‘He ignored my notices.’
‘And you ignored us,’ Claire said. ‘Both of us. Quinn doesn’t want London or a new job. He wants Kings & Queens. He wants to stay doing what he’s doing. Like Gerald used to do.’
Harold pulled at the neck of his fleece jacket, looking from Quinn to the crowd to Claire again.
‘He never told us that.’
‘No, I didn’t,’ Quinn said. ‘For too long, I’ve kept quiet. Afraid of what others would think. Afraid that if I spoke up, I would rock the boat and cause unnecessary stress. Well, by being quiet, I’ve put stress upon myself, and I’ve had enough of it.’
Harold stared at Quinn as though he were a mirage in a dry desert. ‘You can’t come in.’
‘Yes, we can!’ Ivy said, and before Harold could argue, she led the group into the castle.
‘Stop!’ Harold screamed, the flush of red returning to his skin. ‘No!’
He left Claire and Quinn standing on the top step, their back to Hay, their eyes on the protestors now inside the castle hall. That brick snowball came back, hitting him hard this time, making him realise Harold would not change his mind.
Quinn wanted to sink into the ground, give up, and disappear. All of this had been pointless.
Claire was in front of him now, and said nothing, only gave him a brisk, no-nonsense look. Quinn understood what it meant.
Until Harold took the keys, until Harold physically removed him, the shop would belong to Quinn. It didn’t matter about deeds or true ownership. What mattered was the community that he’d built, the safety of the shop, and what it represented.
The building might be Harold’s, but the shop would never be his.
Quinn and Claire headed into the castle where the protestors were sitting in the great hall. They were ready to protest, but the castle’s new lease of life had struck each one of them. They’d repaired the castle roof, in keeping with the era. A wooden staircase had been fitted, leading to floors that once crumbled into nothingness. A glass balcony let Quinn see a hallway leading to the room that had been offered as his replacement shop, just off to the left. The windows were repaired, with the graffiti from teenagers somehow scraped off the stone window sills. A log fire burned at one end of the hall, giving warmth that filled the space, despite the open door. Looking up, Quinn could see the blend of the original stonework complimented with new brick, reinforcing the structure. Christmas music played in the background, and an animated video projected on the wall took people through the castle’s 900-year history.
Despite it only opening on Christmas eve, Christmas decorations adorned every space. A Christmas tree twinkled in the centre of the room, with book ornaments on the branches. String lights hung over the banister and balcony, with a sign pointing visitors to Santa’s grotto. From upstairs, Santa let out a ‘Ho, ho, ho’ out of sight, no doubt unaware the place was now full of peaceful protestors.
‘This is incredible.’ The last time Quinn had been here, it had mostly been a working site, with dust still covering the floor. ‘You did an amazing job, Harold.’
Harold crossed his arms, not saying a word. Looking at blotchy red skin, Quinn thought he might explode if he did.
Quinn milled around the hall, passing the sitting protestors. He came to a window overlooking the town. They had printed a quote on the glass.
‘“The new book is for the ego”,’ Quinn read aloud. ‘“The second-hand book is for the intellect.” A Richard Booth quote.’
‘That’s right.’ Gordon, who’d been on the second floor, walked into the main hall. ‘We had to honour him here. That was my idea, that was.’
‘A good one.’
‘And his statue is outside.’
‘Wow.’
‘This is your protest?’
Gordon looked around the room, his eyes lingering on the drag queens, who were keeping quiet but performing an interpretive dance. Notably, it was a greedy businessman stealing from the locals.
‘It is.’
‘Nice.’ Gordon looked at Harold. ‘Think I’ll join.’
Quinn gasped, and Harold turned in time to see Gordon sit down next to Ivy, who hugged him.
‘What are you doing?’ Harold stomped over, causing Emma’s cameraman to take a photo, and Blair’s camerawoman to direct her filming in their direction.
‘I’m joining the cause,’ Gordon said.
