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Authors: Phil Rickman
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saw Mum in her best coat, pale blue silk scarf wrapped across the dog collar. On her face an expression Jane had seen before, but not often.
Christ…
12
Purple haze
O UT THROUGH THE Cathedral’s back entrance, past the school buildings into old Hereford: the quiet grey-brown streets of offices and terraced houses. The direction you walked if you didn’t want to bump into anyone you might know. Or anyone at all.
Thinking,
Bloody hell… bloody hell, bloody hell.
But this was a small city and Merrily almost walked into Jane, in her green Gomer Parry Plant Hire T-shirt, fleece over an arm, looking desolate. A job-seeker on the barren streets.
They’d arranged to meet around half-four in the Cathedral café; they were both early.
‘I thought you were over at the council,’ Merrily said. ‘Looking for Neil Cooper.’
‘Got redirected to Castle Green. They found some— Anyway, I’ve seen him. Says he’ll find out if there are any openings. Not holding my breath.’
Evidently not. Oh God, there really was something wrong here. You spent so much time worrying about your own problems you could miss the obvious. She looked into Jane’s eyes. Please God, don’t let her be pregnant.
‘Jane, you really don’t have to rush into anything, you have lots of—’
‘I do, actually. Have to cram in everything I can get. Have to collect experience. Any kind. And money.’ Eyes glittering with something bafflingly close to anger, Jane nodded towards the hidden river. ‘And you’re going…?
‘Nowhere.’
God, that sounded… not as she’d intended. Jane’s eyes came back slitted.
‘I meant I was just walking,’ Merrily said. ‘To think about things.’
There was suddenly quite a few people about. The Cathedral School was letting kids out. They were in a public place, looking at one another in dismay.
Jane said, ‘You met the Bishop?’
‘Kind of.’
Certainly been in his presence. Like Sophie said, he tended to fill a room.??stluda ekiL ?rehtona eno htiw yltcerid etacinummoc nac ew erehw egats eht hcaer yllautca thgim ew ytilibissop a s?ereht kniht uoy oD? ,yldlim dias enaJ .tnomleB ot pu gnilwarc dna hguorht erew uoy litnu noitartnecnoc deriuqer tI .adsA ssecca ot erised a yb desuac elgnat ciffart tnenamrep eht rof gnidaeh ,teertS egdirB fo tuo denrut ylirreM ?.doG hO? ?.em was uoy erofeb uoy was I .ereht kcaB? ??nehW ?eM? ?.slian gnittips ,ekil ,erew uoY? .neercsdniw eht hguorht derats dna pal reh ni delpmurc eceelf eht revo dessorc sdnah reh htiw tas enaJ .rorrim weiv-raer eht ni lardehtaC eht htiw teertS gniK nwod gnivird saw ehs litnu niaga kaeps t?ndid enaJ dna ehS ?.ylbaborP? ??emoh rof noitcerid gnorw eht yllatot taht t?nsi tub ,muM ,gnorw m?I fi em tcerroC? .tennob eht revo reh ta gnirats enaJ ,rednaleerF kcalb eht dekcolnu ylirreM ?.yellaV nedloG eht aiv seog taht eno eht s?tI? ??taht s?yaw hcihW? ??kcab yaw gnol eht ekat ew t?nod yhW? ?ton yhW .edoctsop dna sserdda na htiw ,gab reh ni teleton a dah ehs ,elihwnaeM .thginot emoh ta eihpoS llac d?ehs ebyaM .nit ekil ,neehs llud a dah ecalap kcirb-der eht revo yks ehT .eciffo eht ta pu kool t?ndid ylirreM ,esuohetag eht dehcaer yeht nehW .lausu sa ,dray ecalaP s?pohsiB eht ni rac eht tfel d?ehS ?doog taht saw tub ,ekila erom gniworg erew yehT .owt ro hcni na tsuj ta ,ylluficrem ,delttes dah ecnereffid thgieh eht tub ,rellat tib a etiuq eb ot gniog saw enaJ fi sa dekool dah ti nehw emit a saw erehT .edis yb edis ,lardehtaC eht sdrawot kcab deklaw yehT ?.KO? ?.nwot fo tuo teg rehtar d?I knihT? ??uoY .ylralucitrap toN? ??gnihtynA ?sekaC ?aet fo puc a teg ot tnaw uoY? ,enaJ ot yletarepsed dias ehS ‘Bishop, this is Merrily Watkins.’
‘Ah yes. Vicar of….’
‘Ledwardine.’
‘Of course. Ledwardine. “Heart of the New Cotswolds”. Didn’t I read that somewhere?’
Merrily nodding. Everybody had read that somewhere.
‘Though not entirely true,’ she’d said.
