CHAPTER 18

Hyacinth shook her head. If she had only acted quickly that long ago evening, she’d not be in this position. Why, she’d be the Thain’s Lady, and able to wield authority over all the Tooks…or would she? That knock on the door had been most untimely...

Ferumbras stood there, fatuous smile on his face, waiting for Pearl’s reaction – likely enough he expected her to gasp in pleasure, Paladin thought sourly. As it was, Eglantine was watching Pearl closely, and caught the flash in her daughter’s eyes. Much as the gesture would be deserved, it would not help anything. She gave the slightest shake of her head. Pearl hesitated briefly, reading her mother’s unspoken warning, and then lifted the necklace from the box, so that the assembled witnesses would see.

In a voice as pleasant as she was able to muster, she said "Thank you, Cousin Ferumbras."

"You are welcome, Cousin Pearl." He smiled at her patronizingly, pleased that finally everything was settled. A bit of time to let the talk die off, and he could shuffle the Thainship onto Paladin while he still had a chance to enjoy life.

Pearl swallowed, nodded, and returned to her seat with her parents.

The Thain looked over the assembled hobbits. "I hope that this will put the gossip and slander to rest. I ask that should you hear anyone repeating any unpleasant calumnies for you to set them straight at once, and let them know that young Pearl and her family have my full confidence."

Behind Ferumbras, Reggie smiled to himself. He was going to be in for several days of ill-tempered scolding from his wife, for not taking advantage of the "opportunity" to supplant Paladin. She had never seemed to understand that this was a job he not only did not want, but, so long as he was married to her, would not take. As long as he was able to draw breath, he would never give her the satisfaction of being the Thain’s Lady.

The crowd began to break up, and several hobbits moved to surround the Whitwell Tooks, to reassure Pearl that of course, they had *never* believed the gossip anyway, and to congratulate her on being exonerated.

Merry had been one of the first to give his cousin an embrace; Frodo had followed with a hug of his own, and then he turned to Paladin.

"Cousin Paladin, it looks as though all of you will be occupied with well-wishers for some time to come. Perhaps Merry and I can go back to your quarters and relieve Mistress Hollyhock from watching Pippin?"

"Why, thank you Frodo! Very kind of you to offer."

Merry glanced at his parents, who nodded their permission, and the two of them gradually made their way out of the room, stopped every few feet by hobbits who wished to talk.

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At the repetition of the first soft knock, Hyacinth gave a start, and dropped the cushion. It landed on the floor at her feet, and she jumped up.

Who could it be? The family would have entered without knocking--she gave a shudder as she contemplated the thought--what if they had come in while she was--occupied? Perhaps she was not cut out for such actions after all. She cast a glance at the sleeping child, and felt a brief twinge of regret. So close, so very close, to having her problems solved.

The knock on the door was repeated once more, and so she bustled into the outer room, opening it more abruptly than she meant to.

Primrose Took stood there, and her look of startled surprise was followed by one of suspicion. *What* on earth was Hyacinth Took of all people doing here?

Hyacinth swallowed. She was not sure she was equal to facing Paladin’s formidable eldest sister right now.

For her part, Primrose stared: Reggie’s wife was the *last* person she could imagine watching over an ailing Pippin. She was not even so very motherly with her own daughters. Why would she mind someone *else’s* child?

"Cousin Hyacinth! I am surprised to see *you* here!" Primrose peered past, wondering if someone else might be here as well.

"Oh-er-come in, come in! I was watching over young Peregrin," Hyacinth managed to stammer. "The healer was watching him, but she got called away to attend a birthing, and I just happened to have stopped by to speak to Paladin and Eglantine and…" her voice trailed off as she realized she was babbling.

Primrose fixed her cousin’s wife with a gimlet eye. Had she been up to something? She certainly was acting flustered. Perhaps she had been snooping among Paladin and Tina’s things? That *would* be the sort of sly thing to be expected of the silly hobbitess. She swept into the room imperiously, leaving Hyacinth hemming and hawing after her. 

Hyacinth dithered at her side, as Primrose came to rest in the middle of the sitting room, peering about her for signs of disturbance: drawers not completely closed, doors ajar. The old hobbitess spoke stiffly. "I am afraid that Peridot was unaccountably worried about Pippin this evening. She had a terrible headache, but I could not get her to settle down and rest until I promised to come and check on the little lad."

"Well--er--he’s, he’s just fine, ... as you might like to see?" Hyacinth bustled back towards Pippin’s room, followed by Primrose.

"See, he is just sleeping. The healer gave him a draught."

Primrose bent over Pippin’s sleeping form, and with a butterfly touch she brushed one of the curls away from his forehead. He was softly snoring, and had drooled a bit onto his pillow. She smiled, and dropped a little kiss on top of his head.

"I’m glad to see him sleeping soundly. He has been most uncomfortable the last night or two."

"Yes, yes, he’s sleeping soundly," Hyacinth repeated, inwardly feeling relieved that she had avoided trouble. She tried not to wince as Primrose looked up again with a speculative glint in her eye, and then there was the sound of the outer door opening once more.

Primrose turned and went into the outer room. Hyacinth stood there for a moment trying to collect herself. She took a deep breath. She had not, after all, *done* anything. Really, she had not. Not a thing. Feeling a bit calmer she went into the other room.

Primrose was explaining to Frodo why she was there, and why the healer was not.

Merry simply went into Pippin’s room, giving Hyacinth a brief glare as he did so. It was her daughter’s fault Pippin got sunburned anyway. If he had been with Pippin it never would have happened. 

Hyacinth quailed at the stormy look of those grey eyes. You’d think the insolent child *suspected* something. Then the conversation between Primrose and the Baggins caught her ear, and she stiffened like a cook sniffing the air for suspected burning food. 

"And how did things go for Pearl?"

Frodo grinned. "Very well indeed. I was impressed with Cousin Reggie. He had managed to find all the proof needed to show that Pearl had nothing to do with old Lalia’s accident. The Thain was very gracious to her," he quirked a brow at this, and Primrose chuckled, "and he made her a gift of a magnificent string of pearls, to ‘make it up to her’."

Hyacinth could not help herself. Drawing closer, she said in her most imperious tone of voice, "What’s this you said about Reginard?"

Frodo glanced at her coolly. "Why, the Thain had asked him to investigate and find out what really happened. Of course it proved that Pearl had nothing to do with it. Actually, it appears that the fault probably lay with Cousin Lalia herself. Did he not tell you what he was doing?"

Hyacinth swallowed her retort, and managed to choke out, "I am afraid that Reggie and I have had little time for talk, the last couple of days. If you will excuse me, I believe I need to get back to my children." How dare he! Behind her back, Reggie had undone everything she had been working toward, ever since the accident. He would certainly get an earful when she finally got him alone.

She left with an alacrity that had both Frodo and Primrose staring after the closed door in confusion.

Finally, Primrose said "I am very glad Peridot insisted I come check on Pippin. I am not at all comfortable that she was watching him. I know she is simply stupid, but she is also altogether selfish."

Frodo nodded thoughtfully. "I know what you mean. Poor Reggie."

"Yes, poor Reggie."

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