The Thain felt the front of the carriage veer to the left and knew they would be reaching the upper pass to Pincup soon. He peeked out the window, wondering how much further it would be. He received no clues from the trees that passed by, so he let the curtain fall and waited for the tell-tale dip that would indicate they reached the hill road. It came sooner than he would have thought.

He peeked out the window again, keeping out of view. He had forgotten how many curves the road had, but the steepness of the hill made it necessary to prevent carriages and traps from gaining too much speed. He spied plumes of smoke from Pincup below. Already there were a few smials and even a small tavern, The Top of the Hill Inn. Ferumbras wondered if the curves would prove too difficult for Twitch, but the lad knew what he was doing and kept the carriage close to the hillside.

Nestled in the southern edge of the Green Hill Country, Pincup peeked from the forest and dotted the hillside spreading to the plains of the Southfarthing at its feet. Home to both working hobbits and the respectable Banks family, the town had both quaint homes and traditional hobbit-holes, some simple, others grand, but all furnished with the necessities and comforts hobbits had come to enjoy and expect. Little gardens decorated the yards, livestock ran along the lanes with the children, and old gaffers and gammers chinwagged over low fences. The town was much the same as it had always been.

The carriage slowed as Twitch navigated around a particularly steep turn. They rounded the bend and the quiet town came into full view below, the road gradually became less steep as they neared the bottom of the hill. Children played in their yards and on the hills. They waved as the carriage rolled by, while the gammers, gaffers and workers tried to spy who was inside. Ferumbras was grateful for the curtains: it was enough that the carriage would be identified as coming from Tookland by the door emblem of a crossbow over the Green Hills. He had refused the Thain’s carriage with the shooting crossbow; there was little chance his arrival would be announced ahead of him but he did not want to take that risk. 

At length, they reached the bottom of the hills and rode out of the trees into the heart of Pincup.

~*~

Chapter 10 - Overlithe

Ami heard the snap of a twig behind her, but she didn’t turn around until she heard, “Ami? Are ye all right, lass?” It was Perry. 

She looked up, wiping the tears away with haste. “I’m well,” she said, which was partly true. 

After her initial tears, she did feel much better than before. Whatever had been pent up inside her had run its course. Now she merely felt the lateness of the hour and the slight chill in the midnight air. Midnight. It was Overlithe at last, and she was thirty-two. This realization struck her as absurd and she laughed.

“Ami?” Perry asked again, stepping out of the shade of a row of trees.

“Sorry. It’s been an odd day,” she said. 

She sniffed and attempted to make herself look decent, for all that there was hardly any light to see by. The crescent moon barely out-shined the stars. Then suddenly a great glow of brilliant orange leapt up from the direction of the fairgrounds, hidden from by view the copse, and the hobbits assembled there roared and clapped. Music began to play and some folk sang, though the words could not be made out. The bonfires had been lit.

Perry seemed not to noticed. Instead, he came closer still and risked a smile. “Day’s just begun,” he said, then tipped his head in the direction from which he just came. “If I may ask, why are ye not at the bonfires? It’s all anyone could be talking about the last coupla days. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, really, not anymore at any rate,” Ami said. “Arlo, my nephew, he came down with heatstroke and gave us all a scare.” She looked down at her nephew’s soaked shirt and felt the cold tighten around her belly. “He’s had hay fever for the last couple of days, and then this... It all seemed so familiar, like it was winter again. But he’s on the mend and the healer says he’ll be all right in a few days. I don’t know why I cried.”

Perry came a few steps closer still and crouched down to her eye level. He shrugged. “Sometimes, ye just need to cry. That’s what my ma would tell me anyhow. Why winter again? Was it a bad one for yer kin?”

She nodded. “My sisters both lost their husbands, and Amber took sick as well. She lost the bairn she was carrying. Arlo’s her son.”

“Ah,” he said. He sat tailor-fashion on the ground, some feet away from where Ami kneeled by the river. They both watched the river in silence for a time, letting the soft babble soothe them. The echo of music and laughter added its own joviality to the air. Finally, he said, “It happens like that sometimes, but it’s naught to be sad over.”

“How can you say that?” Ami asked, aghast.

“I reckon as the only reason to be sad would be if you’re certain as to never see them again. I’m not certain as I won’t,” he answered. “It don’t keep me from missing ‘em at times, but it’s more like ye miss someone as gone off for a hunting trip and ye’ll know as they’ll be back in a couple of days. Only in this case, it’s them as is doing the waiting.”

