[Primrose Bolger]

‘No ma’am,’ came the courteous reply from Primrose, followed by a giggle. The baby had latched onto her finger and was bent on stuffing it in her mouth. Aman scooped the little one from her arms, saying it was her turn, and Prim drew nearer to Cook.

‘Pearly and Wilcome are my aunt and uncle,’ she said, watching as Cook took a single, long vanilla bean pod and buried it in one of the big sugar canisters. ‘Wilcome is my Dad’s older brother. My parents moved to Budgeford just before I was born, to be near my Mother’s family.’ She caught a whiff of the sweet vanilla scent from Cook's hands. Delicious, she thought, then turned her attention back to details of her family. 'It's Larkspur and Tomlin Bolger who are my Mother and Father.'

Prim’s brow furrowed as Cook took the canister and put it in the back of the baking cupboard. She was dying to know why Cook had buried the rather ugly looking bean in the sugar, but didn’t wish to seem impolite. Try as she might she couldn’t recall her Mother ever having vanilla beans.

She was just on the verge of asking the question when, of its own accord, her stomach brought up another topic of looming importance, evidenced by its rumbling and grumbling. Her cheeks crimsoned as the others took note of her. It was a long trip from Frogmorton to Bywater, she offered in explanation, and lunch had seemed hours ago, and a small one at that.

The savory aroma of roasting beef and steaming vegetables had been prickling at the edges of her consciousness, and now with the urgings of her empty stomach, became quite overwhelming. She pulled out her little coin pouch, a pretty little embroidered thing she had done herself, and fished out a few coins the Innkeeper from the Floating Log had given her.

‘Something smells delicious she said, sniffing the air appreciatively. ‘Do you think I might get a plateful and a mug of cider?’