Elanor stepped over yet another of her siblings, hurried tying the ribbon her mother had given her into her braid. She was already wearing her best dress, shawl and apron. She had spent hour in front of the looking glass trying to tame her frothy buckwheat curls into some semblance of order. She was almost out the door when her father's voice stopped her.
"And where are you heading looking like that Miss Ellie?"
Elanor winced both at getting caught and at the usage of her childhood moniker. Samwise leaned up against the door jamb to his office, puffing at his pipe and thumbing his suspenders with the other. He looked her up and down. His baby girl was always beautiful but today she was making some special effort. She'd brushed that hair of hers within an inch of it's life (pity, Sam always thought it was most fetching when it just cascaded out of her head) was wearing the nicest dress her mother had made and… was that paint on her lips?
"It's nothing Dad, just a couple' a lads and lasses meeting under the Party tree"
"Lads and lasses? It's one of those gatherings is it? I dunno if you're old enough to go out courting Ellie"
"It's not courting" the saving grace that was her mother's voice broke in. Rosie bustled over, mixing bowl in hand and two little ones at her apron strings. "It's just a merry gathering of friends. You did the same at your age Samwise"
"Yeah but things is different than in my day aint they? Young ones go faster now…"
"There'll be no fast going Dad" Elanor said desperately "Honest"
"than why are you all dressed up?"
"Is it a crime for the girl to look nice? Away you go Elanor, have fun and behave" Rosie ushered her out the door before Sam could say another word. He watched sadly from the window as she skipped down the lane.
"She just keeps growing up. Every time I look she's getting further and further away from me"
Rosie lay the mixing down and kissed his forehead. "She's not so far away. She's still your girl" Rosie chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"You all worried about "fast goings". It'd never happen, not to our girl"
"And whys that?"
"Rosie grinned, pulling little Bilbo lad onto her hip "two reasons. 1 our Ellie has too much sense in her head to let it happen and 2 she's the mayor's daughter. None of the local lads would dare try anything on with the mayor's daughter!"
Sam had to smile at that and it did him good. It would be alright he realised. Of course it would. She was her father's daughter.