‘Ah, you’re soft as a gorgi,’ she joked. A gorgi was a house-dweller. But his mention of the fight soured her mood. She wished he wouldn’t be fit enough to step into the ring, not ever. She hated the bare-knuckle fight game and feared for him every minute she knew he was in the ring. She was the soft one, not him. But Josh had grown up fighting, like his father and his grandfather before him; and she was – for better or worse – in love with Josh.

For a while she’d hoped he’d settle for the sort of labour the other Romany lads did. He’d given it a try, done his stint on the driveways, laying razor-thin tarmac bought off council surplus for the roads, and some tree felling. He’d dealt scrap metal and done a bit of horse trading at the fairs. He’d creosoted turkey sheds and picked fruit. But when he’d stepped into the ring for the first serious bout of his life, he’d been lost. He was a fighter; it was in his blood. He couldn’t help it.

Claire noticed that Josh seemed distracted. His face when she smiled up at him was deadly serious. In silence he led the way back out into the sunshine.

‘Josh?’ Claire caught up with him, touched his arm. ‘What’s up?’

‘Got something to ask you. Something important.’

‘Go on then.’

Josh got down on one knee in the long grass.

‘Claire – will you marry me?’ he asked.

Claire let out a scream and put both hands over her face.

Josh squinted up at her. ‘What’s that mean? Yes? No? Fuck off?’

Claire started to cry. Then she started to laugh. ‘Oh Christ! Josh!’

Josh grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. ‘What?’ he asked.

‘It means yes! Of course it means yes!’ howled Claire, wrenching herself free of him and haring away up the dell.

‘Where you going?’ he called after her, still kneeling in the grass. He groped in his pocket – Christ, he’d forgotten to give her the bloody ring, he’d been that nervous!

‘Got to tell Mum,’ she threw back over her shoulder, and ran on.

Josh laughed then and stood up. Claire’s mum, Eva, would be tickled pink; her dad, Pally, probably would be too.

As for Josh, hearing her say yes had made him the happiest he had ever been.

3

3

There would be a big engagement party in one of the barns soon, and then there would be the wedding. The Pole funfair family were going to be setting all the rides up especially for the event, and everyone was thrilled, anticipating the mighty calliopes roaring out ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ as the painted horses on the roundabouts dipped and spun and the waltzers whizzed around.