Chapter 4

Never Will He Marry

Upon the first shout of an angry voice the door immediately opened and the old cook lumbered into the room carrying a large tray. Hatty had been listening to everything being said from the other side of the door and she knew the young Master was in trouble again. She quickly made herself busy cleaning the room and waited for the right moment to intervene.

By the look in Saradoc's angry eyes cast towards his son, stopped Merry from another comment being made.

Merry stood in shock in the middle of his parent's sitting room and watched as his life was being planned out for him without his consent. With the shake of his father's hand to Mr. Broadbelt, it was agreed upon and settled. Merry would now escort Miss Myrtle Broadbelt to every party and gathering until the announcement of their engagement of marriage.

Sweat poured down Merry's brow and his knees felt weak and trembling thinking of everything that he had lost. When his parents said their good evenings to the Broadbelts', they joined their son for a private talk and sitting down in the chairs facing their son. Merry sat down upon the settee, too shocked to look at his parents, but felt their eyes upon him. Without thinking, Merry picked up his napkin placed on the table before him and tried to wipe the sweat from his brow. A light dusting of power trickled from napkin as Saradoc and Esmeralda witness it.

In that moment, he took in a deep breath and began fits of uncontrollable sneezing. He dropped the napkin upon the table and took another one sitting beside it. Taking the napkin Merry dropped, Saradoc examined it.

One loud sneeze followed another loud sneeze while his parent's stood casting angry eyes upon their son.

Saradoc extended his hand out in front of Merry and waited until he placed the sneezing powder into his hand. To Saradoc and Esmeralda's shock, their son placed not only the sneezing powder, but the itching powder and the hot pepper powder next to it.

His father raised his eyebrow in disbelief towards his son and then allowed his wife to examine the powders.

"Meridoc Brandybuck!" his mother shouted at him first. "How could you have done such an underhanded things as this? All those poor lasses! And to think you were behind this all along! "

"I…..(ahchoo!)….had too! (ahchoo!)…..You were ruining my-y-y (ahchoo!)….life!" he said trying to blow his nose and catch his breath.

"In deed!" added Esmeralda. "If it was left up to you, Merry, you would see your own self to ruin! I thought you have grown and gotten over all your tomfoolery. I guess you have proven me wrong and I now agree with your father. You will honor this agreement seeing what you have caused. We are not saying that an engagement of marriage will follow, Merry. But you will tend every event with Miss Broadbelt and your courtship of her will be announced. Then by doing so, you may learn an important lesson and see the errors of your ways!"

Merry knew there was no arguing with his parents once their minds were made up and his own anger was growing. In time, he knew he would convince them differently and sooner or later get himself out of that agreement.

Turning and sneezing, he walked out of the sitting room, and headed towards his own chambers.

Hatty watched with unbelievable eyes cast towards the master and his lady. She waited and slowly fussed over the table lingering as long as she could to have a word with the master of Buckland.

When Esmeralda, left the room, Hatty approached him.

"Since you've made yer mind, sir, I'll be adding my piece to the pie!" she stood before Saradoc with her hands upon her large hips and faced him eye to eye. "I think you should be thinking about how Merry feels in all of this. He's only done what he felt he had ta seeing there be little choice of it fer him. If'n ya give him time, Saradoc, he'll come around and settle down. He's not found the lass fer himself and when he does, he'll not be bucking it none!"

Saradoc crossed his arms in front of himself and spoke firmly to his respected cook. "If I did, Hatty, that boy would never settle down. I'd be in my grave many years before he'd even try. He'll be the next Master of Buckland and I'll not hand that over to him until he has settled himself and able to claim his inheritance. Spending time with a young lass will do him a world of good. Who knows, Hatty, perhaps she will gentle him. She looks up to the task, if any could!"

Hatty shook her head and knew her words had little effect to Saradoc's stubborn ways. Gathering the plates on her tray, she headed for her kitchen.

Merry gathered up some of his things quickly into his bag and flung it over his shoulder and cantered to the stable to get Snowclad.

Within the hour, Merry had her saddled and was on her back racing out of Brandy Hall.

Thinking about his cousin, he thought to pay him an unexpected visit. Hatty stood by her window and watched Merry leaving and began to worry about him.

xxx

Light tapping of a hammer echoed into the empty streets of Stock and witnessed to no one as the lass worked in hanging her small sign asking to hire lads to help her with the repairs to the old cottage.

She turned around and look up and down the dirt-street and small paths that went from one building to the next. She felt it odd that no one was about and seemed unusual for this time of day. Seeing the general store, she decided to go in and ask the clerk what news, if any from her flyers that she put up everyday.

