Chapter Fourteen - Painting the Town Green

“Diamond! Wake up!”

Diamond groaned as she tried desperately to grasp what was making her rouse from such a lovely sleep. “Hmmm…”

“Diamond!” someone whispered sharply.

Her eyelids obeyed, flickering open. “Mrs. Brownfield…?”

“I apologize for barging in like this, but Lilly Claypipe is having her baby--now.”

Diamond’s thoughts suddenly became clearer. “So soon?” she asked softly. “Her baby isn’t due for another two weeks.”

“I know that, Lilly knows it, and so do you,” Pim whispered, “but the baby doesn’t. I have to go with mother; she promised Lilly she’d be there for the birth. I don’t know when I’ll return home. The Toyshop in Tuckborough is having a story hour today and I told the lads that I would take them. I need for you to go with them--all right? Pippin is going to release them from their studies early so that they may attend.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you!” said Pimpernel, and out the door she went.

Diamond willed herself to wake the rest of the way, looking at her wall clock in the dim lamplight. “Half past four!” she exclaimed in a whisper, burrowing her head into her pillow. “I wish babies had a better sense of time.”

* * *

“We’re going to be late!” complained Tilby, “We’ll miss the whole beginning of the story.” The lad sat angrily onto the bench by the Great Door of the Smials, pouting.

“The whole beginning?” Gelly teased his brother.

“Leave me alone or I’ll tell Miss Diamond!” the younger shouted back.

Diamond sat beside Tilby silently wondering what in the Shire was making the young lads so cranky. Whatever the cause, she had had it. “Gelly--you sit on one side of me, and Tilby, you stay where you are. I want no more scrapping between you two. You’re supposed to be brothers.”

“Miss Diamond,” whined Hilly, sitting in child-minder’s lap, “it keeps touching me!”

Little Hilfred was unusually quiet yet he also had been behaving out of sorts. “What keeps touching you?”

“The midge,” said the wee lad, rubbing his tired eyes. “It keeps touching me.”

This is going to be a long day, Diamond said to herself. “Where is your uncle, Gelly? He should have been--”

“Should have been out here already?” said Pippin stepping out of one side of the great double doors. “I had to find my notes. I told that to Gelly.”

Gelly gave an exasperated sigh, “I didn’t think that it would take you an age to find them.”

“Up inside, you gooseberry,” Pippin guided his saucy nephew toward the back seat of the open carriage.

“Will we be in time for the story, Uncle?” asked Tilby, climbing up behind his brother.

“Of course!” replied Pippin, tossing a thin children’s book onto the seat. “I’m the one telling the story--and don’t either of you read it ahead of time.”

Diamond sighed when she heard the lads cheering and clapping for good old Uncle Pippin. Perhaps the day wouldn’t be so long after all.

A wee misjudgement on Pippin’s part made story hour more like “story half-hour”. He and Diamond sat inside the open carriage watching the lads play in a small wooded area with their friends.

“When Mrs. Brownfield sees their filthy breeches she is going to be highly displeased with me,” said Diamond perched in the back seat.

Pippin stretched lazily in the front seat yawning, the children’s “book of the half-hour” sitting on the floorboard. “No matter what station in life he is born in, a lad loves dirt,” said Pippin. “Don’t worry on Pimpernel--I’ll deal with my sister.” Pippin swatted at a fly buzzing near his ear, “Perhaps we’ll have a bit of luncheon at the inn before we leave town.”

“Right,” responded Diamond half-heartedly. She looked up as a lass slightly older than her approach the carriage.

The stranger-lass wore a pale pink dress trimmed in lace while holding an umbrella of the same colour above her head to shield the sun rays. Diamond felt a knot form in her stomach; she did not relish the idea of sharing Pippin’s company with another lass. Jealous was the first word that came to her mind, though Diamond shook it away. “I can’t be jealous,” she told herself, though she wondered why she felt the way she did.

“Good afternoon, Pippin!” smiled the lass. “Fancy meeting you here in town.”

Pippin immediately sat up in his seat. “Hullo, Myrtle. How have you been?”

Diamond didn’t understand why she suddenly wished Miss Myrtle would go away. She seemed nice enough, in spite of Diamond’s secret misgivings.

“I’m fine, Pippin, thank you,” said Myrtle, then tilted her umbrella just so…batting her eyes just a little. “It’s quite warm for this time of year, don’t you think?”

“Indeed,” Pippin answered. “Pleasantly warm enough for the Midsummer Fair next week.”

