A Village Scandal

by Dilly Court

He shrugged. ‘There’s no need for that. What I have to say affects everyone. Bessie is in the drawing room, and Hilda has the nippers under control. This is the ideal time to put things straight.’

  ‘I don’t see how you can wriggle out of this one, Jay Tattersall,’ Mary said, wagging her finger at him.

  ‘I’m going to put matters straight, Ma.’ Jay strolled through the great hall, leaving them to follow him to the drawing room.

  Mary hesitated, but Daisy slipped her arm around her mother-in-law’s shoulders. ‘We can at least hear what he has to say.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Bessie was seated on the sofa, her work-worn hands clasped in her lap and a scowl etched on her face.

  ‘Take a seat, please, Daisy. You, too, Ma.’ Jay went to stand with his back to the empty grate, and he waited until everyone was seated. ‘We have a bit of an uncomfortable situation here,’ he said seriously. ‘What I propose is that I take Bessie and the children back to Dorset.’

  ‘Hold on,’ Bessie said angrily. ‘I ain’t something you can get rid of so easily, Jay. I’m your wife.’

  ‘How could I forget it, my little petal?’

  Jay was smiling, but Daisy could tell that it was for Bessie’s benefit and he was simply humouring her. She sat back in her chair and waited.

  ‘As I said,’ Jay continued casually, ‘I’m taking Bessie and the children to Dorset, and we’ll be living in the house that I inherited from my father. It’s a mansion a few miles along the coast from Osmington.’

  ‘What does that solve?’ Daisy demanded crossly. ‘What do you propose to do about our sham marriage?’

  ‘Yes. She could have you arrested for bigamy,’ Bessie added spitefully. ‘And so could I, if I was of a mind to get me own back on you. You cheating bastard.’

  ‘If I go to prison you and the nippers will starve, unless your pa takes you in, and I doubt if that would happen.’ Jay turned to Daisy with an apologetic smile. ‘I know I did badly by you, Daisy. If it’s any consolation I did love you and I still do.’

  ‘You can’t say that,’ Bessie cried passionately. ‘You fathered the little ones and the babe I’m carrying now. You said you loved me.’

  ‘And I do, sweetheart.’ Jay went to sit on the sofa and he placed his arm around Bessie’s thin shoulders. ‘I love you and the little ones, but I also love Daisy, and my ma, of course. I’m a loving type of fellow.’

  ‘You’re a disgrace,’ Mary said bitterly. ‘I can’t believe you’re my son. Although, I’m sorry to say, you do take after your father.’

  ‘Harsh words, Ma.’ Jay nodded as if in agreement. ‘But I’m trying to make amends. I want you to have the manor house. You did marry the old man, after all, so you can’t have hated him that much.’

  ‘You’ll never know,’ Mary muttered darkly.

  ‘Anyway, as I said, you can have this house and the estate. I don’t see myself as a landed gentleman.’ Jay turned once again to Daisy. ‘I know what you’ve done here, Daisy. I respect you for being a superior person and you’re everything I am not, so I want you to stay here with Ma, and look after her and the estate. As far as I’m concerned it’s yours.’

  Daisy sprang to her feet. ‘But that’s just the point, Jay. It isn’t mine legally and never will be. You think you can wriggle out of this by making empty gestures. You’ve put me in an impossible position. I’m neither legally married nor am I single.’

  ‘Come now, my love. You’re a very attractive woman, and you’ll be part owner of the Creek Manor Estate. I’ll sign it over to you and Ma, if that makes you happy. There will be dozens of eager suitors who will marry you, regardless of the formalities.’

  ‘But I’m not free to marry anyone else,’ Daisy said furiously. ‘I’m still married to you, even if it isn’t legal.’

  ‘I should be mistress of Creek Manor.’ Bessie’s bottom lip trembled. ‘You wed me, Jay. I don’t want to be shut away in an old ruin down Dorset way.’

  Jay threw up his hands. ‘Is there no pleasing you women? For a start, Bessie, my love, the old ruin you mention is a mansion with twenty bedrooms. My pa was an astute man when it came to property. With the money that the Lazy Jane brings in, as well as my other businesses, none of which you need know about, I can afford to hire servants and you’ll have fine dresses and everyone will envy you.’

