‘She was the manager of the hotel, not me. I was just a secretary. I didn’t lie about her, though – she was a bully, she terrorised me, which what with my nan being so ill, and then the panic about money, really stamped any life out of me. Chris dumped me because I told him I had to sell the bungalow so nan could stay in the home. He thought he’d move in, and we’d live unhappily ever after in a free house.’
‘Sounds like a charmer,’ Freddie said.
‘He only wanted me for my baked goods at first, then my nan’s bungalow.’ She tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a gurgle.
‘Gemma,’ Gwen said gently. ‘I understand it’s been hard, and you were in a terrible position, but I still don’t understand why you lied to get this job.’
‘After my nan went into the home, my doctor diagnosed me with depression. Dementia, well it’s evil. She would be passive one minute, then angry the next. I didn’t know who I would get if I visited her, and I didn’t know if she would remember me or not.’
‘I do see how awful that must have been,’ Harriet said.
At least she sounded sympathetic, unlike Pippa.
‘My life was a mess. Clarissa, my boss, sharpened her nails on me every morning by flinging insults before I’d even had a cup of coffee. She made me do all her work while she swanned around, charming the guests and doing very little else. Then she would go berserk if I made even the tiniest mistake. I basically did manage her hotel, but I’d never been unhappier in my life. I was being paid a pittance, but I worked all the hours, I really did. I missed my nan, I was worried about money – it all felt so insurmountable.’ She wiped away tears as she remembered how exhausted she was, how downtrodden she felt, as if life were too much for her, and misery was her only friend.
‘OK, I get the Cinderella story.’ Pippa glared at her, bringing her back to the present. ‘But how did you end up stealing you boss’s CV?’
‘One day, Clarissa flung her CV at me. She told me to tidy it up and then write a covering letter to apply for the job here. I couldn’t believe how brazen she was. She threatened me to keep my mouth shut, and said she expected the immaculate CV and letter for the following day. So I looked up the job advertisement you’d put out there, and I started to do as Clarissa asked, but I ran out of time, so I took it all home. That night, alone in the bungalow, feeling wretched, I couldn’t stop looking at Meadowbrook. And I read the ad over and over, and I don’t even know how or why, but I felt drawn to it. So, without really knowing what I was doing, I retyped Clarissa’s CV, putting in my name and address, then I wrote a covering letter and sent it to you, posting it off before I even had the chance to change my mind.’
‘Clarissa’s application?’ Gus asked.
‘I showed her so she could sign the covering letter, offered to post it for her, and then I shredded it.’ Gemma couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. None of this sounded like her. Even now, she found it hard to believe she had done it.
A loud sob escaped Pippa, and Gemma felt wretched.
‘Right, so what exactly was your hotel experience?’ Harriet asked.
‘Just over a year of my hotel management course, where I was top of the class, by the way, and nearly three working for Clarissa,’ she admitted.
‘So that’s the only experience you’ve got of working in a hotel?’ Connor was aghast.
Gemma nodded at him.
‘So you really were secretary to the manager?’ Harriet clarified.
Gemma nodded again.
‘Hold on.’ Gus scratched his head. ‘Can I point out that you’ve done a good job, so you must have known a bit about what you were doing, surely?’
‘The course taught me a lot, and I have a stack of books upstairs that I read every night. The rest was instinct, and yes, I did feel as if I was capable of doing this job, was doing the job.’ She did believe that. She got the job on false pretences, but she kept it because she was good.
‘You lied to us,’ Pippa said simply.
She saw in Pippa’s face that there was no hope.
‘I did.’ A calm enveloped her. It was all over now; she’d lost everything, she had nothing left to lose. ‘And I never lie, not even as a child. I was so scared that if I did I’d lose my nan, who was the only person I had left. I did this on impulse. I was desperate. I was about to lose my childhood home, I was going to have to rent a room in a house or, if I was lucky, a bedsit, and I had the job from hell. I also needed to pay for my nan’s care. I was near rock bottom, and then when I saw Meadowbrook, I just took a risk.