Wanting to say something halfway eloquent. Failing, through nerves; she
Christ…
12
Purple haze
O UT THROUGH THE Cathedral’s back entrance, past the school buildings into old Hereford: the quiet grey-brown streets of offices and terraced houses. The direction you walked if you didn’t want to bump into anyone you might know. Or anyone at all.
Thinking,
Bloody hell… bloody hell, bloody hell.
But this was a small city and Merrily almost walked into Jane, in her green Gomer Parry Plant Hire T-shirt, fleece over an arm, looking desolate. A job-seeker on the barren streets.
They’d arranged to meet around half-four in the Cathedral café; they were both early.
‘I thought you were over at the council,’ Merrily said. ‘Looking for Neil Cooper.’
‘Got redirected to Castle Green. They found some— Anyway, I’ve seen him. Says he’ll find out if there are any openings. Not holding my breath.’
Evidently not. Oh God, there really was something wrong here. You spent so much time worrying about your own problems you could miss the obvious. She looked into Jane’s eyes. Please God, don’t let her be pregnant.
‘Jane, you really don’t have to rush into anything, you have lots of—’
‘I do, actually. Have to cram in everything I can get. Have to collect experience. Any kind. And money.’ Eyes glittering with something bafflingly close to anger, Jane nodded towards the hidden river. ‘And you’re going…?
‘Nowhere.’
God, that sounded… not as she’d intended. Jane’s eyes came back slitted.
‘I meant I was just walking,’ Merrily said. ‘To think about things.’
There was suddenly quite a few people about. The Cathedral School was letting kids out. They were in a public place, looking at one another in dismay.
Jane said, ‘You met the Bishop?’
‘Kind of.’
Certainly been in his presence. Like Sophie said, he tended to fill a room.??stluda ekiL ?rehtona eno htiw yltcerid etacinummoc nac ew erehw egats eht hcaer yllautca thgim ew ytilibissop a s?ereht kniht uoy oD? ,yldlim dias enaJ .tnomleB ot pu gnilwarc dna hguorht erew uoy litnu noitartnecnoc deriuqer tI .adsA ssecca ot erised a yb desuac elgnat ciffart tnenamrep eht rof gnidaeh ,teertS egdirB fo tuo denrut ylirreM ?.doG hO? ?.em was uoy erofeb uoy was I .ereht kcaB? ??nehW ?eM? ?.slian gnittips ,ekil ,erew uoY? .neercsdniw eht hguorht derats dna pal reh ni delpmurc eceelf eht revo dessorc sdnah reh htiw tas enaJ .rorrim weiv-raer eht ni lardehtaC eht htiw teertS gniK nwod gnivird saw ehs litnu niaga kaeps t?ndid enaJ dna ehS ?.ylbaborP? ??emoh rof noitcerid gnorw eht yllatot taht t?nsi tub ,muM ,gnorw m?I fi em tcerroC? .tennob eht revo reh ta gnirats enaJ ,rednaleerF kcalb eht dekcolnu ylirreM ?.yellaV nedloG eht aiv seog taht eno eht s?tI? ??taht s?yaw hcihW? ??kcab yaw gnol eht ekat ew t?nod yhW? ?ton yhW .edoctsop dna sserdda na htiw ,gab reh ni teleton a dah ehs ,elihwnaeM .thginot emoh ta eihpoS llac d?ehs ebyaM .nit ekil ,neehs llud a dah ecalap kcirb-der eht revo yks ehT .eciffo eht ta pu kool t?ndid ylirreM ,esuohetag eht dehcaer yeht nehW .lausu sa ,dray ecalaP s?pohsiB eht ni rac eht tfel d?ehS ?doog taht saw tub ,ekila erom gniworg erew yehT .owt ro hcni na tsuj ta ,ylluficrem ,delttes dah ecnereffid thgieh eht tub ,rellat tib a etiuq eb ot gniog saw enaJ fi sa dekool dah ti nehw emit a saw erehT .edis yb edis ,lardehtaC eht sdrawot kcab deklaw yehT ?.KO? ?.nwot fo tuo teg rehtar d?I knihT? ??uoY .ylralucitrap toN? ??gnihtynA ?sekaC ?aet fo puc a teg ot tnaw uoY? ,enaJ ot yletarepsed dias ehS ‘Bishop, this is Merrily Watkins.’
‘Ah yes. Vicar of….’
‘Ledwardine.’
‘Of course. Ledwardine. “Heart of the New Cotswolds”. Didn’t I read that somewhere?’
Merrily nodding. Everybody had read that somewhere.
‘Though not entirely true,’ she’d said.
Wanting to say something halfway eloquent. Failing, through nerves; she
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