Chapter Text
Hobbiton was indeed everything Hamfast had described and more now that she was seeing it with her own eyes. Gigi Gamgee had been raised in the seemingly endless fields of crops and sprawling hills of Gamwich which were much farther apart than the Hobbit holes of Hobbiton. In Gamwich, the nearest neighbor was miles away and it might take the better part of the day to get there. There was no marketplace, no township proper. In harvest season families alternated which home would host The Grand Luncheon and they would all take their carts of excess produce to trade. Depending on the ability of the cooks of the family, business would conclude just in time for afternoon tea or could go as late as after supper. It was both an honor and an annoyance to have guests stay past two meals, but otherwise one might not see a neighbor until the next Grand Luncheon. It was quiet and peaceful, just as Hobbits liked to live. Hobbiton was bustling by comparison, very different. Hobbits do not like different, not when the same is the same.
Yet when Gigi laid her eyes upon Hobbiton it was like finding out you had a second home. Neighbors were just close enough for a visit and just far enough away to avoid, depending upon the inclination of the day. The marketplace had days when everyone was bartering their wares and days when there were only a few out selling things that would be harvested daily such as eggs and milk or maybe a large catch of fish.
But best of all was Bag End. Never had she seen a finer Hobbit hole. A good garden could make a home appear better than it was, but this was a Gamgee garden and that meant it was beautiful even if Hamfast had only worked it two years. It was well on its way to exceptional. She didn’t think the inside could possibly compare, but she was wrong. It was warm and inviting with fine furniture, several fireplaces, a large series of pantries, a delightful little kitchen, but best of all were the books. There was a spacious (by Hobbit standards) study full of them and another room adjoining also full. Gigi had never seen and certainly not read so many books! She was impressed with Bilbo Baggins immediately.
Hamfast had sent for Gigi immediately to help tend Bag End when Master Baggins had gone off on his adventure. “Mind Bag End.” Bilbo had told Hamfast as he hurriedly left his gardener the key one morning. “Keep those Sackville-Bagginses out of Bag End! Whatever it takes! Spare no cost in this!” Hamfast had tried to question him further but Bilbo repeated himself as he left, “Spare no expense. You’re the Gaffer!” and then trailing into the distance he heard Bilbo shout that he was going on an adventure.
It was a funny little nickname as Hamfast was a young Hobbit of fourteen and nothing much to be in charge of other than the taking out of weeds and putting in of potatoes. But Hamfast was very clever for a Hobbit, even though he didn’t have time for book reading like Bilbo Baggins. Certainly Master Baggins had a peculiar sense of humor, still he had put a very important task upon him and Hamfast took to it in earnest. This was how Gigi came to stay at Bag End.
There was little to do inside the tidy Hobbit hole. It was near to sparkling clean when she arrived. There was no trace of a company of raucous dwarves having been there just days before other than a pantry that looked as if it had been robbed clean. As it was mid-Spring when she arrived she instead helped Hamfast by maintaining the flower beds, kitchen garden, and area just around the most beautiful Hobbit hole she had ever seen while he was able to work the field. Like any Gamgee she knew by instinct when to plant and where to plant and which plants did well beside each other and which did not.
Spring planting went quickly for the two Gamgees. They weren’t prone to toil any harder than any other Hobbit, but as was mentioned, Hamfast was clever and knew how to get the most from the smallest bit of land and Gigi was used to working in the larger fields and showed him how to irrigate the rows easily and efficiently. This gave them plenty of time to plan out how to time their crops for maximum yield and to speak under their breath about the mistakes the neighboring farmer was making with his own field.
“He’s puttin’ it in the ground too late.” Hamfast would say.
Gigi nodded. “And that’s not the most ideal crop.”
Hamfast chuckled. “Can’t he even see the slope of his own field?”
“How are those peach trees going to survive past a single frost down there?”
“Won’t make it ‘til next Spring, that’s for sure.”
“If that were the Master’s land we’d plant them right along that line.” Gigi pointed along a slightly raised curve in the land that went from Bilbo’s field to his neighbor’s.
Hamfast nodded. He’d thought the same.
