‘It was that Squire Tattersall who put him in prison, Ma,’ Linnet said darkly. ‘He’s a bad man and he’ll be the ruin of all of us.’ She shot a sideways glance at Daisy. ‘You’ll be safe from the old devil in London, miss.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ Mary demanded. ‘Watch your tongue, my girl.’

‘It’s all right, Mrs Fox,’ Daisy said hastily. ‘The squire has been making his presence felt and I want to put distance between him and me. It’s as simple as that.’

‘Forgive me for saying so, but you don’t want to get mixed up with that person.’ Mary clasped Daisy’s hand. ‘Go to London, and keep away from the squire. He’s ruined many a young life in his time.’

‘I’ll be leaving later today.’ Daisy nodded and forced a smile. ‘That’s why Jack must come home, Mrs Fox. His arm is healing nicely and he needs to be here with you. I’ll miss him, though.’

A slow smile lit Mary’s blue eyes, reminding Daisy forcibly of Jay. ‘My Jack is a good boy, and I’m grateful to you for looking after him while me and his dad were poorly.’

‘Where is pa?’ Linnet asked anxiously. ‘He hasn’t gone off sermonising again, has he?’

Mary cleared her throat nervously. ‘My Lemuel is a lay preacher, Miss Marshall. He goes round the villages spreading the word of God, when he’s well enough to face the walk. He’s sincere in what he believes, but he does get carried away sometimes.’

Linnet pulled a face. ‘You could say that, Ma. The truth is that Pa thinks we’re all sinners, especially the brother whose name I’m not supposed to mention.’ She leaned over to kiss her mother on the forehead. ‘I’d best get back to Creek Cottage. Hattie will be cross if I stay out too long.’

‘Come again soon, dear.’ Mary raised her hand to stroke her daughter’s hair. ‘Your father misses you and Dove, even if he doesn’t know how to show his feelings.’

‘I must go, too.’ Daisy backed towards the door. ‘Please tell Jack that I’ll come and see him when I return from London.’ She let herself out into the early spring sunshine and took a deep breath of fresh air. The fusty smell of the cottage would linger on her clothes for some time, but it was not for want of effort on Mrs Fox’s part, and Daisy wished with all her heart that she could do something to make life better for the people of Little Creek. She had only been invited into a couple of the cottages, but it was obvious that Squire Tattersall was a bad landlord and he had no sympathy for his tenants or their families.

‘Are you coming back to Creek Cottage, miss?’

Linnet’s voice broke into her thoughts and Daisy turned to her with a start. ‘I’m sorry. I was miles away. I think I’ll go for a short walk and say goodbye to Little Creek.’