The Christmas Wedding

by Dilly Court

  Daisy took a seat at the table and helped herself to porridge, adding a generous amount of sugar and cream. ‘It would be good for him to have something to occupy his time. A man who’s worked all his life might find it hard to do nothing.’

  ‘I suppose so, and we could eat the fish he caught. At least it gets him out from under my feet and I have such a lot to do.’

  ‘I can help you.’

  ‘Thank you, dear, but I need to do things my way, and I’ll get the village girl to help. She has to learn our ways.’

  ‘You mean Linnet. She has a name, Aunt.’

  ‘I don’t want to be too familiar. Servants get above themselves in such a situation.’

  ‘You call Hattie by her Christian name.’

  ‘Hattie has been with me for twenty years or more, and I don’t want to lose her. Anyway, I know how to handle my servants, thank you, Daisy. Why don’t you wrap up and go for a walk? Get to know the area, and if you see your uncle tell him to keep away from the river-bank. He can’t swim.’ Eleanora left the room and Daisy was able to finish her breakfast in peace.

  She was about to clear the table when Linnet appeared, carrying a tray. ‘I’ll do that, miss. Your aunt sent me.’

  Daisy knew better than to argue. ‘Thank you.’ She hesitated in the doorway. ‘I seem to have nothing to do so I thought I’d walk to Creek Hall and fetch my brother. Which way is it?’

  ‘Creek Hall is on the edge of the wood overlooking the saltings. Just follow the creek.’

  ‘The saltings?’

  ‘It’s a salt marsh that’s covered by the sea at high tide. It’s not the place to go walking unless you know the area well.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m not that adventurous, but I will take a stroll.’

  Having left Linnet to do her work Daisy retrieved her bonnet and cape from the row of pegs in the entrance hall before setting off. The sun was shining and the threat of more snow seemed to have passed, but the bitter east wind made her eyes water. The ground was uneven and she had to take care not to trip over the ridges created by wagon wheels or to step into the ruts filled with snow melt. Despite the chill, the air was bracing and the sun’s rays reflected in the water, trapping the pale blue of the winter sky in the ripples, although as she approached the woods the shadows grew longer and the water lost its sparkle, appearing muddy and menacing. Daisy walked on, wrapping her woollen cape tightly around her. She quickened her pace and it was a relief to come out into the open where the saltings stretched out in front of her in a mass of vegetation growing haphazardly like a jigsaw puzzle tossed into the brackish water.

  To her left she spotted Creek Hall, standing on its own at the edge of the wood with an uninterrupted view of the salt marsh. Sea birds circled overhead, mewing and crying like lost souls, while others waded in the shallow water, probing the mud with their long beaks in the search for food.

  As she drew nearer she could see that the carriage sweep was losing the battle with couch grass and weeds, and some of the windowpanes in the upper floor were missing, but there was something about the warm red bricks of the Tudor house that spoke of permanence and solidity – two factors that appealed strongly to Daisy. She trod the gravel path, avoiding the patches of fast-melting snow, and went to knock on the door. After a while it was opened by a young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Linnet.

  ‘Good morning,’ Daisy said, smiling. ‘I came to see if my brother, Dr Marshall, is still here.’

  ‘You’d best come in then.’ The girl, who was probably a year or two older than Linnet, stood aside, staring curiously at Daisy as she crossed the threshold.

  Daisy returned the stare. ‘Are you related to Linnet Fox, by any chance?’

  A slow smile curved the girl’s generous lips. ‘I’m her sister, Dove.’

  ‘Dove?’

  ‘Yes, miss. Our mum loves birds. We all had such names.’

  ‘Dove, who is it?’ Nick’s voice rang out from somewhere at the far end of the entrance hall.

  ‘It’s Miss Marshall, Doctor. She’s come for her brother.’

  Dressed for riding, Nick came to greet her. ‘Miss Marshall, this is an unexpected pleasure. I hope you weren’t worried when Toby failed to return home last night.’

  Daisy smiled. ‘Not at all. I’m afraid it was blatant nosiness that brought me this way. I was eager to see Creek Hall.’

  ‘And here you are. I’d be delighted to show you round, although you might be disappointed.’

