Pippa felt her stomach flutter as they made their way upstairs. What if Brooke really was their half-sister? It didn’t make sense. There is no way that their father would have been happy knowing that he had a child out there that he didn’t know about, or get to meet. Their father would have been devastated, in fact, to think that he had a child he didn’t know about.
‘Daddy wouldn’t have let this happen,’ she said suddenly, fiercely.
‘Oh, Pip, it’s clear that if it’s true then he didn’t know,’ Harriet said, putting her arm around her.
‘He wouldn’t have let this happen if he did,’ Gus pointed out.
‘What a bloody mess,’ Freddie said.
Pippa knocked at Brooke’s door and waited. There was no answer.
‘Come on, let’s just go in,’ Harriet said, moving Pippa aside and opening the door.
There was no sign of Brooke. It looked as if she’d taken some of her things, as well. She must have moved fast. They’d only been arguing over what to do for a few minutes, or was it longer?
‘The holdall’s gone,’ Pippa said, realising that it was missing.
They checked the wardrobe and some of her clothes were also gone. There was no sign of her handbag and she’d taken her washbag from the bathroom. She’d left a bit of her stuff and on the bed, scattered, were some of the papers.
‘Oh God,’ Harriet said, picking up one of the pieces of paper. ‘Here’s the DNA test.’
They crowded round and although Pippa didn’t understand it, she could clearly see that Brooke was a match to both Freddie and her.
‘It looks real,’ Gus said.
‘It does,’ Harriet added.
‘Who knows how easy it would be to fake a DNA test!’ Pippa still protested. ‘I mean, it could be a forgery.’
‘Look at this,’ Freddie said, picking up a photo.
It was the photo of their father and a woman who was clearly Brooke’s mum. They checked through the rest of the papers, some of which Pippa had already seen.
‘I think she’s genuine,’ Harriet said finally as she read the printout of an email that Brooke’s mum had written, giving details of their father that only someone who’d met him would have known.
‘But…’ Pippa chewed her lip. Surely not?
‘We need to find her,’ Gus said. ‘Because Gwen’s right, if she is our sister and she’s pretty alone right now, we need to take care of her.’
‘We cared about her anyway,’ Freddie pointed out.
‘We did, we said that she was part of Meadowbrook, and maybe she really is. We can’t turn our backs on her,’ Harriet added.
‘But we don’t know where she’s gone,’ Pippa pointed out.
Part of her felt terrible for Brooke while part of her was struggling with her own feelings. Did she really have a new sister? Was she no longer the baby of the family? Was that her problem – she liked being the youngest – or was it more than that? After all, her father had a daughter who he’d never met and never would. But then that meant that Brooke would never get the chance to meet her real father now, which would be devastating for her. Like she’d lost two fathers. Oh God, she had to think of how wretched Brooke must be feeling now. It was time for her to be her true, caring self.
‘Call Chris PT,’ Pippa said, remembering herself. ‘He’s her only friend apart from us.’
‘Have we got his number?’ Harriet asked.
‘Oh, sorry, I have.’ Pippa shook her head. She was feeling both stressed and anxious. ‘But can you call?’
She pulled out her mobile, brought up his contact details and passed the phone to Harriet. The phone went straight to voicemail.
‘Chris, it’s Harriet Singer,’ she said. ‘Please call me back. It’s urgent! We’re really worried about Brooke. Oh! but maybe don’t tell her that you’re calling us. If you’re with her. I hope you are. I mean, well, just call me back.’
Freddie shook his head.
‘What do we do now?’ Gus asked.
‘No choice but to wait for Chris to call us. Right, let’s go and see my baby.’
They found the others in the kitchen. Toby was asleep in his pram and Gwen was busying herself making tea.
‘Any news?’ Hector asked.
‘She’s gone but we don’t know where.’
‘I’m going to drive down to the village,’ Freddie said. ‘She can’t have got far, she’s not even got a car, so I might see her, or something. Call me if Chris rings.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Gus said.
‘Why do I feel that it’s my fault?’ Pippa said.
