A.N.: Several reviewers observed my boo-boo with chapter 8, where I duplicated it and put the same content in Chapter 9. Sorry!

Chapter 9: Hard Truths

"Crystal?" Frodo shook her arm gently to wake her. "Wake up, baby."

"It's too early," she whined. "And I'm tired."

"It's not too early, it's ten o'clock," he said, "And you won't be tired when I tell you something."

"What?" she asked, bored.

"It's a surprise," said Frodo smugly.

"What is it?" Frodo could tell she was getting excited. Crystal loved hearing the word "surprise."

"Your ma's here."

"Yeah!" Crystal literally jumped out of bed. "Ma's here? Really?"

"Yes, but – "

Crystal cut him off by running out of the room. She looked left and right for her mother. She sighted an open door at the end of the hall. The girl ran toward and into the room.

Eos was sitting up in bed, taking her tonic from Rosie. She turned and froze when she saw her daughter running toward her with a face of utmost joy.

"Mama!" the little girl cried. "You're here!" She leaped into her still-stunned mother's arms.

Frodo ran to the doorway, but stopped when he saw mother and daughter. Crystal was happy enough, but Eos wore an expression of love and joy mixed with guilt and shame. He hadn't wanted Eos to see her daughter just so soon; he knew Eos was still ashamed of herself for abandoning Crystal. Frodo didn't want her to feel the way she did now.

He cleared his throat. "Crystal, why don't you go with Rosie to breakfast? Your mama's sick, you don't want to catch cold."

Rosie led the chattering girl out to the kitchen, and left Frodo alone with Eos. Eos turned her face away from Frodo. He went to her and held her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but she seemed to be in such a hurry…" He could not think of anymore to say.

"What did I do?" Eos whispered. "I abandoned my baby, my little girl – "

"You saved yourself first. If you didn't do that, then you would not have done anything for Crystal. Please don't be ashamed, beloved."

The whole Took clan was fairly shocked when Frodo told them that Eos had returned. He offered to have her parents come to see her, but Eos begged to see Berylla and only Berylla first.

The middle Took daughter arrived on a January evening, brushing snow off her cloak. Crystal ran up to her almost before she stepped through the door.

"Aunt Berylla! My mama came back! You wanna see her?"

"Yes, in fact I do, Crystal," her aunt replied, kissing her cheek. "Why don't you take me to her?"

"She's that way!" Crystal began pulling her toward the bedroom, when Frodo appeared.

"Hello, Miss Berylla! Eos has been waiting for you all day."

"I thought as much. Why, she hasn't seen any of us since October! I daresay she's shaken her whole family by disappearing like that." She paused to touch Crystal's head. "And how's the young lady doing?"

"She's wonderful as ever." Frodo grinned fondly at Crystal. "She's learned to read, she's eating right, and she has friends."

"Friends?" Berylla looked down at her niece. "Who?"

"There's…" Crystal frowned and counted on her fingers. "Myrtle, Melilot, Prisca, Dora, Poppy…" She lost count, and gave up. The two adults laughed.

"Crystal-lass, why don't you take your aunty to your mother, hm? There's a good girl," said Frodo.

Berylla followed her niece to the room at the end of the hall. "Mama!" Crystal yelled. "Aunt Berylla's here!"

"Is she?" said a husky voice from inside. "Well, bring her in."

"Frodo got me a new dress today," Crystal announced to Eos, who was seated against the pillows on her bed. The little girl had climbed into her lap. "See, it's pretty and blue," she said, holding out the skirt.

"Why, Frodo's spoiling you," Eos replied, taking one of the pleats and studying it. "It's beautiful." She coughed slightly. She touched one of her daughter's curls. "It seems he's been keeping you out of the dirt while you're playing."

"No, I go in the dirt. Frodo just cleans me up after I play."

Eos nodded approvingly. "Why don't you run along now, I need to talk to your aunty."

Crystal hopped off the bed and ran out. Berylla, standing in the doorway, watched her go. Then she turned to her sister, who had lain back on the pillows and closed her eyes.

