by Dilly Court
‘I don’t know what to do, Mrs Trundle. I think I still love Jack, but I didn’t believe him when he said he had written to me. Jack was always very bad at letter writing. The truth is that he left me without a word, and I don’t feel I can ever trust him again.’
‘It seems to run in the family, from what you just told me. I mean his brother didn’t treat his women well, although I think you said that they’re only half-brothers.’
‘That’s right. Jay’s father was the late squire, and not a nice character at all. Jack’s father was a good man at heart, I suppose, but he was also a bully.’
‘And how do you feel about Rob?’
Judy almost dropped her plate. Prudence’s question had taken her by surprise. ‘Rob is a guest at the inn. There’s nothing between us.’
‘Are you sure about that, dear? He seems quite taken with you.’
‘No, you’re wrong. We’re just friends.’
‘In that case perhaps you do still love Jack. The only way you’ll find out is to talk to him.’
Judy was about to answer when the sound of men’s voices and loud footsteps announced the return of Rob and Seth. The door opened and a blast of cold air rushed round the warm kitchen, sending a gust of steam into the icy world outside.
‘Seth has agreed to take us back to Little Creek, Judy. Can you be ready in five minutes?’
It was Christmas Eve and Judy had seen nothing of Jack or Jay since their meeting in the country lane. Nate had come home armed with the latest gossip after a brief visit to see Pip at Colneyhurst. It turned out that Jack was staying with Nick and Dove at Creek Hall, while Jay had imposed on his sister Linnet and her husband. Jay was apparently making extensive enquiries as to the identity of the new owner of the Creek Manor estate, and it was only a matter of time before he discovered the truth. Although it was inevitable that his enquiries would lead him to the Crooked Billet, Judy was caught by surprise when he walked into the taproom at midday. She was about to serve Eli with a pint of ale.
Jay strode up to the bar, giving Eli a withering glance. ‘You smell a bit ripe, mate. I suggest you take your drink and move downwind of me.’
Eli shot him a baleful glance and shambled off to his usual seat in the corner.
‘That was mean, Jay,’ Judy said crossly. ‘He looks after Colonel Catchpole’s pigs. Eli can’t help it if the odour of the piggery clings to him.’
‘That’s his problem – I don’t want it thrust on me. Any chance of a hot rum punch? It’s freezing outside.’
Judy sighed. ‘Yes, of course, if that’s what you want.’ She lifted the hatch in the counter and went to the fireplace where she placed the poker amongst the red-hot coals. ‘It’ll take a few minutes to heat up.’ She returned to the bar, took a tankard from the shelf and began mixing rum with dark sugar and spices. ‘How long do you intend to stay in Little Creek?’
‘That’s a leading question, sweetheart. But as it’s you, I’ll admit that I plan to remain here until I have the deeds of the Creek Manor estate. I’ve been told that your friend Rob might have the answer to my problem. Is he here?’
‘He had business in London,’ Judy said carefully. ‘I don’t know when he’ll return. He comes and goes as he sees fit.’
‘What about the other chap? The architect who’s supposed to be designing the new house.’
‘He returned to London yesterday. What’s this all about? What do you hope to gain by staying in Little Creek when you know that the property belongs to someone else?’
‘I want my inheritance back. All right, I know I sold the estate in the first place, but now I have the money to buy it back and I have a newborn son who will inherit everything when I die. The name of Tattersall will go on.’
Having added water to the mixture, Judy retrieved the poker from the fire and shook off the ash. She immersed the red-hot tip in the tankard and waited while it hissed and bubbled. She walked slowly back to where Jay was standing.
‘I wish you luck with that, but if you want my honest opinion I think you said goodbye to your inheritance when you sold the estate.’
He took the tankard from her and drank thirstily, despite the fact that the brew was still steaming. ‘That was good. You make a decent barmaid, Judy. It’s a pity you can’t stay on here when I take over.’
She stared at him in astonishment. ‘What did you say?’
‘You should have tried harder to find the true owner of the Crooked Billet, my love.’
