10. Worries and Alarms

At the same time Ferdibrand was composing his letter to Tolly, another note was being written in the study of the Master of Buckland.

‘I cannot believe Farry would be involved in such mischief,’ Meriadoc Brandybuck, Master of Buckland was saying as Thain Peregrin blotted the page.

‘He was,’ Pippin said, carefully lifting the paper to funnel the glistening sand back into its well.

‘His father did much worse, as I recall,’ Berilac, Merry’s steward said with a grin. ‘Didn’t you nearly burn down the old Thain’s stables, Pip?’

‘Did I?’ Pippin said blandly. ‘I thought that was some other Took.’

‘In any event, you’ve decided Farry’s been punished long enough, I take it?’

‘I think so,’ Pippin said. ‘I still have a week’s visit planned here, and Farry was hoping to see his friends and cousins in Buckland again. This note will come as a surprise to him; he thought he wouldn’t be allowed to come at all, this trip, after the stunt he pulled.’

‘You’re sending it by pony post, I assume,’ Merry said, referring to the service he and Pippin had set up between Brandy Hall and the Great Smials. It was expensive, maintaining fast ponies at each inn along the Stock Road, but the pony post had paid for itself on more than one occasion.

‘Yes, it ought to reach Tuckborough well before teatime,’ Pippin said. ‘Why, they’ve not even served second breakfast yet.’ Just then a tap came at the door.

‘Ah,’ Merry said. ‘Second breakfast has arrived as we speak.’

‘This will still reach the Smials before teatime,’ Pippin said equably. He folded the paper, dripped sealing wax upon the join, and sealed the missive with his ring. ‘There, it’s official now. Seal of the Thain and all.’

‘When do you expect Farry to arrive?’ Merry asked. Seeing Pippin’s grin, he cocked his head to one side. ‘What is it?’

‘If he leaves fairly soon after the message arrives, he ought to be here by late supper,’ Pippin said.

‘You intend to have your son delivered by the pony post, as if he were a parcel?’ Berilac said in amusement.

‘Takes no more trouble to saddle two ponies as it does one,’ Pippin said. ‘If the messenger tells the innkeepers to have two ponies ready for the return trip, it ought to make for an exciting ride for a lad of ten.’

‘You spoil the lad,’ Merry said, shaking his head.

‘I do at that,’ Pippin replied with a chuckle. He held out the message, and Berilac rose from his desk to take it.

‘I’ll give the messenger your orders,’ Berilac said. He bowed and left the study.

Merry cocked an eye out the window. ‘Weather’s looking a bit chancy,’ he said.

Pippin looked out as well. ‘I see clouds, is all,’ he said, ‘typical weather for this time of year. No sign of an ice storm, at least.’

‘Yes,’ Merry said thoughtfully, looking at the thin ice edging the River’s banks. ‘It’s cold enough for snow, but too cold for sleet, I think. The roads are dry, I’m told, and travel ought to be fast. I don’t like the look of the River, though.’

‘What do you mean?’ Pippin said. Merry was a worrier, of course. Pippin was in a good mood, having concluded a satisfactory trading agreement with the visiting Bree-hobbits, and he didn’t mind humouring his cousin.

‘It’s too calm,’ Merry said. ‘There’s no wind, whatsoever, and that’s not usual for this time of year.’

‘Too calm!’ Pippin said. ‘How could there be such a thing? With the Ferry still running, you cut twenty miles off the journey to the Smials.’

‘I don’t like it,’ Merry said.

‘Ah, well,’ Pippin replied. ‘It’ll speed my message to Tookland, and it’ll speed my son to Buckland, so I’ve no complaints.’ He took the cup poured out for him by the deferential servant and sipped the strong, hot tea.

‘Eat,’ Merry said, but Pippin laughed and shook his head.

‘Not you, too, Merry,’ he said. ‘It has been a lovely holiday, not having to stuff my face to please Diamond. When Farry gets here, I’ll have to start up again, eating more than I can bear, lest he take a tale back to his mother.’

‘Eat,’ Merry repeated implacably, ‘or I’ll be the one taking tales back to Diamond.’

‘You wouldn’t,’ Pippin said in consternation.

‘Don’t try me,’ Merry replied, his face stern.

