The Christmas Wedding

by Dilly Court

  ‘Has my Linnet been gossiping? I’ll have something to say to her if she has.’

  ‘No, it wasn’t Linnet. I’m only asking you because the squire is also making life difficult for my aunt and uncle. They didn’t realise that the squire owns the freehold to Creek Cottage, and there’s some doubt as to whether he will allow them to renew the lease.’

  ‘I heard something of the sort.’ Mary subsided onto a chair opposite Daisy. ‘You know what a place this is for gossip, but it wasn’t Linnet who told me.’

  ‘Then you probably know why the squire is being so difficult.’

  Mary stared down at her clasped hands. ‘Yes, miss.’

  ‘I’m going to ask you something you may not wish to answer, but I have a very good reason for the question.’

  ‘Yes, miss.’ Mary raised her head to give Daisy a questioning look.

  Daisy leaned forward. ‘I know that the squire sent your son to prison for some minor offence.’

  Mary jumped to her feet. ‘We don’t speak about it in this house.’

  ‘But Jay is your son. Surely you want to help him?’

  ‘It’s all in the past. My Lemuel insists on it being that way. Please don’t ask me anything else.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Daisy said slowly. ‘Jay’s been punished for the crime he committed. Why can’t you forgive him?’

  ‘Who says I don’t forgive him? It ain’t my choice, miss. He’s suffering for my sins, not his. My boy made a mistake, but he’s paid for it.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

  ‘No, and it’s best that way. I’m asking you to leave now, please. You’re very welcome here but I don’t want my boy’s name mentioned again.’

  ‘I apologise if I’ve upset you, Mrs Fox.’ Daisy left the cottage, walking slowly towards home. She was even more mystified after her brief conversation with Jay’s mother. Mary Fox was hiding some deep dark secret and Daisy had a feeling that the squire might have the answer. There was only one action that she could take now, and it was something she should have done at the outset.

  Next morning, instead of catching the train to London, Daisy walked to Creek Hall, having told her aunt that she wanted to make sure that the Begg children were not causing Mrs Bee too much trouble. She knew that they would be well cared for, but it was a relief to see Judy and Molly enjoying the fresh air and sunshine as they explored the overgrown grounds. Judy bounded up to her and gave her a hug and Molly managed a shy smile.

  ‘Where are the little ones?’ Daisy took them by the hand. ‘Have they been good for Mrs Bee?’

  ‘Pip cried for our ma when Dove put him to bed, but she sung him a song and he fell asleep. Nate was tired out so he was no trouble at all.’ Judy puffed out her chest. ‘I’m good with the little ’uns. I’ve looked after them while Ma was out at work, so I know what to do.’

  ‘I help,’ Molly added shyly.

  ‘I’m sure you do.’ Daisy opened the scullery door and the smell of baking wafted out from the kitchen. Judy and Molly raced on ahead, but Daisy stopped to speak to Mrs Bee, who emerged from the linen cupboard carrying some drying cloths and a pile of dusters.

  ‘You needn’t worry about the little ones, miss. They’ve settled in as if they’ve always lived with us. Dove is a natural when it comes to children.’

  ‘I knew they would love it here,’ Daisy said, smiling. ‘I hope it’s not too much work for you.’

  ‘It’s good to have nippers about the place again. It’s a big old house for just Dove and me.’

  ‘I’ve come to ask another favour.’ Daisy lowered her voice. ‘I need to go somewhere and I wondered if Billy, the stable boy at Creek Hall, could drive me there in Dr Neville’s trap.’

  ‘You’re going to call on the squire.’ Mrs Bee nodded with approval. ‘It’s time someone stood up to the old devil. He’s been making mischief round here for far too long.’

  ‘How did you know that?’

  Mrs Bee chuckled. ‘I’m a witch. Didn’t Master Nick tell you that?’

  ‘He thinks the world of you, Mrs Bee.’

  ‘I used to tease him when he was a little boy. If he was naughty I’d tell him the witch would come and turn him into a frog. He thought I was talking about myself, but it did the trick. Although I have to say he was a good boy, most of the time, anyway.’

  ‘So is it all right if I take Billy and the trap?’

