Diamonds & Dust by Carol Hedges

Author:Carol Hedges [Hedges, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little G Books
Published: 2016-01-11T05:00:00+00:00

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The elderly couple running the coffee stall at Westminster Bridge have been doing a brisk trade in hot drinks and bread-and-butter since crack of dawn. They’ve erected a little awning to shelter themselves from the raw winter cold. Whenever there is a lull, they gather round the small brazier to warm their hands.

“I see another one has gone,” the old woman remarks, blowing on her fingers.

“Mrs whatever her name was … over the way from us. Meant ter tell you. Brought her out this morning. Stiff as a board. Thought I hadn’t seen her around for a while. Not a scrap of food in the house they say, nor a stick of furniture. Burned the lot trying to keep warm.”

“It's an ’ard world right enough,” the old man agrees.

“Harder for some,” his wife says, nodding towards the small shivering figure of the crossing-sweeper, who has been battling against the filthy streets and the biting wind since early dawn. “I see the hoity-toity gel come by earlier.”

She spoons coffee dregs into a mug and adds some lukewarm water.

“’Ere, take him this as we’re quiet. And there’s that slice o’ bread that fell on the ground earlier. Give it a quick wipe; it’ll do nicely. He ain’t going to fuss over a bit of dirt. And find out what that gel wanted.”

The old man takes the delicate viands over to the boy, who falls upon them like a starving animal. His benefactor stands by waiting for the mug to be returned, and trying to ignore the chewing and slurping noises.

Eventually the boy finishes eating and drinking. He wipes his mouth with a ragged sleeve, then absentmindedly sucks it. They exchange a few words. Then the boy is summoned by a tall top-hatted City man waiting to cross the road. He darts off, leaving the coffee stall owner to return to his wife.

“What did yer find out?”

“Gel wanted to talk to Old Jim Jarndyce.”

“Going to find it a bit of a job then,” the old woman says tartly.

“When he told her Jim’d gone, she was proper cut up abaht it.”

“Why? What’s it to her?”

“Nuffink. He says she gave ’im some money for a fish supper.”

The woman laughs harshly.

“Take more than one fish supper to save the likes of him. Ain’t going to make old bones. I see it in his eyes. Death eyes. Be dead and buried by Christmas, I reckon.”

She greets the next customer with a leering smile.

“Yes sir? Nice cuppa coffee for you? Slice of bread-and-butter to go with it? There you go. Have a good day, sir.”

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