Chapter Four - Third Time’s a Charm?

“Come in,” shouted Pippin, hearing a knock at his door. He set his quill-pen back inside its jar then blotted the paper with a cloth. He looked up from the letter he was writing to see Pimpernel enter his bachelor’s abode.

“I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here,” she said, traipsing up to his desk.

“Probably,” he answered soberly, reliving the garden incident in his head. “Then again,” with a slight grin, he leaned back in his chair, “I can count on four fingers how many times you’ve visited me--merely for the purpose of ‘visiting’ since I moved back here a year ago.”

Pimpernel gazed up towards the ceiling with an expression of guilt. “I know--and I’m sorry,” she replied. “Besides, it isn’t like I don’t see you in the tunnels, at meals, or when you come asking for the lads.”

Pippin nodded amusingly, knowing he had his sister cornered. He then offered the settle nearby. “Why don’t you have a seat before your feet become tired and you leave--not to visit again until summer of next year?”

Sighing, Pimpernel took the seat, “Always the jester, aren’t we?” She and her little brother delighted in banter since childhood. “All right then,” she began, getting serious again, “I came home from helping mother with one of her charitable deeds in town to find my children’s nurse in tears. I asked her why she was upset, however, she kept telling me it was the dust that was affecting her. But there’s not a speck of dust in my apartment, Pip--you know how I am about cleanliness.” At that, Pimpernel scanned her brother’s sitting room; a jacket from yesterday’s meeting still lay over the back of the couch, his fiddle lay on the tea table where he left it last night, a teacup, saucer, and plate complete with muffin crumbs sat on his eating table from elevenses earlier today. Pimpernel closed her eyes to refocus on the matter at hand. “Then Hilly told me that he saw you in the garden…and that you yelled at Sapphira.”

Pippin bristled at his nephew’s report. “I did not yell at her.” He took in a calming breath, then continued, “You ought to know better, Pim--allowing your son to skip rope!”

“It’s jumping rope,” Pimpernel corrected him.

“Doesn’t matter--it’s a lass’s game.” Pippin was ready to go toe-to-toe with his sister on this issue. “The last I looked, I had three nephews living next door--not nieces.”

“First of all,” Pim interjected, “let me expound upon this. Hilly and Sapphira came upon Laurelie (Everard’s six-year-old daughter) and her younger sister playing jump rope in the garden. To Hilly, it looked fun, so he wanted to have a go. Sapphira knows I don’t mind Hilly exploring various sorts of play. When Laurel called to her daughters, they left their ropes with Hilly and Sapphira.”

“She encouraged him to enter the contest at the fair, Pim,” argued Pippin.

Pimpernel patiently smiled at her brother, “He’s a six year old lad, Pip. No one cares if he joins the lasses in a contest of jumping rope. He may raise eyebrows when he’s thirteen, but for now…let him be a six year old. Last week he wanted to play with the doll’s house I had as a girl, this week it’s jump rope…next week it’ll be Tilby’s old hobby-pony. He’s a six year old behaving like a six year old.” She saw Pippin look away as if deep in reflection.

I wish everyone thought like that when Sancho found me…, he thought to himself. At length, he shook away the bad memories, speaking aloud, “I suppose you’re entitled to raise your children how you see fit, but I disagree about lads skipping rope.”

“And you can disagree all you want. We may not always see eye to eye on raising my boys, but they are my children. I do value your opinion nonetheless, having been a lad of their ages. Someday--and hopefully soon--when you have little ones of your own, you’ll understand.” She then stood up, kissing the curls on his forehead in the process. “Furthermore…I seem to recall a very good rope-jumper from not too long ago.”

Pippin looked at his sister, blushing. “I was never a rope-skipper.”

“Oh, yes you were,” Pimpernel chuckled, teasing him further. “Several times I remember you and Pervinca jumping rope together in the yard at Whitwell. One of those times she even had you singing one of the most well-known rhymes in the Shire as you did it. You were very good!”

“I don’t remember any of it,” commented Pippin.

“Relax, Pip,” she said with a wink, “your secret is safe with me.” Pimpernel made her way to the door, taking her leave. "See you at supper?”

Pippin vaguely waved at her, pondering all the other games his sisters had him playing as a wee child. “Yes, I’ll be there.”

Halfway through the door, Pimpernel backed up a couple steps when she decided to add something more. “Oh, and by the way,” she said, looking straight at her brother, “I gave Sapphira the rest of the evening off. She mentioned to me that she was going to be in the library later on.” Pimpernel winked at just the right spots to let Pippin in on what she was divulging.

Pippin tried to contain his amusement. “Is that so?”

“Yes it is--and no more hiding behind closed doors.”

