The door burst open before Daisy had a chance to reply and her aunt came to a sudden halt, with Hattie peering over her shoulder. ‘Good heavens! I’ve never seen anything like it.’ She glared at Linnet. ‘Who is this?’
‘Dr Neville sent her, Aunt Eleanora,’ Daisy said hastily. ‘He thought we might need some assistance in getting things straight.’
‘Who is she and how do we know she’s trustworthy?’
Linnet bobbed a curtsey. ‘I’m Linnet Fox, ma’am. My pa was gamekeeper at Creek Hall when the old doctor was alive, but he’s too poorly to work now, and my mum is sick with lung fever. I’m a hard worker and honest.’
‘I’ve got to have someone, ma’am,’ Hattie added, peering over Eleanora’s shoulder. ‘I can’t be expected to cope on me own.’
Eleanora glanced round the room. ‘You may have a trial period, at the usual rate, whatever that might be. My husband will sort that out, but consider yourself hired, and please get this disaster sorted out as quickly as possible. We’ve been travelling for hours and we need a hot meal.’
‘Don’t worry, Aunt,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘I’ll help Linnet. We’ll get the kitchen cleaned up in no time.’
Eleanora nodded and turned on her heel, bumping into Hattie, who was still grumbling. ‘I told her not to poke the broom up the chimney, ma’am. I told her not to do it, but she done it all the same.’
‘Yes, thank you, Hattie. I think I get the gist. You can unpack my things upstairs while they get to work, and let’s hope that Pickford’s manage to get our furniture here before dark, otherwise we’ll be sleeping on the floor.’ She shooed Hattie away and closed the door behind her.
‘You might like to wash your face and hands first, miss,’ Linnet suggested tactfully. ‘Soot burns something chronic if it gets in your eyes. I’ll make a start sweeping up.’
It took almost an hour to get the kitchen clean, and Linnet had proved herself invaluable as she set about the work methodically, managing to get the fire going so that it blazed up the chimney. She showed Daisy where the pump was situated in the back yard, and the privy, which was in a small wooden hut that had been built to straddle a narrow stream.
‘Does the night soil collector get this far out?’ Daisy asked.
Linnet’s laughter echoed off the outbuildings. ‘Lord, no, miss. Lean closer and you’ll hear the brook racing down to the creek. You sit on the seat and let nature do the rest. No need to dig latrines or such.’
Daisy felt a blush rise to her cheek. As a person raised in the city she knew she had a lot to learn. ‘Thank you, Linnet. An excellent idea, I’m sure.’
‘And don’t worry about the pump water,’ Linnet said, smiling. ‘You’re luckier than most of the people in the village: this one taps into a spring deep down. The water is crystal clear and safe to drink.’ She lifted the pump handle and began to work it vigorously. ‘But this will be my job. You’re a young lady and you don’t need to know this.’
‘I’ll have to find something to do with my time.’ Daisy watched closely. ‘I never gave a thought to how hard servants have to work, but I’m beginning to appreciate it now.’ She went indoors, leaving Linnet to her labours. It was little wonder that the servants at the Carringtons’ establishment had treated her with scorn. They must have considered her to be ungrateful and idle, while they had to slave from dawn until well after dark in order to please their employers. Daisy felt a twinge of sympathy for them as she looked down at her reddened hands. She held the door open for Linnet as she staggered past her, hefting two wooden pails filled with water.
‘Thank you, Linnet,’ she said earnestly. ‘I don’t know how I would have managed if you hadn’t come knocking on the door.’
‘Thank the young doctor, miss. He’s so good and kind – I just hope he decides to stay in Little Creek, but I’m afraid he’ll go away and leave us without a physician again.’
‘Was it so very bad before he came to live here?’
‘I doubt if you could imagine it, miss. I mean it’s obvious you’re used to better things. You’re a lady for a start and you’ve got hands that have never known hard work, but for us in the village it’s a matter of life and death to have a doctor nearby. My cousin died in childbirth, and the babe soon after. If Dr Neville had been at Creek Hall I dare say they’d both be alive now.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Daisy said gently. ‘How sad.’
‘Life is hard, miss.’ Linnet filled two large pans with water and placed them on the hob. ‘We can finish up when the water is warm enough. Then your cook can make a start on supper and I’ll head off home. Mum will be wondering where I’ve got to.’
‘But you will come tomorrow?’ Daisy asked anxiously.
‘Yes, of course, miss. I’ll be here early, so no need to worry.’ She cocked her head on one side. ‘That sounds like your furniture has arrived. I can finish up here if you want to go and help the old lady.’
Daisy smothered a giggle. ‘My aunt is Mrs Marshall and she wouldn’t thank you for calling her old. I will go and help, and I just want you to know I’m very grateful to you, Linnet. You’ve worked so hard.’
‘That’s what I’m here for, miss.’ Linnet wiped her hands on her apron.
Daisy left the kitchen and went to help her aunt, who was firing instructions at the delivery men like an army sergeant.
‘Perhaps they’d like some refreshment, Aunt,’ Daisy said softly. ‘There’ll soon be enough hot water to make a pot of tea and they’ve had a long journey from London.’
‘Let them do their job first. Time for tea when they’re finished. You can help by unpacking the linen. It’s in that wicker hamper.’
‘It looks as if they’re unloading the beds first. I’ll make them up, if you wish.’
‘That’s a job for Hattie or the girl.’
‘I need to be usefully employed, Aunt. I can’t spend my days idling.’
‘You’ve been brought up to be a young lady, Daisy. I owed it to your parents to see that you have the best chance in life. It’s just a pity you allowed Julian Carrington to get away. Rich husbands don’t grow on trees, my girl. I’m afraid you’ve lost your chance now, and that nice Dr Neville isn’t likely to stay for long. No doubt he’ll go where he can earn a decent living. I’m afraid you’ll be on the shelf if you don’t do something about it, and you know how hard life is for women without means, as well as the disgrace of being an old maid.’
‘I’ll find something to do with my life, Aunt. I don’t intend to be a burden on you for much longer. I just need to work out what is best for me, and then nothing will stop me. I promise you that.’
Eleanora and Sidney had retired soon after supper, and Hattie had gone to her room on the dot of ten, leaving Daisy to wait up for Toby. She spent the time unpacking boxes of linen, but she was tired, and when he had not returned by midnight she decided to go to bed, leaving the key under a flower-pot outside the front door. Despite the lateness of the hour she was not worried – she imagined him and Nick playing cards after a good dinner, or sitting by the fire chatting about their student days. Toby, she knew, kept London hours and she suspected that Nick was glad to have his company. It must be lonely living in a large house without the comfort of a family to fill the rooms with laughter. Although, thinking back, there had not been much jollity in the Carrington household, and Master Timothy had often come