[Primrose Bolger]

‘A messenger,’ thought Prim as she cautiously took the chair he offered. ‘And bound for the Grey Havens.’ Curious, she looked at him closely, wondering what message he could be delivering and to whom. She wanted to ask more questions of him, about his mission and who had sent him and why.

The questions were almost on her lips when she heard her mother’s oft counseled words to her. ‘Don’t be so bold, little honeybee!’ her mother would say laughingly. ‘The flowers will still be there for you to drink your fill tomorrow!’

Instead she admired his map, saying that it had got him this far so it must be good. Her gaffer loved maps and was fond of showing her all that he had collected. She moved her finger westward from Bywater and showed him where the edge of the Shire was. ‘And right over these hills, the Emyn Beraid, is Harlindon. It’s a short ride, then, to the Grey Havens from there.’ She chewed on her lower lip a bit, confessing, ‘Or so I’ve been told.’

She chatted on with him through a flagon of ale on his part and a mug of tea on hers. He mostly listened, his lips curved in a gentle smile, his eyes bright with amusement as she chattered on about her family and Frogmorton and the Inn there. At the end of her mug of tea, she began to yawn midway through her sentences.

‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ she said stifling another yawn. ‘It was an early rise for me and a long day from The Floating Log to here. And here you’ve been so kind to me to let me go on jabbering like this at you. You’ve hardly gotten a word in edgewise!’ Another yawn punctuated this last sentence. ‘I think I’d better go off to my room now. Let’s meet tomorrow morning, Master Gorbaus. I promise to let you talk then!’

Prim got up from her chair and gave a little curtsy to the man. And a wave as she hurried off to the kitchen with her cup and then up to bed.