“I…we weren’t hiding--she was anxious about Gelly.”

“Hmm.”

Pippin laughed to himself after he heard the door handle click shut. So…she’ll be in the library, he mused. Pippin mentally dusted off the question he’d been wanting to ask Sapphira for the past two days. Perhaps his temper was a tad out of place this afternoon in the garden. Pippin sat for a while figuring a way to ingratiate himself once more to Sapphira and apologize at the same time.

Hours later, after supper was over, Pippin meandered aimlessly through the tunnels, wandering from one end of the Smials to the other deep in thought. How shall I broach the subject?, he wondered to himself.

Pippin had drawn up a plan in his head. Supposing he casually browsed the shelves…much like Sapphira did yesterday, perhaps he would appear more…clever. More polished. Right--as if he apologized for his ridiculous behaviour and asked lasses out to a notable birthday party every day of the week. She’ll see right through me. Outside the doorway, Pippin took in a deep breath…then took the plunge, walking inside the library.

In his peripheral vision, Pippin saw Sapphira sitting alone at the exact study table he and his nephews would use in the mornings. Perfect! “Good evening, Sapphira.” Pippin heard the lass mumble her greeting in response. He went on with his plan to browse the selection of books, allowing Sapphira to “get used” to his presence. “Reading?” he asked nonchalantly. Turning his back on his quarry, Pippin winced. Of course she’s reading, you idiot!

Sapphira looked up from reading her book, seeing Pippin turn away from her. After his outburst earlier in the garden, should she ignore him? No…yes…no…“Yes,” she said aloud, nearly giving herself a start. No, she told herself silently, then gave him one more glance before setting her eyes to the pages again. She smiled faintly; he was up to something. Probably wants to apologize; I’ll let him wriggle for a bit first, she said to herself.

Oh, no!, Pippin became frantic. My hands are sweating! I can’t do this! A bizarre conflict ensued within Pippin’s head.

His more logical voice piped up, You can’t just sit down at the table with her and expect her to forgive your behaviour in the garden.

Why not? said his heart-felt voice, You can’t stand here forever pretending to choose a book, either. Just ask her and be done with it!

Oh, look!, Pippin mused. He stood upon his tip-toes reaching high up to the topmost shelf, smiling. I can reach all the way up to the top shel--!

It all happened so quickly that even Pippin couldn’t describe it afterward. The delicate balance of the top-most shelf was upset when Pippin rested his hand against it for support. Without warning, the entire collection of Tookish references (kept up high, out of reach of little hands) rained down upon Pippin’s head. There was no time for Pippin to try and recover his balance as he desperately tried to gain hold of something. He looked up just in time to watch the biggest volume he had ever seen plunge in the direction of his head…then darkness engulfed him.

Next thing Pippin knew, he was slumped upon the mat, his throbbing head propped up on a pillow seeing stars swirling in his vision. His eyes, initially blurred, gradually grew clearer until he saw Sapphira’s face hovering over him. This is great, Pippin thought. Just great. “Oh…” he moaned aloud, “…my head.”

“Lie still, Pippin,” offered Sapphira, her features a picture of worry. “The healer is on her way.”

Pippin put the heel of his hand to his eyes to try and to rub the stars away. “I was reaching up to the shelf and…” he trailed off.

Sapphira grinned, “I suppose you came to the library wanting me to apologize again, weren’t you?”

“Uh…ye--,” Pippin sighed his discomfiture. “No…no. I was seeking to apologize to you for behaving like an ass in the garden. I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

Sapphira smiled sweetly, “Of course I will. Now, tell me which book you were reaching for and I will fetch it for you. I suspect you will be doing a lot of reading for the rest of the night and into tomorrow.”

“It should be within easy reach now,” Pippin quipped, still rubbing his eyes. How humiliating! “It’s called, ‘How to Behave Like a Fool--and Look Like One, Too.’”

Sapphira couldn’t help but laugh at Pippin’s jest, however self-deprecating it was. “It wasn’t as bad as you think,” she said in response. “Why didn’t you use the footstool?”

“Because….because I’m tall, Sapph--” Pippin winced as he attempted to sit up. “Ooooh…”

“Peregrin Took, you know better than to try and get up.” Donnabelle kneeled down next to her patient, then dropped her leather bag of medicinal treatments down on the mat next to him. Two young tweens stood off to the side, nearer to the door. “My youngest daughter Sada is joining Bella as my newest apprentice--I hope you don’t mind.”

Seeing the two tweens nearby, Pippin let out another groan. “Oy…my lucky day--an audience.”

“Mind your manners, Pippin,” said Donnabelle, examining his eyes, “I give out toffees for good behaviour.”

