‘Thank the Lord,’ Eleanora said wholeheartedly.

‘What happened to him?’ Daisy asked eagerly. ‘Did he say?’

‘I didn’t ask too many questions. I’m not even sure he remembers, but I hope that will improve as he recovers. He suffered a bad beating and he spent some time in the water, so I need to keep an eye on him for the next few days at least.’

‘Someone had better let his parents know.’ Sidney gazed out of the window. ‘Anyway, you don’t need me now so I think I’ll go fishing. Is that all right with you, Eleanora?’

‘I suppose so,’ she said, sighing. ‘You go off and enjoy yourself, Sidney. I’ll stay here and mind other people’s children.’

‘We’ll be on our way, Mrs Marshall,’ Nick said hastily.

Daisy followed him into the hall. ‘He will be all right, won’t he?’

‘As I said, Jay is tough. We might have gone in different directions, but we’re still friends, so you’ve no need to worry.’

‘I thought he was dead when I first saw him.’

‘You probably saved his life. If you hadn’t found him when you did the outcome could have been very different. As it is I’m sure he’ll make a full recovery.’

She smiled. ‘I did what anyone else would have done.’

‘Not everyone, it seems. Abel Perkins walked off and left a girl and an old man to manage on their own. I’m sure Jay will thank you both when he’s fully recovered.’

‘It was fortunate for Jay that you hadn’t gone to see your aunt. I was afraid we might have missed you.’

‘I had some things to do, so I decided to go tomorrow.’ Nick met her worried gaze with a smile. ‘Mrs Bee and Dove will take care of Jay while I’m gone, and I don’t imagine he’s in any real danger. At least, not now.’

‘Perhaps we’d better rescue him from Hattie’s ministrations,’ Daisy said, chuckling. ‘The last I saw of her she was making him a mustard footbath, which she swears by as a cure for just about anything.’ She led the way to the kitchen where Jay was seated in a chair by the range with his bare feet soaking in a bowl of hot water laced with yellow mustard. His fair hair had been washed and it curled wildly around his head, giving him the look of a fallen angel. One eye was half closed and would be blackened by morning, but his good eye was an interesting shade of blue edged with long thick lashes that would make any female jealous. He was dressed in some old clothes that Toby had left behind when he decided they were not smart enough for a professional gentleman. The trouser legs were rolled up to keep them away from the mustard water, but the jacket sleeves were far too short, exposing Jay’s bony wrists and muscular forearms.

‘How are you feeling?’ Daisy asked anxiously. ‘Does your head hurt?’

He managed a lopsided grin. ‘Not too much, thank you, miss.’