The Christmas Wedding

by Dilly Court

  Danny leaped to his feet. ‘It’s the doctor, and Alfie’s sitting beside him in the trap. You’ll be all right now, Jack.’

  Chapter Five

  ‘You’ve done well, Daisy.’ Nick lifted Jack gently and placed him on the seat. ‘You’d best sit beside him,’ he added in a low voice. ‘We don’t want him to fall off and suffer even more damage.’

  Daisy nodded and climbed up to sit beside Jack, who was very pale and obviously in pain. ‘It’s all right, Jack, you’ll be home soon and Dr Neville will look after you.’ She glanced down at Danny and Alfie, who were watching intently. ‘I think you’d best go to school and tell your teacher there’s been an accident, but Jack is in good hands now.’

  Nick eyed them sternly. ‘Do as Miss Marshall says, and think twice next time you decide to wag school. Jack was fortunate – he only broke an arm – it could have been his neck.’ He leaped onto the seat and picked up the reins. ‘Walk on.’

  Jack was trembling, either from shock or the pain or both, and Daisy placed her arm round his shoulders, holding him close. ‘It was fortunate that Alfie met you on his way to the vicarage, Doctor.’

  Nick urged the horse to a trot. ‘I was called to tend to a difficult birth. The locals have been used to sending for my father and they seem to assume that I’ll be taking his place.’

  ‘Will you?’ Daisy eyed him curiously.

  ‘I don’t know whether it’s possible, although I’d like to carry on my father’s work.’

  ‘We didn’t see you last evening. How did you get on at the solicitor’s office?’

  ‘I’m sorry, I intended to come and see you and Toby, but it was very late by the time I reached home.’

  ‘What did the solicitor say?’

  ‘He showed me my father’s will and statements from his bank. Unfortunately my worst fears were confirmed. Father had tried to get a mortgage on the house, but the bank refused and probably as a last resort he borrowed money from the squire, who now owns at least half the properties in the village.’

  ‘Is that a bad thing?’

  ‘You wouldn’t have to ask had you ever met Esmond Tattersall. Unfortunately my father was so desperate that he agreed to pay an exorbitant rate of interest on the loan.’

  ‘Did he keep up the repayments?’

  Nick shook his head. ‘Apparently not. I always knew that Pa had a soft heart, and it seems I was right – he rarely took money from his poorer patients. According to Mrs Bee they paid him with produce from their gardens, a chicken or some eggs, but hardly ever with actual cash.’

  ‘What will you do now?’

  ‘I’m afraid I’ll have to sell Creek Hall in order to pay off Tattersall, and I’ll move to a more lucrative practice elsewhere.’

  Jack’s eyes flew open. ‘Don’t go, Doctor. My sister needs the job at the hall.’

  ‘Not a word of this to anyone, young Fox,’ Nick said firmly. ‘It won’t be for a while, and who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen and I’ll be able to take up where my father left off.’

  ‘There’s our cottage.’ Jack pointed with his good hand. ‘Don’t tell me mum that I was wagging, sir. She ain’t well and neither is me dad.’

  Nick drew his horse to a halt outside the house. ‘I’ll be tactful, but only if you promise to attend school regularly, when your arm is healed. A bright boy like you could go far, providing he’s had a good education.’

  ‘I promise, sir.’

  Daisy climbed down and stood aside while Nick lifted Jack gently in his arms.

  ‘Would you be kind enough to bring my medical bag, Daisy?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Daisy reached into the foot well and picked up the bag, which looked as though it must have belonged to Nick’s father, judging by the well-worn leather. She followed them into the cottage, and she had to wait for a moment or two for her eyes to adjust to the darkness indoors. The rancid smell of tallow mingled with the pervading odour of damp, and a desultory fire burned in the small black-leaded range. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dim light Daisy could see that the coal scuttle was filled with pine cones and furze, and the temperature indoors was barely higher than that outside. She had always been aware that people lived in poverty, but this was the first time she had seen it first hand, and it came as something of a shock.

  The sound of coughing from upstairs echoed round the small room and a man, whom Daisy assumed must be Jack’s father, rose from a chair by the range. He was tall and gaunt with several days’ growth of beard masking his features.

