Frodo left his friends, climbed in through his own window, and met Isigo in the hallway. The young hobbit led him down through the tunnels to the other side of the Thain's Hall. They did not go to the parlor where Frodo had met the Thain's household on his arrival, but up into the tunnel Merry had described, when the family bedrooms were, until they came to the Thain's and his Lady's suite of rooms at the far end.
"Mother's waiting in her boudoir," Isigo explained. "She wanted to see you alone, without those old cats poking their noses in. They never dare venture here." He tapped on one door before he opened it slightly. "I've found him, Mama," he announced and, as he had the evening before when he'd escorted Frodo to the Thain's study, left him to go in on his own.
Frodo entered a charming ladylike room with lace curtains in the window and pink cushions on the chairs. There seemed to be flowers in vases everywhere, and more crowding the little terrace just outside. Lady Iris was seated on the sofa before the windows with a little piece of embroidery-work in her hands, but she set it down and rose to greet him graciously. "I'm so pleased you could come, Mr. Baggins. I know you must be terribly busy on my husband's behalf, and I'm grateful you can spare the time for this chat. Do sit down, please."
Frodo took the indicated seat on a chair facing the sofa. "What can I do for you, my lady?"
"We must discuss what we are going to do."
"About your husband's case?"
"Yes, exactly." Iris returned to her own seat and leaned forward toward him confidentially. "You see, I'm very worried about him. I have been, since he'd begun to behave so oddly, and when I learned last night why he had called upon you, it came as an awful shock. I can't believe it's true. I'm certain there must be some mistake. Brabantius hasn't been well lately, as you know, and he's apt to imagine all sorts of ugly things. Suspect the people he would normally trust the most. To think of him sitting alone in his study, frightening himself with such horrors, and never saying a word! Oh, it upsets me. I wish he'd confided his fears to me. I could have talked him into seeing sense."
Frodo wondered why she had taken this line and was trying to deny the truth, but then he realized that she hadn't yet been told the entire story. She didn't know about the dead dog, which he considered positive proof of the Thain's claim. Unless Lady Iris was in fact the person responsible for putting the poison in her husband's wine, she only had Brabantius's word that it was so. Like many another hobbit, perhaps it was only natural for her to deny that something unpleasant was happening around her. Things like this were not supposed to happen at all in the Shire!
"Tell me, Mr. Baggins," Lady Iris went on in her same confiding tone, "what does my husband's family have to say about this? They've told you it's my doing, haven't they?"
"I haven't spoken to them about this yet, Lady Iris," Frodo answered, not quite honestly. Did she know about Diamanta's and Aspid's visit to him last night? If she didn't, he didn't think he should tell her.
The lady smiled wryly. "Oh, but I know what they'll say when you do. I can't help being aware that his sons and their wives disapprove of his remarriage to me. They haven't troubled to conceal their opinions. But I hadn't realized until last night that they harbored such hatred for me."
Frodo heard nothing in Lady Iris's voice but concern for her husband and distaste for his family's behavior toward her, but he couldn't help remembering how King Aragorn's councilors had subtly accused each other of being the murderer he was looking for under the guise of aiding him. As Diamanta and Aspid had named Iris as the poisoner, so he expected Iris to hint that they were responsible.
He waited for it, and it came:
"But what else can I expect? The Tooks have always been an odd family. They're flighty, quick-tempered. They feel things more deeply than ordinary hobbits. Do you know, Mr. Baggins, it wouldn't surprise me if one of them did put something into Brabantius's wine--not intending to harm him, mind you, but so that they could claim I had done it. There have been other... upheavals before this, before I came into this house."
Frodo tried not to smile. "What do you mean by 'upheavals,' my lady?"
Iris shook her head. "Oh, Mr. Baggins, I mustn't. I have my ideas, but in spite of the way disgraceful way they've treated me, I couldn't make false insinuations against any one of them. Brabantius wouldn't like me to drag that old gossip up." Then she reconsidered, and glanced at him with a glint in her eye that was almost coquettish. "Very well. I'll give you a hint or two. My marriage hasn't been the only one to cause quarrels in this family lately. Ask Hilbarus. He'll tell you. You might also have a word with poor, dowdy Istra. And I can tell you that my husband's sons aren't so devoted to him as much as they are to the inheritance they hope to receive one day. Now, I don't dare say that any one of them means deliberate harm to Brabantius. I refuse to believe anyone would. But when you look into this business, Mr. Baggins, I'm sure you'll find it's something of the sort. A petty, vindictive act that I feel certain the culprit regrets already, now that he or she sees the trouble it's caused." She leaned closer to him again. "And when you do find out who it is, I hope you'll come to me so we can decide the best way to tell Brabantius. My poor husband has distressed himself so much over this, and I don't want him distressed any further. The truth must be broken to him gently."
Site Info
We are the home of 1292 authors from among our 2553 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, Lerina.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!
