by Dilly Court
‘Good morning, Doctor,’ Judy said, smiling.
‘Good morning, Judy.’ Ben Godfrey looped the reins over the horse’s head and tied them to the inn sign. ‘I don’t suppose you have a stable boy yet.’
‘No, but I think Ma is trying to persuade my brothers to come here and help. Won’t you come inside, Doctor?’
He followed her into the taproom. ‘I thought we had decided that you would call me Ben?’
She turned to give him an enquiring look. ‘If you’re a customer I don’t think it would be right for me to call you by your Christian name.’
‘What if I’m a privileged customer?’ he asked, laughing. ‘Besides which, I don’t see anyone here to complain that we’re breaking the rules.’
‘Well, Ben, I’m afraid you’re out of luck if it’s a drink you want. I’m waiting for Ma to return with a fresh keg of ale, so I can only offer you tea or coffee.’
‘Coffee would be most welcome.’ He walked round to the bar and studied the empty shelves. ‘How do you propose to make a living without any stock?’
‘We’ll manage,’ Judy said stiffly. ‘Please take a seat and I’ll fetch your coffee. I’ve only just lit the fire, but it won’t take long for the kettle to boil.’
‘I didn’t mean to offend you.’ Instead of taking a seat as she had asked, Ben followed her to the kitchen. ‘You don’t mind if I look round, do you? It’s an interesting old building.’
She shook her head. ‘No, but there’s not much to see. We’re starting from scratch.’
‘Yes, that’s what Nick told me.’ He pulled up a chair and sat down at the table. ‘I’ll come straight to the point, Judy. I plan to come down to Little Creek much more often. We have backers for the project to buy Creek Manor. I want to supervise every detail of the design and building, so it would be very useful if I could book a room here on a permanent basis.’
‘But you always stay with Dove and Nick.’
‘And they’ve been most hospitable, but I prefer to be more independent. They have their own lives with their family, and if I were to reside here I’d be that much nearer to Creek Manor.’
Judy eyed him doubtfully. ‘It’s not luxurious accommodation. We have a guest room, but it’s quite basic.’
‘All I need is a comfortable bed and a good night’s sleep with a decent breakfast in the morning, and some supper when I return in the evening. I know that you’re a good cook because Mrs Bee told me you’d been trained in the kitchen at Creek Manor.’
‘I can show you the room, and you can decide then,’ Judy said warily. She finished grinding the coffee beans and tipped a measure into a jug, filling it with boiling water from the kettle. She allowed it to stand before pouring the dark liquid into a cup. ‘I’m afraid we haven’t any milk or cream,’ she said apologetically, ‘but there is some sugar.’
‘It’s perfectly all right like this,’ he said, chuckling. ‘Stop worrying, Judy. I’m not here to criticise, in fact the very opposite. I admire your spirit and I’m here to help.’
She sat down opposite him. ‘In what way?’
‘This inn would get a lot of trade when the building work starts on the new hospital. You might find yourself almost too busy, but you will need to stock the bar and cellar, and the larder, too.’ He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to argue. ‘I know what you’re going to say, but I can help by reserving your best room for my personal use when I’m in the vicinity. I can pay in advance.’
‘Why would you do that?’
‘Because the pub in the village wouldn’t be able to cope with the sort of influx of workers, surveyors and architects that will come to Little Creek. Besides which, there is a landing stage and a slipway, which means that barges carrying the materials for building the hospital could unload here and be transported to Creek Manor by road. It’s in the interests of the new hospital to keep the Crooked Billet in business.’
Judy was not convinced. ‘But the docking facilities haven’t been used for as long as I’ve been living in Little Creek.’
‘That’s not a problem. They could be rebuilt if necessary and I’ve already received part of the funds necessary. I’m putting up some of my money and the investors will be contributing the rest. What do you say, Judy? Will you allow me to help you?’
Judy glanced at the bare shelves in the larder and she knew that this was an offer she could not refuse. She nodded. ‘Thank you. It would certainly keep us in business.’
Ben raised his cup to her in a toast. ‘Here’s to the future, Judy.’
