‘Don’t get him started,’ said Hopper, smiling, and it was clear that they had heard his opinions on the matter before.

‘I’ll start if I like,’ snapped Gordon. ‘Twelve coaches I’ve got, love. Started out with a knackered old bus and now I’m one of the biggest employers in the region. There were four butchers in Gilsland when I were a boy. Four! Were all go once upon a time. Boom and bust, that’s what they say now. That’s what we’ve had for as long as people have been writing down. Good times and bad times, like the writer used to say. But people always need to get about and for as long as I’m able, they’ll be doing so on Temple Coaches.’

Talking to Gordon was like being in the front row at a political rally. Not all of what he said made sense but he said it with gusto and it was hard not to be carried along by his pride in himself.

‘You tell yer husband that next time he’s having a port and a cigar with the ministers that there won’t ever come a time when I don’t see a way to make money off of their bad decisions. Were same in ’56 when Wimpey came to build their bloody rocket site. 3,000 men they had working there at one time and nigh-on all of ’em needed transporting to the site. Who did it for ’em? Me. Brampton, Carlisle, Hexham, Gretna – every place that could make up a busload sent men to work on that blasted rocket. Did it help Gilsland? Did it buggery. All it meant were the local lads took jobs that paid a fortune and which gave ’em ideas they oughtn’t have had. Thought it would last forever. Went to their heads and spoiled a lot of good lads. Then the government decided it didn’t give a damn about the moon and it were all over. Of course there’s still a site and still jobs and you still hear them testing their weapons and dropping their bombs but we won’t see four butchers again in Gilsland in my lifetime – not unless I get out of the coach business and into meat, eh?’

He gave a huge laugh at that. I laughed along, looking to Flick for help. She was way ahead of me.

‘Give over, Gordon, we didn’t come for a rally. It’s a sad business we’re here on, if I’m honest. Could you spare us a moment?’

He looked at Flick quizzically and his smile faded. ‘Fairfax’s car?’

‘Aye.’

‘I were sorry for it, Felicity. Were a bad thing to happen. I heard he’d just seen the tree come down and were off to get help at the base. That right?’

Hopper and Mont were still hanging around, listening in. Felicity gave a little shrug. Her lips looked grey.