Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall: The beautiful, uplifting, romantic series from Jill Steeples

1

‘Drive carefully! And let us know when you get there,’ Pia called. She stood alongside Jackson and Tom in front of the magnificence of Primrose Hall, as the early-morning sunshine broke through the clouds and cast a golden glow over the stonework. Pia wrapped her arms around her chest and watched as Ronnie carefully manoeuvred the camper van around the gravel driveway.

Rex, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had the side window wound down and leant out, a big grin on his face.

‘Well, we’re not sure where we’re going yet, but we’ll definitely let you know when we get there! Wish me luck!’ His eyes widened and his mouth twisted in mock horror, but Pia knew he was only joshing, the exaggerated grimace for comedy effect only. The pair of them, much more happily divorced than they’d ever been married, were heading off on an adventure to the Continent. Ronnie, always a free spirit, had a bad case of wanderlust and insisted that she wanted to go off on her travels, in her camper van, for one last time. Once Ronnie had managed to persuade Rex to accompany her, after recently rekindling their romance, there was absolutely no stopping her.

‘Rather him than me,’ said Jackson beneath his breath.

‘Oh, don’t!’ Pia nudged Jackson in the side with her elbow. ‘I’m going to miss them. Especially Ronnie, and our putting-the-world-to-rights sessions around the kitchen table every morning. I hope they don’t prefer wherever it is they’re going and decide to stay away.’

‘There’s absolutely no chance of that. I know from experience that Ronnie always turns up, like a bad penny.’

‘Stop it!’ Pia chided him.

‘Besides, she has Dad to keep her in check. And she’s given me strict instructions not to start making any plans for the wedding until they get home again so she won’t want to stay away too long. We need to make the most of the peace and quiet while we can.’

Jackson wrapped an arm around Pia’s shoulder, squeezing her in an embrace. Tom stood alongside and Bertie, the Dalmatian, wound his way in between their legs, always eager to be at the centre of any proceedings. Little Teddy, the newest member of the family, ran up and down, yapping excitedly. With a toot of the horn, Ronnie gave a wave and the camper trundled off down the driveway, with Rex still leaning out the window, calling their farewells. They all waited and watched as the van disappeared into the distance, and only shifted from their spot when the departing campers were finally out of sight.

‘I hate goodbyes,’ said Pia with a sigh, blinking away the tears in her eyes. ‘They always make me feel so sad.’ She turned to Tom, noticing that he’d been rather subdued too. Perhaps he felt the same way about farewells. ‘Come on, let’s go and have some coffee and cake to cheer us up.’

Back inside, as they gathered in the country farmhouse kitchen, Jackson made the coffees while Pia cut slices of carrot cake and laid them out on a colourful hand-painted plate, placing it in the middle of the long oak table. Tom accepted his coffee gratefully, and took a seat.

‘I’m glad I came down to see them off. I know they’ll only be away for a few months, but it feels strange waving Dad off when I’ve only just got to know him. It was almost as though, in that moment, I came to realise how much it’s meant to me, having him in my life. I’ll miss not having him around.’

Pia nodded in sympathy. So she hadn’t been the only one experiencing a wave of unexpected emotion this morning. Although Jackson was clearly immune to the highly charged atmosphere as he gave an unmistakable roll of his eyes and shook his head.

‘Honestly, what are you two like? They’ll be back before you know it and it will be as if they’ve never been away. Knowing that pair, they’ll probably have a huge falling out before they’ve even crossed the Channel. I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn around and come straight back home tonight.’

‘You don’t mean that!’ Pia chided Jackson. ‘I think it’s lovely that your mum and dad are getting on so fabulously these days, making up for all that lost time they spent apart. It’s very romantic.’

Jackson raised an eyebrow and twisted his lips in an undisguised display of doubt.

‘Hmmm, well, they’re hardly love’s young dream, and I’m still not convinced it will last, but I guess they have both mellowed over the years and if it keeps them happy and out of mischief then who am I to judge?’

‘Exactly!’ said Pia, triumphantly.

‘If you hadn’t told me otherwise, it would be easy to believe that they’d been happily married for a lifetime. They seem very well suited, and clearly adore each other,’ said Tom, who was still getting to grips with the family dynamics at Primrose Hall.

It was only last year that Tom had turned up in Rex’s life, breaking the news that he was his long-lost son. It had been a huge shock to Rex, realising that the short-lived fling he’d had with Diane, Tom’s mother, decades earlier had resulted in a child that he’d never known about. When the initial shock had subsided, it was replaced with a sense of wonder and joy, and father and son had been enjoying getting to know each other as adults, making up for all the years they’d been apart.