  ‘You go, my dear. Do whatever it is you have to do with my blessing.’

  Hero was getting old and Billy was not an expert when it came to handling the reins, but eventually they arrived at Creek Manor. Daisy had been silently rehearsing what she would say to the squire, but as Billy drew the horse to a halt outside the front entrance Daisy began to have second thoughts. Her previous meetings with Esmond Tattersall had ended badly, and there was no guarantee of a successful outcome now.

  ‘Shall you get down, miss?’ Billy asked anxiously. ‘Do you want me to help you?’

  ‘No, thank you,’ Daisy said stiffly. ‘I can manage perfectly well.’ She cocked her head on one side. ‘Do you hear that?’

  Billy craned his neck. ‘Someone’s coming and they’re riding hell for leather, if you’ll excuse the expression, miss.’

  The words had barely left his lips when a horseman rounded the corner of the building at a breakneck speed. He reined in the animal, coming to a halt in a cloud of dust and flying gravel.

  ‘Daisy. What in the devil’s name are you doing here?’

  ‘I could say the same for you, Jay Fox. Are you mad?’

  ‘I don’t know what you think you can achieve, but I’m telling you it’s a waste of time.’ Jay leaned over to grab Hero’s bridle. ‘Turn back, Billy. Get Miss Marshall away from here as quickly as you can.’

  Billy heaved at the reins but the startled horse reared and whinnied in fright. Daisy turned her head at the sound of shouts and running footsteps.

  ‘What have you done, Jay?’ she cried anxiously. ‘Did you steal that animal?’

  ‘I borrowed it,’ Jay said, grinning. ‘You have to get away, Daisy. The squire isn’t in a friendly mood, and I can’t stay to protect you.’

  Billy struggled to gain control of the frightened horse. ‘The poor beast can’t go fast, miss. He’ll drop dead if I try to make him.’

  ‘Miss Marshall, I want a word with you.’

  The sound of Esmond Tattersall’s voice booming across the carriage sweep made Daisy glance over her shoulder. She knew by the look on his face that her mission was futile.

  Jay manoeuvred his mount to the side of the trap. ‘Stand up and I’ll lift you onto the saddle.’

  ‘I can’t.’

  ‘Do you want to spend the rest of the day fighting off Tattersall? Because he’s coming down the steps as I speak.’ Jay leaned over and grabbed her round the waist.

  With a little help from Billy, Daisy found herself sharing the saddle with Jay, and suddenly they were off at speed and it was all she could do to catch her breath. She clung to the horse’s mane as they approached the gates but two groundsmen appeared as if from nowhere and started to close them. Jay urged the animal on and Daisy closed her eyes, fearing the worst.

  ‘It’s all right. We’re through.’

  ‘I do believe you’re enjoying this,’ Daisy said angrily. ‘Put me down, Jay. I’m not going far like this.’

  He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Tattersall is mounting up and he obviously intends to give chase. We’ll beat him even with two of us on this beast. It’s his personal favourite.’

  ‘Have you lost your mind?’ Daisy gasped breathlessly. ‘Horse theft is a serious crime. Set me down and go on alone.’

  ‘Hold on. We’ll soon lose them.’

  It took Daisy all her efforts simply to stay on the horse despite the fact that Jay’s arms were around her, but he was using the reins to guide the animal across fields and along narrow bridal paths. She had to duck her head constantly to avoid overhanging branches and she gave up tryin
g to speak as the wind robbed her of breath. They rode through a thickly wooded area and suddenly they were out in the open and she recognised the cove where she had last seen Jay’s ship. And there was the Lazy Jane at anchor, bobbing gently up and down on the outgoing tide.

  Jay drew the horse to a halt and leaped to the ground, and Daisy did not argue when he lifted her from the saddle. Her knees felt weak and every muscle in her body ached.

  She slapped him on the arm. ‘You fool,’ she cried angrily. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

  He held the reins, patting the horse’s neck. ‘I saved you from yourself, Daisy Marshall. Did you think you could get the better of Tattersall? Or were you going to appeal to his better nature? Because I can tell you he has none.’

