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It Takes a Took  by Dreamflower

CHAPTER 31

Diamond wakened, briefly confused for a moment--ah, yes! She was in the Bridge Inn, sharing a room with Pippin’s eldest sister Pearl. She glanced at the other side of the bed--Pearl was still sleeping soundly.

Diamond slipped out of the bed quietly so as not to disturb her. She had come to know Pearl well in the last few months--for Pearl often functioned as her mother’s right hand when Eglantine was unavailable. Pearl was one of those rare figures in the Shire: a young and childless widow. After her husband’s sudden and unexpected death, she had simply fit back into the Great Smials as though she had never left. Almost nobody even remembered that technically she was now a Bolger--most still thought of her as “Pearl Took”, though attention was paid to her widowed status and she was addressed as Mistress Pearl. Pearl had been full of stories about Pippin as a lad last night--Diamond had laughed herself silly at some of the scrapes his sister told her about his getting into, usually along with Merry, and often needing to be rescued by their older cousin Frodo.

She went to the washstand, and quickly washed her face and hands, and then quietly dressed and went into the public room. The Thain was sitting at one of the tables, eating a first breakfast; he looked up and gestured for her to join him.

She sat down across from him gingerly. She still felt a bit abashed in the presence of the Thain, though he had never been anything but friendly and cordial to her, she could not forget his position, nor the fact that he was Pippin’s father. She was still somewhat amazed at the family’s invitation to include her in the journey to Buckland.

He smiled at her. “I shan’t bite, lass.” He looked up, and caught the eye of the innkeeper. “Please bring another setting for my young friend here.”

The hobbit nodded, and soon brought Diamond a plate and cup, and she poured herself some tea, and helped herself to one of the scones.

“I can’t thank you enough, Thain Paladin, for inviting me to come with you. I’ve never been across the Brandywine before.”

“In spite of what certain folk say, Buckland is not so different from the rest of the Shire.” He spread some butter on another one of the scones, and then said with a twinkle in his eye, “I know that Pippin will be very glad to see you again. I have heard that the post between Brandy Hall and the Great Smials has been very busy lately.”

She blushed. She was still surprised by the easy way Pippin’s family had encouraged his suit of her. Perhaps it showed on her face, because the Thain shook his head.

“You don’t understand why we are willing to consent to the understanding between you and Pippin right now.”

“No, sir, I don’t. It really is not considered proper, since we are so young.”

“Oh, I suppose. But you see, it really is not that uncommon. Why, Pimmie and Milo had an understanding far younger--they were still in their *teens* not even tweenagers, when they began to realize that they were meant to be together. I know that Samwise Gamgee and his wife were childhood sweethearts, and my own sister Esmeralda actually had to wait for Saradoc to come of age, though they too, had known for years they would someday wed. Of course, it is still a bit unusual, but it is not the horrid thing some would like to have it. And you and Peregrin are not run-of-the-mill young people; Pippin has changed and matured a great deal because of his experiences, and you are a very serious lass with a wise head on her shoulders.”

“Oh,” she said in a small voice. The compliment made her eyes sting.

“Pippin was a scapegrace in his younger tweens. He and I had a difficult time--he did not want the responsibilities of the Thainship to fall on him, and I was not very patient with his fears. Before he went away, the two of us quarreled frequently and loudly. I hate to say this, for the fear and waiting was not pleasant for any of us, but Pippin’s journey was the making of him.”

“He’s a wonderful hobbit,” she said.

“He is.” Paladin’s pride showed in his face. “I would like to ask you, my dear, have you made your mother aware of how things stand with you?”

She shook her head. “I wanted to talk to her in person. But I will not have a chance to go home until the anniversary of my apprenticing, after my birthday in Rethe.”

Paladin shook his head. “Would you mind very much if I gave you a bit of advice, lass?”

She shook her head.

“This visit to Buckland is going to set tongues wagging all over the Shire. You do not want garbled versions of things to reach your mother’s ears.”

“She knows your family invited me to join you for Yule. I wrote and told her that much when I asked her to send me my party frocks.”

“But she does not know why?”

“No, sir. She just thinks it’s so Mistress Lavender can have some time alone with her husband.”

“Well, Miss Diamond, I suggest you write to her and give her at least an inkling of the way things stand with you and Peregrin before she hears it from people who have an ax to grind.” He smiled to take the sting out of the words. Diamond’s mother was a widow, with three daughters to take care of. She had probably thought that Diamond, apprenticed to become a healer, was safely taken care of, and beyond any thought of being courted or wed. “My wife and daughter won’t be down before second breakfast. You probably have plenty of time to get a letter into the post.”

