CHAPTER 48

As the last few guests filed out, Eglantine breathed in a sigh of relief. She looked up to see Pippin.

“Mother, we need to find the Thain.” he said somberly.

That he said “Thain” and not “Father” was telling. What had Clodio and his sons done?

“Come along. He’s in Reggie’s apartment. That’s where they’ve taken Opal. Saradoc told you she was injured?”

He nodded glumly. “From what he said, it seems it’s better to be crushed by a troll than kicked by a horse.” There was no trace of humor in his tone at all, but the description of his cousin’s injuries conjured memories of his own.

Targon, Borondir and Anwynd were standing watch in the corridor. “Mistress Took, Sir Peregrin, we were hoping to take word of the lass’s condition ere we returned to camp,” said the Gondorian captain. He held his surcoat over his arm; there were bloodstains on the white tree.

Pippin nodded. “I will let you know as soon as I find something out. It is good of you to be concerned.”

They entered, and saw Paladin with a white-faced Reggie on the settee. Hyacinth was seated like a statue across the room. From the direction of the small private kitchen, they could hear Pearl making tea, and the sobs of Opal’s sisters.

The door to Opal’s room opened, and Lavender and Poppy came out, looking shaken and serious. They had left Viola with the patient, to watch her and to alert them if there were any changes in her condition.

Pippin knew he needed to take his father to Frodo, but he could not have torn himself away at this moment for anything.

Poppy took a deep breath. “We have strapped her ribs, and set her left leg. We are watching the head injury carefully, but we decided against bringing her back to consciousness, as she will be in severe pain. Barring shock or infection, she will probably live. However, both of us--” she looked at Lavender who nodded, “are agreed that nothing can be done for the right leg. There is no way to set it, it is broken in too many places. If it heals without being set, she will be in severe pain from it for the rest of her life. We feel that the best course of action is to remove the leg below the knee.”

Reggie made a sound as though someone had given him a severe blow to the stomach.

Hyacinth gave a shriek. “She’ll be disfigured! A cripple! Her prospects will be *ruined*! You can’t do that!” Her hysterics were cut short by a sharp slap from Eglantine.

Reggie stood up, furious. “Her *prospects*? At a time like this, you think about her *prospects*? Wife, you are the most cold-hearted hobbit I have ever had the misfortune to know!”

“Cold!” screamed Hyacinth. “You have the nerve to call me cold, when you haven’t touched me since--” suddenly, the light dawned. Realization bloomed in her eyes and she looked at him fearfully.

“Since the day I heard you wish Peregrin dead in his cradle! Since the day I knew you had only married me because was in line for the Thainship! Since the day I realized you had no heart at all!”

Stunned silence. Pippin found himself breathing deeply to control his nausea. He had known she didn’t like him--but to wish him dead? When he was only a babe?

“This is all very enlightening,” cut in Poppy’s matter-of-fact tone, “but the more important thing at the moment is Opal. What is your decision?”

“No!” shouted Hyacinth.

Reggie looked at the healers, his face bleak and haggard. “You are both agreed that this course of action is what is best for her?”

“The bone is shattered. There is no way to set it,” said Lavender.

Poppy nodded.

“Then as her father, I give you permission to do what you feel is best. Please be right.” Tears slid silently down his face.

Hyacinth stared at him in shock. He had never defied her before. Never. Reggie refused to look at her.

Paladin did.

“Hyacinth, I find I have a viper in my nest. Because of Opal, I will not turn you out tonight. But by this time tomorrow you will be gone from the Great Smials.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I can, and I do. I suggest you take yourself to your room. I do not wish to set eyes on you again.” He turned to Reggie. “Reggie, if you wish to disavow her, I will be willing to dissolve the marriage.”

Reggie looked at him, realization dawning. “I may take you up on that. But I can’t think about it right now.” He looked at Poppy. “Should I be with her when--when you do it?”

Poppy shook her head. “I think I need to prepare a calming draught for you. You may wait here.” She looked at Hyacinth, who was trembling. “Do you need a draught as well?”

Hyacinth just stared at her, and then fled to her room and slammed the door.

There was a tapping at the apartment door. Paladin opened it. It was Reggie’s brother Everard and his wife Sage. “Come in, Evvie. Reg needs you tonight.”

“Father,” said Pippin, still shaken by Hyacinth’s revelation, “I came to get you. Frodo says we need you.”

He nodded. Eglantine stood up. “I’m coming, too.”

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In Paladin’s study, silence reigned. Merry paced back and forth; Saradoc leaned against the fireplace; Frodo sat on the edge of the Thain’s desk, his blue eyes focused on the three seated before him. Clovis and Cado squirmed; their father simply sat, miserably, trying not to be sick. One look in the Baggins’ eyes, and he had blurted out everything. He was ruined. What would Paladin do with him?

The door opened, and Paladin and Eglantine came in, followed by Pippin. Clodio looked up hopefully at the sight of his sister. “Thank goodness, Egg, you can tell them--”

“Don’t *call* me that,” she said through clenched teeth. He sat back, defeated. She would never forgive him now.

“Frodo, do you care to tell me what this is about? I did give you authority to deal with this situation.” Paladin glared at his brother-in-law.

“Paladin, it appears that Clovis and Cado attacked the camp in the hopes of disrupting the assembly, and keeping the King’s decree from being ratified.”

“For goodness’ sake, why?”

“Because you and I are supposed to investigate all of Lotho’s business dealings with Saruman.”

He looked at Clodio with loathing. “You were a *collaborator*?”

“Worse,” said Frodo sadly. “It seems that Lotho would never have been able to even start his shady dealings without the sizable investment made in his business by Clodio Banks and Dago Bracegirdle. They were instrumental in Lotho’s takeover from the very beginning; and even worse, they were motivated solely by profit. There were apparently later on a few more ‘investors’, but they were coerced by threats of harm to their families.”

Eglantine moved over to stare her brother in the face. “I knew there was some reason you suddenly tried to reconcile after all these years. It was all a sham, to protect you from investigation. And then you put your sons on to attacking that camp. They nearly *killed* two people! One of them a mere lass!”

The brothers looked at one another in puzzlement. They did not yet know about Opal.

“But I didn’t know they were going to do that. They came up with it all on their own!” Clodio was very nearly whining.

Paladin looked at him with loathing. “And if they had been successful in ruining the best hope the Shire has of recovering from the Troubles, you would have gleefully praised their cleverness, instead of trying to lay all the blame for it their way when it went wrong!” He sank into the chair behind his desk wearily. He felt besieged by traitors. Hobbits were not supposed to be this way. Eglantine moved behind him, and lay her hand upon his shoulder. Pippin did the same, trying to give him the silent support of his family. He looked up at his wife. “He is your brother.”

She shook her head. “He is not, not from this moment. Whoever this person may be, I will no longer acknowledge him as family of mine.”

“It is nearly morning. Assembly starts at noon, and all of us need rest. Merry and Pippin, I would like you to escort these three to the Men’s encampment. Tell them that we give them these culprits for their King’s justice.”

Clodio fainted.

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