SPRING QUICKENING

“Unca Pip!” Perry ducked behind Pippin’s legs, and peeked out at his older sister, who was advancing on him. The three-year-old was clearly terrified of her, and judging by the ferocious expression on her four-year-old face, with ample justification.

Wyn looked up at Pippin, who stood there grinning. “What did he do to you?” he asked.

For answer, she held out the doll in one hand and its arm in the other. It was the “Éowyn” doll her father had carved for her, and the arms were jointed and attached with cord. It was not the first time this particular doll had lost an arm. Pippin shook his head. “I think I can fix her for you, Wyn. I’m sure Perry didn’t mean to hurt her.” He turned an eye on Perry who stared up with tear-filled grey eyes, his chubby fingers in his mouth, and shook his head.

“Sorry,” he managed.

Wyn was scarcely placated. She stood with her feet firmly planted and her hands on her hips. “He’s always breaking things.”

Pippin rolled his eyes. Just then he spied Estella, coming around the corner of the cottage. He heaved a sigh of relief. Two faunts underfoot could be a bit much to take sometimes.

She spotted her children. “All right, my chicks! Bluebell has a treat for you in the kitchen, and then it’s time for your nap!” They looked about to protest, but she waved them on. “Shoo! Or perhaps I should just tell Uncle Pippin to go and eat up all those lovely custard tarts?”

The children looked horrified at this thought, and, the quarrel forgotten, scrambled for Crickhollow’s kitchen. Bluebell, the matron who had “done for” Merry and Pippin before they wed, still came in four mornings a week, and was quite a help to Estella, and now Diamond.

Estella shook her head. “And where are my husband, and *your* bride?” she asked.

Pippin gestured with his chin. “As if you didn’t know!”

She glanced over at the garden, at the two figures there, and shook her head. “The herb beds. Again. You know Pippin, it is a good thing the two of us are not the jealous sorts.”

Pippin laughed. “It most certainly is, my dear cousin! How in the world are we to compete with valerian and sage and pennyroyal and--”

“And *mint*!” laughed Estella.

For Merry and Estella and the children had returned to Crickhollow a month after Pippin’s and Diamond’s wedding, and Merry had discovered an abundance of mint in the garden.

In the last month since then, Pippin began to think that his wife was seeing more of Merry during the day than she was of him. Diamond was itching to get her healer hands on some of the rarer ones that Merry had been cultivating--she had been at some pains to set up a stillroom during the honeymoon. And Merry, well, Merry never could resist a chance to show off his herbs, or to talk about them to someone who was actually *interested* in them. This unfortunately did not include his own wife or Pippin, and though both of them made a polite effort, he was well aware of that.

Pippin shook his head ruefully, and offered his arm to Estella, as though he were her escort at a ball. “Shall we go and see if we can pry our respective spouses out of the garden, then.”

“Well, we already have a goodly store of dried mint,” Diamond was saying as they approached. Merry was kneeling down at the edge of the bed, inspecting the plants. He neither turned nor looked up, but said “Hullo, Pip, Estella, my dear. Where are the fauntlings ?” he asked.

Diamond turned with a start, as Pippin’s arm came around her waist. “Someday I am going to have to find out how the two of you *do* that!” Although of course she knew. She had noticed it from her earliest acquaintance with them, shortly after they had returned from their travels. Merry always knew where Pippin was, and Pippin always knew where Merry was.

Estella said, “They’ve gone in to have an early elevenses with Bluebell. They were getting a bit quarrelsome.”

Merry stood up and brushed the knees of his breeches free of mulch and soil. He had a sprig of mint in his fingers, and nibbled at it absently, before turning to give a brief kiss to his wife.

“Have you come to a conclusion about the mint?” Estella asked.

Merry nodded. “I think I am going to have root it up and transplant it. It is far too aggressive a plant. Sam warned me that it might take over the bed if the roots were not confined.” He shook his head. “I was too eager to get this new bed planted before we went to the wedding. But I think the mint will need a bed all to itself. And I can replace it with the starts of athelas he gave me.”

“But what are you going to do with the rest of the mint?” Pippin asked. “The neighbors are hiding when they see you coming, and Aunt Esme told you when we went to dinner at the Hall last night, not to bring any more over there.” He was not looking at Merry as he spoke, but had bent to bury his face in his bride’s dark curls.

Diamond leaned back against him, and pursed her lips in thought. “I know of something that might be done with it. There is a very refreshing drink, healers often keep it on hand, as it is tasty, yet refreshing. It is very useful for patients who are needing to drink a lot of fluids.” She nodded, “It will be very welcome as the weather gets warmer.”

