Chapter 20
A Sudden Change of Weather
Merry sat in the main living room gazing out the window at the pouring rain. His father had gone to pick up some things from the market and had not returned yet, even though it had been an hour. Ever since Pippin had gone home, Merry felt even lonlier than he normally did. Mentha refused to speak to him after he caught her naked in the bathtub and Tobo refused to speak to him as well after he threw him out of the privy. So Merry amused himself and played jokes on the maids.
The door to Brandy Hall opened and Merry's heart leapt when he saw his father come in, soaked to the bone and carrying sopping bags.
"Papa!" Merry cried. "You're back!"
Saradoc removed his cloak, sniffling and shivering as he hung it up on the hook in the hall. "Weather turned on me." He gasped. "N-need to g- get dry." He went straight for the indoor privy to grab towels and ran into his wife who was a basket case.
"You're sopping wet, Saradoc! I told you to bring an umbrella!"
"I didn't think it would rain, Esme." Saradoc insisted as he stripped off his shirt and pants.
"You're frozen." Esmerelda wrapped her husband in towels and ordered him to get into dry clothing and to come and sit by the fire. What she did not like was the sound of Saradoc's harsh bout of coughing as he headed off and she folded her arms. Merry hurried to his mother's side and took her hand.
"What's wrong with Papa, Mama?" he asked.
"Your father may be relapsing because of his stubborness." She sighed.
"He's getting sick again?" Merry asked in shock. His father had recovered nicely from his recent bout of Flu and it would be a blow to the entire hall of the Master of Brandy Hall fell ill again. Merry seriously hoped that this time the illness wouldn't be life threatening for he knew that if his father died he would be the Master. When Saradoc returned to the parlor he took a seat on the large couch and wrapped his still trembling body in a blanket. Esmerelda presented him with some ginger tea and took his temperature.
"No fever yet, Saradoc. But I would take it easy tonight. Just rest." She kissed him on the cheek.
"May I speak with Merry, Esmerelda? I need to tell him a few things." Saradoc spoke and Esmerelda nodded, going to retrieve her son.
"You wanted to see me, Papa?" Merry asked when he entered the parlor.
"Yes, son. Come and sit by me."
Merry walked over and crawled up onto his father's lap, bundling into the blanket. For a few moments neither hobbit spoke.
"You know that you will be the Master of Brandy Hall if anything ever happened to me, right Merry?" Saradoc asked. Merry's heart froze. He'd been dreading this talk.
"Uh huh."
"I just wanted to make sure you knew the secret to being a fine one."
Merry squeaked a bit but he listened anyway, fighting the urge to run.
"Now the first thing you need to learn is to be firm. It is very difficult to keep track of everyone here."
Mila and Brenda, two of Merry's eldest female cousins-both 22-stopped when they heard Saradoc sneeze and turned to stare at each other and then back at their Uncle, who pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. "You ought to be in bed with that cold."
Saradoc glanced up to see the two girls standing in the doorway and smiled.
"Hello." He sniffed. "You're right. Merry-how about we save this talk for another d."
Merry grimaced when his father sneezed a second time and quickly hopped down to the floor. Mila and Brenda stepped aside to allow the Master to leave and then turned once again back to face Merry, who stood by himself in the center of the room.
"He was giving you the lecture, wasn't he?" Mila asked quietly after a few moments of awkward silence. Merry looked down at his furry feet and Brenda continued.
"He's going through that time, Merry. He's been awfully ill lately, you know. He's just taking precautionary measures. Now hurry your little bum to the kitchen. 'Tis time for tea." Brenda pretended to give him a kick out the door and watched with a small smile on her face as he scurried down the corridor.
Merry sat in the main living room gazing out the window at the pouring rain. His father had gone to pick up some things from the market and had not returned yet, even though it had been an hour. Ever since Pippin had gone home, Merry felt even lonlier than he normally did. Mentha refused to speak to him after he caught her naked in the bathtub and Tobo refused to speak to him as well after he threw him out of the privy. So Merry amused himself and played jokes on the maids.
The door to Brandy Hall opened and Merry's heart leapt when he saw his father come in, soaked to the bone and carrying sopping bags.
"Papa!" Merry cried. "You're back!"
Saradoc removed his cloak, sniffling and shivering as he hung it up on the hook in the hall. "Weather turned on me." He gasped. "N-need to g- get dry." He went straight for the indoor privy to grab towels and ran into his wife who was a basket case.
"You're sopping wet, Saradoc! I told you to bring an umbrella!"
"I didn't think it would rain, Esme." Saradoc insisted as he stripped off his shirt and pants.
"You're frozen." Esmerelda wrapped her husband in towels and ordered him to get into dry clothing and to come and sit by the fire. What she did not like was the sound of Saradoc's harsh bout of coughing as he headed off and she folded her arms. Merry hurried to his mother's side and took her hand.
"What's wrong with Papa, Mama?" he asked.
"Your father may be relapsing because of his stubborness." She sighed.
"He's getting sick again?" Merry asked in shock. His father had recovered nicely from his recent bout of Flu and it would be a blow to the entire hall of the Master of Brandy Hall fell ill again. Merry seriously hoped that this time the illness wouldn't be life threatening for he knew that if his father died he would be the Master. When Saradoc returned to the parlor he took a seat on the large couch and wrapped his still trembling body in a blanket. Esmerelda presented him with some ginger tea and took his temperature.
"No fever yet, Saradoc. But I would take it easy tonight. Just rest." She kissed him on the cheek.
"May I speak with Merry, Esmerelda? I need to tell him a few things." Saradoc spoke and Esmerelda nodded, going to retrieve her son.
"You wanted to see me, Papa?" Merry asked when he entered the parlor.
"Yes, son. Come and sit by me."
Merry walked over and crawled up onto his father's lap, bundling into the blanket. For a few moments neither hobbit spoke.
"You know that you will be the Master of Brandy Hall if anything ever happened to me, right Merry?" Saradoc asked. Merry's heart froze. He'd been dreading this talk.
"Uh huh."
"I just wanted to make sure you knew the secret to being a fine one."
Merry squeaked a bit but he listened anyway, fighting the urge to run.
"Now the first thing you need to learn is to be firm. It is very difficult to keep track of everyone here."
Mila and Brenda, two of Merry's eldest female cousins-both 22-stopped when they heard Saradoc sneeze and turned to stare at each other and then back at their Uncle, who pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. "You ought to be in bed with that cold."
Saradoc glanced up to see the two girls standing in the doorway and smiled.
"Hello." He sniffed. "You're right. Merry-how about we save this talk for another d."
Merry grimaced when his father sneezed a second time and quickly hopped down to the floor. Mila and Brenda stepped aside to allow the Master to leave and then turned once again back to face Merry, who stood by himself in the center of the room.
"He was giving you the lecture, wasn't he?" Mila asked quietly after a few moments of awkward silence. Merry looked down at his furry feet and Brenda continued.
"He's going through that time, Merry. He's been awfully ill lately, you know. He's just taking precautionary measures. Now hurry your little bum to the kitchen. 'Tis time for tea." Brenda pretended to give him a kick out the door and watched with a small smile on her face as he scurried down the corridor.
