‘You’ve seen the cottage,’ Daisy said shyly. ‘What is it like?’

Nick turned to her with a wry smile. ‘Put it this way, I would gladly swap cold, draughty Creek Hall for Creek Cottage any day. Your aunt and uncle’s house might not be large, and I only saw the front parlour, but it’s warm and cosy. I really envy you.’

‘You don’t mean that, Nick.’ Toby clutched the side of the chaise as it lurched forward, the horse seeming to sense that it was going home. ‘Is your home as grand as it sounds?’

‘It’s seen better days.’ Nick flicked the whip above the horse’s ears, urging it to a steady trot. ‘Anyway, I have to go to Maldon tomorrow to see my late father’s solicitor. Whether I stay or not depends on the terms of the will. If there’s no money for the upkeep of the house and grounds I might be forced to sell and move back to London.’

Daisy shot him a curious glance. ‘Has Creek Hall been in your family for a long time?’

‘Almost two hundred years. An ancestor of mine built it, having sold his interest in a shipbuilding business, and moved south with the idea, I think, of becoming a country squire.’

‘What made you choose medicine as a career?’ Daisy studied his profile and decided she liked what she saw. A high forehead, a straight nose and a firm chin, all of which, as Aunt Eleanora would have said, added up to a man of character.

‘You don’t ask that sort of question, Daisy,’ Toby said impatiently. ‘It’s a calling. Nick and I decided to serve mankind.’

It was Daisy’s turn to chuckle. ‘You went to medical school because you didn’t want to take over the business from Uncle Sidney. Be honest, Toby.’

He grinned. ‘Yes, that too.’

Daisy turned to Nick. ‘Are you as cynical as my brother?’

‘Toby likes to make out that he doesn’t care, but I’ve seen him at work and I can promise you that it isn’t so.’

Daisy smiled and squeezed her brother’s arm. ‘I’m very glad to hear it, but what about you, Nick?’

‘It seemed natural to follow in my father’s footsteps. He served the people of Little Creek and the surrounding area for the best part of thirty years, hence the dilapidated state of the family home. A country physician barely makes a living.’

‘Join me in Harley Street when I get there,’ Toby said airily. ‘We’ll have the best practice in London.’

Daisy shook her head. ‘Dream away, brother. You know that Uncle Sidney hasn’t enough money to set you up in a venture of that sort.’

‘I’ll think of something.’ Toby sat back against the padded squabs and they lapsed into silence.

Daisy’s curiosity was aroused by the brief glimpse into Nick Neville’s life, but she refrained from asking questions, sensing that he was a private person, disinclined to talk about himself, and she concentrated on the scenery. The lane skirted the edge of a wood and followed the course of the creek to a bend in the watercourse where the land opened out to reveal a smallholding.