A Village Scandal

by Dilly Court

  ‘Is everything all right, Molesworth?’

  He shook his head. ‘You’re needed in the drawing room, ma’am. Urgently.’

  She stepped over the threshold and handed her cape and gloves to the maid. ‘Whatever is wrong, Molesworth?’

  ‘It’s not for me to say, ma’am. Best beware, though.’

  Intrigued and unnerved by Molesworth’s unusual display of emotion, Daisy hurried to the drawing room, but the sight that met her eyes made her gasp. Mary was deathly pale, but she rose from the sofa and rushed over to throw her arms around Daisy.

  ‘Tell me that it isn’t true. This woman is lying, isn’t she? She says that she’s Jay’s wife and these are their children.’

  Daisy turned her head to see Bessie Fox glaring at her.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Daisy demanded angrily.

  Bessie deposited the younger child on a chair and the small girl opened her mouth, emitting a high-pitched screech that made the lustres on the candlesticks tinkle.

  ‘I’m the rightful mistress of Creek Manor,’ Bessie said with sly grin. ‘You knew that when you come poking your nose into my business. Well, you’ll be sorry you did, because I made Jay tell me everything.’

  Mary released Daisy and she spun round to face Bessie. ‘You’re a liar. I don’t believe my son would have married a trollop like you.’

  ‘I ain’t no trollop,’ Bessie said angrily. ‘You take that back, you old cow. You may be his ma but you’re nothing to me, and this is my house. I can throw you out any time I like.’

  ‘This is ridiculous.’ Daisy felt her knees about to give way beneath her, but she braced her shoulders and forced herself to stand stiffly erect. ‘What are you doing here, Bessie?’

  ‘Ho, that’s rich, that is. What am I doing here? What are you doing here, missis? I’m the legal wife and you’re his bit of stuff.’ Bessie put her hand in her skirt pocket and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. ‘This is our marriage certificate, all legal and proper, and I know you’ve seen the parish register because my pa told me he drove you to the church.’

  ‘The driver was your father?’ Daisy stared at her aghast as she tried to remember the conversations she had had with Marius during the carriage drive from Weymouth. What had the man overheard?

  ‘Yes, he is. You should be careful what you say in front of people you think are beneath you, missis,’ Bessie said with a self-satisfied smirk.

  Mary sank down onto the nearest chair. ‘That hussy thrust the marriage licence at me the moment she walked into the room.’

  ‘I’ll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head, Ma-in-law,’ Bessie said spitefully. ‘I got the upper hand, and your son ain’t going to do nothing about it, because if he steps out of line I’ll have him up for bigamy. I know too much, and I could have him put away in the blink of an eye.’

  ‘Where is Jay?’ Daisy asked warily. ‘Does he know you’re here?’

  ‘Not yet, but when he gets home and finds the cottage locked up, he’ll go next door to the pub, and he’ll find out soon enough because the landlord is a friend of mine. He’ll tell Jay where I’ve gone and why.’

  Mary covered her face with her hands. ‘Oh, Jay! What have you done?’

  ‘He married me, missis,’ Bessie hissed. ‘And these kids are his, and the one in me belly. I come to claim what’s due to me, and she can sling her hook. You can too, if you don’t like the way things are now. I’m the mistress here.’

  The children were sobbing loudly and Bessie seemed to lose some of her bravado. She sat down suddenly. ‘I ain’t eaten since breakfast. What do you have to do round here to get something to eat? And me kids are starving, too.’

  Mary sent Daisy a helpless look, but Daisy had had enough. She tugged on the bell pull.

  ‘I’ll send for some food, but you can’t stay here, Bessie. The coachman will take you to the village inn and you can put up there until Jay returns.’

  ‘Who do you think you’re talking to?’ Bessie rose to her feet and faced Daisy with a belligerent outthrust of her chin. ‘I’ve wiped the floor with people twice your size, missis. I’m not going anywhere.’

  ‘Sit down,’ Daisy said sternly. ‘Look after your children and we’ll talk about this later. If you’ve got any sense you’ll keep quiet in front of the servants, unless you want the whole village to know your business.’

  Bessie sat down again, and this time she attempted to comfort her two children, who were both sobbing loudly.

  It was Hilda who answered the bell, and Daisy moved swiftly to her side. ‘I need to speak to you in private,’ she whispered, holding the door so that Hilda had little choice but to step back into the passage.