‘It was reckless, and I’ve never been reckless in my life, but I never expected you to interview me. And when you did, I certainly didn’t expect you to offer me the job. And when you did, for the first time in my life I took a giant chance, and you know what? I’m glad I did, because I got to meet you all, and especially you, Pippa, and I got to be a part of Meadowbrook, which is the most special place. And I even got to spend time with animals, especially the cats and Albert, who I adore. So, I know I was wrong to lie, but I did it for the right reasons, and I really hope that one day you’ll believe that.’
‘You are good with the cats,’ Connor said, but quickly shut up, as Pippa scowled at him.
‘Look, love, you’ve had a tough time,’ Gwen added. ‘And I almost understand why you’d do it, but you know, this is going to take a bit of thinking time.’
‘Although, I do think that you’ve proved yourself to be loyal,’ Gus added. He was championing her, and she wanted to hug him with gratitude. ‘I mean, I know it was wrong, but hell, we’ve all been in bad places. And well, Gwen’s right, it might take a bit of time for us to get our heads around it all.’
‘I almost admire you,’ Harriet put in. ‘I really didn’t think you had it in you.’
‘Or me,’ Freddie agreed. ‘God, it makes you so much more interesting.’
Gemma didn’t know what to say. She decided that she’d probably said enough.
‘Guys,’ Pippa chastised, ‘you are all missing the point. Everyone I trust apart from my family manipulates me. Mark, Edward and now you, Gemma. I thought you were my friend, and you lied. This was everything to me, my chance to prove I could do it, and you’ve made me look a fool.’ She stood up, and Gemma’s heart started pounding again. She should have realised how tenuous Pippa’s grip on trust was, and she should have told her the truth before. Pippa started over, her eyes hard and devoid of emotion. ‘I hired you without the others’ approval, and now I’m firing you, and I never want to see you again.’
Leaving everyone open-mouthed, Pippa stood up and walked out.
‘So what now?’ Gus asked.
‘Let me go to her,’ Gwen said. ‘She needs a hug and some space.’ She got up. ‘Gemma, I don’t agree with what you’ve done, I can’t condone lying, but I also understand, love. And Pippa will see that, but she needs time.’ Gwen patted Gemma’s hand before she left the kitchen.
‘I should go and pack,’ Gemma said.
Now she had made her big speech and felt calm, she was about to fall apart again. It was all over, and she had nothing left.
‘Look, just take what you need for a few nights,’ Harriet suggested. ‘I’m sure that Pippa will calm down, but she can be stubborn, so you’ll need to give us some time to try to talk to her. We will try to talk her round. So, can you do that, give us time?’ She reached her arms around Gemma and enveloped her in a hug.
‘Why are you being nice to me?’ Gemma let herself enjoy the warmth of Harriet’s arms.
‘You lied, yes, bloody hell, you stole someone else’s CV, for goodness’ sake, and I’m probably in the minority, but I can see you’ve had a really shitty time, and also I think it shows you have balls.’
‘I think so too,’ Freddie concurred.
‘And, I also feel that we know you. You’ve been living here and working here for over six months. You’re a good person, we’re all fond of you, and you’ve been great here, not only with the hotel, but also with th
e family. We’re a slightly crazy bunch, and you handled us all perfectly. As well as actually making me think that this house might become a hotel in reality, you’ve also become a friend to us all. Oh, Gemma, I honestly believe you can do this job, CV or no CV.’
Harriet sounded so genuine that Gemma felt her heart lift a tiny bit.
‘Harriet, thank you so much.’ She stepped out of the hug and gave Harriet’s hand a squeeze. She couldn’t believe she was losing all this.
‘But you need to give Pippa some space and us some time. She’s angry; she’s probably taking some residual anger she has about Mark and Edward out on you too, so it’ll take some work.’
‘Where will you go?’ Gus asked, brows furrowed.
‘The bungalow,’ she replied; there was nowhere else. ‘But I don’t have a car, so I’ll need a taxi.’
‘No, I’ll take you,’ Freddie offered. ‘Go and pack a few bits and we’ll be off.’
