13: Pervinca’s Gift

Pervinca spent the night in Pippin’s room. Fortunately, he did not wake during the night, but slept soundly from the moment Merry brought him to the room. Pervinca did not sleep quite so well, for she had to sleep on a chair, and comfortable as it was, it was not the best for sleeping on.

She woke late in the morning to a groan. “Oh, I want to die.”

“Good morning, Pip,” she greeted, opening one eye. “Feeling a little ill, are we?”

“A little? I feel very ill. And now I’m even more confused as to why everyone likes ale. It tastes vile and leaves you feeling sickly the morning after.”

Pervinca stood. “I think you probably feel so bad because it was your first experience with ale, and because you are far too young for it just yet.”

Pippin simply grunted and pulled the covers over his head. Pervinca left him alone to his misery. As she shut the door behind her, she found a great commotion was taking place in the hallway of Bag-End. It seemed that Frodo was clearing away some of his uncle’s useless possessions.

“What’s going on?” Pervinca asked Merry, catching his arm as he walked passed her.

“Oh, good morning, Pervinca,” Merry replied. “Did you sleep well? How is Pippin?”

“I don’t think he’ll be drinking ale again for some time. Even though he brought most of it up, he’s still suffering.”

“First time is often like that. I can remember my first experience with ale – I have Fredegar Bolger, Ferdibrand Took, and my cousin Berilac to thank for that wonderful evening.”

“I’m afraid I did not sleep all that well. I never have much liked sleeping while sitting, and I was worried about Frodo.”

Merry nodded. “So was I. Oh, and to answer the question you asked, Old Bilbo left a few gifts behind.” He snicked. “A lot of them are jokes. Very funny, some of them. Oh, but that reminds me!” Merry took Pervinca’s hand and led her into the kitchen. There, he handed her a small wooden box with a label on it. “Uncle Bilbo left this for you.”

Pervinca read the label. For PERVINCA TOOK. May the memory of one long gone live on in you. You will know what to do with this. With love, Uncle Bilbo. Pervinca recognised the box. It was small enough to fit in her hand, and had the engraving of what appeared to be a pervinca-flower on the lid. She remembered finding it when she had been much younger.

“Uncle Bilbo, what’s this?” nine-year-old Pervinca Took asked, showing a small wooden to the old hobbit.

 

“Why, that belonged to my mother,” Bilbo answered, seating his young cousin on his lap. “She was a Took, you know – Belladonna – and she looked very much like you.”

 

“Really?” Pervinca touched her face. She could not imagine anyone looking like her. Pearl and Pimpernel both looked like their mother.

 

Bilbo nodded. Placing Pervinca on the floor, he led her into the hallway and pointed to one of the portraits. “That’s my mother.”

 

“She was very pretty.” Pervinca now felt very honoured that Bilbo thought she looked like his mother. She placed the box in Bilbo’s hand.

 

Bilbo looked at it for a moment, then said, “I still need this now, but one day, I might give it to you.”

 

Pervinca shook her head. “But I wouldn’t have any use for it. You should keep it to remind you of your mother.”

 

“But I have you for that! Perhaps you will be able to give it to someone special, who will be able to use it.

Merry’s voice brought Pervinca back to the present. “Are you deaf, cousin? I asked what it was.”

“It belonged to Belladonna Baggins,” Pervinca answered. “Uncle Bilbo told me when I was a child that he’d give it to me one day.”

Merry looked at the box, critically. “Looks to small for a lass to use.”

“It is, but I can think of someone who might be able to use it.” Pervinca smiled. “I’ll be back later, Merry. Check on Pippin for me.” She left Bag-End with a clear purpose.

* * * * * *

Sam removed another discarded plate from Bilbo’s garden. It saddened him to think that he would never hear Bilbo’s voice scolding him for being late again. Of course, that was only one of the thoughts weighing heavily on his mind. Many of his thoughts were about Miss Pervinca Took. Why had she run away like that?

“Good morning, Master Samwise.” For a moment, Sam thought he was imagining things, but when he turned, Pervinca was standing on the other side of the hedge.

“Pervinca!” he cried, before remembering his place. “I mean, good morning, Miss Pervinca.”

“I thought I might find you here. I feel I need to apologise for my actions at the party. I should not have run away from you like I did, without giving you a reason. I was very confused about…well about everything.”

“I understand, Miss Pervinca,” said Sam, in a small voice. “You aren’t angry at me, are you?”

“Angry? How could I be? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“But yesterday, at the party, after we…you said that we had both done something wrong. I didn’t know what you meant.”

