‘A kind thought, Mr Massey.’ Daisy opened the door. ‘Who knows?’

He eyed her warily. ‘Er, yes. Well, I hope to see you again soon. Good afternoon, Miss Marshall.’

She closed the door, heaving a sigh of relief. Perhaps the schoolmaster improved on further acquaintance, but she had no intention of finding out. She went into the parlour to find Jack drawing a picture on his slate. He jumped guiltily and attempted to rub it off but she took it from him with a smile of approval.

‘You didn’t tell me you were an artist, Jack.’

‘It was meant to look like you, miss.’

‘I can see that. It’s very good, and I think I still have a paint box and some brushes. Perhaps you’d like to borrow them?’

‘Really, miss?’

‘Yes, of course. I wouldn’t say so if I didn’t mean it.’

‘Do I have to read all these books?’

Daisy picked one at random and flipped through the pages. ‘I think you might enjoy this one, Jack.’ She handed him a well-thumbed copy of Tom Brown’s Schooldays. ‘We’ll read this together, shall we?’

He nodded eagerly. ‘I’d like that, but I can’t manage long words.’

‘That’s what I’m here for. If you knew everything you wouldn’t need to go to school, would you?’

‘Do you think Dr Neville has read this book?’

‘When we see him again you’ll have to ask him.’

The winter days passed quickly, and Daisy was kept busy helping Jack to read and giving him simple sums to work out, which he did with his tongue held between his teeth as he concentrated on his slate. Sitting with him in the front parlour with the tea table for a desk, Daisy was reminded of the time she had spent with Master Timothy, and she wondered how the child was coping in boarding school. When it came to her broken romance with Julian, Daisy had gone through all the different stages of hurt, hope and then anger, and finally she had accepted the fact that she would never see him again. Julian Carrington was weak and she could never settle for someone so lacking in character.

Every day, weather permitting, Sidney went fishing with varying degrees of success, and sometimes they had trout for dinner or stuffed carp. Hattie objected to gutting and preparing fish for the table, but Linnet had acquired the knowledge from her father, and she took over in the kitchen when Sidney came home with a good catch.

Eleanora resented his continued absences, but a visit from Mrs Peabody, the vicar’s wife, changed everything. Grace Peabody invited her to join a small group of local ladies, who pooled their efforts in an attempt to alleviate the poverty of many agricultural families in the area. Eleanora had not had the heart to refuse, but after the first meeting at the rectory she returned home filled with enthusiasm. Hattie and Linnet were given instructions to make beef tea, which would be given to invalids in the village, including Mr and Mrs Fox. Eleanora announced that she was now on a committee to raise money for repairs to the church roof, and had been asked to organise bazaars and to help with the village summer fête. For the next couple of days the cottage was filled with the savoury aroma of simmering calf’s foot and baking cakes. Eleanora unpacked her best hats and tippets and, dressed in her finery, she accompanied Grace Peabody, distributing the calf’s foot jelly to the sick and elderly.