‘I never ’ad no sweets afore.’ Seeing him glancing wistfully at the glistening rock, she gathered up a couple of the crooks and popped them in a cone. Delightedly, he snatched it from her and ran off, fearful she might change her mind.
‘Putting me out of business, are you?’ Jago grunted, shaking his head.
‘You can take it out of my wages,’ she said recklessly.
‘Expecting to be paid as well as looked out for, are we?’ he tutted, then changed the subject. ‘It’s good to see you looking happier. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, there’s a group of children over there clamouring to be served.’
‘Seems to me everything around here clamours,’ she replied as the church bells began pealing their daily competition against the organ.
The afternoon passed in a flurry of activity, the tantalizing smell of lemon and mint mingling with the spicy gingerbread tempting her taste buds. Colenso sighed, eager for the time when she could learn the secrets of making the sweet confections. Whilst the livestock auction was taking place on the green, Jago went for a break, leaving her to refill the containers. Who would have believed they could get through so many, she thought, filling yet more cones with an array of assorted sweets. As she stepped outside the Panam to check everything looked enticing, a shot rang out making her jump. Heart beating wildly, she scurried back behind the stall.
‘’Tis only the rifle range over there, lover,’ the man from the Hammer Bell Striker called, gesturing behind him. ‘Got moved cos of all the noise,’ he groaned, raising his bushy brows.
‘Oh, er, thank you,’ she murmured, glad for once his attraction was quiet with no menfolk queueing to test their strength. The ringing of the bell when it was hit set her teeth on edge, although luckily it didn’t happen that often. The crack of rifles would be an entirely different matter though.
The excited hullabaloo of the crowd returning signalled that the auction had ended, and to her relief she saw Jago approaching.
‘See it’s our turn for the rifle range,’ he sighed. ‘Oh well, they’ll be moving on soon.’ As customers began clustering around the Panam, Colenso turned her attention back to helping the children make their important choices. As they often asked what the sweets tasted like, she decided to sample every single one of the confections to give them an informed opinion. The glistening candy coats made her mouth water and during a lull she popped one of the striped bullseyes in her mouth. She was just savouring the tangy, lemon flavour when Titan appeared.
‘Not slacking again, Col? Have to dock those wages of yours,’ Jago teased as she went to move from behind the stall.
‘Blame me, Jago. I offered to show Col around before the rides start packing up,’ Titan said, taking her basket from her.
As they wandered through the stalls, he swung it easily back and forth and Colenso couldn’t help comparing it to the way her father had let her carry her laden basket to the works.
‘I had no idea the fair was so big or so dangerous. I mean, how can she bear it?’ Colenso shuddered, stopping by a stall where a tall woman dressed as a red Indian squaw stood without flinching as knives were thrown onto the board around her.
‘Don’t worry, Blade’s being doing that for years,’ Titan laughed. ‘He’s a true showman and makes it look more terrifying than it is. Besides, Lottie would have his scrotum for supper if he ever hit her.’
‘Oh,’ she murmured, moving quickly on to the next stall, only to wish she hadn’t when she saw a lady with bright painted lips under which a mass of black facial hair hung. She was perched on a stall and smiling. The effect was decidedly weird.
‘Only a penny to find out if the lady’s beard is real,’ a man sporting a topper and red-striped jacket grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow stained teeth. So that really was a female? Colenso couldn’t resist taking another look. ‘Go on, stroke it, find out what it’ll feel like when you can grow one, boy,’ he invited, holding out the long beard. ‘Oh, hello Titan, didn’t see you there,’ he added his expression changing.
‘No, I’m hard to spot,’ Titan chuckled, taking hold of Colenso’s elbow and moving her on. ‘As you can see, some stalls are more tasteful than others. And more fragrant,’ he added, wrinkling his nose at the smell of frying offal. ‘You wouldn’t believe what some people buy.’ They walked on past the swing boats where Colenso had spent that awful time turning the handle for what seemed like hours, until finally Titan came to a halt.
‘How about a ride on these splendid fellows?’ he suggested, pointing to the dobbies. As memories of the previous year came flooding back, Colenso shook her head. ‘Perhaps another day, then,’ he said, mistaking her look. ‘Don’t worry, old nosey-nocks won’t come calling again. His legs won’t allow it,’ he grinned. Then seeing her puzzled look, he shrugged. ‘You learn a lot of useful moves in my job. Besides, Mara said she feels the presence has moved away. Come on, it’s getting late and she’ll be wondering where you’ve got to.’
While they’d been wandering round, the shadows had gathered over the fairground, and now light from the lamps cast pools of murky yellow over everything. Leaving the noise and hustle behind, they wandered back to the relative quiet of the site where the kumpania had lit their campfire. It had been quite an afternoon and Colenso was keen to be back in the security of Mara’s cosy van.
‘Want me to see you inside?’ Titan asked. She shook her head.
‘No, you get back to your family. Thank you for showing me around, Titan. It’s been most enlightening,’ she smiled.
‘My pleasure,’ he said, handing over her basket. ‘The little ’uns would love a couple of cones sometime,’ he grinned, then with a mock salute made his way past the kumpania to the other corner of the field where his van was.
✳
It was the end of the week and, having packed up their things, they were on the road again. Although it was early, the air was already hot, the road dusty. Colenso sighed at the thought of the long trek ahead of them.
‘Don’t you ever get bored with all this walking?’ she asked. Mara, who’d been murmuring encouragement to Ears, looked up and frowned.
‘Bored? Whatever do you mean, child? How could you possibly get weary with all this to look at?’ she said, gesturing to the countryside around them. ‘Apart from anything else, you should be keeping your eyes peeled. It’s a fine time of year for foraging nature’s bounty. Ramsons, elderflowers, nettles, and if it rains we could even strike lucky for dryad’s saddles – that’s mushrooms to you.’
‘Funny name.’
‘Dryads are the wood nymphs who inhabit trees, and they say the mushrooms are the saddles they ride on. Don’t look like that,’ she said when Colenso rolled her eyes. ‘They’re found at the base of dead trees so it could be true, you know.’
‘Maybe but I wish we were heading that way,’ Colenso said, pointing to the sea to her left.
‘Ah, a mermaid born and bred, eh?’ Mara chuckled. ‘The local lads will have to watch out.’
‘Pardon?’ she asked, wondering what tangent the woman was going off on now.
‘Legend has it that a very beautiful lady periodically attended the church in Zennor. No one knew who she was or whence she came,
