Chapter 19. Into Thin Air

 ‘Where did Rosemary go?’ Paladin said, returning with Pippin, both bearing refreshments for Paladin's wife and daughters. ‘The dancing will be starting soon.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Perhaps she went to change into something more suitable.’ Although Pearl, too, wore a fancy gown such as the Smials Tooks seemed to favour—the farmer had learned how to avert his eyes from the worst—a shawl of lace had been folded round her shoulders and bosom and fixed to her dress in a way that was both pretty, and reassuring to her father. In point of fact, in order to have the concealing lace added in time she’d been sewn into the dress! ...and would have to be cut out again. She blessed Cori the dressmaker for the last-minute alteration.

 ‘The Talk is that Ferdi collapsed when the Yule log was lit, and she accompanied him back to the infirmary,’ Pearl said. She looked about the crowded room for Isumbold, but he was nowhere to be seen. So much for the first dance.

 ‘Collapsed?’ Eglantine said in shock. ‘Over the lighting of a fire?’

 ‘They’ve been very careful to keep open fires from him,’ Pearl answered. ‘He doesn’t even have a fire in his room, just a covered brazier with hot coals for warmth.’

 ‘Poor lad,’ Paladin shook his head. ‘Poor, benighted boy.’

The musicians finished tuning their instruments and soon struck up a lively melody. Paladin shook off his sorrow and bowed to his wife. ‘If I may have this dance, my lady?’ he said.

 ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ Eglantine smiled, and placing her hand in her husband’s the two moved into the form.

 ‘If I may have this dance, my lady?’ Pip echoed, bowing before Pearl.

 ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ Pearl said, taking his hand.

 ‘The first dance is the most important, you know,’ Pippin said as they joined a set.

 ‘Of course it is,’ Pearl answered. ‘That’s why I’m dancing it with you!’ She was rewarded by the look in her little brother’s eyes. What need had she of the head of escort?

Looking about, she saw that Pimpernel and Pervinca were dancing together, part of a set of young girls, for it would be unseemly for them at such a tender age to dance with grown hobbits, and the lads their age were too shy to ask for a dance, or else not yet old enough to find girls of interest.

Pearl danced next with her father, and then with each of her sisters, declining with a smile the eager hobbits hovering nearby. As she finished a dance with Vinca, her father came up to her, Isumbold at his side.

 ‘Pearl, this hobbit has asked my permission to dance with you, and I’ve given it,’ Paladin said. ‘If you wish to dance with him, that is.’

 ‘Indeed, Father,’ Pearl said. She twinkled at Isum. Clever of him, to enlist her father. He’d gain Paladin’s approval, and buffer any hurt feelings Pearl might harbour for his missing the promised first dance.

As they danced, Isum caught her up on the news of Ferdi’s collapse and Hally’s illness. ‘What a pity,’ Pearl said. ‘I know Hally was looking forward to roasting bacon and mushrooms over the Yule log.’

 ‘He’d probably fall asleep in the middle of it,’ Isum said. ‘I don’t know when last he and his father slept.’

Watching the dancers, Ferumbras was soothing his mother. ‘Rosemary need not dance the night through,’ he said. ‘If she prefers to spend the evening in her brother’s company, who am I to gainsay her?’

 ‘She’ll have to put her brother aside soon enough,’ Lalia snapped. ‘She’ll have other duties, other responsibilities.’ She grumbled, ‘Who are you, indeed?’

 ‘No announcement has been made,’ Ferumbras pointed out calmly. ‘I have not that sort of influence over her as of yet. It would be ridiculous for me, as Thain, to order her from her brother’s side.’

 But as her husband you’d have every right, Lalia wanted to retort. She bit back the words with difficulty. They would observe the niceties. She liked to do things correctly, after all. Of course, her own husband had never been able to tell her what to do, but Rosemary was a sweet, biddable child and would give Ferumbras, with his mild ways, little trouble.

Gundy stifled another yawn. Ferumbras said, ‘Ah, Gundavar, you’ve had little sleep the past fortnight. We ought to send you off to your bed.’

 ‘It has not yet struck middle night,’ Mistress Lalia protested.

 ‘Have pity, Mother,’ Ferumbras said. ‘The hobbit is asleep on his feet.’

