"They're nearly here, then?" Estella asked, a smudge of flour along one cheekbone, hands working steadily at kneading the fruit-laden dough. Molly and Meli, who had romped into the kitchen seconds before, ran over to kiss her cheek.
"How could you tell?" Molly asked, her wide habitual smile firmly in place as she stole a spoon to lick from the mixing bowl, handing a second one to Meli.
"Get out of it!" Estella batted the girl's hand away. "I could tell because there's only one time you look as you do right now, Miss Molly, with your hair all flown about and your eyes starry, and that's when Pip Gardner has been telling you how pretty you are."
"You should marry him tomorrow, Molly, then it only has to last a year and a day if you get sick of him." Meli suggested, spinning around and around in the cavernous kitchen until she got so dizzy she almost fell over.
"Fifteen's much too young for marriage, even of the May Day sort. You have to wait that many years again before I'll even consider it." Estella cut in firmly, leaving her bread to push Meli down into a chair before the girl lost her footing. "How long 'til they get here?"
"The little ones and Rosie were riding in the cart, we were too but we jumped off and ran ahead down by the big well. The rest were still a good way behind." Meli answered. "It was good fun, we played chase and everybody joined in, even the grown-ups." she turned as Diamond came into the room, carrying wine from the store rooms. "Mummy, you should have come. You're a good chaser."
"There was more than enough to do here. We'll have plenty of chances for silliness tomorrow." Diamond answered. "So everyone's going to be here soon?"
"Nearly everyone." Molly said, giggling behind her hand. Meli giggled too, clapping excitedly and smiling at Estella and Diamond.
"We saw Farry kissing Goldy Gardner. He had his hand in her hair and everything." Meli informed them.
"Well, I'm hardly surprised. They've been writing to each other since Yule." Estella answered, going back to her kneading.
"What? You didn't tell us!" Molly and Meli cried.
"It's rare anyone keeps secrets from you two." Diamond answered, ushering the pair over to the sink and handing them each a washing-up cloth. "I've never met such a pair of gossips."
"Anyway." Meli went on, ignoring the implied scolding. "Molly and I reckon that Goldy and Farry won't be home for a while yet. She's a gardener's daughter, after all, and you know what they say about May's eve."
"That's more cheek than I like from you, my girl." Estella tried her best to look scandalised. "I don't want to hear such rubbish when everyone arrives. I can only imagine what they'd think of it."
"They talk worse than us." Molly shrugged. "I heard Robin and Tom planning to replace the custard with cat-sick tomorrow."
"I'd like to see them try." Diamond said in a wry voice. A thunder of footsteps came down the hall, Rosie Gardner and half her children all tumbling in smelling of summer afternoons.
"Prim has to sit on the front step all night, for luck!" Daisy declared, picking her sister up around the waist and making as if to carry her back outside.
"Not so fast, you." Rosie stopped the game. "We're going to use indoor voices, you hear? No shouting and squealing while we're guests."
"Don't be silly," Diamond laughed. "Our lot wouldn't know an indoor voice from a turnip anyway. Shout away, little ones. How are you, Rose dear?"
"Old. Terribly old. Tomorrow's my thirtieth wedding anniversary, you realise that? I'm ancient." Rosie pretended to hobble over to the table before springing back up to her usual carriage and coming over to help with the baking.
"Tell us about it, please?" Meli begged, jumping up and down and nearly winding Primrose with her elbow.
"All right, all right, steady on." Estella raised both hands. "Everyone except me and Dinny out of the kitchen, go sit in the front hall and wait for the others. Rose can tell you the story out there."
Molly and Meli, glad to be free of chores, raced ahead of the rest and sat down on the worn floorboards, ready to listen. The others all jumped down on top of them, resulting in a tangle of arms, legs, and outraged hobbits. Rosie waited until they were quiet and then started to talk.
"My wedding day was the prettiest May Day there's ever been, the sky the same blue as my dress. Everyone made such a fuss of me; I got so many posies and presents before I'd even left the house that I thought I'd be smothered by the pile of them. We were still growing back the trees at that time, and all the saplings had ribbons and paper lanterns tied in them, oranges and pinks and yellows and greens. You couldn't walk ten steps without meeting a tween looking all mussed from a roll on the grass - don't think I didn't see that smirk, Meli Took, your brother and my Goldy can do as they please without you being a sniggering little spy about it. As I was saying, the whole Shire was alive with dancing and play. Frodo was mayor at that time, while poor Will Whitfoot regained his strength... or perhaps they'd already switched back, my memory isn't what it used to be."
