Tansy Lofts

Tansy Lofts
Biographical Information
Born	227 HE
Nationality	Tortallan
Physical Description
Gender	Female
Hair	Blond
Eyes	Blue
Family Information
Husband	Herun Lofts
Children	Rolond Lofts † Joy Lofts
Other Family	Ammon Lofts † (grandfather-in-law) Annis Lofts (mother-in-law)
Affilliation
Rank	Commoner
Residence	Crookshank's House Mutt Piddle Lane
Bibliographical Information
Universe	Tortallan Universe character
First Appeared	Terrier
Last Appeared	Mastiff

Tansy Lofts is a childhood-friend of Rebakah Cooper. She is married to Herun Lofts and thus the granddaughter-in-law of Crookshank. Tansy lost her first child to the Shadow Snake, but she had another baby only months later. It's through Tansy that Beka first learns of false coins being passed around in late 247 HE.

Biography

Early life

As she is three years older than Beka, her year of birth most probably is 227 HE. They both lived together on Mutt Piddle Lane and often played together when they were little. Deirdry Noll didn't particularly like Tansy then because the girl used to steal her goods, which meant loss of income for Deirdry, who had to remake the goods when they were specially ordered. Thus Mistress Noll used to chase Tansy with her broom while Tansy mocked her.

Marriage and family

Tansy married Herun Lofts when she was sixteen years old, leaving Mutt Piddle Lane behind and becoming a respectable woman. However, her family turned her out for it. They had a son, Rolond Lofts, who was kidnapped and killed by the Shadow Snake in March of 246 HE. In the summer of 246 HE (probably around July/August), Tansy gave birth to a second child, Joy Lofts.

Tansy's grandfather-in-law, Ammon Lofts, gives her quite a hard time at his house as she isn't to see old friends form the Cesspool and he is cruel as a grandfather. He even threatens to make her loose her unborn child when Herun is kidnapped by the Shadow Snake so the Snake can't use the child against him. After this Tansy leaves her in-laws's house and seeks refuge with Beka.

While living at Crookshank's house she learns proper behavior and speech like a respectable woman. However, she still knows the habits and language of the Lower City, which helps her at getting along with the Ashmiller children, when all of them find refuge with Beka.

In early April of 246 HE she heard the ghost of her dead son when she touched Beka while Rolond's pigeon was about. Since then she sees pigeons with different eyes and can't help but wonder if and whose ghost the pigeon carries.

She gave birth to a second child in summer that year, Joy. Together with her husband and mother-in-law she worked hard to make their business an honest one and to give it a good name after the death of her grandfather-in-law.

By summer of 249 HE Tansy and Herun had at least one other child.

Personality and traits

"Tansy was so much happier, and sillier, before Rolond was killed. After, she had learned to keep secrets."

—Rebakah Cooper about Tansy

Tansy has a very emotional character and is prone to tears. Whenever she is agitated she slips back into her native Lower City cant instead of speaking the Upmarket speech she learned upon her marriage with Herun.

She stole from the baker in their neighbourhood, Deirdry Noll, when she was a child and still lived in Mutt Piddle Lane together with Beka. Her grandfather-in-law, Ammon Lofts and the Shadow Snake however manage to intimidate her.

When her son Rolond is killed by the Shadow Snake she is sinking into her grief and even refuses to eat although this isn't good for her or her unborn second child. It is not before Beka gets stern with her that Tansy is sensible again and continues to eat.

When not thinking about her dead child and missing husband and when she is away from her grandfather-in-law, Tansy can also show another side of herself. She isn't at all weepy when she handles the Ashmiller children or snaps at Rosto the Piper. Her pert behaviour with them might also be caused by the fact that she is in the Lower City again and surrounded by Lower City natives, where such a behaviour is nothing special at all.

After the death of Crookshank she and her mother-in-law, Annis Lofts, manage to build their own business up.

She likes to sew a distinct dragon and flower pattern. She never admits to having said something false or spoken too hasty; a trait she already had on Mutt Piddle Lane.

Physical description

When Tansy first meets Herun around 242 HE she is described as having "curls and dimples and bright eyes". Her eyes are blue and she has blond hair. Mistress Noll says about her that Tansy was "pretty as a flower" even in her childhood.

Appearances

Tansy appears in Terrier and in Bloodhound. In both novels she is crucial to the plot as she gives Beka the first hints of illegal doings. In Terrier Beka learns of the Shadow Snake through Tansy and her dead son; in Bloodhound a baker catches her with false coins, which she tells Beka. She also appeared shortly in the last installment of the Provost's Dog trilogy, Mastiff.