‘What do you mean? I did make enquiries but no one knew who it was.’
‘This pub was not part of the Creek Manor estate. It was a separate parcel of land that my late father owned, and it came in very handy I’ve no doubt.’
‘Everyone knows that he was involved in smuggling, but I never heard it said that he owned this place.’
‘Well, it is so, and when I sold the estate the inn was not included. I needed somewhere to come home to, and now I am here. So I want you and your family gone. Is that clear enough?’
‘I need proof of ownership,’ Judy said faintly. ‘You can’t just toss us out on the street.’
A grim smile curved his lips. ‘Oh, but I can.’ He put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a folded sheet of parchment. ‘These are the deeds of the Crooked Billet. Look at them closely, Judy.’ He spread the document out on the bar counter.
It took only a few seconds for Judy to scrutinise the elegant copperplate writing. The deeds confirmed what Jay had claimed, and she could see that he was in no mood to be generous.
‘At least give us time to find alternative accommodation.’
‘I’m a reasonable man. You have until six o’clock this afternoon, and then I’m taking over. You will have all your belongings removed by that time or they will be forfeit. Do you understand?’
She nodded mutely, too shocked to put up an argument, besides which, he seemed to have the law on his side. It was her fault, she thought miserably as she watched him finish his drink with obvious relish. She should have gone into the matter more thoroughly, but they had been desperate, and now matters were even worse. It was the depths of winter, it was Christmas Eve, and by late afternoon they would again be homeless. She shot him a wary glance – Jay was enjoying her discomfort. He could have told them this when he first arrived in Little Creek, but he had obviously chosen today because it suited him to be melodramatic.
‘What have we ever done to you?’ she demanded angrily. ‘Why are you treating us this way?’
‘I had to get the deeds from my solicitor in Chelmsford, or I would have claimed my birthright sooner.’ Jay’s urbane smile faded. ‘I’m serious, Judy. I want you all out of here by six o’clock and no excuses. That goes for your gentleman friend also. I’m the legal owner of this establishment and you and your family are squatters.’ He strode towards the door, pausing by Eli. ‘And you are barred from this pub as of this evening. Show your dirty face here again and I’ll take great pleasure in throwing you out.’ He left the building, slamming the door behind him.
Eli looked up, scowling. ‘That ’un will come to no good, miss. I’ll tell you that for nothing.’
‘Maybe, but for now he has the upper hand. I need to speak to Ma urgently. Call me if anyone comes in, please, Eli.’ Judy left the bar and hurried to the kitchen where she found her mother and Nate enjoying a cup of tea and a chat. ‘Ma, you’d better pack your things. You, too, Nate.’
Hilda looked up, frowning. ‘Why? What’s the matter, Judy? You’re white as a sheet.’
‘Jay Tattersall has just shown me the deeds of the Crooked Billet. He owns it, Ma. It belonged to the old squire and it wasn’t included in the sale. Jay has given us until six o’clock this afternoon to get out.’
‘But it’s Christmas Eve,’ Nate protested. ‘He can’t do that.’
‘I’m afraid he can,’ Judy said miserably. ‘We are here illegally. I should have gone into it properly, but I was so glad to have somewhere for us to live that I let things slide.’
‘He walked out, and anyway, he wasn’t prepared to listen. We’ll have to leave, although I don’t know where we’ll go or who could take us in at such short notice.’
‘This wouldn’t have happened if Mary was still here. She’d have a fit if she knew what her son was doing to us.’
‘Then there’s Rob,’ Judy said miserably. ‘He doesn’t know yet. He’ll have to find somewhere to go, too.’
‘He’s got money, my love. He can afford to stay at a hotel or another wayside inn. We haven’t enough to last us more than a night or two at the most. We are in trouble, Judy. Big trouble.’
‘We must be practical,’ Judy said urgently. ‘I intend to clear the shelves in the bar. We’ve paid for all that drink and we’re not leaving anything for Jay. If he wants to run a pub he can buy in his own stock. We’ll take the keg of ale, too.’
