Chapter 5
I Will Have No Other
"Oh, Hob, that is terrible!" Hatty shook from the news of Merry being so ill. "His mother died only last year from a sudden fever. Thank goodness the fever did not take Master Merry."
"The healers are say'n it wasn't an illness that poor Master Merry had, rather a poison'n." Old Hob told his wife.
"No! It couldn't be from my kitchen, I'll tell you!" Hatty shook her finger at her husband. "Why there is no cleaner kitchen in all the Shire and my recipes have won blue ribbons every single year from the county fair."
"No one is think'n your fine meals have caused him any harm, my dear." Old Hob told her.
"Good morning Da, and Mama." Erling said as he walked into the Buckland kitchen as he kissed his mother's cheek.
"Have ya heard about our poor Master Merry, my son?" Hatty asked him.
"Yes that is why I am here so early this morning. Wanting to see my dear mother of course, but official business as well, me being the Shirriff and all." Erling told her.
"Well, don't you be stick'n your nose into my recipes, cause I'll be tell'n now, that it is not me cook'n that has caused this!" Old Hatty warned him.
"No Mama, everyone knows the poisoning didn't come from what he ate, but rather maybe something he drank. Have you noticed any suspicious characters hang'n about or strangers that might of visited recently?" Erling asked her.
"There was only a messenger from Rohan a few weeks pass, and the only other thing I can think of was Merry attending Peregrin's wedding." Hatty told him.
Hatty just brought the teapot out from her cupboard and began pouring the boiling water into the pot for the first cup of tea this morning. "Here let me help you with Mama." Erling grabbed the three cups and went into the pantry to get the tea.
Hatty began mixing the tea in the pot and poured each cup full. "I'll get the honey." Erling told her as he searched the shelves in the pantry. "Mama, where's the honey? I cannot find it."
"Oh, nonsense son, it is right on the shelf were is should be. I used it last night for Merry's tea and powder, bless his dear soul." Hatty told him. "I put it away myself. You should know that as you were here last night having a late night cup of tea with me."
"Well, it is not here." Erling said.
"It must be Celandine's little ones getting into the honey again, I caught them last week dipping their fingers into it. I'll have to talk to them about it." Hatty said.
"Mama, Berlic is asking for his morning tea." Ester said as she came into the kitchen.
"Tell your husband I'll be right there and I'll be bringing him my best berry cake for his tea, seeing we are out of honey again." Hatty said to her daughter.
"Don't overly worry yourself about the honey, I'll stop and get you another jar later today." Erling told her. "Any way, I have to get back to Shirriffing and making me rounds this morning. Good day to you both."
"That's my boy." Old Hob said, "A harder worker, that he is. Ever since Ol' Robin Smallburrow hired him when those ruffian shown up, he's been Shirriffing every since."
"Yes, my dear, our boy is good one, that is for sure." Hatty said with pride.
~*~
"Excuse me my Lady, but a Mr. Bolger is here this morning to see you." A servant girl approached Diamond as she sat having her morning tea in the kitchen.
"Please show him in." Diamond told her.
"Fredegar Bolger, so nice of you to call this morning." Diamond said sweetly.
"Tis not a social call I'm mak'n, I've come to be take'n my sister home with me. Have her things sent to my carriage." Fredegar instructed her.
"Why Mr. Bolger, whatever could be the matter, I had hoped Estella would stay with us for awhile." Daimond inquired. "If it is your father's wishes because of last night, I only felt sorry for poor Estell after he embarrassed her so."
"I'll not be having my sister stay under the same roof as a Brandybuck, especially her having such grand ideas about him and all." Fredegar told Diamond.
"Let me assure you that we are well chaperoning her comings and goings. Besides Merry is very ill and needs close looking after." Diamond trying her best to get him to understand.
"I'll not hear of it, she is coming home, where she belongs." Fredegar insisted.
"Wait a minute, Fredegar, might I have a word with you in private?" Asked Pippin.
Fredegar followed Pippin into his study.
"Why are you so insistent that Estella stay away from Merry. You know how much she cares for him and right now with Merry being so sick, she is exactly what he needs." Pippin inquired. "Estella could not find no better husband than Merry."
"We Bolgers are a proud family and Estella should not be marrying out of her class. She only has a simple dowry and simple ways about her. It is her families wishes that she stay in the Took line and not mixing our blood with Bucklanders." Fredegar told him.
"If you look at your family heritage you will see that many a Bolgers has crossings with Bucklanders in the blood lines. We all do." Pippin was trying his best to reason with Fredegar.
"Estella is a simple lass and will only marry a simple hobbit. We will never allow her to marry above our means. I will hear no more about it, Peregrin. Send her out to our carriage immediately." Fredegar turn to walk away, but Pippin added one more thing.
