Just to be With You
4:
Exploring Brandy Hall
Merry
continued to be a perfect gentle-hobbit to Estella. He pulled her seat out for
her: the seat next to his. There seemed to be some sort of silently understood
seating arrangement in the dining room. Since she was not a part of a very
large and important family, Estella was not used to such formality. The two
ends of the table were reserved for Saradoc and Paladin (as the Master and the
Thain). On either side of them sat their respective wife and son. Once everyone
else had been seated, there was only seat available was the seat next to Merry.
Estella looked around the dining room in awe and wondered what it would be like
to be the Mistress of Brandy Hall.
The
current Mistress was sitting across from her son, speaking to Frodo Baggins,
who was directly across from Estella. As their meal was served, she involved
Estella into her conversation.
“It
is lovely to have you here, Miss Estella,” she said. “Saradoc may have already
mentioned that our Merry has spoken much about you of late.”
Rosa
heard this, as she was seated next to Frodo. She smiled once again to herself
and squashed her previous thought of pairing Estella with Frodo. Merry was a
much better match, the future Master of Brandy Hall. He was a
Brandybuck, but on that note, so was Frodo. She continued to smile, but said
nothing.
Merry
seemed completely horrified again. Did parents think that it was their duty to
completely humiliate their children at every given chance? But when he looked
at Estella, she did not seem like she was going to tease him about it. Instead,
he cheeks were rosy, and she often looked down as she spoke.
Conversations
continued throughout the meal and even after it had all been eaten. Estella sat
back in her chair, thoroughly satisfied. She wondered if the Brandybucks had
such splendid meals all of the time, and decided that she was going to move to
Brandy Hall whether it was by marrying Meriadoc or not. Though her own family
was by no means poor (in fact, the Bolgers were one of the richer families in
the Shire, after the Tooks, Brandybucks and Bagginses), they never dined in
such a way, with such exquisite food.
The
table was cleared, and the older hobbits moved to a sitting area and took out
their pipes. The wives and daughters sat nearby chatting happily. They were
organising Pimpernel’s wedding, despite the fact that no betrothal had been
made yet. Pippin seemed to have disappeared somewhere as soon as dinner was
over.
Merry
glanced from one group to the other. He knew he should join the males, but he
wanted to spend more time with Estella, who was sitting on the edge of the
group of lasses. Esmeralda saw her son and worked out his dilemma.
“Meriadoc,”
she called to him, and he came over. “Since this is Estella’s first visit to
Brandy Hall, why don’t you show her around a little? We won’t want her getting
lost at your party, will we?”
“What?”
he stammered, startled. “Why, yes, of course, Mother.” He held out his hand to Estella.
“Would you allow me to show you the sights of Brandy Hall, Mistress Estella?”
If
Estella had been less nervous, she probably would have giggled. Merry seemed a
completely different hobbit while in the company of his parents. It was not a bad
change. Estella assumed that he had been taught the proper manners from a young
age, and was expected to use them on such formal occasions.
“It
would be a pleasure, Master Meriadoc,” she answered, taking his hand. They left
the dining hall, shutting the large wooden door behind them. However, this did
not drown out Eglantine congratulating Esmeralda on how clever she was, and
Esmeralda commenting on how shy her son could be.
Merry
was red to the tips of his ears and could not think what to say to his companion.
She broke the silence that they walked in for him. “Did you really talk about
me to your parents?”
“Of
course I did,” he replied. “I talk about all of my friends to my parents.”
“Oh,”
was all she said.
Merry
led Estella through the grandness that was Brandy Hall. He showed her the
kitchen, though they were quickly bustled out, for the cooks were very busy.
Next was the larger dining room, where the rest of the Brandybuck dined (Merry
said that he and his family usually dined there too, but tonight had been a
more special occasion). They passed Doderic Brandybuck on the way out, who was
searching for his younger sister.
“I
cannot find Celandine anywhere,” he sighed. “Have you seen her?”
Merry
shook his head and neglected to mention that Peregrin was visiting Brandy Hall
that night. Being caught by Berilac was one thing, but being caught by
Celandine’s overprotective older brother was completely different.
The
next stop of Merry and Estella’s tour was the library. Estella was stunned into
silence. She loved to read, and the library of Brandy Hall was an amazing sight
for her.