Berylla sat quietly on the bed. "Well, what have you done to yourself this time, sister?" she asked gently.

Eos opened her eyes. "You're the one to talk," she said. "We always asked you that question back when we were girls, and you went romping with boys."

"But I never followed our brothers around like you. I remember when you came back from the swim-hole soaking wet."

Eos laughed, and ended up coughing. Berylla smiled, then became grave.

"What happened all this time?" she said. "You were always the prettiest, the one everyone liked the most, the ones lads always wanted to dance with. What happened in the last ten years?"

"I guess Da thought the same, that all the lads were coming after me, so he decided to give me to his opium smoking colleague's son. I guess he wanted to keep me with one instead of many."

Berylla took her sister's hand and held it in both of her own. "Olo's in prison now, on grounds of abuse and illegal trade. Did you know about this?"

"That he was in prison for abuse, yes. I didn't know about the charge for illegal trade. The poor oaf. What did Da say when he heard about this?"

"He nearly had a heart attack. I don't think he'll ever forgive himself for making you marry the man."

"And he shouldn't. And if he sees my scars I hope he really will have a heart attack."

"Eos!" Berylla squeezed her hand. "Why do you have to talk that spiteful way? You didn't used to be like this, all bitter and mean."

"If you had a husband like mine, you'd be bitter and mean too."

"But – "

"Your husband doesn't go to the inn every night and come home and beat you with a horse whip."

"Wh – "

"And I doubt he beats your son until he is bruised all over."

"B – "

"He doesn't bed his wife's friends, does he?"

Here, Berylla paused. "Which friends?" she asked. Eos only gazed back at her. "You must tell me," she said urgently.

"If I tell you, you must be ready to believe me," said Eos.

"Just tell me!"

"The first one would be – Asphodel Fields."

Berylla dropped Eos's hand. "That's not fair!" she exclaimed. "You are taking advantage of my trust."

"What would I tell you other than the truth?"

"That can't be true, not Asphodel! Del would never…" She stood up and paced across the room. "Not married men," she protested weakly. "Del only likes to sleep with bachelors."

"If you keep that mind set your turn will come next," said Eos dully. Berylla opened her mouth in rebuttal, but Eos wasn't finished. "I thought like you did before I walked in on the two." She turned away, to stare out the window. "I think it happened in part because Asphodel was seductive, and partly Olo was in the mood for any woman other than his wife. I suppose the latter gave Asphodel a greater advantage to strike." She reached inside the collar of her nightgown, and pulled out the nightingale pendant. "If you still don't believe me, I've got the scar to show for it."

Berylla turned back to her sister. "What happened when you caught Olo and Asphodel together?" she asked softly, all distrust gone from her voice.

"I shouted Asphodel's name, and Olo saw me and got angry. He got up from the bed and threw me into the nursery, and that's how I got this." Eos fingered the cut on the side of her forehead. After many, years, it was still distinct.

Berylla sat down heavily. She held her sister's hand to her cheek. "Why didn't you come to me, then?"

"I was too scared and too crazy. I went insane, you know. That's why I ran away. I know it's crazy that I went without Crystal, but if I took her with me, she wouldn't be literate now, would she?"

"Well, you look like you've been crazy. Your hair's a mess," teased Berylla. She took a comb out of her pocket.

"Why do you walk around with a comb in your pocket?"

"You know how my hair isn't as obedient as yours. D'you remember how it got caught in one of your hair ribbons when we were girls? I always have to stop and tame it every so often." She set to work on combing Eos's hair. "Everybody always wanted your hair. It's so thick and dark."

When she was finished, she took her sister into her arms. "I love you, Eos," she said.

"I love you, Berylla."

Berylla noticed her fingering her nightingale. "Ma gave that to you when you were born," she mused.

Eos nodded. "When I was scared, I used to try to use this to call up a nightingale, so that it could sing to me and calm me down."

"Did it ever come?"

"No, not while I was with Olo. I've been looking for it all my life."

"Do you think you've found it now?"

Eos paused. Deep blue eyes, like two oceans, and a head of dark curls came to mind.

"Maybe," she replied.