glad I came, if only for the show.’ Toby was first through the gate, but he came to a sudden halt. ‘Well, I’ll be blowed, look who it is.’ He rushed over to the man who leaped off the box, handing the reins to the messenger boy who had been loitering by the ticket office.
‘It’s you,’ Daisy said dazedly. ‘What a strange coincidence.’
Toby released his friend, turning to Daisy with raised eyebrows. ‘Do you two know each other?’
Nick Neville smiled and bowed. ‘Miss Marshall, delighted to meet you again, although I’m astonished to find you and Toby here in Little Creek.’
‘We bumped into each other outside Uncle’s shop when I arrived home before Christmas,’ Daisy said by way of explanation. ‘I meant to tell you, Toby, but with the move and everything I forgot to mention it.’
‘Instantly forgettable, that’s me,’ Nick said, chuckling.
‘But what are you doing here, old boy?’ Toby demanded, grinning. ‘I thought you said you were going home to sort out some family matters.’
‘And that’s what I’m doing. My father died a couple of months ago, leaving Creek Hall to me. I’ve been down here since before Christmas, trying to get things straight, but it’s an uphill task.’
‘I knew your pa was a doctor in rural Essex, but I thought it was Colchester or thereabouts.’ Toby gazed at his friend in amazement.
‘I used to tell people it was Colchester because no one had ever heard of Little Creek, and it saved a lot of explaining. I’m not ashamed of my roots; I suppose it was just laziness.’ Nick smiled ruefully. ‘Anyway, I might set up a practice in Little Creek. The people in the village seem to rely on an ageing midwife, or else they have to travel the eleven miles to Maldon.’
‘But you’d hardly scrape a living, old boy.’
Daisy nudged her brother in the ribs. ‘It’s none of your business, Toby.’
‘But it is, Daisy. There’s no money working in an out-of-the-way place like this, and Nick was the top student in our year.’
‘Even more reason to devote myself to those who most need my services.’
‘You could have had the job they’ve offered me, Nick. I only scraped through by the skin of my teeth.’
‘You’ll work your way up to Harley Street, if I know anything about you, Toby old chap. Anyway, where are you going? Maybe I can give you a lift.’
‘Do you know Creek Cottage?’ Daisy eyed him hopefully. ‘My aunt and uncle would really appreciate a ride in your chaise. Toby and I can walk.’
‘As it happens I do know the place, and it’s not far from Creek Hall. In fact I believe at one time it belonged to the estate. Anyway, I’ll just check if the parcel I was expecting has arrived and then I’m at your disposal.’ With a cheery smile Nick strode into the ticket office, leaving Daisy and Toby to explain his presence to their uncle and aunt, who had also heard the approaching vehicle and had come to find out if they were in luck.
Toby had just finished telling them about Nick when he reappeared carrying a small package, which he deposited beneath the seat, and after introductions and explanations, Eleanora and Sidney clambered into the chaise and Nick drove off, promising to return and meet Daisy and Toby on the road. He drove off just as it started to snow and Eleanora’s black umbrella disappeared into the distance, bobbing up and down like a dancing mushroom.
‘Give me the city any day,’ Toby said grimly. ‘You can hop on a bus or hail a cab, or find a nice coffee shop and wait until the rain passes.’
‘Stop grumbling.’ Daisy took his arm. ‘I’ve just had a thought, Toby. I don’t know the way to Creek Cottage, and neither do you.’
He shrugged. ‘Someone will know. We’ll enquire when we get to the village.’
They walked on despite the fact that it was snowing, although it stopped eventually and a pale wintry sun emerged from behind the clouds. The village of Little Creek was spread over half a mile or so. The sound of hammering emanated from a smithy at the edge of the village, and they came to a school, where ragged children were racing about the yard, splashing in icy puddles, chasing each other and screaming with laughter. A Saxon church was surrounded by a graveyard, which was overlooked by the vicarage, and the village inn was conveniently near, as if to entice the worshippers to stop for a glass of ale before returning home to the terraces of thatched cottages on either side of the main street. Toby was about to enter the inn and ask for directions when Nick returned with the chaise and reined in beside them.
‘It’s not far,’ he said cheerfully, ‘but you both look a bit bedraggled and you might as well finish the journey in comfort.’
Daisy allowed Toby to help her into the vehicle and she sat beside Nick, who waited until Toby had leaped on board before flicking the reins and urging his horse to walk on.
‘You’ve seen the cottage,’ Daisy said shyly. ‘What is it like?’
Nick turned to her with a wry smile. ‘Put it this way, I would gladly swap cold, draughty Creek Hall for Creek Cottage any day. Your aunt and uncle’s house might not be large, and I only saw the front parlour, but it’s warm and cosy. I really envy you.’
‘You don’t mean that, Nick.’ Toby clutched the side of the chaise as it lurched forward, the horse seeming to sense that it was going home. ‘Is your home as grand as it sounds?’
‘It’s seen better days.’ Nick flicked the whip above the horse’s ears, urging it to a steady trot. ‘Anyway, I have to go to Maldon tomorrow to see my late father’s solicitor. Whether I stay or not depends on the terms of the will. If there’s no money for the upkeep of the house and grounds I might be forced to sell and move back to London.’
Daisy shot him a curious glance. ‘Has Creek Hall been in your family for a long time?’
‘Almost two hundred years. An ancestor of mine built it, having sold his interest in a shipbuilding business, and moved south with the idea, I think, of becoming a country squire.’
‘What made you choose medicine as a career?’ Daisy studied his profile and decided she liked what she saw. A high forehead, a straight nose and a firm chin, all of which, as Aunt Eleanora would have said, added up to a man of character.
‘You don’t ask that sort of question, Daisy,’ Toby said impatiently. ‘It’s a calling. Nick and I decided to serve mankind.’
It was Daisy’s turn to chuckle. ‘You went to medical school because you didn’t want to take over the business from Uncle Sidney. Be honest, Toby.’
He grinned. ‘Yes, that too.’
Daisy turned to Nick. ‘Are you as cynical as my brother?’
‘Toby likes to make out that he doesn’t care, but I’ve seen him at work and I can promise you that it isn’t so.’
Daisy smiled and squeezed her brother’s arm. ‘I’m very glad to hear it, but what about you, Nick?’
‘It seemed natural to follow in my father’s footsteps. He served
