The Country Bride

by Dilly Court

  Judy knew better than to argue and she served the food, taking care to put the gravy within Rob’s reach. He was helping himself to a generous amount when Hilda entered the room, bringing two plates of food. She smiled and nodded approvingly and she set one in front of her daughter.

  ‘I said you’d appreciate a good gravy, Mr Dorning.’

  He looked up and smiled. ‘Thank you, Mrs Begg. This looks and smells wonderful.’

  ‘Eat up, then.’ Hilda sat down and picked up her cutlery. ‘There’s more outside, sir. If you want it, that is.’

  He swallowed a mouthful of food. ‘This rabbit pie is really delicious. When I rebuild Creek Manor I’ll need a good cook.’

  Judy dropped her fork with a clatter. ‘You are going to rebuild the manor house?’

  ‘Of course. Why else would I buy the land?’

  She shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Will it be like the old house?’

  ‘Not exactly. I fancy something in a more modern style. Perhaps in the Italianate design, but it will be about the same size.’

  ‘And you plan to live there?’

  ‘Maybe. I haven’t decided yet. My business takes me away for much of the time.’

  ‘You’ll need a small army of workmen to construct the building,’ Judy said thoughtfully.

  He smiled. ‘You’re thinking about trade.’

  ‘Yes, it’s very important to us. If we don’t start making money we’ll have to leave here.’

  ‘That would be a shame,’ he said agreeably. ‘But you could find work elsewhere.’

  ‘I suppose you’ll be on the lookout for kitchen maids.’ Judy spoke more sharply than she had intended and she dropped her gaze.

  ‘I will, of course, but I wouldn’t insult a businesswoman like yourself by offering you such a menial position.’

  ‘Now you’re laughing at me.’

  ‘No, indeed I’m not.’

  Hilda sent her daughter a warning glance. ‘Changing the subject, sir, you must have a fortune to spend so liberally.’

  ‘You’re wondering how someone as young as I could afford such a project. Am I right?’

  It was Hilda’s turn to blush and look away.

  ‘You must be a very astute businessman, Mr Dorning.’ Judy modified her tone. ‘I’d really like to know how to make a lot of money.’

  ‘You’d like to know, would you?’ Rob regarded her with a wry smile. ‘I have to admit I did nothing to earn the fortune I inherited, but my father and grandfather paid the price for their misdeeds. They were transported to the penal colony in Australia, but the authorities didn’t manage to get their hands on the money they’d made. Free trade is what brought me Creek Manor. Ironic, isn’t it? I believe the old squire was one of the ringleaders of their gang, but he died before it could be proven.’

  ‘Well, I never did!’ Hilda stared at him in amazement. ‘The sly old fox. We always knew he was up to no good, but he was obviously better at being a crook than we thought.’

  ‘That’s just about it.’ Rob turned to Judy with a questioning look. ‘I suppose you’d like me to leave now. A respectable woman like you wouldn’t want anything to do with a man whose family were notorious smugglers.’

  ‘You’re determined to put me in the wrong,’ Judy said, laughing. ‘We look forward to your invaluable custom, Mr Dorning.’

  ‘Now you’re laughing at me,’ Rob said equably. ‘Touché.’

  Before Judy had a chance to respond in kind, the parlour door flew open and Nate rushed into the room. ‘Judy, come quickly. I think the doctor’s going to kill himself.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  Judy leaped to her feet, as did Rob, and they hurried after Nate, with Hilda following more slowly. The pub door was swinging violently in a gale-force wind, and rain lashed down in torrents. Judy ran outside and a flash of lightning revealed Ben Godfrey teetering on the edge of the cliff.

  ‘He’s going to jump,’ she cried, turning to Rob, but he was already on his way and he threw himself at Dr Godfrey, bringing him down just as he was about to plunge into the churning waves below.

  Nate rushed to his aid and together they raised him to his feet and half-dragged, half-carried him back to the safety of the taproom. Judy raced upstairs to fetch a blanket and some towels. When she returned she found Dr Godfrey seated by the fire, clutching a glass of brandy. She wrapped the blanket around his shoulders.

  ‘You stupid man,’ she said angrily. ‘You would have died if it hadn’t been for Rob.’

