Laughing with her, Lottie watched the young couple scurrying off. ‘You’re frightening the customers away.’

Lily wasn’t put out. ‘They’ll come back,’ she said.

A few minutes later, they did, swiftly followed by another three couples, all trying their luck and nobody winning. ‘You’ve got them ruddy coconuts glued to the stands, that’s why we can’t knock ’em off!’ one irate man complained.

He soon made himself scarce when Lily sucked in her breath and confronted him with a bosom huge enough to suffocate him.

After setting up the coconuts for the fourth time, Lottie came back to continue the conversation. ‘You were telling me,’ she said ‘about the big man.’

Lily seemed to blush. ‘Never you mind,’ she chided. ‘You’re too young.’ Regarding Lottie for a moment, she envied the high cheekbones and the striking hazel eyes; yet, for all her backchat and boldness, she seemed younger than her years. ‘By the way, young ’un, how old are you? You never did tell me.’

‘Seventeen an’ more.’ Lies came easy to Lottie.

‘Never! Are you sure?’

‘Course I’m sure. I ought to know my own age!’

‘Hmh! You don’t look fourteen, never mind seventeen.’

‘Well, it just goes to show then, don’t it?’

After that, Lottie was well and truly on her guard. If Dave was to find out how old she was, he’d throw her out for sure, and that was the last thing she wanted.

‘Hey!’ Lily pointed over the river to the sky above. ‘There’s an old saying: “Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning”.’

Lottie laughed. ‘Now what are you talking about?’

‘Look at the sky, gal. It’s all red. I ain’t never seen that before in January.’

‘So?’

‘So, like I were saying, “Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning”. Happen there’s a storm brewing.’

‘I’ve never heard that saying before.’ Lottie learned something new every day. ‘I bet you’re making it up.’

‘All right, have it your way, but I’m telling you what I know. “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning”.’

Pointing to the river, she smiled serenely. ‘Lovely though, ain’t it, gal? The river and the ducks and everything. I’m glad we changed direction from Skegness to come here. I’ve always liked the West Country, and West Bay is so pretty.’

‘Why did we come here, Lily?’ She’d already asked Dave but he hadn’t really given an answer. ‘I were looking forward to Skeggie.’

‘We changed direction because the boss got word that his brother was already there with his own amusement fair. They’re arch enemies, them two. If they’d tried to serve the same patch, there’d have been murders, I’m telling you.’

As always, from two o’clock to four, there was a lull in trade. ‘It’s always the same,’ Lily said. ‘They feed theirselves and have a pint or two, then they sleep it off and come back with a vengeance early evening. You get off and snatch some sleep an’ all,’ she suggested, when Lottie started yawning. ‘You’ve been up since five this morning. I can see you ain’t used to it yet.’