The idea of taking over from Grace Peabody, who thought she was queen of Little Creek, made Judy smile. ‘Thank you, Ma, but I don’t think so.’

Hilda rose awkwardly to her feet. Although she managed well with the wooden leg, crafted for her by the village carpenter, the stump left after the amputation became inflamed if she put too much pressure on it, forcing her to rest.

‘Don’t look so worried, Judy. I did too much gardening yesterday and I’m paying for it today, but it will wear off.’

‘You ought not to work so hard, Ma.’ Judy knew only too well that her mother did not want sympathy, but sometimes it was necessary to remind her that she should take care of herself. Hilda Begg was a hard worker by anyone’s standards, and the small cottage that Daisy had given them when she had run the estate was kept spotlessly clean. The garden produced enough fruit and vegetables to keep them going all year round, even allowing for the huge appetites that Pip and Nate brought home from the stables, where they were now employed. Jack had also worked there for a time, but that was before it was known that Mary’s illegitimate elder son, Jay Tattersall, had married Daisy bigamously. Judy had only been ten at the time, but she remembered the hurt it had caused and the ensuing scandal, which had rocked the village. All these ghosts from the past had been resurrected by Mary’s blunt words, and the names and faces whirled around in Judy’s mind, shattering her hopes and dreams.

‘Are you all right, dear?’ Hilda asked anxiously. ‘You’re very pale.’

The sound of horses’ hoofs and the grinding of carriage wheels on the gravel brought Judy abruptly back to the present.

‘I’m fine, Ma.’

‘That sounds as if Jack has come home. You’d better go and see if he needs anything, Judy.’

‘Yes, Ma.’ Judy made an effort to walk slowly, but her feet did not seem to be linked to her brain and she ran to the front entrance.

Jack Fox leaped down from the carriage, exchanging a cheerful greeting with James, the footman, who had been with the family for as long as Judy could remember. She stood at the top of the stone steps, smiling despite the pain in her heart.

‘Judy, you’re looking well.’ Jack was at her side before she had a chance to back into the shadows of the great hall, and he was even taller and better-looking than when she had seen him in the summer. Was it her imagination or did his blue eyes dance with pleasure when he looked at her? Was he even more handsome than the pictures she carried of him in her heart? She lowered her gaze.

‘Welcome home, sir.’

‘Since when did you become so proper, Judy Begg?’

She met his amused gaze with a determined look. ‘We aren’t children now. You’re the master of Creek Manor and I’m one of your servants.’