“Who are they?” Ami asked.

“I lost my ma a few springs back. The ague. My dad followed a month later. My gammer said it was a broken heart as got him. Last autumn, my gaffer went on. He was almost 110, and I remember thinking how disappointed he’ll be as he didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. She put the shirt down, spread it across the grass, and sat back, facing Perry. “You weren’t sad at all?”

“Oh, aye, it’s always sad at first, but I have my siblings, and my gammer still,” he said. “Besides, I’ve still got my parents and gaffer in a way. I have their memories and all the things they’ve taught me. It’s not the same - I can’t be hugging a memory - but I can sometimes imagine what they would be doing or saying, especially since coming here. I’m sure as they’d have a lot to say about all this!”

“I can’t imagine losing my parents,” Ami said with a shudder. “You know, everyone figured I’d be gone by now. Supposedly, there’s some sort of curse for any Took born on Overlithe. It’s just silly nonsense. I’ve wondered sometimes what my parents would do if the curse were true and it had got me.”

“They told this to ye?” he asked, disturbed at the thought. 

“Of course not. No one knows that I know, but I overheard it, several times,” she said. 

“That’s a dark thing to be living with.”

She shrugged. “I figured there wasn’t anything I could do about it if were true, so why worry about it? I forget it entirely most times. I don’t know what made me think of it now.”

“It is Overlithe,” Perry said. “Happy birthday.”

Ami smiled. “Thank you.”

“Is that the cause of all the oddity then, yer nephew and yer curse?”

“No actually. I met a friend for luncheon and was asked to make a decision. I’ve been round and round it ever since, and I still can’t make up my mind,” she said. “I’m not sure what to do, except that I promised to have an answer by tomorrow.”

“Maybe I can help,” Perry offered. “Since my gaffer passed on, it’s been up to me to make all the decisions. Gammer is a great help, but in the end it’s my choices as say if we eat or go hungry. To tell ye the truth, I still don’t know most of the time what I’m about, but I do like to think as I’ve got better at pretending it. Would ye like some general tips? They’re likely not worth much.”

Ami nodded. “I would love that. It can hardly muddle up my thoughts more than they already are.”

“All right then,” Perry said, repositioning himself to face Ami, as a tutor to his pupil. “Tip the first: Your first reaction, if ye have one, tends to be the right one. That’s not always the case, but more often as not, I go with it and all works out in the end. Tip the second: get advice, if ye can. Someone else might see something as ye missed, or offer a side of things as ye didn’t think of. Tip the third: Know when to stop looking for advice. It won’t do ye favors to go looking till the time for the decision has passed ye by. Me, I ask my gammer and my brother. They’re forever disagreeing with each other, so I figure between the two of ‘em, I’ll get all the information as I’m likely to need. Tip the fourth: Once ye have all as ye need to make the decision, make it and don’t change yer mind once ye’ve made it. If after looking over everything, you’re still not sure, then go with yer first reaction. Tip the fifth: Sometimes, ye just have to draw straws. And finally, tip the sixth: Ye’ll never know if yer decision was the right one, or if deciding different could of been better. Ye’ll only know the outcome of the decision ye do make. Don’t doubt yerself. It’ll bring ye to no good.”

Ami considered all this and nodded. “That’s sound advice, but I’m still confused. I did seek advice from someone I trust, and she said I should do it. I do see her point. It’s a practical solution.”

“But?”

Ami shrugged. “My first reaction was to sit there dumbstruck. That’s not much help.”

“Are ye so certain it ain’t? My gaffer told me once as there’s three things to listen to in making a decision: yer gut, yer heart and yer head. Some folk always decide with one or another, usually whichever one serves them best. I tend to go with my gut. My head and my heart usually aren’t far behind. I take it ye tend to go with yer head, and yer head can’t make up it’s mind?”

“My head says that my sister is right. On the one hand, I can see so clearly everything that will come of saying yes, and it’s all quite lovely. On the other, I just can’t seem to actually say it. I suppose my gut is telling me there’s something else I’m not considering, and my heart...”

“What kind of decision is it?” Perry asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s clearly not a choice between apple pie and raspberry tarts, in which case I would say get one of each, or two or three,” Perry said. 

