‘I will. Of course I will, Jay.’ She glanced down at her nightgown and the wrap that had become undone during their embrace. ‘But I’m not exactly dressed for a wedding.’

He rose to his feet and took her in his arms. ‘You look perfect to me, but I can wait while you put on something a little more practical for the conditions outside.’

‘This must be a dream,’ Daisy said dazedly. ‘Any moment I’ll wake up.’

Jay smiled. ‘The next time you wake up we’ll be in our own bed at Creek Manor and you’ll be Mrs Tattersall.’

‘But this is mad. How will we get home?’

‘Guppy and Lewis came with me in the jollyboat. They’re for us at the church and we’ll leave as soon as we’ve signed the register. If we hurry we’ll just about catch the tide.’

‘But what about our families? We can’t get married without telling them.’

‘My mother cried with happiness when I told her that I was coming for you. She said if I returned on my own she’d lock me out of the house. Mrs Ralston has volunteered to help Hilda and Cook to create a wedding breakfast to remember, and the children are bubbling with excitement. You promised them you’d be home for Christmas, and they haven’t forgotten.’

‘I know, and I want to be with them, but there’s my family, not to mention your sisters. They’ll be so upset.’

‘Then we’ll do it all again in the spring. You’ll have the most beautiful silk gown and flowers everywhere. Your aunt will cry and your uncle will give you away. We’ll invite the whole village, but today is just for us.’

‘Then I suppose I’ll just have to go with you,’ Daisy said, interspersing her words with kisses. ‘We can’t have the lord of the manor locked out of his own home. This is going to be the most wonderful Christmas ever.’ She broke free from his arms and blew him a kiss as she hurried from the room. She would have to make do with her best dress, but that did not matter, nor the lack of a bouquet or bridesmaids – those could come later.

There was no music to accompany Daisy as she walked up the aisle on her own. Despite the bitter cold, she had settled for a cream silk afternoon gown, trimmed with coffee-coloured fringing, worn beneath a chestnut-brown woollen mantle with military-style frogging, and a matching velvet bonnet. It might not be a wedding dress but it would have to do, and she could tell by the appreciative glances from Ramsden and Guppy that she was looking her best. They rose to their feet, as did Grace and her maid, and Jay was waiting at the altar with the vicar.

When it came to placing the ring on Daisy’s finger Jay gave her an apologetic smile.

‘This was my mother’s wedding ring, but when the thaw sets in we’ll go to Colchester and I’ll buy the most beautiful one we can find in the jeweller’s.’