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The Farmer's Son  by Lindelea

Chapter 20. Another Day, Another Dawning

26 September, early morning

A small muster rode up the lane in the dawning light as the farm family and hired hobbits sat down to second breakfast. As she was crossing the kitchen to the long table with a bowl of apple compote in hand, Pervinca stopped before the window, eyes widening. ‘Da!’ she said. ‘Somewhat’s amiss, I gather, and the Thain is wanted!’

‘Amiss!’ Paladin said, rising from his place, but then his face relaxed. ‘Ah, lass, ‘tis only Daw and hobbit or two, come to seek after Ferdi’s ponies.’

‘A hobbit or five, perhaps,’ Pervinca said, taking one hand from the heavy ceramic bowl to point.

‘Five?’ her father echoed, but nodded to himself. Evidently the Shirriff had taken Paladin’s warning to heart, instead of searching on his own, as he so often did, on a regular basis, under ordinary circumstances.

This is scarcely ordinary, Paladin thought to himself. In the moment it took to cross to the door and throw it open to greet the newcomers, he made up his mind.

Daw alone dismounted, handing his reins to a slightly older (and slightly less dishevelled, if the truth be told) hobbit with an otherwise close resemblance to the Shirriff.

‘Dinny!’ he cried. ‘I trust t’strayed ponies came not back to their beds, nor were returned by a helpful neighbour, or you’d’ve sent me some word since last we spoke…’

‘ ‘Tis only the truth,’ Paladin allowed. He nodded to the other riders. ‘I see you’ve brought help.’

‘O aye,’ Daw said, taking his feathered hat from his head and bowing to Eglantine, who’d come to stand beside her husband, and to the hired hobbits crowding around behind. He rightly surmised that Paladin had not confided his alarms to the others, from their relaxed visages, and so he merely added, ‘The more, the quicker the search, I'll wager. Yon hill where Ferdi and Tolly were found is high and wild, and the ponies might’ve strayed in any direction at all.’ He frowned. ‘Though it still wonders me, that they didn’t stray in this direction, if you take my meaning.’

‘It is a puzzle,’ Paladin said. ‘That’s why I'll be coming with you.’

At his wife’s exclamation, he put an arm around Eglantine’s waist. ‘Naught to worry,’ he said. ‘I just think it’s best to show the searchers exactly where we found the lads, to save them time. And they are Ferdi’s ponies, after all. If he were well enough, you know he’d be riding out with them. I'll just go in his stead.’ He let her go and half-turned to scan the faces of the hired hobbits, who seemed poised to join the search. ‘Nod,’ he said, finding the hobbit he wanted. ‘The haying won’t wait; you take my place this day. I'm sure we’ll be wanting all the hay we can gather when winter comes howling over the Green Hills…’

‘No doubt,’ Nod said, tugging at his forelock in agreement in the same way he’d’ve touched his cap, had he been wearing it. ‘We’ll see to it, Master, and all else that’s needed. Have no fears on that account.’

‘I leave the work in good hands, I've no doubt,’ Paladin said. ‘Well, then, Daw, will ye join us for a bite of breakfast ere we depart, or…’

‘We’ve food packed,’ the Shirriff said, a bit regretfully, for he knew that Eglantine set a fine table. ‘If you don’t mind, sir… I'd like to make an early start.’

‘I'll just pack you some food,’ Eglantine said at once, and hurried to do just that, even as Nod directed Jay to go and saddle a pony for Paladin’s use, and told the other hired hobbits to “sit down and eat, for the hay’s waiting and the day’s not getting any younger.” With a nod to the Shirriff, he returned to the table himself to tuck in. Haying is heavy work, and hobbits work best when well fuelled.

Eglantine caught up three of the bags stuffed with new apples, bread, cheese, cold meat, and a few hand pies, made up between early breakfast and second breakfast, standing ready and meant for elevenses for the hobbits working out in the hay field. She combined all the food into one, calculating that it would be enough for a day in the saddle, though she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Pervinca quickly refilled the two emptied bags and laid them with the others that awaited the hired hobbits’ departure.

In less time than it takes to tell, the little group were riding away down the lane, and only then did Eglantine think to seek out Pimpernel (still sitting at her Ferdi’s bedside), to let her know that a search had been mounted for the missing ponies, and to reassure Ferdi on that account if he were to ask when he wakened again. Haldi dozed on a chair by Tolly’s bed, and Tolly and Ferdi were obviously deep in sleep, and so Eglantine whispered her message and crept out of the room on tiptoe.

