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"Jesus Lord and Saviour, who paid for my salvation with your blood …" He stopped What was he praying for? That his mother would not marry Phil Russell? "Dear Jesus, make Mum and--and Phil coive theht Take Satan from his heart and mind and wash him in your holy blood Praise and worship Amen"

His heart felt ablaze with love and fervour and hope Later he was due at a youth worship roup for the first ti of it and the trust placed in hiot to his feet in case Lizzie ca in He shouldn’t feel ashaht on his knees in prayer and praise, but that was how it alas

He went downstairs

"Hey"

Lizzie was feeding the toaster She held up a slice

"Two," Tom said "Hey, Liz, why don’t you co it tonight"

"Right"

"It’d be good If you caer, it keeps doing that, it sticks soets burned It’s only the one side Can you have a look at it?"

"I did Couldn’t see anything We just need a new toaster"

"Jam or Marmite?"

"Marmite So, will you cooing to see Mu as well, that’d be more Christian"

"I went this afternoon"

"Oh OK Hoas she?"

"Seemed to have quite a lot of pain still They don’t come round to check much"

"Short-staffed, aren’t they? You have to speak up for yourself in those places"

"He was there"

"Good"

"Not"

"Don’t start, Tom"

Tom held up his hands

"Just heard on the news Another one died today … she was on the bottoo on one of those things again I’ll probably never go near a fair again Too bloody dangerous"

"Lafferton’s dangerous, right? They haven’t got the gun now, last I heard"

"Don’t bla theht take a potshot at Charles and Cae et hio down the aisle"

Tom scraped back his chair loudly and went out of the kitchen

Fifty-nine

"Another person has died as a result of the accident at Lafferton’s Jug Fair last Saturday night when a ghost train collapsed Today’s death brings the toll to nine Tanya Loed twenty-five, was on the ride with her husband, Dan, when the cart in which they were travelling was overturned as the ride fell to the ground Dan Lomax was badly injured and is still in intensive care The couple were married only last month"

He stood still in the middle of the bedroom, naed after his shower, transfixed by the radio report It was ten o’clock He had been about to switch off when the item had started Now, he stood while the newsreader blathered on and his mouth twitched into another of the s had happened at the Jug Fair!

And it had happened without his having to lift a finger Sorey T-shirt and shorts which he wore to bed He would read for a bit before listening in again There was a local news bulletin on Radio Bevham every half-hour He couldn’t wait

Sixty

"As abbess of the Paraclete, Hélo&iuuidance on the observance which should best be adopted by nuns Her letter hit on a critical proble on her deskfor an hour, so immersed in The Monastic Order in Yorkshire 1069–1215 that for a split second she stared at the phone in bewilder it up

"Jane, Peter Wakelin I wondered if you had a few e things for a couple of Sundays in Noveood--or I’m free after dinner"

The Dean’s roo the Backs where they narrowed to flow under the Martyr’s Bridge Orange and brown leaves floated on the current as they stood at thelooking down A couple of weeks before when she had been here there had been not a soul about Noith the new ter, hanging about in groups

"I like it full of life," Jane said, "but I like it when it’s deserted too"

Peter Wakelin nodded

Before she had e of a dean which was based on the one in her own undergraduate tireat kindness and sensitivity towards the young He had died suddenly in Jane’s last year and she had been surprised that he had been only sixty-five Peter Wakelin had also come as a surprise He was in his early forties and a Yorkshireo to the cathedral in Washington for ten days in Novee the preachers and I wondered if you could do the first? I know you’re taking evensong that day as well Is that too much?"

"It’s fine Nice to preach near All Saints’ Day"

"I’m very aware that you have limited time I don’t want to push you, Jane You have the chaplaincy and your PhD--and then you’re doing things here … Have sos actually It works rather well, though I probably like the hospital work best"

He frowned slightly "I was there this ," he said, "with a dilemma Can I ask your advice?"

"Mine?"

"Why not? You’ve worked in a hospice, I haven’t Though I know theh of course"

They sat on theseat But for so, only looked out at thelow over the water Jane waited She knew little about him Wondered what he had to say

"I was called to an elderly wo she had a stroke She was alive and conscious and they’d nosis but the quality of her life was certainly very low Her fahter-in-law, had asked if she could be--they said ‘put quietly to sleep’ The doctors refused of course so the family called me Wanted ‘my opinion’ No, they wanted me to persuade the medics I couldn’t, it wasn’t for me to do that, and even if I had they wouldn’t have listened But they were so desperate and what they said hit home, Jane They said it wasn’t that they wanted her to die, because she’d died to the before, but that if she went quietly to sleep now, she’d finally be at peace and out of distress and pain--and they were right They were right No one kno long she’ll last-- on for weeks They hope it won’t but …"

Two young athering rim-faced

"What do you think?"

"You mean ould I have said? The same as you because we have to"

"In the hospice, were you asked this? To intervene? To plead with the doctors to end a life?"

"Yes Only a couple of tih I’m sure the medics are asked more often"