“And,” said Estella, “there is always mint jelly, as well. Some mint jelly would be very nice, now that lamb season is here.” This earned her a broad grin from her husband, who dearly loved lamb chops and mint jelly. Estella cast a sidelong glance at Pippin and Diamond. Pippin had pulled his wife back to him, and had his long arms clasped firmly about her waist. Diamond grinned at Estella, and winked.

Merry had filled a large basket with mint, and had started to take up his spade to begin the job of moving the plants. Estella took the spade herself, and held it behind her back. “Oh, no, Merry Brandybuck! It’s time for elevenses! If we don’t get to the kitchen soon, the children will have eaten all the custard tarts, and there will be none for us!”

Merry looked nearly as alarmed at this threat as his children had, and allowed his wife to draw him away. “Pip? Diamond? Are you coming with us?”

“In a moment,” said Diamond, turning into her husband’s embrace.

Merry rolled his eyes, but refrained from teasing the newlyweds, and he and Estella walked back towards the little cottage. However, as they neared the back door, Estella stopped and turned, elbowing Merry to watch.

Diamond had drawn Pippin down to whisper in his ear. Pippin straightened up with an exclamation of surprise. “Are you *sure*, Diamond?” he cried sharply. At her nod, he picked her up, swung her around and gave her a resounding kiss.

Merry stared for a moment, until Estella elbowed him. He turned to give his own wife a quizzical look. She was wearing a very happy smirk. “I take it, Estella, my heart, that you know what that’s all about?”

She glanced up at Merry, her eyes dancing. “Diamond has quickened,” she said happily. “We’re to have another babe in the house.”

Merry gaped at her. “But--but how?”

Estella laughed, “And you, the father of two, ask me that?”

“No--just--well, they’ve been wed a bit less than two months. How can she be sure?”

His wife giggled. “My dear husband, she is a trained Healer and Midwife. Of course she is sure. And how long do you think it takes?” And she gave him another sly look. Then she jerked his arm. “Come on, husband, if you want any custard tart.” She took the basket of mint from him as they turned to the cottage. “And I suppose we will be doing something with all this mint this afternoon.”
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RECIPES:

ESTELLA’S MINT JELLY

Mint Infusion: Make the mint infusion prior to starting the jelly, so it will have plenty of time to steep. Use about a cup of fresh mint leaves, bruised, and in a bowl pour a cup of boiling water over them. The longer it steeps, the stronger the mint flavor. While the mint is steeping, prepare your jelly jars. I usually do this by putting clean jars into boiling water for a few minutes, and then upending them on a clean dish towel that has been placed on a tray. I put my lids and rims in the boiling water, and turn it down to simmer while I make the jelly. Strain the leaves out of the infusion.

1 cup mint infusion
½ cup of apple-cider vinegar
3 ½ cups of sugar
1 package (3 oz.) of liquid pectin

In a large pot, bring the mint infusion, vinegar and sugar to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring until all sugar is dissolved. Add liquid pectin. Boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly to avoid boilover. Remove from heat; skim the foam. Ladle into the jars, leaving at least ¼ “ headspace, and seal. Jelly does not usually need further processing to seal, but if any lids do not “pop”, you could try putting the jars into a boiling water bath for about five minutes.

[AUTHOR’S NOTES: Of course, Estella would not have used pectin, but if she’d had any, she would have, LOL! This recipe can be used to make other herbal jellies as well. A wonderful one can be made by substituting rosemary for the mint, and using lemon juice instead of vinegar--add a tiny bit of grated lemon peel as well. Basil can be used with regular vinegar or with pineapple juice substituted. Herbal jellies make wonderful gifts.]

SHIRE HEALER’S MINT THIRST QUENCHER

Dissolve 4 cups sugar in 2 1/2 cups of water; when it comes to a boil add 1 cup wine vinegar. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add a handful of mint, remove from fire, let cool. Drain out the mint leaves. Dilute the resulting syrup to taste with ice water (5 to 10 parts water to 1 part syrup). The syrup stores without refrigeration.

[AUTHOR’S NOTE: This recipe is actually an ancient Middle-Eastern drink called “Sekanjabin”. This recipe comes from Cariadoc's Miscellany. I've seen several other recipes for it as well, but they are all mostly the same. There are a good many great recipes on this page:
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/drinks.html#2

And I know it might sound funny to make a drink out of vinegar and mint, but it really is a very good thirst quencher, and no more tart than lemonade. It‘s also very pretty; depending on which kind of vinegar you use--red wine vinegar makes a lovely pale pink, while white vinegar looks a bit like pale limeade.]
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