Just want to say thanks to Natta, Fool-of-a-Took, Zebra Wallpaper--did I miss anyone?--for the great reviews! This has been a busy week at work, leaving me little time for things I like to do...
(Zebra--you caught on to it! It's all in innocence! I mentioned it back in Summer Holiday)
Chapter Ten: Stealing Merry
It was after elevensies when Eglantine finally met with her nephew. Merry sat in his bed and fidgeted. He knew something was about to happen--never before had his aunt asked to speak with him alone. What sort of trouble am I in now?, he wondered to himself. He watched intently as Eglantine sat down across from him, holding an envelope with a broken seal. Merry recognized it as the seal of his father. "Read this.", was all she said as she handed Merry the envelope.
Merry opened the envelope and took out the small folded parchment and read it. After a moment, he spoke, "Do you know if he intends to take me away?"
"I don't know, sweetie--I only know what you know," she said.
Merry curled up into a ball under his blankets with a far away expression on his face. Eglantine wanted to comfort him somehow yet felt it would only complicate the matters in his young head. She smoothed the hair away from his face, "It will all work out, child." Wait!, she thought, and nonchalantly caressed his forehead again. "How do you feel, Merry?"
"I have a headache, Auntie, and I'm not feeling quite well at the moment. May I please be alone?" The letter suddenly became a good alibi for not feeling good.
Eglantine wasn't fooled for a moment; she knew Merry's ailment was more than a mere headache. She rubbed his shoulder as she got up, "Very well, but I will have your uncle look in on you when he arrives, all right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Paladin arrived home early that day and was met by his wife at the door. Pearl and Pim had been sent to tell him about the letter and the imminent visit by Saradoc that evening. He was deeply concerned over how his nephew was coping with the pending reunion--especially since he'd already told Merry his father wasn't coming to claim him for another three weeks. First, he decided to meet with his wife to discuss Took hospitality.
Eglantine followed Paladin into his study, and was taken by surprised as he swept the door shut behind them and held her close to kiss her. After a *long* moment he drew breath and said, "I've been waiting all day for that!"
She wrapped her arms around him and gazed into his hazel eyes, "Paladin Took! After twenty-eight years, you haven't changed a bit!" Then she pressed her lips against his.
As he held her he whispered in her ear, "You won't let me! You're still as beautiful as the day we met!"
As in any marriage with children, the sweetest of moments didn't last long. Paladin sighed, "How is Merry doing?"
"Not very well, I'm afraid.", said Eglantine as she settled in a chair next to her husband. "When I broke the news to him a few hours ago all he did was complain of a headache." Then she handed him the envelope, now looking a little worn from overused.
Paladin took a moment to read the script. "I can't believe him!" Paladin smoothed back his hair in disgust. "He said he'd wait a few weeks before he came after Merry. We talked about it before I left!"
"Then I wonder what happened to change his mind."
"That's what I would care to know!" Paladin studied on this. Then he looked at his soul mate--the only one he knew he could confide his deepest secret to, and not have it announced all over the Shire. "Tina...I don't know why, but..." then he trailed off and began again, "no, I do know why, but I don't know how to fight the reasoning behind it."
Eglantine saw the strange look on her husband's face. "What are you talking about?"
"Now that we have Merry under our roof, I.....I don't know if I can give him up so easily."
Eglantine was incredulous. "Can't give him up? Paladin, you must!", she nearly shouted. "I love him, too, but we can never be his parents! He belongs to his father--and your sister! He belongs to Buckland!"
Paladin winced at his wife's verbal lashing, "I wasn't saying to steal Merry; I meant that my heart tells me....he wants to stay here."
Eglantine tried to reason with him, "Well what else did you mean? If you plan to not 'give him up so easily', then that is stealing him, Paladin! Merry is not our child!"
"I knew you would say that."
"Well of course I'd say that! What else did you expect me to say?"
"I don't know--perhaps having a little more understanding would've been nice!"
"Paladin! What kind of parents would we be if we allowed Sara and Essie to steal our Pippin? Hmm? It would start the biggest feud in Shire history, I'll say!"
Paladin now felt embarrassed for his selfishness. "I'm sorry I brought it up!"
"Good! Now let's drop it and leave it there! No more talk of not wanting to give up Merry!"
Eglantine then took her thoughts to matters more current, "I suppose Sara can sleep in Merry's room," Eglantine said, "and Merry can move in with Pippin for the duration of his father's visit."
"What about the guest room?"
"He can't sleep in the guestroom! I have a few boxes of mathoms stored in there that are cluttering it up."
"We can always 'un-clutter' it!", he replied.
"It wouldn't hurt two young lads to share a room for a day or two!"
Paladin's pride still stung from his wife's words. He got up and said, "Very well. I'm going to look in on the children, and see to Merry."
Eglantine quietly watched her husband leave the room. She thought to herself, Somehow, I get the feeling this won't be the end of this conversation!
