Читать книгу The Christmas Wedding - Dilly Court, Dilly Court - Страница 13

Daisy broke into a run. She could hear her uncle’s heavy tread as he lumbered along behind her. He was calling out for her to stop, but although her heart was pounding and she was afraid of what she might find, she could not bring herself to hold back. The man was lying face down in the mud and the water was lapping round his ankles. Daisy came to a halt, holding her breath as she gazed down at his inert form. At first she thought he was dead, but a slight movement of his clenched fist was followed by a shuddering breath.

Sidney arrived at her side, puffing and gasping for air. ‘Don’t touch him, Daisy. He might have died of some terrible disease.’

‘We can’t just leave him like this, Uncle.’ Daisy bent down and with a huge effort managed to turn the man on his back. Despite the mud that caked his face she could see that he was young, perhaps in his mid-twenties. ‘We need to get him out of the water,’ she said urgently. ‘We don’t know how long he’s been lying here, but he’s still breathing.’

Together they managed to pull him clear of the creek and Daisy took her hanky from her pocket to wipe the mud from his face. ‘We need to get help, Uncle. He’s too heavy for us to move.’

‘You go, Daisy. You’re quicker on your feet than I am, and he might wake up and become violent. He could be a drunk who’s fallen in the water on his way home. Go to the pub and tell Abel Perkins what’s happened. He’ll know the fellow, like as not.’

‘All right. I’ll be as quick as I can.’

Daisy picked up her skirts and raced back the way they had come. She burst into the pub and made her way between the tables to the bar where a portly man was polishing tankards with a grubby-looking cloth. ‘Are you Mr Perkins?’ she asked breathlessly.

‘That’s me, dearie.’ He looked her up and down. ‘We don’t get many young ladies in here,’ he added, chuckling. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘There’s a man lying on the river-bank. He’s unconscious and my uncle and I need help to move him.’

‘Your uncle? You must be the young lady from London then?’

‘I’m Daisy Marshall. Could you help us, please?’

‘It’s probably some vagrant who’s lost his way in the dark. Dare say he was drunk. I dunno how many times we’ve fished a corpse out of the creek.’ Abel lifted the hatch in the counter and beckoned to two men who were huddled round the fire. ‘Give us a hand, lads. We’ve got another drowned rat.’

The men downed their pints and stood up. ‘Who is it this time, Abel?’

‘We’ll find out shortly.’ Abel opened the door and a gust of cold air drew smoke from the chimney into the taproom. ‘Best wait here, miss.’

Daisy did not argue but she followed them anyway, and when they reached the casualty she was relieved to see that he was attempting to sit up.

‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Abel said, chuckling. ‘Look who it is.’

‘Can’t tell for all that there mud.’

‘It’s that Jay Fox. I wonder what sort of trouble he’s got hisself into this time.’ Abel heaved Jay to his feet. ‘Let’s get you home, boy.’

‘Wait a minute.’ Daisy laid her hand on Abel’s arm. ‘His mother and father are unwell. You can’t take him home in that state.’

‘Don’t interfere, Daisy,’ Sidney said in a low voice. ‘It’s none of our business.’

‘Maybe not.’ Daisy turned to him angrily. ‘But he obviously needs to see the doctor. If anything, he ought to be taken to Creek Hall. His sister is there and she’ll know what to do.’

‘Look here, miss. I can’t go traipsing around the countryside because Jay Fox is in trouble again. This chap has been nothing but a worry to his family ever since he took his first breath.’

The elder and more vocal of the men from the bar nodded. ‘That’s true. He ran away to sea when he was just a boy. Spent some time in prison, so they say.’

Jay groaned and opened his eyes. ‘What’s going on?’

‘He’s all right.’ Abel relaxed his hold and Jay’s knees buckled beneath him. He sank to the ground, coughing. ‘I’ve got a pub to run.’ Abel slapped Sidney on the back. ‘I’d leave the feller here and let him find his own way home, if I was you, Sidney, my friend.’ He strode off in the direction of the pub, followed more slowly by his two erstwhile customers.

Sidney helped Jay to his feet. ‘Can you walk, young man?’

‘You’d better come home with us,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘Your brother, Jack, is at our house and so is Linnet. You can clean up and dry your clothes before you go home.’

‘Daisy, is this wise?’ Sidney protested.

‘What else can we do, Uncle? Anyway, Creek Cottage is nearer than the Foxes’ home, and I’ll send Linnet to fetch the doctor. I just hope he hasn’t left for Canterbury.’

Jay shook his head. ‘I’m all right. Thanks for your offer, but I’d best go home.’

Daisy stood aside. ‘Let’s see you walk then.’

He scrambled to his feet, stumbled and would have fallen if Sidney had not caught him.

‘Daisy is right,’ Sidney said reluctantly. ‘We’ll take you to our house, and you can go home when you’ve regained your strength.’ He hooked one of Jay’s arms around his shoulder and between them Daisy and her uncle helped Jay to Creek Cottage.

