Lad returned to the fairfields, intending to catch the final races of the day before dinner-time and restore Pippin's, Merry's and Milo's winnings to them. Frodo went with Angelica to settle the dispute over quilting diplomatically, and judged several other competitions, with Sam giving his advice in matters of the finest flowers and the most tasty preserves.
At dusk, they all met again at Lad and Angelica's home. Lad had told his other guests something of his predicament and how Frodo had rescued him, but it wasn't until after dinner, when Angelica had gone into the nursery to put Willa to bed, that the group gathered around Frodo in the parlor to hear the entire story.
"The whole thing felt very odd and wrong to me when Lad first told me about it," Frodo explained. "These Longchalks didn't behave the way hobbits naturally would if they sincerely thought they'd been cheated in a game."
"Yes, that's so," said Milo. "They'd make a loud, public cry about it. They might want their money back, but they'd demand that loudly too."
"Exactly. When I learned that they never said a word to you, that seemed odder still. If they thought Lad was cheating, why not include you in their accusations as his partner, or let you know of their suspicions if they didn't think you were involved? When I met them, I thought it was possible they were behaving so unreasonably because they were angry. It seemed easiest to give them what they wanted and hope for the best, but once I'd had time to think, I saw things differently. I considered who they were, and who their father was, and I realized that that Lad had been right to refuse them in the first place. If he had, they would've used it against him to make the public scandal they hadn't been able to before."
"It wasn't particular cleverness on my part," Lad admitted. "I didn't have enough money to pay them off."
"I'm grateful for your help, all of you," said Frodo, "even if the money wasn't necessary in the end."
"Not to you, perhaps, but I was glad of the tip," said Pippin. "I haven't had my allowance since I went to Buckland."
"Not to mention the idea of having Mosco ride," said Milo. "I've never seen Fleetfoot fly so fast as he did with the little lad on his back! His hooves barely touched the turf. You liked running the race too, didn't you, Mosco?" His son agreed that it had been wonderful fun. "Then we must have you ride in all Fleetfoot's races hereafter. We'll keep you on 'til you get too chubby, my boy, then it'll be your brother Moro's turn, then Minto's if they've a taste for it."
"After that, my little ones will be big enough to ride," said Lad. "I'll get Willa her own pony soon, and train her up for it properly."
"Helping you out wasn't all Sam was doing today, was it?" Pippin said, smiling meaningfully.
"What d'you mean by that?" demanded Sam.
"Some of the lads sitting near us in the fields today, Grubby Tinsdale and his cousin Wags from Waymoot, came into town for luncheon. When we asked after Lad, they said they didn't see him, but they did see you, Sam, walking about by the old inn arm-in-arm with a lady."
"There wasn't no lady," Sam answered, but he was blushing deeply.
"They said they couldn't see her face, but a lady it was! Who was she, Sam?" Merry persisted in the same playful tone. "A new girl-friend, or an old one? Does Rosie know?"
They were only teasing, but Sam grew so red and flustered that the two looked puzzled and curious, and even Lad and Milo began to wonder what was going on.
"I doubt it was Sam they saw at all," Frodo came to the rescue, as much for his own sake as Sam's. If his cousins ever pried out the truth, he would never hear the end of it. "He isn't so well known in Michel Delving, and they might easily have mistaken someone else for him. I promise you, Sam was with me all the time he was in town today."
This put an end to the jokes, but his cousin continued to look curious. To Frodo's surprise, it was Lad who caught him by the arm as he and Sam were preparing to return to the inn for the night, and murmured confidentially, "You might as well admit it, Frodo. I know what you were really up to this afternoon."
Frodo stared at him and blanched. He'd been afraid that someone would be clever enough to figure things out, but he hadn't expected it to be Lad! "Do you?" he asked.
"Oh, I was slow, I admit, but I see it all now," Lad replied. "You had Angelica's help, didn't you?"
"Er- yes..."
"You never got out of the inn at all. You couldn't get past those Longchalks, and she was the one who took your message to Sam. Isn't that so?" Lad lowered his voice. "She was the lady Pip and Merry were teasing him about. I say, Frodo, you didn't tell her all about my problem, did you?"
"No," said Frodo, rallying, "not everything. Only that you weren't in debt. She'd guessed there was some trouble about, and suspected the worse. Once she knew you were in need of help, she was ready to do whatever she could. Angelica is a good egg, Lad. She may be strict about money and quick-tempered when she doesn't have things her way, but you can count on her in a crisis. You might tell her the whole truth now yourself. She's dying to know the rest of it." He had the feeling that Angelica wouldn't be at peace, or leave Lad in peace, until she had heard the whole story.
Lad agreed to confess all. "We'll keep your secret, Frodo," he assured him with a conspiratorial wink. "I understand how a great detective has to keep up his reputation, and if you want everybody to think you slipped out past the Longchalks by some clever trick, 'Gelica and I won't say otherwise. It'd be ungrateful of us, after all I've put you through today."
"That's very kind of you," said Frodo. After all, it was much better to let Lad think that this was indeed what had happened, and that the mysterious lady seen with Sam was his own wife. He hoped that no one would tell tales about that kiss in the square--it wouldn't do for Lad to suspect there was something scandalous between Sam and Angelica! He might then have to tell the truth.
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