  ‘You’ve put paid to any chance I had of coming to an amicable arrangement with him. You’ve stolen this poor horse and you’ve abducted me. These aren’t the actions of a sane man.’

  ‘You are free to go.’ Jay encompassed the wide sweep of the cove with open arms. ‘You can ride the horse back to Creek Manor, if you so wish. Or you can sail away to freedom with me.’

  ‘You are completely mad,’ Daisy said angrily. ‘You’ve just ruined any chance you might have had to clear your name.’

  ‘Don’t you think I’m used to being in the wrong? I grew up knowing that my father hated me, and my mother considered me an embarrassment. I’ve just discovered why, thanks to Tattersall.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Daisy said slowly. ‘What did he say to you, Jay?’

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘He took great pleasure in telling me that he’s my father,’ Jay said bitterly. ‘I was conceived out of wedlock and Lemuel Fox only married my mother out of pity.’

  ‘Oh, Jay. I’m so sorry, but he might be lying.’

  ‘I believe he was telling the truth, and it explains a lot. I can understand now why the man I’ve always thought of as my father hates the sight of me, and my mother feels shame every time she looks at me.’

  ‘I doubt if that’s true,’ Daisy said earnestly. ‘I’m sure your mother loves you just as much as her other children.’

  ‘She has to keep on the old man’s right side. He might preach peace and goodwill, but he has a fierce temper.’

  ‘I think you should go home and talk to your mother. Give her a chance to put things right.’

  ‘No, it’s too late for that. My ship’s waiting to take me far away from here.’ Jay seized both her hands, his eyes shining. ‘Come with me, Daisy. We’ll sail the world together.’

  ‘I’ve run away once, and I realise it’s not the answer. Please speak to your mother before you do anything rash.’

  ‘She’ll be better off without me. At least she might get some peace of mind if I’m far away. When you see her again, tell her I love her, and always will.’ He glanced over her shoulder at the sound of plashing oars. ‘They’ve come for me.’

  She turned to see one of Jay’s crew rowing towards the shore. ‘You don’t have to go like this. I thought you were going to stand up to the squire.’

  ‘I’ve decided he’s not worth the trouble. Are you going to take a chance and come with me?’

  ‘I think you’re making a mistake.’ They were standing so close together that she could feel his breath warm on her cheek and she could see a pulse throbbing at his temple. She found herself gazing into his blue eyes, a prisoner of raging emotions that she could not explain. She tried to move away but he caught her in his arms and kissed her until her lips parted and she lost herself in a dizzying flood of emotion. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into the moment, and then suddenly she was free again as Jay released her from his passionate embrace.

  ‘Come with me, Daisy. We were meant to be together.’

  The inclination to throw everything away and the desire to be with him was almost overwhelming, but she knew in her heart that it could never be. No matter what the temptation, she could not betray the trust of the people who had loved and looked after her for most of her life. She was on the brink of entering a profession where she could do some good and she could not simply walk away from her old life.

  ‘No, not like this, Jay.’ She backed away, keeping him at a safe distance. ‘It would end in disaster for both of us.’

  ‘I love you, Daisy, and you feel something for me, I know you do.’

  ‘Of course I do, but …’

  ‘But not enough to take a chance with me.’

  ‘I don’t want to live like a criminal on the run from the law, Jay. I think you ought to stay and face up to the past. If you go now you’ll have allowed the squire to ruin your life as well as those of your mother and Lemuel.’

  His eyes darkened. ‘What would you do if you were me?’

  She met his bleak look with an attempt at a smile. ‘I’d do my best to prove that I was the heir to the Tattersall estate and fortune. Think what a difference the money would make to your family.’

  ‘You’re forgetting that I was born out of wedlock. I’m a bastard and there’s an end to it.’

  ‘Now you’re wallowing in self-pity,’ Daisy said angrily.

  ‘You have no notion of what my life has been like, Daisy. You have a loving family and you haven’t experienced the harsh reality of being poor.’

  The surge of passion she had felt for him turned to ice in her veins. She wanted to shake some sense into him, but part of her longed to throw her arms around him and comfort him as if he were a small child. She knew she must not weaken. ‘Go then,’ she said angrily. ‘Run away to sea like a spoilt little boy. Break your mother’s heart and make your sisters and your brother unhappy. I don’t care what you do.’

