Look,’ Jay said, as the clerk frowned, ‘She is a friend. But I don’t need you to believe me. Here.’ He withdrew five queens from his purse and put them on the desk. ‘An encouragement. But if you’d rather not take it, I’ll tell you now, I don’t need your permission. I can knock on every door in this rest house, disturb all your paying customers. Who knows what chaos I can cause. How many other “pleasant ladies of fine repute” I might encounter.’
