Pearl of Great Price 4: A fateful day
The Great Smials 1402
Frodo arrived just in time for elevenses and was greeted by Lalia and Pearl, who was wheeling Lalia's chair. Pearl was thankful to see her cousin and also that the two extra ponies in the stables had not been brought to Lalia's attention. This was somewhat surprising to the beleaguered girl because Lalia seemed to know everyone's secrets. Pearl thought that the older woman's excitement was due to having a guest of some importance who she had such a choice morsel of gossip on. She just hoped that she could get a couple of moments alone with Frodo to warn him and to see if he could escort Merry and Pippin back to Esme, since he was going on the Brandy Hall. She wanted to do this before Lalia became aware of the lads' presence.
There were greetings and smiles all around before they went to eat their meal. Lalia glowered at Pearl whenever she tried to speak so she simply murmured a soft hello and, when Lalia was not looking, she tried to motion to Frodo that she needed to speak with him. She thought he nodded to her as if he understood.
The meal was large and heavy for an elevenses. There were fried mushrooms, cakes, roast chicken, fresh-baked bread, and many other delicacies. For once, Lalia let Pearl eat with everyone else instead of relegating her to leftovers. However, Pearl could not summon up the will to do more than pick at the food. She would have to put what was on her plate into a napkin to bring to Merry and Pip, who were sure to be hungry.
She looked across the table at her cousin and thought that there was something fundamentally different in him. He had changed in the months since the Great Party. Pearl could not say exactly what was different in Frodo. He seemed thinner, maybe. She shook her head and thought that was a silly thought. Frodo was slender for a hobbit but he always had been. Maybe he was a shade paler or a slight tension around his eyes. Pearl shook her head at her own worries and thought that the sudden loss of Bilbo and the inheritance of Bag End was probably enough of a reason for any alteration.
She turned her attention to the conversation between Lalia and Frodo. Pearl rebuked herself for her inattention. Frodo might need her but Lalia would be incensed if Pearl interrupted her. However, Lalia was seemingly all sweetness to her guest until she looked at Pearl and gave the girl and evil smirk.
Lalia turned to Frodo and said, "This one has been quite anxious for your arrival, Frodo. I think she has more than a cousin's feelings for you. I told her it was too bad you prefer younger girls."
Frodo seemed nonplussed and replied, "But Pearl is younger than me."
Pearl cringed at Lalia's rude directness and the look of shock on Frodo's face as he realized Lalia was referring to Rosemary. He looked at Pearl with sadness and betrayal in his eyes that cut to her heart more surely than anger would have done.
She shook her head and mouthed the word, "No."
Frodo's face became a mask of impassivity and he said, in a colder tone than she had ever heard him use, "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about, Mistress Lalia. I bid you good day. I wished to look at the library. I will do so now."
Pearl's voice was so high with tension it almost came out as a squeak when she said, "I will just take the dishes to the kitchen."
Lalia sniffed and said, "You do that, girl, but be back here quickly. I need you to wheel me out to the garden. As for you, Master Baggins, you know exactly what I meant. You have not heard the last of this from me. It will be my pleasure to tell the entire Shire that the Baggins heir is in love with a child. What's the matter, boy, could not wait for her to grow up? I just wanted to let you know what I know about you. I will leave it to you to wonder when I will start sharing this amusing story."
Frodo's voice was calm and level when he replied, "I know I have done nothing wrong. Nothing you say will change that. Good day."
He walked out of the room without a single glance at Pearl. Pearl felt a hot teardrop coursing down her cheek. This really was one of the cruelest things Lalia had ever done. Frodo loved that girl and she loved him but he had put off her advances and told her he did not love her. Given the girl's age, it was the right thing to do. Frodo always did the right thing. How dare Lalia insinuate that he had not and destroy her relationship with her cousin in the process!
Pearl was still seething when she came back from the kitchen. She was angry at Lalia but also at herself. She had failed Frodo. She should have been able to protect him, even though she knew it was not she who told Lalia about Rosemary.
She wheeled Lalia to the garden door in silence. The old woman was chuckling and clucking in pleasure at having the advantage over someone else.
"I have to remain angry," Pearl thought, "or I will start crying."
They were at the top of the stairs. It was always tricky to maneuver Lalia and the chair down into the garden. Pearl was concentrating on this when she saw Frodo in a secluded corner of the garden. Then, in the next instant, he was gone. The intense worry, the lack of food, and sleep deprivation might have been enough by themselves to cause what happened next but the shock of seeing her cousin vanish into thin air was more than Pearl's exhausted system could take. The chair slipped out of her nerveless fingers and her body dropped at the top of the stairs with an audible thud. Lalia and her chair landed at the bottom of the stairs in a broken heap.
