Timely Arrivals

It was about two hours past midnight of the third day of the accused traitors’ incarceration. In about thirty hours their trial would begin.

Three riders approached Crickhollow House at as stealthy a walk as their ponies could manage. They skirted along the hedge, all of them wishing there was more than one entrance onto the grounds.

They stopped. They all could hear the approach of a carriage. Without a word all three dismounted and led the ponies a few paces forward into a place along the hedge that was shadowed.

The carriage pulled up to the gates. A female voice said something to the driver, who jumped down to open the gates. He hopped back into his seat, slapped the reins on the ponies’ rumps and they went up the drive at a fast walk. Oddly, the driver did not stop to come back and shut the gates.

“That’s the Master’s carriage,” Marrin whispered to his wife and Toby Took.

“Aye,” Toby whispered back, “but ‘twas a hobbitess’ voice speaking to the driver.”

Toby could barely see Marrin’s nod. “Yes. Yes it was. I think it was the Mistress. I only wish I could be certain.”

“It most certainly wasn’t the Master,” Clary said. “And none but one or the other of them would be riding in that coach.”

“I say we go in and have a look about,” Toby pointed to the still open gates as he spoke. “If it’s the Mistress, she may well be able to be brought over to our side of this mess. As I said back in Twombly Woods, the Master said they had both disowned Macidoc but she had been gone for a couple of days by then.”

“I agree,” Mac replied and motioned for them all to move toward the gates. “More to the point, if she had been in agreement with Old Pompous, she would be at the Hall, not out here.”

They moved silently through the gateway, up the drive toward the house and the outbuildings.

Toby looked in through a kitchen window. He could hear a bit of what was being said as well as see. It was indeed the Mistress of Buckland and her driver. The driver was quite upset.

“I’ve followed yer orders, Mistress, but I put ma foot down at this. I didn’t dare refuse ta brin’ ye back ta Buckland, though I’d been told ye were ta stay at the Great Smials at least a fortnight. But I will not let ye hide here. The Master’ll have ma hide if I do such a thin’. I had orders ta bring ye straight back ta the Hall, Mistress. I at least have ta go and tell the Master you’re in Buckland, if you’re insistin’ ta stay out here.”

The Mistress was rather calm in light of her wishes being questioned.

“I understand, Tad. Of course, you must tell the Master I’m here. I shouldn’t have suggested other wise.” She gave a start. “Is that someone at the window by the door!” she shouted, pointing toward the kitchen door.

Toby was at a different window so he knew he hadn’t been spotted. Tad the driver turned to look where his mistress was pointing. As soon as he turned, he crumpled to the floor. Chalcedony Brandybuck stood over the fallen hobbit with a frying pan in her hand. Toby was amazed. He wouldn’t have thought she could move that fast.

“Now then, Tad,” she said to the unconscious hobbit on the floor. “I really can’t have Old Pompous finding out I’m back just yet. Sorry to have to do this to you.” She went into the parlor, returned with the ties from the curtains, knelt down and began binding Tad’s hands.

“Might you . . .”

Chalcy let out a startled shriek. Toby, Marrin and Clary had come into the kitchen while she had gone for the ties.

“Might you need some help with him, Mistress?” Marrin finished his question.

“It’s a wonder you didn’t just kill me, Marrin Brandybuck,” Chalcy finally managed to gasp. “Oh, my!” She took a few deep breaths before she continued. “Yes, thank you. I really don’t know what to do with him. I simply could not let him walk out that door and tell Macimas I’m here.”

“If I may, Mistress. I’m Tobold Took. Athelas Brandybuck is my sister,” Toby explained as he doffed his hat to Chalcedony. “There are enough bedrooms here, we could board up the windows and door on one of them so he can’t be getting out. How long are you thinking you need him kept away from the Master?”

An odd gleam lit Chalcedony’s green eyes, then it was gone. “Yes, Athelas. A fine young Took lass. A Brandybuck now, of course, as am I. The trial is tomorrow.” She looked down at Tad. “I did manage to get that much information from him. Since I have every intention of being at that trial, I should say we only need to keep Tad here until tomorrow morning when we leave for the Hall.”

Marrin and Toby carried Tad into one of the bedrooms which was quickly boarded up. They put a chamber pot, some ham, cheese and bread, a small cask of ale and a mug in the room with him. He would not suffer during his day as their “guest”.

Soon the two Brandybucks, Tobold and Chalcedony were settled into the other bedrooms. As urgent as their business in Buckland was, they all knew they would have clearer heads after a bit of rest.

******

In Brandy Hall, the Master’s rest was not easy. In fact, he wasn’t resting at all. Macimas II had been plagued by the most unusual dreams ever since the night the Traitors had been captured and incarcerated.

