A Village Scandal

by Dilly Court

  Marius brushed her hair back from her forehead. ‘Listen to me, my love. I understand how you feel, and I’m not asking you to do anything that you feel is wrong, but we need to approach this sensibly.’

  ‘I don’t feel in the least bit practical at the moment, and I’m so tired of being sensible.’

  ‘Then allow me to help, my darling. I suggest that we take Jack to see the headmaster. If he’s accepted at the school I think his mother will feel easier in her mind. We’ll get the whole family together and give everyone a chance to voice an opinion on how the estate should be run. You can’t devote your whole life to Jay’s family, and I need you more than they do. Then we’ll visit Mr Peabody and ask him if he’ll marry us – if not I’ll get a special licence and we’ll marry in a register office.’ He kissed her again, and this time she gave herself up to the sheer delight of being held in the arms of the man she adored.

  Marius, Daisy discovered, was not someone to waste time, and the interview with the headmaster was arranged more quickly than she had expected. Jack was persuaded to wear the smart suit of clothes that had been purchased for Daisy’s wedding, and Mary also put on her Sunday best. Fuller drove them in the barouche with Faulkner seated beside him, both of them dressed in their old and rather moth-eaten uniforms, but the effect was impressive, if viewed from a distance.

  The ancient abbey, now a reputable school, was set in superb grounds and the pupils they saw were well turned out and polite. Daisy could not help but be impressed, and Mary seemed to have been struck dumb by the experience. If she spoke at all it was in a whisper, but Marius took the lead and he was obviously on the best of terms with the headmaster. Jack answered all the questions that were put to him, and Daisy gave him encouraging smiles, willing him to show himself to his best advantage. If Jack were to be accepted in this prestigious school he would be the equal of anyone, and he had the advantage of good looks and a quick wit. Daisy was so nervous for him that her mind began to wander during the long interview, and she found herself gazing out of the window to the green sweep of the playing fields and the wooded hills in the distance.

  When she came back to the present she realised that everyone was smiling. Marius shook hands with the headmaster and Mary mopped her eyes with her clean hanky.

  ‘I’m not crying,’ she said when they gathered outside the head’s study. ‘I’m just so happy. Who would have thought that a son of mine would be accepted in a school where they educate young gentlemen?’

  Jack looked round self-consciously. ‘Shut up, Ma. You’re making a spectacle of yourself.’

  ‘You’ll learn better manners here, young fellow,’ Marius said, laughing. ‘But, well done, Jack. You passed with flying colours and that was all down to you.’

  Daisy gave him a hug. ‘Don’t grumble, Jack. Who cares what the other boys think? I’m proud of you.’

  ‘We’d best get home,’ Mary said urgently. ‘We’ve got everyone coming to dinner this evening, although you still haven’t told me why you wanted to get us all together, Daisy.’

  Daisy and Marius exchanged conspiratorial glances. ‘You’ll find out this evening,’ was all Daisy was prepared to say.

  Eleanora and Sidney were the first to arrive at Creek Manor. Eleanora had dressed up for the occasion and she tried hard to make Daisy tell her the reason for the dinner party, but Daisy managed to fend off all her aunt’s questions. She prayed silently that the others would arrive on time and was rewarded by Linnet and Elliot appearing next, swiftly followed by Nick and Dove. They were in the drawing room, sipping sherry and chatting, when Molesworth announced the arrival of the Peabodys. Daisy greeted them and when everyone had settled down she took the centre stage. Her heart was pounding and she could feel the colour rising to her cheeks, but it was time everyone knew the truth. She cleared her throat and waited for silence.

  ‘I wanted everyone here to know the truth. So many wild tales fly round the village when there’s a tasty bit of gossip.’

  ‘What on earth are you going to tell us, dear?’ Eleanora asked with a nervous giggle.

  ‘Some of you already know this, but Jay and I were never legally man and wife,’ Daisy said in a clear, firm voice. ‘Of course, I had no knowledge of his relationship with Bessie, the woman in Dorset, when I agreed to marry him, and I’ve discovered since that he already had a wife and child, living in Guernsey when he married Bessie.’

  John Peabody leaped to his feet and moved to her side, placing his arm around her shoulders. ‘My dear girl, I am so sorry.’