***

After the hired hobbits departed for the hayfields, Eglantine and Pervinca sat themselves down for a bite of breakfast, and then as Vinca gathered the plates and cups and silver for washing up, Eglantine loaded a tray with breakfast for Pimpernel and brought it to her. The sleepers still slept; it would be simple enough to put together a fresh breakfast for them when they wakened, rather than leaving the food to go cold and stale, waiting on plates (and Ferdi hated cold food in any event), and so Eglantine left Nell to eat and promised to return for the tray.

Eglantine covered and put away the food while Vinca began the washing up, and then Eglantine dried and put away the dishes while Vinca swept the floor, and then it was time to air the bedrooms and dust and sweep and all the other myriad little details of comfortable living, and if they worked just as quick as might be, they just might get through all the work by the time the hired hobbits returned for the nooning, even though they were short-handed.

Haldi wakened halfway through their washing up, and ventured into the kitchen, bearing Nell’s tray with him, to report that Ferdi and Tolly were sleeping peacefully, and he was inclined to let them sleep themselves out, or until elevenses, whichever came first. Vinca prepared a plate for him and a fresh pot of tea, and sat him down at the table to eat, “and plenty more where that came from.” He thanked her much indeed, and tucked in with good appetite, which Eglantine found curiously reassuring. If he were worried about his two patients, wouldn’t he have taken his food directly back to the bedroom?

In the meantime, Eglantine was cutting up meat and vegetables, preparatory to setting a large pot of stew going for the noontide meal. The hired hobbits would return hungry after their morning labours, with several hours more before they finished for the day. She’d’ve preferred making savoury pies this day, but settled for stew, which could bubble away without much attention whilst she and Vinca managed all the other work.

Yes, Eglantine thought to herself. It would be good to hire a maid or two. There was more work than even three of them could manage, these days, and with Pimpernel sitting bedside watch, it was nearly overwhelming. In her head she ticked off the tasks for the day. The washing and drying were done (thanks to bright sun and a stiff breeze the previous day), but that meant there was plenty of ironing waiting, and the mending would have to wait for the morrow. The cream was rising in the milk pans, and would need to be skimmed and churned into butter, and the vegetables wouldn’t harvest themselves (though perhaps on the morrow she could ask Nod for a hobbit or two to help with the garden until the taters and carrots and other roots had been dug and the rest of the kitchen garden was harvested). There was bread to stir up and knead and set to rise, and meals to cook (elevenses for those in the smial, and nooning for everyone, just for starters).

But first… she’d dust and sweep half the rooms, and Vinca would manage the rest. It was a good thing that her hand was practically healed! She couldn’t imagine leaving all the work to her one daughter, willing worker though she might be! Yes, she thought again, ‘twould be good to hire a maid, or even three.

Entering the parlour to dust, she stopped short, for something was wrong, though at first she couldn’t put her finger on it. And then realisation struck her – the dwarf-made clock stood still and dumb. Broken?

…but no, she discovered. The clock had simply wound down. In all the recent alarming events, she’d completely forgotten to wind the mechanism, and while it was a wonder (and she didn’t understand how the thing worked, and didn’t really care to – all she wanted was that it would work, marvellous piece of dwarf magic that it was, always telling the right time and never gaining nor losing a minute, until now), well, evidently it was not wonderful enough to work without its regular winding.

She wound the clock, but as to setting the time, well, that would have to wait for Paladin’s return, for him to consult his pocket watch as to the correct time. The best she could manage was to go out to the sun dial in the garden (plucking a few weeds on the way – ah, but they’d neglected the weeding in the busyness of the past day or two as well) and then on returning to the parlour, move the hands carefully to match the approximate time; and then for the rest of the day, each whirring chime was a reproach, knowing that the clock was most likely not keeping exact time as had been its custom.

P’rhaps last night’s disquiet had been merely that – missing the ticking that was her constant companion, day and night, when she was in the smial.

P’rhaps. She did hope that Dinny and the Shirriff’s party would find the missing ponies quickly (she wondered if maybe they were already on their way homeward?), and return sooner than later, and then all would be back to the way it ought to be. Except, of course, for Pip’s absence. She really wouldn’t be completely at rest until her youngest returned from his journeying. But then, he’d only reached Crickhollow last night or this morning. Even if he turned right around (and she hardly expected him to do such a thing; no, he ought to stay a few days at the least, to help Frodo settle in), it would take him two days to walk back again.

Three, if he were to stop off at the Golden Perch.





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