A Year at Meadowbrook Manor: Escape to the countryside this year with this perfect feel-good romance read in 2018
bitched about work and men with – in that order. She had a beautiful but barely furnished apartment – who had time to decorate a place that she barely spent any time in? A wardrobe of fabulous clothes, ditto shoes, and a city life that she was in no way ready to leave behind. She was struck by the realisation that her life was lacking in real relationships, and maybe a bit lonely at times – was this what her father meant?
‘Ah. Well, listen, Harriet, I know now’s not the time to think about the future, because it’s so raw and such a shock, but we’ll sort it out. If you don’t want to fight them, then take the money, and at least you’ve got us and Meadowbrook,’ Pippa said.
‘Oh, Pip, I don’t know, I don’t even know how I feel. I mean, I had barely processed the fact that Dad’s gone and now I’ve lost my job, all in one fell swoop.’ She stopped for a minute and thought back to her father’s video. Was he right about her after all? She had worked tirelessly to succeed, to be the daughter that he wanted her to be, had she lost herself along the way? Surely not. She shook her head. He was just rambling because he wanted his children all together – still trying to control them from beyond the grave.
‘I guess that means that you can stay here for the year though,’ Pippa said, uncertainly. ‘Maybe it’s fresh starts all round, and maybe Dad knew more than we ever gave him credit for.’ Pippa sounded anxious but Harriet wondered if she could read her mind. ‘We’ll be together at least.’ Pippa squeezed her sister. ‘And get to run an animal sanctuary,’ she laughed. Harriet did not.
‘I’m used to running a trading floor, with millions of dollars at stake every day, so how hard can running an animal sanctuary be?’ Harriet asked, and then she finally burst into tears.
Harriet knocked on Connor’s door. She felt nervous. Probably due to the fact they hadn’t spent any time alone in forever. She pulled her cardigan tightly around her. It was chilly, not quite seven in the morning, the dew was glued to the grass. Harriet wore skinny jeans, a T-shirt and a cashmere cardigan; dressed down but immaculate. On her feet were her trainers. As she waited for the door to open, she thought fleetingly about New York. She’d be in the office by now, phones ringing, people shouting, and now when all she could hear was the odd squark of a bird, she felt as if she had been dislodged from her life.
After the shock last night, which she still keenly felt, her mind had been whirring with thoughts of living at Meadowbrook for the year; wondering if she could do it. Live with her family, run an animal sanctuary, give up the bright lights of the city, live a ‘simple’ life. And the answer was she didn’t know. Already, she missed those bright lights terribly. She didn’t care about her father’s money, but she did care about what happened to Meadowbrook and, of course, she cared about her brothers and sister. It was all so confusing, she couldn’t think in a straight line. She wished her father was here; he would know what to do. Of course, he would tell her to get on with the year at Meadowbrook, and run the animal sanctuary, bond with her siblings. Oh, and stay away from unsuitable married men. As she heard his voice in her head, she choked back tears.
Unable to sleep, she had read the terms of the pre-will – as it was now known. It was actually quite straightforward but bloody annoying – her father really had decided to strip each of his children back to basics.
Living together for a year, each of them was allowed a maximum of a week away from the place. They would be given a very slim allowance; their father thought they were all spoilt and too materialistic. The amount wouldn’t have kept New York Harriet in cabs, let alone anything else. Although all food and bills at the house were taken care of, they weren’t going to be buying any luxuries for a year. And as soon as they agreed to do it, they all had to hand over their bank cards and any credit cards and cash they had on them to David. Cheating was out of the question.
Harriet felt it was like a bad reality TV show, but one which was her life.
The animal sanctuary was another thing. They had to raise £25,000 in the year, which seemed like a ridiculously high amount for four people who had never raised a penny for charity. Oh, Harriet had given money, she sponsored, she put money in charity collections, she’d been to a number of high-profile auctions and spent thousands in an hour, but she hadn’t actually shaken a collecting tin herself. And although used to dealing in millions, getting ordinary people to part with money wasn’t something she had any experience in. If only she could use her own money she would pay it right now, but of course that was against the rules.
They also had to get their hands dirty with the sanctuary, they were each expected to take on a physical role to help out such as mucking out or walking the dogs.Harriet just couldn’t see it. Not any of it. All she could feel was loss on top of loss. Her father was gone, her job was gone, and she was rapidly losing her sense of self. She might be home but she felt like a stranger in a foreign land.
She knocked on Connor’s door again. She could see he was in, lights were blazing from inside. The three cottages that sat in a row belonged to Meadowbrook. Gwen and Connor had lived in the largest, but, when he returned home, he had moved into the second and newly renovated cottage which was next door to his mother. And the third was the old gardener, Jed’s cottage, which stood empty ever since he had died a few years ago.
Connor was wearing thick socks, jeans and an oversized jumper when he finally answered his front door. He looked surprised to see her but he smiled, warmly, eyes crinkling.
‘Hey, Harry, come in.’ He stepped aside.
‘Sorry to call round so early.’
‘It’s fine, I’m always up at this time.’ Connor gave one of his cheeky grins, and led her into his living room. It was small and messy, with a large sofa dominating, and a wood burner which was unlit. Papers were scattered around, with the odd mug and plate thrown in for the extra lived-in look.
‘Goodness what would your mother say?’ Harriet couldn’t help herself.
‘Don’t worry, I tidy up before she ever sees it,’ Connor laughed.
‘Do you happen to have coffee?’ she asked, laughing with him.
‘Come through.’
The small kitchen was clean and tidy as Connor set about putting the kettle on, taking out a French press and spooning coffee in. She sat down at the breakfast bar.
‘I don’t remember coming into this cottage before,’ she said as she took it all in. The wooden kitchen was modern but rustic, the back door led onto a small patch of lawn, it was sweet, but after Meadowbrook felt tiny. And six foot two Connor filled the cottage like a giant.
‘Silvia lived here, remember she used to help Mum with the cleaning sometimes and she also worked in the local pub.’
‘Oh, yes of course, I’d forgotten.’
‘Harry, I’m not being rude, but you seemed to have left Meadowbrook and everyone behind with barely a backward glance. Myself included.’
Harriet startled. She wasn’t ready to hear that. She wasn’t sure why she had found it so easy to turn her back on Meadowbrook when she moved to New York. She thought she was running towards her glittering future, after all, most ambitious people did that. In her world it was totally normal. But first her father, then her siblings and now Connor. Was everyone intent on making her feel that she had abandoned them?
She shrugged. ‘I followed my career and I didn’t look back. Yes, I kept in touch with the family, but I didn’t have much time to think about home, and now I’m here I feel … well, I feel a little strange,’ she explained.
‘But you’re back now,’ Connor said quietly. The way he peered at her again made her feel he could see inside her, see all her thoughts. When they were young she thought that he knew her better than anyone did.
‘What happened to you?’ She was desperate to change the subject,