CHAPTER 10

Frodo and Sam were leaving the following morning after second breakfast. Merry had gone out to see to their ponies, and check on his Stybba and Pippin’s Sable--he’d not seen either of them since his arrival the night of the accident, and though the Took’s stable hands were perfectly reliable, he wanted to see to them personally.

Frodo and Sam came to give Pippin their farewells.

“Well, Mr. Pippin, you take care of yourself, and get better soon. I know Rose will want to see you once you are out and about again.”

“You give Rosie my best, Sam.”

“I will, Mr. Pippin.”

Frodo leaned over and kissed the top of his cousin’s head. “You mind the healers. And don’t you let Merry drive you mad with his coddling.”

Pippin tittered. “Would Merry do a thing like that?”

“In an instant,” said Frodo, “and have a perfectly logical reason to hand as well. Do take care, dear.”

“I will. I’m going to miss you.” But he knew they needed to get back to Bag End and to Rose.

“And good luck with Miss Diamond, Mr. Pippin.”

“Thank you, Sam. That’s my next major undertaking. Miss Diamond North-took.” He laid back against the pillows with a grin. His visitors returned it fondly.

Merry came in. “The ponies are ready. I’ll come to see you off. Then I’ll be back in a few moments, Pip.”

“Take your time, Merry.” He looked again at his oldest cousin and his friend. “Good-bye, Frodo and Sam. You take care of yourselves on the way back.”

They took their leave, and shut the door. Pippin blew out a deep breath. He loved his cousins and his friends and family dearly--but this was the first time he had been *alone* since the accident. Blessed, blessed peace and quiet! He knew it wouldn’t last long; in the Shire a sick or injured hobbit was never left alone for more than a few moments at most. Merry would be back very soon indeed. But in the meantime, he could just relax, and think about--Diamond.

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Mistress Lavender had sent Diamond back to their little cottage on the grounds to replenish their supply of medicinal herbs, and to pick up some clean clothing and a few other items. They would probably stay inside the Great Smials for at least two to three more nights. Then if Pippin were doing well, they would go back to the cottage.

Diamond moved about the rooms, setting some things to rights that had been neglected due to the emergency, in particular there were some dirty dishes left which needed a scrubbing after having sat for nearly three days. She also tidied up the sitting room, and did a bit of dusting. She had already packed up the medical satchels, and the bundle of clean clothing waited by the door, but she was in no hurry. She needed a chance to be alone with her thoughts, to clear her head and try to make some sense of things.

It was very plain to her now that Peregrin Took was attracted to her; and now she had to be honest with herself. After last night, and the way he had met her gaze, she knew that she returned his regard. He was very nice-looking, and he had an almost unfair share of the famous Took’s charm, but what really fascinated her was his casual courage and his quick wit.

She found herself curious to know more of the details of his time away from the Shire--he was only a year older than herself, and according to Shire custom and law, could not yet be called an adult, yet it was clear that his experiences had caused him to be one nevertheless. Whether the Shire would acknowledge it or not, he was definitely a grown-up. She recalled the horrors his cousin and his friend had revealed to the healers yesterday.

What must it have been like--to be carried off by monsters, bound and cruelly whipped, and threatened with even worse torture? And then to go to a battle? A battle which he had every reason to believe was hopeless? Hobbits were not warriors, yet this one was. He had killed a monster so large that it had nearly crushed the life out of him, and had fought his way back from the brink of death. And then he had come home and done more than his share of ridding the Shire of the ruffians that had overrun it. Not one to rest on his laurels, he had now bravely risked his life once more, this time for family. Yet he seemed to think nothing of it.

What he had done was so far outside the normal experience of hobbits that she could not even begin to imagine it.

But she found that she wanted to imagine it, she wanted to know it. She wanted to understand it.

And there was the problem. Her curiosity was not that of a healer.