  ‘Who is that woman?’ Hilda asked anxiously. ‘It’s all round the servants’ hall that she claims to be Jay’s wife.’

  Daisy closed the door. ‘Oh dear! I was hoping to keep it quiet for a while. I don’t know what to do with her and her children. I was going to send them to the village inn, but I realise now that would be fatal. It would the gossip of Little Creek before dark.’

  ‘Is it true, then? Is she Jay’s wife?’

  ‘I was going to tell you and Mary, but I was hoping to see Jay first and have it out with him. Unfortunately he wasn’t on the Lazy Jane when I visited Maldon this morning.’

  ‘But she can’t be married to him,’ Hilda insisted. ‘You’re his wife. Heaven knows you was married twice, both times in church.’

  Daisy shook her head. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with fatigue and a deep, nagging sorrow, as if mourning for the loss of a loved one. But Jay was far from dead, and he was the architect of all her problems. ‘They were married several years ago. I’ve seen the parish register, Hilda, and there’s no question about it.’

  ‘Well, I never did!’ Hilda stared at her in a mixture of horror and amazement. ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I wish I knew, but the most important thing at the moment is to give them some food, and find them somewhere to stay for the night.’

  ‘I’ll get them something to eat.’

  ‘And I’ll take them to the morning parlour, where they’ll be out of the way while we organise a room for them. I suppose we could put them in the old nursery suite, for the time being, anyway.’

  ‘Shall I send Mrs Ralston to you?’

  ‘No, you can tell her what’s happened. Ask her to make the necessary arrangements and to keep it to herself as much as possible, Hilda.’

  ‘Don’t worry. You can rely on me.’

  Later that evening, having managed to persuade Bessie to make herself and the children comfortable in the nursery suite, Daisy and Mary ate in the dining room, but it was a subdued meal and most of the food remained untouched on their plates.

  ‘How could a son of mine put you in such a terrible position?’ Mary said gloomily. ‘I thought better of Jay.’

  ‘I find it hard to believe, too.’ Daisy drank deeply from her glass of claret. ‘I believed him when he said he loved me, Mary.’

  ‘And I’m sure he did – I mean I’m sure he still does, but Jay is selfish and greedy, like his father. He takes what he wants without a thought of what it does to others. I’m ashamed of him.’

  ‘He could go to prison for bigamy,’ Daisy said tiredly. ‘Although that wouldn’t solve anything, but he has to set me free. Our marriage must be legally annulled.’

  ‘You won’t leave here, will you?’ Mary’s bottom lip trembled ominously. ‘This is your home as much as it is mine.’

  ‘It isn’t in the eyes of the law. I suppose I’ll have to go sooner or later, but you must stay.’

  ‘I started out as a servant in this house, and that’s how I’ll end up, if she has her way.’

  ‘Nonsense, Mary. You were married to the squire, and if I have to move on, you must take charge. Don’t allow her to push you aside.’

  ‘I don’t know how you can be so calm and rational, Daisy. I’d want to tear the woman’s hair out, and I can’t tell you what I’d
like to do to a man who betrayed my trust in such a way.’

  ‘I’m furious and I’m hurt, and my instinct is to do all the things you mention, but it won’t help. I have to survive somehow, and I care about you. I don’t want to see you beholden to that woman. I know she’s been badly done by, but somehow I don’t care, and simply tolerating her takes all my energy.’

  Mary folded her table napkin and laid it neatly on the table. She rose from her seat. ‘A good night’s rest is what we both need, although I doubt if I’ll get a wink of sleep.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘Things will seem better in the morning. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.’

  When Daisy entered the dining room next morning she came to a sudden halt. Seated in her place at the head of the table, Bessie was snapping orders at Judy. The two small children wailed miserably, wiping their runny noses on the white tablecloth.

  ‘What sort of establishment do you run, missis?’ Bessie demanded, dismissing Judy with a wave of her hand. ‘That girl is an idiot. I could do better standing on me head.’

  ‘It’s all right, Judy,’ Daisy said gently. ‘I think we’re in need of a fresh pot of coffee and some toast.’

  ‘Yes’m, right away.’ Judy bolted from the room, leaving the door open in her haste to escape.

  Daisy gave Bessie a withering look. ‘You don’t speak to servants like that in my house.’