  ‘What’s happened?’ he demanded hoarsely.

  ‘Jack had an accident, Lemuel. I need to take a look at his arm and make sure he has no other injuries.’

  ‘I fell out of a tree, Dad,’ Jack said warily. ‘The branch broke.’

  A bout of coughing prevented Lemuel from replying, but he pointed to a truckle bed placed beneath the stairs, and Nick laid Jack gently on the straw-filled palliasse.

  ‘I’m just going to take a look, Jack. I’ll be as careful as I can.’ Nick kneeled down on the flagstone floor. ‘I need some light, Lemuel.’

  Daisy looked round for a lamp or some candles, but there were only a couple of rush lights, which would account for the smell of burning animal fat. She could see that Lemuel Fox was embarrassed by the doctor’s request, and she felt a rush of pity for the man who was reduced to living in such straitened circumstances. It was easy to see why his daughters needed to work for low pay in order to provide even the basics to keep the family alive.

  ‘Would you open the door wider, please, Daisy?’ Nick said urgently. ‘I need more light.’

  Daisy held the door and winter sun shone palely into the room. Nick worked quickly, soothing Jack with a few words as he dealt with the fracture. He set the bone with a deft movement and Jack cried out, but was silent while his arm was bandaged.

  Nick rose to his feet. ‘I don’t suppose there’s much point in telling you to rest, Jack, but take things easy – no tree climbing for the foreseeable future.’

  ‘Yes, Doctor.’ Jack turned his head away, but not before Daisy had seen tears running down his cheeks. He was a little older than Timothy Carrington, who always tried hard to be a brave little soldier, and her heart went out to the boy. She put her hand in her skirt pocket and took out a poke of peppermint humbugs, a treat she had been saving for Hattie, who had a passion for the sweets. But Jack’s need was the greater and Daisy pressed the paper package into his good hand.

  ‘I’m sure the doctor would prescribe these to be taken freely, Jack. I believe they are very good for sore limbs.’

  Jack’s eyes lit up and he crammed a sweet into his mouth. ‘Ta, miss. Ta, ever so.’

  ‘Don’t speak with your mouth full, boy,’ Lemuel said crossly. ‘You shouldn’t spoil him, miss. Jack wouldn’t have injured himself if he’d been in school. It’s God’s way of punishing him.’

  Nick hesitated as he was about to close his medical bag. ‘It was an accident, Lemuel. I think Jack has learned his lesson, and he won’t be doing much climbing for a while.’ He gave Lemuel a searching look. ‘How long have you had that cough?’

  ‘It’s nothing, Doctor. Just the usual winter ailment, same as the missis upstairs, only she’s took to her bed.’

  Nick took a small brown bottle from his bag and laid it on the kitchen table. ‘You might find this helps. The instructions for taking it are on the label.’

  ‘I don’t want it, Doctor. I can’t pay.’

  ‘It’s a commercial traveller’s sample; it cost me nothing, so it’s just taking up space in my bag.’ Nick snapped the locks together and made for the doorway. ‘I’ll call again tomorrow. Make sure you behave yourself, young Fox.’ He placed his hat on his head as he stepped outside into the cold, clear morning air.

  Daisy followed him to the cart. ‘That wasn’t a free sample, was it?’

  ‘It will give Lemuel and his wife a little ease from the chest complaint.’

  ‘Consumption?’

  ‘Th
at would be the worst diagnosis, but it could be simply inflammation of the lungs caused by the damp conditions and poor food. It’s what happens to people who live in poverty, and I’ve seen it all too often at the London.’

  ‘Is there nothing you can do for them?’

  Nick handed her onto the driver’s seat and climbed up to sit next to her. ‘I wish there were, but all I can do is to hand out laudanum and advice as to their diet, which I know they cannot follow on such a limited income.’

  ‘You’ve employed Dove and you sent Linnet to us,’ Daisy said gently. ‘At least the girls are looked after, but what will happen to Jack?’

  ‘The boy will have to leave school and look for work. He has an elder brother, but Jay fell foul of the law and came to no good, according to Mrs Bee, who loves to fill me in with all the village gossip.’ Nick flicked the reins. ‘Walk on.’

