The Christmas Wedding (The Village Secrets #1) by Dilly Court
Genre: Historical fiction
Read: 24th October 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(publication: 17th October 2019)
★★★ 3.5 stars
I've not read Dilly Court before but I'm a huge fan of Catherine Cookson and while not in the same vein as one of Ms Cookson's rags to riches tales, THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING did promise something of a lovely historical read.
Daisy Marshall has been working as a governess for a wealthy family, the Carringtons, and is secretly engaged to their eldest son Julian. However, she receives a letter from Julian stating that he has a job offer as a diplomat in Paris and that unfortunately their union would not be one that would be accepted in society so therefore breaks it off with her. No sooner had she read these words than she was summoned by the master informing her that her charge, Timothy, is to be sent to boarding school and her services were no longer required. She was to leave immediately.
Daisy is devastated. She returns to the flat she lives in above the cobbler shop with her Aunt Eleanora, Uncle Sidney and brother Toby. But she has no time to settle back there as her aunt informs her that her uncle has sold the business and they are retiring to Little Creek in Essex. However, upon arrival it seems that Little Creek is far smaller than they expected - without even a carriage to take them to their new home! However, luck is at hand when Toby's friend Nick who studied medicine at the London Hospital arrives at the station to collect a parcel and offers to drive them to their new home of Creek Cottage.
Nick Neville has inherited both his father's medical practice in the village as well as the somewhat neglected Creek Hall. The cottage is not what Toby had envisaged as his new home and after a couple of nights with Nick up at Creek Hall, he decides to head back to London and take up a position he has been offered there at the London Hospital.
Poverty is rife in Little Creek, thanks to a most dastardly squire at Creek Manor who owns most of the country, including the village of Little Creek and the leasehold upon which Daisy's new home now stands. The squire Esmond Tattersall is a brute of a man who does nothing to maintain the damp-ridden cottages in the village while charging the tenants exorbitant rents for the privilege. However, Daisy also discovers that Nick's father was so far in debt to the squire that the repayments were beyond his ability to meet them...and now Nick is faced with the same adversity. If Nick does not come up with what's owing on the loan, plus an extortionate amount of interest, then Creek Hall will fall into the squire's hands. Daisy refuses to let that happen and devises a plan to ensure Nick keeps his ancestral home.
But she underestimates Esmond Tattersall. Having never met the squire, Daisy went in unprepared for his roving eye and wandering hands. When she confronted him, her disposition intrigued him...for no one had dared to do so before, lest they find themselves on the receiving end of his wrath or even homeless. But Daisy wasn't afraid of him and he found that attractive. So he pursued her, much to her disgust, but he was relentless in his attentions because when the squire wants something, he gets it. And he wants Daisy.
In his pursuit of Daisy, however fruitless, Tattersall invites them all to dine at Creek Manor. Aunt Eleanora was thrilled at the prospect and soon began hinting at what a wonderful catch the squire was. Daisy couldn't be more repulsed. But the squire has charmed her aunt and she wouldn't hear a bad word about him, believing Daisy to be unfair in her assessment of the man. Daisy soon realises to truly escape the repulsive squire, she must return to London and find work there.
Upon her return to London, Daisy sought out her brother Toby at his lodgings but was unable to raise him when she knocked. So she decided to call on him at work at the London Hospital but before she could do, the Sister on duty thought she was there to sign up as a probationary nurse and soon ushered her into an interview. Before long, Daisy found herself accepted as a probationary nurse at the London, to start Monday. She finds lodgings with another probationer at a nearby boarding house, where Toby finally tracks her down.
Then Nick finds he must return to London to obtain a proper paying job, for the village folk of Little Creek were so poor they could not pay him, and he needed money to be able to pay of Tattersall. He joins a practice in Harley Street as a private doctor to the more affluent in London. But he is not too busy that he can't take time out to see Daisy, and soon their friendship picks up from Little Creek and blossoms.
When a cholera outbreak in Little Creek calls Nick back to treat the sick and dying, Daisy soon questions if her loyalties lay with her village or her fledgling nursing career. And she also wonders about her growing feelings for Nick.
And then a stranger returns to Little Creek, bringing more trouble and excitement. And soon Daisy is caught between the kind-hearted and gentlemanly doctor, Nick, and the village bad boy, Jay, who was exiled from Little Creek some years before after a stint in prison. Not only that, but she also has the unwanted attentions of Tattersall to contend with.
Daisy must then decide if her life is in Little Creek or London?
A lovely story with a good mixture of characters - some of whom you love to hate and some you adore - THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING is the first in a new trilogy featuring Little Creek. Though I must say the title is a little misleading as it is not really a Christmas story as such...just a story that leads up and ends at Christmas.
Both compelling and heartwarming, THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING will draw you in and transcend you into 1867 that you won't want to leave. Personally, I would much rather the simple quiet life in Little Creek to the hustle and bustle of London.
Despite being drawn into the Victoria era both of village life and London, I found myself growing frustrated with Daisy on a number of occasions I could have happily throttled her myself. Then the tangent the story seemed to take towards the end which lead back to Little Creek once again (a somewhat long way around) which seemed to have come out of nowhere and so out of character of both Daisy and the story that I found it somewhat unbelievable. Added to that I was very disappointed in the surprising ending. I did not expect that at all and certainly didn't see that for Daisy.
However, despite my misgivings about the tangent which lead to the unexpected ending, I did enjoy THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING and I'm looking forward the follow up "A Village Scandal" (coming March 2020) and "The County Bride" (coming June 2020). At least we won't have to wait long for the trilogy to continue...though I do hope for a more satisfying outcome for those.
An enjoyable story perfect for historical fiction fans.
I would like to thank #DillyCourt, #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #TheChristmasWedding in exchange for an honest review.
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