Chapter 17
Pain of the Past
A sombre mood settled over the barge crews. Clearly, they were not going to find Ned and George in Colchester. The barge lads had returned to the Pride confirming what their skippers had suspected.
“It’s bad if’n this is part o’ t’ Syndicate. They’ve links wi’ t’ Brethren—or what’s left o’ them,” opined Tom Bell, skipper of the Duchess. “An’ if one o’ their bully-boys is hurt, they’ll send ter fetch ’im ’ome—or kill ’im if’n they thinks ’e’s a risk.”
“T’ coffin maker’s lad said ’e were—an’ a right nasty piece into t’ bargain,” ventured the lad who’d confronted the apprentice. “’E reckoned ’e’d ’ave ter run if ’is guv’nor found ’e’d talked ter us.” He looked sheepish. “I said we’d find a way ter ’ide ’im if’n ’e did.”
Cuffing the lad playfully round the ear,