Ami laughed. “If only it were that simple.”

“Some decisions require ye to go with yer gut more, such as when I decided to come here. I couldn’t use my head as I’d never been here and didn’t know what to expect. I couldn’t use my heart, which in any case was telling me to stay put, because the outcome of this fair doesn’t effect only me but everyone as depends on me. It weren’t a personal choice, I mean to say.”

“This particular decision usually tends to be a heart one, but there are several others who make it with their heads and are perfectly happy. Their hearts followed their heads, as you say.”

“But yer head ain’t certain what to do,” Perry pointed out. “I think we let fate decide. Close yer eyes.”

“What?”

“Ye’ll be fine.”

Seeing no reason not to, Ami did as she was asked. 

“Now, image I’m holding up two straws in my hand. One is long and the other short, but ye don’t know which one is which. Can ye see ‘em?”

Ami nodded. “I see them.”

“The short one means ye say yes. The long one, ye say no. Reach yer hand out and pull a straw.”

Feeling somewhat silly, she reached up. She focused on the image in her mind. She was imagining herself in the stables in Whitwell. The familiar scents and sounds around her were comforting, but as she looked at those two pieces of hay sticking out from Perry’s hand, she hesitated. Could her decision really come down to this? Surely, this was too important of a decision to allow a piece of hay to decide it for her.

“Pull a straw.”

Holding her breath, she reached out and plucked a straw.

“Ye’ve pulled the long straw. How do ye feel?”

Ami let out her breath and started to cry anew. “Relieved.”

“Are ye sure, lass?”

She nodded. She took some deep breaths and gathered her resolve. “I’m sure. I just loathe having to tell him.” She opened her eyes and found Perry watching her closely, his eyes filled with concern. She smiled. “Thank you for helping.”

“Did I then?” he asked. 

“You did. I find it difficult to believe you have a hard time making decisions.”

“I’ve had to make a lot since autumn. I try to be brave about it, but most of the time I am just pretending. Doesn’t help as they can all tell. I think as they only go along with what I say out of sympathy most times.”

“Now that I absolutely refuse to believe. You came all this way, alone, not knowing what to expect. That’s a kind of bravery I’ve never seen before. It certainly requires more courage than I’m capable of.”

Now Perry tilted his head in obvious disbelief himself. “Ami, you’re the bravest person I know.”

“What makes you think that?” she asked.

“Because when I’m with ye, I’ve never felt so brave,” he said. “I meant it the other day when I said I’d still be standing on the grounds, frozen to my spot, if ye hadn’t come along. Ye gave me hope I was doing the right thing.”

Amy wasn’t sure how to respond to such a statement. The only thing she could think to do was reach out and place her hand over his. His skin was warm despite the cooling of the midnight air. She hadn’t realized how cold her own hands remained until then, the water’s chill still damp on her skin. Her hand trembled. Perry must have noticed this also. He turned his hand and placed his other on top of hers to warm it, rubbing gently. Warmer she did feel. It spread throughout her body, tingling her skin in its wake. 

She cleared her throat and looked down at her free hand. “What are you doing up at this late hour anyway? Enjoying the bonfires?” she asked, desperate to fill the air between them. The air itself seemed to have warmed by several degrees. 

“Nay. I was laying in the pen, thinking over the day, when I saw a falling star,” he said. “They say as if ye find a fallen star, ye’ll have good fortune to the end of yer days, so I thought as I’d try and find it. And I found ye.”

Ami started to laugh, thinking it a jest, but when she met his eyes again, the laugh caught in her throat. Everything around them seemed to fade away and the only thing that seemed real was his hands covering hers and the thinly veiled yearning in his eyes. She leaned forward, pulled into that gaze.

“Ami?”

Esme’s sharp voice shattered the moment. Cold swept in from all around and Ami bolted to her feet, swaying slightly from standing too quickly. Perry stood more slowly and caught her elbow, steadying her until her head stopped spinning. 

“Esme,” Ami said. Her voice sounded panicked to her ears, and her heart was racing as though she had just competed in a foot race. 

Esme stood a few yards away, carrying soap and a pair of washboards, her expression unreadable. “Who’s your friend?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh! Uh, Perry, this is my sister Esmeralda Took,” Ami said, finding her voice and her manners with difficulty. “Esme, this is Perry Nettleburr.”