"You always remember when I haven't done my jobs." Sammie pointed out. Rosie nodded with a bright smile.
"Ha, that's true, lad, you caught me out. Whoever the mayor was, anyway, chose me for May Queen. Samwise was my King, of course, and we wore garlands in our hair and chose the winner in all the games. We danced so much I thought my feet would fall off by the end of it. Every May Day is lovely but somehow I know none is ever going to be as perfect as that one."
Molly sighed happily. "Oh, I hope I can be the May Queen some day."
"I'm sure you will be, lass. You'll be pretty as a picture."
"Hullo!" a voice called as the door swung open. "We made it, eventually." it was Frodo-lad, and all the rest with him. Everybody tried to hug hello, even though most of them had seen each other just an hour or two beforehand, but the hallway was too small so they moved into a sitting room. Diamond and Pippin kissed hello, and so did Estella and Merry, but when everyone sat down Estella and Diamond squashed up in an armchair together and Merry and Pippin comandeered two cushions on the floor at their feet, holding hands. Faramir and Goldilocks were, as Molly and Meli had guessed, nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, watching Molly beg Boromir for a try at his pipe, and Meli ask her father if she could wear a garland in her hair for May Day, Bilbo made a face. Sam noticed.
"What's that look for?"
"There's only eight of them, and two huge homes to share between them. Yuck, how lonely." Bilbo answered. Ruby rolled her eyes and made a small grumbling noise in the back of her throat.
"It might be nice to be lonely for a change." she said in a quiet voice. Primrose grabbed her in a hug and wouldn't let go, even when Ruby tried to squirm away and cried 'Mummy!'.
"No scowling faces on anybody, I don't want to hear complaints." Frodo ordered Ruby, pulling her onto his lap. "They aren't allowed."
"If you smile for us, Ruby-blue, I'll draw a picture for your wall at home." Frodo-lad added. Rosie had told him time and time again not to bribe his sisters but he never paid any attention, and his delicate sketches were a highly sought-after prize.
"Really? For me?" Ruby said with a small pout before breaking into a grin. "Thankyou!"
"This is the last time I'll be one of the children at a gathering like this." Elanor said with a philosophical sort of sigh. "I'll probably be a wife by the time next May comes around."
"It's not as if it's something out of your control." Merry pointed out. "If you want to leave it, just tell Fastred. You're not even of age yet, it'll take more effort to wed than to put it off."
"I didn't mean for it to sound like that." Elanor shook her head. "I do want to get married, more than anything in the whole world. I'll just... miss this."
"There's room for your family here too." Diamond pointed out.
"Yes, I'm sure we'd squeeze them in somewhere." Pippin joked. "I doubt Frodo and Sam and Rose would let you get away even if you wanted to, anyway."
"Quite right." Sam said with a nod. "I put up with too much from you when you were small to let you go so easy now that you can make it up to me."
"I wish this could go on forever." Elanor admitted, shrugging.
"Well, it can't. Nothing does." Frodo pushed her hair behind her ear, trailing his knuckles down his cheek. "But it's not finished yet, Ellyelle. Nowhere near. And when it does, there's going to be other things just as wonderful. Your own babies to snuggle and love, and neices and nephews to spoil. It's not the end of anything, it's the start of so much."
Elanor smiled at Frodo, kissing his cheek and then Ruby's. Tom gave a wide yawn as Sam picked him up.
"To bed, now, or it'll be May Day before we're ready for it." Merry declared.
"Can I dream about Queens and Kings, Mummy?" Primrose asked.
"Ah, that's not up to me. You'd have to ask the sandman that."
"Sandman?" Ruby asked, halfway asleep in Frodo's arms.
"A story for another night." Rosie promised, pushing the door open on the bedroom. "Sweet dreams, now, my lovelies. You're always going to be my little darlings, even when you're not so little anymore. Always and forever."
~
Pretty Good Year | email Mary