  ‘I’d have horsewhipped him if I’d known,’ Sidney added angrily. ‘Why have you kept this from us, Daisy? Where is the swine now?’

  ‘That’s my brother you’re speaking of, sir.’ Jack pushed to the front of those seated, his young face flushed and his eyes blazing.

  ‘Sit down, there’s a good fellow.’ Marius sent him a warning look.

  ‘I know Jay has done wrong,’ Jack said sulkily. ‘But there’s no call to insult him.’

  Daisy held up her hands. ‘This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’ve tried to run the estate as if I were still the lady of the manor, but I am not. Mary holds that position while Jay and his legal wife are out of the country.’ Daisy turned to her aunt and uncle with an apologetic smile. ‘I’m sorry I’ve kept it from you for so long, but Jay has taken his legitimate family to Australia, where he plans to start again.’

  ‘You poor dear,’ Eleanora said, fumbling in her reticule for her hanky.

  ‘Why are you bringing this up now, Daisy?’ Nick asked gently. ‘I’m sure we all sympathise with your plight.’

  ‘That’s just it, Nick. I refuse to consider myself as a victim. I’m a free woman and I can choose the person with whom I want to spend the rest of my life.’ She held her hand out to Marius. ‘We plan to marry when the formalities have been settled, but that means I won’t be able to help Mary to run the estate. Jack has been accepted at a very good school, thanks to Marius, but I don’t want to abandon you all. I love you as if you were my real family.’

  ‘I am shocked to the core, Daisy,’ Mr Peabody said solemnly. ‘But I assume you can prove that Jay was legally married to the woman he calls his wife?’

  ‘Yes, I can,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘I have a written deposition from Jay confirming the fact.’

  ‘Then I see no objection to your marrying. As a matter of fact, I knew Marius’s uncle, and although he was a difficult man, he was a pillar of society, especially in his younger days.’

  Marius inclined his head. ‘Thank you, Vicar.’

  Mary rose to her feet and went to stand beside Daisy. ‘You deserve a chance to be happy, Daisy. No one deserves it more than you, and I know I can rely on both my daughters and their husbands, should I need help to run the estate.’ She beckoned to Hilda, who had been sitting quietly in a corner. ‘And I know that Hilda will stand by me as she has done ever since we moved into the manor house, so I won’t be on my own.’

  ‘You can rely on us if you need help, Mary.’ Nick glanced at Elliot, who nodded in assent.

  ‘Dove and I will do everything we can, Ma,’ Linnet added. ‘You’ll have two more weddings to attend before long. Better get up to London and buy yourself more new hats.’

  A ripple of laughter trickled round the room, and suddenly everyone was smiling and chattering excitedly about the future.

  Marius slipped his arm around Daisy’s waist. ‘They’ve forgotten us already. Will you take a stroll with me in the twilight?’

  ‘Yes, of course I will. It’s a lovely evening. Shall we walk to the lake?’

  Marius smiled and shook his head. ‘I have a better idea.’

  They emerged from the secret passage and walked hand in hand to the foreshore. The fiery sunset reflected on the still waters of the creek, and the melodious song of birds settling down to roost filled the soft air with music, adding sweetness to the gentle lapping of the waves on the shingle.

  ‘I expect you’re wondering why I wanted to bring you h
ere,’ Marius said, tightening his arm round Daisy’s waist.

  She smiled, inhaling the fresh scent of the countryside mingled with the salty tang from the sea. ‘I think I know why, Marius. You rowed ashore from the Lazy Jane on the night of the Harkers’ party. You emerged from the darkness like a knight in shining armour, and I was never so glad to see anyone in my whole life. I think it was then I knew I loved you, even if I couldn’t admit it.’

  ‘I’ve waited a long time to hear you say those words.’ Marius took a small shagreen-covered box from his breast pocket, and he went down on one knee, despite the wet sand. ‘You are now free from your responsibilities to the estate, and you know that I love you. My life was nothing until I met you, and I didn’t believe that I deserved someone so young and beautiful, courageous and kind. I promise to love and care for you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, Daisy?’ He flicked open the box and the last rays of the setting sun were captured in the fiery glow of the solitaire diamond.