 ‘Very well,’ Lalia said ungraciously. ‘I release you, Gundavar, and thank you for your company. Sleep well.’

 ‘Thank you, Mistress,’ Gundavar said promptly, bowing to Lalia, and then to the Thain. ‘Very kind of you, I’m sure.’ He left before the Mistress could change her mind and call after him.

He went directly to the infirmary where Bittersweet and Hellebore were still sharing a pot of tea. ‘How’s Hally?’ he asked.

 ‘Sleeping peacefully the last time I looked,’ Bittersweet said. ‘Still feverish, I’m afraid, but I’m hoping it’s merely a cold and naught worse. Would you like me to sit with him this night, so that you may go to your rest?’

 ‘No,’ Gundy said. ‘I’ll sit with him. He’s my son, after all.’ He declined a cup of tea, was shown to Hally’s room, and after spreading an extra blanket upon the floor, he laid himself down and fell quickly to sleep.

He was awakened by an uproar in the corridor. He cracked the door open to find hobbits rushing to and fro. He slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him. ‘How’s Hally?’ Bittersweet said, stopping on seeing him.

 ‘Asleep,’ Gundy said. ‘Seems he’s got a heavy cold, as you suspected. What’s the flurry about?’

 ‘Rosemary’s gone missing,’ Bittersweet said.

 ‘Missing!’ Gundy exclaimed.

 ‘That’s right!’ Hellebore said, stopping to talk. Her eyes were bright with excitement. ‘Isumbold came to escort her to breakfast, and we’d let her sleep a bit, only to find it wasn’t her in the bed!’

 ‘Wasn’t her in the bed?’ Gundy echoed, confusion replacing surprise on his face.

 ‘No!’ Hellebore hissed. ‘She’d laid bolsters in the bed to look like a body sleeping. She left a note with Ferdinand to say she was running away, and it looks as if she has, for no one’s seen sight of her since Bittersweet tucked her in last night!’

 ‘I don’t know what we’re to tell the Mistress,’ Bittersweet said worriedly, washing her hands together in her distraction. ‘I’ve sent servants to search every nook and corner of the Smials, in hopes they’ll find the girl hiding. I cannot imagine her going out into the snowstorm we had last night!’

 ‘Snowstorm?’ Gundy asked.

 ‘It snowed knee-deep in the night,’ Hellebore said. ‘If the girl went out and didn’t find shelter, she could be frozen stiff even now!’

 ‘Let us not borrow trouble,’ Bittersweet said severely.

 ‘Why would she run away?’ Tansy said. She’d stopped on seeing the little knot of discussion before Hally’s door.

 ‘Word is—’ Hellebore dropped her voice. ‘Word is she’s pledged to marry the Thain.’

 ‘Not possible!’ Tansy sputtered. ‘Why, she’s only a child.’

 ‘I’m only telling you what the Talk is,’ Hellebore said huffily. ‘Believe it or not, it’s your choice.’

 ‘Well I don’t believe it,’ Tansy said. ‘I’ve been tending Ferdinand ever since he was brought here after the fire, and he’s said naught about such business to me!’

 ‘Have it your own way,’ Hellebore retorted.

 ‘Hush! Both of you!’ Bittersweet scolded. ‘There’s a sick hobbit behind that door.’ She tapped on the door and stuck her head in. ‘Hally?’ she said softly. ‘Are you awake?’ No answer came from the bed. Closing the door again, she said, ‘Good, at least you didn’t wake him with your fuss and bother. Go on, the two of you, and see if you can put together a breakfast tray for the woodcarver and his son.’

 ‘Thankee, I’m mighty obliged,’ Gundy said.

When the woodcarver brought the breakfast tray out of Hally’s room later, Hellebore was happy to catch him up with the talk. ‘They’re searching the Great Smials,’ she said, ‘every storeroom, every empty room, hoping it was just a girlish fancy for her to hide herself away. They’ve asked young Ferdi, but the poor lad hardly seems aware of anything or anyone, and of course Ferdinand knows naught more than the note Rosie left on his pillow.’

 ‘What if she left the Smials?’ Gundy said.

 ‘Riders have gone out on every road,’ Hellebore said. ‘Knocking on farmers’ doors, asking if a lass took shelter in the night... we’ll hear something soon, I hope.’