Making sure Ami could first stand on her own, Perry let go of her elbow and extended his hand to Esme. “At yer service.”

Esme stepped forward and shook his hand briefly. “At the service of you and your family,” she said, somewhat tersely. She turned to Ami pointedly. “Can you believe the barkeep had no idea where the soap was kept? He couldn’t even be bothered to look for it. He couldn’t fathom why you didn’t just leave the laundry there, which I must admit is a good point.” She glanced again at Perry. “Anyway, I finally found the soap and washboards. Mum and Da must certainly be wondering what is taking us so long, so I suggest we hurry.”

She went to the river and began to attack Arlo’s shirt with the soap.

“Good night to ye,” Perry said and started to leave.

“Wait!” Ami said. “My party. You are coming tonight, aren’t you?”

Esme stiffened.

“I thank ye for the invitation, but I don’t think I will be able to make it,” Perry said.

“Oh.” Ami felt deflated, but she pushed this aside and smiled charmingly. “Well, if you don’t come, I’ll have to look for you, won’t I?”

“I’ll try then,” Perry said, smiling back. He left, retreating back into the copse that ran down the river.

Ami joined Esme and they washed the laundry without another word between them.

Ami woke late the following morning, alone in the tent. The nearest sounds were far away, the general babble of folk enjoying the fair. She dressed quickly and went in search of food. From the sun’s position, she guessed it was close to second breakfast and she was right. Rosamunda and Verbena were there, just sitting down to their meal as well.

“Happy birthday, Darling!” they greeted in unison.

“Thank you!” Ami said. She piled a plate with eggs and ham and sat next to her cousins. “Have you seen Esme or Dicentra?”

“They were stopping by the Pheasant before going to the shows,” Verbena said. “Your mum left not too long ago. She said Arlo’s already much improved.”

“Thank the stars,” Ami said, relieved. “I think I shall follow them.” She ate quickly and departed, stopping at the tent for her things. 

It had been a mistake to take Rumbi’s proposal gift there yesterday. It was only by sheer luck that it was not discovered in the flurry of activity of preparing for Alchemilla’s wedding. She needed to put it in her case until tomorrow, when she could tell Rumbi of her decision. She wished that she could tell him today, but it would be poor form to return a gift on her birthday and worse luck still to reject a proposal on Overlithe. 

She concealed the box by rolling it in her sleeping gown and made her way to the inn. When she arrived, she found her entire family there, all of them looking tired but hopeful. They greeted her with a cheerful “happy birthday” and hugged her each in turn. Only Amber and Arlo were absent from the parlor. They were fast asleep in the bedchamber, resting now that the worst had passed. Ami tiptoed to her bags, put her things away, then returned to the parlor, thinking she would drag out the trunk holding her birthday presents once Amber and Arlo were awake. She sat next to her mother and resisted the urge to lean against her.

Adalgrim sat forward and cleared her throat. “So, Ami?” he began, sounding expectant. “Is there something you wanted to tell us?”

“Tell you? I don’t think so.”

“Nothing?” Heather asked. 

“Maybe something that happened yesterday?” Pally prompted.

“Yesterday?” Ami repeated, blushing. Her mind leapt immediately to Perry, but surely Esme wouldn’t have said anything about that. She glanced at Esme, who was watching her with that same, expressionless face. Esme lifted an eyebrow.

“About Rumbi, dear,” Clematis said. Her excitement was even less veiled than her husband’s. “Didn’t you meet him for luncheon?”

“Oh!” Understanding finally came to Ami. “I did, but at the moment there is really nothing I care to say about that. Perhaps later.”

Clematis and Adalgrim exchanged quick glances. “Perhaps later then,” Clematis said. She placed an arm around Ami and hugged her briefly. “If you need to talk, just ask.” She kissed Ami’s brow then stood. 

Adalgrim followed suit. “Come on, children. Time to get to the fair.”

“I’m going to stay and help Darling with her gifts,” Esme said.

“What about Di?” Pally asked.

“She went to get a wheelbarrow for taking Ami’s gifts to the party,” Esme said.

Soon enough, Esme and Ami were alone. The only sounds were the soft breaths of their sister and nephew in the other room. Esme closed the bedchamber door and sat across from Ami. “Well?” she whispered.

“Well what?”