It had been a big adjustment for everyone. At first, Ronnie had felt threatened by Tom’s arrival, worried that she might be sidelined in Rex’s affections, but that hadn’t proved to be the case, and she and Tom had hit it off as soon as they met, bonding over a glass of red wine and a slice of Parkin on a cold November night. Now they were always delighted to see each other, picking up their conversation easily from the last time they’d met.

Jackson and Tom’s relationship hadn’t been quite so smooth in the making. Jackson by nature was reserved and self-contained, only opening up and trusting a few people within his inner circle. He felt no natural affinity to Tom just because they shared a father and Jackson only agreed to meet Tom in the first place to appease Rex. Since then, there had been a misunderstanding over Pia, which resulted in a scrap between the brothers in the kitchen at Primrose Hall, but thankfully since that low point they had found some common ground. They played squash together every fortnight and Jackson always extended an invitation to Tom to Sunday lunch at the hall and any other family celebrations.

‘Well, don’t be a stranger while your dad’s away,’ Pia told Tom now. ‘You’re always welcome here, you know that.’

‘Thanks, Pia. That’s kind of you.’ Tom cast a glance towards Jackson, relieved to see him nod his agreement as well.

‘I’ve been meaning to ask, how are you fixed workwise these days?’ Jackson pulled out a chair at the table.

‘I’m still doing some days down at the builders’ merchants and helping out at the estate agents on an ad-hoc basis with the viewings, which I enjoy. I find it really interesting. I get to meet a wide range of people and it gives me the chance to have a nose around all sorts of properties. You should see some of them! I should probably start to think about getting a proper job again, but I can’t say the idea appeals much.’

Tom had given up a successful career in pharmaceutical sales last year, after discovering the truth about his father. Knowing that his late mother, who he’d adored, had lied to him for the entirety of his life had made him question everything he knew about himself. He had to contemplate who he really was, where had he come from? As well as throwing in his job, his relationship with his long-term girlfriend, Anna, was another casualty and he’d walked away from their home together, to start afresh. Finding Rex, his biological father, and a brother, Jackson, who he hadn’t known existed either, had been the starting point in coming to terms with this new version of himself. He’d never met anyone before that looked like him, who shared his colouring and his mannerisms, so to see himself reflected in the faces of Rex and Jackson had been a revelation.

‘Well, if you’re after any more work then I’m looking for someone to oversee the open days at the stables. They’ll be starting up again at the end of the month and we’ll be running them fortnightly this year.’

Tom’s eyes widened in interest as Jackson spoke.

‘Mainly, it will involve setting up, making sure each of the units are clean and ready for the traders. Then dealing with any problems that may crop up, and closing up at the end of the day. It’s not too onerous a job, but it needs someone on site all day.’

‘I’d definitely be up for that.’ Pia noticed the way Tom’s face lit up, his surprise at Jackson’s offer evident.

‘Pia’s been doing a great job of organising and running everything up until now. There’s a great system in place, but with us increasing the timetable to fortnightly, it’s time to pass the reins on to someone else. Pia needs to take the occasional day off, even if she might say otherwise.’

Jackson shared a fond glance with Pia across the table. They were busier than ever, with a full calendar of summer events lined up at the hall, so they’d recently discussed how they could manage the work schedule going forward. Pia would be sad to relinquish control of the craft days at the stables. They had been one of her first responsibilities when she’d arrived at the hall and she was proud of how successful and popular those Sundays had become. Not that she had any intention of letting go completely.

‘The traders are a great bunch of people,’ Pia told Tom. ‘There’s a real community vibe over there and they all help each other out. I’ll introduce you to them and show you around so you’ll know exactly who’s who and what’s what.’

‘Great. I can’t wait to get stuck in.’ Tom’s acceptance came as a huge relief to Pia. She’d promised Rex that she would do her utmost to ensure the brothers would still be on talking terms when Rex and Ronnie returned from their travels. ‘I’ll feel like a proper part of the Primrose Hall family.’ Tom grinned, and Pia could only think that had to be a good thing.

2

Sophie gave one last glance around the room that had been her home for the last few months. It was a perfectly adequate space with a double bed, a small wardrobe and a rickety chair, which she had never quite trusted enough to sit on, but had served as the ideal spot to throw her clothes over at the end of the day. The room, with its faded floral sprig wallpaper and matching curtains, its uninspiring view over some dilapidated garages, represented so much more than a place to lay her head. It had been a lifeline when she needed it most.

