The Country Bride

by Dilly Court

  Judy took a seat opposite him. ‘What do you think you’ll gain by this? And what good will it do keeping me prisoner here?’

  ‘If Dorning wants to see you again he’d better let me buy back the Creek Manor estate. I don’t want something for nothing – I can pay whatever he asks.’ Jay bolted his food and when he had finished his breakfast he rose to his feet. ‘I’m leaving now and I’ll be gone for a while. If Dorning agrees to my terms, he’s welcome to you.’

  Judy’s taut nerves threatened to get the better of her and she had to curb the desire to fly at Jay and slap the smug smile from his face, but she managed to retain her self-control.

  Jay reached for his greatcoat. ‘Don’t try to escape. You won’t get very far on foot in this weather, and it’s several miles to the nearest village.’ He swaggered to the front door and let himself out.

  Judy ran to the window. She watched him as he made his way to the stable, and minutes later he emerged, leading the horse all tacked up. With an agile leap he mounted and rode off, leaving her feeling alone and even more vulnerable. She returned to the table, but she had lost her appetite and she pushed her plate away. Jay was using her as a pawn in his twisted game, and she had no intention of making life easy for him. Her determination to escape grew by the second and she jumped to her feet. Outside the wind was battering the old building and rain lashed the windows. She had only the clothes that she stood up in, and if she was to brave the weather she would need to wear something warmer.

  Upstairs, she rifled through the cupboards in every bedroom, and in the last room she found a moth-eaten woollen cloak. She put it on, wrinkling her nose at the smell of naphtha, which someone had used to keep moths at bay. It did not seem to have done its job very well but it was better than nothing, and she was desperate. She hurried downstairs, but the back door was locked. She searched frantically, pulling out drawers and scattering the contents on the floor, but she could not find the key. In the end she climbed onto a shelf in the larder and with a great deal of effort she managed to push out the screen window. She dropped to the ground and wrapped the cloak more firmly around her as the sleety rain poured down from a gunmetal sky.

  She was free from the farmhouse, but she had no idea which way to go. In an effort to get her bearings, she followed the sound of waves crashing on the shore, but the bitter wind took her breath away and filled her lungs with icy shards. When she reached the clifftop she uttered a gasp of dismay. Anchored out to sea she saw a vessel that she recognised as the Lazy Jane. Jay had not lied, and she knew instinctively that he would carry out his threat to abduct her if Rob refused to co-operate. She did not stop to wonder if Jack was complicit with Jay’s plans – she turned inland, and ran.

  Buffeted by wind and blinded by the driving rain, Judy knew that she was heading south but there were no discernible landmarks to guide her. Eventually she was forced to stop in order to catch her breath, and she sank down in the lee of a stunted tree. She was shivering violently and the wet cloak gave her little protection from the elements. After a while the rain eased, but, as if to add to her problems, a sea fret rose up and swirled around her in a dense white cloud, blotting out the landscape and chilling her to the bone. She stood up, knowing that she must keep moving. Common sense told her that she must eventually come across some kind of dwelling, where she could ask for directions. Shrouded in mist, she walked slowly across a rutted field. If she kept on going she must surely come to a road or even a cart track.

  She had lost all sense of time. She seemed to have been walking for hours when she stumbled over what appeared to be a gravestone. She fell heavily, landing with her right ankle twisted beneath her. A sharp pain caused her to cry out, and when she attempted to rise to her feet, she fell back gasping. It was the same ankle she had sprained when Rob’s carriage overturned in the snow, and she closed her eyes, biting back tears of pain and frustration. She had come this far, and if there was a graveyard there must be habitation nearby. After a few minutes the agony lessened, providing she kept the injured limb absolutely still. She opened her eyes and found herself in an overgrown graveyard surrounding a small chapel. The mist had cleared and a wintry sun had pushed its way between the dark clouds.

  Judy eased herself carefully to a sitting position and looked round, hoping to see a sign of life. The eerie silence was broken by the sound of someone whistling a cheerful tune.

  ‘Ho, there,’ she shouted. ‘Help me, please.’

  Moments later a youth appeared, seated on a donkey. He rode closer, eyeing her suspiciously.

  ‘What’s up with you?’

  ‘I’ve hurt my ankle.’

