Homecoming

Budgeford was all of a bustle that evening as the master and mistress returned from their sojourn at Great Smials. Ordovacar stretched his meaty frame, cramped as it had been in the confines of the trap cart, and looked about his hall with satisfaction.

"You there, Pennyroyal," he summoned the maid from her attentions to his wife's baggage, "it has been a long and tiring journey – bring some refreshments to the parlour and," the young hobbit was over-eager to do his bidding, almost out of earshot before he had finished his instructions, "and a goodly stoop of ale."

"Ordo..." said Rosamunda with a weary shake of her head.

"What of it?" Ordovacar was instantly defensive, his already florid face deepening into crimson, "we have something to celebrate, wife, have we not?"

Rosamunda sighed and passed her hat to Dandy, then signaled with a small, long understood movement of her hand that they were to be left alone. On the road home, they had met with Lotho and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins traveling in the opposite direction: according to a complacent Lotho, he had made his suit to Estella and all was now settled. Rosamunda thought this unlikely. "I set little store by anything Lotho says, and neither should you."

Ordovacar ignored his wife, as he was inclined to ignore all things that failed to accord with his preferred version of reality. "Where are the girls?" he mused, as though Rosamunda had not spoken, then repeated the question loudly after the departed form of Dandy, "And that blackguard, my son? Where is Mister Fredegar?" Dandy returned, darting a look of apology at her mistress before opening her lips to reply, but Ordovacar went on, "Is it so very unreasonable for a parent to expect his children to welcome him home after a month from their sight?"

Dandy bobbed a curtsey at her master. "Young master went to Hobbiton, some engagement with Mister Baggins and Mister Boffin, he said...he wasn't sure when he'd be back," she paused, allowing Pennyroyal to edge past her with a tray laden with all manner of food and a huge jug of ale. Privately, Dandy thought her master was in high enough spirits already without pouring more on top, but he wasted no time in following the supplies into the parlour, and had the jug and a tankard in hand before the younger maid had even set them down. "Miss Estella is not well and has gone to bed – Miss Pervinca was reading to her."

Ordovacar finished the draught he'd poured and smacked his lips appreciatively. "Excellent!" He began to refill the tankard, raising his eyebrow quizzically as Dandy's words finally sank home. "Miss Estella 'not well'?" He snorted and ale slopped over the rim of his cup onto the floor. He had little patience with any kind of infirmity, unless it was his drink- addled own. "Stuff and nonsense! Miss Pervinca is here for her company, she must get up and..."

"Perhaps Lotho's visit has distressed her," Rosamunda cut in over her husband. She thought once more of their brief meeting with Lotho and Lobelia, and how Lotho had insisted that Estella had accepted his proposal. Her incredulity at this news had been unconcealed, and Lotho had turned cold, unblinking eyes upon her and smiled, that horrible insinuating smile of his...It had made her blood run cold. Of course, a marriage between Lotho and Estella was what they'd all been working towards, but there was something deeply disquieting about that hobbit... "I'll go up and see her..."

"Oh no ma'am," Pennyroyal piped, rising from where she'd been mopping at the ale Ordovacar seemed intent on spilling, "it was young Mister Brandybuck who upset her; last night..."

A look shot between Rosamunda and Ordovacar, and another between the two serving women. Pennyroyal was suddenly conscious that she had made a colossal blunder.

"He was here? Last night?" demanded Ordovacar.

Dandy's hands twisted together and she tried to smile, the result looking hopelessly ingratiating. "Not alone, Master, there was nothing improper – young master was here, and young Mister Took – they were not alone..."

"Well Dandy," Pennyroyal corrected unthinkingly, "Mister Fred and the Took's son were both completely drunk..." she stopped, seeing the thunderous expression on Ordovacar's brows, and clapped a hand over her mouth, wishing she could call back the words.

Ordovacar slammed down his mug, careless of his favourite liquid splashing over the rim, and stormed out of the parlour towards the bedrooms.

"Ordo!" Rosamunda followed her husband as quickly as her feet would carry her.

He heard the attempted restraint in his wife's voice, but it had no power to reach him. Without so much as a knock, he threw open the door to his daughter's chamber.

Estella did not wake from her sleep – Pervinca had acquired a posset from Dandy and Estella had fallen into a deep sleep soon after drinking off the foul mixture. Pervinca, however, was startled, a sudden and irrational fear that Lotho had returned making her leap from her chair by Estella's bed. The ruined dress fell to the floor, needle and thread, thimble and scissors tumbling after. Relief came almost instantly, and Pervinca bent to retrieve the sewing she had just begun. "Oh Uncle Ordo, you frightened me."

The smile died on her lips as Ordovacar, his expression grim, extracted the gown from her hands and held it up for inspection. Pervinca was particularly skilled with a needle, she was sure she could mend the gown almost invisibly, but she'd scarcely had time to thread her needle and it was still obvious that the bodice of the dress had been rent across.

"What is this? What is the meaning of this?" Ordovacar thrust the dress at his wife and rounded on the two goggle-eyed servants, "What exactly has been going on in my absence?"

Dandy and Pennyroyal looked at one another helplessly: in this temper, there was no answer they could make that would satisfy their master. On the bed Estella stirred, but did not wake. Rosamunda stared down at her daughter, and then silently, she drew back the coverlet and saw the bruises marking her arm. Was that a scratch? She bit her lip and carefully replaced the blanket, staying Ordovacar's hand as he moved to drag Estella from the bed. "Husband, no! Someone has harmed her..."

"Then I will get it out of her!"

Pervinca remembered her promise to Estella but she could not remain silent. "It was Lotho – your precious Lotho! Thank what ever lucky star she was born under that I arrived not a moment too soon to stop him!" All seemed too shocked by her words to speak and she went on with an insolence she would never otherwise have ventured, "She will never marry him, never! The idea is disgusting, he is hardly more than a beast!"

Ordovacar shook his head, disbelieving. "Brandybuck..."

"You think Merry would ever hurt her?" Pervinca laughed aloud at the absurdity of the idea, "He loves her, and she him!"

Puce by now with barely suppressed fury, Ordovacar could not accept what he was being told. He was as uncomplicated a hobbit as could be, any sadness could be countered by good food, a warm fire and, best of all, fine drink. How much more gratifying had all those things seemed for those brief moments when he had thought the spectre of ruin was finally lifted from his house? What made it all so much worse was that when they had first come to the plan involving Lotho, Rosamunda had warned him that there was some possibility of an attachment between Estella and Merry Brandybuck, but he hadn't listened – there was nothing so well calculated to enrage Ordovacar Bolger as being wrong. Eyes narrowed to small slits, he turned to Pervinca, "You have not understood, you are confused Pervinca. Estella and Lotho Sackville-Baggins are affianced. I will overlook this impertinence, but you had best return home at first light tomorrow..."

"What?" Pervinca exclaimed, "Estella needs me, she..."

At that moment, Estella sighed deeply in her sleep and clutched the corner of the pillow. Her lips moved: "Merry."

Ordovacar struck one bunched fist into his other open palm. "He is not to see her, speak to her, write to her...Do you hear me? If he comes here, she is not at home," he could not meet Pervinca's eyes, so outraged, nor Rosamunda's, conflicted and guilty, "there is far too much depending on this match with Lotho, it cannot be thrown away for a girlish fancy," he moved to the doorway, and fixed the two maids with a baleful glare, "Meriadoc Brandybuck is not to see my daughter."