The next three hours went by in a blur for Louis. The guests seemed keen to make up for the two weeks the inn had been closed and the orders for drinks had come thick and fast, forcing the novice bartender to play catch up for much of the night. Fortunately for him, they seemed only too happy to accept Steph’s apologies on his behalf.

“The idea of being indebted to her frustrates you, doesn’t it?” Carla asked with an amused smile.

Louis scowled and the woman sipped at her eighth glass of top shelf whiskey that night, hating that she was right. “How are you going to pay for your drinks? Haven’t you promised all your silver to that… to her.”

The boy cursed himself, remembering his promise not to reveal her secret. But hadn’t she already revealed herself in taking Carla up on her offer? His deliberations were interrupted by Winston stepping out from the kitchen and calling, “My friends, I apologize for its simplicity, but dinner is ready. Barley soup, anyone?”

“Hooray!” the guests cheered, and hands shot up around the room.

“Winston, we’re dying of thirst here,” Greg Brewer complained good naturedly. “Why don’t you get behind the bar and let the boy serve the food?”

“I’ll second that!” Calvin Danson cried, holding up his empty cup to emphasise his point.

Red faced, Louis hurried to the kitchen, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. “Don’t let them get to you, you’ll learn,” Winston said, patting Louis compassionately on the shoulder as the boy brushed past him and into the kitchen.

Louis stopped, feeling he had to inform Winston about their unexpected guest. “Oh, by the way, Carla is here, and she has a bet with Steph.”

Winston raised an eyebrow. “Does she now?”

“I didn’t say a word, Mister Weaver,” Louis began. “But she pegged Steph as a thief straight away and challenged her to steal her purse before the night is over.”

Winston nodded thoughtfully as he watched Steph move through the room. “Has she made an attempt yet?”

“Not as far as I can tell,” Louis replied.

“That does sound like an interesting bet,” Winston remarked as he walked towards the bar. “I’d quite like to see how it plays out.”

Louis sighed as a cheer went up when Winston took his place behind the bar and wondered if he would ever get the hang of working the bar. He began ladling porridge into bowls that Winston had set out for him and took a deep breath to gather his courage. To his surprise, Louis was greeted with a loud cheer when he emerged in the main room with a tray full of porridge.

“Over here first, Louis!” Franklin called. “I’m starving!”

“Everyone’s starving, Franklin!” Ogden’s words were slurred as he stood on his chair to shout down at the hunter. “We’ve all missed Winston’s cooking, haven’t we lads?”

“Hooray for Winston! Hooray for Louis, Hooray for the Happily Ever After Inn!” the men roared, causing such a din that it made Louis’ ears ring.

“I’m sorry, I have to work in order, or people are going to be missed,” Louis shouted over the din as he walked towards Nigel who was seated closest to the kitchen.

“Thank you kindly, lad,” Nigel winked as Louis was booed good naturedly by the men seated further away. “It’s good to be back.”

“I feel the same way, Mister Smith,” Louis grinned. It was good to be back in familiar surroundings amongst friends.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Soon, everyone was served. The combination of travelling for half the day, the backbreaking labour of cleaning the inn up, and then the evening’s service had taken its toll, and he wanted to do nothing more than to sink into a chair in the relatively quiet kitchen. However, Steph was still on her feet, wearing a broad smile on her face as she chatted to the guests while she served their drinks, and Louis refused to be shown up by her on her first day.

Remembering how thirsty the guests were, he willed himself to stagger over to the bar and see if he could give his boss a hand. There, he found Winston chatting with Carla, who had moved from whiskey to brandy.

“Are you sure you want to keep drinking?” he blurted. “Don’t you have a wager to win?”

Carla smiled crookedly. “Oh, are you worried your new girlfriend will strike it rich and abandon you on the first day?”

Louis felt the blood rush to his face. “Nonsense. I’d just hate for a theft to occur on the premises.”

