When Di joined the party on the terrace, she was wearing a flowered print dress and a green ribbon tied around her hair to keep it out of her eyes, but she looked no more ladylike than she had in her trousers. At Eglantine's invitation, she helped herself to a cup of tea and, demonstrating that she was indeed as hungry as she had claimed, a plateful of seedcakes. After the girl had had her refreshments, the Lady presented her to the rest of the family, then brought her over to Pippin, who had retreated into the shrubbery in hopes of being overlooked. But his mother was determined that he should talk to his prospective bride, and summoned him out with a single preemptory gesture.
"I'll leave you children to become better acquainted," said Eglantine, although she made no effort to move very far from them. "I do hope you'll get on well together."
"I hope so too," Di told Pippin. "I came all this way because I wanted so much to see what you were like. I've heard about you, you know."
Pippin's eyebrows went up. "Have you?"
The girl nodded. "When Auntie Di first proposed the match, Uncle Alamargo- No, I mean, Uncle Alamaric, didn't like it. He said that even if you were the Thain's heir, he'd heard how you did all sorts of wild and disreputable things, like go off on adventures in the Big Folk's world and get involved in investigations of murders. But I thought it sounded terribly interesting."
"Actually, it's Frodo who does the investigating," Pippin said diffidently. "It was his adventure too. I just go around with him."
"Which one's Frodo?" Di turned to look at the other boys. "There's so many of you south-Tooks here, I'll never remember everyone's names and put the right faces to them."
When her eyes landed upon Frodo, he identified himself. "But I'm not a Took, except by way of my grandmother. I'm a Baggins."
"Frodo's one of my best friends," said Pippin. "He's the cleverest hobbit in the whole Shire."
"And you take Pippin off on adventures? What fun! Will you tell me about it?" Di requested, looking wistfully from one lad to the other. "I've never been out of the Shire, and hardly ever beyond the hills of Long Cleeve."
"I'm sure there's little beyond our borders of interest to sensible hobbits," said Eglantine; while she was gratified that Pippin was behaving himself and talking with Di politely, she wasn't certain she liked this topic of conversation. "Nothing but wizards, and horrible, giant goblins, and Big Folk getting themselves into wars. From what Pippin's told us, I'd say he and Frodo are fortunate to be safely home."
"Some of it was terrible," Pippin had to agree, "but some of the places we went to were lovely. Elvish cities, and a city of the Big Folk as tall as a mountain. We even went through the insides of a mountain once, and I was in a forest where the trees had a 'shepherd'--Treebeard, he was called. He was an Ent."
"An Ent?" echoed Di. "What's that?"
"A sort of talking, moving tree. He found Merry and I when we were lost in the forest..." Pippin had begun to speak with some enthusiasm, but as he spoke the name and old memories returned, a look of sadness crossed his face. Abruptly, he stepped away with a mumbled excuse; his mother let him go.
Di turned eagerly to Frodo. "Did you see the talking trees too?"
"No, I wasn't there." Frodo pardoned himself and went after Pippin, leaving the bewildered girl to stare after them.
A large dinner party was planned for the following evening, but tonight, there was only a small family meal in the Thain's dining hall: the Thain himself and his Lady, their three unmarried children, and the two guests who were staying with them, Frodo and Di.
Over dinner, Eglantine chose a suitable topic of conversation and asked Di, "Why don't you tell us something of your home, dear?"
"Have you never been to Long Cleeve, Aunt Eglantine?"
The Lady shook her head regretfully, but Paladin said, "I visited once, years ago when I was a lad in my tweens. It was for my sister Diamanta's wedding, as a matter of fact."
"Aunt Di?" The younger Di grinned. "That must've been ages ago! Was she very different as a girl?"
"I would say she was just the same then as now," Paladin answered with a smile.
"Well, I daresay Long Cleeve hasn't changed much since then either. It's a great, long cleft between the hills, full of farms and fields, and as many Tooks as you have here. I like to ride into the hills to camp overnight in the woodlands."