‘Perhaps you’d better see your room before you make a final decision, Doctor.’
Judy’s efforts at creating a comfortable guest bedroom were rewarded by Ben’s enthusiastic comments, and he booked the room there and then.
‘It’s a priceless view,’ he said earnestly. ‘I’ve grown used to looking out at the backs of terraced houses in London, with stray cats howling all night and feral dogs barking. Even in a respectable square the privies still smell appalling, but here I can breathe easily and enjoy the scent of the countryside and the view of the sea in its ever-changing moods.’
Judy stared at him in surprise. ‘My goodness, I didn’t realise you were so poetic. I know you’re a good doctor and I’m beginning to suspect that you’re an excellent businessman. You are full of surprises.’
He turned to her with a rueful smile. ‘I must seem like a very dull chap to someone like you.’
‘I never thought of you in that way,’ Judy said hastily. ‘I was told that they worship you at the London Hospital.’
He laughed. ‘All because of the silly pun on my name. It doesn’t mean anything.’
‘That’s as may be, but you are highly thought of. I can tell you that from first-hand experience.’
He gave her a searching look. ‘Do you share their opinion?’
His comical expression made Judy laugh and she shook her head. ‘Now you’re fishing for compliments. Are you saying yes to the room? If so I’ll try and find some more rugs to make it more homely, and maybe I can find a better mattress for you.’
‘Stop worrying. Of course I’ll take the room. Don’t even think of allowing anyone else to book that one. I can return to London safe in the knowledge that I have a place to lay my head even if I arrive late in the evening.’
Judy held out her hand. ‘I agree to that.’
‘We’ll be a partnership of sorts, Judy.’ He held her hand rather longer than was necessary to seal a bargain. ‘Now there’s just the question of money. I suggest we go downstairs and discuss the price.’
Judy had good news for her mother when she returned from Maldon late that afternoon. They unloaded the meagre amount of supplies that Hilda had brought back with her, leaving the keg for Nate to bring into the taproom when he had finished unharnessing Major. Judy was bubbling with excitement, and she could not wait to show her mother the princely sum that Ben had left to secure the reservation of the best room. She hurried her into the parlour where she had stowed the leather pouch behind a cushion on one of the chairs.
‘I’ve never had so much money,’ Hilda whispered, glancing over her shoulder as if she were expecting someone to be spying on them.
‘I know,’ Judy said, smiling. ‘This solves all our problems for now at least, but if Ben is right and work starts very soon, we should get really busy.’
‘Nate said he would like to live here, but of course I’d have to speak to Daisy first. It’s only polite, considering she’s been so good to the boys.’ Hilda fingered the coins as if touching precious metal. ‘We need somewhere to keep this safe. I suspect some of the customers we had last evening would rob their grandmothers if they could get away with it.’
‘I’ve thought of that.’ Judy led the way to their private parlour and she kneeled down to prise up a loose floorboard. ‘We’ll keep out what we need and put the rest down here. With a rug over the top no one would think of looking there.’
‘I certainly hope not.’ Hilda watch
ed while Judy stowed the leather pouch in its hiding place. ‘I’m starving,’ she said faintly. ‘I haven’t eaten since that slice of stale bread for breakfast.’
‘Neither have I,’ Judy admitted reluctantly. ‘I was working so hard getting the place ready to open that I forgot about food.’
‘There are two meat pies in the basket,’ Hilda said eagerly. ‘Let’s eat.’
But a noise coming from the taproom and a male voice shouting Hilda’s name made them both freeze.
‘It’s him,’ Hilda said faintly. ‘He’s come to get me.’
Chapter Eleven
Judy grabbed Hilda’s walking stick. ‘Stay here.’ She ran from the parlour and made her way to the taproom where Wilfred was pacing the floor.
He came to a halt. ‘Where is she?’
‘My mother doesn’t want to see you.’ Judy faced him bravely, although inwardly she was quaking.
Wilfred was a big man, and he was obviously furious. His hands shook and his eyes were bloodshot, veins stood out in his neck and his chest rose and fell as if he had been running and was short of breath.
