Chapter 9
The spiral stone staircases from Cavern Hole and Great Hall up to the Abbey dormitories needed only the lightest skim with a broom; they were passably clean before Tansy began her chore. It was the stairs above, from dormitory to attics, which intrigued the young hedgehog maid. She swept her broom along the bedroom corridor, glancing nervously to where the upper stairs were situated at the end of the passage. Curving up into the darkness, they looked very forbidding and gloomy. Tansy brushed the first three steps, conscious of the echoing swish her straw broomhead made in the eerie silence. Finally curiosity overcame her fear and, abandoning her work, she gripped the broomhandle like a quarterstave and trod silently, keeping to the broad edge of the spiraling wedges of stone, upward into the dim, dusty attics.
Peering down a passage, Tansy saw a pale shaft of light and crept forward to investigate. She came to a long, low-ceilinged room with light filtering through a high cobwebbed window of chunked crystal. Picking her way through the jumble of musty furniture, Tansy knew she had found the dwelling of Fermald the Ancient. Locating lamp, flint and tinder, the hogmaid soon had better illumination for her exploration. It was a sad and lonely place, furnished by the old squirrel with forgotten odds and ends she had found in this and other attic chambers. Dust rose in a small cloud as Tansy plumped down into a battered armchair.
"Found anything interesting, missie?"
Unable to stifle a shriek, the hedgehog maid leapt up.
Martin and Rollo strode into the attic, followed by Clecky and Gerul. Tansy began stammering and sweeping, avoiding the eyes of the Warrior and the Recorder as she tried to make up excuses. "I was ... er, I just... atting the brushic . .. er, I mean brushing the attic ... !"
Rollo held a sleeve across his nose and mouth, saying, “Will you stop stirring the dust, missie! Put that broom down!"
Martin sat in the armchair, bringing his eyes level with Tansy's. "Why were you sneaking about on the stairs last night, listening in on our conversation?"
The hogmaid fumbled with the corner of her apron. "I wasn't sneaking, sir. I woke up in the sick bay, it was dark and I was hungry. Then I remembered, as you were taking me and Arven back home through the woodlands, you said something about a feast. So I came downstairs; it was very quiet and I heard voices. I peeped around the stairs and saw the feast was over. I couldn't help hearing what you were talking about and I didn't want to disturb you, but then I trod on a plate that some Dibbun had left on the stairs and it broke and clattered down. So I dashed straight back up to bed ..."
Rollo perched on the chair arm. "But you obviously heard all that we said about Graylunk and Fermald and the time they spent together up here."
Tansy stared miserably at the dusty floor. "Yes sir, I couldn't help but hear, it sounded so interesting and exciting, that poem the Abbot recited and all. I wanted to come up here and look for clues. I was only trying to help."
Martin felt sympathetic to the little maid. He patted her paw and said, "Yes, I'm sure you did, Tansy, but there's not much up here to see, is there? A few old sticks of furniture and lots of dust, and you shouldn't be up here really, should you? It was your job to sweep the dormitory stairs. Obedience is one of the first things young 'uns learn at Redwall."
A light of indignation arose in Tansy's eyes. “But I did sweep the dormitory stairs, both flights. You must have noticed that when you came sneaking up here after me. Sir!"
Clecky burst out laughing at the hogmaid's pert reply. "Ha-haharr! She's got y'there, Martin, those stairs looked clean enough t'me, wot! By the left, marm, you're a snippy little 'un an' no mistake!"
Rollo was smiling too. "She's right, Martin, we did come sneaking up here after her; and give Tansy her due, the stairs are well brushed. Righto, missie, your chores are done for the day. Away with you now and play out in the sunlight. Dirty old attics are no place for a pretty one like you on a bright spring day."
Martin took Tansy by the paw, as she seemed reluctant to leave the attic. "Come on, Tansy pansy, I've got another job for you. If I recall rightly this is Abbot Durral's seventh season as Father Abbot of Redwall. Here's a good idea: supposing you and our two guests here went to the kitchens and baked him a surprise cake!"
Clecky rubbed his paws with delight. "I say, what a spiffin' wheeze! I bet ole Abbot Thingummy'd be highly jollificated to get a surprise cake, what d'you think, Gerul?"
The owl blinked furiously. "Aye, that he would, sir. Me ould mother always said, there's nothin' like a surprise when yer not expectin' it, 'tis surprisin' how it can surprise yer!"
Clecky led the way downstairs enthusiastically. "Oh, tickety boo! I've never made a cake before, you'll have t'show me an' Gerul how it's done, young hog m'gel!"
Tansy found herself as excited by the prospect as her companions. "Well, the first thing you need is spotless clean paws, then we'll ask Friar Higgle to give us an oven to ourselves an' a big table. We'll need fruit an' nuts, cream too, lots of it, oh, honey as well, an' a beaker of October ale to go in the mix Father Abbot likes good dark cake, nice an' moist..."
Martin winked at Rollo as the happy voices receded downstairs. "Sounds like fun, shall we go down and watch?"
The Recorder slid from the chair arm into the seat vacated by his friend. "No, you go, Martin. I want to stay up here a bit and have a think and a glance around."
When the attic was quiet, Rollo sat alone in the armchair. He sighed and leaned back, then, closing his eyes, he let his paws stray down the sides of the seat cushion.
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Tansy stood on a stool, checking the ingredients spread around the tabletop next to the oven.
"Hmm, I think that's everything. Gerul, would you tip the flour into the bowl, please? Mister Clecky sir, stop that!"
"Yowch! I say, that jolly well hurt!"
Tansy brandished the wooden mixing spoon under the hare's nose. "Then stop pinching the hazelnuts! They're supposed to go in the cake mix, not into your fat tummy! That's enough flour, Gerul; now you add the greensap milk slowly and Clecky can stir. I'll dribble the honey in bit by bit like this. Oh, and just let me catch you trying to lick that spoon, Clecky flopears!"
The hare stirred vigorously, muttering rebelliously to himself. "Humph! Lick the spoon indeed, bossy little spikebonce, what's the point of makin' a cake if a chap can't lick the bally old spoon once in a while, prickly little slavedriver!"
Hazelnuts, chestnuts, almonds and beechnuts were added to the mix under Tansy's watchful eye, though she missed Gerul taking a quick swig of October ale because she was busy checking on the hare pouring in a small noggin of dark elderberry wine. Friar Higgle chuckled as he watched Tansy's efforts to supervise the gluttonous pair whilst concentrating on her mixture.
"Tch, tch, Gerul, take those dried apple rings off that talon!"
"Mmm, I say, these little purply things are just the job!"
"You villain! Stay away from my dried plums. Mind out, let me get this crystallized fruit in the bowl before you two get your thieving paws into it!"
The cake mix was finally emptied into a circular oven dish that had been lined with thin maple bark soaked in vegetable oil to prevent the cake from sticking. Tansy allowed the hare and owl to place it in the oven whilst she got the covering ready.
Clecky's ears stood up and his nose twitched. "What ho, m'gel, is that cream an' marchpane I see, wot?"
Narrowing her eyes fiercely, Tansy shook the ladle at them both. “Yes it is. Keep your distancego and get more charcoal for the oven firesdo something useful!"