The two were not at all making fun. It would have been rude to tell the neighboring farmer everything he was doing wrong unsolicited, but as they came from a long line of gardeners they couldn’t help but discuss it to each other. As long as he had worked for Bilbo, Hamfast had envisioned how to connect the two properties, get a better yield from both, and make it more than just a field of crops, but a garden with walking paths for Master Baggins for not only was he a clever fellow, but he took a great pride in his work and it was his dream to be the best gardener in all of Hobbiton, maybe the entire Shire. He hoped when Master Baggins returned, he would see the great worth of his cousin and keep her on as well so he could bring about some of what he dreamed for the gardens of Bag End.
These were lofty ambitions for a Hobbit and during afternoon tea he would lay against a tree, close his eyes, and draw up plans in his head while Gigi would immerse herself in the library of one Bilbo Baggins. She loved reading as much as the master of the home did. There were more books in his home than she had ever seen in her life. There were lovely pieces of crockery, delicately made doilies, a garden overflowing with abundance and beauty with a Gamgee to work it. It was the coziest, homiest Hobbit hole she had ever been in. How could anyone leave?
Hamfast had told her all about the master of Bag End, his warning about the Sackville-Bagginses, and this adventure he had supposedly found himself on. She wondered about him as she made jams and jellies, herbs and cheeses, sausages and dried meats to restock his larder. She couldn’t get her mysterious employer out of her mind.
The rumors were starting to get around about the adventure and though decades younger than his employer, Hamfast did not find it wise to run across the Shire shouting about an adventure. It was not his place to correct Bilbo, but he did try to dispel some of the rumors getting out of hand and say instead that they must have misunderstood. When Gigi went to the marketplace and people would ask her she would say that Bilbo was off on an errand, not an adventure. Why that didn’t even make any sense, did it? What sort of Hobbit goes on an adventure?
At first it worked. There were crops being put in, couples being married, babies being born, plenty to distract the populace from wondering about one missing Hobbit. But around the Fall harvest celebrations, people began to talk again. It was then the Gamgees had a run-in with Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. Gigi was working in the garden and Hamfast in the field when Lobelia came through the gate like she owned the place. Gigi had been well warned by her cousin and the front door was locked with the key in her apron pocket. She yelled out a greeting, hoping Hamfast heard her or that this Lobelia was not as tricky as she’d been told.
She would not at all be told that Bilbo was on an errand. She refused to believe it, opting for the more wild notion that he had gone off on an adventure as he was the odd sort that would do that kind of thing. “Probably getting himself killed as we speak.” Her voice was sharp and condemning. “And who are you anyway? I’ve never seen you before.”
“I’m Gigi, the Gaffer’s cousin.”
“The Gaffer?” She drew the word out long and disbelieving.
Hamfast hurried over knowing Gigi would not be able to handle Lobelia alone. He was not even certain he’d be able to handle her himself. He tried to build up his confidence to confront her. When he heard his cousin call him the Gaffer it was all the boost he needed. Bilbo’s words rang in his ears and certainly with the two of them they could put an end to Lobelia’s prying.
She would hear nothing about an errand though and insisted on knowing who Gigi was and why she was there at Bag End. Rumors had been going about Hobbiton that Gigi was staying there. Apparently Lobelia had been working herself up for this confrontation as well. “Let me in the house this instant!”
“I’m sorry, but the Gaffer and I were just going to the marketplace. Perhaps you can call another time.” Gigi suggested.
“I’m Bilbo’s cousin and I demand to be let in now. You, employees, cannot stop me. I will call the authorities if you hinder me further from my rightful place in Bag End.”
Things were escalating and Hamfast could hear Bilbo saying, “Keep those Sackville-Bagginses out of Bag End! Whatever it takes!” Quick thinking Hobbit that he was, Hamfast calmly said, “Bilbo wanted us to keep it quiet until he came back so he could make the announcement himself, but seein’ as you’re his cousin and all I’m sure Master Baggins wouldn’t mind you knowin’. He told me, ‘Gaffer’, don’t let it get around just yet, but you will keep it quiet won’t you, Mistress Lobelia? I can count on you to keep the secret now, can’t I?”
“What?? You’re saying a lot to say nothing at all.” Lobelia insisted.
“Gigi is Master Bilbo’s wife.”
And with that the two Gamgees walked quickly toward the marketplace leaving Lobelia Sackville-Baggins with a stunned look on her face.