‘What can I do?’ Nate jumped to his feet. ‘I’ll stand up to Jay Tattersall. I ain’t afraid of him.’
Judy smiled despite the turmoil inside her brain. ‘That won’t be necessary. Ma and I will pack all our belongings, including the bedding and anything we can fit into the cart. Then I want you to drive to Colneyhurst. I know Marius won’t mind if we store our things in one of the empty stables, and you can stay with Pip until we find somewhere more permanent.’
‘It breaks my heart to leave here when we’ve put so much effort into making a go of the place,’ Hilda said bitterly. ‘It’s almost worse than when Wilfred turned on me, although that was bad enough.’
‘He’ll pay for what he did, Ma,’ Judy said softly. ‘Let’s not think about anything for now other than collecting what is rightfully ours.’
Nate rose from the table. ‘All right, I’ll do as you say, but I don’t like it. I’d rather fight him than let him do this to my family.’
‘He won’t profit from it, love.’ Hilda began opening cupboards and taking out the oddments of china they had managed to collect. ‘In my experience bad people get their comeuppance sooner or later.’
Nate muttered something beneath his breath and stormed out of the kitchen.
‘Don’t worry about him, Ma,’ Judy said hastily. ‘He’s young and he’ll get over it. Maybe this will be all to the good. We have to face the fact that the reputation of the Crooked Billet has been against us all the way, and we’ve made almost nothing, even after all the hard work.’
Hilda piled plates on the table, followed by bowls, cups and saucers. ‘But we’ve had a home, Judy. We’ve had food and warmth, and we might have done really well when Rob started building his new house.’
‘Even that looks doubtful now.’ Judy lifted the old saucepans from the shelf above the range. ‘Jay is clever and I don’t think he’d do all this unless he was quite sure he could get the estate back.’
‘And where is Jack in all this?’ Hilda tipped the contents of the cutlery drawer onto the table. ‘Why didn’t he stand up for us?’
‘I don’t know, Ma.’ Judy placed the last pan on the table. ‘I’ll go and start in the bedrooms. We’ll have to leave the pieces of furniture we’ve acquired, but I’ll strip the beds. I still can’t believe that Jay would do this to us on Christmas Eve, of all days.’ She left her mother to pack up the kitchen and she made her way upstairs to the chilly bedrooms.
In her own room she walked slowly to the window and gazed out at the turbulent grey waters of the estuary. The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks, and the rattle of the shingle on the shore was comfortingly familiar. It had lulled her to sleep every night for the past few months, and the creaking old inn had become their home and their haven. Her hands gripped the windowsill, and her knuckles whitened as she clenched her fists as anger raged in her breast. Jay was not going to do this to them. He might have a document with his name on it, but that did not give him the authority to throw them out on the street. The winter afternoon would be closing in soon and then it would be dark. This was not how she had envisaged spending Christmas. Judy hurried from her room and raced downstairs.
Having locked the front door and made sure that all the windows were securely fastened, she went to the kitchen.
‘Ma, you can put everything back in the cupboard. We’re not leaving – at least not yet.’
Hilda gazed at her with a puzzled frown. ‘What do you mean? I thought you said that he wanted us out of here by six o’clock.’
‘That’s what he said, but we’re not going. If he wants to get us out he can get a court order and that won’t happen until after Christmas. It gives us a few days to think about what we’re going to do and where we might go.’
‘But he could fetch the police.’
‘Do you seriously think that Constable Fowler will oblige him on Christmas Eve?’
‘But Jay is the old squire’s legal heir.’
‘I know, he showed me the deeds. Let him go to court and prove he owns this place, which would take time. That gives us breathing space, Ma. Put the kettle on and make us a nice hot cup of tea. I’m going to the stable to catch Nate before he leaves for Colneyhurst.’
Judy snatched her shawl from its peg and wrapped it around her head and shoulders as she braved the bitter cold. The stable was only a few yards from the back door and walking on the packed snow made the going difficult, but she reached it without mishap and went inside.