  The boy dismounted. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I’m Judy Begg from Little Creek. Can you tell me where I am?’

  ‘You’re sitting on Abel Dorning’s gravestone. That’s where you are, miss. I’d move, if I were you, miss. He’s likely to take exception.’

  Judy gave the boy a searching look. She was not sure if he was trying to be funny, but he appeared to be serious. ‘Dorning,’ she repeated dazedly. ‘Do you know the Dorning family?’

  ‘I should say I do, miss. Almost everyone in the village is related to them in one way or another.’

  Pain and fatigue were getting the better of Judy. ‘What’s your name, boy?’

  ‘I’m Walter Dorning. What’s it to you?’

  ‘Would this be Crouch village?’

  ‘Not exactly, miss. It’s yonder.’ He pointed vaguely in the direction of a stand of trees.

  Judy struggled to remember the name of Rob’s aunt. ‘Do you know Miss Dorning? Miss Adeline Dorning?’

  ‘I do. She’s my aunt.’

  Judy could hardly believe that her luck had changed so suddenly. ‘Could you take me to her, Walter? I’d need you to help me because I don’t think I can walk.’

  He put his head on one side. ‘I suppose I could let you ride.’

  Judy attempted to rise, but fell back, stifling a sob. Walter grabbed her by the hand and looped her arm around his shoulders.

  ‘I’m stronger than I look. Up you get.’ He managed to heave her to a standing position, and they made their way slowly to where the donkey was munching grass. After pushing and heaving from Walter, and a determined effort by Judy, she was finally astride the animal, although completely exhausted. She clung to the donkey’s mane as Walter led the animal to the village, which seemed to be a collection of half-timbered cottages surrounding a small pond. Sheep grazed contentedly on the green, and hens wandered at will, pecking at the ground.

  ‘Here we are.’ Walter came to a halt outside a pretty thatched cottage on the edge of the village. He led the donkey up the garden path and rapped on the door. ‘Aunt Adeline, are you at home?’

  The door opened and Judy knew instantly that this must be Rob’s aunt. The genuine smile that lit Adeline’s blue eyes, and the kindly expression on her weathered features were so reminiscent of Rob that Judy had to hold back tears of relief.

  ‘Who have you brought to see me, Walter?’

  ‘Her name is Judy – I can’t remember the rest. I found her in the graveyard. I thought at first she was a ghost. She’s hurt her ankle.’

  ‘I really don’t want to be any bother,’ Judy said hastily.

  ‘You’re more than welcome, Judy. Let’s get you into the house, preferably without the donkey. You’ll have to help me, Walter.’

  Between them they managed to get Judy off the donkey and into the house. She cried out when she attempted to put her weight on the injured limb, but Adeline looped Judy’s arm around her shoulders.

  ‘It’s all right, my dear. Lean on me.’ She helped Judy into the parlour and set her down on a sofa upholstered in dark green velvet. ‘Let’s make you comfortable, and then I’ll take a look at that ankle.’

  ‘She’s better than them medical men,’ Walter said proudly. ‘Everyone comes to Aunt Adeline when they’re sick.’

  ‘Get along with you, Walter.’ Adeline took the sodden cloak and hun
g it over the back of a chair. ‘I can look after Judy now, but if you go into the kitchen there are some cakes cooling on the table. You can have two, but I know exactly how many there are, so I’ll know if you help yourself to more.’

  Walter grinned and hurried off to claim his cakes.

  ‘I might have to cut the laces on your boot,’ Adeline said as she examined Judy’s injured limb. ‘The ankle is very swollen.’

  ‘Do you think it’s broken?’ Judy asked anxiously.

  ‘I’ll know more when I get your boot off.’ Adeline reached for a wooden sewing box and selected a pair of scissors, which she used to snip the laces. She eased the boot off and gently examined the ankle. ‘I think it’s just a bad sprain, but you must keep off it for a few days to give it a chance to heal.’

  ‘My mother will be frantic with worry. I need to go home.’

  ‘Where do you live, Judy?’

  ‘Little Creek, Miss Dorning. I live in the Crooked Billet with Ma and my brother Nate.’

  ‘I guessed who you were, my dear. Rob has told me so much about you that I recognised you from his description, and he wasn’t exaggerating.’

