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Snaveling did not answer Jinniver’s questions in the way she had hoped; he deflected them skilfully. ‘It was all I could have expected,’ she noted to herself. ‘This is clearly no fool’. She had already taken in the fine clothing he wore, which brought to mind her recent dreams of finery, and had decided he must have travelled from the south. She pressed him for news of Gondor, half thinking that this might lead him into revealing something more. But when he began to talk of plants and farming she almost forgot about the hidden story she wanted to unearth, and fell into easy and familiar conversation.
Her sense of ease was soon jolted when Buttercup arrived bearing mugs of ale. A gift from Derufin. As she looked up to motion her thanks to Derufin, she caught the look in the eyes of both men. It was cold and measuring. A memory of the lack of caution in her distant past swiftly came into her mind. Jinniver felt a slight chill creep down her spine. She had the sensation that she may have stepped into a situation which was too complicated for her, and began to regret her curiosity. Why hadn’t she stayed closer to more familiar company this evening? She hoped that Derufin might not be thinking badly of her; after all, she was being employed by him. But she looked at Snaveling, who smiled warmly again, and knew she could not simply turn her back on him. He was thoughtful, and she admired his manners and besides, he had much to say that was interesting. She had never thought to meet such a lofty figure who cared for farming.
As Jinniver tried to make sense of her confusion, Aman suddenly appeared and brusquely placed two more tankards onto the table. Jinniver tried to hide her face as Aman gently touched Snaveling’s shoulder and whispered in his ear. The man, as noble as he might be, caught his breath and faltered for a moment and Jinniver took this in. It was a gesture she felt she ought not to have seen. She suddenly did not feel quite so drunk as she had been; her quick thoughts were sobering her up. ‘Well,’ she thought with a sense of realisation ‘It might not be proper for me to be seen sitting here with this gentleman, so familiar and all, but I cannot leave now’.
Snaveling relaxed and made a joke about an old rogue he knew. His laughter was deep and hearty and his seat jerked backwards almost throwing him off balance. She almost laughed, but then caught her breath with fright when he leapt up like a dog after a hare and grasped hold of the hobbit he had crashed into. She thought he was going to strike him, but instead he gave him a heartfelt hug, and her sense of relief was so immense, she started to laugh aloud.
Aman came across to greet the hobbit warmly and she brought him an ale. Jinniver watched expectantly with her mouth slightly open and one eyebrow raised as she watched the hobbit expertly avoid the question of payment. She knew he'd get away with it, she had the measure of his game. 'Now, there's a slippery fish, ' she said to herself, thinking of other characters she had known who had this expert skill in working their way out of their obligations. 'But how could he have wormed his way into being one of Snaveling's associates?'
She got out a pouch of pipeweed and offered it to Snaveling and Mr Hornblower, hoping to hear some more interesting tales, though she knew only too well that rogues of Mr Hornblower's type were not to be trusted lightly.
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