A Village Scandal

by Dilly Court

  ‘That right, Daisy. Better an absent husband than one who is addicted to drink or the gaming tables, and worse still to be tied to a womaniser. The only rival I have for your uncle’s affections is the river, and I can bear that, even if I do get tired of eating fish.’

  Daisy was trying to think of a suitable answer when there was a knock on the door.

  ‘May I come in?’ Toby asked.

  Daisy stood up and went to open the door. ‘You’re home early.’

  ‘Not really, it’s nearly half-past six. I have some good news for you, Daisy.’

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘What is it?’ Daisy asked eagerly. ‘Don’t keep me in suspense.’

  ‘One of my patients today came in from the docks. He’d sustained a serious injury to his left arm while unloading a vessel.’ Toby hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully.

  ‘Come to the point, dear,’ Eleanora said sharply.

  ‘Well, I don’t want to give you false hope, Daisy, but the ship was the Lazy Jane.’

  Daisy leaped to her feet. ‘Why didn’t you say that in the first place? Where is she berthed? I must go there immediately.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Daisy stared at him in dismay.

  ‘I finished early and I went to the wharf where she was docked, but she’d sailed.’

  Daisy sank down on the bed. ‘I wish you hadn’t told me now.’

  ‘Yes, Toby, that was thoughtless,’ Eleanora scolded. ‘You’ve upset your sister.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but it’s not all bad. I saw Marius coming out of a shipping office and I caught up with him. We had a long chat and he’s joining us for dinner this evening.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Daisy said dully. ‘But was Jay on board?’

  Toby shook his head. ‘That’s the odd thing. I asked Marius, of course, and he said that Clem was acting as master. He was about to tell me more when he was called away, but not before we’d made arrangements to meet for dinner at the Ship and Turtle in Leadenhall Street at eight o’clock. Will that suit you, ladies?’

  ‘Yes. Most definitely,’ Daisy said eagerly. ‘Maybe I’ll get some answers at last.’

  Marius was there waiting for them when they arrived at the Ship and Turtle. He handed Eleanora from the hackney carriage first and then Daisy, while Toby paid the cabby.

  Marius held onto Daisy’s hand a little longer than was necessary. ‘It’s been too long since we last met. I’ve wondered how you were getting along, Daisy.’

  The warmth in his eyes and the sincerity of his smile sent a frisson of pleasure down her spine and she knew she was blushing. ‘I’ve taken on the management of the estate and I’ve been very busy,’ she said in an attempt to sound casual.

  ‘I look forward to hearing about it, but first I suggest we go inside before we get soaked to the skin.’ Marius glanced up at the darkening sky as the first raindrops hit the dry pavement, hissed and evaporated.

  Eleanora held her hat on as she made a dash for the doorway. Daisy followed her aunt, but came to a halt in the shelter of the portico. ‘You must tell me what Guppy said, Marius. I want to know why Jay wasn’t on board.’

  ‘I’ll tell you all I know when we’re inside,’ Marius said firmly. ‘This isn’t the place to discuss private matters.’

  Daisy waited until they were all seated at their table, and the waiter had poured the wine, before she put the question to Marius for the second time.

  ‘Where is Jay?’ she asked. ‘Why wasn’t he with the others?’

  Marius swirled the wine round in his glass, gazing into its depths. ‘Guppy said that Jay was still not quite himself and had opted to stay ashore.’

  ‘That sounds odd,’ Toby said, frowning. ‘Why didn’t he return home where he would be cared for?’

  ‘I can’t answer that.’ Marius looked up and met Daisy’s anxious gaze with a sympathetic smile. ‘I’m sorry, Daisy. All I know is that the Lazy Jane’s last port of call was Weymouth in Dorset.’

  ‘What business could they have had there?’ Daisy took a sip of wine.

  ‘For some time we’ve been doing business with Keiller’s, who make marmalade, amongst other confections. The Lazy Jane transports a cargo to St Peter Port in Guernsey, where they unload before taking on a consignment of marmalade, which they take to Weymouth and it travels onward by rail from there.’

  ‘Marmalade?’ Eleanora stared at him in amazement. ‘That sounds very odd.’