“You
should see the library at the Great Smials!” Merry whispered modestly. Estella
nodded mutely. The large room had a commanding atmosphere, and to talk in
anything louder than a whisper would have felt wrong.
Merry
allowed Estella to walk around a little. He was about to call to her softly,
when he heard a giggle. Estella looked back at him in shock. It hadn’t been
from either of them. They listened and soon the giggle was repeated.
“Honestly,
Peregrin,” a female voice hastily whispered, “should we really be doing this?
Don’t you remember that Berry caught us last time?”
“Last
time was out in the open,” a second voice, distinctly male and Tookish,
replied. “We should have been more careful. Besides, Berry is in the dining
room right this moment having his wedding to my sister organised. We are
completely alone.”
The
female giggled again. “If you say so, but I still feel so naughty.”
“That’s
because you are…”
Estella
looked at Merry in horror and saw that his face was bright red, both from
embarrassment and from trying to withhold laughter. She knew that she probably
looked the same, so she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the
library.
A
young Took thought he heard the sound of scuffling feet, followed by a door
being quietly shut and some muffled laughs. But his Brandybuck companion
assured him he had imagined it, and he was inclined to believe her.
Merry
and Estella ran down the hallway from the library laughing hysterically. Merry
pulled Estella into a room where they could hide in case Pippin or Celandine
had heard them. It was his own bedroom and he collapsed on his bed in a fit of
giggles.
“Is
he always like that?” Estella asked, once she had reasonable control of her
laughter.
“I
suppose so,” Merry replied. “Though to be honest, I’ve never caught him out
like that. He’s usually very sly.”
“He
still was sly. He would not have known that you would be taking me on a tour of
the Hall, and if you had not, I doubt anyone would have found them.” Estella
looked around the room Merry had dashed into. “This is your room?” Merry
nodded. “It’s so big!”
“Yes,
but that means that I can make an even bigger mess of it!”
Estella
laughed a little. She noticed two large portraits on one of the walls. One was
of Merry with his parents, and the other of Merry, Pippin, Pervinca, Pimpernel
and Pearl. It had obviously been painted when Pippin was still only young.
Estella wandered over to it and lightly touched the smiling face of Merry in
the cousin portrait. “You are very close to your cousins.”
Merry
nodded. “Since I have no siblings of my own, that is what they have become for
me. I think Pippin always loved the idea of having an older brother, especially
when Pearl and Pimpernel teamed up against him.”
“Freddie
and Ferdi are always looking out for me,” Estella said. “Though, on more than
one occasion, I have fought their battles.”
“That
does not surprise me.” Merry stood and joined her in front of the painting. Much
to Estella’s surprise, he took one of her hands on his and brought it to his
lips. “Miss Estella Bolger, would you do me the honour of being my escort for
my party?”
Estella
was speechless. She certainly had not expected this. For a moment, she thought
that perhaps there was more to her decision to come to Buckland than she
realised. Perhaps fate had something very special in store for her.
“Of
course, Master Meriadoc Brandybuck. The honour will be completely mine.”
* *
* * * *
Estella
was reluctant to leave Brandy Hall that night, and she could see the mournful
look in Merry’s eyes as he farewelled his guests. He would have little time to
spend with them now, since the party was so close. Berilac and Pimpernel were
equally saddened. Peregrin had reappeared just as the group were about to
leave, with no sign of Celandine.
“Where
did you disappear to, Master Peregrin?” Fredegar hissed as the walked back to
Crickhollow.
“Yes,
Pippin,” Frodo chimed. “Your shirt seems somewhat ruffled.”
Estella
smiled, but said nothing. Pimpernel and Pervinca were walking next to her.
“I
see you may know something about our brother’s whereabouts tonight,” said
Pervinca. “But the joy was apparent on your face much earlier. Can we take it
you enjoyed your time with out dear cousin?”
“He
asked me to be his escort for the party,” Estella admitted, trying to keep her
voice down. But Everard had also been standing close by.
“What’s
this? Meriadoc Brandybuck had finally found an interest in a lass?” he cried.
The
attention of every hobbit in the party was instantly shifted from Pippin to
Estella. Estella groaned inwardly. She had a feeling she would not get much
rest that night.
* *
* * * *
A/N:
Sorry, short chapter. Will try to make the next one longer.