  ‘It’s my house, don’t forget. And there’s going to be some changes made round here.’ Bessie attacked a plate of bacon and eggs, shovelling the food into her mouth as if she had not eaten for days, and ignoring the sobs of her children.

  Daisy marched up to her and snatched the plate away. ‘What sort of mother are you? Your babies are obviously hungry and you’re gobbling food like a hungry dog. And you can get out of my chair. You’re not mistress of Creek Manor yet.’

  Bessie grabbed her plate from Daisy’s hand in an undignified tussle, which had the effect of startling the small children into silence. They stared at their mother wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

  ‘You won’t get the better of me, missis,’ Bessie said triumphantly, and as if to prove her point she forked the remaining shards of bacon into her mouth. ‘This is my seat now. I’m in charge here.’

  ‘That’s what you think, missis.’ Hilda strode into the room and before Bessie could do anything to defend her position, Hilda tipped her onto the floor and stood over her, arms akimbo. ‘Now we’ll have a bit of respect for Mrs Tattersall and the rest of us. You’re a guest here, even if you’re an unwelcome one, so just bear that in mind afore you go throwing your weight around.’

  Bessie scrambled to her feet, her normally pale face flushed with rage. ‘You wouldn’t dare behave like this if the master was at home.’

  ‘Neither would you,’ Hilda said angrily.

  ‘That’s enough.’ Daisy picked up the small girl and gave her a comforting cuddle. ‘You are not a good mother, Bessie Fox. The little ones need bathing, clean clothes and something to eat and drink. Is this how you carry on normally?’

  ‘I’m the lady of the manor now,’ Bessie said sulkily. ‘I started in service when I was twelve, and I know how things work. You got to find me a nanny for me kids, and I need to put me feet up and rest. I might miscarry thanks to her.’ She shot a resentful look in Hilda’s direction.

  ‘You can do as you please, but keep out of my way.’ Hilda took the child from Daisy and held her hand out to the boy. ‘Come with me, little ’un. We’ll make breakfast especially for you and your sister.’ She turned to Bessie. ‘I take it you’ve got no objection, missis?’

  ‘No, she hasn’t,’ Daisy said firmly.

  Bessie took a seat at the table. ‘Do as you please. They give me a headache, anyway.’

  Daisy waited until the door closed on Hilda and the children, before helping herself to bacon and buttered eggs from the silver serving dishes on the sideboard. She took her seat at the head of the table.

  ‘Let’s get one thing straight, Bessie. I am the lady of the manor now, and I will continue to run the estate until Jay returns. When he decides to show his face here we will sort this mess out in a grown-up, dignified fashion. I don’t want any repeat of the sort of behaviour you’ve exhibited. Do I make myself plain?’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Daisy had been looking forward to her brother’s wedding, but now it was almost upon them she had a problem, and that was Bessie Fox. With Hilda’s help and plenty of encouragement from Mary, Daisy had managed to keep Bessie from installing herself as mistress of Creek Manor, but allowing her to have free run of the house during their absence spelled disaster. Left to her own devices Bessie would be certain to establish herself as lady of the manor, and Daisy shuddered to think of the chaos she might find on her return. There was still no sign of Jay and not a word from Marius, which left Daisy in a quandary. Bessie could not be allowed to destroy everything that Daisy had worked so hard to establish, and she called on the family for much-needed help.

  Linnet and Jack moved into the manor house the day before Daisy and Mary were due to leave for Little Threlfall, and with Hilda’s assistance they were confident they could keep Bessie in her place, and put a stop to any hint of gossip. Molesworth, Mrs Ralston and Cook were also involved, with back-up from Fuller and Faulkner, the head groom, should things get out of hand.

  Dove was now officially engaged to Nick, who was Toby’s best man, and they left for Hertfordshire a day earlier than the rest of the party. This left Eleanora, Sidney, Daisy and Mary to travel together.

  The journey to Little Threlfall took the best part of the day, even travelling by train, as the journey involved several changes and long waits on draughty railway stations. Sometimes there was a reasonably comfortable waiting room where they could relax, but at smaller stations they spent up to an hour seated on wooden benches. Despite the tedium and discomfort, Daisy was so relieved to be away from the difficult situation at home that she felt she could put up with almost anything. Once again she had sworn everyone to secrecy. Toby would be upset and extremely angry when he discovered that his brother-in-law was a bigamist, and Daisy wanted to keep it from him, at least until after he and Minnie returned from their honeymoon. Mary had said very little during the journey and even the prospect of wearing her new bonnet and shawl did not seem to excite her. Daisy gave up in the end, and if it had not been for Eleanora’s constant chatter, they might have spent the entire journey in silence.

