[Child of the 7th Age]

For the next two hours, Hawthorne ran back and forth from the kitchens to the dining area, carting hot dishes to the tables and inquiring if the guests would like additional food or drink. Despite coming from a wealthy family, Hawthorne was not a lazy hobbit and, like many of her kind, could work very hard if the situation required. She had evidently decided that having a job was preferable to being set adrift on the highways or being ordered to return to Buckland.

This time she tried her hardest. She was polite and friendly to all the guests and heaved up the trays with a cheerful will that suggested she'd been doing it all her life. She even made a point of offering her help to Buttercup, since Ruby had been called away to speak with another guest.

I'm getting the hang of this, she confidently told herself. And I have a good idea how to get menu suggestions! When everyone goes to sleep, I'll post a notice in the Inn, announcing a contest for new recipes ...

In the midst of her happiness, she heard the door of the Common Room fling open with a crash. Glancing over at the entryway, she was shocked to see Dandelion, her servant and companion. Dandelion's dress was thoroughly soaked, wrinkled and streaked with dirt; she had an angry expression upon her face. At Dandelion's shouder stood Samwise Gamgee, the mayor of Hobbiton, and a close friend of Master Merry of Buckland. The Mayor was also staring over in Hawthorne's direction, and he looked quite upset, as if he'd caught one of his own daughters with her hand in the cookie jar.

Dandelion stepped forward and, with a commanding tone that she did not generally use with her employer, bellowed out for all to hear, "Mistress Hawthorne Brandybuck, please come here at once! You and I have something to discuss."

Her cheeks reddened with embarassment, Hawthorne set down her tray of dishes and slunk over to the door.