"We use to be best friends, You, Merry and I. What happened Fredegar?" Pippin asked.
"We grew up, Pippin. You'll become the Thain and Merry is already the Master of Buckland and I am just a store clerk." Fredegar said.
"Merry loves her, Fredegar." Pippin told him.
"Love is for the very wealthy among us, not for the simple fork with simple means." Fredegar tried to turn and walk out of the study.
"You know he will come after her don't you, you will not be able to keep them apart." Pippin told him.
"Let him try, I will kill him if he gets too close to her." Fredegar snarled back at Pippin and walked out.
~*~
"What is the meaning of this Freddy!" Estella shouted at him as she approached the coach.
"Get in Estella, you are coming home with me immediately." Fredegar insisted.
"I will do no such a thing." Estella said.
Fredegar picked-up his sister over his shoulder and carried her into the coach, all the while Estella screaming and cursing him. He placed her down on the seat in the coach and ordered the driver away.
"Why are you doing this to me, Freddy? You know how much I love Merry. Don't you want me to be happy?" Estella pleaded with him.
"I do want your happiness more than you know, but Merry is not right for you. You just do not see it yet. I am stopping you from making a big mistake." Fredegar told her.
"How dare you interfere with my life. I will not have it Freddy." Estella insisted.
"You are a Bolger and it is wise for you if you remember that." Fredegar told her. "You must remember you position in your life, you are not some grand lass with a title by no means, not like your friend Diamond of Long Cleeve."
"Why, your jealous that I would become more than what you have in life, is that right Fredegar? That you can not handle being a simple store clerk, all the while your poor sister becomes mistress of Buckland!" She shouted at him.
Fredegar slapped her across her face and Estella began crying. "It was I who saved our families business from ruin. I'm the one who put the clothes on your back and the food in your belly. I made sure you had an education and you were well cared for. Everything we have is tied up into that meager store we own and with the cost of tea as it is. It is taking everything we have invested to purchase it. It's a good thing that hobbits have such a taste for it, or we would be penniless. I'll not have your fancy Brandybuck bailing our family out from his pockets. I could not afford the flowers for your wedding, let alone pay your dowry." Fredegar placed his face into his hands.
"Freddy, I am sorry for all your troubles, but your asking too much from me. I love him. I will always love him. It does not matter to him what is in our pockets, dowry or our name. He loves me also and I will have no other than Merry as my husband." Estella told him.
I Will Have No Other
"Oh, Hob, that is terrible!" Hatty shook from the news of Merry being so ill. "His mother died only last year from a sudden fever. Thank goodness the fever did not take Master Merry."
"The healers are say'n it wasn't an illness that poor Master Merry had, rather a poison'n." Old Hob told his wife.
"No! It couldn't be from my kitchen, I'll tell you!" Hatty shook her finger at her husband. "Why there is no cleaner kitchen in all the Shire and my recipes have won blue ribbons every single year from the county fair."
"No one is think'n your fine meals have caused him any harm, my dear." Old Hob told her.
"Good morning Da, and Mama." Erling said as he walked into the Buckland kitchen as he kissed his mother's cheek.
"Have ya heard about our poor Master Merry, my son?" Hatty asked him.
"Yes that is why I am here so early this morning. Wanting to see my dear mother of course, but official business as well, me being the Shirriff and all." Erling told her.
"Well, don't you be stick'n your nose into my recipes, cause I'll be tell'n now, that it is not me cook'n that has caused this!" Old Hatty warned him.
"No Mama, everyone knows the poisoning didn't come from what he ate, but rather maybe something he drank. Have you noticed any suspicious characters hang'n about or strangers that might of visited recently?" Erling asked her.
"There was only a messenger from Rohan a few weeks pass, and the only other thing I can think of was Merry attending Peregrin's wedding." Hatty told him.
Hatty just brought the teapot out from her cupboard and began pouring the boiling water into the pot for the first cup of tea this morning. "Here let me help you with Mama." Erling grabbed the three cups and went into the pantry to get the tea.
Hatty began mixing the tea in the pot and poured each cup full. "I'll get the honey." Erling told her as he searched the shelves in the pantry. "Mama, where's the honey? I cannot find it."
"Oh, nonsense son, it is right on the shelf were is should be. I used it last night for Merry's tea and powder, bless his dear soul." Hatty told him. "I put it away myself. You should know that as you were here last night having a late night cup of tea with me."
"Well, it is not here." Erling said.
"It must be Celandine's little ones getting into the honey again, I caught them last week dipping their fingers into it. I'll have to talk to them about it." Hatty said.
"Mama, Berlic is asking for his morning tea." Ester said as she came into the kitchen.
"Tell your husband I'll be right there and I'll be bringing him my best berry cake for his tea, seeing we are out of honey again." Hatty said to her daughter.