Pervinca frowned. She had not forgotten her vision, but she was no closer to deciphering its meaning. “Don’t worry about that, Sam. I was probably just talking nonsense.”

Sam did not believe her, but would not say so. He had done far too many improper things in the company of Pervinca. “If you say so, Miss Pervinca.”

“Sam, do you suppose we could be friends?” Pervinca asked, after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “I mean, a part of me wants us to be more, but the rest of me knows that we can’t be.”

“I know what you mean.” Sam meant that. He almost felt torn in two. Part of him adored the excitement that Pervinca would bring into his life, but the other part remembered his evening with Rose Cotton, and how beautiful she had looked, despite her dress not being as fine as Pervinca’s. “I would love for us to be friends, Miss Pervinca.”

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Pervinca handed him the box. “The whole reason I came to find you! I want you to have this.”

Sam examined the box. It was beautifully made, and he quickly noted the pervinca engraving on the top. “I can’t accept this, Miss Pervinca.”

“Of course you can. Uncle Bilbo gave it to me, even though I told him long ago that I’d have no use for it. He said that I’d know someone who would use it.”

Sam could not argue that the little wooden box would be perfect for keeping small amounts of cooking salt. Very useful for when he cooked for Frodo on their short camping trips in the woods of the Shire.

“It has a pervinca engraved on the top,” he commented.

“Yes. I thought you could use it to remind you of me.”

Sam smiled. “I don’t need a pretty box for that, but I thank you all the same.”

From the road, Rose saw them talking. At first, she had thought that perhaps Sam was demanding a reason for Pervinca running away like she had, but then she saw Sam smiling. Her heart sank again, and she turned to leave before either of them saw her.

“Mistress Rose! Won’t you join us?”

Rose froze. Never before had she been called Mistress. All who knew her simply addressed her as Rose or Rosie. For someone as respectable as Miss Pervinca Took to address her as Mistress Rose was a great deal. She turned back to look at them.

“Well, come on then, Rosie,” said Sam. “There’s plenty o’ room for more company, unless you have something that needs doin’.”

Rose did not have time to think of an errand she could have been doing. She had, in fact, been looking for Sam. She wanted to ask him if he would have liked to go on a picnic with her later in the week. With no reason for her not to join them, Rosie made her way over to the hedge.

“I was just out for a stroll,” she said. “Nothing important.”

“You need not dislike me, Rose,” Pervinca stated.

“Dislike? I don’t dislike you! It’s just…” She blushed and looked down. “I suppose I was just jealous that my Sam seemed to have an interest in you. But if he’s happy to be with you, then I’m happy for him.”

Sam also blushed. For a moment, he thought about what Tom would think of him. He had two of the Shire’s most beautiful maidens almost fighting for his affections. Had he been a less caring soul, he would have taken advantage of the situation, but Samwise Gamgee had a big heart. “Rosie, it’s not at all like that!”

“Sam and I have agreed to be friends,” Pervinca continued. “And I was hoping that you and I could be also.”

“Me? Friends with you?” Rose gasped. “But, you’re the Thain’s daughter! Isn’t there rules, or something?”

“I don’t know of any rule that prevents folks from being friends,” said Sam. “Why, just look at me and Mister Frodo. And my Gaffer with Mister Bilbo. Your class has no say in who you call your friend.”

Rose curtsied the way her mother had taught her. “Then I would be honoured to call Miss Pervinca Took my friend.”

Pervinca embraced her new friend. “I’m so glad you said yes. To be honest, I don’t have any friends who are lasses.”

“But you’ve got two sisters!” Sam laughed.

“Yes, two sisters who are close in age, and thus close to each other. They don’t always have time for their little sister. I think I’m too Tookish for them.” Pervinca laughed too. “Oh, you know something; my father told me that the two of you are betrothed. Is that true?”

Both Sam and Rosie blushed again. Sam explained. “It’s a common mistake – we’re not officially betrothed. Our dads just thought it would be nice if the two of us married some day. They thought the same of Tom and Mari. I doubt they’d have problems if Rose found someone she’d prefer to be with.”

“Oh, Sam!” Rosie playfully slapped Sam’s arm. “What of you, Pervinca? Since you have successfully embarrassed both Sam and myself, I believe it is your turn. Have you been betrothed?”

Pervinca laughed again. “I asked my father that exact same question. He told me that he and my mother wanted us to follow our own hearts.”

“Your father sounds like a very wise hobbit.”

* * * * * *

A/N: The wooden box spoken about in this chapter is supposed to be the box of salt Sam has with him on their journey. I based its appearance on what it looked like in the extended DVD of The Two Towers, though of course, I described the surface design as being a pervinca!