  Marius shrugged. ‘The sugar tax in Guernsey is a fraction of what it is on the mainland and the Scottish firm built a factory there. Anyway, that’s not the point. Jay remained in Weymouth, and that’s as much as either Guppy or Ramsden would tell me.’

  ‘His mind must be wandering,’ Eleanora said briskly.

  ‘We don’t know that, Aunt.’ Toby picked up a menu and began to study it. ‘I’m sure there’s a perfectly simple explanation. What do you think, Marius?’

  ‘There’s only one way to find out,’ Marius said solemnly. ‘I have contacts with agents in Southampton and Poole, and I was planning a trip to that part of the country. I could make a detour to Weymouth and see if I could locate Jay.’

  ‘Would you, Marius?’ Daisy had been silent during the latter part of the conversation. The details of the Lazy Jane’s cargo held no interest for her, and all she could think about was her errant husband. She collected her thoughts with difficulty. ‘Jay might be in trouble.’

  ‘It didn’t sound like that,’ Marius said carefully. ‘I couldn’t get much out of either Guppy or Ramsden, but they didn’t seem to be worried. Apparently Jay is very familiar with that part of the country.’

  ‘It’s all a bit odd,’ Toby said, frowning. ‘If Jay’s condition is deteriorating it makes me wonder if he’s fit to command a ship.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have allowed her to sail if I thought he wasn’t able to do his job.’ Marius gave Daisy an encouraging smile. ‘It’s a mystery, but I’m sure we’ll find there’s a simple explanation.’

  ‘When do you plan to go to Dorset?’ Daisy asked eagerly.

  ‘I was thinking of travelling tomorrow.’

  ‘Would you take me with you, Marius?’

  ‘Of course, but wouldn’t it be better if you went home and waited for him there?’

  ‘Yes, Daisy,’ Eleanora said anxiously. ‘You don’t want to go traipsing about the country on a wild-goose chase. Jay might be on his way home as we speak.’

  ‘Leave it to Marius,’ Toby said, nodding.

  ‘No, that won’t do,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘There’s something very wrong and I need to know the truth.’

  Eleanora was wary about travelling home to Little Creek on her own, but Toby gallantly offered to accompany her, and with a little persuasion from Daisy, he offered to take the parcels and bandboxes containing their purchases to Creek Manor. This left Daisy free to accompany Marius to Weymouth with the minimum of luggage.

  They set off next day, leaving London from Waterloo Bridge Station, travelling westwards. It was a long and often tedious journey, although the scenery was lovely, and Daisy spent much of the time gazing out of the window, but her mind was elsewhere. Jay had never mentioned any connection with Dorset, and there seemed to be no reason why he would have chosen to remain in a small coastal town so far from home. If Marius had any ideas he was keeping them to himself, and after a failed attempt to draw him on the subject, Daisy did not mention it again. It was only when they were nearing their destination that she began to feel more hopeful.

  ‘Have you any idea where Jay might be staying, Marius?’ she asked eagerly.

  He stood up to take their luggage from the rack above his head. ‘Guppy wasn’t very forthcoming, but he mentioned a village a mile or two from the town. He was quite vague and I had the feeling my questions weren’t welcome.’

  ‘That’s very odd. I can’t understand why Jay would want to stay away.’

  Marius placed their valises on the floor.
‘Neither can I. Let’s hope we find him and then he can explain.’

  Daisy glanced out of the window. ‘I think we’re pulling into the station.’

  ‘I’ve been here once before. There’s a decent hotel on the seafront. I’ll book us in there.’

  Daisy turned to him, frowning. ‘But we’re supposed to be looking for Jay. This isn’t a holiday, Marius.’

  ‘Of course not, but it’s getting late and we don’t stand much chance of finding him today. We’ll make some enquiries this evening, and first thing in the morning we’ll hire some sort of transport to take us to the village Guppy mentioned.’

  ‘Oh dear!’ Daisy said with a wry smile. ‘My reputation will be ruined if anyone finds out that we’ve stayed in the same hotel. It’s fortunate that Aunt Eleanora didn’t think that far ahead. Poor dear, she was so eager to get home that she didn’t give it a thought.’

  ‘No one knows us here, so I think you can relax, Mrs Tattersall. I can always pass myself off as your brother, if that would put your mind at ease.’