‘Are we to have the whole Fox family dependent upon us?’ Eleanora demanded angrily. ‘Now you tell me that he has a bad reputation, and you have no idea how he came to be in this state.’

Sidney and Daisy exchanged anxious glances. ‘Well, my love, we could hardly leave the poor fellow there. He would have died from exposure to the elements.’

‘And Dr Neville said he must have been attacked and beaten. Jay has a slight concussion and needs to rest,’ Daisy said earnestly. ‘We couldn’t take him home in such circumstances.’

‘What is it about the Fox family?’ Eleanora cried, throwing up her hands. ‘Why have we become responsible for their offspring?’

Daisy glanced over her shoulder as Nick entered the room. ‘Is he going to be all right?’

‘He was lucky you found him when you did, but he’ll be fine. Jay is tough and he’ll recover, although I’m a bit worried about the concussion. Anyway, I’ll take him back to Creek Hall, and his sister and Mrs Bee will look after him.’

‘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.’

‘He’ll be fine,’ Linnet said casually. ‘Jay has a thick skull. If he fell on his head as a child we knew he would be all right.’

Hattie pursed her lips. ‘He should be tucked up in bed with a hot-water bottle.’

‘I’m all right,’ Jay said abruptly. ‘I wish everyone would stop fussing. I said, I’m fine.’

‘I need to keep an eye on you, Jay.’ Nick picked up a towel and tossed it at him. ‘Dry your feet. I’m taking you to Creek Hall whether you like it or not.’

‘I should go home, Nick. I’ve been away too long.’

‘Your parents are far from well at the moment and they can’t be expected to look after you. It’s best if you come home with me. Mrs Bee will delight in fussing over you.’

Linnet picked up a towel and began to dry her brother’s feet. ‘You’ll do as you’re told for once, Jay Fox.’

‘I wish you’d all leave me alone,’ Jay said with a groan. ‘I’m quite capable of looking after myself.’

‘Well, you haven’t been very successful, considering you’ve just been fished out of the river, half dead.’ Hattie gave a disapproving sniff. ‘Gallivanting around won’t do you any good.’

‘Don’t worry, Mrs Cribb,’ Nick said smoothly. ‘Jay will be well cared for, and I’m sure you have enough on your hands with young Jack.’

Jack had been sitting quietly at the table, munching cake, but he looked up and grinned. ‘It was worth breaking an arm to come here and be treated like a young gent. Mrs Cribb makes the best cake ever.’

Hattie puffed out her chest. ‘Flattery will get you nowhere, young man.’

‘You’d best be ready to see your teacher,’ Daisy said hurriedly. ‘Mr Massey is coming here after school with some books for you to study while your arm heals.’

Jack’s mouth drooped at the corners and he pushed his plate away. ‘I thought it was too good to be true. I don’t like Mr Massey.’

‘I thought he was charming,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘And you need to work hard in order to keep up with the rest of the class.’

‘You’ll have me to answer to now, Jack. I won’t stand any nonsense.’ Jay attempted to rise but subsided with a groan.

‘Your brother will be around for a while yet.’ Nick helped Jay to his feet. ‘I need to give you a more thorough examination, Jay. You might have cracked a couple of ribs.’

Jack pulled a face. ‘I bet he’s on the run from the coppers again.’

‘Cheeky brat.’ Jay made to cuff Jack round the head as he limped past, but missed. ‘I’ll get you next time, nipper.’

Jack poked out his tongue and was scolded by Hattie and Linnet in unison.

‘Maybe you ought to come with us to Creek Hall,’ Nick said severely. ‘You need someone to keep you in order, young fellow.’

‘I’ll be good. Don’t take me away from here. I never had such lovely grub, nor such a soft bed. Let me stay, please.’

‘Of course you’ll stay with us.’ Daisy gave him an encouraging smile. ‘I’m going to help you with your lessons.’

‘Can I join the class, too, teacher?’ Jay said, chuckling. ‘My spelling ain’t up to standard.’

Nick grabbed him by the arm. ‘You’ll behave yourself now you’re home. I’d like to know what got you in this state in the first place.’

Jay’s reply was lost as Nick propelled him out of the room and the door closed behind them. Daisy and Hattie exchanged worried glances.

‘Don’t worry about my brother,’ Linnet said calmly. ‘Jay might have got in with the wrong company at one time, but whatever happened to him I’m sure it wasn’t his fault.’

‘That’s right,’ Jack added. ‘Jay’s a good ’un.’

‘Never mind all the chit-chat,’ Hattie said briskly. ‘We’ve got work to do, Linnet. There’s water to fetch, wood to chop, and make sure the fire doesn’t go out in the front parlour. We don’t want the schoolmaster to think we can’t afford to live decently.’