Free The Village Green Affair by Rebecca Shaw

. well, cherished.
     
    He still held hers as he said, ‘I’m Titus to everyone else.’
     
    ‘Titus, then. See you again soon.’ She quickly withdrew her hand, then turned away to sort out her parcels.
     
    So Jimbo and Titus left to go round the market. After all he’d said that very morning about not going as he and Harriet had been peering between the show cards in the window display, and here he was going for a tour. Damn the man for being so pleasant. He was thankful Harriet had gone to collect produce from his league of farmers’ wives who kept his preserves and chutney supplies up to scratch; at least she wasn’t witnessing his change of heart. Though he knew he’d confess eventually, because someone would tell her if he didn’t.
     
    Jimbo had expected to sneer at what he saw, but he was agreeably surprised by the standard of the goods on the stalls. Everything was of the highest quality. In fact, he was rather jealous of the cheese stall and wished it was on display in his store, but it was out here in the market and he quietly ground his teeth at the thought. The only stall he didn’t like was the pottery. Lovely woman - pleasant, chatty and amusing - but her pottery offerings were chunky and, what was worse, dull. Who in their right mind would want to drink from one of those mugs? Not Jimbo.
     
    They reached the last of the stalls where the chap was selling fresh fish, and excellent it looked, too. He’d have been proud to have it in his store except he never had fresh fish because of the smell.
     
    ‘I’m envious of this fresh fish, my word,’ said Jimbo. ‘I don’t sell it because of my other stuff. The all pervading smell, you see.’
     
    ‘Your opinion would be appreciated,’ Titus said. ‘I won’t have anyone selling shoddy goods - well, except for Cassandra with the pots. Four children to feed and clothe, things are hard for her. We’ve had a talk but it’s had no effect. Well?’ He looked at Jimbo and waited.
     
    To be fair, he had to approve; he could do no other. ‘Someone in the village said it would all be rubbish and you wouldn’t last for long, but they’re quite wrong. Everything is excellent, truly excellent. Good luck to you.’ He held out his hand and so did Titus, and they shook hands vigorously.
     
    Titus smiled. ‘Thank you for your opinion. From a man who truly knows what he’s talking about it’s very encouraging. Perhaps some time we might have a drink in the pub together. I’ve taken a liking to it. I expected it would be all tarted up inside and the whole impression of the outside therefore ruined, but it isn’t, and the homebrew is excellent.’
     
    Jimbo went back to the house and sat in his chair in the study ruminating on what he’d seen. This was competition on a grand scale. No point in trying to do Titus Bellamy down. He’d just have to concentrate on other aspects of his business to make up the shortfall, because shortfall there was definitely going to be.
     
     
Liz wandered home through the market, inspecting all the stalls and realizing that Titus Bellamy had a success on his hands. It was busy today but once the market became better known there would be hundreds of people coming to Turnham Malpas on a Thursday. She spotted Jimbo and Titus talking to Cassandra. That Titus . . . she couldn’t understand why she felt she knew him. Had she met him before? He definitely rang bells, somehow or other. She smiled when she thought about Jimbo being persuaded into looking round the market, after all he’d said, but she rather thought that perhaps Titus could charm a monkey out of a tree.
     
    Back at Glebe House Liz put her key on the hall table and her purse in the cupboard in the kitchen where she always kept it, and looked at her right hand as she closed the door. She put it to her cheek and imagined it felt warmer than the other one. That, of course, was rubbish. Total rubbish, but she suddenly liked that right hand better than the left; it