  He bowed his head. ‘You should have let me end it all. I’m finished.’

  Rob pushed his wet hair back from his forehead. ‘If that’s all the thanks we get for saving your life, then go ahead and throw yourself off the cliff.’

  ‘What would you do if you were me?’ Ben Godfrey said wearily. ‘You’d feel exactly the same. I owe good people a lot of money that I can’t repay.’

  ‘You should have thought about that before you encouraged them to invest.’ Rob shrugged off his wet jacket and hung it over a chair by the fire. ‘You’re no businessman, Doctor. You should stick to what you do best.’

  ‘I don’t think this is helping,’ Judy protested, handing Ben a towel. ‘What you need is a good night’s sleep.’

  Hilda had been hovering in the background, but she nodded in approval. ‘I’ll make him some cocoa. That will help.’ She turned to Nate, who was standing by the fire with steam billowing off his wet clothes. ‘And you can go upstairs and change out of those wet things, or you’ll be down with a fever and no good to man or beast.’ She bustled off in the direction of the kitchen and Nate headed for the stairs.

  ‘I’ll mind the bar,’ Judy said hastily, ‘although it’s unlikely that we’ll get any more customers this evening.’

  ‘You need to get dry, too,’ Rob said firmly. ‘I’ll stay down here and make sure this idiot doesn’t do anything stupid, and if anyone comes in I can serve a pint of ale as well as the next man.’

  ‘I’ll go to my room,’ Dr Godfrey said tiredly. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t try that again – the moment has passed. I’ll have to face up to what I’ve done.’

  Judy took the glass from his hand and placed it on the table. She helped him to his feet. ‘I’m going upstairs, you can lean on me.’

  He smiled ruefully. ‘It’s a case of “physician, heal thyself”. But I don’t think I’m clever enough to do that.’

  ‘Everything will look better in the morning,’ Judy said gently. ‘Come on, Doctor.’

  ‘I think after this you really ought to call me Ben.’

  She smiled. ‘All right, if it makes you happy. Come on, Ben.’

  Judy slept little that night. She had pinned all her hopes on the fact that Ben had promised to send trade their way, and he was not the only one who was suffering from his ill-judged actions. She was left wondering how they would survive the rigours of winter out here on the headland. It was not surprising that past landlords had encouraged the smugglers to use the premises, but those days were long past. There must be another way, but a solution to their problems escaped her. Rob might intend to rebuild Creek Manor, but he had given no assurances, and perhaps she had been naïve in assuming that goods and workers would arrive by sea and bring much-needed custom to the Crooked Billet.

  After sleeping fitfully Judy awoke next morning having come to a decision. She got up, washed, dressed and put her hair in a neat chignon before going downstairs to the kitchen, where to her surprise she found Ben seated at the table, drinking coffee.

  He looked up and smiled sheepishly. ‘I’m so sorry for the way I behaved last evening.’

  ‘You gave us all a terrible fright. But no harm came to you, that’s the main thing.’

  ‘You’re right, Judy. It’s time to put it all in the past, Ben.’ Hilda placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him. ‘Eat that. You need all your strength to set matters straight. Those creditors aren’t going to be very happy when you tell them what you’ve done.’

 
‘That’s not helping, Ma.’ Judy stifled a chuckle. How typical of her mother to put things so bluntly. She was right, of course, but that did not make it any easier for Ben, who was obviously bitterly ashamed of his actions.

  ‘I don’t know what to do,’ he said, draining the last of the coffee from his cup. ‘I gave up my position at the London Hospital because I thought I was going to organise everything for the new hospital. It didn’t occur to me that it might not go through.’

  ‘Forget that for a moment.’ Judy pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him. ‘You will have to tell your creditors, of course, but you need to find another job or you won’t be able to pay your rent.’

  He shook his head. ‘I doubt if I can afford it anyway. I’ll have to find somewhere a lot cheaper, and then when I start earning again I can begin to repay the rest of the money.’

  ‘I know who might be able to help you,’ Judy said thoughtfully. ‘Dr Marshall is your friend, isn’t he? His wife was very kind to me when I went up to London, looking for work.’

  Ben frowned. ‘I don’t like to impose on Toby. I got myself into this mess, and it’s up to me to find a way out.’

