“Right you are. That’s why we need a dog.”
Another abrupt change of subject and suddenly I had lost grasp of the entire conversation. “A dog?”
“Yup, a mean, noisy one that will warn us of sneakers around our camp.”
“Sneakers?” Even I was tired of my stupid, incipient questions, most of which simply repeated the same words Tater used.
“People sneaking around trying to get close enough to hurt or steal from us.”
I considered the convoluted conversation, and it actually made sense. That alone should have worried me. I’d asked about where we were sleeping and ended up admitting we needed a dog. One logical step led to the next. Tater was beginning to impress me.
He said, “Besides, you and I got some business to take care of tonight, so we got to stop up here at a farm. The man’s got three strapping sons, and you have the coin to pay for our needs.”
“Some in my purse,” I reluctantly admitted, wondering how much information to share with a man who went by the name of Tater. I considered what magic could be used to help me discern his objectives, but there are times when directness is the best choice.
“Go back and tell them to keep on going on this road and we’ll catch up in a bit.” With that, Tater turned down a lane that wound around a pond and to the front of a farmhouse that looked like it had been a cabin that had grown in all directions at different times. The front part of the roof differed from the rear, and on the left side, a third roof with a different pitch had recently been added.
A barn stood near three storage sheds. The barn looked in better shape than the house. I relayed the message to the girls and confessed to having no knowledge of what Tater was up to. Elizabeth just grinned and told me to catch up with him if I wanted to know. Kendra giggled as I turned Alexis and kicked her in the ribs.
We arrived at the same time, where a farmer emerged and called over his shoulder, “Marge? Get yer butt out here. We got some company.”
A thin worrisome woman stepped onto the porch, wringing her hands. Her nervousness was contagious, at least for me. When I glanced to one side, two very large young men stood five or six paces from me. I had no idea of where they had come from, but other than a shovel in the hands of one, they were not carrying weapons and didn’t appear upset.
Tater didn’t dismount. He said without preamble, “We got two women traveling with us. We’ll set up camp at Cushing Creek, and want to hire a pair of your boys to look out for us. Not that we’re expecting trouble, but one of them is Princess Elizabeth.”
“The price just went up,” the farmer said.
“Understood,” Tater replied evenly. “Your boys should be paid more than if it was just two regular women. We also want a dog.”
“Buy or rent?”
“Depends. If it does a good job, I’ll buy.”
The conversation was stilted and awkward, as if the two men didn’t like each other, but were not enemies. The feeling I had was that could change at any moment. The woman had developed a tic. Her right eye flickered. She didn’t touch it.
“What do you want the dog for? Meaning what kind do you want? Guard or attack?”
“Well, we want one that bites people wishing to do us harm, and that would be welcome, but a barker will do,” Tater said all that as if his words made sense.
The farmer turned to the boys. “Get mounted and go catch up with those two women. Tell Rafi to bring Springer out here.”
Tater said, “The cost?”
“Five?”
“Three,” Tater said. “Four, if I decide to buy.”
“My boys be back tomorrow to do their chores by mid-morning?”
“They will,” Tater said. “We’ll pay extra if we need them longer.”
A third boy, one much younger, walked from the barn leading a one-eared mutt at his heels. The dog was small, dark-brown with a little black saddle. It was barking in a high-pitched manner as it danced back and forth with excitement. The missing ear had recently healed. The wound on its back leg hadn’t.
The farmer said, “As you can see, Springer isn’t scared of a good fight. He raises hell at anything he doesn’t like. That about what you want?”
Tater noticed me pulling my purse free and held out his hand to stall me. He selected three of my copper coins and handed them to the farmer as he said, “We’ll keep the dog for a while. we’ll stop by on our return and let you know our decision.”
The boy called Rafi handed Tater a fistful of smoked meat scraps. “Just let him get the scent of them, and he’ll follow you anywhere.”
Tater accepted the dog treats and leaned closer. He tossed one to the dog. Springer caught it in the air and looked for more. “Come on Springer, you can have another in a while.”
We rode back down the lane and onto the road, and Tater rewarded the dog with another scrap tossed its way. I watched the two boys who were really husky young men. I’d expected them to walk, but instead, they had pushed aside the luggage and sat on the rear of the carriage swinging their legs and grinning as they rode. They wouldn’t be up there if Elizabeth hadn’t invited them. I said to Tater, as we took up our positions ahead of the carriage, “Sort of an odd conversation back there.”
Tater shrugged. After riding for a while, he relented and said, “Families are sometimes like that.”
“Family?” I’d had no idea.
“Brother. We don’t see one another much.”
“He lives close. Why not?” For me, with only a sister as my list of relatives, I cherished the idea of family.
“We don’t like each other. Never have.”
I decided to leave it at that. Immediately coming to mind in importance, right after my rule about never grousing at maids and cooks, comes my rule about never taking sides in family arguments.
Tater tossed another bit of meat and Springer snatched it from the air again as he trotted behind the big horse. I said, “You told me we have business tonight. What did that mean?”
“You and me. It’s why we paid for my nephews to watch over your women. Not just anybody rides the king’s horses. Royalty does. People who are used to sleeping inside.”
“And you think the pair who rode ahead might stay at the inn tonight.”
“Count on it. That’s the only inn they can reach today. And we’re going to find out who.”
We rode along in a sort of quiet companionship mode, me thinking and him spitting and feeding treats to the dog now and then. My thoughts centered on the education Elizabeth had insisted we have, and the long days of studying with the best teachers in the palace. It had covered all the classic subjects, and a few Elizabeth had insisted upon that royals didn’t normally study. I was the smartest person I knew. Yet, in the end, Tater, an uneducated sorry excuse for a man, was teaching me.
My pride was wounded. More than that, I refused to admit to myself that a man called Tater could teach me so many things in such a short time, or that he had insights that escaped me. I shook my head to clear it and decided to try harder.
The road cut a narrow swath through a thick hardwood forest broken by a few farms and pastures. People waved as they paused in their work, a dog raced out to challenge Springer and ran home with its tail between its legs after Springer savagely attacked it. It had protected Tater and me. That’s what we wanted, and he’d barked enough to convince me he was worth the four copper coins, despite his lopsided looks. The one ear stuck straight up, the other didn’t exist.
Late in the day, a few buildings stood clumped together ahead in the distance. “What’s that up there?”
“Place called Cushing Corners, but there’s no corner, and I don’t know of anyone called Cushing to name it after. Just a few farms and houses. The Red Ox Inn would be on our right when we passed it if we stayed on this road.”