The next day she spent hours cutting out stars from pieces of card, which she found in the squire’s study, and with Hilda’s help she made paper lanterns to hang on the tree. Judy and Molly cut out strips of wallpaper they had found while exploring one of the unused attic rooms, and Cook whipped up some flour and water paste so that they could make paperchains. In the same attic Mary discovered a box of toys that had been put away without ever being used, and a dusty portrait stowed away under the eaves, which Mrs Ralston identified as being Sophia Tattersall, the squire’s long-suffering wife, who died at a relatively young age. Neither Mrs Ralston nor Mary could give an explanation as to why the squire’s late wife had hoarded toys when she was childless, although Daisy thought privately that perhaps the poor woman had longed to become a mother and had refused to accept that it might never happen.

Daisy had the chest taken to her room. The toys might be outdated and covered in cobwebs, but they were in good condition, and that evening, when the children were in bed asleep, she took the smaller items to the kitchen where she washed each one carefully and set them by the range to dry. Wooden soldiers lined up in front of the fire as if on parade, and dolls with porcelain faces and wigs made from human hair, were naked beneath pieces of flannel, waiting for their lace-trimmed dresses and pantalettes to dry on a makeshift washing line stretched between two chairs. Daisy was replacing some brightly coloured building blocks in their box when Jay burst into the kitchen.

‘Hilda told me you were down here. What on earth are you doing?’ He gazed in amazement at the array of children’s toys. ‘Where did you get these?’

‘Mary came across them in one of the attic rooms, along with a portrait of the squire’s late wife. The poor lady must have been desperate for a child.’

‘And then I came along.’ Jay pulled a face. ‘I can imagine that didn’t make for a happy marriage.’

‘I think the squire ruined any chance of that simply by being himself. Anyway, the day after tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so I want to have all these wrapped and put round the tree for the children. We can at least give them a happy time.’ She smiled up at him. ‘And the tree is magnificent. We just need some more decorations to make it look even more beautiful.’

Jay picked up a drying cloth. ‘Here, let me help.’ He took a couple of bricks and started to pat them dry. ‘I can be useful.’

‘I don’t doubt it.’ Daisy smothered a sigh.

‘What’s the matter? You look troubled.’

‘I just wish I could let everyone know that I’m safe and well.’

Jay pulled up a chair and sat down. ‘By that I suppose you include Nick.’

‘He’s a friend and we’ve worked closely together all summer, but my brother will be frantic and so will my aunt and uncle.’