  ‘There’s no shame in asking for assistance when you need it,’ Judy said firmly. ‘I’ll come to London with you, if that would make things easier. There’s little enough for me to do here, and you did help us out at the beginning. Call it the return of a favour, if you like.’

  He buried his head in his hands. ‘If I have to depend upon a woman for courage, what sort of fellow does that make me?’

  Hilda refilled his coffee cup. ‘Never mind your pride, Ben. Let Judy do what she suggests. She’s very determined when she makes up her mind to do something. Nate and I can manage here for a few days.’

  ‘What do you say?’ Judy asked eagerly. ‘Let me do this for you, Ben. You’re too good a doctor to mope around because you failed when it came to such a big undertaking. You weren’t to know that Rob Dorning would appear as if from nowhere and outbid you.’

  Ben nodded tiredly. ‘You’re right, of course, and I must return to London. I can do nothing more here.’

  ‘Has anyone seen Rob this morning?’ Judy looked to her mother for an answer and Hilda nodded.

  ‘Yes, he left earlier. He didn’t say where he was going, but he paid handsomely for the room. We could do with more guests like him.’

  Ben Godfrey’s lodging house in Raven Row came as something of a shock to Judy. It was a narrow street close to the London Hospital, which was probably why so many of the staff chose to lodge there. It was a rundown building and Ben’s room was sparsely furnished with scant attention to comfort. A trivet in front of the small fireplace was the only means of heating a kettle, and would do little to warm the draughty room. The bare floorboards were splintered and worn and the two rag rugs looked as though they could do with a good wash. The narrow iron bedstead might have come from the servants’ quarters in a larger house, and it looked as though it had been discarded as being unsuitable even for the youngest, newest member of staff.

  ‘Why do you live here?’ Judy demanded crossly. ‘Surely as a doctor you could afford better?’

  He shrugged and dropped his battered leather valise onto the bed. ‘It’s cheap and it’s handy for the hospital.’ He shot her a sideways glance. ‘I’ve been saving my money so that I could invest in a project such as the hospital in Little Creek. It’s a lifelong ambition of mine to provide medical care for the poor and needy. I’ve seen such terrible things in this part of London, and I’ve visited homes that were overcrowded hovels. I’ve seen families of seven or eight living in damp cellars together with complete strangers, but even they are better off than the people with nowhere to go. If you walked the city streets at night you would see terrible sights – people living in doorways, and all too often dying there.’

  ‘And you put all the money into your scheme?’

  ‘Every penny, and now I’m broke. At least I was able to settle my bill at your pub, but the railway fare back to London used up the last of my money.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Ben.’ She glanced round the depressing room and sighed. ‘I wish I could help, but I’ve nothing to give you.’

  He smiled. ‘I wouldn’t take it from you anyway. But don’t worry about me. We’ll walk to the Marshalls’ house, as planned, and then I’ll see you safely on the train back to Little Creek.’

  ‘I thought they were moving to a larger establishment.’

  ‘There was some delay, but that’s all to the good. It’s not very far to Sidney Square.’

  ‘Let’s go then,’ Judy said eagerly. ‘I’m sorry, Ben, but this room is so dreary it makes me want to cry. I don’t know how you’ve stood it for so long.’

  He held the door open. ‘I only sleep here. It’s not so bad.’

  ‘Well, I think you could do better. Let’s see what Dr Marshall says.’

  Minnie was delighted to see them and she welcomed Judy with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She smiled and extended her hand to Ben. ‘We were so worried about you. Why did you leave without telling us?’

  He raised her hand to his lips. ‘I’m sorry, Minnie. I suppose I got carried away with my new venture. I thought it would work out wonderfully, but it hasn’t.’

  Minnie looked from one to the other. ‘Sit down, both of you. I’ll ring for some refreshments. You look exhausted.’

  Judy sank down on the sofa. ‘We left Little Creek first thing this morning, and we’ve just walked from Raven Row.’

  ‘I’ve always said you ought to move somewhere better, Ben.’ Minnie tugged at the bell pull. ‘I think a glass of sherry might be what’s needed, and you must stay for luncheon. Toby will be back soon and you can tell him everything, Ben. But I really want to hear Judy’s news, if you don’t mind.’