Images of his life floated in his mind and he would suddenly find himself reliving certain moments with an intense clarity. But always, this happened as though he were an observer outside himself. Macimas Brandybuck watching Macimas Brandybuck as he was growing up, or as Master of Buckland going about the affairs of his office. Strangely, he was finding he did not always like what he heard or saw.

He saw Longo’s father rewording things so they seemed either less important than they were . . . or sometimes more important than they were. He clenched his teeth at the sound of the placating, condescending, patronizing voice that toyed with his father. Then trembled with growing anger as the same voice came out of Longo Caskbury as his secretary toyed with him.

When he awoke after the first night, Macimas easily brushed it all aside. Dreams were nothing more than . . . well, dreams, after all. He went through his day barely noticing how he and his secretary worked.

That night was more of the same. This time, along with reliving so much of his life, there was a voice, a voice not his own, that kept commenting on what he was experiencing.

“That wasn’t really what *you* wanted to do, was it, Macimas?” the voice would ask.

“You felt a fool for not knowing about that incident. And you looked a fool to those Brandybuck farmers as well. Why was it you didn’t know what had happened, Macimas?” The voice was firm in his mind.

It angered him. It was a rather pesty, pushy, nosey voice. Yet, it didn’t patronize him; didn’t speak down to him as though he were an ignorant hobbit; didn’t go out of it’s way to placate his rising anger.

In other words the voice was much to be preferred to that of Longo Caskbury.

But once more, the new day saw the Master of Brandy Hall carrying on with his life as ever he had before.

This night, the night before the last day he and his secretary had to prepare for the hearing, Macimas decided he wouldn’t sleep. He had gone through sleepless nights before and was always fine the next day. He was weary of those dreams. By the night before the trial he would be so tired he would have a dreamless sleep. At least that was what he hoped.

******

After having only a few hours of rest, first breakfast was somewhat hurried for Clary, Marrin, Chalcy and Toby. Like most hobbits, they preferred not to detract from the enjoyment of a well prepared meal by discussing the distressing matter before them while eating. Yet, it was because of not discussing it that they rushed through the meal, ruining their enjoyment of it anyway. The dishes were cleared and washed. Ponies were fed and watered. Soon the four once more sat at the table with mugs of coffee and some scones set before them.

They shared their stories of how and when they had found out about Jebbin’s quest for the truth about the Travellers; about his writing his book. Marrin and Clary told of their meeting with the Master. Chalcy told about the false story of her elder brother being near death that drew her away from Brandy Hall, and what had happened to her at Great Smials. Toby told of his family receiving word from Athelas regarding what should be done if trouble arose.

“If trouble arose?” Clary asked in a puzzled tone. “But surely they had received Marrin’s letter and knew there was trouble. That was how she knew to have you look for us here, Toby.”

The young Took looked at Clary rather blankly. “She didn’t mention your letter. When did you send a letter?”

“I sent it by the Quick Post on our way here from the Hall.” Marrin said.

“After the festival then?”

“Yes.”

Toby sat back, slowly shaking his head. “That doesn’t make sense. The letter that said I should come here to find you was the one she wrote before they went off to the Harvest Festival, not the one that came just before them getting back to the Hall after this trip around the Shire. She didn’t mention hearing from you in the second letter.”

Chalcedony spoke up, her voice was soft and low. “Macimas, well Longo, would have thought of you trying to get word to your sons once it was discovered you had left Brandy Hall. He would have sent quicker riders around to say the letter was not to be delivered.”

“But . . . but . . .” Clary stammered. “That’s unheard of! Everyone knows it is a horrible thing to interfere with the post.”

“It has been done before,” Chalcy was still speaking quietly. “In a long past time. I’ve heard it happened in the Dire Year while the Travellers were away on the Quest.”

“How would Athelas have known we would be here if not for my letter?” Marrin asked. “It isn’t as though we had discussed needing to flee the Hall at any time before this. Why would we? We never thought such a thing would be necessary.”

Chalcedony did not respond immediately. She had her own thoughts about such things. Nothing she could prove. But she knew there were Tooks, and then there were other Tooks; slightly different Tooks. Chalcy had long known she was one of the different ones, and she had learned how to tell it in others. Athelas was a different Took.

“She’s a bit strange, is Athelas.” It was Tobold who answered, not Chalcedony. “Not in a bad way, mind you, but she’s different. It doesn’t surprise me she would know where you would go to if there was a need to leave your home.”

No one spoke for a few moments. They all had a lot to think about, strange Tooks being only a part of it all. Finally, Marrin broke the spell.

“Well. Now that we all know how we ended up here, we need to decide what we are going to do tomorrow. Our loved ones face a trial tomorrow, and I don’t think it will be as fair as it should be.”

Of that, they were all certain.