The little bell clanged when she opened the door and proceeded to the counter in hopes of finding the clerk. Not waiting too long, the clerk entered from the back room drying his hands upon a towel.

"Oh, Miss Estella," said the clerk when he approached her. "I hope you have not waited too long, I was just drying up some dishes in my wash tub. Can I help you with anything?"

"I was wondering if there were any inquiries about my flyers?" she asked.

"Nothing, Miss," he told her shaking his head. "And, I'm thinking there'll be none anytime soon."

"Why is that, Mr. Flatbottom?" asked Estella.

"Haven't you heard?" he said in disbelief. "Why everyone has been talking about it from Stock down to Frogmorton and even the Great Smail in Tuckborough!"

"What is that?" She again asked.

"Why the pony race of course," he said. "Every lad has got his eye upon the purse and a free pony to race from Tuckborough to Buckland! You'll not see no lads until a month from now when the race is over with."

Estella's hopes sunk and knew if there was not a lad to be found willing to help her repair her old cottage, that it would not be ready for the colder seasons of winter. She would be stuck in the farthest corner of her uncle's home and not having a minute to herself.

Squaring her shoulders and setting a determine brow, she ordered all the supplies that she would need to begin repairs by herself.

"But Miss, boards, nails and hinges!" exclaimed the clerk. "Isn't it a bit much for such a young lass to take on by yourself?"

"Just fill the order and see that my wagon is loaded by tomorrow. I'll be picking it up then." Turning, Estella left the shop to find her pony to take back to her uncle's home.

xxx

Merry's dark mood lingered the closer he got to Tuckborough and he anticipated speaking with his cousin. Half of the blame belonged to him, and Merry was going to find out why he never made it back to Buckland. Perhaps if Pippin would have shown up, he would not have found himself in a courtship or his parents, none the wiser.

Some of the stable lads were out in the coral working some of their ponies, getting them ready for the race. When Merry approached them, they offered to take his pony to rest him. But Merry decided it would be better if he saw to her needs first hand. Taking his pony into the stable he found her a quiet stall filled with fresh straw and fresh cut grasses for her to nibble upon.

Taking off her saddle, he heard giggling noises coming from the mount of straw in the back portion of the stable. Thinking this curious, Merry decided to look and see what was going on.

The straw shifted suddenly the closer he came to it and Pippin suddenly popped up from behind it.

To Merry's surprise, Pippin looked a fright that caused Merry to break out in hysterical laughter.

Pippin's hair was fluffed and messed as if someone ran their fingers through it. Straw was stuck all about the heavy curls of his light brown hair. He had straw stuck into the sleeves of his shirt and upon his finely fitted vest that was unbuttoned and dangling open. His shirt was not tucked in and the long hem line hung half in and half way out.

Upon his face, he had a look of a cat that drank too much sweeten cream, and his lips were bright red as a cherry and had the look of being kissed too many times.

From behind Pippin, stepped-out, a young lass with long dark curls and beautiful deep blue eyes. She cheeks were flushed as deeply as Pippins and she nodded once towards Merry and ran out from the stables.

"Well now that I know what has kept you away from Buckland and aiding me at my side, as you have promised," he scolded.

"But, Merry, I really wanted to come to Buckland, really I did," pleaded Pippin while he straighten his shirt tucking it back into place.

Merry crossed his arms in front of himself and then bluntly told him. "Because you found it more interesting to stay behind, I have found myself in a courtship not of my own making!"

Pippin smiled at the news his cousin told him, "It can't be all that bad, Merry! From where I see it now, we've been missing something that we should not have been running away from. Those kisses are sweeter than any honey that I've tasted yet!"

Merry stuck his finger in front of his cousin's nose and warned him. "If you don't watch your step, Pippin, your courtship of that lass, will end up in matrimony! And then where will we be?"

Pippin straightened his vest and began buttoning it while he spoke to his cousin. "How I see it, from where I'm standing, Merry, is that matrimony would not change a thing between you and I. We'll still have our ales and good times."

"Don't you see, Pip, it will change everything!" Merry snapped out in anger. "Your Da will place you behind his desk and your wife will place your children on each lap. You'll be trapped, dear cousin, and there will be no escaping from it."

Pippin envisioned the scene that Merry placed in his mind and saw himself as a father with two beautiful sons holding them and laughing, and Diamond Took by his side. That image pleaded him and he smiled being lost in that dream.

Seeing the look of pleasure upon his cousin's face, Merry shoved him knowing his mind was poisoned from that lass and he was lost in love for her.

"You're hopeless, Pip, is all I have to say about it! Go ahead and marry her, if you can! But for me, I'll not be marrying anyone!"