‘She’s my wife and she’s going to come home with me.’
Judy could see that he was beyond reason and she raised the stick, pointing it at him. She was afraid, but she was not going to let him see that she was trembling. ‘No, she isn’t. Ma wants to stay here, and that’s good enough for me.’
Wilfred uttered a bark of laughter, but there was no humour in the sound. ‘Who’s going to stop me? A slip of a girl with a stick? Get out of my way.’ He advanced on her, fists clenched, but at that moment the pub door flew open and Nate rushed into the taproom brandishing a shotgun.
‘Get away from her,’ he cried, his voice breaking, but there was a steely look in his eyes and a determined set to his jaw. It was as if overnight the youth had become a man. ‘I know you’ve come to get Ma, and I ain’t going to let you near her.’
Wilfred spun round, but he backed away when he saw the gun. ‘Where did you get that? You don’t know how to handle a firearm.’
Judy could see that Nate was nervous but his gaze was fierce and resolute.
‘Yes, I do,’ Nate said angrily. ‘The gamekeeper at Colneyhurst taught me how to shoot so that I could kill rats in the barn, and I ain’t afraid to use it.’
Wilfred took a step towards him. ‘You haven’t got the nerve to pull the trigger, son.’
‘Don’t call me “son”. You ain’t my pa, and you ain’t good enough for Ma. I heard how you’ve been treating her.’
‘Put the gun down.’ Wilfred advanced purposefully.
‘Stop this at once.’ Judy flung herself between them. ‘You’re not welcome here, Wilfred Faulkner. I’m telling you to go.’
‘And so am I.’ Hilda marched into the taproom, head held high. ‘I’m not coming back to you, not ever. You pretended to be a good, kind man, when all the time you’re just a bully, and I’m not going to put up with it. Now do as Judy says and get out.’
Nate cocked the gun and pointed it at his stepfather, and this seemed to have the desired effect. Wilfred backed towards the doorway. ‘All right. I’m going, but this isn’t the last you’ll hear from me, Hilda. You’ll come running back to me when this place closes, and I’ll make sure that it does.’ He opened the door and stormed out of the taproom.
Judy sank down on a wooden settle by the inglenook. ‘Put the gun down, Nate. Where did you get such a dangerous weapon?’
‘Like I said, the gamekeeper loaned it to me so that I could keep the rats down. I reckon that Faulkner is a big rat.’ Nate made the gun safe and laid it on the nearest table. The colour left his cheeks and he collapsed onto a chair. ‘I really would have shot him, Ma. If he’d tried to hurt you I’d have pulled the trigger.’
Hilda hurried to his side and gave him a hug. ‘You shouldn’t have taken the shotgun, Nate. Don’t ever do something like that again.’
‘But I saved you, Ma.’
She hugged him again. ‘Yes, you did, and I’m proud of you, but please keep away from Wilfred. He’s a mean man when he’s crossed.’
Nate pulled a face. ‘I know that well enough. I had many a beating from him when I was at Creek Manor.’
‘You never said.’ Hilda stared at him in horror. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘We all got beaten by him or one of the other grooms. It’s part of the job, I suppose.’
‘Well, it shouldn’t be,’ Judy said angrily. ‘I think that’s awful, and if you’d told Mrs Tattersall she would have sorted those bullies out. She wouldn’t have stood by and seen you ill-treated.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ Nate said wearily. ‘Is there anything to eat? I’m blooming starving.’
‘Of course, there is, love.’ Hilda ruffled his curly hair. ‘I bought meat pies and there’s bread and cheese. Come through to the kitchen and I’ll put the kettle on.’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘Are you coming, Judy?’
‘Yes, in a minute.’ Judy stood up and threw a log onto the fire, watching the flames lick round the bark, sending sparks flying up the chimney. She believed Wilfred when he said that this was not the end of his attempts to force Hilda back to the marital home, and she did not doubt that he was capable of violence in order to get his own way. She could hear Hilda calling to her and she was about to follow her mother and Nate to the kitchen when the pub door opened. A tall, broad-shouldered man entered carrying the cask of ale on his shoulder.
