Do you love my son? So much.
Liffey had left the house behind with her head buzzing. Bees were restless beneath her skin. The night was cool on her skin, and the slow walk back to Newharrow did her well while she turned things over in her head. Her foot kicked a small pebble and she followed it along the worn cobblestone, occasionally stopping to kick it again. When it disappeared into the brush, she decidedly left it behind.
She did go to the Inn to speak with Fenley, as she had said she was going to do. Her feet carried her to Bree long afterward, where she held a clutched list in her hand. She bought rations, a new bedroll to replace her old tattered one, and visited the tailor she had commissioned to make her new saddle-bags for her journey. She could not remember a day last when she had spent the evening wrapping up her errands.
Her last stop was an apothecary in her neighborhood even though it was well after business hours. He might be waiting for her at home, and she was putting it off. She stepped inside the small, dusty store and was quietly greeted by the blonde woman behind the counter, who looked upon Liffey with recognition. She gave the woman a second crumpled list and patiently waited while the healer perused her stock, pulling down tinctures, bottles, and herbs while checking the list.
There were usual things, like willowbark and sweetgrass. She collected most things on her own, such as burdock and marshallow roots, but her stores were low and she did not have time to go off foraging. The healer paused on the second to last item on the list, glancing over to Liffey. But she did not say anything, and the healer asked no questions. Gromwell and wild carrot were much harder for Liffey to get her hands on, and she didn't mind shelling out extra silver to have them in her satchel.
When she was finally finished, Liffey paid the healer graciously and left, carrying a small box of things she would need to organize and store away in her satchel later. The cool night air was a relief on her sun-touched cheeks and Liffey was in no hurry to get home. She could feel the wind in her hair, tickling her neck and whispering in her ear.
So much, repeated over and over again in her mind.