  Judy felt herself blushing. ‘I could say the same of you, Miss Dorning. Rob speaks very fondly of you.’

  ‘He’s like a son to me.’ Adeline eyed Judy curiously. ‘But that doesn’t explain why you arrived here in such a state.’ She fingered the muddy hem on Judy’s damp gown. ‘I’ll find you some dry clothes.’

  ‘Thank you, but I really need to let my mother know that I’m safe and well.’

  ‘You can’t go anywhere with that ankle. I’ll have a message sent to your family, and you’re welcome to stay here until you’re fit to travel.’

  ‘But you don’t understand. I have to go back to Little Creek. It concerns Rob and it’s urgent.’

  ‘You can tell me all about it later, my dear. I’ll fetch you a cup of tea and maybe you could manage some porridge, or perhaps some bread and honey from my own beehive.’

  Judy lay back, frustrated by the frailty of her own body, but hunger pangs reminded her that she needed food. ‘Bread and honey sounds lovely. Thank you.’

  ‘That’s a good girl.’ Adeline smiled benevolently. She left the room, returning moments later with a woollen robe, which she handed to Judy. ‘Take off your wet things, and put this on.’

  Left on her own, Judy changed out of her damp gown and wrapped the robe around her. It was soft and smelled of lavender, and she lay back against the cushions. She relaxed as the warmth seeped into her chilled body, and she tried to ignore the pain in her ankle by focusing her attention on her surroundings. The cosy room, with its comfortable, well-worn furniture, must have been Rob’s childhood home. There was a window seat with a view over the small front garden and the village green beyond. Shelves on either side of the chimney breast were crammed with an assortment of books. In the place of honour, next to a brass clock on the mantelshelf, was a photograph of a young army officer, and he bore a striking resemblance to Rob. Judy rubbed her eyes and yawned. Maybe there was one respectable member of the notorious Dorning family. The scent from bowls filled with spring bulbs coming into flower wafted over Judy, and sunshine filtered through the small windowpanes. She fought against sleep – Rob must be warned that Jay was out to cause trouble.

  She sat up as the door opened to admit Adeline.

  ‘I have to get home urgently, Miss Dorning. Is there anyone who could take me back to Little Creek today?’

  ‘I very much doubt it. The only people who have their own vehicles are those who live on outlying farms.’ Adeline placed the tea tray on a stool beside the sofa. ‘This is my very best china, Judy. I save it for special occasions.’

  Judy sipped the tea. ‘Thank you, Miss Dorning, but it is important that I let my family know where I am.’

  ‘You’re obviously in some kind of trouble, Judy. Have something to eat and then you can tell me all about it.’

  Judy bit into the bread and honey and savoured the delicate sweetness. ‘This is so delicious.’

  ‘My bees feed on clover all summer. Honey has great healing properties, you know.’

  ‘You don’t understand, Miss Dorning. It’s Rob who might be in trouble now. I must get word to him.’

  ‘This must be something to do with that cursed place. I told Rob that no good would come from purchasing Creek Manor. That house was cursed from the moment it was built.’

  ‘You do know that it was razed to the ground in a fire?’

  ‘Rob told me last time he was here. He also told me that he was having trouble with his half-brother. I’ve never met the fellow, but if he’s anything like the old squire, he’s best avoided.’

  ‘Jay Tattersall is the reason why I’ve ended up here, Miss Dorning. It’s a long story.’

  ‘My dear, I have all the time in the world to sit here and listen, but first perhaps you’d better write a note to your mother and I’ll get Walter to take it to her, although it might cost me a few more cakes.’ Adeline took out a sheet of paper, pen and ink from a small writing desk in the corner of the room.

  Later that evening, Judy and Adeline were seated by the fire in the parlour. Judy had regained her appetite, and enjoyed a supper of fish caught fresh that day by another member of the Dorning family, and potatoes that Adeline had grown and stored for use in the winter months. Walter had returned from Little Creek with a note from Hilda, saying that all was well now that they knew Judy was safe, and she was trying to arrange transport to bring her home. There was no mention of either Jay or Rob, which left Judy feeling even more anxious.