  ‘I’m not listening to any more of this,’ Daisy said angrily. ‘I suggest you take your wife and your children back to Dorset as soon as possible, Jay. In the meantime I’m going to see a solicitor.’

  ‘But that means Jay will go back to prison.’ Mary gazed at her with tears in her eyes. ‘There must be another way, Daisy, dear.’

  ‘No, this must be settled once and for all,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘Tomorrow Jay and I will take Bessie and the children to Waterloo, where they will board a train for Dorset. Then we will visit my uncle’s old solicitor and take advice from him. Either that or I go to the police.’ She faced Jay, eyes narrowed, silently daring him to argue.

  He nodded. ‘Very well, Daisy. I agree.’

  ‘But I don’t.’ Bessie jumped to her feet. ‘I ain’t going to be treated like a child. I’ll go to the solicitor with you.’

  ‘No, Bessie. You’ll do as I say,’ Jay snapped. ‘I’m tired of your constant carping and whining. You’re my wife and you’ll obey me, no matter what. I’m trying to do what’s right by you and the children. Go upstairs and pack your things. We’ll leave in the morning, as Daisy suggests.’

  ‘Oh! You brute. Wait till I tell Pa how you’ve treated me.’ Bessie flew from the room, slamming the door behind her.

  ‘What have you done, Jay?’ Mary asked wearily. ‘Why did you marry that person?’

  ‘Bessie is all right,’ Jay countered. ‘She’s not in her element here, but at home she’s a different person. I do love her, in my way, and I admit I’ve taken her for granted when I should have been looking after her and the nippers.’

  ‘You disgust me, Jay Tattersall.’ Daisy walked to the door and opened it for Mary, who left them, shaking her head and muttering beneath her breath. Daisy closed the door, eyeing Jay with a scornful curl of her lip. ‘I don’t know what I ever saw in you, but the sooner this is over the better.’

  ‘Wait a minute, Daisy.’ Jay held up his hands in a gesture of submission. ‘You’re right. I’m everything you say I am, but I need your help if we’re to work this out properly.’

  Daisy leaned against the door, folding her arms. ‘Go on. I’m listening.’

  ‘The truth is that there is no grand house in Dorset. There was such a place, but I sold it some time ago. I said that to keep Bessie quiet.’

  ‘You really are a selfish swine,’ Daisy said bitterly. ‘Why do you treat people this way?’

  ‘I’m not making excuses for my behaviour, Daisy. I live by my wits and always have done.’

  Daisy walked slowly to the fireplace and slumped down in a wing-back chair. She fixed Jay with a hard stare. ‘I think you’d best tell me everything.’

  He paced the floor, hands clasped behind his back. ‘I’ve always been honest with you, Daisy.’

  ‘No, you haven’t. Everything you said was a lie.’

  ‘I just didn’t mention the fact that I already had a wife, but everything else I said to you was the truth.’

  ‘Is that all you have to say? Because it’s a pretty lame excuse for bigamy.’

  ‘I know, and that was a bad mistake. Marrying you was the best thing I ever did, but I was young when I met Bessie and she was pretty then, and she was in love with me.’

  ‘Jay, this is getting us nowhere. You’ve already told me all this.’

  ‘Her father threatened me with a shotgun if I didn’t do the right thing by her.’ He came to a halt. ‘I could divorce Bessie. If I sold the Lazy Jane the money would be enough to keep her and the children in comfort, and she’d be free to marry someone who would treat her better than I.’

  ‘And I suppose you would expect me to take you back
as if nothing had happened?’ Daisy said angrily.

  ‘Yes, you know you love me, as I love you. I’d turn over a new leaf and try to be a good husband and a responsible squire.’

  Daisy rose to her feet, facing him with a determined lift of her chin. ‘Your mother was right, Jay. You are like the old squire, and I’m glad that our marriage isn’t legal. I want to be free of you for ever.’

  ‘You don’t mean that, Daisy mine. Come with me if you don’t want to stay here and manage the estate. We’ll sail away on the Lazy Jane and live abroad.’

  ‘I was angry with you, but now I feel only pity. You are a child in a man’s body, clamouring for the moon, and crying when you find out that it’s far from your reach.’

  His expression changed and his lips twisted into a bitter smile. ‘A child, am I? Well, this estate is still mine and you are here illegally. I’ve a good mind to throw you out.’