  Daisy eyed his riding boots and topcoat. ‘But you’re going to Maldon to see your solicitor. You mustn’t let me hold you up.’

  ‘Another ten minutes or so won’t make any difference, but first you must have some refreshment. It’s bitterly cold and you’ve obviously walked here.’ He turned to Dove. ‘We’ll have coffee in the dining room.’

  ‘Yes, Doctor.’ Dove hurried off.

  ‘Toby is just finishing his breakfast and there’s a fire in the dining room. I only use a couple of the downstairs rooms – the others are under covers all winter, although I’m afraid that does encourage damp.’ Nick eyed her, frowning. ‘Would you like to take off your cape, or would you prefer to keep it on?’

  ‘I’ll keep it on for the time being, if you don’t mind.’

  ‘Not at all. I’m wearing several layers myself. Come this way.’ Nick led her across the wainscoted hall, through a door at the far end and down a long corridor to the dining room, where Toby was seated at the table. He pushed his plate away and jumped to his feet.

  ‘Good Lord, Daisy. Are you checking up on me? I thought Aunt Eleanora was bad enough, but this takes the biscuit.’

  ‘Don’t be so touchy, Toby. I’ve already admitted that I was curious to see Creek Hall, and I’m not disappointed.’

  ‘You aren’t?’ Nick said. ‘It’s not exactly a grand house.’

  ‘It feels homely, unlike the Carringtons’ mansion in Queen Square. It was grand and expensively furnished but it wasn’t a home.’

  ‘If you equate homely with shabby, then you’ll love Creek Hall. I’ll show you round,’ Nick said cheerfully. ‘Although I’m afraid the rest of the house is even colder than it is in here.’ He turned to Toby, who was munching a slice of toast and marmalade. ‘Are you coming with us?’

  Toby shook his head. ‘No, thank you. I’m not nosy like my sister. I’ll sit here and finish my breakfast in peace.’

  Daisy chose to ignore her brother’s teasing and she followed Nick from the room. The floorboards creaked as they negotiated the narrow passageways, and there were patches where the plaster had crumbled away from the walls, leaving the laths exposed. But if there were whispers from the past in the old house, the memories were happy ones.

  ‘I’ll introduce you to my housekeeper, Mrs Boynton, or Mrs Bee as I call her,’ Nick said over his shoulder as they approached the kitchen at the back of the house. ‘Mrs Bee has been with the family ever since I can remember, and she’s a wonderful cook. I don’t know why she stays on but she looked after my father in his last days – she was devoted to him.’

  Daisy gathered from his tone that Mrs Bee’s opinion mattered, and as they entered the kitchen she braced herself for the inevitable interrogation. But it was the size of the kitchen and the height of the beamed ceiling that took her by surprise. At the far end of the room there was a huge open fireplace as well as an ancient range. The heat from a blazing log fire contrasted sharply with the chill rising from the flagstone floor.

  A thin elderly woman, dressed in black from head to foot apart from a spotless white apron, rose from a chair at the table where she had been writing something in a ledger. ‘Good morning, Master Nick.’

  ‘I’ve brought Miss Marshall to meet you, Mrs Bee. She’s Toby’s sister.’

  Mrs Bee looked Daisy up and down and a slow smile softened the harsh lines on her face. ‘You’ll be the young lady who’s just moved into Creek Cottage.’

  ‘I’m staying with my aunt and uncle, although I might return to Lond
on. I haven’t quite decided.’

  ‘We need new blood in the village. I hope you’ll make your home in Little Creek, Miss Marshall.’

  ‘If anyone can persuade her I’m sure you can, Mrs Bee.’ Nick leaned over to brush the housekeeper’s thin cheek with a kiss. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

  ‘You’re just like your late father: he could charm the birds from the trees if he so chose.’

  ‘He loved Creek Hall and so do I, but everything depends upon my visit to the solicitor today.’

  ‘It will be all right. There’s nobody going to take Creek Hall away from you. It’s been in the family for over two hundred years. You tell him that, Master Nick.’

  ‘I will, and if all else fails I’ll take you with me next time, Mrs Bee. We’ll leave you in peace, but I had to show Miss Marshall the beating heart of Creek Hall.’