  Adeline put her sewing down, giving Judy a sympathetic smile. ‘Fretting won’t make matters better. After everything that’s happened to you in the last twenty-four hours, you need to rest and relax. There’s nothing you can do tonight, so try not to worry.’

  ‘I know you’re right, but I believe Jay could be dangerous. He and Rob might be half-brothers, but they are totally different.’

  ‘Rob is more like his mother,’ Adeline said, sighing. ‘Miriam was a sweet and beautiful girl, but she and I were Dornings. We were tarred with the same brush as the men in our family.’

  ‘Why was that, Miss Dorning?’

  ‘Adeline, please. Everyone in the county knew that our family had been involved in free trading for over a century, and the chances of Miriam or myself marrying out of our class were unlikely, to say the least. When the squire showed an interest in her the poor girl succumbed to his charm, even though we all warned her against the match.’

  ‘But it didn’t work out well.’

  ‘No, it wasn’t a happy union. Shortly after she conceived Rob, the squire was up to his old tricks. He couldn’t stay faithful to one woman, or so it seemed. Then he met a wealthy heiress and married her, even though he was still legally wed to Miriam. I think the shock and the disgrace were largely to blame for my sister’s early demise. She took sick and died, and I raised Rob like my own child.’

  ‘You never married?’

  ‘No, dear. Like I said, when you’re a Dorning the family’s reputation goes ahead of you.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be. I like being on my own, but I worry about Rob. He’s a good man, but he bears the tainted Dorning name, even though he’s legally a Tattersall.’

  ‘Perhaps the name Dorning is more acceptable to him than that of his father. The squire was hated locally, and Jay seems to have inherited his father’s bad traits.’

  ‘I kept Rob away from Creek Manor for as long as I could. I didn’t want my boy corrupted by Esmond Tattersall. Heaven knows, Rob was disadvantaged enough by being born into the Dorning family, without adding his father’s dreadful reputation to his name.’

  ‘Do you see Rob often, Adeline?’

  ‘He usually visits me regularly, but I haven’t seen him for a week or two. He’s very good to me,’ Adeline said, smiling tenderly. ‘He keeps me in comfort, and I don’t have to worry about money.’


  ‘But you live here all alone,’ Judy said slowly. ‘This is a tiny cottage.’

  ‘It’s my home, Judy. I don’t wish to live in a grand house.’

  Judy smiled. ‘You might not have a choice. I have a feeling that Rob will insist that you move into his mansion when it’s built.’

  Adeline gave her a searching look. ‘You don’t seem very keen on Rob’s plans for the new Creek Manor.’

  ‘It’s not that,’ Judy said hastily. ‘There was a plan to build a new hospital on the site, but it fell through when Rob outbid the would-be purchaser.’

  ‘It sounds like a very ambitious plan, Judy.’

  ‘It was. The doctor whose idea it was mismanaged the scheme, and he’s landed himself in debt.’

  ‘Have you talked this over with Rob?’

  ‘Not really. He does know about Dr Godfrey, but it isn’t his problem.’

  ‘You might be surprised. He’s very public-spirited, and I’m sure he would think a new hospital was an excellent idea. People in these parts rely on someone like me. I have a limited knowledge of traditional cures that I use to treat their ailments, but a modern hospital with fully trained medical staff would be wonderful.’

  ‘I agree entirely,’ Judy said earnestly. ‘I spent only one morning working as a ward maid at the London Hospital, but that was enough to make me wish that I could be a nurse, or even a doctor. Although I doubt if I’m clever enough for that.’

  ‘Maybe you’ll get your chance one day.’ Adeline glanced at the clock on the mantelshelf. ‘You look tired, Judy. Will you be all right sleeping on the sofa, or would you like to try to make it upstairs?’

  Judy stifled a yawn. ‘I’m quite comfortable here, thank you, Adeline.’

  ‘I’ll make you some cocoa, dear.’ Adeline bustled into the kitchen.

  Judy lay back against the cushions and closed her eyes, but she knew it would not be easy to forget the way Jay had behaved. He seemed to be obsessed with the inheritance that he had sold so carelessly when he needed the money. The desire to pass on the land and the title to his son had taken over his whole life, and it had become like a disease that was eating away his mind and body. Worse still, he had involved Rob, who was the innocent victim of his hatred.