“I didn’t mean to set your kitchen on fire!” Poppy sobbed into Frodo’s chest.

He’d found her sitting on the steps outside Bag End looking very disheveled and soot-covered. And there were angry tear-streaks through the smoke-smudges on her normally very-clean face.

“There, there.... It doesn’t look so bad from out here.” Frodo tried to soothe her. But he eyed the wisps of smoke that still wafted out the open front door with trepidation.

Poppy moved away from him and kicked at a rock that edged the garden path. She was so frustrated and fed up with herself . All she had wanted to do was bake Frodo’s favorite strawberry tarts for a special dessert. Rosie had left her alone in the kitchen to do so after Poppy had assured her she knew what she was doing. And now look what had happened!

“I don’t know how to cook anything! You don’t want to marry me!” She was no longer crying but just very, very furious at her failures in the culinary skills.

“Yes I do! I’m not marrying you for your cooking. As you know very well.” He tried to hug her again but she was too mad. She kicked the rock loose and it rolled down the steps and smacked into the gate.

Sam wasn’t going to appreciate his well-placed garden stones being smacked about like that.

Just as Frodo thought that Sam appeared in the doorway also looking smoke-smudged.

“Now, Mr. Frodo.. it’s really not as bad as it looks.”

“I thought it didn’t look so bad anyway.”

“Well it was more smoke than fire. Just a good bit of smoke is all. It was the sugar spilling out of the tarts that did it. Smoked up the oven something awful. But we’ve got it almost all cleaned up now.”

“I put in too much sugar.” Poppy grumped, kicking another stone loose.

Sam retrieved the one that had rolled into the gate and gently put it back in place and waited for the next one to be dislodged with a sad frown.

Frodo watched the drama unfolding before him and began to chuckle and the chuckle soon became full-blown laughter.

“Look at you two.” He gasped between giggles.

“You won’t be laughing when you see inside.” Poppy sulked.

She was normally so unflappable and even-tempered that this miserably frustrated and angry Poppy was a novelty that tickled Frodo immensely. It was probably mean to laugh at her but she really looked adorable all filthy with her hair falling out of it’s normally tidy bun, the ribbons straggling anyhow. And her face was all puckered up with self-disgust. She was unbearably cute at the moment but he supposed she wouldn’t like him to say so.

“Poppy. Oh, Poppy. It’s all right!” he said and cuddled her up in his arms though she pretended not to want him to.

“I just wanted to make you some tarts!”

“I know, I know. Don’t worry.”

“I can’t cook!”

“I know, dearest. I’ve always known that.”

“But I should learn to cook. I should. It’s only right.”

“I don’t mind if you can’t.”

“I mind!”

“Oh, Poppy!” Frodo nuzzled her burnt strawberry-scented hair.

“Mr. Frodo. Let Rosie and I teach her. It’s an easy enough art to learn with a willing pupil. It’ll be all right, Miss Poppy.”

“I just feel so...so...ashamed! Every Hobbit can cook. What’s wrong with me?” Poppy sniffled.

“There’s nothing at all wrong with you.” Frodo assured her.

“No indeed!” Sam added. “Mr. Frodo can’t cook much, either.”

“Sam!” Frodo was displeased to hear his best friend impugn his cooking skills. He though Sam, of all people, knew he could at least boil water.

“Sorry, Mr. Frodo. You know it’s true. Remember that bread you tried to make when I was away to the Southfarthing? That was a bit singed like Miss Poppy’s tarts More than a bit, actually.”

“I simply forgot it was in the oven.”

“For five hours... it was. Charred black as coal. And just as hard. Not that anyone would want to try and bite into it.”

“Sam!” This betrayal was too humiliating. “I cooked soup for Pippin that time he was sick. Mushroom soup! He liked it.”

“But it’s the only thing you can cook, Mr. Frodo and only because it’s mushrooms. All Hobbits are born knowing how to cook mushrooms.”

“Even me.” Poppy said, because it was true.

“Sam....”Frodo was getting really annoyed.

“Look here, you two. We’ll teach the pair of you. If you’re to survive when me and Rosie aren’t about I suppose it’s necessary.”

Frodo and Poppy looked at each other. Sam was right, as usual.

TBC.