“Don’t play innocent with me. I saw you last night. You were about to kiss that Nettleburr chap if I hadn’t interrupted you. What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t about to kiss him,” Ami said, blushing further. “After you left, I started crying. He just happened to come along and he... he was nice. He distracted me.”

“I’m sure he did.”

“Not like that! We talked, that’s all.”

“And what about Rumbi? Why haven’t you seen him yet? I figured that would be the first thing you would want to do,” Esme said.

“I’ll speak with him tomorrow,” Ami said.

“Why not today?” Esme asked, though she could guess well enough the reason for the delay. “Darling, we talked about this. He’s a good match for you, and just because you don’t love him in that way now doesn’t mean you won’t come to do so later. Look at Mum and Da.”

“It’s dishonest, Esme,” Ami said. “I am fond of him, but as a brother. I can no sooner marry him as I could Pally.”

Esme watched her sister closely. She wanted to say more but knew it would come to no good if she did. She touched Ami’s knee instead. “That is your decision, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is,” Ami said. “Who else’s decision could it be? He didn’t go around proposing to every lass he crossed paths with. At least I hope not. The coffers would likely be run dry if he did that.”

Esme snorted. “Especially here. Have you seen the way all the lasses have been fawning all over him, just because he’s the Thain’s son? I think that’s why I was hoping you’d say yes. At least you would love him for who he is.”

“He’ll find another lass,” Ami said. “And he can find a lass better suited for being the Thain’s Lady.”

“I think you would have made a fine Thain’s Lady,” Esme said. “So if not Rumbi, then who?”

Ami shook her head, even as Perry’s face floated into her mind’s eye. “I don’t know.”

A few minutes later, Dicentra returned. She knocked twice before letting herself in, and between the three of them, they managed to haul the trunk from the bedchamber without waking Amber and Arlo. Ami was fairly certain that everything was already in order, but she wanted to check the gifts one last time, so Esme and Dicentra went to order elvenses while Ami went over her checklist. She added a few more gifts to the already packed trunk, little trinkets she had bought here for Sprig, Nab and Perry, if they came. Since Sprig had his letters and enjoyed cooking so much, she had bought him a small receipt box with empty cards waiting to be filled. For Nab, she bought a pair of gloves, knowing the ostlers were always in need of them. Perry’s gift had been the hardest, as she knew so little about him. Finally, she had found a set of cowbells, which would come in useful for his newly acquired herd. Hoping that all her gifts were well-received, she closed up the trunk and joined her sister and cousin in the common room for their meal.

By the time they finished eating, Amber was awake and ready to eat as well. Having anticipated this, they called for the food they had ordered for her, then hugged her and left. They only made it halfway down the hall with their luggage before a pair of serving lads showed up to take over the load. They led the lads to the service door, where the wheelbarrow sat, but insisted that they could haul the load to the party grounds, which were not that far away. There were already a couple dozen servants there, setting up the pavilion and stage. Ami entrusted one with guarding her trunk, then went with her friends to enjoy a show or two before she would need to be back to greet any early guests. 

The party was to begin at tea but Ami was sure to return by three. There were already a few guests there, and she retrieved their presents and greeted them, chatting about the fair and the weather and whatever gossip they had acquired since they last time they spoke. She finished just as more guests arrived, so she took her spot at the entrance to the pavilion. Most of the gifts were mathoms she was ready to pass on. For her special friends she had made drawings or selected gifts she knew they needed or wanted. By teatime, there was a long line of Tooks awaiting entry into the pavilion, so she promised to find them and speak with them later, once the food was served. Near the end of the line was Alchemilla and her new husband.

“Millie! You made it!” Ami exclaimed and hugged her fiercely.

“Of course I did. I wasn’t about to miss this!” Alchemilla said, hugging her back just as tight. 

Ami shook Ronaldo’s hand and gave them both their presents. She watched them walk away hand in hand. She had never seen her friend so happy and glowing. 

The last in line were Rumbi, Lalia and Fortinbras. She greeted them all with a hug and a peck on their cheeks. “Rumbi. Auntie Lalia. Uncle Peanut. I’m so glad you could make it! Do come in and have a seat.” She handed them their gifts.

Lalia and Fortinbras took their gifts, Lalia with a great amount of grace, and moved into the pavilion. Rumbi lingered behind. “How is Arlo?” he asked.