  She seized the horse’s bridle and led the sweating animal to the edge of the wood, where she used a fallen tree trunk as a mounting block. The desire to get away overcame her fear as a novice rider. She clicked her tongue and flicked the reins. ‘Walk on.’

  Despite her anger she could not resist glancing over her shoulder and she saw Jay standing in the shallows, staring after her. She rode on, struggling with a feeling of failure and disappointment, but it was for Jay that she suffered and not herself. He was playing into the squire’s hands and committing himself to the life of an outlaw. Despite Lemuel’s treatment of him, Daisy could not believe that he really hated his stepson. Jay was the innocent victim in all this, and he seemed hell-bent on destroying himself. She sighed and guided the horse in the direction of Creek Hall. Billy could take care of the animal when he arrived back at the stables, and it was up to Squire Tattersall to have his horse collected. She had no intention of facing him again.

  It was mid-afternoon by the time Daisy arrived at Creek Hall. Having left the squire’s horse in Billy’s capable hands, she made her way to the kitchen where Mrs Bee plied her with cups of tea and biscuits, still warm from the oven. Judy claimed that these were all her own work and Daisy sampled one, declaring it to be delicious. Puffing out her chest, Judy wrapped two of the biscuits in a piece of butter muslin.

  ‘Will you take these to Ma, please, Daisy? Tell her that I made them all by myself.’ Judy shot a wary glance at Dove. ‘I did, didn’t I?’

  Dove smiled cheerfully. ‘You did the hard work, Judy. You’ll be a very good cook one day.’

  ‘And you’re never too young to learn.’ Mrs Bee ruffled Judy’s fair hair, which Daisy noticed had been washed and brushed until it shone like silk. In fact all the children had been bathed and their clothes were clean and neatly ironed, and despite the enforced separation from their mother, they seemed happy. Molly had drawn a picture of a butterfly, which she added to her sister’s offering, while Pip and Nate sat cross-legged on the floor, munching biscuits and dropping crumbs everywhere.

  Mrs Bee filled Daisy’s teacup for the second time. ‘So did you accomplish what you’d set out to do, miss?’

  ‘Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to speak to the squire,’ Daisy said evasively. She had no intention of telling Dove that her b
rother had fled the country, and had no intention of returning. ‘I’ll have to try again.’

  ‘I saw you come riding into the stable yard.’ Dove eyed her curiously. ‘I don’t recognise that horse. It looks like a proper thoroughbred, although I’m no expert.’

  ‘It’s on loan. The owner will send someone to collect it today or tomorrow.’

  ‘It just seems a little strange that you had to borrow someone’s horse when Billy could have brought you home.’ Mrs Bee and Dove exchanged meaningful glances.

  ‘I really must go now.’ Daisy rose to her feet. Any further explanation would involve Jay and she was not very good at lying. ‘I’ll have to return to London later today. I’ll take the gifts to your mum, Judy, and I’ll tell her how good you are all being.’

  ‘Will you ask her to get better quickly?’ Judy’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Perhaps she can come here when she’s well enough. I want to show her the garden and everything.’

  ‘We’ll have to see.’ Daisy knew it was an unsatisfactory answer, but bringing children to Creek Hall in an emergency was one thing – whether Nick would take their mother in was another matter. Hilda was bound to have her own ideas on what she considered to be proper. ‘Goodbye. I’ll come again when I have time off from the hospital.’

  Mrs Bee saw her to the door. ‘Is everything all right, miss? You look worried.’

  ‘I’m just tired, Mrs Bee. I’m not used to all this exercise and east coast air is so bracing.’

  ‘Get some rest, dear. And give my love to the doctor when you see him next. Tell him he’s sadly missed.’ She stood in the doorway, waving each time Daisy turned her head. She knew she had not satisfied Mrs Bee’s curiosity, but leaving her wondering was better than telling her exactly what had happened that day. Daisy trudged home, each step an effort. Somehow the prospect of returning to London next day was not as exciting as perhaps it ought to be.