Frodo arrived just in time for elevenses and was greeted by Lalia and Pearl, who was wheeling Lalia's chair. Pearl was thankful to see her cousin and also that the two extra ponies in the stables had not been brought to Lalia's attention. This was somewhat surprising to the beleaguered girl because Lalia seemed to know everyone's secrets. Pearl thought that the older woman's excitement was due to having a guest of some importance who she had such a choice morsel of gossip on. She just hoped that she could get a couple of moments alone with Frodo to warn him and to see if he could escort Merry and Pippin back to Esme, since he was going on the Brandy Hall. She wanted to do this before Lalia became aware of the lads' presence.
There were greetings and smiles all around before they went to eat their meal. Lalia glowered at Pearl whenever she tried to speak so she simply murmured a soft hello and, when Lalia was not looking, she tried to motion to Frodo that she needed to speak with him. She thought he nodded to her as if he understood.
The meal was large and heavy for an elevenses. There were fried mushrooms, cakes, roast chicken, fresh-baked bread, and many other delicacies. For once, Lalia let Pearl eat with everyone else instead of relegating her to leftovers. However, Pearl could not summon up the will to do more than pick at the food. She would have to put what was on her plate into a napkin to bring to Merry and Pip, who were sure to be hungry.
She looked across the table at her cousin and thought that there was something fundamentally different in him. He had changed in the months since the Great Party. Pearl could not say exactly what was different in Frodo. He seemed thinner, maybe. She shook her head and thought that was a silly thought. Frodo was slender for a hobbit but he always had been. Maybe he was a shade paler or a slight tension around his eyes. Pearl shook her head at her own worries and thought that the sudden loss of Bilbo and the inheritance of Bag End was probably enough of a reason for any alteration.
She turned her attention to the conversation between Lalia and Frodo. Pearl rebuked herself for her inattention. Frodo might need her but Lalia would be incensed if Pearl interrupted her. However, Lalia was seemingly all sweetness to her guest until she looked at Pearl and gave the girl and evil smirk.
Lalia turned to Frodo and said, "This one has been quite anxious for your arrival, Frodo. I think she has more than a cousin's feelings for you. I told her it was too bad you prefer younger girls."
Frodo seemed nonplussed and replied, "But Pearl is younger than me."
Pearl cringed at Lalia's rude directness and the look of shock on Frodo's face as he realized Lalia was referring to Rosemary. He looked at Pearl with sadness and betrayal in his eyes that cut to her heart more surely than anger would have done.
She shook her head and mouthed the word, "No."
Frodo's face became a mask of impassivity and he said, in a colder tone than she had ever heard him use, "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about, Mistress Lalia. I bid you good day. I wished to look at the library. I will do so now."
Pearl's voice was so high with tension it almost came out as a squeak when she said, "I will just take the dishes to the kitchen."
Lalia sniffed and said, "You do that, girl, but be back here quickly. I need you to wheel me out to the garden. As for you, Master Baggins, you know exactly what I meant. You have not heard the last of this from me. It will be my pleasure to tell the entire Shire that the Baggins heir is in love with a child. What's the matter, boy, could not wait for her to grow up? I just wanted to let you know what I know about you. I will leave it to you to wonder when I will start sharing this amusing story."
Frodo's voice was calm and level when he replied, "I know I have done nothing wrong. Nothing you say will change that. Good day."
He walked out of the room without a single glance at Pearl. Pearl felt a hot teardrop coursing down her cheek. This really was one of the cruelest things Lalia had ever done. Frodo loved that girl and she loved him but he had put off her advances and told her he did not love her. Given the girl's age, it was the right thing to do. Frodo always did the right thing. How dare Lalia insinuate that he had not and destroy her relationship with her cousin in the process!
Pearl was still seething when she came back from the kitchen. She was angry at Lalia but also at herself. She had failed Frodo. She should have been able to protect him, even though she knew it was not she who told Lalia about Rosemary.
She wheeled Lalia to the garden door in silence. The old woman was chuckling and clucking in pleasure at having the advantage over someone else.
"I have to remain angry," Pearl thought, "or I will start crying."
They were at the top of the stairs. It was always tricky to maneuver Lalia and the chair down into the garden. Pearl was concentrating on this when she saw Frodo in a secluded corner of the garden. Then, in the next instant, he was gone. The intense worry, the lack of food, and sleep deprivation might have been enough by themselves to cause what happened next but the shock of seeing her cousin vanish into thin air was more than Pearl's exhausted system could take. The chair slipped out of her nerveless fingers and her body dropped at the top of the stairs with an audible thud. Lalia and her chair landed at the bottom of the stairs in a broken heap.