Chapter 6. And What About...?

 ‘I’m so looking forward to the surprise you lads have cooked up,’ Mother Rose said as she piled more fluffy scrambled eggs on Merry-lad’s plate. ‘Will you not even give us a hint?’

 ‘Sh-h-h-h-h! Frodo’s coming!’ Tolman hissed, and Merry and Pip exchanged relieved glances. They wouldn’t have to talk about the surprise, which was a good thing seeing as how they didn’t have one as yet.

 ‘Are you nearly finished with your preparations?’ Goldi said in a conspiratorial tone.

 ‘Nearly,’ Merry said. ‘It’s a bit difficult with Pip laid up.’ Actually, they had yet to come up with a single idea as grand as their ambitions. It was looking more and more like Merry would have to sneak away from the wedding supper, cut a wide swath of wildflowers in the high meadow, and fill every vase and container in Bag End to turn the little bridal suite into a garden bower. It was the best that the two brothers could think of at this late date, and with Merry having to work alone.

Little Elfstan waved his spoon and chortled. ‘Come now,’ his young Auntie Daisy said sternly. ‘We’ve got to eat up our breakfastses so we can go down the Hill to the wedding breakfast!’

 ‘Frodo! You’d better come now, the eggs are getting cold and you know you won’t have much chance to eat later!’

 ‘Coming, Mum!’

 ‘He’s been too nervous to eat for days.’

 ‘He’s not nervous, he just wants to get it over with!’

 ‘Yes, he’s had his fill of teasing younger brothers...’

 ‘Pip’s not teasing much this morning! You’d think he’d hurt his head rather than his toes!’

Rosie sat in the rocking chair by the hearth, nursing tiny Ham and listening to the talk.

Frodo came whistling into the kitchen. ‘Don’t you look fine!’ his mother said. ‘You do us all proud.’

 ‘Well, the Thain’ll be wearing his fancy suit from Gondor,’ Frodo said. ‘Wouldn’t want my Daisy to pine after the wrong hobbit.’ All laughed, and Frodo sat down to his breakfast. He’d been off his feed the past few days, and Rose was grateful to see him tuck into generous helpings this morning.

 ‘Not nervous no more?’ Robin asked, corrected by Elanor’s whispered Any more!

 ‘Not nervous at all!’ Frodo said with his mouth full. He swallowed some tea to clear his mouth and continued. ‘The waiting was the worst part. This morning... I feel grand! What a glorious day!’ Indeed, the Sun was rubbing the red from her eyes and climbing from her bed, having already kicked off the bedcovers. There was not a cloud in the sky.

 ‘Waggon’s hitched,’ Sam said, coming in the door. ‘We had better get the dishes washed up quick, or leave ‘em.’

 ‘Leave them!’ Mother Rose said in horror. She jumped up from the table and began to clear away rapidly, saving Frodo’s place since he’d been last to sit down. The girls followed suit, all but Elanor whose least wish was everyone’s command, and Rosie in the rocker, of course.

It did not take long to wash up all the dishes, even Frodo’s at the very last, and then the family piled into the waggon. Fastred and Frodo took Pip between them and carried him out, ignoring his protests. ‘You’re too slow, hobbling along!’ Frodo laughed. ‘I’ll be old and grey before we get to the wedding at this rate!’

They drove down the Hill, through Hobbiton, and along to Bywater where many tables had been set in the market square. All along the way there were shouts of greeting and songs to bless the Gamgees on their way. When the Gamgees’ waggon reached the market square, Fastred jumped out and helped Elanor down, seating her while Frodo and Sam escorted Mother Rose to her chair. Fastred then bowed with elaborate courtesy to Frodo, who returned the compliment, and arm in arm the two walked to the centre of the head table, where Fastred pulled out one of the flower-decked chairs. ‘Sit here, and don’t move,’ he said out of the corner of his mouth.

 ‘Only if you promise I won’t be sitting alone for long,’ Frodo said.

 ‘I’ll fill the chair next to you somehow or other,’ Fastred said. ‘Trust me, I will.’ Frodo laughed.

True to his word, it was not long before Fastred returned, Daisy Burrows on his arm. ‘Miss Burrows, may I present Master Gardner?’ he said formally. ‘Master Gardner, this is Miss Burrows.’

