Chapter Six - She’s The One

“I’m glad that we are riding to Brandy Hall together,” said Pippin. Then added while puffing on his pipe, “We don’t get to spend as much time together like we once did.”

The little group stopped to have a picnic luncheon in the lovely glade between two groves of trees; now it was time to start on the road again. Instead of two separate carriages, Pippin and Sapphira chose to ride to Buckland with Everard and his family. The privacy of their own carriage would have been nice, however, that would have raised a few eyebrows as well. The two lads decided to take one last stroll among the wild flowers of the meadow while waiting for the lasses.

“That’s because I have a family to tend to these days,” replied Everard, blowing smoke rings into the air. “You’ll have a family soon enough--before you know it, you and Sapphira will be having little ones of your own.”

Everard’s comment made Pippin sputter. Waving away the pipe smoke with his other hand, he said, “We’re not officially courting, cousin.”

“Yet,” Everard put in with a wink. “I’m glad to see you back on your feet, setting your eyes on one lass to settle down with and get married. You’re the last of our lot, you know.”

Pippin responded, “I know. However, bear in mind that I am the youngest of that lot.”

“True,” said Everard, “but you’re not a tween anymore, Pippin. I enjoy being married and so will you.” The young father became thoughtful as he spoke. “Sharing smiles and memories with a lass that I love…” He smiled and waved, spying his wife and daughters emerge from the distant greenery. Laurel was laughing as she bounced three year old Thistle in her arms. A joyous gleam shown bright in Everard’s green eyes, “…and wee ones to make my life that much more of an adventure. We’re expecting again, Pip.”

“I congratulate you and Laurel on your third child!” Pippin replied then hastily added, “Yet for me, all in due time, cousin.” He smiled at seeing Sapphira modestly wave at him from up ahead. Walking at her side, hand in hand, was six year old Laurelie who also waved. He waved at both in return.

“Thank you, Pip,” Everard responded to the best wishes. His brow crinkled in thought, “Why isn’t Pimpernel coming to Stella’s party?”

“She wanted to,” answered Pippin, “but Gelly has had a mind of his own lately.”

“Ah, that’s right,” said Everard, nodding in recollection. “That will happen with young teens, or soon-to-be teens. Thankfully, I won’t be facing that for a while.” With that said, he and Pippin emptied their pipes as they walked toward the carriage.

~ ~ ~

“Goodnight, Ev,” said Merry, rising up from his chair to hug his cousin. “I am very happy to hear that you and Laurel will be blessed yet again.”

After arriving at Brandy Hall, the small group was shown to their rooms in order to freshen up for a late (second) supper. Having ate at the best table Buckland had to offer, little by little, fatigue from the long journey and well-filled corners overtook the hobbits. The first ones to succumb to fatigue were Everard and Laurel’s children. They became cranky, so Laurel ushered her crying lasses to bed. Estella followed with her and Merry’s wee brood of two children (so far): Kalimas, two and a half, and Holly, six months old. Wanting to help with the children, Sapphira accompanied the lasses.

“Thank you, Merry,” said Everard, embracing his cousin in return. “I promised Thistle that I’d tell her a story when I tucked her in.”

“Perhaps this time next year you’ll be tucking your son in bed!” Merry put in with a chuckle. “But…being a father as well, I know you’ll be happy with either one, as long as the child is hale.”

Everard smiled, giving Merry’s shoulder a friendly pat, “So true. Then again, maybe this time next year Pippin will be joining our growing group of fathers!”

“I am making no promises,” Pippin jested in return.

Everard gave a smile to his friends, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Ev,” said Pippin, lifting his glass in salute to his cousin. Pippin was tired, too, however, he wanted the chance to speak confidentially with Merry. He got up, walking over to the hearth to relight his pipe. Pippin held a long, thin piece of kindling over the hearth fire then set it to his pipe bowl, puffing on the stem until the leaf burned a bright orange. He waited patiently while Everard and Merry finished sharing a few private words of their own. Finally, when Everard shut the door behind him, Pippin walked back to the couch and sat down. “So, what do you think?”

Merry's mind was still on Everard's last words.  He raised his eyebrows in question, “Hmm?”

“I’m asking you what you think of her.”

The elder cousin meandered to the hearth, also relighting his pipe. “You mean Sapphira?”

“Of course I mean Sapphira!” said Pippin, puffing on his pipe. “I just travelled well over fifty miles across the Shire with her. Who else should I be speaking of?”

Merry also relit his pipe in the same fashion as his younger cousin. Settling himself in a chair across from Pippin, he asked, “Who else? Hmmm….Posey Headstrong, perhaps? You forgot to tell me, dear cousin, that you were no longer courting her. I sent her an invitation, thinking that you two would arrive together.”

For a mere second Pippin actually worried over the presence of his former love occupying the same room as he, then shook it away. “A little over two months ago,” began Pippin, his voice taking on a far away tone, “she returned to me the locket that I gave her at Yule, telling me that she didn’t love me anymore.”

“I’m truly sorry, Pip,” Merry said with sincerity. “Why didn’t you tell me when it happened?” he asked, “We’ve always been close. With all the letters you have written me this past month, you never once indicated you and Posey were no longer a couple.”