‘You really all forgive me?’ Gemma couldn’t believe it.
‘Look, we were a bit miffed at Pippa for hiring you in the first place without telling us, but then it seemed she’d made the right decision. I still believe that. And you didn’t lie about anything important. Well, apart from your age, your birthday and your experience,’ Connor pointed out.
‘I really did love working here,’ Gemma said, furiously wiping away even more tears.
‘Honestly, Gemma, we’ll do all we can to bring Pippa round, OK?’ Gus sounded so tender that Gemma knew she would have to leave the room before she fell apart.
Chapter 35
‘Is this it?’ Freddie asked, pulling up in front of the bungalow.
‘Mmm,’ Gemma replied.
She hadn’t been able to stop crying the entire journey. Despite Freddie trying to make jokes: ‘my driving isn’t that bad,’ and ‘you’re the worst sat nav I’ve ever had’.
The “Sold” sign greeted her with the realisation that it was no longer her home. Technically it was – the sale wasn’t completing for another month – but it already belonged to someone else, in her heart especially.
‘Shall we go in?’ Freddie asked, raising his eyebrows.
Gemma had made no attempt to move; she wasn’t sure she could.
‘You can leave me here. Thanks for the lift,’ she said lifelessly.
‘Oh no, I’ve had my orders. I’m to stay with you, until I think you’re OK, which at the moment means I might have to move in.’ He grinned. ‘Let’s hope my little sister comes round quickly, huh?’ He laughed.
Poor Freddie was trying so hard to cheer her up, but she couldn’t, just couldn’t.
Gemma found her legs and got out of the car. Freddie grabbed the weekend bag she’d hastily packed, and they walked up the path. The house was shrouded in darkness as she unlocked the door, and feeling Freddie’s presence behind her, she went inside, shivering. It wasn’t cold but it was hostile, as if the house were now a stranger. It held none of the warmth of Meadowbrook.
‘Christ, Gemma, there’s literally nothing here!’ Freddie exclaimed as she flicked on the hall light. He peered into the empty living room. ‘Have you been burgled?’
‘No, I didn’t know when they’d want to move in, so I kind of got rid of everything already,’ she sniffed.
‘Right. Do you have a bed?’ he asked.
She shook her head.
‘Any bedding?’
She shook her head again.
‘So you’re planning on staying in a house with no furniture, no blanket and nothing to sleep on?’ He eyeballed her as if she were crazy.
She nodded.
‘For God’s sake, you can’t stay here. Look at you, you’re in a state, and whatever you’ve done, I am not going to leave you alone in this place.’
‘I’ve got nowhere else to go,’ Gemma said quietly.
‘Listen to me.’ He looked directly at her. ‘The fact that Harry’s OK with this whole crazy situation means that it’ll probably be all right. If she’d been angry like Pippa, well you would have run off again, and we’d probably have all come with you, but she’s in your corner, we’re in your corner. I think it’s because she admires what you’ve done for us. And, after all, you didn’t kill anyone, or break the law, and this ex-boss of yours sounds like a horror, so she probably deserved you ruining her career.’
‘I don’t think I ruined her career.’
‘Well, whatever, so, where are you going to stay?’ He scratched his head and looked around. ‘Right, give me a minute.’ He left her standing in the empty hallway.
She didn’t have the energy to move.
‘Right, so this is definitely not the hotel you worked in?’ Freddie said when half an hour later they pulled into the car park of a hotel on the outskirts of Bristol.
Gemma nodded.
‘And Gus has booked a room, so we’re all good. OK?’ He spoke to her as if she were a small child.
He led her inside and marched straight up to reception, while Gemma, feeling as if the floor had been swept from under her, tried to take in her surroundings. It was nice enough, she thought, nicer than she deserved, bright, modern.
Freddie led her to the lift and they went to the second floor. When they got out, he found the room quickly. Using the keycard, after a couple of tries, he opened the door and stood aside to let her into the room. It was large, bigger than she expected, with a king-size bed, white linen and white walls. It was a bit soulless as the trouser press glared at her from the corner, but it was clean and comfortable. There were splashes of colour around, red mainly, and she collapsed on the bed. She was just glad she had something to sleep on and something to sleep under. She thought she might sleep for years. It would be easier than being awake.
