‘Maybe not.’ Daisy turned to him angrily. ‘But he obviously needs to see the doctor. If anything, he ought to be taken to Creek Hall. His sister is there and she’ll know what to do.’

‘Look here, miss. I can’t go traipsing around the countryside because Jay Fox is in trouble again. This chap has been nothing but a worry to his family ever since he took his first breath.’

The elder and more vocal of the men from the bar nodded. ‘That’s true. He ran away to sea when he was just a boy. Spent some time in prison, so they say.’

Jay groaned and opened his eyes. ‘What’s going on?’

‘He’s all right.’ Abel relaxed his hold and Jay’s knees buckled beneath him. He sank to the ground, coughing. ‘I’ve got a pub to run.’ Abel slapped Sidney on the back. ‘I’d leave the feller here and let him find his own way home, if I was you, Sidney, my friend.’ He strode off in the direction of the pub, followed more slowly by his two erstwhile customers.

Sidney helped Jay to his feet. ‘Can you walk, young man?’

‘You’d better come home with us,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘Your brother, Jack, is at our house and so is Linnet. You can clean up and dry your clothes before you go home.’

‘Daisy, is this wise?’ Sidney protested.

‘What else can we do, Uncle? Anyway, Creek Cottage is nearer than the Foxes’ home, and I’ll send Linnet to fetch the doctor. I just hope he hasn’t left for Canterbury.’

Jay shook his head. ‘I’m all right. Thanks for your offer, but I’d best go home.’

Daisy stood aside. ‘Let’s see you walk then.’

He scrambled to his feet, stumbled and would have fallen if Sidney had not caught him.

‘Daisy is right,’ Sidney said reluctantly. ‘We’ll take you to our house, and you can go home when you’ve regained your strength.’ He hooked one of Jay’s arms around his shoulder and between them Daisy and her uncle helped Jay to Creek Cottage.

‘Are we to have the whole Fox family dependent upon us?’ Eleanora demanded angrily. ‘Now you tell me that he has a bad reputation, and you have no idea how he came to be in this state.’

Sidney and Daisy exchanged anxious glances. ‘Well, my love, we could hardly leave the poor fellow there. He would have died from exposure to the elements.’

‘And Dr Neville said he must have been attacked and beaten. Jay has a slight concussion and needs to rest,’ Daisy said earnestly. ‘We couldn’t take him home in such circumstances.’

‘What is it about the Fox family?’ Eleanora cried, throwing up her hands. ‘Why have we become responsible for their offspring?’

Daisy glanced over her shoulder as Nick entered the room. ‘Is he going to be all right?’

‘He was lucky you found him when you did, but he’ll be fine. Jay is tough and he’ll recover, although I’m a bit worried about the concussion. Anyway, I’ll take him back to Creek Hall, and his sister and Mrs Bee will look after him.’