Four chapters to go. It’s been fun writing this thing, but I’ll be more than a little happy when it’s finished.
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Flowers, Gems And Estella – Chapter XXXIV
It was raining – indeed, it had been doing so off and on for nearly a week now, with light showers that began in the cold gray morning. Throughout the afternoon would sometimes be little bouts of sunshine through the dull clouds, and the night was filled again with rain. During this time Estella was forced to remain inside, though would sometimes venture out to visit friends in Hobbiton – Rosie, whose stomach was now increasing in size at an even faster rate and continued to do so through much of October, was delighted to see her whenever she came. Sam greeted her as well, with a slightly nervous tone – Estella expected that the prospect of parenthood both excited and frightened him.
“So you haven’t spoken to Merry at all?” Rosie said one evening, sipping a warm cup of tea before the fireplace.
“No,” Estella said, and she hung her head in sadness a bit, “I would like to, though, but – I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
Estella chuckled to herself. “Won’t, I guess. As we both know, I’m stubborn as a mule, and proud to the end,” she said, and grinned, shaking her head.
“Yes, perhaps – but that, I think, is why Merry loves you so, because the two of you are so much alike. I’m sure that you’ll have lovely, stubborn children someday,” she said, taking another sip from her cup, “I’m sure it’d be interesting to see you with a stomach like this.” She patted her abdomen as she said this.
After such visits Estella walked home, trudging her feet in the mud with her heart as low as her dirt-ridden soles while tiny drops of rain fell upon her head, bidding her hurry home. It concerned her, though, to see Sam and Rosie – they always seemed so happy together, so caught up in their own love for one another that they could barely notice her own sadness. She shivered, and pulled the scarf Rosie had given her closer around her neck.
“It’s quite cold out there, you know,” she’d said as she wrapped it about Estella’s head, “Now, if it gets colder I don’t want you to come here – stay inside where it’s warm, you’ll catch your death in this weather.”
“Yes, mother,” Estella had said as she left, smiling though her face was quite chilled – it was a fleshy pink color, a result of the cold wind.
“Keep an eye out as you’re going back home – you don’t know what kinds of robbers and thieves you’ll meet on the road out there!” she shouted, as Estella was quite far away at the time – she laughed to herself, though, as there were never any robberies anywhere in the Shire, lest of all this quiet little corner.
The evening darkened quickly, and it soon became hard to see the road before her – pulling her cloak around her shivering form, she tried to think of the warm smiles she’d seen on the faces of Sam and Rosie, the loving smiles that revealed happiness – the happiness that she herself could have possessed, had she not been so stubborn. If she had only let herself find such happiness, and love – why, by this time she might have already been Mrs. Brandybuck.
It begun to rain much harder now, so much she soon became soaked and grasped the hood of her cloak closer to her head – she was now within sight of Bywater, and could see The Green Dragon some yards ahead of her. If I can just get closer to the pub, I’ll be safe. She had to admit that Rosie’s comment concerning robbers had put he edge, and she now desired to get home as quickly as possible.
The rain had progressed to a torrent by the time she arrived at the hole, and most everyone was asleep, a welcome fire burning in the fireplace, before which she dried her wet cloak as well as her feet – once toasty warm, she chuckled to herself, remembering her fears back on the road. Robbers and thieves, indeed.
As if on cue, a heavy knock came on the door, and despite disregarding her earlier fears, Estella jumped upon hearing it. Who could possibly be out at this hour – and with this horrendous weather? She slowly inched out the comfortable chair, and made her way to the door – she saw a shadowy figure look into the window, but could not see the details of the face. It’s a robber! Oh, where’s Fatty when I need him?
Standing behind the circular door, she slowly moved her hand to grasp the doorknob – she felt another knock resound on the door. Her heart in her throat, she turned the knob, opening the door – she felt a breeze of cold air sweep in, and stayed out of sight behind the door, preparing to attack the intruder, who seemed surprised that no one stood in the doorway. She saw the shadowy figure move forward into the hole a few steps, and ran out from behind the door, catching the intruder around the chest and pushing them outside. The two fell with a squish into the mud, she on top – she felt rain on the top of her head again, and rose up to look into the face of the intruder.
“Merry?” she gasped once she saw whom it was.
“Uh – hey, Estella,” he said, grinning up at her as rain fell heavily on his face.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, “Especially in this weather?”
“Well, just lying here, I guess,” he said, his face splotched with mud.
“Lying ther – oh!” she said suddenly, and struggled to get off him, kneeling in the mud beside him as he lifted himself off the ground, “Sorry about that,” she said in a low voice.
“It’s okay, I suppose,” he said, sitting up and slopping the mud off his face and chest, “It’s the least I deserve, really.”
Estella sat in silence, only looking at Merry as he proceeded to wipe muck from his hands and arms – she was secretly pleased that he’d come, but was slow to react, careful not to start another fight. He may still be in a foul mood – but if he is, what’s he doing here?