"Doesn't it worry your family when you do that?" asked Eglantine.
"Oh, no," said Di. "It's perfectly safe. There aren't any wolves or bears or any dangerous creatures like that, only foxes and deer, and little creatures like rabbits and squirrels--I've shot some of those with my bow and arrows and roasted them over the fire for dinner when I've been out in the hills. I went riding as far as Bindbole Wood once to spend the night, but my cousin- one of my cousins, told my- ah-Uncle Alamaric, and he set off after me with as many farm-hands as he could get to bring me home again before nightfall."
"You sound as if you're quite an adventurer yourself," said Pim.
"Not as much as I'd like to be," Di answered. "After my trip to the Wood, they've kept such a close eye on me, I haven't been out at all... until now. I suppose there'll be a great fuss and scolding when they find out I've come here."
"I spent the night in Bindbole Wood not long ago," Pippin said. "It was for one of Frodo's investigations. Merry and I..." As he spoke Merry's name, that look of sadness came into his eyes again. But he couldn't help speaking of Merry; they'd been almost inseparable from their tween years, and Merry was a part of nearly everything he'd ever done.
"Who's Merry?" asked Di, puzzled. But Pippin didn't answer, and the Took ladies swiftly changed the subject.
After dinner, Frodo went to his room. He had changed into his nightshirt and was about to go to bed when Pippin knocked on his door.
"I don't think I can stand much more of this, Frodo," he announced. "Mother's doing her best to push us at each other. Even if she doesn't think much of this Di, I suppose she considers any girl who likes me is better than none at all. I've got to get out for awhile. I thought a half-pint or two at the Bullroarer's Head would do some good. I was going to ask if you'd come with me..." Pippin's eyes went up and down Frodo in his dressing gown, "but you're probably too tired."
Frodo was tired, but he was ready to get dressed again in an emergency. "I'll go if you need me, Pip, but I promised Sam I wouldn't over-exert myself while he wasn't here to look after me."
"I wouldn't want to go against Sam's orders," Pippin said with the first hint of his usual playfulness that Frodo had seen during this visit. "Who knows what he'd do to me if you had another one of your bad spells? You're only just getting over the last. No, you go to bed--you've done enough for me today, just being here. Don't worry about me. I can go over to Tookbank by myself."
"Why don't you ask Ferdi or Dodi to go with you?"
"Ferdi might, but I think Dodi would rather spend his time with Isalda than at the Bullroarer's."
"What this Bullroarer's?" Di was coming up the hallway to her own room, and had overheard this last part of their conversation. "A pub? I've never been to one. There are one or two in the Cleeve, but Mother wouldn't hear of me going in to have a drink. Will you take me, Pip?"
Pippin was about to say 'No'--Di was, after all, part of what he wanted to escape from--then he reconsidered and began to look impish. "Yes, all right, if you want to," he said. His mother and sisters were also coming up to their rooms. "Go out your window when you're ready," he instructed Di in a hasty whisper before the other ladies were close enough to hear, "and I'll meet you on the slope outside."
Di nodded and went quickly to her room down the hall. Eglantine and her daughters went by a moment later, pausing to say goodnight to Frodo.
"Pippin..." Frodo warned his cousin as soon as they were alone. "What mischief are you up to? Whether or not you like her, she's still a young girl-"
"We're just going to have a bit of fun! I'll see no harm comes to her," Pippin assured him. "Besides, I do like her." He seemed surprised to hear himself say it.
Site Info
We are the home of 1292 authors from among our 2552 members. There have been 2904 reviews written about our 3820 stories consisting of 10734 chapters and 29400445 words. A special welcome to our newest member, Rosamundeb.Categories
Skin Change
Donate
Help us keep one of the oldest running LotR archives available to all. Even the smallest donation helps!
Many thanks to our previous donors!
Many thanks to our previous donors!
