Daisy had been sitting quietly in the morning parlour at Creek Hall, but now she rose to her feet. ‘Stop it, all of you. I chose to face the squire on my own, and nothing untoward happened. Yes, I was embarrassed, and to tell the truth I was a bit nervous at times, but he quoted a price for Creek Hall, and it’s obvious that he’s trying to extort money from you. I think your solicitor would be able to pin him down to a more reasonable repayment of the debt.’

‘Thank you, Daisy. You’ve done splendidly, but Tattersall isn’t the sort of man who would take kindly to being duped. I’ll find a way to raise the interest he’s put on my father’s loan, and I’ll deal with him myself. It was cowardly of me to let you go there in the first place.’

Jay shook his head. ‘No one could accuse you of taking the easy way out. Daisy wanted to help and she did her best.’

‘And I am truly grateful. It was a brave move, Daisy, but the squire always seems to be one step ahead.’

‘How will you raise the money?’ she asked anxiously. ‘What will you do?’

‘I’ll use the money my aunt gave me to pay off part of the loan, but I have no choice other than to return to London. I was offered a junior position in Harley Street before I left, and I’m seriously thinking of taking it up. I’ll leave Mrs Bee in charge while I’m away.’

Linnet gazed at him in dismay. ‘Who will take care of us in the village if you aren’t here?’

‘I’m sorry. It’s not what I intended, and my father would be horrified if he knew, but I have no choice.’

‘Are you really going back to London? I’m not afraid of the squire,’ Daisy said earnestly. ‘I’ll carry on with the pretence if you’re willing to accept his terms. Just say the word and I’ll tell him so.’

Chapter Nine

Nick left for London next day, but Daisy chose to stay in Little Creek. She devoted herself to helping Jack with his lessons, and discovered that Mr Massey had been right: Jack was a bright boy and when he set his mind to studying he was an apt pupil. But he was young and as his arm healed he became bored and restless. Being confined to the house was not something he was accustomed to, and he admitted missing his friends. Despite the fact that he would have to be careful not to damage the arm again, Daisy thought it time he returned to school.

She brought up the subject on one of Elliot’s frequent visits to the house and he agreed, reluctantly, although he suggested that perhaps another two or three weeks at home might speed up the healing process. Daisy suspected that this was because he would not have an excuse to call on her, but his open admiration was becoming embarrassing, as were the small tokens of appreciation that he brought with him. Sometimes it was a bunch of snowdrops or the first primroses, or it might be a book of poetry that he thought she would enjoy. When he suggested an outing to the fair that was visiting the area Daisy refused as tactfully as possible, but when Jay turned up at Creek Cottage with a similar proposition she accepted instantly.