Reluctantly, Pippin took up a buttered scone and bit into it. ‘You’re as bad as Estella,’ he sighed.

‘No I’m not,’ Merry said. ‘You eat what’s put before you, or I’ll set Estella on you and you’ll find out just how bad things can be. She’s ten times worse than Diamond, I’d wager.’ He patted his belly in silent testimony to his wife’s obsession with feeding the hobbits near and dear to her.

Pippin shook his head, but Merry was glad to see his cousin clear his plate like a proper hobbit should.

***

Reginard Took opened the sealed letter and scanned the contents. Seeing his eyebrows knit themselves together, his brother Everard asked, ‘What is it? What’s the matter?’

Reginard looked up at the messenger. ‘Go and get something to eat.’

‘Yes, sir,’ the messenger said, and left the study.

Reginard waited until the door closed behind him, then said slowly, ‘Pippin writes to me to send Faramir to him at Brandy Hall.’

‘But Farry’s already at Brandy Hall,’ Everard said, confused.

‘So I was told,’ Regi said, his face settling into grim lines. He rose from his desk, walked over to the door of the Thain’s study and jerked it open. Haldegrim Took, the escort on duty, stiffened to attention. ‘I want to see Tolly,’ Regi said abruptly.

‘Yes, sir,’ Haldegrim replied, and turned on his heel.

‘Why would Tolly say that Faramir was in Buckland, if he wasn’t?’ Everard said.

‘He said that Ferdi was taking Faramir to Buckland to join his father,’ Reginard corrected. ‘It appears that they never arrived.’

Everard inhaled sharply at the implications of that statement. ‘What do we do?’ he asked.

‘First, I want to find out exactly what Ferdi told Tolly before he left the Smials,’ Reginard said. ‘I assumed he’d take the Stock Road, but perhaps he planned to stop off somewhere. As soon as we have some idea of the route he’d have taken, I want to mount a search. We’ll tear Tookland apart to find the lad if we have to.’

‘What’ll we tell the Thain?’ Everard said apprehensively. ‘What’ll we tell the Mistress?’

Reginard rounded on his brother fiercely. ‘We tell Diamond nothing! Do you want to upset her, in her condition?’

‘Of course not,’ Everard said, ‘but you know how the talk is... she’ll find out eventually.’

‘Send Pimpernel to attend her,’ Regi said, ‘along with any other sensible Tooks you can come up with. Pearl... Lavender... and Tansy, for starters. Diamond’s so miserable at the moment, with the all-day-long sickness, that I hope she won’t notice if we limit her visitors to those who have little use for the talk.’

‘What could have happened to Ferdi? It’s only a two-day trip to Buckland, after all.’

‘I don’t know,’ Regi said. ‘Perhaps he broke a leg and is lying in a ditch somewhere.’

‘We can only hope,’ Everard said. His attempt at humour fell flat, however, as Regi stared him down.

‘How do I tell the Thain his son--his only son--is missing?’ Regi said.

‘I cannot believe that anything bad could happen to the lad if he’s in Ferdi’s keeping,’ Everard said, trying to calm his brother.

‘If,’ Regi grated. ‘Anything might have happened. Ruffians...’

‘What about the King’s edict?’ Everard said.

His brother gave him a bleak look. ‘Men know that the Thain of the Shire has a hoard of gold,’ he said, ‘and Men will do terrible things for gold. If somehow they had word that the son of the Thain was travelling with a small escort, only one hobbit, they might—‘

‘You don’t think—‘ Everard broke in, but Regi was nodding slowly.

‘Ferdi could be in a ditch, all right, or somewhere in the woods in a shallow grave,’ he said grimly. ‘The next note to arrive could well be a demand for gold in return for the lad.’

‘No,’ Everard breathed.

Regi looked at him soberly. ‘Pippin told me of such things happening in the world of Men,’ he said. ‘He feared it might happen here; that is why he does not allow his family to travel without some sort of escort, though he scorns such protection for himself. This kind of thing is one of the reasons for the King’s edict, to protect hobbits from Men’s greed, as well as to protect us from acquiring Men’s habits.’

He shook his head. ‘I only hope I’m wrong about this,’ he said quietly. Everard nodded soberly. He was in full agreement.