  ‘Get away with you.’ Mrs Bee shook her head, but she was smiling as she sat down and picked up her pen. ‘Good day to you, Miss Marshall. I hope we’ll see more of you at Creek Hall.’

  ‘It was nice meeting you, Mrs Bee,’ Daisy said over her shoulder as she hurried after Nick, quickening her pace in an attempt to keep up with his long strides. ‘Do you really think you might lose Creek Hall?’

  ‘My father left considerable debts. He was a good doctor but a poor businessman, and he rarely charged any of his poorer patients. Unless I can find a way to pay all or even some of the money back to the creditors, it looks as though I’ll have to sell Creek Hall.’

  ‘That’s terrible. I can see how much it means to you.’

  He came to a halt as they reached the entrance hall. ‘You don’t think I’m being overly sentimental?’

  ‘Heavens, no! Why would I think that? If I owned a property that had been in my family for so many years I’d do anything to hold on to it.’

  A smile lit Nick’s hazel eyes. ‘I believe you would.’ He glanced at the grandfather clock as it chimed the hour. ‘I didn’t realise it was so late. I’m sorry but we’ll have to finish the tour another day. I have to leave for Maldon right away.’

  ‘I understand. Of course you must go, so don’t worry about me. I’ll go home with Toby.’

  ‘Explain to him for me, please.’

  ‘I will.’ She stood aside as he made a grab for his hat and riding crop. ‘Good luck.’

  He smiled. ‘Thanks. I’ll need it. Tell Toby I’ll call round this evening and let him know how I got on.’

  Daisy nodded but he was already out of the door and she found herself alone in the hallway surrounded by echoes of the past. She could imagine the Neville ancestors pleading softly for someone to save their old home. If this house belonged to her family she would fight to the last to keep it.

  ‘The coffee is getting cold,’ Toby said crossly when she returned to the dining room. ‘What kept you so long?’

  ‘I met the redoubtable Mrs Bee.’ Daisy picked up the coffee pot and filled a cup, adding a dash of cream. She sat down beside her brother. ‘Nick had to leave, but he said he’d call round this evening and let you know how his meeting with the solicitor went. I do feel sorry for him.’

  Toby shrugged and took another bite of toast. ‘He could sell this old pile of bricks and move on. That’s what I’d do if I were in his position.’

  ‘But this is the family home, Toby. One of Nick’s ancestors built it.’

  ‘It’s old and it’s crumbling. Besides which, who in their right mind would want to live in the wilds of Essex? It would be impossible to make a decent living round here.’

  ‘But the people need a doctor. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?’

  ‘Then they should move to the nearest town. I intend to do my stint at the London, and then I’m heading for Harley Street where I can make a fortune and retire early so that I can enjoy the fruits of my labours.’

  She shook her head. ‘You have no soul, Toby Marshall.’

  ‘And you are all heart, Daisy.’ He leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. ‘Have you fallen in love with the house or with my friend Nick?’

  She chuckled but, even so, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. ‘The house, of course. I’m done with romance. It leads to heartbreak.’

  He squeezed her fingers. ‘Only if you fall for the wrong man, little sister. If I ever meet that cad Julian Carrington I’ll give him what for.’

  ‘He’s not worth it, Toby. Forget about Julian – I have.’ Daisy drank the lukewarm coffee in two gulps and replaced the cup on its saucer. ‘We’d better go home.’

  ‘It’s not my home, Daisy. I’m going back to London tomorrow.’

  ‘So soon?’

  ‘There’s no point staying any longer. I have to find lodgings near the hospital and I take up my position on Monday.’

  ‘I’ll miss you.’

  Toby eyed her speculatively. ‘Come with me, then. I’m sure we can find somewhere suitable for the two of us. You can keep house for me.’

  The thought of being her brother’s housekeeper made her laugh. ‘I can’t imagine how that would work out, Toby. We’d argue all the time, and anyway, I want to do something for myself.’

  ‘Do you want to find another position like the last one?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, never. I wasn’t cut out to be a governess, but there must be something I can do. There simply must.’

