Chapter Five

‘You’ve done well, Daisy.’ Nick lifted Jack gently and placed him on the seat. ‘You’d best sit beside him,’ he added in a low voice. ‘We don’t want him to fall off and suffer even more damage.’

Daisy nodded and climbed up to sit beside Jack, who was very pale and obviously in pain. ‘It’s all right, Jack, you’ll be home soon and Dr Neville will look after you.’ She glanced down at Danny and Alfie, who were watching intently. ‘I think you’d best go to school and tell your teacher there’s been an accident, but Jack is in good hands now.’

Nick eyed them sternly. ‘Do as Miss Marshall says, and think twice next time you decide to wag school. Jack was fortunate – he only broke an arm – it could have been his neck.’ He leaped onto the seat and picked up the reins. ‘Walk on.’

Jack was trembling, either from shock or the pain or both, and Daisy placed her arm round his shoulders, holding him close. ‘It was fortunate that Alfie met you on his way to the vicarage, Doctor.’

Nick urged the horse to a trot. ‘I was called to tend to a difficult birth. The locals have been used to sending for my father and they seem to assume that I’ll be taking his place.’

‘Will you?’ Daisy eyed him curiously.

‘I don’t know whether it’s possible, although I’d like to carry on my father’s work.’

‘We didn’t see you last evening. How did you get on at the solicitor’s office?’

‘I’m sorry, I intended to come and see you and Toby, but it was very late by the time I reached home.’

‘What did the solicitor say?’

‘He showed me my father’s will and statements from his bank. Unfortunately my worst fears were confirmed. Father had tried to get a mortgage on the house, but the bank refused and probably as a last resort he borrowed money from the squire, who now owns at least half the properties in the village.’

‘Is that a bad thing?’

‘You wouldn’t have to ask had you ever met Esmond Tattersall. Unfortunately my father was so desperate that he agreed to pay an exorbitant rate of interest on the loan.’

‘Did he keep up the repayments?’

Nick shook his head. ‘Apparently not. I always knew that Pa had a soft heart, and it seems I was right – he rarely took money from his poorer patients. According to Mrs Bee they paid him with produce from their gardens, a chicken or some eggs, but hardly ever with actual cash.’

‘What will you do now?’

‘I’m afraid I’ll have to sell Creek Hall in order to pay off Tattersall, and I’ll move to a more lucrative practice elsewhere.’

Jack’s eyes flew open. ‘Don’t go, Doctor. My sister needs the job at the hall.’

‘Not a word of this to anyone, young Fox,’ Nick said firmly. ‘It won’t be for a while, and who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen and I’ll be able to take up where my father left off.’