“Are you going?” Myrtle asked coyly.

Diamond watched Myrtle’s gestures closely; she had never seen blatant flirting up close before.

“I am,” answered Pippin, “but I am also afraid that escorting anyone is out of the question this year.”

“Really?” said Myrtle, flashing a glare at Diamond. Her own disappointment at not obtaining the arm of the Thain’s son scarcely hid. Myrtle wondered if this upstart lass had sunk her hooks into the handsome lad--yet Myrtle wasn’t giving up without a fight. She grew confident; Pippin would not lower himself to dance with a working lass. “Well, perhaps we could share a dance or two? I had hoped that we could share the entire evening, but I suppose a dance will suffice.”

Pippin smiled courteously, “Perhaps.”

Myrtle turned to Diamond as if seeing her for the first time. “Have we had the pleasure?”

At this point, Diamond really wished that Miss Myrtle would move on, searching for another companion to dance with. “I don’t believe so,” she said, then got up to give a polite curtsy. “Diamond North-took, at your service and your family’s. I am Mrs. Brownfield’s new child-minder.”

“Myrtle Burrows,” said the well-bred lass with less enthusiasm. “At your service.” She quickly turned back to the only lad present then smiled, “Good day to you, Pippin. I’ll see you at the Fair.”

Pippin waited until Myrtle had entered the Baker’s shop before he let out a loud sigh. “I can only guess what the talk is round here about me not escorting a lass to the dance.”

Diamond smiled, “It will die down--and the lasses will all survive. I think it is more important that you escort a lass when you feel ready.”

Pippin sent a look in Diamond’s direction, “How old are you again?”

She couldn’t help but grin, “I’m old enough, Mr. Pippin.”

Pippin gazed reflectively at his nephews kicking a soft leather ball around with a few other lads. “I genuinely thought that you would have fled home by now.”

“Why is that?” Diamond asked. “Because my sister did?”

Pippin looked down, embarrassed at his comment. “I suppose so…but I also happen to know that you are much younger than she.”

Diamond’s soft brown eyes met Pippin’s. “I am not my sister,” she said, rising up from her seat. She surveyed the group of lads laughing and running heedlessly amid the shade trees. “The lads are looking a bit flushed; they need a draught of water.”

Pippin watched Diamond step out of the carriage and then call the lads over to the market well nearby. He made to get up and help her draw the water when he spied a young lad walk over to the well. With great interest he gaped at the conversation he was too far away to hear. Gelly suddenly broke into a run, running in Pippin’s direction. “Gelly!” Pippin heard Diamond shout, but the lad was already approaching the carriage.

“Rolo’saskingMissDiamondtodance!” Gelly announced as he bounded into the carriage out of breath.

“Slow down, Gel!” said Pippin. “I didn’t catch one word that you uttered.”

Gelly took a huge breath before restarting. “Rolo Hornblower is asking Miss Diamond to dance with him at the Fair next week!” he said excitedly.

Pippin didn’t like the sound of that. He didn’t know Rolo very well and so couldn’t vouch for his integrity. Certainly Pippin would have to investigate this matter further. He rose up from his seat in the carriage walking out toward the well. Pippin would see about this Rolo fellow.

“Then I shall look forward to our dance,” Rolo said giving a gentle-hobbit bow, then began to leave. He also gave a slight bow to Pippin as the Thain’s son drew near. “And good day to you, sir.”

Pippin nodded to the departing lad then looked at Diamond, raising an eyebrow. “Well?”

Red faced, Diamond said , “Yes, Mr. Pippin, this is a well.” Although she knew exactly what he meant.

“The Shire is full of jesters, Miss Diamond,” said Pippin, unravelling the twisted rope that tied the water bucket to the well lever. “However, I can’t imagine you being among them. Especially with a rogue like that,” he indicated with a nod toward a very distant Rolo. He next let the water bucket drop until the it made a splashing sound far below.

“Excuse me?” said Diamond. “He didn’t seem like a rogue to me--I’ll wager you don’t even know Rolo.”

“I at least know of him--you don’t know him at all,” Pippin grunted, turning the handle to bring up the heavy bucket full of water.

“How else shall I get to know a few lads? It’s just a dance--it isn’t as if I’m going to marry him,” Diamond countered.

“Really?” said Pippin, pausing to take a rest. “And if he does ask you to marry him, what will you do--tell him to wait ten years?” Pippin locked the handle in place, hefting the waiting bucket down to the lads to drink. “Half a moment--he only asked for one dance?” Pippin asked incredulously. “What a pathetic excuse for a….”