  Torn between tears and laughter, Daisy nodded. ‘Yes, Marius. I will.’

  He slid the ring onto her finger and stood up, enveloping her in an embrace that seemed to last into eternity.

  ‘This beach was the end of the treasure hunt,’ Marius said softly as he curled a stray lock of Daisy’s hair around his forefinger. ‘I feel as though I’ve won the best prize of all. You are my treasure, sweetheart.’

  Daisy felt the pain and anguish of the past slipping away on the outgoing tide. ‘I love you, too, Marius.’

  Read on for a sneak peek at the final book in The Village Secrets trilogy

  Chapter One

  Creek Manor, Essex 1879

  The old house seemed to have been awakened from a long sleep by the sound of children’s laughter and the pitter-patter of scampering feet. Judy glanced anxiously at Mary Tattersall, who looked pale and tired as she sank down on the sofa, while the new parlour maid cleared up the debris left by Daisy Walters’ boisterous young sons.

  ‘Would you like me to make you a camomile tisane, Mrs Tattersall?’ Judy asked gently.

  Mary gave her a wan smile. ‘No, thank you, Judy. I love Daisy’s children, but they are exhausting. I’m always delighted to see them when she brings them over from Colneyhurst Hall, but it’s a relief when she takes them home again.’

  ‘They are very lively,’ Judy conceded, smiling.

  ‘To think that they might have been my grandchildren.’ Mary sighed and turned her head away. ‘Jay not only cheated on Daisy and that other woman he married bigamously, he deceived me, his own mother, and that I find very hard to forgive.’

  ‘Thank you, Lizzie.’ Judy nodded to the maid, who had stacked a tray with the dirty crockery, half-eaten slices of bread and butter and cake crumbs. ‘That will be all for now.’

  ‘Yes, Miss Begg.’ Lizzie backed out of the door, narrowly missing colliding with a young woman who rushed into the room, blonde curls falling loose to her shoulders, and her bonnet hanging over her arm.

  ‘What have you forgotten, Molly?’ Judy asked with a sigh. Her seventeen-year-old sister carried out her duties as nursemaid to Daisy Walters’ children in a haphazard style all of her own. Scatterbrained and disorganised, Molly was disarmingly good-natured and extremely pretty – qualities that were guaranteed to make everyone forget her failings.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Molly said breathlessly. ‘I forgot Master Henry’s jacket.’ She gazed round the room and her blue eyes lit up as she spotted the missing garment. ‘There it is.’ She pounced on it. ‘I’d better hurry. They’re waiting for me.’ She left the room with a flurry of starched white petticoats.

  ‘That girl gives me a headache,’ Mary said feebly. ‘She’s exhausting.’

  ‘She means well, ma’am.’ Judy caught sight of herself in one of the gilt-framed mirrors that adorned the walls of the drawing room. The likeness between herself and her sister was striking, but Molly was the flighty one, who could get away with anything. Judy had always been the serious, responsible older sister. She raised her hand to smooth a stray curl that had dared to escape from the chignon at the back of her neck. ‘I sometimes wish I was more like her.’

  ‘You’re fine as you are, my dear.’ Mary fidgeted restlessly. ‘I’m not very comfortable.’

  Judy plumped up the cushions, and Mary leaned back, closing her eyes. ‘Where’s your mother, Judy?’

  ‘She’s in the study, ma’am. It’s the end of the quarter and she’s getting the household accounts ready for me to check before they go to Mrs Ralston.’

  ‘I don’t know what I’d do without her, or you, come to that, Judy. I’ve no head for figures and when Mrs Ralston finally retires, you will take over her position as housekeeper. That is, if you still wish to do so.’

