Dear Ivy,
I apologize for the lateness of this post, but it was unavoidable, as my dear husband, your uncle, has become quite sick. I am sure it will pass, these things always do. I am writing this by candlelight, night seems to be the only time I have for writing nowadays, so please forgive me if this letter is a bit hard to read. I know that this is a bit slow in explaining Celandine's disappearance, but it is necessary for you to understand the events that preceded it, because it will make other things clearer to you. Part of this story is, no doubt, very familiar to you, and I ask you to humor me for that. I promise I will send you another letter very soon.
Affectionately,
L.B.
P.S. Please remember your promise to keep our correspondence secret, especially from your mother.
"Ooh I didn't think a hobbit could get as tired as this," Violet yawned as she plunked down into a chair. The whole family had returned home and where having a family dinner, an event that did not happen very often now that everyone worked. Lily and Celandine had come home early so they could cook. They expected their mother any minute. Celandine was just adding the last finishing touches to the soup and Lily was lithely prancing about as she set the table. Violet laughed at her antics.
"Look at our little elf-maid Celandine, watch her dance!" Violet said in a singsong voice. Lily giggled and pranced some more, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" Violet asked. Celandine shrugged and opened the door. Her face broke into a smile when she saw whom it was.
Wilcomb!" She cried. Wilcomb was a friend of the family. He lived in Buckland and they had not seen him since they had been forced to move. He laughed at her surprise and enveloped her in a huge hug. Celandine felt her stomach give an odd lurch when his arms surrounded her.
"What are earth are you doing here?" She asked as she led him inside. He was immediately thronged by the other hobbits, and it was a few minutes before he was able to answer her. Celandine watched them with relish. It had been a long time since they all had been so happy. And seeing Wilcomb! She had been horribly upset at leaving him behind. She had been in love with him since before she was even a tween.
"I convinced my father to let me take a few days off so I could visit you all." He said. Celandine smiled and gave he gave her hand a squeeze.
"You came just in time," Violet said with a smile. "We are just waiting for mother to arrive so we can have dinner." At that moment their mother appeared in the doorway.
"Bless me, Wilcomb Loamsdown! What a surprise!" She said. Throwing her arms around him. He kissed her cheek and she laughed.
"You haven't lost one drop of your charm, I'll say that for you." Mrs. Burrows said cheerfully. She led her guest to the dining room and they all sat down. Supper was put on the table, but no one could eat much for all the excitement of having such a guest.
"Tell us about, Buckland, Wilcomb!" Lily begged. "Has it changed much since we left?" Wilcomb pulled Lilly on to his lap.
"Well, it just hasn't been the same without you all. Ne'r a party goes by that all the Buckland hobbits give a sigh that the prettiest lasses in the Shire have moved to Hobbiton." Lily giggled.
"Do they miss us that much?" She asked, her face beaming.
"Of, course!" Wilcomb exclaimed. "Why just the other day, I saw Master Brandybuck, and do you know what he said to me? 'Wilcomb, this place has become practically dull without those Burrow lasses. Especially that Lily, she was a jewel, she was." Lily laughed in delight. In fact the whole place seemed fill with laughter.
After dinner they all moved in to the living room and Wilcomb showed them the newest dances. He danced with all of the Burrows, even their mother. He twirled her until her sides her sore from laughing.
"Wilcomb, that's enough!" She said laughing. "My sides are near bursting." Wilcomb gave a little bow, indicating the dance was over, and led her to her seat. He stood by her chair.
"My dear Mrs. Burrows, I have a confession to make." He turned to rest of them." To you all in fact." He was out of breath from dancing, and his face was flushed from the exercise. He had a wry smile tugging at his mouth as he spoke.
"As much as I enjoy the pleasure of your company, I actually came up to Hobbiton on business." He said. They all looked at him in surprise. All except Violet. Her face softened and blushed and she smiled.
"Mrs. Burrows, I have come to respectfully request a date that I might marry your daughter, Violet." He said, beaming at them. Celandine hoped the shock on her face hid whatever other feelings she had. She felt her heart drop into her stomach. She had known that he didn't love her, and that sooner or later she would lose him to some pretty hobbit lass, she just never thought it would be her sister. She bravely put a smile on her face and hugged her sister.
"Congratulations, Violet." She said cheerfully, masking her disappointment.
"My dearest lad, of course you may!" Mrs. Burrows said clasping her hands together. "Violet you sly thing, when did this all happen?" She demanded. Violet got up and stood beside her fiancé.
