wonder…’
‘About what?’
‘Well… say you had to buy me… what kind of price would you pay? How deep would you dig in your pocket to have me?’
He stared at her, stunned by the words. She laughed, then squeezed his arm. ‘I’m only kiddin’.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah…’ Meg walked over to the wall and stood there, looking out across the fields. ‘I mean… money’s important, but…’ She shrugged, then turned
and grinned at him. ‘You know what? If I were someone else… you know, a young girl, without no prospects and livin’ in some awful town like Dor -chester… well… I
think I might just jump at the chance, even tho’ ’e’s old.’
‘Would you?’ Peter looked crestfallen now.
‘No, silly. I don’t mean me. I mean… Oh, now you’ve got a face on. I knew I shouldn’t ’ave told you.’
He set the axe down and stood up straight. ‘Ask me again.’
‘What?’
‘Go on. Ask me again how much I’d pay for you.’
Meg frowned, then, with a shrug, asked him again.
This time he didn’t hesitate. This time he said it clearly and not just in his head.
‘Every penny I had, Meg Hubbard. Every last penny I had.’
Jake could have murdered a pint when they got back, but their drink had to wait. Ted Gifford was waiting for them by the door, and he had bad news.
‘It’s gone mad, Tom. Totally fuckin’ mad!’
‘What d’you mean?’
Tom sat on the nearby bench. He looked exhausted.
‘I mean the price o’ things has gone through the roof. We managed to get a bit more for our own load, but nothin’ like enough. We’ve no option, Tom. We’re going to
’ave to borrow some money from somewhere.’
Tom leaned forward. For a moment he closed his eyes, then he looked up at Ted again. ‘How much d’you think we need?’
‘I dunno. A coupla hundred crowns… three hundred, maybe? Heating oil alone has trebled in price. As for clips and cartridges…’
‘You’ve been to Hardy’s gunshop?’ Jake asked.
Ted nodded. ‘Frank went. Says it’s absurd what they’re askin’!’
Jake sighed heavily. ‘Three hundred? Even if we could get someone to lend us that kind of sum, we’ll be bankrupt in a month or two at this rate. Is there no way we can make
cutbacks?’
‘We’ve done that. You must have seen how things are.’
Jake hadn’t, but he understood what was happening. In times of trouble, essentials, those things that people had to have, went up in value sharply, especially if someone was
hoarding them, while luxuries, those things that were desired only when money was plentiful and people could afford them, went down. Most of the stalls he and Tom had visited – Becky’s
apart, for gold and silver nearly always held its value – were selling luxuries of a kind, and so wouldn’t really have been affected much.
Jake sat down. ‘What d’you think, Tom? Should we ask old Harry? Or maybe Liam, at the stables.’
‘You think either of them can spare that kind of money?’
‘I dunno. But it won’t harm to ask. They know we’ll pay ’em back. We’re old friends, after all, and we’ve been coming to them the best part of twenty years
now.’
‘Then ask.’
Only he could sense, behind Tom’s words, that Tom didn’t like the idea. He didn’t like the thought of throwing himself on someone else’s mercy, even if it was only short
term. He’d rather not buy at all than borrow to buy.
Tom looked to him. ‘I could take back the things we bought…’
Jake was uncompromising. ‘No. You won’t.’
‘But we’ve got to have ammunition, Jake. We’ve got to be able to defend ourselves.’
‘Then we buy some.’
‘But…’
‘No buts, Tom. I’ll go see Harry now. He’s probably in the back bar. What I’ll do is ask Harry for half of it, and Liam for the rest. That way neither man’s too
stretched. Besides, I’ll make it worth their while. I’ll give ’em ten crowns interest apiece. That’s not a bad return, I’d say, and I can
‘About what?’
‘Well… say you had to buy me… what kind of price would you pay? How deep would you dig in your pocket to have me?’
He stared at her, stunned by the words. She laughed, then squeezed his arm. ‘I’m only kiddin’.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah…’ Meg walked over to the wall and stood there, looking out across the fields. ‘I mean… money’s important, but…’ She shrugged, then turned
and grinned at him. ‘You know what? If I were someone else… you know, a young girl, without no prospects and livin’ in some awful town like Dor -chester… well… I
think I might just jump at the chance, even tho’ ’e’s old.’
‘Would you?’ Peter looked crestfallen now.
‘No, silly. I don’t mean me. I mean… Oh, now you’ve got a face on. I knew I shouldn’t ’ave told you.’
He set the axe down and stood up straight. ‘Ask me again.’
‘What?’
‘Go on. Ask me again how much I’d pay for you.’
Meg frowned, then, with a shrug, asked him again.
This time he didn’t hesitate. This time he said it clearly and not just in his head.
‘Every penny I had, Meg Hubbard. Every last penny I had.’
Jake could have murdered a pint when they got back, but their drink had to wait. Ted Gifford was waiting for them by the door, and he had bad news.
‘It’s gone mad, Tom. Totally fuckin’ mad!’
‘What d’you mean?’
Tom sat on the nearby bench. He looked exhausted.
‘I mean the price o’ things has gone through the roof. We managed to get a bit more for our own load, but nothin’ like enough. We’ve no option, Tom. We’re going to
’ave to borrow some money from somewhere.’
Tom leaned forward. For a moment he closed his eyes, then he looked up at Ted again. ‘How much d’you think we need?’
‘I dunno. A coupla hundred crowns… three hundred, maybe? Heating oil alone has trebled in price. As for clips and cartridges…’
‘You’ve been to Hardy’s gunshop?’ Jake asked.
Ted nodded. ‘Frank went. Says it’s absurd what they’re askin’!’
Jake sighed heavily. ‘Three hundred? Even if we could get someone to lend us that kind of sum, we’ll be bankrupt in a month or two at this rate. Is there no way we can make
cutbacks?’
‘We’ve done that. You must have seen how things are.’
Jake hadn’t, but he understood what was happening. In times of trouble, essentials, those things that people had to have, went up in value sharply, especially if someone was
hoarding them, while luxuries, those things that were desired only when money was plentiful and people could afford them, went down. Most of the stalls he and Tom had visited – Becky’s
apart, for gold and silver nearly always held its value – were selling luxuries of a kind, and so wouldn’t really have been affected much.
Jake sat down. ‘What d’you think, Tom? Should we ask old Harry? Or maybe Liam, at the stables.’
‘You think either of them can spare that kind of money?’
‘I dunno. But it won’t harm to ask. They know we’ll pay ’em back. We’re old friends, after all, and we’ve been coming to them the best part of twenty years
now.’
‘Then ask.’
Only he could sense, behind Tom’s words, that Tom didn’t like the idea. He didn’t like the thought of throwing himself on someone else’s mercy, even if it was only short
term. He’d rather not buy at all than borrow to buy.
Tom looked to him. ‘I could take back the things we bought…’
Jake was uncompromising. ‘No. You won’t.’
‘But we’ve got to have ammunition, Jake. We’ve got to be able to defend ourselves.’
‘Then we buy some.’
‘But…’
‘No buts, Tom. I’ll go see Harry now. He’s probably in the back bar. What I’ll do is ask Harry for half of it, and Liam for the rest. That way neither man’s too
stretched. Besides, I’ll make it worth their while. I’ll give ’em ten crowns interest apiece. That’s not a bad return, I’d say, and I can
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