Page 5 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

‘Fine. As long as you’re happy with the arrangements then that’s all that matters. We should definitely get the date in the diary, though, so we can start to make plans, or else the year will run away from us.’

‘No sooner said than done!’ Pia jumped up from her seat and dashed into the office, returning moments later with her laptop. She opened it up and pulled up the calendar. They’d already decided upon a winter wedding, as it was Pia’s favourite time of the year, and the hall was at its most imposing and welcoming when it was set aglow with a myriad of lights against the dark sky. The Christmas carols evening held in the grounds of the hall had proved to be very popular, drawing in crowds from not only the local area, but further afield too, and it was the last event on the social calendar, a celebration and culmination of all the hard work in the year. Jackson peered over her shoulder to look at the screen.

‘You know, it makes sense to do it then.’ He waved a pencil over the calendar. ‘It’s the weekend after the Christmas carols, the place will look at its best and what better way to round off the year?’ He paused, tilting his chin to the ceiling as he did when he was mulling over an idea.

‘Does that work for you?’

Pia’s eyes lit up. The wedding was something they’d spoken about for weeks now, but to get a firm date on the calendar would make it seem so much more real and it would be something wonderful to look forward to at the end of a busy year.

‘I think it would be the perfect time to do it. We’ll all be feeling suitably festive and Ronnie will be around to help out with all the arrangements.’ Pia raised her eyebrows at Jackson, a grin on her face.

In the absence of her own parents, who had both sadly died in recent years, Pia loved having Ronnie’s and Rex’s presence in her life. She considered them her new family, along with Mateo, who was the head gardener and had joined the hall around the same time as Pia. They’d quickly bonded over their shared delight at snagging a job, as well as a new home, in the most beautiful of surroundings. They’d also provided moral support to each other, nattering over a morning cup of coffee, as they got to grips with their new roles and as they tried to fathom the demands of their boss, Jackson.

The set-up at Primrose Hall was totally different to the family life Pia had enjoyed with her mum, dad and Connor growing up at Meadow Cottages, which had been traditional and secure, and wholly comforting, but that was a different place and time. Now, she’d fully embraced her new dysfunctional family in all their glory. She adored Ronnie’s spontaneity and enthusiasm, and Rex’s laid-back jovial manner, and now that Tom had arrived in their lives too, they were a proper tight unit.

‘Hmmm, that’s what I’m worried about,’ said Jackson now, with a crooked smile. ‘Maybe for all our sakes, we should keep the date to ourselves for a couple of months at least. I don’t want Ronnie making an early special trip home just on the pretext of sourcing some table decorations.’

Pia laughed.

‘So that’s a date then?’ she said, typing the event onto the calendar, in capital letters and followed by several exclamation marks.

‘Absolutely. Set in stone. It’s already been too long and I cannot wait to make you Mrs Moody and Lady of the Manor.’ He placed his hand over hers. ‘How does that sound?’

Mrs Moody? Lady of the Manor?It sounded absolutely ridiculous, but utterly enticing at the same time. Pia was under no illusions. She knew being Jackson’s wife wouldn’t be aneasy undertaking. He was mercurial, spontaneous and bold, but that was everything she admired about him. Who knew what adventures were ahead of them, but what she did know was that she couldn’t wait to find out. It would likely be her most difficult role to date, but she had never felt more excited about a proposition and more ready for the challenge.

5

Sophie couldn’t believe her luck. She felt certain there was someone up there, keeping an eye out for her. How else could she explain finding such a perfect picture-postcard cottage in the heart of the charming village of Wishwell overlooking the village green? It was an ex-farm worker’s cottage and she’d heard about it through word-of-mouth at the local community shop. She’d popped in there, a few weeks previously, on the way home from her new job as office manager at an import and export company. She wanted to pick up some locally sourced products to put into a hamper for Greta and her family as a thank you for taking her in at a time when she was at her most vulnerable. She picked up some honey, sweet chilli jam, piccalilli, home-made cookies, local beers, cheese crackers and elderflower cordial, and was just queuing up to pay for her items when she tuned into the conversation between the woman working behind the till and a male customer. The middle-aged man was explaining how the cottage on the green had recently been vacated and how they would be re-letting it, as soon as they found the right tenant for the property. Sophie, not one to normally push herself forward,had been unable to stop herself and interrupted their discussion with an apology.

‘I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing. Did you mention that there is a cottage to let in the village? I’m looking for somewhere myself.’

The man had looked her up and down and said something about there already being someone else they had in mind, a local person, but if Sophie wanted to send her details to the email address he provided, then they would get back to her. Sophie felt certain it was a brush-off. Not for a moment did she believe anything would come of it, but when she was sent an application form with a section specifically asking about why she wanted to live in the village, she jotted down all the details of her recent break-up, her new job in the neighbouring village and her mum living in a nearby nursing home. Too much information possibly, but she reasoned that it couldn’t hurt and she was later to find out that it had been her ties to the local area that had swayed the decision in her favour.

Now, as she dropped the couple of boxes that she’d brought in from the car into her new living room, she couldn’t stop the big smile from spreading across her face. Moving into Greta’s home had been a spontaneous and urgent decision, born out of necessity, whereas coming here had been part of her main plan for getting her life back on track. She’d managed to get away from Kyle, she’d found a new job and now, the final piece of the puzzle, she had a place of her own that she could call home.