Just then, Steph walked past behind Carla and stopped abruptly. On a second look, Louis noticed that Carla was holding Steph’s hand, which was a hairsbreadth away from her pouch in a vice like grip.

Winston smiled. “A valiant effort.”

“You’re encouraging her?” Louis asked, his mouth agape.

Steph scowled. “I don’t know how you’re still sitting on that chair with the amount you’ve drunk.”

“Years of training,” Carla replied with a broad smile. She looked at Steph coyly before continuing. “Would you like to work for me?”

“What’s the pay?” Steph asked quickly as Louis gaped at Carla.

“More than what he’s paying you, I’d wager,” Carla remarked.

“Oh I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Winston said with a faint smile.

Carla arched an eyebrow and shook her head. “Well, it’d be more exciting.”

“Sorry,” Steph said as she picked up a tray full of drinks. “Money talks is what I always say. Come back in two years and I might be interested in listening to your offer.”

Louis watched her walk into the main room with a bright smile on her face, listening patiently to what the guests had to say to her while she served their drinks.

“So, your girlfriend is staying,” Carla remarked mockingly. “Good for you.”

Louis whirled around and spluttered, “I have no interest whatsoever in an uncouth girl like her.”

Carla smiled slyly. “Then why do you look so relieved?”

Winston chuckled softly and Louis felt his ears burn. He whirled around to his boss and managed to squeak, “Is there anything you need help with, Mister Weaver?”

Winston smiled and shook his head. “I think everyone’s been served. You can take over here if you like and I can go sort the kitchen out.”

“Oh no, Mister Weaver, I can do that,” Louis said, wanting desperately to crawl into a hole and hide himself from the world.

“Suit yourself,” Winston said. He then turned to Carla. “Are things that desperate out there that you have to come this far to recruit someone?”

Carla shook her head. “She has potential, so I thought I’d try my luck. The real reason I’m here is because I heard you went down to Estos.”

“That I did,” Winston said. “What of it?”

“I just…” Carla paused and set her eyes on Louis. “I thought you were going to the kitchen.”

The boy blinked, not realizing that he was standing by the bar, openly listening in on the conversation. Carla smirked at him, and at length, he was able to find his words. “Is Mister Weaver in trouble for going to the city?”

“No he isn’t,” Carla replied evenly. She then turned her attention back to the landlord. “So, how was it?”

“Cathartic,” Winston replied simply.

“Will you be going back again?”

Winston’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly. “Will it be a problem if I do?”

Carla shrugged. “It might be, if certain precautions aren’t taken.”

The woman paused before adding. “If you ever want to go to Estos again, stop by the Caring Arms’ Inn first, and tell them I sent you. They’ll know what to do.”

Winston nodded. “Much obliged.”

“Hey Winston,” Ogden called from his table. “Are you done monopolizing that young lady? Why don’t you introduce her to the rest of us?”

Louis blinked and whispered to Winston, “They’ve only just noticed her?”

Winston smiled. “So it seems. Steph has had them rather distracted.”

“Yes, come introduce yourself!” Greg chimed in.

“Sorry gentlemen, but I have to leave,” Carla declared. She placed her pouch on the bar and winked at Winston. “This should cover tonight’s drinks.”

“Thank you for your patronage,” Winston said with a bow of his head. “Can I expect to see more of you in future?”

Carla paused and smiled coyly. “I suppose that depends on you.”

She then ignored the men’s protests and walked out the door, pausing to nod at Steph. When she was gone, the younger lady was the centre of attention again, and Louis turned to his boss. “That was a surprise, wasn’t it. What do you think she wanted?”

“Just to check up on me, I expect,” Winston replied. “Make sure I didn’t scarper after being discovered.”

“I don’t know why you let her stay here,” Louis asked as a new worry sprang into his mind. “You can’t trust her with your secret.”

“Perhaps,” Winston allowed. “With luck, maybe we won’t have to. At least not until we get to know her a little better.”