It must be the strangeness of the scenery that was making her feel so disorientated. Last time she had been here it was high summer; now she wondered what had happened to the autumn and the natural progression of the seasons. She told herself she was being ridiculous. It was time to say goodbye to Jay and the crew of the Lazy Jane and go back to her old life. She returned to the warmth of the saloon. The motion of the ship changed and it seemed as though the wind had dropped, or else they were in the lee of the land as the Lazy Jane bobbed gently at anchor. She could hear Jay shouting instructions to Guppy and Lewis and the loud splash as the jollyboat was lowered into the water. Moments later Jay burst into the saloon.

‘Are you ready to go ashore?’ His casual manner and carefully controlled expression gave nothing away. He might have been a different person from the man who took her in his arms and kissed her so passionately last evening.

Daisy rose to her feet feeling oddly deflated. ‘Yes, but how are we to get to Little Creek? It’s obvious that the snow is very deep and we have no means of transport.’

‘We walk,’ he said with a wry grin. ‘Unless you want to spend Christmas on board the Lazy Jane.’

‘We’ll never make it.’

‘I could carry you.’

‘Now you’re being stupid.’

‘There is an alternative.’

Daisy sighed and shook her head. ‘Stop teasing me, Jay. What are we going to do?’

A smile lit his eyes. ‘How do you think the squire hid contraband and unwelcome incomers?’

‘I have no idea. What did he do?’

Jay held out his hand. ‘Come with me and you’ll find out.’

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ramsden was to stay on board and take care of the ship, but the others disembarked into the jollyboat, with Guppy and Lewis each taking a pair of oars. When they reached the shore Lewis jumped agilely onto the shingle and secured the painter to the nearest tree. Guppy leaped onto the beach, followed by Jay, and they dragged the boat from the water. Daisy found herself hoisted in Jay’s arms and deposited on dry land. She wrapped her cloak more tightly around her as she was buffeted by a sudden gust of wind. The overcast sky threatened more snow and there were already deep drifts in more sheltered areas.

‘We’ll never make it to the village,’ she said anxiously.

‘We won’t even try.’ Jay took her by the hand. ‘Come with me. It’s too cold to stand here chatting.’

Daisy had little chance to argue as he started off across the icy shingle and dived into the undergrowth. For a moment she thought she was going to have to fight her way through a tangle of brambles and hawthorn, but she found herself following him along a well-trodden path. Sheltered from the wind and snow, it was relatively easy going, although each laboured breath felt like shards of ice piercing her lungs and robbing her of speech. It seemed as though they were plunging into a dark forest, but suddenly they emerged into a snowy clearing in the midst of which was a white marble folly, designed to resemble a Roman temple. Daisy uttered a gasp of surprise.