  Toby caught the train to London next morning, once again offering to share his accommodation with Daisy should she change her mind. She was tempted, but she knew that if she were to leave now it would upset her aunt and uncle, and she put a brave face on it, waving goodbye to her brother as the train puffed out of the station. She set off to walk back to the cottage at a brisk pace and was approaching the village when she saw a group of small boys clustered around one of their friends, who was lying prostrate on the ground.

  ‘What happened?’ Daisy asked anxiously.

  ‘He were climbing the tree, miss. The branch broke and he fell.’ The boldest of the group wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. ‘Is he dead?’

  Daisy went down on her knees beside the child. ‘What’s his name?’

  ‘Jack Fox, miss.’

  ‘Fox? Is he related to Linnet and Dove?’

  The boy nodded. ‘He’s their brother.’

  ‘He’s killed hisself,’ cried a smaller boy. ‘Run and get help, Danny.’

  Daisy laid her hand on Jack’s chest and she could feel his heart beating rhythmically. ‘He’s not dead.’ She could see that one arm was twisted beneath him and she lifted him gently, straightening the injured limb. ‘I think he’s broken his arm. We need to get him to the doctor.’

  ‘It’s too far to carry him,’ Danny said, sniffing.

  Daisy glanced round in desperation. ‘Don’t just stand there, boys. Find me some straight sticks. I’ll make a splint for his arm while he’s unconscious and then we’ll see about moving him.’ She sat back while the boys scurried off to find the wood. ‘Jack, can you hear me?’ She brushed his dark hair back from his forehead to reveal a large egg-shaped bump that was rapidly turning blue. A head injury could be serious, but there was nothing she could do about that; the main thing was to get the boy home and send for the doctor. Daisy looked up as Danny returned carrying a bundle of twigs, some bigger and thicker than others.

  ‘How far is it to Jack’s home?’

  ‘About half a mile, miss.’

  ‘Is there anyone big and strong who could carry him? Or is there someone close by who owns a pony and trap?’

  ‘The vicar has one, miss,’ the smallest of the boys piped up eagerly. ‘I can run fast. Shall I go and fetch him?’

  Danny grabbed him by the arm. ‘Don’t be stupid, Alfie. We’re supposed to be in school.’

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about that at the moment.’ Daisy took off her cape and laid it over Jack’s inert body. ‘The important thing is to get help. Run along, Alfie. See how quickly you can get to the vicarage.’

  Alfie puffed out his chest. ‘I�
�m a fast runner.’ He pushed past the silent boys, and sped off.

  ‘Don’t look, boys,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘I’m going to tear a strip off my petticoat so that I can use it as a bandage. We’ll make Jack as comfortable as possible until help arrives.’ She lifted her skirt and ripped a long strip from the hem of her undergarment. She could see the boys peeping through their fingers, but this was not the time for modesty and the sight of a shapely ankle was not going to do them any harm.

  ‘He’s groaning, miss,’ Danny said importantly. ‘He’s coming round.’

  Daisy worked quickly. She had read about the treatment of fractures in one of Toby’s medical books, although she had never imagined that one day such knowledge might come in useful. She immobilised the arm by making a splint from three of the stronger pieces of wood bound with the material from her petticoat. Jack was moaning and his eyes fluttered and opened. He attempted to sit up, but Daisy restrained him gently.

  ‘You’re all right, Jack,’ she said softly. ‘You’ve had a fall, but you’re all right now.’

  He stared at her blankly. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I’m Daisy Marshall. Your sister Linnet works for my aunt and uncle at Creek Cottage.’

  ‘I got to go to school.’ He attempted to rise once again, but Daisy shook her head.

  ‘We need to get you home, and you have to see the doctor. I think your arm is broken, so please don’t try to move.’

  He pulled a face. ‘I’ll be for it when I get home.’

  ‘So will I,’ Danny added grimly. ‘I’ll get a beating from my dad and from Mr Massey.’ His remark was accompanied by a groan of assent from the rest of the boys.

  ‘Mr Massey?’ Daisy shot him a questioning look.

  ‘The schoolmaster. We don’t like him.’

  Daisy tried to think of something appropriate, but she could remember teachers at the academy for young ladies whom she had hated with a passion. Some of them seemed to have taken pleasure in tormenting the pupils under their care, and she sympathised silently with the boys. She looked up at the sound of hoof beats and the rumble of wheels.