"Right before I left for Hobbiton. He came and asked me as the cart was pulling away." Violet said grinning. Wilcomb kissed her. Mrs. Burrows asked where he was staying and demanded that he stay with them and take Lily's room. He tried to refuse, but it was impossible. A few minutes later they all retreated to their rooms for bed.
Celandine lay awake for a long time. She was happy for her sister, she really was, but there was an emptiness that seemed to fill her heart suddenly. She had lost Wilcomb, she knew he would marry someone eventually, but now she had lost her sister as well. Violet would move back to Buckland with him and they would never see her above twice a year again. Celandine sighed. She wished that things could go back to the way that they were, that her father was still alive and all of them still living in Buckland. Suddenly Celandine heard a sniffing sound next to her. She lifted her head and glanced at the form of her sister, lying in bed beside her.
"Lily, are you crying?" She asked. Lily sat up and Celandine saw tears streaming down her face. Celandine pulled Lily into her arms and stroked her head.
"Good gracious Lily, whatever is the matter. Are you sad because Violet is going to leave?" She asked. Lily shook her head.
"I, I wanted to marry Wilcomb." She said, sobbing softly. Celandine was shocked. Lily in love with Wilcomb? As much as lass could be apparently. She was soaking Celandine's nightgown with her tears.
"I had no idea," Celandine whispered. She gently rocked her sister back and forth.
"You probably think I am a silly little Hobbit lass, and I shouldn't cry over him, seeing as he was so much older than I am." Lily said tearfully.
"I said no such thing Lily Burrows. As far as I am concerned you may cry as long and hard as you like." Lily looked up at her sister.
"And do you know why?" Celandine asked. Lily shook her head. Celandine learned over and whispered in her ear.
"I wanted to marry him too." She said. Lily looked surprised.
"You did? Really and truly?" She asked Celandine.
"Yes, really and truly. I had been in love with him since I was your age. He came over to our house one day with father after work. I thought he was the most handsome hobbit I had ever set eyes on, and so charming. I always knew he didn't love me back, not the way I did, but it didn't matter. I cried for two days when he went to stay with his folks in Bree for a year." Celandine said wistfully. She suddenly felt closer to Lily than she ever had before. They understood exactly what the other felt, that stab of disappointment, the knowledge of unrequited love.
Lily sighed and hugged her sister.
"I bet, someday, you will meet a hobbit who you think is ten-times more charming that Wilcomb, and maybe I will meet one ten-times as handsome." Lily said.
"What? Am I to get all the charm, and you the good looks? That hardly seems fair." Celandine teased. Lily giggled and flopped back down on her pillow.
"Maybe I'll take both." Lily said with a grin. Celandine laughed and lay down beside her. Lily snuggled up next to her and soon they both slept.
A few hours later Celandine woke up. She peeked out the window and saw that is was still dark. She lay down again and tried to go back to sleep, but her mind was just whirling with thoughts. She sighed and quietly, so as not to wake her sister, climbed out of bed. She quickly dressed and crept downstairs. She curled up in one of the overstuffed chairs by the front window. She heard someone coming down the stairs.
"Lily, is that you?" she called softly.
"No, it's me." A voice answered from the shadows on the stairs.
"Violet?" Celandine said in surprise. "What are you doing up?"
Violet padded down the stairs and sat down beside her on the floor. She took Celandines had and looked at her face, her own having a rather worried expression.
"Was it very hard to hear that Wilcomb and I were engaged?" She asked Celandine. "I know that you had been in love with him for much longer than I was. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you would have been angry with me." Celandine smiled benevolently at her sister.
"I could never be angry at you for being in love with him. I loved him too, very much, but you are my sister. Your happiness means more to me than his love ever could." Celandine said.
"But you were hurt when we told you, weren't you?" Violet said.
"Oh, I was surprised and a little disappointed at first, but then I was just sad because I know that you'll be moving away. I don't know how we'll manage without you here." Celandine said. "I'll miss you terribly."
Celandine saw relief wash her sisters face.
"You will?" She asked hopefully. Celandine giggled.
"Of course we will, you silly hobbit!" Celandine laughed. Violet hugged her sister and they sat they for a few minutes, happily enjoying one of the last times they would have together.
"Go back to bed now, Violet, you look dead on your feet." Celandine commanded, giving her sister a little shove towards the stairs.
