Nicko escorted Toby to the flap in the tent that acted as a door. Outside, Hyde Park was a hub of activity. A flat area of grassland had been transformed into a travellers’ village where Nicko’s group were stationed. A giant ring of painted wagons and fur-covered tents surrounded a massive bonfire. Opposite them, a black and red circus Big Top had been erected, surrounded by fiery torches. The sound of an audience murmured from within.
Dozens of children, some very young and others almost adults, bustled around the camp, chatting and squeezing into costumes of all varieties. Some spoke in a strange language to each other, with elegant, lilting intonations that sounded graceful to Toby. It was unlike any dialect he had heard spoken around the workhouse. He wanted to hear more. However, whe
