23

You make your way right to the stables where you expect Tom Fletcher might be working. The leather cap wants a bit of mending if you'll ever feel aright using it for anything other than your ape's plaything.

"Aye, I can buff those patches out," he sighs, giving it a quick appraising glance. "Mostly it just wants a cleaning."

"There's a farthing in it for you."

"Capital. Twenty shillings more and I'll be sorted," he says, accepting the coin with a rueful grin.

You frown. Something is weighing on the lean craftsman's mind. "If it's money you need, I have it from a good source I can get some busking on corners."

"I don't doubt it; with your luck you'll get the rest of an outfit too," he jokes, taking a rough strap to the cap. "As for me, I got into a bit of dice last night and luck favored me not."

Onward