  ‘No, don’t do that, Marius. I think it would be fun to watch the other guests eyeing us suspiciously, even if we aren’t doing anything wrong. More shame on them, I say.’ Daisy rose to her feet as the train ground to a shuddering halt. ‘Is it far to the hotel you mentioned?’

  ‘No, just a pleasant walk along the seafront, with a beautiful view of the bay.’ Marius opened the carriage door and hefted their luggage to the ground. He helped Daisy to alight and a porter rushed up to carry their bags out onto the station forecourt. Marius tipped him, and as the porter walked away they were accosted by a youth, offering to carry their luggage to their destination.

  ‘Obliging lot, these Dorset people,’ Marius said, smiling as he watched the lad stride off with a valise in each hand. ‘Look, you can see the sea. I don’t think I could ever live inland.’

  ‘Me neither,’ Daisy said, taking his arm as they set off, heading to the Esplanade in the wake of their luggage. ‘I have to keep reminding myself that we’re here for a serious reason.’

  ‘Don’t feel guilty for wanting to enjoy yourself, Daisy. You are young and you don’t deserve to go through all this. I know this is a serious mission, but that doesn’t mean we have to be miserable.’

  She stopped as they came to the Esplanade with its elegant terrace of Georgian houses and hotels. The sweep of the bay was ahead of them and the blue summer sky reflected on the water in varying shades, from deep ultramarine at the horizon to sparkling light turquoise closer to shore.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ Daisy said breathlessly. ‘I love the saltings at home, but the North Sea is never quite this colour, and the air here is so fresh and clean.’

  Marius squeezed her hand gently as it rested on his sleeve. ‘We’d best follow our young guide. I think he’s almost reached the hotel. We can take a walk after dinner.’

  ‘After we’ve made arrangements to go to the place where Jay is supposed to be living,’ Daisy added hastily.

  ‘Yes, of course. Don’t worry, Daisy. We’ll find him.’

  That evening they ate in the hotel dining room, seated at a table in the window. The view of the bay at sunset was breath-taking, and the meal was excellent. Daisy knew they were attracting the attention of the other guests, and she was amused to see them smiling benevolently.

  ‘They think we’re on our honeymoon,’ she whispered, giggling.

  Marius smiled and blew her a kiss. ‘There, that should convince them,’ he said, laughing.

  ‘Don’t do that,’ Daisy said with an attempt at a frown. ‘You’re making it worse.’

  ‘Nonsense, my love. We’re making them happy for us.’

  ‘Marius, be serious for once. Did you get any sense out of the concierge?’

  ‘He said the village we’re looking for is probably Osmington or Osmington Mills, although he said we’d best avoid the latter.’

  Daisy was about to take a mouthful of roast chicken, but she paused with the fork halfway to her lips. ‘Why?’

  ‘He said the inn had a bad reputation in the past.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘Smuggling, I think, although the fellow wouldn’t be drawn on the subject.’

  Daisy pushed her plate away, the food half eaten. ‘I hope Jay hasn’t gone back to his old ways, Marius.’

  ‘Don’t jump to conclusions,’ Marius said gently. ‘There’s only one way to find out. I’ll go on my own, if you don’t feel you can face it.’

  ‘I’m not a weak little woman. I’m going with you, no matter what.’

  ‘The concierge promised to find a carriage to take us there after breakfast tomorrow.’

  Daisy took a sip from her wineglass. ‘I’ll be ready.’

  Next morning, they had an uncomfortable journey in a dilapidated barouche that had, according to their driver, once been the pride and joy of two maiden ladies who had fallen on hard times and been forced to sell the family home and the contents of the coach house and stables. Their retired coachman now made a living by hiring himself and the carriage out to anyone willing to pay enough to keep him in baccy and beer. He was a gloomy soul, not given to talking, and the ageing cart horses plodded along the country lanes and negotiated the steep hills slowly and painfully. Daisy imagined she could hear the animals’ joints creaking and she was tempted to get down and walk; it would certainly have been quicker. However, they reached their destination eventually, and the horses grazed on the long grass at the top of the cliff, while the coachman sat on the box, smoking a clay pipe.