‘We’re not leaving,’ she said breathlessly. ‘At least not yet. I’m not going to allow Jay Tattersall to throw us out today.’
Nate leaped down from the cart. ‘I’m with you, Judy. I wasn’t looking forward to taking poor old Major on the icy roads, to tell the truth.’
‘Which makes it even more unlikely that Jay can actually do anything to get us out. He’s very unpopular in the village, so I don’t imagine he’ll get any help there. I’m calling his bluff.’
‘Just tell me what to do.’
‘Bring anything you value into the house. Leave the horse with plenty of food and water in case we can’t get out for a day or two.’ Judy did not wait for a response. She had hoped that Nate would enter into the spirit of the thing, and would enjoy the drama of the situation, but this was no game. She knew enough about Jay Tattersall to realise that he meant what he said. He was intent on getting back what he considered to be rightfully his, and there would be no stopping him.
Braving the icy winds again, she left the stable and returned to the warmth of the kitchen where her mother had just put the last saucepan back on the shelf.
‘What will we do about our customers?’ Hilda asked wearily. ‘Heaven knows, we don’t get too many, but do we simply keep the doors locked?’
‘We’ll have to, at least for the time being. I’ll put a sign up in the window saying we’re closed for business. I just hope that Rob doesn’t return tonight.’
‘Did he tell you when to expect him?’
Judy shook her head. ‘It’s none of my business, Ma. We’re just here to provide a service and he’s paid for his room, so he can come and go as he pleases.’
Hilda sniffed. ‘I thought there was more in it than that, at least on his side.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ Judy said hastily. ‘I can’t think about anything at the moment other than the task in hand. I’m going to bring as many logs in as I can, and I’ll get Nate to fetch coal and water. We’re getting ready for a siege.’
Hilda put her head on one side. ‘Someone’s hammering on the front door, Judy. I think it’s started.’
Chapter Eighteen
Judy stormed through the pub ready to take Jay on single-handed, but to her surprise it was Jack who stood outside, stamping the snow off his boots.
‘Let me in, Judy.’
She hesitated. ‘No. I can’t. We’re not leaving here, Jack. I don’t care what you say.’
‘I want t
o talk and I’ll freeze to death if I have to stand here much longer.’
‘Is this a trick?’
‘No, on my honour it is not. Jay told me what he’d done and I don’t agree with him. Let me in, please.’
She drew back the bolts and unlocked the door, opening it just far enough to look out and make sure that Jay was not loitering outside. ‘Come in.’
He pushed past her and went straight to the fireplace where he stood, warming his hands.
Judy locked and bolted the door. ‘Why did you come here, Jack? What do you want?’
‘A tot of brandy might help to warm me up. I’ve grown used to a much balmier climate in Australia. You’d love it there, Judy.’
‘You didn’t brave the snow just to tell me that, did you?’
‘It wasn’t my main reason for coming. I do care about you, Judy, despite what you think of me. Jay told me what he’d done and I tried to persuade him to give you more time, but once he’s made up his mind to something that’s the end of it.’
‘We’re not leaving because we haven’t anywhere to go. We’re staying put at least for the time being and you can go back and tell Jay so.’
He straightened up, giving her a searching look. ‘What happened to you, Judy? You used to be so biddable and nice.’
‘I’ve learned to stand up for myself and my family. Jay might own this place, but he can’t just throw us out on a whim. If he wants us to leave he’ll have to prove ownership, and also give us time to find somewhere else to live.’
‘Yes, I see that. But it’s not my fault, Judy. I can’t control my brother.’
‘And yet you went with him to the other side of the world. You left without a word to me.’
‘I asked you to go with me.’
‘It was more of an order than a request. You expected me to leave my family and travel across the world. I might have ended my days as an unpaid servant.’
‘I’d have married you eventually, Judy.’
She looked him in the eye. ‘Would you really? Is that why you’re here now? Are you asking me to marry you?’