 ‘Sit her down, you idiot,’ Frodo answered, hardly taking note of what he said, for Daisy filled his eyes and his heart in her beribboned dress and her head crowned with a garland of spring flowers. He held out a hand and Daisy took it, sitting down close beside him.

Tooks began to stream into the market square. The Thain, elegant in black and silver, greeted the happy couple and their families and sat himself down at the head table near Sam and Rose while his children scattered to greet various friends.

Goldilocks looked for Faramir in vain. Thain Peregrin had not sent his son on an errand on this day of all days, had he? Finally she heard his voice in a knot of Tooks and made her way towards him. Just before she reached him, she heard him say, ‘...but I think you are the prettiest lass here! No, really, there is none more lovely!’ She stopped short in shock, her bright smile fading.

Hodge Sandyman, who worked for the new owner of the Mill since his father Ted had sold it and moved away, saw and heard all. He was a decent young hobbit with a soft spot in his heart for Goldilocks. Now he hurried to her side, taking her hand and saying, ‘Goldi! I was waiting for you! Will you do me the honour of sitting with me at the breakfast?’

 ‘Hodge,’ she said, swallowing hard. He pretended not to see the tears in her eyes, but chattering merrily escorted her to a chair and seated her politely at a table already half-full of merry tweens.

Faramir, once his little sister Jonquil had been thoroughly reassured on the subject of her hat, looked around for Goldi. Ah, there she was! ...but the table where she sat had filled, and so he had to find another place. He couldn’t even sit nearby. Frustrated, he vowed to fill the place beside her at the wedding supper, not to mention the dancing afterwards. He found a seat at another table of tweens, only to be surrounded by hopeful hobbit lasses who were only too glad to entertain the son of the Thain.

This wedding breakfast went pretty much as they all do, with stories and songs and good wishes for the new family about to be formed. The main difference at this wedding, from other hobbit weddings, was the presence of an overlarge hobbit, tallest son of the Mayor, but the hobbits all knew him. He was Bergil, a guardsman of the King, informally adopted by Mayor Sam and his wife during their visit to Gondor some years back. As a “hobbit”, he was the only guardsman save the Thain allowed to enter the Shire under the King’s Edict. Of course he could not miss the wedding of his adopted brother. He ate and drank and sang as enthusiastically as any other hobbit.

Frodo and Daisy kept their hands firmly clasped, which meant that cooperation was needed for either of them to eat a bite. Daisy plied the fork, feeding Frodo rather more than herself, whilst Frodo skilfully used the knife as needed to cut the food into bite-sized pieces, or to butter the pieces of bread or spread the jam. In any event, the two ate as one.

Sam and Pippin talked together in an undertone about Merry’s absence. They reassured Estella that as soon as the festivities concluded they’d send hobbits on every road in search, and messengers to the Kingsmen guarding the Bounds, and to the Kings at Lake Evendim and in Rohan.

Fastred kept one eye on the Sun, and as she approached her zenith he rose, raising his glass, crying, ‘A toast!’ Others took up the cry, until all the merrymakers stood with glasses raised, save the happy couple. At last a silence fell, and into it Fastred dropped the ritual words. ‘Laugh long! Live long! Love forever!’

 ‘Hear, hear!’ Ferdibrand Took shouted, and all drank to Frodo and Daisy.

 Thain Peregrin waved an arm, the Sun glittering from his mail. ‘You are all invited to a wedding!’ he shouted. ‘Follow me!’ He pushed in his chair and began the long walk out of the market square, up the road through Hobbiton and on up the Hill to the Party Field, for Frodo and Daisy would be joined beneath the golden flowers of the mallorn tree.

A laughing group of tweens and unmarried adults swooped upon Daisy, bearing her up and carrying her away. The rest of the guests followed, even the infirm, who were lifted into waggons or onto pony-back for the short journey.

When the market square was empty of all save two, Fastred stood up from his chair again. ‘Frodo?’ he said cheerily. ‘Are you ready?’

 ‘Quite!’ Frodo answered. Arm in arm the two strolled after the crowd, snatches of song blowing back to them on the wind.

 ‘Everything’s gone smoothly thus far,’ Fastred observed as they walked along. ‘No mishaps yet. Perhaps Pip breaking his toes was all that was needed to make this wedding a success.’

 ‘Yes,’ Frodo said thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps we’ve already had the requisite mishap. At any rate I certainly hope they don’t drop Daisy on their way up the Hill.’