[piosenniel]

24 Lótessë

Prim swept through the swinging kitchen doors like a mother duck, her ducklings in tow. It was early morning at the Inn, and she had a busy day planned for them. She rattled off instructions and timelines. They nodded their heads ‘yes’ as she looked back at them, then eyed one another as she turned away.

‘Are we expecting a lot of guests at the Inn?’ whispered Ruby to Buttercup. Buttercup shrugged her shoulders in response. Prim stopped dead in her tracks, and turned hands on hips. ‘Have you two not been listening closely?’ she asked in exasperation. ‘Today we are expecting a good number of tradesmen to come through from the south and east, bringing the wares we need to carry us through a few more months. Those parties will be staying at the Inn, and I want to make sure they are comfortable and happy – it will make bargaining with them all the more easy.’

The sound of a cleaver rapidly hitting the wood of the shopping block was a loud staccato as they entered the room. Cook’s arm moved furiously up and down on a piece of much mutilated, and now unrecognizable meat. Her face was an angry mask of concentration as her arm delivered blow after unrelenting blow.

Ruby and Buttercup hung back, their eyes wide with worry. Prim approached Cook and heard her muttering imprecations with each chop. She reached out her arm and touched Cook on the back, then stepped back apace as the wild-eyed woman turned on her, cleaver raised for another blow.

‘Vinca Bunce! It’s me. Primrose Bolger.’ She gasped a little in surprise as fat tears fell from Cool’s eyes. ‘What’s happened?’

Cook lowered her arm, and the cleaver clattered to the floor. She walked slowly to the table and sat heavily down. Prim, Ruby, and Buttercup drew round her, concerned. A few silent moments passed, then cook spoke.

She reminded them about her news a while ago from Ferdibrand – that certain Men in Bree were grumbling and angry about their ‘unfair lot’ since the new King had come into power. How they’d been ‘cheated’ out of what was their due in the Shire because they could no longer enter as they wanted. Now it seems that some Men had sneaked into the Shire and were working mischief again.

‘And not just little mischief, Prim,’ she sniffed, wiping her eyes with her apron. ‘I heard from one of the tradesmen just come through the Eastfarthing on the Great Road. There’s been two children kidnapped there.’ There was a sharp intake of breath from all three listeners.

‘Where?’ asked Buttercup, in a thin whisper.

‘One from Whitfurrows. And the other from Budge Ford.’ Prim took the chilled hands of Cook in hers and squeezed them, as much for her own comfort as to reassure the other woman.

Cook turned her teary face to Prim. ‘He didn’t know the name of the little one taken in Budge Ford. My son lives there, with his family. I have a little grandson . . .’ Her worried voice trailed off, not wanting to say what she feared.

Prim murmured a few soothing words to Cook, then bade Ruby get her a strong cup of tea with a generous drop of the special ‘medicine’ kept in the cupboard above the sink. Buttercup, she directed to clean up the cutting board and get the noon meal started. ‘Leftovers, will have to do if that’s all you can manage.’

Leaving the Inn and Cook to the ministrations of the two, Prim took off her apron and hung it hastily on the peg by the back kitchen door. She jammed her straw hat on her head and strode quickly to the stables.

‘Hob Hamfast!’ she yelled, and his face quickly appeared, looking somewhat surprised, from the interior of the stable. ‘Saddle me up one of the ponies, Hob. I’m riding to the Locks to pay Halfred Whitfoot a visit.’