‘What now?’ he asked as he gently sat on the bed beside her.
He flicked the TV on, which was showing the hotel welcome message, with awful music piped into the background.
‘Aren’t you going to leave?’ Her head pounded from recent events, but she also felt fearful of being alone.
‘I told you, I’m not leaving you in this state. I’ll stay as long as necessary.’
She saw he meant it, and she nodded again. She looked around the room; it was suddenly a small space with the two of them in it. What was she going to do now?
‘There’s only one thing for it,’ she said, hardly believing the words were going to come out of her mouth. ‘Let’s empty the minibar.’
‘Gemma Matthews, bloody hell, since when did you turn into me?’ Freddie laughed.
Gemma managed to giggle. ‘Maybe I’ve gone from sad to mad.’
‘I’ll take anything as an improvement on the crying,’ Freddie said as they both dove for the minibar.
‘The problem is that these tiny bottles are, well, quite tiny,’ Freddie said as they finished the gin, then the vodka, and were thinking about starting on the whisky.
Gemma had already opened the M&M’s, and Freddie had bagged the mini Toblerone.
‘Room service?’ Gemma asked.
For once, she didn’t care about money, or the fact she was now unemployed, or that someone would have to pay for the room, or that she was practically homeless. Actually, she did think about all that, which was why she reached for the tiny whisky and downed it quickly.
Freddie’s face kept changing from surprised to worried to grudgingly impressed.
‘Let’s get wine,’ she decided.
‘Are you sure?’ Freddie glanced at her through those long eyelashes of his.
No, she wasn’t, but she also wasn’t yet drunk enough to stop thinking.
‘God, Gem, really? I mean I know I like a drink, but even I know that it’s not the answer.’
‘No, it’s not the answer, but it’s all I can think of right now, and if I don’t get wine, then I think I’m going to cry again.’
‘It’ll be quicker for me to nip to the bar,’ Freddie said quickly, his brow raised in what could be fear or dismay. ‘And also, I need to check in at home, well you k
now …’ He took the room card and left her alone.
She missed him the second he was gone. She was suddenly scared of being on her own, left with her thoughts and her tears. She grabbed the last bottle of whisky, wincing as she took a sip, but then she took another one. She was determined to kill off all thoughts with alcohol.
It seemed like ages before Freddie returned laden with wine and bags of crisps. He threw one to her.
‘Dinner,’ he announced.
‘Oh, lovely, I am honoured. Dinner with you in a hotel room – who would have thought this would ever happen?’ she said, opening the packet and stuffing crisps into her mouth. She realised she was hungry and couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten.
‘Not me, that’s for sure,’ he replied.
‘Will Charlotte mind?’ Gemma said.
‘What, me babysitting you?’
‘Is that what this is? You’re babysitting me?’ She tried to sound angry, but it was a bit half-hearted.
‘I meant looking after you, it just, you know, came out wrong.’
‘I am not a baby,’ she stormed, stamping her foot and then crying again just as a baby would.
Freddie shook his head. ‘Gemma, Charlotte won’t mind, we’re … Well, we’re not really … Anyway, everyone likes you and more than that, we all care about you. At the moment, we’re worried. Now, please, can you try to be a bit sane?’
‘Give me some wine and I might.’
‘You know, when we first met I thought you were far too uptight,’ he said.
‘I am, or I was.’ Now she was tipsy.
‘But now I know what an enormous secret you were hiding, it almost makes sense. Because as I got to know you more, I thought you needed to be more like me. And I could do with being a bit more like you.’ Freddie sounded confused. ‘Does that make sense?’
‘It makes perfect sense,’ Gemma slurred, because that was exactly how she felt about Freddie.
‘And, Gemma, you know?’
She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled down. Her eyes felt heavy, but she loved being this close to him.
‘Um?’ she mumbled and fell asleep.
Secrets at Meadowbrook Manor Page 28