‘Oh, Pip, it’s not. It’s a mess but it’s not your fault,’ Gemma said.
‘God, Pip, you said to me at the beginning you were unsure, but I brushed your concerns off, not that you could have predicted this, of course,’ Harriet said.
‘Oh God, Harry, if she is our sister then she’ll never forgive me.’
‘She will,’ Hector said. ‘And if she’s your sister then I’m guessing all she wants is to be part of the family, and that includes you.’
‘No, I’ll bet she won’t want to be part of my family,’ Pippa said before starting to cry again.
It felt like hours before Chris phoned them back. Freddie and Gus had scoured the village but there was no sign. Gemma and Hector had gone to search her room again, but it was fruitless, because they had no idea what they were actually looking for.
‘Chris!’ Harriet snatched up Pippa’s phone. ‘It’s Harriet.’
She put him on speaker and the family crowded round to listen.
‘Hi, um, I guess you’re calling about Brooke.’
‘Yes.’
‘She said she’s your sister and none of you believe her.’
‘We do believe her,’ Harriet said. ‘Sort of. Is she with you?’
‘She’s devastated. She said you guys accused her of being a con artist. I can see why – after all, she took ages to tell you – but then again, Brooke’s a lovely person and certainly not a liar. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, in fact.’
‘Thanks for that analysis, Chris!’ Harriet snapped. ‘But, actually, we do know.’
‘What Harry means is that we’re worried about Brooke,’ Gus interjected. ‘Yes, we may have been a little sceptical, but then we were in shock. She’s been here for months and not a word – you must see how that felt to us?’
‘Yes, and I said as much to her, but she’s scared. And she’s young. I’m not that old, only thirty, but she’s still in her early twenties and her life’s been turned upside down a number of times recently. It’s been difficult for her.’
‘Chris, we get that, but we need to speak to her, can you get her for us?’
‘Sorry, no.’
‘What do you mean no?’
‘She managed to get here and I tried to talk her out of it but I couldn’t. I’m at the gym. I had a client I couldn’t change and normally I’d drop everything for her, but then I need this job until I open my own gym, which of course I thought I’d be doing with Brooke—’
‘Chris, calm down, where is Brooke?’
‘In a taxi. I begged her not to and said I’d be free in a bit. In fact, if only she’d waited, I’m free now. But my client’s one of the gym’s most important members, so I was stuck.’
‘Where’s she gone to?’ Freddie asked, sounding exasperated.
‘Oh, to Heathrow. She said that you’d made it clear that you don’t want her so she’s going back to America. I tried to talk her out of it, but with my client and everything, there was nothing I could do. I mean, I was hoping she’d work with me, which is what we wanted to do, but of course we still had to figure out her work permit. There again, I’m guessing if she’s actually your sister then she’s half English, so she might be all right.’
‘Chris,’ Pippa finally managed to interject. ‘So she’s gone to the airport. How long ago did she leave?’
‘About twenty minutes.’
‘Right.’ Pippa
knew what they needed to do. ‘Chris, we’re going to go and find her. Keep your phone on you so we can let you know.’
‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Chris asked, sounding hopeful.
They all exchanged glances.
‘No, Chris, I think it’s probably best if it’s just family right now.’
‘Oh, OK. Good luck. Oh, and please get Brooke back!’ Chris sounded upset.
‘We will,’ Pippa finished, sounding more confident than she felt.
Chapter Thirty-one
‘I don’t see why you have to drive,’ Gus whined as Freddie grabbed the car keys to the Range Rover.
‘Because you drive like an old woman,’ Freddie bit back.
‘I’m calling front seat,’ Harriet said as she kissed a still-sleeping Toby then barked instructions at Gwen and Gemma as to what he needed.
‘Why do you get to sit in the front?’ Pippa complained. ‘You always get the front seat.’
‘I’m the oldest,’ Harriet shot.
‘I’m the second oldest, so I should drive,’ Gus persisted.
‘For goodness’ sake, if you don’t leave now she’ll be back in LA before you even get in the car,’ Gwen chastised.
