bring it back myself, three
days from now.’
‘But, Jake…’
‘No arguments. It’s done. As for you, Tom Hubbard, you need to stretch out on a nice soft bed.’ Jake looked to Gifford. ‘Ted… give me a hand, won’t
you?’
Only Jake didn’t plan to go and see Harry, nor Liam either, come to that. He’d had an idea. Not one that was guaranteed to work, by any means, but he was going to try it anyhow.
‘Give me half an hour,’ he said to Ted Gifford, once they’d got Tom settled. ‘If I don’t have the money by then, then we’ll find some other way of raising it.
I’ll meet you outside Hardy’s, okay?’
‘Okay…’ But Ted hesitated. Jake could sense he wanted to say something.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘What’s goin’ on here, that’s what’s wrong. I can’t help thinkin’… well, feelin ’ rather… like this is ’ow it
felt first time roun’. You know… when it all fell apart. Only… what’s left to fall apart? We’re down to basics as is. So why’s things gone
’aywire?’
‘I don’t know, to be honest. Scarcity of goods is driving some of it, but I don’t know why that should be. There was plenty last month. Maybe Branagh’s hoarding stuff.
He’s certainly put up all the fees.’
‘I never trusted that bastard.’
‘Nor I… But look… let’s just deal with this right now, eh? Let’s get our stuff and get back home, and worry about the rest of it later.’
Jake, too, was worried now. Walking through the crowded space, he kept on seeing that same concern in every face. Normally amiable people were bickering now, arguing over the
slightest little thing. In the past this had been a pleasant place to do business. There had been laughter and a lot of good-natured banter, but now there was a tetchiness about people. He could
see it in the way they spoke to each other. More than once, as he passed by a stall, he would find buyer and seller locked in a bitter, irritable exchange. There was a lot of gesturing and
shouting, too. ‘Fuck you!’ one of them would say, giving the finger, and they’d be off again, the babble of angry voices seeming to grow as Jake got deeper in. None of it came to
blows – Branagh’s men, who were out in force, saw to that – yet there was a simmering anger that could easily have spilled over into violence.
What made it worse, as far as Jake was concerned, was that no one seemed conscious of it. It was like they were all too preoccupied to notice. He stood there a moment, looking about him, feeling
for that instant like the sole still point amidst a swirling mass of humanity. He saw how people were going about their business, saw the urgency with which they made their way from stall to stall,
like tomorrow was the end of the world and they were all stocking up against it. There was an air of desperation mixed with panic, the kind that happens sometimes when no one knows clearly just
what’s going on, only that disaster is imminent.
Which made it all so much more of a mystery, for as yet he’d not heard a word of rumour that made sense.
Right now, however, he had something to do; something which, if it worked, might kill two birds with a single metaphoric stone.
Becky looked up as he stepped in front of the stall, her vaguely troubled look becoming a beaming smile as she saw who it was.
‘Jake! ’Ow lovely to see you again. You come to buy something else?’
‘You could say that…’ He hesitated, then, ‘Look… I know this is asking a lot, but could you close up for half an hour? I need to talk. I… well, I thought
we might go to a tavern… somewhere quiet, and have a word or two.’
She looked surprised.
‘I dunno… half an hour…’
‘I’ll pay you. Pay you well.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘I ’ope you don’t think…’
He put his hands up defensively. ‘It’s nothing like that. But I do have a proposal for you. One I think you might find to your advantage…’
‘Yeah?’ But he could see she was
days from now.’
‘But, Jake…’
‘No arguments. It’s done. As for you, Tom Hubbard, you need to stretch out on a nice soft bed.’ Jake looked to Gifford. ‘Ted… give me a hand, won’t
you?’
Only Jake didn’t plan to go and see Harry, nor Liam either, come to that. He’d had an idea. Not one that was guaranteed to work, by any means, but he was going to try it anyhow.
‘Give me half an hour,’ he said to Ted Gifford, once they’d got Tom settled. ‘If I don’t have the money by then, then we’ll find some other way of raising it.
I’ll meet you outside Hardy’s, okay?’
‘Okay…’ But Ted hesitated. Jake could sense he wanted to say something.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘What’s goin’ on here, that’s what’s wrong. I can’t help thinkin’… well, feelin ’ rather… like this is ’ow it
felt first time roun’. You know… when it all fell apart. Only… what’s left to fall apart? We’re down to basics as is. So why’s things gone
’aywire?’
‘I don’t know, to be honest. Scarcity of goods is driving some of it, but I don’t know why that should be. There was plenty last month. Maybe Branagh’s hoarding stuff.
He’s certainly put up all the fees.’
‘I never trusted that bastard.’
‘Nor I… But look… let’s just deal with this right now, eh? Let’s get our stuff and get back home, and worry about the rest of it later.’
Jake, too, was worried now. Walking through the crowded space, he kept on seeing that same concern in every face. Normally amiable people were bickering now, arguing over the
slightest little thing. In the past this had been a pleasant place to do business. There had been laughter and a lot of good-natured banter, but now there was a tetchiness about people. He could
see it in the way they spoke to each other. More than once, as he passed by a stall, he would find buyer and seller locked in a bitter, irritable exchange. There was a lot of gesturing and
shouting, too. ‘Fuck you!’ one of them would say, giving the finger, and they’d be off again, the babble of angry voices seeming to grow as Jake got deeper in. None of it came to
blows – Branagh’s men, who were out in force, saw to that – yet there was a simmering anger that could easily have spilled over into violence.
What made it worse, as far as Jake was concerned, was that no one seemed conscious of it. It was like they were all too preoccupied to notice. He stood there a moment, looking about him, feeling
for that instant like the sole still point amidst a swirling mass of humanity. He saw how people were going about their business, saw the urgency with which they made their way from stall to stall,
like tomorrow was the end of the world and they were all stocking up against it. There was an air of desperation mixed with panic, the kind that happens sometimes when no one knows clearly just
what’s going on, only that disaster is imminent.
Which made it all so much more of a mystery, for as yet he’d not heard a word of rumour that made sense.
Right now, however, he had something to do; something which, if it worked, might kill two birds with a single metaphoric stone.
Becky looked up as he stepped in front of the stall, her vaguely troubled look becoming a beaming smile as she saw who it was.
‘Jake! ’Ow lovely to see you again. You come to buy something else?’
‘You could say that…’ He hesitated, then, ‘Look… I know this is asking a lot, but could you close up for half an hour? I need to talk. I… well, I thought
we might go to a tavern… somewhere quiet, and have a word or two.’
She looked surprised.
‘I dunno… half an hour…’
‘I’ll pay you. Pay you well.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘I ’ope you don’t think…’
He put his hands up defensively. ‘It’s nothing like that. But I do have a proposal for you. One I think you might find to your advantage…’
‘Yeah?’ But he could see she was
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