This was wrong! It was totally irresponsible! It was unprofessional! He was a patient! He was the son of the Thain, who was for the time being, their sponsor! And she had far too many important duties to indulge herself this way! Mistress Lavender would upbraid her sorely if she knew the kind of improper thoughts that were passing through her apprentice’s mind.

Diamond had always thought herself to have more sense than this; to be mooning over a lad was the last thing she needed. How her sisters would tease her if they ever found out--she who had always boasted that her life would never revolve around a lad!

How was she going to be able to maintain her professional demeanor around him? She could not bring herself to confess her feelings to Mistress Lavender, or to ask to be relieved of caring for him. For one thing, she was needed. She could not leave all the work to her mistress because of her own unseemly thoughts.

This was a knot she was going to have to untangle by herself. There was no one she dared confide in.

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“So, Merry, how did you win Estella?” Pippin brought the question up seemingly out of the blue, but Merry was not fooled. He’d been noticing the little signs that showed Pippin wanted to talk, and he knew that right now there was only one topic on his younger cousin’s mind.

Merry smiled, as he thought of his love, soon to be his betrothed--or at least as soon as her brother came home from abroad. He remembered coming home to Brandy Hall, and finding her there, in hiding from the ruffians, full of gratitude for her brother’s rescue from the Lockholes.

“I told her stories, Pip.”

“Stories? What kind of stories?”

“Well, first I told her about Éowyn and Faramir, how they met in the Houses of Healing, and how I got them together--”

Pippin interrupted with a sharp bark of laughter. “*You* got them together?” he asked incredulously.

“Of course,” answered his cousin smugly. “Well, naturally I gave you credit for saving Faramir’s life in the first place--”

“Thank you very much.”

“--but it was my doing that they got together finally. Anyway, she enjoyed that story so much that then I told her about Aragorn and Arwen. I gave Frodo credit for that one.”

“How generous of you.” Pippin smiled. He was beginning to appreciate Merry’s strategy.

“Of course by that time I had run out of lovers that we had met personally on our journey. I didn’t know Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn’s story--”

“Merry! I can’t believe even you’d have had the nerve--”

“Well, I would have, but no one told me their story. So I had to wrack my brains for some of the Elven stories I’d had from Bilbo and Frodo. There was Lúthien and Beren of course, and then there was Eärendil and Elwing. I rather ran out after that.” He sounded disappointed. “But anyway, it did the trick. She thought of me as terribly romantic and sensitive.”

Pippin didn’t say it out loud. His cousin would have scoffed at the idea, but the truth was, Merry did have a romantic and sensitive side. He kept it well hidden behind his skeptical practicality, but it was there nevertheless, or he never would have thought of using those stories to win Estella’s love in the first place. “Well, I can certainly see how those stories would put her in a receptive mood. Very shrewd of you, cousin,” he said aloud.

“Thank you.” Merry lapsed into a smiling silence, obviously thinking of Estella.

Pippin shifted his position slightly, and gave a little gasp of pain at the movement of his leg. “I’m getting really very, very tired of this bed,” he said.

“Are you bored, Pip? I can read to you, or I can get you a book if you want to read yourself? Or I could go ask Uncle for the loan of his dice.”

“I don’t think so.” Pippin sighed, then brightened. “I know. Hand me my fiddle.”

Merry grinned, and got down to retrieve Pippin’s fiddle case from its place under the bed. He opened it, and handed his younger cousin the fiddle and the bow before returning to his chair.

Pippin tucked his instrument under his chin, and gave a few draws of the bow. It was slightly out of tune, so he spent a few moments tuning it. Then he began to play, a sprightly little tune that was well known throughout the Shire.

Merry leaned back and put his hands behind his head, closing his eyes to listen, his toes began to tap. He enjoyed hearing Pippin play second only to hearing him sing.

Pippin played on, following one air with another; absorbed in the music, he could forget his pain.