‘OK, fine, we’ll sit in the back,’ Gus said sulkily. ‘And I’ll call Amanda on the way, to explain.’
‘Oh God, don’t make me listen to you telling her how much you love her again,’ Freddie complained.
‘Right, out, now!’ Gwen shouted.
They all did as they were told.
Pippa glanced anxiously across to Gus in the back seat as Freddie drove off. Gus was talking on the phone to Amanda, filling her in on the day’s events. Listening to it, it sounded so surreal. They’d been living, sort of, with Brooke for four months now and all along she was their half-sister. Or alleged half-sister. Pippa still harboured some doubts, although they were shrinking. If Brooke wasn’t a con woman, then why would she flee now? Or was she banking on the fact that they’d follow her? But then in the films if they have cons like that they reveal themselves straight away, don’t they? Her head hurt with all the confusion.
‘Amanda seems to think that she can see the family resemblance,’ Gus said as he hung up.
‘Really? Isn’t it funny how now she’s said she’s related to us we all think we can see it,’ Freddie said.
‘Is that because she says she’s our sister, or is there really a familiar likeness?’ Harriet asked.
‘Amanda says that she sees it more in her characteristics. She said, and I hadn’t noticed, but she says that she has certain mannerisms that Dad had.’
‘You know, I forget that Amanda worked with Dad before you two got together,’ Pippa said.
Amanda had taken over the gardens at Meadowbrook before their father’s death. She and Andrew Singer were quite close.
‘I always thought she reminded me of someone – maybe there is something in that,’ Harriet mused.
‘I don’t know,’ Pippa started. ‘Although her character is a bit like a mixture of all of us,’ she conceded.
She had the strength of Harriet, the creative side of Gus, the fun side of Freddie and Pippa … well, they probably shared more than she cared to admit.
‘What the hell are we going to do when we get to the airport?’ Freddie said as he accelerated.
‘If we get there in one piece,’ Gus murmured.
‘We have to talk to her,’ Harriet said. ‘We need to make sure that she really is our sister. I know we’ve seen the photo, and the email her mum wrote, and also the DNA, but we need to be sure. My instinct is that Brooke isn’t lying and sorry, Pip, but I don’t think she’s pulling off a con. We need to tell her that going forward, for legal reasons, we need our own DNA test.’
‘And if it’s positive?’ Pippa asked.
She felt sick still. How could they have a secret sister? So their father didn’t cheat on their mum, but how would he feel if he were here now? He’d be devastated at the idea that a child of his wasn’t part of his life, she knew that. He was honourable. How could Brooke’s mum have walked out of his life, had his child and passed it, her, off as another man’s? It was all a huge mess.
‘Then she’s part of our family, Pip, like it or not.’
Pippa didn’t know if she did like it or not. But, of course, she wouldn’t turn her back on her. Pippa wasn’t a bad person, just a little confused at times. Poor Brooke was alone and distressed, and if she was a Singer then she’d be treated as such. Pippa resolved to be a better person starting now and that meant welcoming Brooke into the family. After all, like Harriet, her instinct was telling her that Brooke was their sister. It was as if she knew it in her heart; although her head was definitely not as accommodating.
‘Harry, have you found the terminal yet?’ Freddie asked as they neared Heathrow.
Pippa had spoken to Chris, who’d managed to speak to Brooke, and found out she was heading to the American Airlines desk.
‘Terminal three,’ Harriet replied.
They’d been largely silent, all of them nervous and lost in thought. This was huge, Pippa knew, and the reality of possibly having another sibling hadn’t fully sunk in. How could it? They’d checked in at home: Toby was fine, and Gemma, Hector and Gwen were sitting together, waiting for news. Connor was going to join them at the house straight from work, and Amanda was going to get the girls and go over. They had all their support system waiting at home. Who did Brooke have? Pippa wiped a tear away. Why had she treated her so badly, or if not treated her badly, thought badly of her? The poor girl had no one.
‘She must be feeling desperately lonely right now,’ Pippa said.
‘Oh, Pip, she will be, but we’ll be there soon.’ Harriet turned round to reassure her.