‘Are you all packed?’

‘I think so,’ she said, turning to face Greta with a smile.

She would be eternally grateful to her friend. They’d met at the Saturday morning yoga class in the village hall, only exchanging pleasantries over a few weeks until one particular session when ninety minutes of slow and purposeful movements and measured breathing had done nothing to help Sophie’s peace of mind. After the class, Sophie had dashed out of the hall, rushed to her car and closed the door behind her before giving in to the tears that had been brewing inside her all morning. She’d dropped her head on her forearms, resting on the steering wheel, and had been totally oblivious to the rapping on the driver’s window. It took her several moments before she looked up, mopping her tears away on her sleeve before noticing the blonde lady, who she recognised from the class, peering in at her. Sophie opened the door slightly, plastering on a smile and adopting a jaunty tone.

‘Don’t worry, I’m fine,’ she’d spluttered through her tears, totally unconvincingly.

‘Are you sure?’ The woman’s voice had been filled with concern as she delved into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a tissue, handing it to Sophie. ‘Look, do you want me to give you a lift home? I’m not sure you should be driving when you’re like this.’

‘No, there’s no need,’ she’d blurted, rather too quickly. ‘But thank you.’

Sophie’s breath had snagged as she’d tried to get in control of her sobs. It was very kind of the lady to be so concerned, but really Sophie wished she could be left alone. She really didn’t want to inflict her unhappiness onto anyone else.

‘There’s a lovely cafe in Primrose Woods. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there? It’s only five minutes down the road. We could go and grab a drink if you fancy it?’

Sophie was about to refuse when something stopped her. An instinct. What else was she going to do? Sit here becoming ever more miserable by the moment? She certainly didn’t want to go home. The longer she could put off that eventuality, the better, so, on a whim, she’d gratefully accepted the woman’s offer and climbed out of her car, locking it up, before getting into the passenger seat of the other car. As they drove the short distance to the country park, Sophie discovered that her name was Greta and she lived on the new estate with her husband and teenage children. She chatted away gaily, not asking any questions of Sophie, for which she was entirely grateful, and hearing about Greta’s family life was exactly the distraction Sophie needed right then.

They found a window seat in the Treetops Cafe, which gave a panoramic view of the surrounding breathtaking landscape, and while they’d waited for their order to arrive, Sophie had been happy to sit and soak up the atmosphere, finding solace in the protective embrace of the tall trees.

‘I suppose this defeats the object of today’s class,’ Greta had said, with a wry smile, when the order arrived and she looked down to survey her creamy cappuccino and bacon roll. The aroma was mouth-watering, but Sophie’s iced bun looked equally as appetising, and she wasn’t going to forgo her pick-me-up coffee for a cup of herbal tea. She shrugged.

‘I’ve never been one of those people who loses their appetite when they’re upset. It’s the opposite for me. I just want to eat everything in sight,’ Sophie had said, tucking in eagerly to her bun. ‘I suppose it’s a comfort thing.’

‘I get that, and I agree, now is no time to deprive yourself. I sometimes think that it’s the simple pleasures in life, a cup of tea, a walk in the woods, or a chat with a friend that can lift your spirits and help you get through the tough times. Although…’ Greta’s gaze scrutinised Sophie’s expression. ‘I’m guessing whatever it is that’s troubling you can’t be easily fixed with a sticky bun.’

‘No.’ Sophie exhaled a big sigh. ‘Unfortunately not.’

‘I’m a great listener if you want to talk about it, but equally,’ she held up her palms to Sophie, ‘I understand if you never want it mentioned again.’

Sophie smiled, more grateful to Greta than she would know, for taking the time to be concerned, showing a kindness that Sophie hadn’t expected from a relative stranger. The problem was she hadn’t spoken to anyone about Kyle, there was no one she could confide in and she’d been hugging her unhappiness all to herself for months now.

‘It’s Kyle,’ she said, and it was as if saying his name aloud gave her permission to talk about her situation for the first time. ‘My boyfriend. We’ve been together for eight years now and when we first got together, it was great. I thought I’d found my soulmate. We met at work. It’s his family’s business, an engineering company, and I joined to help out in the office. I quickly got promoted to office manager and I suppose our relationship grew from working so closely together. We were happy. We found a place and moved in together and everything was great. For a while.’

Greta had nodded, without making comment, allowing Sophie to continue after a moment of reflection.