  ‘You’ll find yourself in front of a magistrate on a charge of bigamy if you do anything stupid. In fact, that seems to be the only way to disentangle our affairs. Tomorrow we’ll do as I first suggested and we’ll go to London to see the family solicitor. It’s up to you what you tell Bessie, but I don’t think she’ll be very happy when you admit that you lied to her about the grand house.’ Daisy left the room before Jay had a chance to stop her.

  Matthew Brumby’s office in Lincoln’s Inn Fields was small and poorly lit by a single window, the panes of which were frosted with soot and city dirt on the outside, and smeared with fingerprints on the inside. The walls were lined with shelves that were crammed with law books, files and periodicals, and these spilled onto the floor, together with documents rolled and tied with red tape. Mr Brumby’s desk was an island in the midst of all this chaos and he worked by the light of an oil lamp. As long as Daisy could remember, Matthew Brumby had looked old, worn and the skin on his face was creased like a piece of crumpled tissue paper.

  He peered at Daisy over the top of his steel-rimmed spectacles, his myopic blue eyes red-rimmed and watery. ‘My dear girl, how did you get yourself in this invidious situation?’

  Daisy shot a sideways glance at Jay, who sat beside her on a rickety wooden chair that must have come from somebody’s kitchen, judging by the grease stains and congealed lumps of food sticking to the uprights.

  ‘I thought I’d married the right man, Mr Brumby,’ she said, sighing. ‘I didn’t know that Mr Tattersall already had a wife, and two children.’

  ‘That must have been a shock for you, Mrs Tattersall.’

  ‘I think I prefer to be known as Miss Marshall,’ Daisy said icily. ‘It seems that I never had the right to my married name.’

  ‘Hold on, Daisy,’ Jay protested. ‘I married you twice, didn’t I? Doesn’t that show good intent?’

  Mr Brumby fixed him with a cold stare. ‘Not if the marriage is illegal, Mr Tattersall. What have you to say in this matter?’

  ‘I’ve offered to divorce my first wife,’ Jay said sulkily. ‘Daisy doesn’t like the idea.’

  ‘Bessie has two children to raise and another one on the way. I don’t want you now and I don’t trust you, Jay. I can’t divorce you, because we aren’t legally wed, but I want to be free.’

  ‘Have you anyone in mind that you wish to marry legally, Miss Marshall?’

  ‘No, I have not.’

  ‘What about Marius?’ Jay said slyly. ‘You booked into the Crown Hotel in Weymouth for two nights with him. I have a witness who will substantiate the fact.’

  ‘I was looking for you,’ Daisy protested. ‘And Marius and I had separate rooms. It was all perfectly respectable.’

  ‘So what do we do now?’ Jay sat back in his seat, eyeing Daisy with a smug smile.

  She ignored him, turning her attention to the solicitor. ‘What can I do, Mr Brumby?’

  ‘Bigamy is a crime, it’s true, but realistically you would have to take the matter to the magistrates’ court, and then to the quarter sessions. It’s a costly procedure and the punishment these days is relatively light – maybe a few months’ imprisonment – a year at the most. These cases are so common nowadays with divorce being so expensive, and the results are often unsatisfactory for the woman involved.’

  ‘But I am not legally married to Jay,’ Daisy said slowly. ‘I have no intention of marrying anyone at the moment, but I might at some time in the future.’

  ‘This type of case rarely comes before me, my dear.’ Mr Brumby ran his hand through his mane of white hair, causing it to stand on end around his head like a halo. ‘I will have to consult my associates and go through similar cases to find out what is the best advice I can offer you without, I assume, taking court action against Mr Tattersall.’

  ‘I’m prepared to do the decent thing by both of them,’ Jay said grandly.

  Mr Brumby took off his spectacles and wiped the lenses on a grubby hanky. ‘My dear sir, I don’t think you know the meaning of decency. I suggest you go away and think about it, leaving me to deal with the legalities.’

  Daisy rose from her chair. ‘Thank you, sir. I’m most grateful. My uncle would have sent you his best wishes, had he known that I would be seeing you, but I wanted to keep this from my family as long as possible.’

  ‘I quite understand. I have to say that in my opinion, since your marriage was illegal in the first place it is considered to be void, and as such there is no question of annulment. However, having said that, you may at some point desire to marry, and then you might need to prove that you were never legally married to Mr Tattersall. I’ll look into it and let you know my findings.’ Brumby stood up and shook her hand, but when Jay proffered his hand, Mr Brumby ignored the gesture, and he ushered them out of the office.