‘What if it’s too late?’ Gus said quietly.
‘It won’t be, not with my brilliant driving,’ Freddie stated just as he pulled into a short-stay parking space.
They scrambled to get out of the car and ran to the terminal building in formation. Harriet spotted the American Airlines desk and rushed up.
‘Did a woman buy a ticket?’ she asked. ‘She’s about my height, blonde, very pretty, mid-twenties, name of Brooke Walker?’ Her words gushed forth.
Before the bemused-looking lady behind the desk could answer, a small voice piped up.
‘What are you guys doing here?’
They turned around and found themselves facing a tearful Brooke. She had her handbag slung over her shoulder and her holdall at her feet.
‘Oh! Brooke.’ Pippa felt her emotions overcoming her.
Remembering who she was, she grabbed Brooke and hugged her.
‘My credit card was declined. I’m stranded,’ Brooke said, sobbing into Pippa’s shoulder.
‘You didn’t have a return ticket?’ Gus asked.
‘No, I only bought a one-way coming here. It was my ticket – you know, the ticket to happiness – but now I’m stuck here, alone.’
‘No, you’re not, we’re here,’ Pippa said, bursting into tears.
‘Everyone’s staring at us,’ Freddie hissed.
Harriet steered them over to a quiet space. Brooke collapsed on the floor, still crying. Harriet raised her eyebrows.
‘I’m too old for this,’ she hissed as she sat down on the floor next to her.
The rest of them followed suit.
‘I’m sorry,’ Brooke said. ‘I got scared and ran, but I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was about to call Chris and ask him to come and get me.’
‘Hold on.’ Harriet took charge. ‘You don’t need to be sorry, but we do have questions. First, why did you come to us under false pretences?’ Harriet wasn’t one for small talk.
‘When Dad – or the man I thought of as my dad – died, I felt so guilty because I didn’t feel sad. We’d never been close and I always felt as if he didn’t like me. My mum was difficult, too. I know now it was because she’d had affairs – and not just with your father, either – and she was selfish. Having
had too much drink, she told me after his funeral that he wasn’t actually my father. He knew this, which explains why he didn’t bond with me, but he loved my mother and put up with her behaviour – therefore, he had to put up with me.’
Her eyes glistened with tears and Pippa put her arm around her.
‘When she told you, did you question it at all?’
‘Yes, obviously it wasn’t on my birth certificate. Your dad never knew. At first I was angry about that, why he’d abandoned me, but she assured me that he didn’t know. Before I was born, she went to London for work. She worked for a big retail chain and she met your dad at the hotel they were both staying in. He was there on business, too.’
‘How could she be sure that you were Dad’s and not her husband’s?’ Gus asked.
‘It turns out my dad couldn’t have children. So when she found out she was pregnant, she couldn’t lie to him about it. But she wanted a baby, so they decided to bring me up together. I don’t think my dad had much choice. No one ever knew so he could save face, but whenever he looked at me he saw his humiliation. I’m pretty sure that’s why we never got on.’
‘It must have been a huge shock,’ Freddie said.
The five of them sat cross-legged on the floor and as people passed them, almost stepping over them, they remained oblivious to the fact they were sitting on the ground in terminal three.
‘I don’t even know what my emotions were,’ Brooke admitted. ‘I was so upset, and confused, and then I started to get a bit obsessed. I got Mum to give me all the details; although she was reluctant at first.
‘Anyway, I found out that my real dad was Andrew Singer, that he was dead – which was another shock – and that I had four half-siblings. I admit, my first thought was that I’d storm in and demand that you give me what I was due, which explains the solicitors’ letters you found, Pippa. I mean, I was so full of resentment that I wanted to hurt you all. But then I thought I’d pretend to be a hotel guest and find out as much as I could before taking you to court.’
‘So you were going to take legal proceedings against us?’ Harriet bristled. ‘It’s not that I blame you, but it’s unpleasant, and if you’d just talked to us…’ she said in what could only be described as an understatement.
The Ticket to Happiness Page 28