 ‘As do I,’ Gundy answered. ‘I hate to think of that poor lass out in the cold, alone.’

 ‘How’s Hally?’ Hellebore asked.

 ‘Sleeping,’ Gundy said. ‘Best thing for a cold.’

 ‘Would you like me to sit with him?’ Hellebore offered.

 ‘No, thank you kindly,’ Hally responded. ‘Healer Bittersweet is sitting with him at the moment, very kind of her, for he really doesn’t need a watcher but I could not dissuade her. In any event, I have a little business to take care of.’

 ‘We always have watchers by the bedside of a sick Took,’ Hellebore said smugly. ‘It’s the only way to keep them abed.’

Gundy nodded, repressing his opinion of Tooks in general. After thanking her once more for the breakfast, he took his leave.

Knocking on the door of the Thain’s study, he was admitted at once.

 ‘Any news of the girl?’ Ferumbras snapped, not looking up from the map he was perusing with the head of escort.

 ‘I was about to ask you the same,’ Gundy said mildly.

 ‘O Gundavar, I beg your pardon,’ Ferumbras said. ‘I thought you were one of the searchers reporting in.’

 ‘No, just a lone woodcarver come to ask a boon of the Thain,’ Gundy said.

 ‘What boon?’ Ferumbras said, straightening.

 ‘Hally’s ill, you know,’ Gundy began.

 ‘Yes, I was about to ask after him,’ Ferumbras said. ‘How is he?’

 ‘Naught but a cold, but he’s miserable as you can imagine,’ Gundy said.

 ‘I can imagine.’

 ‘He’s only a tween, you know, been away from home and mother for two-and-a-half months, and he’s that homesick. He’s not dangerously ill, but he is in misery and wants his mother.’ Gundy had prepared this argument for Lalia, who would understand such a thing and whose motherly sympathies would be stirred, but she was not in evidence. He didn’t want to improvise and perhaps suffer a slip of the tongue, so he kept to the well-rehearsed little speech. ‘I’d like to take him home with me now, if you would release us.’

 ‘I have no hold on you,’ Ferumbras said. ‘You’ve finished the task you were hired to do and received your pay.’

Gundy smiled, feeling again the roll of papers tucked securely into his clothing. ‘Yes, Sir,’ he said. ‘I just didn’t want to up and leave, like. Seemed a bit rude, and then with the excitement this morning...’

 ‘I see,’ Ferumbras said. ‘Very thoughtful of you.’ He looked back to Isumbold. ‘Have one group follow the track towards Tookbank—and have you sent anyone to Ferdinand’s old hole? She might have taken herself off home when everything got to be too much for her.’

 ‘Baragrim and Palabard rode in that direction,’ Isumbold replied. ‘I’ll send off the next few teams and report back to you.’

 ‘Do that,’ Ferumbras said, and turned back to the woodcarver. ‘Go with grace,’ he said. ‘You’ve made Mother very happy with your carving.’

 ‘Thank you, Sir,’ Gundy said with a bow.

 ‘Keep your eyes open as you go along,’ the Thain said in parting. ‘Watch out for young Rosemary.’

 ‘Rest assured that I will,’ Gundy said. With another bow he took his leave.

Back in the infirmary, he was in for an argument with the head healer. ‘You oughtn’t to take him out in the cold,’ Bittersweet said.

 ‘What if we muffle him up well?’ Gundy said. ‘It’s only one day’s ride home, after all.’

 ‘An awfully long day,’ the healer said, glaring at him.

 ‘What if we break up the journey, spend the night at the Crowing Cockerel? That’s about halfway,’ Gundy said. ‘The lad’s miserable, for sure, but he’s not dangerously ill. He just wants home and mother, and I cannot blame him. There’s no better place to be ill than in your own bed.’

 ‘Well,’ Bittersweet said slowly. ‘I suppose—if you muffle him well.’ She looked to Hellebore, who’d been hovering to hear the argument. ‘Seek out a good, thick hat and muffler,’ she said. ‘And I’m sure we can spare a heavy cloak. I want no chance of the lad taking a chill along the way.’ To Gundy, she said, ‘You can send the things back to the Smials by post, if you like, or keep them as an extra bonus for a job well done.’

 ‘We’ll send them back as quick as we can,’ Gundy responded. He patted his shirt. ‘I’ve got my pay right here.’