[piosenniel]

The Inn was quiet, the yard deserted. Gilly looked up to where the chimney at the rear of the roof was. Good! There was a thin stream of smoke drifting up into the pale sky. If the cook here were anything like Cook at the Green Dragon, she would have been up already for several hours with her baking, and would just be settling in for a cup of strong tea before the morning rush began.

To her right, there was a single light in the stable, shining out through the open window. The hostler, too, would be up, going from stall to stall seeing to his charges. It gave her some hope that in the craziness of the last hours, the daily wheel of routine rolled on in the Shire.

Stoatie gripped her hard at the elbow, hissing low at her as they climbed the steps not to try anything funny. It was all she could do not to cry out at his hurtful touch, but she bit her lip and hugged the little girly tightly, remembering that the awful Shifty held her brother.

They entered the Common Room, and Gilly could feel Stoatie push up against her now, the sharp tip of his knife concealed in the folds of his cloak. He nodded toward the grey haired Hobbit who stood behind the bar, a clean white rag in one hand, polishing a tray of mugs. ‘Git over there and see if she’ll get you what you need. Get us some food, too, while you’re at it. Have her pack us a basket, so’s Shifty can eat, too.’

Stoatie nudged her with his knife, pushing her forward.

‘Your pardon, ma’am,’ said Gilly as she approached the woman, trying to keep the quaver out of her voice. ‘My partner and I are bound for Deephallow, to trade some goods for mushrooms and Marish mead. We’ve been traveling a long while and we’re hungry.’

The woman looked out the front window of the Inn and raised an eyebrow slightly at the girl’s story. ‘Trade goods, eh?’ she thought to herself. ‘Well I wonder where their wagon is. The girl looks nervous, and that Man she’s with is a nasty piece of work, if I’ve ever seen one.’ She moved nearer the counter, putting her hand to the stout cudgel her husband kept under the bar.

The little girl whimpered, and Gilly bent her head to her, patting her on the back in an attempt to quiet her down. The woman’s face softened at the sight, though she kept one eye on Stoatie. ‘Here let me hold the wee babe! I’ve got a way with the little ones.’ She reached out for the girl, and Stoatie ground his teeth in irritation.

‘Asphodel Bracegirdle,’ said the woman, running her finger along the baby’s soft cheek. ‘My husband’s Rory, the Innkeeper.’ She looked at Gilly. ‘And you are?’ Stoatie cleared his throat at this question and glowered at Gilly from under his hood. ‘Rose,’ she stuttered, ‘Rose Goodchild and this is . . .’

The baby turned her head eagerly toward stroking finger, seeking it with her mouth. Asphodel, distracted, did not press further for Stoatie’s name. ‘Ah, you’re hungry little one. Where’s her bottle,’ she asked looking up at Gilly.

Gilly’s mind worked furiously. ‘We had an accident with the basket that held some of the supplies. It fell off the cart. The babies’ bottles broke.’ She smiled ingratiatingly at Asphodel. ‘Would you by any chance have a couple I could buy from you?’

Asphodel carried the baby toward the door into the kitchen. She propped it open with one foot and yelled in. ‘Salvia! We’ve got some hungry customers here. Bring ‘em a couple of plates. And those bottles we keep for the babies, warm some milk and fill ‘em up for the wee ones we’ve got visiting.’

Stoatie glared at her, and clenched his fists. He didn’t like that she had the baby, and now she was talking about two of ‘em. Gilly blanched, too, at the mention of two babies, and said she must be mistaken - it was just the little girl who needed the bottle.

‘Oh, is that so?’ said Asphodel, lifting her chin to nod at the door behind them. ‘Then who’s that?’

There stood Shifty in the doorway, looking dumbfounded at the squalling bundle he held at arms’ length in front of him. ‘I can’t stand it no more, boss!’ he whined, thrusting the screaming infant at Stoatie. ‘The kid won’t stop squawking and he’s wet to boot. Here! You take him!’ The vein at Stoatie’s temple throbbed viciously as he took in the situation and felt his control slowly slipping away.

Gilly ran between the two men and took the baby from Shifty. ‘Here, I’ll take care of him.’ Asphodel stepped up to her side. ‘You two gentlemen just take a seat and Salvia will have some food for you in just a moment. Rose, bring the baby over here, and we’ll get them both changed.

Stoatie kept his eye on the two women, and Gilly could see his hand on the hilt of his knife. She got out clean diapers and a little blanket to lay on the table that Asphodel indicated they would use. They were near to finishing up when Salvia blew in loudly from the kitchen with the plates of food and chatted up the two men. ‘Are you alright?’ whispered Asphodel. As she slipped a clean gown over the girl’s head.

‘Girl! You done with them babies yet?’ growled Stoatie, his mouth half full of ham and biscuit. ‘Get over here and get something to eat. We got to get going.’

‘I’m almost done!’ she called back to him. He and Shifty went back to stuffing their faces, and Gilly leaned in close to Asphodel as she scooped up the boy. ‘The name is Gilly,’ she whispered. ‘Someone will be looking for us. Give her this.’ She thrust the wadded up square of cloth into Asphodel’s hands. ‘And tell her Fern’ys place . . .’

Stoatie had gotten up from the table by then, suspicious of the two women with their heads together. ‘Shifty’s done,’ he said, ‘and so am I. We got business to be takin’ care of. Haul yourself and them out the door now.’ He grabbed the bottles of milk with leather nipples from the cook, and shoved them into the pockets of his cloak, and hurried Gilly out the door, Shifty trailing in his wake.

Shifty shoved her roughly up onto the horse’s back and thrust the babies at her. ‘Keep ‘em quiet,’ he threatened her. ‘I can’t stand another minute of one of them bawlin.’

She settled them in against her in her improvised sling, and propped the bottles for them to feed. ‘Please Pio,’ she whispered to herself, ‘Find us soon.’

Stoatie slapped her horse into a quick pace and took the lead, shouting at Shifty to make sure she kept up the pace . . .