"Don't overly worry yourself about the honey, I'll stop and get you another jar later today." Erling told her. "Any way, I have to get back to Shirriffing and making me rounds this morning. Good day to you both."
"That's my boy." Old Hob said, "A harder worker, that he is. Ever since Ol' Robin Smallburrow hired him when those ruffian shown up, he's been Shirriffing every since."
"Yes, my dear, our boy is good one, that is for sure." Hatty said with pride.
~*~
"Excuse me my Lady, but a Mr. Bolger is here this morning to see you." A servant girl approached Diamond as she sat having her morning tea in the kitchen.
"Please show him in." Diamond told her.
"Fredegar Bolger, so nice of you to call this morning." Diamond said sweetly.
"Tis not a social call I'm mak'n, I've come to be take'n my sister home with me. Have her things sent to my carriage." Fredegar instructed her.
"Why Mr. Bolger, whatever could be the matter, I had hoped Estella would stay with us for awhile." Daimond inquired. "If it is your father's wishes because of last night, I only felt sorry for poor Estell after he embarrassed her so."
"I'll not be having my sister stay under the same roof as a Brandybuck, especially her having such grand ideas about him and all." Fredegar told Diamond.
"Let me assure you that we are well chaperoning her comings and goings. Besides Merry is very ill and needs close looking after." Diamond trying her best to get him to understand.
"I'll not hear of it, she is coming home, where she belongs." Fredegar insisted.
"Wait a minute, Fredegar, might I have a word with you in private?" Asked Pippin.
Fredegar followed Pippin into his study.
"Why are you so insistent that Estella stay away from Merry. You know how much she cares for him and right now with Merry being so sick, she is exactly what he needs." Pippin inquired. "Estella could not find no better husband than Merry."
"We Bolgers are a proud family and Estella should not be marrying out of her class. She only has a simple dowry and simple ways about her. It is her families wishes that she stay in the Took line and not mixing our blood with Bucklanders." Fredegar told him.
"If you look at your family heritage you will see that many a Bolgers has crossings with Bucklanders in the blood lines. We all do." Pippin was trying his best to reason with Fredegar.
"Estella is a simple lass and will only marry a simple hobbit. We will never allow her to marry above our means. I will hear no more about it, Peregrin. Send her out to our carriage immediately." Fredegar turn to walk away, but Pippin added one more thing.
"We use to be best friends, You, Merry and I. What happened Fredegar?" Pippin asked.
"We grew up, Pippin. You'll become the Thain and Merry is already the Master of Buckland and I am just a store clerk." Fredegar said.
"Merry loves her, Fredegar." Pippin told him.
"Love is for the very wealthy among us, not for the simple fork with simple means." Fredegar tried to turn and walk out of the study.
"You know he will come after her don't you, you will not be able to keep them apart." Pippin told him.
"Let him try, I will kill him if he gets too close to her." Fredegar snarled back at Pippin and walked out.
~*~
"What is the meaning of this Freddy!" Estella shouted at him as she approached the coach.
"Get in Estella, you are coming home with me immediately." Fredegar insisted.
"I will do no such a thing." Estella said.
Fredegar picked-up his sister over his shoulder and carried her into the coach, all the while Estella screaming and cursing him. He placed her down on the seat in the coach and ordered the driver away.
"Why are you doing this to me, Freddy? You know how much I love Merry. Don't you want me to be happy?" Estella pleaded with him.
"I do want your happiness more than you know, but Merry is not right for you. You just do not see it yet. I am stopping you from making a big mistake." Fredegar told her.
"How dare you interfere with my life. I will not have it Freddy." Estella insisted.
"You are a Bolger and it is wise for you if you remember that." Fredegar told her. "You must remember you position in your life, you are not some grand lass with a title by no means, not like your friend Diamond of Long Cleeve."
"Why, your jealous that I would become more than what you have in life, is that right Fredegar? That you can not handle being a simple store clerk, all the while your poor sister becomes mistress of Buckland!" She shouted at him.
Fredegar slapped her across her face and Estella began crying. "It was I who saved our families business from ruin. I'm the one who put the clothes on your back and the food in your belly. I made sure you had an education and you were well cared for. Everything we have is tied up into that meager store we own and with the cost of tea as it is. It is taking everything we have invested to purchase it. It's a good thing that hobbits have such a taste for it, or we would be penniless. I'll not have your fancy Brandybuck bailing our family out from his pockets. I could not afford the flowers for your wedding, let alone pay your dowry." Fredegar placed his face into his hands.
"Freddy, I am sorry for all your troubles, but your asking too much from me. I love him. I will always love him. It does not matter to him what is in our pockets, dowry or our name. He loves me also and I will have no other than Merry as my husband." Estella told him.