  ‘Well,’ Jay said as they stepped out of the building into the dazzling sunshine, ‘we’d best go home and wait for him to sort the matter out.’

  Daisy shook her head. ‘Oh, no, Jay. You are going to follow Bessie to Dorset, and quite frankly I don’t care what you do after that. I am catching the next train to Little Creek.’

  Jay rammed his top hat onto his head. ‘Don’t tell me what to do, Daisy mine. I have no intention of following Bessie. She’s perfectly capable of getting herself and the children back to Weymouth, where she will no doubt call on her father to take her home to the cottage. I have other matters to attend to.’

  Daisy eyed him curiously. ‘You’re going to look for the Lazy Jane, aren’t you?’

  ‘Absolutely right, my love. She’s due in port today and I intend to take up my duties as master. I’ll call in to see if Marius is in the office, and make sure that he’s doing his job to the best of his ability.’ Jay strolled off in the direction of Fleet Street and Daisy hurried after him.

  ‘Wait a minute, Jay. I might need to contact you.’

  ‘I’m sure that old Brumby can manage without me, and I have no intention of giving myself up to the authorities. You heard what he said about judges being lenient on bigamists. They used to be transported to the colonies or branded, but we’re a more just society now.’

  ‘You’re not getting off so easily. If you’re going to Marius’s office I’m coming with you. At least I know I can get some sense out of him as to how and where I can get in touch with you.’

  Jay glanced over his shoulder. ‘Or is it that you have Mr Walters in mind for your second attempt at matrimony, Daisy mine?’

  Daisy fell into step beside him. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, and stop calling me that. I am not yours now, and it seems that I never was.’

  Jay raised his hand to hail a passing hansom cab. ‘Have you any money on you, my love? I must have given my last penny to Bessie when we left her at Waterloo Bridge Station this morning.’

  ‘Yes, and I have my return ticket to Little Creek. I know you only bought a single, so I hope you can afford the fare to Weymouth, and I know you sent your luggage on in the guard’s van for Bessie to deal with at the other end. You are not a gentleman, Jay Tattersall.’

  ‘I have everything I need
on board ship.’ Jay handed her into the cab as it came to a halt at the kerbside. ‘I’m banking on the Lazy Jane being in port. She’ll come to my rescue yet again, of that I’m certain. Lower Thames Street, Cabby. Galley Dock.’ Jay climbed in and sat down beside her as the cab started to move. ‘Come with me on the Lazy Jane. You’ve done it before and that’s when we first fell in love. Do you remember?’

  ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ Daisy stared straight ahead. The familiar London streets brought back memories of her childhood and she knew that she would always feel at home in the city, much as she loved Little Creek. She tried to ignore Jay, who talked incessantly, reminding her of the old days and the love they had shared. He was playing games with her and she knew it. Jay was very good at manipulating people, but she had no intention of falling for his sweet talk again. A small part of her would always love the wild boy and adventurer, but his deceit had hurt her more than she could say, and she would never allow herself to be taken in by him again.

  When the cab dropped them in Lower Thames Street it was a short walk to Galley Dock Quay and Daisy descended the watermen’s stairs cautiously. This was not the first time she had been this close to the pulsating heart of the city, where fortunes were made by trading with the rest of the world. Steam was gradually taking over from sail, but the Lazy Jane was all grace and beauty as she swayed gently at anchor in the late afternoon sunlight. One look at Jay’s face was enough to convince Daisy of the truth she has always known – the love of his life was a sailing vessel: no woman could compete with the Lazy Jane.

  ‘This way,’ Jay said, taking her by the arm. ‘Mind your step or you might find yourself tripping over something and pitching onto the mud below.’

  She shook free from his grasp. ‘I’m perfectly capable of walking along the quay without falling into the river. Where is the office?’

  ‘Just here.’ Jay stopped outside one of the low wooden buildings along the quay. Above the door was a sign bearing the name ‘Marius Walters, Shipping Agent’. Jay barged in without bothering to knock.

  ‘Marius, old chap. Glad you’re here. I’ve brought someone to see you.’ Jay ushered Daisy into the dim interior.