“Here,” she said finally, handing him the handkerchief from her pocket, itself as wet as he was. He looked at it bemusedly, then down at his hands – they were covered with filth, and he was uneasy to take Estella’s kerchief with them so dirty. “Here, I’ll just do it,” she said, and scooted forward nearer to him, wiping his face with the lacy cloth – he moved away, wincing. “I can’t clean your face if you’re going to act like this,” she said sternly.
“You’re wiping my cheeks like my mother would – rough-like,” he responded, a pouting look upon his face.
Estella sighed. “Well, do you want me to clean you off or not?” She crossed her arms, and said nothing – nor did he. Still as stubborn as ever, she thought. “Merry – we’re sitting outside in the mud.”
“That we are – but if I remember correctly, you were the one who pushed me.”
Estella sighed angrily. “Come on,” she said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him off the ground – he had a surprised look upon his face as she led him inside, pushing him down into a chair before the fire, disappearing into the hallway before returning with a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea.
“Here, you’ll feel better,” she said, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. He took a sip from the tea after she handed it to him. “Call it a proven method, I’ve had quite a bit of experience with it.”
“Have you?” he said, looking up at her, and noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes.
A silence fell over them then – not an uncomfortable silence, in which Estella feared both to say something or to stay quiet – but one that went unbroken nonetheless.
“Estella,” Merry said after some time, somewhat awkwardly, “I think we both know why I’m here – why we’re here.” She nodded, saying nothing. “I can’t stand this, not being with you – I was a fool, that night, to fight with you.”
“Though I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior either,” Estella added.
“But it was my fault – it was foolish of me, to even let something like that come between us, to bring to us to yell and fight – and say that we hated one another.” Estella now noticed for the first time, that around Merry’s neck was the scarf she made for him, though a little dirty with wear. “I want to apologize, for what happened – please, Estella, tell me you will forgive me, for my foolishness to have ever let you go.”
“Oh, Merry,” Estella said, her eyes watering up with tears, “Of course I forgive you – if you’ll forgive me for being so bullheaded and stubborn.”
Merry laughed, taking her hand in his. “Well, that’s not so bad – you’re stubborn, only because you know what you want and you won’t let anyone get in your way – it is an admirable trait, and one that you should not be ashamed of.”
“You said something like that, before – at your birthday party, I mean.”
“Did I?”
“Yes – you were just as awkward then as well, and could hardly get your intended words out.”
“How long has it been since I last said those words to you?”
Estella grinned, shaking her head. “I don’t know, really – two, three weeks?”
“Well, that’s much too long an interval for me – I love you, Estella.”
“I love you too, Merry,” she said, and moved to embrace him, as he wrapped his arm around her as well. They sat there for some time, Estella gazing into the dancing flames of the fire, content with herself – she felt Merry moving, though, struggling with something. She looked up to see what it was about – Merry, his knapsack now in his lap, was digging through it hurriedly, as if in search of something.
“What is it, Merry?” she asked, but he said nothing, and continued searching. She prepared to ask again, when he gave a shout of, “Aha!” and brought out a small, velvet box from within the sack.
“Here,” he said, handing it to her, “I want you to have this.” She opened it, and immediately a gasp escaped from her lips – within the box was a necklace, the same one that she’d seen at the marketplace many months ago, the budding flower with the diamond.
“Oh, Merry, it’s beautiful – it’s just like the one I saw earlier –”
“At the marketplace, I know, I was there – I saw that you liked it, and decided that I wanted to be the one to give it to you.”
“It’s lovely – but why?”
“Why not? Because I love you, and care for you – no matter what I said before, at the Festival, you are the most important thing in my life.”
“So, you didn’t mean any of what you said then?”
“None at all – why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said, shaking her head.
But Merry knew better. “This is about something that I said – something that upsets you, is it not?”
“Merry, I already said no,” Estella lied.
“But you are concerned, about what I said – about my comment regarding our getting married.”
Estella sighed, and lowered her head, embarrassed. “Yes,” she admitted.
“Why? I didn’t mean to upset you – like I stated, Estella, nothing that I said earlier was true. Do you wish for me to ask your hand in marriage?”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly thinking that –”
“It makes no difference,” Merry declared, and rose from his spot next to her to kneel before her on the floor, “It matters not, for even if you don’t want me to ask, I shall ask anyway – Estella Bolger,” he said, and cleared his throat, boasting his chest for full dramatic effect, “I pray that you will do me the honor of marrying me, for I fear that I will not be able to live another day if you are not by my side. And now that I have shown that I am crazy enough to ask you to marry me, the question is are you crazy enough to say yes?”
Though it was a romantic moment – not one for childish mirth – Estella found herself laughing anyhow. “Of course I will!” she said, and moved to embrace him, tears of happiness running down her face and onto his coat – though whether or not he minded this, she knew or cared not.