  Relieved to get away from the depressing subject of illness, Daisy was intrigued by the Fox family. ‘The girls have birds’ names, but Jack is presumably short for James or John.’

  Nick laughed and encouraged the horse to trot. ‘I believe he was christened Jackdaw, but understandably prefers the shortened version.’

  ‘And the other son?’

  ‘Jay is the black sheep of the family. We used to play together as boys, but then I went to boarding school and university and we went our separate ways.’

  ‘Perhaps someone ought to inform Jay that his parents are ill?’

  ‘You’re right, of course, although I wouldn’t know how to contact him. I’ve been away from the village for a very long time.’

  ‘But Mrs Bee might be able to help. You said that she knows everyone.’

  ‘Again, you’re quite right. I’ve learned how to diagnose and deal with disease, but it seems I still have much to learn about dealing with patients’ problems. Maybe I’m more suited to working at a big hospital or in Harley Street. Perhaps Toby has the right idea.’

  ‘My brother isn’t like you, Nick. I think you would make a very good country doctor, and I suspect that the people in places like Little Creek are in desperate need of your services. London is full of hospitals and doctors’ practices, but you said yourself that the villagers have had no one to look after them since your father passed away.’

  ‘That is true but my position is untenable. If I can’t make the repayments to the squire I’ll have to sell the property.’ He concentrated on the road ahead. ‘Anyway, that’s my problem. Will you stay in Little Creek? You didn’t seem too keen on the idea yesterday.’

  ‘It’s different for me,’ Daisy said, sighing. ‘I really don’t want to go back to being a governess, but I’m not qualified to do anything else.’

  ‘Then we’re both at a crossroads, and neither of us knows which way to go.’

  He drove on in silence until they reached Creek Cottage, where he reined in and drew the horse to a halt. ‘Come to dinner this evening, Daisy. I’ll show you the rest of Creek Hall and you’ll see the extent of my problem. Nothing has been done to preserve the old house for many a year despite my father’s attempts to renovate the building. I’m afraid it might be too late to save it now.’

  ‘That’s not the most exciting invitation I’ve ever had,’ Daisy said, laughing. ‘But I would like to see more of the house. It just needs some loving care to bring it back to life.’

  Nick leaped to the ground and helped her to alight from the chaise. ‘I’ll call for you at six, if that’s convenient.’

  ‘Thank you. I’ll look forward to it.’

  Dove served their meal in the dining room. Candlelight reflected off the old oak panelling, adding to the feeling of warmth and comfort, and the steak and kidney pie was excellent, but Daisy’s thoughts were with the Fox family, living in squalid conditions less than a mile away.

  ‘You aren’t eating, Daisy,’ Nick said gently. ‘Isn’t the food to your liking?’

  She looked up with a start. ‘No, I mean yes. The pie is delicious. I was thinking of Jack and his family.’ She hesitated, at a sudden loss for words.

  Nick sat back in his chair, eyeing her thoughtfully. ‘Their situation really bothers you, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, but I hope I didn’t show it in front of Jack’s father. I should imagine he’s a very proud man.’

  ‘You were very quiet. It’s more what you haven’t said than anything else.’

  ‘Is their home part of your estate?’

  ‘It was once, but my father sold the properties in the hope that the new landlord would make the necessary improvements. Sadly this doesn’t seem to have happened.’

  ‘Did you say that the squire owns them now?’

  ‘Yes, I did. The wretched fellow lives in the manor house on the other side of the river, and I should think he owns half the county. He’s also the local Justice of the Peace.’

  ‘Perhaps someone ought to tell him that his tenants are living in slum conditions.’

  ‘He’s not the sort of man who would take kindly to criticism, even if well meant.’

  ‘I don’t like the sound of Squire Tattersall. Thank goodness my aunt owns Creek Cottage.’

  ‘She might own the building, but I dare say the squire retained the leasehold. I believe he is an astute businessman, whatever people say about him.’

  ‘I’ll have to ask Aunt Eleanora, although she might not be aware of such a thing. The cottage was left to her by a relative.’

  ‘Then I suggest she takes advice from a solicitor. Tattersall is not the sort of man to be sentimental when it comes to money.’

