Major Beamish, Bert’s father, was head of the Royal Guard. A handsome, cheerful
man who rode a steel-grey horse, he accompanied King Fred, Lord Spittleworth, and
Lord Flapoon on their hunting trips, which usually happened five times a week. The king liked Major Beamish, and he also liked Bert’s mother, because Bertha Beamish was the king’s own private pastry chef, a high honour in that city of world-class bakers. Due to Bertha’s habit of bringing home fancy cakes that hadn’t turned out
absolutely perfectly, Bert was a plump little boy, and sometimes, I regret to say, the
other children called him ‘Butterball’ and made him cry.
Bert’s best friend was Daisy Dovetail. The two children had been born days apart, and
acted more like brother and sister than playmates. Daisy was Bert’s defender against
bullies. She was skinny but fast, and more than ready to fight anyone who called Bert
‘Butterball’.