There was a brick open fireplace on one wall and a sofa that had clearly seen better days on the other. Not that it mattered, Sophie would drape a couple of colourful blankets over it and once she’d unpacked her personal belongings and displayed them on the alcoves to either side of the fireplace, it would definitely look more cosy. At the far end of the room was an archway that led to a galley kitchen which had everything shewould need and there were two further rooms at the back of the house, a small loo and a boot room which would make an ideal hobby area. She’d wanted a designated space where she could start making her silver jewellery again. When she’d lived with Kyle, there had been a spare bedroom which she would often disappear to, a retreat where she could immerse herself in making silver bangles, earrings and necklaces, and forget about everything else going on in her life. When she was sitting at her desk, the Anglepoise lamp at her side, her tools in front of her, her whole focus was on the project between her hands and she found it totally distracting and relaxing.

The first of this year’s Sunday craft fairs at the stables at Primrose Hall was in a couple of weeks’ time so, once she’d unpacked, she would sort through her existing stock and put together some more items for sale. She’d been lucky to pick up a stall at the stables just before Christmas. Pia Temple had called her to say that a spot had unexpectedly become available and she’d invited Sophie to take up the pitch. Sophie had deliberated for a moment. She was living at Greta’s at the time, all her jewellery and equipment were packed away in a storage box, and she wasn’t in the best frame of mind, emotionally. Her initial instinct had been to decline, but she knew there was a waiting list and if she didn’t accept the offer, then she might not get the opportunity again for a long time. Hesitantly, she’d agreed and had to scrabble around to unearth all her stock, which fortunately was quite plentiful.

She’d been so apprehensive about the day, worried that there would be no interest in her distinctive brand of jewellery, and that she would feel out of her depth amongst the other more established traders, but she needn’t have worried. Pia had greeted her warmly, even when she’d turned up almost an hour early, and had plied her with hot drinks and biscuits when she’d had a major wobble and had threatened to go home. All theother stallholders had been equally welcoming and, once the visitors started arriving, Sophie had quickly forgotten about her concerns. She was surprised to sell so many items, but with her pieces pitched at affordable prices, they had proved to be very popular with customers buying them for Christmas presents. Pia had bought a small selection too.

As she remembered that day, a kernel of excitement built up inside of her for all the possibilities ahead. There was no bad-tempered boyfriend to worry about, no one waiting on a cooked meal when she got home from work, which meant her time would be entirely her own. While she would be forever grateful to Greta, she had felt as though she’d been intruding on their family life. It was a relief to have her own place after so many months in the wilderness. Now she could do what she wanted whenever she wanted to, and it was something she would never take for granted again. She had so many plans for her small business and here in this cosy, but perfectly formed cottage, she could forge ahead with those ideas. As well as securing a regular spot at the stables, she hoped to build an online store, and take commissions for bespoke personalised items.

This was the start of a new chapter in her life and she couldn’t wait to throw herself wholeheartedly into the adventure ahead.

6

Tom splashed aftershave over his jawline, checking his profile in the mirror, first one way and then the other. He ran a hand through his thick brown hair, giving an encouraging nod to his reflection. Why the heck was he feeling so nervous? He’d been an area sales manager for years, his job involving extensive travelling around the country, talking to a wide range of people. He could go into any situation and strike up a conversation with anyone. He had a proven track record as a problem solver and since leaving his job and taking up a number of part-time roles, he’d adapted easily to a variety of opportunities. This one, though, seemed to have a whole heap of pressure attached to it.

While he was grateful to his brother for offering him the position at the stables, Tom was a little apprehensive about how it might work out in practice. He knew how exacting Jackson could be, how he had very firm ideas about the way the hall and its associated businesses were run, and he just hoped that he didn’t fall foul of his brother’s demanding standards. They were still finding their way with each other, discovering what they had in common, trying to establish the brotherly bond that they’d missed out on while growing up. Since he’d found out about histrue parentage, and got to know his dad, Rex, and his family, he’d found a connection that he hadn’t experienced as a child.

His dad, Ronnie and Pia had welcomed him warmly and he’d struck up easy relationships with them all, and Tom was enjoying nurturing and building on those, but his connection with his brother hadn’t been so straightforward. Tom couldn’t quite put his finger on it, because Jackson was always perfectly polite and friendly towards him, but he suspected that it wasn’t born out of a natural affinity, but rather out of a sense of duty and responsibility. Tom wondered if Jackson would even bother with him if his dad wasn’t around. Still, it probably wasn’t worth dwelling on. It was still early days for them and they had plenty of time to get to know each better, even if it might take them months or years even to create the brotherly closeness that Tom craved. He just had to ensure there were no major disagreements in the meantime. That was why he was so relieved to see Pia when he turned up for his first shift at the stables on that sunny Sunday. She greeted him as she always did with a big hug and a peck on the cheek.

‘Hey, Tom, it’s so great to have you onboard. We know that the stables are going to be in great hands with you at the helm.’

‘I’m thrilled to be here and looking forward to getting involved. Where’s Jackson this morning then?’

‘Out on his bike. It’s his usual Sunday-morning jaunt. He likes to take a ride out around the country lanes. He loves the freedom of the open road. The chance to be alone with his thoughts, just him up against the elements in the great outdoors.’ Pia shrugged. She couldn’t understand the appeal herself, but that was probably because she was worried sick all the time Jackson was out on his bike. It was a huge beast of a machine, whose throaty roar could be heard from miles away, and Pia could never fully relax until she knew Jackson was safely home in one piece. After all, it had been a motorcycle accidentwhen Jackson was a teenager, involving a friend of his, that had been the catalyst for him leaving the village. It was only natural that her mind would drift to all those worst-case scenarios. ‘He’ll be back later, though, and will probably pop over if you need to speak to him,’ said Pia, rallying herself.

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