They carried Ilbie back to the Hall on a stretcher improvised from wooden planks from the fence and a blanket, almost in parody of the funeral ceremony earlier that day. He was taken to his room and put to bed, where his mother and Esmeralda worked quickly to clean and bandage the wound on his head. The blood that soaked his hair and covered the side of his face was alarming, but once it had been washed away, the injury itself was discovered not to be so bad. There was an ugly purplish lump rising beneath the cut skin, but no sign of a cracked skull. His right forearm had been broken, either while defending himself or when he'd fallen, and this had to be set and tightly splinted.
Estella stood by, doing what she could to aid the older and more experienced ladies in their nursing. When Frodo came in to see how Ilbie was, she turned to him and said, "You'll find who did this, won't you, Frodo? It must be the same person who killed Merimas. But why would he want to hurt my Ilbie?"
Frodo was wondering the same thing himself. Why Ilbie? He had discovered a number of people who might wish Merimas harm, but Ilberic Brandybuck was an affable, harmless somewhat silly boy who could be an annoyance at times, but whom nobody could hate enough to kill.
Was it because Ilbie was assisting him in investigating Merimas's death? Had the inquiry among Celie's friends brought them too close to the murderer? True, Dodi had done more to assist him than Ilbie by gathering the suspects at Ivysmial and introducing Frodo to them, but the two brothers looked very much alike. The assault had occurred near Dodi's home around sunset. Could the one who'd struck Ilbie have confused one lad for the other in the fading evening light?
Or had Ilbie himself found out something that made him a danger? Ilbie had disappeared before the rest of Frodo's cousins had told him what they'd learned in conversing with the guests. Perhaps he had heard some piece of information that the murderer couldn't let him repeat to Frodo or anyone else.
Or... a more horrifying thought occurred to Frodo. Perhaps the killer had not struck at Merimas or Ilbie for personal reasons, but because he or she bore a grudge against the Brandybuck family? Were they all in danger?
They wouldn't know more until Ilbie awoke, and no one could say how long that would be. Frodo left Estella sitting at her husband's bedside, holding his hand, and went down to the drawing room where the rest of the family had gathered. Pippin had brought in Hob, as the shirriff on duty, to hear their accounts of how and where they had found Ilbie. While the others were all talking at once, Celie sat, utterly stunned and bewildered by this second assault on someone close to her.
"We'll have to go out to that place again when it's light and have a look around," Hob said to Frodo when he came into the room. "Like as not, it was a rock that was used, as with Mr. Merimas, only Mr. Ilberic was more lucky."
Dodi asked, "Is it because we've been helping you, Frodo? Is that why Ilbie was struck down?"
"I believe so," Frodo answered. "I can't think of a better reason myself why anyone would want to attack him."
"If this person means to dissuade us from investigating, it won't work. This won't frighten me off--it's only made me more determined. I'll do whatever I can, Frodo, to see my brother's avenged. They won't get away with this!" Several of the others made sounds of agreement, although they weren't as fierce about it as Dodi was.
"If what you're saying's so, and the one who killed Mr. Merimas is going about to stop Mr. Frodo investigating," said Hob, "it might be best if you stayed here safe at Brandy Hall awhiles, and didn't go out walking by yourselves in the dark. You and your missus are stopping here tonight, Mr. Doderic?"
"Yes, we certainly are," said Isalda, and hooked her arm around her husband's.
"I want to be near Ilbie in any case," Dodi agreed.
"And what about you, Mr. Frodo...?" Hob turned to him.
"I planned to go back to Crickhollow tonight," Frodo answered.
"I wish you would stay here," Merry said solemnly. "You'd be much safer."
"I've been threatened by murderers before," Frodo replied. "I won't be intimidated."
"It's not threats I'm worried about. I don't want to find you lying in the lane tomorrow."
"If you don't mind me saying," Hob offered tentatively, "if you're bound to go, Mr. Frodo, you oughtn't go alone. I'll walk with you, as I'll be going that way anyway."
"I think that's a very good idea," Merry agreed. "Watch out for him, Hob. See he gets to his cottage safely."
The shirriff bowed and tugged the brim of his feathered cap. "I'll do my best, Master Merry."
After he bade goodnight to his family, Frodo walked back to Crickhollow accompanied by Hob, who kept a wary eye on every shrub and copse of trees they passed. Frodo pointed out where Ilbie had been found and, when reached his cottage, he and Hob arranged to meet again at mid-morning to examine the spot more closely. Hob saw him to the cottage door and had a peek into all the rooms to be sure there was no intruder hiding before he went away.
Although Frodo wouldn't admit it to his family, who were frightened enough by this latest assault, he was nervous. For the first time, he locked both the front and kitchen doors and barred the shutters over the windows before he went to bed.
He almost regretted not taking up the invitation to stay at the Hall tonight. He and Merry had not had a moment alone together since this tragedy had begun, and he missed that keenly now that he was alone and afraid. It would be a comfort to have someone close beside him in the darkness. He and Merry had always made an effort to be discreet, but whole family knew about them; they would surely turn a blind eye if he were to steal into the Master's bed-chamber in the middle of the night. Perhaps tomorrow night...
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