Ami pointed to the front table, where Arlo rested in his mother’s lap and under the shade. His skin was a deep red and he was quite uncomfortable in even the nightgown he was dressed in, but he had wanted to come. Amber consented on the grounds that it would only be for tea, after which she suspected he would be tired and ready to return to the room at any rate. 

“He’s well. He’s keeping his food down and he’s still on the thirsty side, but he’s fine. The healer gave him a paste for the burn and a scrub for when it starts to peel, poor dear.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Rumbi said. “And how are you?”

“A little tired, but well,” she said. She left her perch, noticing that a few gifts still remained. She glanced at them quickly: Sprig, Nab and Perry. Well, perhaps they would arrive later, after dinner and their chores.

She walked with Rumbi to her seat and waited until he was seated before raising her glass.

“Speech! Speech!”

“Thank you all for coming to my party,” Ami said to much applause. She saw Bilbo in the crowd. He winked conspiratorially. She winked back and remained standing until the applause finally stopped. “It is such a treasure knowing each and every one of you, for you are lovely and dear friends. You have each touched my heart in ways I cannot begin to express.” More applause followed this and some moved as though to start piling their plates with cheese and pastries. She cleared her throat to get their attention and waited until they sat back in their chairs again. She decided to have mercy on them. “Though I am thirty-two today, this is but my eighth true birthday. I wish it to be a grand one for all of you, so without further ado, please enjoy your meal.”

Everyone dug into their meal with alacrity. There was tea of course, as well as cheese, fruit, scones, water-biscuits with preserve, seed cakes and crumpets. The pavilion was soon full of the sound of hobbits eating with delight, and several enjoyed seconds and even thirds. Some finished eating and picked up lutes, tambours, horns and flutes and began to play. Soon there was dancing and singing, and the pavilion hummed with the babble of happy and sated hobbits. A few continued to nibble at their meal and so were the first to be seated when dinner was served.

The party went long into the night, and Ami was able to fulfill her promises, making it to each of her guests to speak with them about anything and everything that struck their fancy. She danced with several of her guests, and Rumbi three times. Though she could see the question lingering behind his eyes, he did not mention the proposal once, for which she was grateful, but instead spoke about the shows and the last day of the fair and the confidence of the new Mayor. 

Just after eight, Sprig and Nab arrived. As Ami suspected, they had waited for the end of their evening chores before coming, not wanting to leave their friends to do their work for them. Ami also suspected that they had chosen to wait until after the family had the dinner meal, but there was of course still food to be had. She hushed their explanations with their gifts and pointed them to the food before promising them each a dance. 

Soon afterward, cake was brought out, as well as pudding, pies and tarts, and everyone sat down again to enjoy dessert. Toasts were made in Ami’s honor, much to her embarrassed delight. When all corners were filled, the music started again, and Ami was pulled to the middle of the pavilion for the Byrding’s Dance, in which she danced a set with each of the eligible lads in attendance. Sprig and Nab didn’t step forward to take their turns, and Ami didn’t press them. As soon as the next dance began, she insisted on getting them to their feet. Following their lead, the other servants joined in the revelry, and soon all were enjoying what truly was a grand party.

It was past eleven before the first revelers began to leave. Ami saw each of her guests to the entrance and bade them farewell. By an hour past midnight, only a handful remained, these being Ami’s closest friends who humored her in helping to clean before going with her to the inn where they would spend what was left of the night. 

“Darling, don’t forget this,” Verbena said, motioning to the trunk, which was now empty but for one gift.

Ami closed the lid without looking inside. She had been on the lookout for Perry all night, her eyes often straying to the entrance, as well as the shrubbery and grounds surrounding the pavilion, but he never appeared. She thought he might arrive shortly after Sprig and Nab, but as the hours flew by it became apparent to her that he would not be coming. 

The trunk was greatly lightened now and she and Verbena were able to carry it back to the inn with ease. They sat the trunk inside the door of their rooms, as Esme and Dicentra went to get them some ale. Rosamunda lit the candles and sconces and closed the shutters. Once Esme and Dicentra were back and the door locked, they happily stripped down to their underclothes, wrapped themselves in blankets and quilts, and gossiped into the predawn hours before they finally nodded off to sleep. 

But before Ami’s eyes drifted shut, she saw again Perry’s face, silhouetted by the glow of the distant bonfires. 

To be continued...

GF 8/8/11