She nodded. The Thain was probably right. She wondered what it would be like if her father were still alive. He would watch out for her like this. And then suddenly she realized, if things continued on their present course, in a little over six years, Paladin might very well *be* her father.

It took her breath away.

________________________________________________

“No, Pip, I *don’t* think it would be a good idea for you to ride to the Bridge to meet Uncle Paladin’s coach.” Merry took the pan off the stove, and poured the boiling water away, as he took out the eggs.

Pippin stopped slicing the bread for toast, and looked up resentfully. “Why not?”

“You know very well why not. Cousin Dody has not said that you can just ride as far as you want to yet. He said you could *begin* to lengthen your rides gradually. Such as maybe from here to the Hall. *Not* very nearly fifteen miles to the Bridge.” Merry transferred the eggs to the egg cups.

His cousin sighed. “I suppose you’re right, Merry. But I really want to see her. It‘s been ages and ages!”

Merry shook his head. He couldn’t help but sympathize. He knew only too well how impatient he had felt the day Estella was due to arrive. And, he thought guiltily, he *had* gone to the Bridge to meet the Bolger’s coach.

He, however, was not still getting over a broken leg.

“But you want to be able to walk with her, and dance at the party, and spend time with her when she gets here. Not be laid up again, and have her start thinking of you as a patient again.”

Merry was gratified to see that the last argument was enough to bring a look of alarm to Pippin’s face. He knew Pippin did not want Diamond to see him like that again.

“After breakfast, though, we *could* ride as far as Newbury--” he held his hand up as Pippin started to give an exclamation of joy “--after all it‘s no further from Crickhollow than the Hall is--*if* you ride Butter, not Sable, and *if* we wait at The Willow and Otter until we see the coach, and *if* you then ride the rest of the way back in the coach and lead your pony back.”

Pippin turned to give Merry an enthusiastic hug. “Merry, you’re a wonder!”

“Mind the toast, Pip!” Merry exclaimed as the smoke rose up from the toasting fork Pippin had set down right on the fire.

_______________________________________________

The preparations for Yule were going on a-pace at Brandy Hall. Esmeralda directed the servants who were going out to take cuttings of evergreens for decorating the Hall, and then turned to Estella and Rosamunda.

“I’ve already given Cook the menus for the dinners on First and Second Yule. I need to go and check on the state of the table linens, and then we can have some time to just visit a bit,” she said. “I thought you might like to see the new frocks I have for the occasion.”

Rosamunda smiled. “I’d like nothing better, my dear! And perhaps you would like to see our latest frocks, the newest styles from Tuckborough!”

Esmeralda plastered another smile on her face. “Oh, that would be wonderful,” she said brightly. Only Estella noticed the brittleness in Esme’s tone. Rosamunda had not been completely able to disguise her condescension for “quaint” Buckland. Behind her mother’s back she rolled her eyes, and mouthed an apology. Esmeralda just shook her head. She’d known Rosamunda of old, and had really expected nothing different.

“When will the Thain and his family arrive?” Rosamunda asked.

“We are expecting them by luncheon.” Esmeralda was really looking forward to reinforcements in the forms of her sister-in-law and niece. Eglantine and Pearl had extensive practice in Rosamunda managing.

____________________________________________

In front of The Willow and Otter, Pippin and Merry sat on a bench facing the road, each nursing an ale, and eating a sausage roll for elevenses.

“How much longer do you think?” said Pippin, his right foot jiggling anxiously.

“Pip, you know your mother and Pearl as well as I do. Do you really suppose they got away from the Bridge Inn until after second breakfast? They’ll be along very soon.”

“I suppose.” Pippin took another bite of his sausage roll and another sip of ale.

Just then they heard the rumble of wheels and the clop of a team of ponies. He crammed the rest of the roll in his mouth, and downed the ale as he stood up suddenly. He gave a little gasp of pain--he’d moved too abruptly, after all, but it quickly passed.

Merry hovered for just a moment to be certain all was well, and then he went to the hitching post and fetched Pybba and Butter. They walked the ponies to the road. The coach was soon approaching, and Pippin waved an arm out and called “Giff! Stop please!”

Seeing Mr. Pippin and Mr. Merry standing there, Giff pulled up. Pippin walked to the door of the coach and peered in. “Hullo, Father, Mother, Pearl. Hullo, Diamond. I’ve missed you.”

 





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