“Now just a minute!” Diamond had those hands on her hips again. “I don’t remember calling Miss Myrtle a pathetic excuse for a wanton flirt!”

“A wanton flirt?” said Pippin, growing warm from fetching the well water and annoyance. “She was being social!”

“I can be social, too, Mr. Pippin,” Diamond said while batting her eyelashes. “Indeed! Sharing the entire evening with you!” Diamond used the same inflection Myrtle did.

“And what’s wrong with that? I’m really the life of a dance, you know--you can ask my cousin Merry.”

“Mr. Merry isn’t here, now is he?” she retorted.

The three young lads looked from one grown hobbit to the other as the volleys bounced back and forth.

Pippin simply glared at her while he blurted his command. “Everyone over to the eating house for luncheon--now!” he growled. “And we’re going to enjoy the meal whether you like it or not!”

Inside the eating house of the Oak Leaf Inn, luncheon was much more quiet than normal for a certain hobbit group. Pippin kept his eyes on his plate while Gelly and Tilby alternately played with and ate their food. There’s nothing quite like a giant hill of mashed potatoes with a river of gravy oozing through a tunnel, or a gravy moat surrounding the fluffy white kingdom.

“Is that better, Hilly?” Diamond spoke softly into the laddie’s ear. She had cut up his meat into tiny bite-sized pieces then brought him up to sit on her lap. The small child could barely see over the table top to eat his food. She kissed his soft brown ringlets when he nodded his thanks.

The sound of yet another chair scuffling the floor caught Pippin’s attention. He looked up to see the fourth lad walk in the direction of Diamond. Apparently, news of the pretty child-minder had spread like wild-fire in Tuckborough. The young lad stopped in his tracks having caught Pippin’s scathing look and then went back to his own seat. Pippin imagined all of this would be so much simpler if Diamond wasn’t such a bonny maiden. A lad’s bane, he thought, is a lass’s beauty. Pippin figured that the wall he had built to guard his heart had been breached--and he knew that the young lass sitting across from him at the table was responsible for that breach. He sighed, wondering what sort of heartache awaited him at the hands of Miss Diamond North-took.

“I like you, Miss Diamond,” Pippin overheard Hilly whisper back into the child-minder’s ear. The little lad glowered at his uncle, “Can I dance with you at the Fair, Miss Diamond?”

Pippin looked down at his half-eaten mushrooms, feeling guilty over his selfish thoughts. “I’ll be in the carriage waiting,” he said. Wiping his mouth, Pippin excused himself from the table.

Not long after, Diamond, Gelly, Tilby, and Hilly walked hand in hand toward the carriage with full tummies, however, a cloud of gloom remained overhead. Soon the children were arguing over who would get to sit in the front seat with their uncle. Being the youngest, Hilly sat dejectedly beside Diamond in the back. “I always lose,” he mourned.

“I’m sorry, Hill,” Diamond comforted the lad. “But look! We get the entire back seat to ourselves! Why don’t you stretch out and take a nap on the way home?” That seemed to cheer the weary child, so he lay upon the seat and closed his eyes.

For some reason, the locking device that kept the carriage wheels from moving without a driver was stuck. Pippin got down to see what the matter was.

“Put it down, Tilby!” Gelly began reprimanding his younger brother, trying to take away a certain object his brother held in his hand.

“No! I got it first!”

“I’ll tell Uncle Pippin!” Gelly yelled back, tugging on the whip. “Now let go!”

“No!”

“Let go!”

“No!”

Pippin looked up to see the lads struggling over the pony whip. “Tilby, that is not a toy! Put it down this instant!”

With no other thought than to enjoy seeing his brother fall backward into the seat, Tilby suddenly let go. But what happened next never entered his mind.

Gelly indeed fell back into his seat, however, the momentum of the force also flung his hand back….snapping the pony whip elsewhere. A sharp gasp filled the air. Everyone froze.

Pippin grunted as the locking lever finally broke free from its position…and then he looked up. He, too, became still as stone but not for long; his training in Knighthood snapped him into action.

“Miss Diamond!” cried Hilly. “Help, Uncle Pippin--she’s bleeding!”

TBC

A/N: Hullo--after speaking with my expert on staff (lol--my Mentor) she helped me determine which would be better for the story, so I changed "pony crop" to "pony whip".  My aplogies for any inconvenience.