It took six sturdy hobbits to carry Pippin to his quarters where Donnabelle continued her examination. Four would have been fine for a short distance, but his room was located two tunnels away from the library.

The healer smiled at her patient now lying comfortably in his bed, “How are you feeling, Pippin?” She gently ran her fingers through his honey-brown curls, feeling for lumps and bruising.

“Much better,” he answered, then felt a sharp pain where his cousin’s fingers pressed. “Ouch!” he gasped.

“That huge lump could not have possibly developed just today, lad. Where did you get it?”

Pippin looked round at all the gaping eyes in his room, noting the most important pair of hazel-blue. “It’s an old injury.”

“Nothing else you’d like to tell me?”

“No.”

Donnabelle sighed, “Very well, then.” She stood to address the Thain and his wife standing nearby with anxious expressions on their face. “He should be fine in the morning, but I would suggest that someone stay at his bedside through the night. Call me immediately if he becomes ill; you may give him this if it develops into such. Keep the ice wraps on his head to ease his pain.” She set the small bottle filled with a dark concoction on Pippin’s nightstand. “There is nothing else for me to do at this point.” The conversation continued in a low volume as Paladin and Eglantine walked Donnabelle and her daughter Bella into Pippin’s sitting room. Young Sada had volunteered to watch over Pimpernel’s boys while she waited for her brother’s prognosis.

“Wait!” Pippin called to Donnabelle, and then instantly rued it. He winced, pausing until the ache in his head passed. “Where’s my toffee?” he asked.

“I’m not finished with you yet,” she smiled. “I will see you again tomorrow.”

Pimpernel sighed. “Neither mother or father will be able to stay up through the night; they weary easily,” she spoke so as not to irritate Pippin’s headache, though concerned over her brother’s care. “I will stay by his bedside tonight, however, would you mind keeping watch first for a little while, Sapphira? I should be the one to tell the lads their uncle will be all right.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Sapphira replied, settling into the chair nearest to Pippin’s bed. The several pairs of shirts and breeches draped over the back made the chair back feel a tad lumpy. She let her eyes scan the rest of his room; a red spinning top with chipped paint sat on top his bureau--the string hanging over the side halfway to the floor. His winter cloak lay in a heap under the hook from which it fell from on the inside of his open wardrobe door. However, the two things that caught the young lass’s eye were charcoal drawings of Pippin’s parents that were neatly framed and hung upon the wall right where he could see them at night.

Pippin smiled kindly, though his musing ran rampant inside his sore head. She’s gazing about at my messy room; I knew I should have cleaned it up this morning. Behind Sapphira, Pippin watched his sister leave his bedroom. She started to pull the door shut behind her, then eyeballed her brother and Sapphira, leaving it half-open. Pippin shot his sister an abrasive look right back at her.

“I’m sorry,” Sapphira said to the injured lad, “I couldn’t find the book you were searching for.”

“Not to worry,” said Pippin, “I’m sure I’ll stumble across it eventually.”

Sapphira laughed, “Not literally, I hope!” There was something sweet about the way he looked at her. “Is your headache bad?”

Pippin softly chuckled, “A little, but it’s nothing compared to--” Oops.

“Compared to what?” Sapphira asked.

“Ah…nothing,” he replied, then quickly changed the subject. “Well, Miss Sapphira, it is a complete surprise that you should drop by my…humble dwelling this evening.”

“It was the least I could do after all you have done to help me,” Sapphira smiled, then chuckled. “Your choice of words scares me sometimes, Pippin!”

“Me, too--and I’m the one who utters them.”

Silence passed between the two friends for a few moments. “Well, Master Took, it appears the tables have been turned.”

“So it seems,” answered Pippin. “Do you have any cure for such a predicament?” he asked, absently, using his hands to relieve the pressure of his aching head.

“I don’t,” she held the phial of medicine in her hands, then offered it to Pippin, “but the healer Donnabelle does.”

“You know, I think I may actually use it. My poor head is throbbing.” Pippin uncorked the small bottle then drank a couple sips. Wiping his chin, he smiled, “If you’re expecting me to talk excessively while I doze you’ll be highly disappointed, I’m afraid. My cousin Merry is famous for divulging his innermost secrets while he dreams--not I.”

“I’m staggered that you even suggested such a ploy, Mister Took!” Sapphira said in mock surprise. “I was expecting no such thing.”

“Not even a little?”

Sapphira thought for a second, then answered, “Well, all right--maybe just a wee bit. You still haven’t told me how you got the other lump on your head.”

Pippin sighed; he thought he had changed the subject. “Very well. A secret for a secret. You go first.”

Sapphira sat back in her chair, readying herself for a nice long story. “I already went first two weeks ago--now it’s your turn.”