Pippin sighed at the memory. “I suppose it was because I was deeply hurt, Merry. I would have sworn with red ink before seven witnesses that she was lying when she told me she didn’t love me--I even told her so as she dropped the necklace into my hand."  Pippin stared at the hearth, "And here I sit, two months later--not a letter, message, nor even a kiss goodbye. Maybe she wasn’t lying. When Sapphira arrived at Great Smials, she seemed to be everything opposite of Posey. Her hair…her smile, her demeanour. All I wanted to do was forget about the previous ten months.”

“Unfortunately,” Merry said, getting up to place a sympathetic arm around his friend, “looks like they’re coming back to haunt you. Posey’s coming to the party tomorrow. And as far as I can tell, she is coming with someone. I shall seat them both at the far end of the table to keep you two from running into each other.” Merry gave his cousin’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “Now, what do I think of Sapphira? I think she is a nice lass, but that is about as fair an assessment that I can give you at this point. I don’t know her well enough to say anything further.” Merry leaned back against the couch pillows, continuing after a slight pause, “But I do know you. Go slow, Pip. You just came out of a long relationship where you nearly proposed marriage. Am I right?”

Pippin sulked, giving no reply to that question. “Merry…” he hesitated, unsure if he should disclose what he was about to say, yet plunged ahead. “I…I think I’m in love with her.”

Merry looked hard at his younger cousin. “Pip, you’ve only known Sapphira for how long? Four weeks?”

“Five, if you count tomorrow,” Pippin replied. “I feel as if I could spend the rest of my life with her. She’s clever, funny--and jests with me in the same manner that I do with her. She wears her hair up most of the time, but when she lets it down…” Pippin smiled, recalling the long plait of curls behind Sapphira’s head“…she is so beautiful.”

Sighing, Merry replied, “Pip, you give your heart away so easily. Please don’t put yourself in a position for it to be trampled upon yet again.”

“I don’t intend to be hurt this time, Merry,” Pippin replied with confidence. Although something deep in Pippin’s heart still needed convincing. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it…then again, maybe he was afraid to. He firmly believed that Sapphira was the one…and he wanted her to believe it, too.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the children’s nursery, Sapphira sat upon the floor keeping Kali occupied while his mother nursed his baby sister. At the moment, the small child was enthralled with a spinning top going round and round without falling. “Mummy, see!” Kali shrieked with delight. When it stopped and fell to the side, he shouted to Sapphira, “Mowe!”

“So tell me, Sapphira,” said Estella, “how long have you known Pippin?”

“I met him the day I arrived in Tuckborough. He waited for me all morning while my carriage was delayed in Waymeet. I did not realize at first who he was, and well…” Sapphira chuckled at her own misconception of the situation, “I was tricked by the best.” She then went into full account of the joke Pippin played on her while kept Kali occupied with his toy.

Stella laughed softly so as not to disturb her nursing infant. “Both Pippin and my husband are notorious for pulling pranks such as that. But they also have such huge hearts.” She sighed, her own heart swelling with love at the thought of her dearest. However, because Merry loved Pippin like a brother, so did Stella…and she had to know exactly what this lass thought of her “brother-in-law”. “Do you love him?” she asked bluntly.

Sapphira wound the string around the toy for yet another go, putting off her answer to Estella’s question for the moment. Finally, the toy was off and spinning; Sapphira stared at it while the colours turned into a swirling haze.

“Sapphira?”

The young nursemaid looked up at her newest friend. “I…I don’t know.”

* * *

“Goodnight, Pip,” said Merry, walking alongside his dearest cousin. They stopped just short of the guest tunnel before bidding one another a good night. Merry and Estella‘s quarters were next to the Master’s apartment in his private tunnel. “I hope you’re right about Sapphira.”

“Goodnight, Merry. And I am,” Pippin answered resolutely. He then walked the guest tunnel until he saw door number 4. Pippin imagined that he heard sniffling behind door number 5; he went to investigate. There was no mistake about it. He knocked, “Sapphira? Are you all right?”

For a long moment, the sniffling stopped, no other sound came forth. Then the door opened, revealing the same sad face bearing tear stains that Pippin ran into near a week ago. “You’re weeping again,” he said taking her hand in his. “Please talk to me, Sapphira. You can confide in me--I would never betray your heart.”

“I…,” Sapphira paused to wipe away a tear, “I…not now, Pippin. It’s past midnight and I’m tired, which is probably the reason why I’m weepy. I promise you I’ll feel better in the morning.”

Pippin replied softly, taking the lass into a light embrace. “What I want is for you to talk to me--today or tomorrow, no matter what the consequences are.” He cupped her face tenderly in his hands, “I love you, Sapphira.” In his heart, Pippin knew that he ought to wait for some sort of response from Sapphira, but he didn’t. Instead, he peered into her hazel-blue eyes the same way that he did back in the garden at Great Smials. This time, however, he was going to initiate it; he leaned down and he kissed her. For a long while the couple stood inside the threshold of Sapphira’s room in loving embrace. At length, Pippin was the one to break away. “Goodnight, Sapphira. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

Still melancholy, Sapphira leaned against the doorjamb deep in thought for a long minute, touching her ruby lips with her fingers. She whispered in reply, “Goodnight, Pippin.”

TBC