‘Quiet, please,’ Harriet shouted.
She was relishing being the head of the family even more now they had a new addition. And, of course, now she’d settled into motherhood, she’d gone back to bossing them all around. Life was back to normal, or as normal as it ever was with them.
‘I’d like to raise a toast. To Brooke and Chris and The Studio! May it be the huge success they deserve – which, by the way, I’m sure it will be.’
‘To The Studio,’ they toasted.
‘And we have one last surprise for Brooke,’ Harriet added.
Pippa gave Hector’s hand a squeeze and went to stand with Harriet and her other siblings. Harriet handed Brooke an envelope. There had been several legalities and they were lucky that their family solicitor was so good that they were able to get everything sorted out in a relatively painless way. Although, of course, it hadn’t been plain sailing.
‘What is it?’ Brooke asked.
‘It’s official! You’re a Singer. Your paternity is legally recognised and now, like it or not, you’re officially one of us.’
They all went in for a group hug.
Tears streamed down Brooke’s cheeks. ‘I absolutely love being a Singer. I’d just like to say how I’ve never been happier. Who would have known when I boarded the plane with my one-way ticket that I’d have found this!’
‘It really was your ticket to happiness,’ Pippa stated. ‘And ours, in so many ways.’
‘And I think we’d all like to say how much our father would have loved you and been proud of you,’ Gus said, emotion choking his voice.
‘He really would,’ Harriet echoed.
Pippa felt emotion fill the room.
‘I wish I’d met him, but I guess he’s in each of you,’ Brooke said.
‘And we see him in you, too,’ Pippa said, putting her arm around her and giving her a squeeze as emotion welled up. ‘You’re definitely our father’s daughter.’
‘To Brooke Singer!’ Freddie held his glass up.
‘To Brooke Singer!’ the room echoed.
Acknowledgements
Yet again I have been lucky enough to write about the Singer family. I do adore the Meadowbrook Manor series and am delighted with this third book. There are, as always, a whole lot of people who are involved in the book. So, a mountain of thank yous go to the following people. To the team at Avon, and especially my lovely editor Katie Loughnane, it was a pleasure working with you. Thanks also to everyone who works so hard for the books, Sabah, Elke, Dom and the entire Avon Team, it’s always such a huge privilege to be published by you. Also, to Diane Banks and everyone at Northbank Talent Management for being great agents who are always on hand to support.
Thank you also to the lovely book bloggers – you overwhelm me with your support and help. Honestly, we authors value you so highly and owe a lot of thanks to you. The same to fellow authors who are always on hand to give reassuring words or virtual hugs. It’s such a wonderfully supportive industry to work in, and I feel blessed to be part of it.
On a personal level, thanks to my family and friends, who I adore, and couldn’t do this without, and you all know who you are. I am so lucky to have great people around me, and I love you all.
To Chris Reeves for being a good sport about appearing as Chris PT in the book – it’s only loosely based on you, apart from the tight jeans of course!
And of course, huge, huge thanks to my readers. Without you there is no Meadowbrook, and no other books, so thank you so much for reading and letting me continue writing!
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About the Author
Faith Bleasdale lives in North Devon with her ten-year-old son and her cat. She studied history at the University of Bristol, has enjoyed a wide variety of jobs but is now lucky enough to write full time. Having lived in Bristol, London and Singapore, she now enjoys the countryside and seaside life in Devon, happily swapping the city for wellington boots, although she dusts the heels off frequently to visit London. She has previously written seven fiction books and one non-fiction.
About the Publisher
Australia
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HarperCollins Canada
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United Kingdom
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