Pippin took in a deep breath--he wasn’t quite ready to disclose the trauma he and Merry endured while held captive by the Uruk-hai, no matter how friendly Sapphira was. “Trouble is, I don’t recall exactly how I got the lump,” he said, “except that it happened while on my journey South. I woke up one day and there it was.” It was as close to the truth as Pippin was willing to go with his dark experiences. “Enough of secrets for the moment,” said Pippin, quickly taking the conversation onto another path. “What I have is a question.”

The lass smiled with curiosity. “For me?”

Rather than nod and make his headache worse, Pippin instead returned her smile. “It’s that…that…well, it’s that I should like for you to accompany me to my cousin’s birthday party next Sterday.” Dead silence followed for a long moment.

Not quite sure she heard what he said, Sapphira asked, “What was that again?” She then noticed his hands moving under the covers. His hands must be sweating--nerves! Before, when Pippin apologized for his behaviour, and even now with his hands sweating, Sapphira understood Pippin’s overconfidence was all a ruse. Instead of an arrogant young hobbit, Sapphira saw a normal everyday lad trying his utmost not to blunder a very bold request. And Sapphira found this utterly charming.

Pippin explained, “I received an invitation last week to my cousin Estella’s birthday party from Merry, my other cousin--they’re married…but he’s more like a brother, so I guess that makes Stella more like a sister-in-law because she’s married to him, however, both of them--”

“Yes,” Sapphira answered softly, then smiled when Pippin’s discourse continued uninterrupted.

“--are my dearest…of friends…” Pippin stopped his speech when he realized she had answered…yes! A broad smile appeared on his face when the heavy weight he had been carrying over the past two days had been lifted. “You will go with me?”

“Of course,” she said. “There’s just one tiny little problem though.”

Pippin frowned, trying to figure out what this new obstacle would be. “What’s that?”

“How quickly you forget; I am gainfully employed by your sister.”

Relived that the hindrance was only Pimpernel, Pippin responded, “Leave that to me. I’ll talk to my sister--she can never say no to me.”

~ ~ ~

“No.”

“But Pimpernel! She’ll only be gone a few days--we can’t fly to Buckland, you know.” Pippin was glad that Sapphira wasn’t around to see him eat his words. Not long after Sapphira agreed to accompany him to the party, Pimpernel returned from talking to the lads, which meant it was time for Sapphira to take over watching the boys.

“I appreciate you watching the lads after I already gave you the night off,” Pimpernel said to Sapphira as she left the room. “I do promise to make it up to you soon.”

That’s it!, Pippin thought. He pulled out his trump card. “A few minutes ago you promised Sapphira to make it up to her.”

“And I will,” said Pimpernel. “Are you assuming that just because I’m a widow I wouldn’t want to go to Stella’s birthday party, too?”

Pippin sighed in defeat. “No.” Well…he did assume it, and he knew he was wrong for that. “I didn’t realize you also got an invitation.”

“Well I did. Merry is like a brother to us, Pip,” she said, “why would he not send me one?”

“I’m sorry, Pim. But what am I going to do now? I’ve already asked Sapphira if she would go with me.”

A faint smile appeared on Pim’s lips. “You’ll go to the party as you planned--with Sapphira.” She watched Pippin’s face light up. “I can’t go,” she explained. “Gelly is on punishment, remember? I just enjoy watching you squirm!”

Pippin let out a long, exasperated breath. His poor emotions had been topsy-turvy all evening. He watched her grin from ear to ear and couldn‘t help but smile at her. “Pimpernel Took-Brownfield! If it weren’t for my aching head needing my pillow, you’d be wearing its goose-feathers by now!”

Things went quiet for a few minutes while Pippin thought about Gelly and the punishment dealt out by his mother. “I wanted to have a talk with Gel this evening, but I don’t think I’m going to feel up to much more talking until tomorrow morning.”

“He’ll survive until then,” said Pimpernel, “but perhaps he will talk to you. He talks to me of everyday things, of course, but not so much of matters that are important to lads.”

“There are plenty of things important to lads his age. I remember turning thirteen; becoming aware of grown-up ways and wanting to emulate them. And…while we’re on the subject of growing up, I think part of Gelly’s trouble is that he’s too old for a nursemaid, Pim. He’s at the age where he’s beginning to leave childhood behind and learn about what older lads do.”

“Who else will mind him while I’m on errand with mother?”

“He’s old enough to mind himself with a little guidance. There are plenty of adult hobbits around the Smials if he needs help. Give him a chance to prove himself.”

Pimpernel wasn’t convinced. “So far, Gelly has only proven that he knows how to run off without telling anyone where he’s going. When his behaviour improves, then I’ll consider what you’ve said.”

TBC