‘Then, well, things changed. He’s always enjoyed a drink. We both did. It was part of our routine. After a busy day at the office, we would call in at the pub and he’d have a beer and I’d have a glass of wine and we looked forward to those times, the opportunity to chat and debrief after the stresses of the day.’ Sophie fell quiet, her gaze wandering out of the window into the woods beyond, her thoughts drifting away with her. ‘Trouble is, it got to the point where one or two drinks would turn into three or four. I would move on to the soft drinks because I was the designated driver, but Kyle would continue to knock back the pints. I guess that was when it all started to go so wrong.’

‘I’m really sorry to hear that.’

‘Yeah.’ Sophie’s gaze had flashed over to Greta’s, gauging her reaction, and then she shrugged. ‘It’s not great.’

‘What will you do?’

‘I don’t know. I ask myself that every day, but I never come up with any answers. Really, I should leave, but it’s not as simple as that.’

‘Why not?’

‘Well…’ Greta’s question had stopped Sophie in her tracks. She’d made it sound as though it was straightforward. ‘It means not only walking away from him, but his family, our house, my job, our future. Everything.’ She took a breath. ‘I wouldn’t know what to do or where to go.’

‘Can you see any type of future with… Kyle? Do you want to make it work?’ Greta probed gently. Sophie shook her head.

‘Not any more. I’ve tried so hard to make it work, but I realise now he’s never going to change. He doesn’t see that he has a problem, and I just can’t cope with his drinking any more. It’s only getting worse.’

Greta nodded.

‘He’s not violent, is he?’ she’d asked, concerned, leaning across the table.

‘Not physically. But he can get very aggressive. Mouthy and confrontational. It frightens me. I spend my time tiptoeing around him, not wanting to upset him. He’s not the Kyle I used to know, the one I fell in love with.’ Sophie’s eyes had filled with tears as she spoke, and Greta had noticed the fear in her expression.

‘That’s no way to live your life. It seems to me that you know you have to get away, for your own safety and mental well-being. It’s just taking those first steps. Putting a plan in place and doing it. Once you’re set in your mind about what you need to do, then it will become easier.’

Sophie had nodded. It seemed anything but easy. She knew she had to get away from Kyle, but she’d been ignoring the reality of that fact, with all her energy spent getting through the days as best she could, putting up some kind of pretence of normality. It had felt cathartic to talk to Greta and helped to put her thoughts in order. At work she hadn’t felt able to tell any of her colleagues the truth about her life with the boss’s son, although she suspected there might be plenty of rumours and gossip flying about the office.

‘Is there anywhere you could go? Do you have family around here?’

‘Not really. My mum’s got MS, she’s in a local nursing home so I need to stay in the area. I visit her every day, but she’s got enough on her plate. I don’t want her worrying about me, it will only make her situation worse. I’ve got an older brother too, but he lives down on the south coast with his family so I don’t get to see him too often, only when he comes up to visit Mum. There’s usually so much to fill him in on, about Mum and her care, that it doesn’t leave much time for anything else. If I was just thinking of myself, I would walk away and leave everything behind. Put a rucksack on my back and head abroad, but I could never do that to Mum.’

‘Look, let me take your number.’ Suddenly Greta had appeared very businesslike. ‘I can’t make any promises, but I might be able to help. I would just need to make a couple of phone calls first.’

Sophie had appreciated the opportunity to offload her worries onto Greta, to have a listening ear, away from her everyday life, in the beautiful surroundings of the cafe in the woods. She’d dried her eyes and gained a clearer perspective on her situation, realising more than ever that she had to find a way to get away from Kyle. When she’d offered her thanks and said her goodbyes to Greta on that Saturday morning, she hadn’t expected to hear from her again until the next yoga class, so when she received a text from Greta the same evening, saying ‘Call me as soon as you can!’ Sophie had been curious and intrigued. Not for a moment had she expected Greta to offer her the spare room in the house that she shared with her husband and teenage children. Sophie’s first reaction, after thanking Greta profusely for the offer, was to decline, not wanting to take advantage of her new friend’s generosity, but when Greta had insisted, reassuring Sophie that there’d been a family conflab and everyone was in agreement that Sophie should stay, she was taken aback and deeply touched by the humanity shown from people she barely knew.

Now, taking one final look at the room that had been her sanctuary for the last six months, she experienced an overwhelming swell of emotion, and she bit on her lip to hold back the tears gathering in her eyes. What would she have done if Greta hadn’t stepped in to offer her a place to stay? Would she still be living a miserable life with Kyle, tiptoeing around his moods, dreading going to work each day, but dreading going home