer sun. She pulled out her phone and took some more photos and fired them off to Jackson.

Don’t they all look fab! If there’s anything in particular you want to see then let me know and I will go and track it down. There’s such a brilliant turnout and everyone’s having a great time. All your hard work has definitely paid off. Everyone’s asking about you, and we’re all missing you dreadfully! Hope you’re feeling okay today?

She added, as an afterthought:

Lots of love xxx

Perhaps he was having a bad day managing his pain levels. That might be why she hadn’t heard from him. She knew that he put on a brave front for her, didn’t tell her the extent of his discomfort, but he didn’t have to. She could tell, by the way he bit on his lips and how his face creased in agony, how much he was going through. He probably had his head under a pillow trying to get some relief from his suffering and an escape from the realisation that his precious car show would be going ahead without him.

‘Stu!’ Pia spotted him as he just finished a conversation with a couple of leather-clad motorcyclists. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Great. Just look around you,’ he said, gesturing to the crowds milling around. ‘Look at those smiling faces. Everyone I’ve spoken to has said what a great event it is, so I think you’ve definitely achieved what you set out to do. Bringing all these people together with all these amazing old vehicles in such a beautiful setting, it’s the perfect combination. Some people were expecting to see Jackson, of course, so they were pretty shocked to hear about his accident. I expect he’ll receive a flurry of “get well” texts.’

‘Well, as long as they won’t be expecting a reply, because he’s certainly not replying to my messages or his mother’s!’ Pia was joking, but being here today, amongst all their visitors who were so enjoying themselves, brought home to her just how much Jackson was missing out on. She kept looking to her side, expecting him to be there, but instead experienced a pang of loss, feeling his absence keenly. She took a glance at her watch. It was after two o’clock and she hadn’t had anything to eat or drinksince breakfast. No wonder she was feeling wobbly. Obviously her blood sugar was low.

‘Look, I’m going to take a break to have a drink and grab something to eat. Do you fancy coming back for a cuppa or a beer if you prefer? A glass of wine?’ There were plenty of food and drink stalls around them, but Pia wanted to get back to the house to check on the dogs.

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