  ‘Maybe if he saw how the condition of the cottages affects the health and wellbeing of his tenants he might do something about it.’

  Nick smiled and shook his head. ‘You have more faith in mankind than I have, Daisy. Let’s enjoy our meal and then I’ll show you the rest of the house. It looks slightly less shabby by lamplight.’

  Dove brought the dessert, and after a generous helping of jam roly-poly smothered in creamy custard, Daisy was ready for the promised tour of the house. But Mrs Bee hurried into the morning parlour with the news that it was snowing again, and the road might soon become impassable.

  ‘You’d better take the young lady home, Doctor,’ Mrs Bee said in a tone that did not invite discussion.

  ‘You’re right, of course.’ Nick rose from the table. ‘I’ll fetch the trap and bring it round to the front door. You will see the rest of the house one day, Daisy. I promise.’

  Mrs Bee followed him from the room, returning moments later with an umbrella and a travelling rug, which she handed to Daisy. ‘You’ll need these, miss.’

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Bee. And thank you for a wonderful meal.’

  ‘You’re welcome, miss. It’s good to see the doctor so cheerful. I’ve known him since he was a little boy and he took his pa’s death very much to heart.’

  ‘You’ll miss him if he decides to go away again.’

  ‘If that happens it will be the end of Creek Hall. He’d almost certainly have to sell it and who knows what would happen then? I wouldn’t want it to get into the hands of Squire Tattersall.’

  ‘You’re the second person who’s led me to think that the squire isn’t a good man.’

  ‘I can only repeat what I’ve heard, but apparently he’s ruthless in business and shows no mercy as a magistrate. His poor wife died young, and they say that he drove her to an early death, but I wouldn’t know about that. All I do know is that he’s a bad landlord and his tenants live in fear of him.’

  ‘Well, I don’t think I want to meet the squire. I’ll take care to avoid him.’

  ‘Very wise, miss.’ Mrs Bee walked over to the window and peered out into the darkness. ‘I thought I heard the rumble of wheels. The doctor is waiting for you. Best hurry, miss. The snow seems to be falling faster.’

  Nick was waiting to help her on to the driver’s seat and he wrapped the rug round her knees. ‘I’m sorry we’ve had to cut the evening short, but we’ll do this again when the weather i
mproves.’

  Daisy unfurled the umbrella and held it over him while he climbed up to sit beside her. ‘I look forward to it. I think I’m falling under Creek Hall’s spell even now.’

  ‘Walk on.’ He tapped the horse gently with the tip of the whip. ‘The old house does that to people. I can remember visitors coming when I was a child, and some of them stayed on for days, if not weeks. There were people around all the time and the place was alive. Now it feels as though it’s sleeping, but I don’t want it to slip away from me.’

  ‘You talk about the hall as if it were a living entity.’

  ‘Do I? I didn’t realise I was so fanciful. I suppose everyone feels like that about their childhood home, especially when it was a happy one. What about you, Daisy? What made you leave London and come to live in the wilds of Essex?’

  ‘A broken engagement.’ She had not meant to tell anyone outside the family, but Nick was different and he invited confidences.

  ‘I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?’

  ‘Not really. Julian is the elder son of the Carrington family and I was employed as governess to his younger brother. I don’t know how it happened, but Julian and I fell in love. He asked me to marry him, but he wanted to keep our engagement a secret until his twenty-first birthday.’

  ‘His parents might have objected?’

  ‘Yes, they would, although it didn’t come to that. Julian wrote to me from Oxford, telling me that he’d been offered a job in the diplomatic service in Paris, and was leaving immediately.’

  ‘I don’t see why that would matter. In fact, it would seem ideal for a young married couple to set up home far away from the disapproving family.’

  ‘Perhaps, but Julian obviously didn’t see it like that. Maybe he had second thoughts. I don’t know.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, Daisy.’

  ‘I’m all right.’ Daisy shot him a sideways glance and smiled. ‘In fact, I’d forgotten about Julian for a while. I’ve had more important things to think about.’

  ‘Meaning the Fox family?’

  ‘I really would like to do something for them, Nick. But I wouldn’t know where to start.’