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Rose had said farewell to Tom and Marigold after luncheon. Although she had hoped they could remain until Frodo and Sam got back, she knew it was not possible. Now she was hanging the wash on the line, and wondering what she could have for her tea, when she heard the sound of pony hooves.

She tossed the pillowslip in her hand back into the basket and rushed down to the gate; there were Sam and Frodo. Sam leaped from Bill’s back and caught his wife up in a passionate kiss. She responded in kind, and it was several minutes before she pulled away.

“Sam! What will the neighbors think?”

Frodo had dismounted and was watching them with fond amusement. “I think Sam’s Gaffer had a saying for that. At least I heard him once tell Sam’s sister Daisy ‘Don’t make love by the garden gate, ‘cause love is blind but the neighbors ain’t!’ Or something to that effect.”

Sam grinned. He remembered that incident only too well. Daisy had been mortified. “The neighbors will think I missed my wife. And they’d be right!” He drew back, his hands on her shoulders, and looked at her face.

“How did you fare while we were gone, Rosie-love?”

She smiled at him brightly. She would never let him know how lonely and afraid she had been that first night. “I wasn’t alone but the first night. Tom and Mari came over from Bywater, and stayed with me. They only just left a short while ago.”

“That was right nice of them! But why did they come in the first place?” For Sam knew only too well how busy things were on the Cotton farm; it would be unusual for them to be making a casual visit.

“They had a bit of news to share. Seems that our little one is not the only one to make an arrival next year. He or she is going to have a little double cousin just about a month later!”

Sam gave a whoop of delight, and Frodo added his joyous congratulations. Then Sam took the ponies to the stable, and they all walked up to Bag End, Sam and Rose with their hands entwined.

“I think we will have an early tea today!” said Rose.

“That sounds like a lovely plan.” Frodo was glad to be home. “We can tell you all the news from Tookland. Pippin sends his regards to you, by the way, Rose dear.”

Sam grinned. “Why don’t I make up a quick batch of scones while we talk?”

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Laden with the bundle of clothing and both medical satchels, Diamond made her way awkwardly through the passages to the room the healers were using.

“Excuse me, miss,” said a shy voice, “could you use some help?”

Diamond turned to see one of the young maidservants. “I suppose that I could, but I don’t want to trouble you if you have other tasks.”

“Oh no, miss. I just finished delivering the fresh linens. I don’t have anything else to do that won’t wait for a few moments.”

“Well, I thank you then--” she stopped, waiting for the lass to supply her name.

“I’m Moss, miss, Moss Heathertoes.” She blushed.

“Then thank you, Moss. I appreciate the help.” She handed over the bundle of clothing, keeping the two medical satchels herself, and they continued down the corridor.

As they neared the wing where the healers were staying, Diamond thought she heard music. “Is that a fiddle?”

“Oh,” said Moss, her face lighting up in a smile, “Mr. Pippin must be playing his fiddle!”

“He plays the fiddle?” And quite well from what she could hear.

“Oh, yes, miss! He plays the fiddle, and the Tookland pipes, and the lap harp, and the shepherd’s pipes.” Her plain face was lit up with enthusiasm. “And he can sing ever so sweetly as well.” She blushed.

Oh dear! thought Diamond. This child has a crush on him too. Listening to the sweet music, she thought it no wonder. Was there no end to the hobbit’s talents?

They soon reached the door to the room Diamond and Lavender were using, and Moss gave over the bundle in her arms. “Erm--miss?”

“Yes, Moss?”

“I know as it’s not my place to ask, but--Mr. Pippin? He’s going to be all right, isn’t he? Not like Miss Opal?” The little maidservant blushed again, red as fire.

“There is no harm in asking, Moss. Your concern does you credit. I do think that he will be all right, though I should not say any more than that.”

“Oh thank you, miss!” She dropped a curtsy, and scurried away, a huge smile on her face.

Diamond watched thoughtfully as she went on her way. Indeed, she had a lot to consider.

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