  Toby met them at the station when they arrived at Little Threlfall. He had hired a carriage to take them to the inn where he was staying, as well as some of the guests. Minnie’s previous invitation for Daisy and the family to stay at the vicarage had been withdrawn, due to the number of her relations who needed a bed for the night. Minnie was the eldest of nine children, and Daisy could only imagine how cramped the vicarage must be; she herself was grateful for a quiet room at the back of the old coaching inn. At dinner that evening Daisy was delighted to find Ivy and Flora seated at the next table, which the waiter obligingly moved closer so that they could chat while enjoying the simple, but excellent meal.

  After dinner they sat in the inglenook, where in winter there would have been a log fire blazing up the chimney, but now it was filled with colour and the sweet scent of garden flowers arranged in a brass urn. Daisy was careful to avoid any mention of her own problems, and it was a relief to sit and chat with her friends, though everyone agreed that it had been a tiring day and the party broke up early. As they made their way to their rooms Daisy drew Ivy aside.

  ‘I was in Maldon recently,’ Daisy said in a low voice. Flora was watching them with interest, but this piece of news was for Ivy’s ears only. ‘I saw Clem Guppy, and he told me that he would like to see you again, Ivy.’

  Ivy blushed furiously and giggled. ‘Well, I never did. Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I said you might be visiting me at the manor house, so we’ll have to arrange it for when the Lazy Jane
is in port.’

  ‘How exciting.’ Ivy clapped her hands, attracting a curious glance from Eleanora as well as Flora. ‘I could visit his mother. She was so nice to me at your party. She’s a lovely lady.’

  ‘Hmm, yes, of course,’ Daisy said doubtfully. ‘Well, I’ll say good night now, Ivy. I’ll see you at breakfast, no doubt.’

  ‘Oh, yes. I must tell Flora that I’ve got a gentleman friend. She’s never let me forget about Jonah. She calls him “the beastly little gnome”.’

  ‘She’s not far wrong,’ Daisy said with a wry smile. ‘I think the description fits him perfectly.’

  ‘Thank you, Daisy.’ Ivy gave her a hug. ‘You’re a good friend.’

  ‘Good night, Ivy.’ Daisy stood aside and Ivy raced up the narrow oak staircase that led to the rooms on the first floor of the seventeenth-century inn. Daisy smiled to herself – no doubt there would be much chattering and giggling in the girls’ room that night.

  ‘What was that about?’ Aunt Eleanora demanded as she urged her husband to go upstairs ahead of her.

  ‘Nothing, Aunt. I was just doing a bit of matchmaking.’

  ‘You need to sort your own affairs out, Daisy, dear. Never mind matchmaking for others.’

  ‘Guppy is a decent chap, and Ivy is a sweet girl, but a very bad judge of men.’ Daisy sighed. ‘Maybe that’s my problem, too.’

  Aunt Eleanora shook her head. ‘That’s foolish talk, my dear. Jay loves you and he’ll turn up again when he’s ready. I’ve no doubt you’ll both be very happy.’

  ‘Good night, Aunt,’ Daisy kissed her aunt’s soft cheek, inhaling the sweet woody floral scent of the violet perfume that Eleanora always wore. This was not the time to break the bad news to her aunt, but keeping it secret was no easy matter.

  The day of the wedding dawned fine and clear with the promise of heat later on, and after breakfast Daisy returned to her room to put the finishing touches on her attire. She had chosen a morning gown in pale pink silk faille, worn with a perky hat trimmed with full-blown tea roses and a short veil. As she gazed at her elegant reflection in the mirror she thought of Bessie in her ragged dress, and the two small children, who were pale and undernourished. A quiet rage had been simmering in her bosom ever since she had discovered Jay’s betrayal, not only of herself, but also his cavalier treatment of the woman he had married and their two offspring. But this was not the time for self-pity; this was her brother’s wedding day and as such it should be joyful. Daisy adjusted the veil so that it covered the top half of her face and she plucked her lace mittens and reticule from the bed. Now she was ready, and she would keep her secret hidden from those she loved until it became necessary to reveal all. She left her room and went downstairs to join the rest of the party, and was pleased to find Mary looking rested and even a little excited.