  Daisy held onto Marius’s arm as they negotiated the steep steps down to the inn, which nestled in a narrow valley a stone’s throw from a small, sheltered bay. It was a secluded spot and so it was easy to understand how it must have proved ideal for smugglers in days gone by, giving the revenue men an almost impossible task. A stream meandered past the inn and several small cottages before trickling onto the stony foreshore. It was a picturesque view, but Daisy had seen poverty in Little Creek and in London, and she knew that this idyll was on the surface only. The dwellings were small and the thatched roofs were in desperate need of repair. Barefoot children eyed them suspiciously, and the young woman who stood in the doorway of one of the cottages was unkempt and poorly dressed.

  ‘Perhaps we should make enquiries in the pub?’ Marius suggested hastily. ‘The landlord will have a good knowledge of what goes on locally.’

  Daisy shook her head. ‘You do that, Marius. I think I’ll have a word with that person.’

  ‘She looks scared,’ Marius said doubtfully. ‘Maybe they don’t get many strangers here. It is a bit out of the way.’

  ‘Nevertheless, I have a feeling about this. It’s better if I talk to her on my own.’ Daisy walked off without giving him a chance to argue, but the woman had gathered up her children and retreated into the cottage. Daisy was not going to be put off so easily, and she had to knock several times before the woman opened it just enough to peer out.

  ‘I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am,’ Daisy said politely. ‘But I’m seeking some information.’

  ‘I don’t know nothing.’ The woman tried to shut the door, but Daisy was too quick for her and she put her booted foot over the sill.

  ‘I won’t keep you for more than a couple of minutes,’ Daisy said gently. ‘May I come in?’

  The door opened and the young woman stepped outside.

  ‘What d’you want, missis?’

  Now that they were face to face Daisy could see traces of beauty in the pinched face. Dark smudges underlined large eyes, which were a shade of blue comparable to the summer sky, but her fair hair was unwashed and scraped back into a bun at the nape of her neck. Beneath the crumpled and dirty folds of the cotton gown, it was obvious that the woman was pregnant. One of the grubby children emerged from the house and clung to his mother’s skirts.

  ‘Is this your little boy?’ Daisy asked, smiling down at the child, who immediately hid his face.

  ‘Go inside, Robin.’
The mother shooed the little boy into the cottage and closed the door.

  ‘You named your boy after a bird?’ Daisy’s heart missed a beat and she felt suddenly light-headed.

  ‘It were his pa’s idea, not mine. Who are you, missis?’

  ‘My name is Daisy. What do I call you?’

  ‘It don’t matter what my name is. What do you want?’

  Daisy opened her reticule and took out her silk purse. ‘I’m prepared to pay for information.’

  ‘I don’t take charity. Say what you came for and then you can go. We ain’t on show here.’

  ‘I’m Mrs Tattersall and I think my husband might have stayed here recently.’

  ‘You’d best ask the landlord. I dunno nothing.’

  ‘His name is Jay,’ Daisy said softly. ‘A bird’s name, like your son’s.’

  ‘There ain’t no law against it, is there?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ Daisy struggled to think of a way to get the information she desperately needed. She was certain that this woman knew something.

  ‘Then stop wasting my time. I got nippers to feed.’

  ‘I was told that Jay Tattersall was here. He’s the captain of the Lazy Jane.’

  ‘That ain’t his name. You got the wrong person, missis.’

  ‘Might I ask who you are?’

  ‘I’m Bessie Fox and Jay is my husband, but I don’t know this Tattersall fellow. Is that all you want to know?’

  Daisy felt as though her heart was being dragged from her body. The pain was physical and it was severe. ‘Your husband is Jay Fox, the master of the Lazy Jane?’

  ‘That’s right, missis. We was wed in the local church five years since, and I got the marriage certificate to prove it. What is it to you, anyway?’

  ‘And the children?’ Daisy said faintly. ‘They are from your marriage?’

  ‘What are you saying? Are you calling me a whore?’

  ‘No, indeed,’ Daisy gasped. ‘I wouldn’t dream of such a thing.’

  ‘Anyway, who are you? What right have you got to come here making out that I’m no better than I should be?’ Bessie held onto the door as the elder of the two children attempted to open it. ‘Wait a minute, Robin. Go and sit with Dove.’