  ‘Not at all. My tale of woe can wait. It’s not something I care to repeat over and over again.’

  Minnie shot him a sympathetic look as she took a seat beside Judy. ‘Well, then. Tell me all the news from Little Creek. It’s so long since we were last there. How are Daisy and the children? Do you see them often?’ She looked up as the door opened and Sukey sidled into the parlour.

  ‘You rang, ma’am.’

  ‘Yes, Sukey. Please fetch the sherry decanter and four glasses, and tell Cook there will be two extra for luncheon.’

  Sukey bobbed a curtsey and backed out of the room, closing the door carefully behind her.

  ‘Your protégée has improved,’ Judy said, chuckling. ‘I seem to remember she was all feet and elbows when I was here last. She could hardly move without falling over or dropping something.’

  Minnie pulled a face. ‘Don’t speak too soon. She has learned a lot but sometimes she gets excited and forgets what she is supposed to be doing. However, I’m fond of the child and I have hopes for her. She’ll be coming with us when we move to Harley Street in a week’s time. You’re lucky to have caught us at home. Now tell me everything, Judy.’

  Judy had just finished regaling Minnie with tales from Little Creek, although she was careful not to mention the reason for Ben’s sudden return to London, when Toby Marshall breezed into the room, smiling cheerfully.

  ‘Ben, old chap. Sukey told me that we had visitors.’ He slapped his friend on the back as Ben rose to greet him. ‘And Judy, too. This is an unexpected pleasure. How are you and your family?’

  ‘They’re all well, thank you,’ Judy said, smiling. ‘I’ve just been passing on all the gossip from home.’

  Toby reached for the sherry decanter and poured himself a drink. ‘There’s always plenty going on in a small village. But what brings you back to London, Ben?’

  ‘I was outbid at the sale.’ Ben sank back onto his chair, shaking his head. ‘I’ve let everyone down, myself included.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that, but there’ll be other plots of land, surely?’ Toby sipped his drink and sat down in a chair next to his friend. ‘It’s not the end of the world.’

  ‘I was so convinc
ed that the land would go for a song. I used a lot of the investors’ money in order to further my plans,’ Ben said gloomily. ‘I can’t repay them and I’ll be bankrupted when this gets out.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ Toby frowned thoughtfully. ‘But surely if you explained to them and promised to repay the money, they’ll be willing to wait. I mean, investing in any project is a risky business. They must have considered that.’

  ‘Maybe, but I haven’t got a job and I can’t even afford to pay next month’s rent. I’ve been a complete fool, Toby. I don’t know where to turn next.’

  ‘You’re a good doctor and a good man,’ Toby said firmly. ‘You aren’t cut out for a business career, and that’s a fact, but there must be a way round this. I suggest we have our meal and talk about it later. You will stay here tonight, of course.’

  ‘Thank you, but I still have my room in Raven Row, and Judy needs to get home to Little Creek.’

  ‘I can get the next train,’ Judy said stoutly. ‘Don’t worry about me.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing. You must both stay here for tonight at least and perhaps we can help you to sort out your problem, Ben.’ Minnie stood up, brushing the creases out of her silk morning gown. ‘We have room for you, and it will be delightful to talk about something other than the move to Harley Street. I hope you don’t mind the fact that there are packing cases everywhere, but we’ll make you as comfortable as possible. Do say yes, Judy.’

  The thought of travelling home late in the afternoon had little appeal. She had warned her mother that she might stay in London overnight, and it was good to be away from the worries and pressures of running the inn. She realised that Minnie was waiting for her response. ‘Yes, of course. I’ll go home tomorrow, I’m sure they can manage without me for another day.’

  After luncheon Toby had to return to the hospital, leaving Minnie, Judy and Ben to finish their coffee in the parlour. Toby had been unable to offer any encouragement when it came to finding Ben a new position. The doctor who had been taken on at short notice to fill the gap left by Ben’s sudden departure had proved to be very good at his job, and everyone was satisfied with his work. Toby knew of no other vacancies in the hospital, but he promised to ask his colleagues if they had heard of any positions waiting to be filled in other institutions.