He dumped it down on a table. ‘I think this is yours, miss. You don’t want to leave such as this lying around or someone not as honest as Rob Dorning might come along and help themselves.’
Wilfred Faulkner’s sudden arrival had put all thoughts of unloading the cart out of Judy’s head. ‘Thank you. I’m afraid it’s a bit heavy for me and Hilda to lift on our own.’
‘It’s no light weight, that’s for sure. Where do you want it?’
‘On the trestle behind the bar, if you please.’ Judy watched in awe as the man hefted the cask in his arms and placed it as she had directed.
‘Maybe I should try a glass or two, miss. Just to make sure that the brew is all right.’
His grin was infectious and Judy found herself warming to him even though he was a complete stranger. She struggled to place the name. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she could not think where she had heard it before.
‘All right,’ she said slowly. ‘You have to tap the barrel first.’
‘Aye, I reckon I’ve done that a few times.’ He set about the task so efficiently that Judy did not doubt him. He filled a tankard with ale. ‘Of course it should be left to settle for a while to clear the sediment, but I don’t mind a cloudy pint.’ He raised the pewter mug to his lips and drank thirstily.
‘Do you live round here?’ Judy tried to sound casual, but she was curious. ‘I mean, I haven’t seen you before.’
He drained the last of the ale and went to stand with his back to the fire. ‘It’s getting chilly these evenings.’
‘Then you aren’t from these parts?’
‘I didn’t say that. My family are well known along the coast.’
‘I’m sure I’ve heard the name Dorning mentioned, but I can’t place it.’
‘I’m surprised to find someone like you working in a place like this. It’s always had a bad reputation.’
‘I’m running it with my mother,’ Judy said firmly. ‘I believe this pub went through a difficult time, but it’s going to be different now.’
His blue eyes lit with amusement and he pushed his cap to the back of his head, revealing a mop of fair hair, streaked almost white by the sun. ‘Well, I wish you luck with that. What do they call you?’
‘Miss Begg,’ Judy said primly. ‘Judith Begg.’
‘Judy. I like that name.’ He moved to the settle and sat down, sprawling his long legs in front of him. ‘I could do with some supper, Judy. What have you got to offer a hungry man?’
She laughed. ‘Are you speaking as a paying cu
stomer, or do you expect to be fed for nothing because you did me a favour?’
‘Either would be good. I have money if you want to charge a fellow who saved your ale from being stolen. You don’t leave things unattended round here, Judy. This is a rough area.’
‘I spent the first ten years of my life living in Whitechapel. You probably don’t know London very well, but this place has nothing on Green Dragon Yard.’
‘So how did you come to live in Little Creek?’
‘It’s a long story, but we used to live in Creek Manor. Ma worked for Mrs Tattersall.’ Judy eyed him warily. ‘Anyway, I don’t suppose that’s of any interest to you.’
‘I wouldn’t say that, but I am very hungry and I can pay for my supper.’ He took a handful of coins from his pocket and laid them on the table.
Judy smiled. ‘Well then, I’ll see what we have to offer, Mr Dorning.’
‘It’s Rob.’
Judy acknowledged this with a nod, but she was still wary. Despite his friendly demeanour, good looks and candid smile, she was uneasy, and she hurried to the kitchen to see what supplies her mother had brought back from Maldon.
Nate was seated at the table munching away on a meat pie. A dribble of gravy ran down his chin and his mother tossed a cloth at him.
‘You’re not a baby, Nate. Don’t gobble.’
‘Sorry, Ma, but it tastes so good. We don’t get grub like this in the stables. Mostly it’s some kind of stew or potatoes cooked in the fire and a bit of cheese.’
‘I knew they weren’t looking after you boys properly,’ Hilda said, sniffing. ‘I want you to stay here, Nate. I know this isn’t like Creek Manor, but Judy and I can find work for both you and Pip, if he wants to come here.’
Judy nodded. ‘That’s true. Of course we couldn’t pay you much to begin with, but things will improve.’ She turned to her mother. ‘I have a paying customer who wants something to eat. What can we offer him?’