"You're not coming up?" Violet asked
"Not, right now. Don't worry about me, go on." Celandine said, shooing her off. Violet smiled and obeyed. Celandine waited until she heard her sister's door shut before grabbing her shawl and walking out the door.
It was still dark outside, and the night sky looked like dark velvet with diamonds sparkling on it. It was cool, but not very cold. Celandine walked towards the little grove of trees near the edge of Hobbiton. She made her way through the dense foliage to a small meadow. She could see the stars better their, away from the canopy of leaves. She stared up at them, twinkling gems in the midnight sky. She thought about Lily, crying over Wilcomb, and Violet's upcoming departure. 'It's seems to me, Celandine Burrows, that as much as you don't like it, your life is changing faster than running water.' She thought to herself. 'You can do one of two things,' she thought. 'Either be miserable and angry at every change that comes by, or try and be happy about it. What will you choose?'
She glanced up at the stars, as if they could decipher the question for her. But she didn't need their help. She knew what she wanted.
"I want to be happy." She whispered. A great weight seemed to have lifted of her shoulders, and suddenly she felt lighter, freer. Celandine grinned and started to walk. She heard the sound of footfalls and turned around to see who it was. A figure emerged from the edge of the meadow. It was a hobbit, who seemed lost in thought. It was a few minutes before he saw Celandine on the other side of the meadow.
"Oh, Hullo!" Bilbo Baggins said
"Hullo yourself! What are you doing out so early in the morning?" She asked, surprised, but not unhappy to see him.
"I could ask you the same question," he said with a grin. Celandine smiled, happy to banter with him.
"I am talking a walk." She answered.
"I don't know many hobbit lasses who go walking about before sunrise." Bilbo said. Celandine raised her eyebrow at him.
"I suppose your kinfolk would say that it is downright unnatural for a lass to do something like that." She answered, sticking her nose in the air and speaking with a prissy voice.
"My male kinfolk would." He said wryly. Celandine laughed and Bilbo offered her his arm. She accepted.
"Where are you off to?" he asked.
"I hardly know." She said. "I couldn't sleep, so I came to talk a walk." She glanced up at the sky, the first strains of dawn starting to streak across the sky. "
"Something on your mind?" He asked. She nodded.
"My sister, Violet, is going to be married." She said.
"Oh, how horrible! A wedding! I was afraid for a moment someone had died." He said, that wry grin on his lips again. Celandine grinned, not minding at all his teasing.
"I know that sounds silly. It's just that, well." She struggled to find the words to make him understand.
"I have just wanted for things to, to settle down. Moving from Buckland was very hard. For all of us. I had just hoped that things would get better, and they have, its just that.."
"Now they are changing again." He finished for her. She nodded.
"You are very perceptive, Bilbo Baggins." She said. "Its most unusual for a hobbit." Bilbo chuckled.
"Were are you going?" she asked. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Home, I suppose." He said. "I went to my Uncles' to help him stock his cellar a few days ago, and I just got back. I didn't want to wake up all of Bag End, so I thought I'd take a walk until the sun rose. My father always wakes up with the sun"
Celandine nodded. The sunlight was now throwing rays over the hills. She could see Bilbo's face better in the dim morning light. His eyes held a luminescence that amazed her. There was something very wonderful about him, something sweet and mysterious all at the same time.
'Celandine, you stop that right now!' she told herself 'You don't need to go making a fool of your self over another hobbit.' She realized that Bilbo had just asked her a question.
"Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say?" Celandine asked distractedly. Bilbo grinned.
"Are you always in the habit of being unable to hear hobbits you stare at?" He asked. Celandine blushed. 'See what you did?' she scolded herself.
"I said, would you like to come to Bag End for some breakfast? We're already nearly there, and I doubt you've eaten." Bilbo said.
"Oh, well, that's very kind of you, but I really need to be getting to my Aunts. I told her I would come early so we could finish Daisy Took's wedding dress." Celandine said. She hoped he didn't notice her reluctance.
"I'll walk you there then." He said.
"Oh, don't be silly, you've walked the whole night, you must be hungry. I'll just eat at Berylla's." She said, nimbly disengaging herself from his grasp.
"Thank you for the invitation though." She called over her shoulder as she skipped away. Celandine had tried to console herself on the loss of his company, but it was useless. She wished that she had accepted his invitation, but the events of yesterday were still fresh in her mind. She did not want to fall for another hobbit that would break her heart.
'It's to late for that, Celandine, you love him already.' She thought.
"But he needn't know." She whispered. "He needn't know.