  Judy hesitated. To agree to such an offer at the age of twenty seemed like condemning herself to early middle age, but what alternative was there for a woman like herself? She could remember what life had been like in London when she was a small child. The smell of poverty and the gnawing pangs of hunger were something she would never forget. Life had been so much better since Daisy, having witnessed the terrible street accident that had killed their father and crippled their mother, had brought Judy’s small family to live at Creek Manor. They had nothing to complain about, although sometimes Judy found herself wondering what life would be like now if she returned to London. She had broadened her very basic education by reading as many of the books from the late Squire’s library as she could, and she had had the added bonus of sharing lessons with Mary’s youngest son, Jack, who had been a somewhat unwilling student. They had been close friends since childhood, although she had seen little of him since he went away to the school that educated the sons of gentlemen and the ambitious middle classes. But that friendship had changed subtly last summer, and Jack’s return to university had left Judy feeling bereft. She had been counting the days until his return. She came back to the present with a start, and realised that Mrs Tattersall was staring at her with a puzzled frown.

  ‘You do want to stay on here, don’t you, Judy?’

  ‘Yes, of course, ma’am. This is my home and my family are here in Little Creek.’

  ‘The position of housekeeper is a worthy occupation,’ Mary insisted wearily. ‘You could do a lot worse, and Ida Ralston is an excellent example.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Judy shifted from one foot to the other. They owed everything to the Tattersall family, but sometimes she longed to be free. There was a whole wide world out there, although her choices were limited, and she would either opt for a life in service, or marriage to one of the village boys she had known from childhood. Jack’s friends Danny Shipway and Alfie Green both vied for her attention on Sundays when everyone attended morning service, but she could never take them seriously. ‘If that’s all, ma’am, I’ll go and check on the arrangements for Master Jack’s return from university.’

  Mary’s face lit up with a smile. ‘I can’t wait to see him. I could never have imagined that my little Jackdaw would do me so proud, and it’s all thanks to Daisy’s husband. I can never thank Marius enough for everything he’s done for my son. Jack was born into poverty, but now he’s a gentleman.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ Judy had heard it all before, but she tried to look as if this was a revelation. ‘May I be excused now, Mrs Tattersall?’

  Mary raised herself to a more upright position. ‘Not yet, Judy. I want a word with you before my son arrives. Sit down, please.’

  Judy eyed her warily as she perched on the edge of a chair opposite the sofa. ‘Have I done something wrong, ma’am?’

  ‘No, of course not, my dear. It’s just that things have changed since we first moved into Creek Manor. You were just a child then and we were all like one big family.’

  ‘I’m sure we’re very grateful for everything, ma’am.’

  ‘I’m not asking for gratitude, Judy. But I’m neither blind nor insensitive. I know that you and Jack were always good companions, and I suspect that you
r friendship deepened into something more when he came home last summer.’

  Judy felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she stared down at her clasped hands. ‘Nothing untoward has ever occurred between us, madam.’

  ‘I’m sure it hasn’t, which is why I wanted to speak to you now. Jack will have to take over running the estate, because it’s become too much for me, even with all the help I have had. Legally it all belongs to Jay, but I haven’t heard from him since he left this house ten years ago, and I doubt if he’ll ever return from Australia, which means that to all intents and purposes Jack will be Lord of the manor.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  ‘Do you understand what I’m saying, Judy?’

  ‘Not exactly, ma’am.’

  ‘This isn’t easy because you’re a sweet girl, and I’m fond of you, but Jack needs to marry a woman of good breeding, preferably someone with a decent dowry. The estate makes very little profit and the old house needs a good deal of renovation. Do I make myself clear?’

  Judy bowed her head. Of course she knew all this, and she should have been prepared for Mary’s blunt statement of the facts, but facing the truth had hit her like a physical blow. ‘I understand, ma’am.’

  ‘I knew you would. Don’t think this makes any difference to your position here, Judy. I value you more than you can imagine.’

  Judy rose to her feet. ‘I have work to do, if you’ll excuse me, Mrs Tattersall.’

  ‘Of course. What am I thinking of?’ Mary sighed happily. ‘I’ll just rest my eyes for a few minutes before I go upstairs and change for dinner. We have to keep up the traditions of Creek Manor, after all, and with luck Jack will arrive soon.’

  Judy left the room quietly. She had known all along that her position was tenuous, and her relationship with Jack was doomed from the start, but hearing it put into words had been the final blow. She stood for a moment, and took a deep breath before making her way to the study. One thing was certain: no one would ever know how deeply she had been hurt, although it was her own fault. She had allowed herself to dream, and that was fatal for a girl born in the East End slums.