Flowers, Gems And Estella - Chapter XXXVI
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All of Brandy Hall was done up, and its inhabitant were buzzing about the upcoming wedding that was to occur the next day – Sam and Rosie Gamgee had ridden down from Hobbiton, with little Elanor as well. The Tooks from Tuckborough were also there, along with a few relatives from the West Farthing who had relations with the bride or groom – or both. The Hall was full nearly to capacity, and outlying homes and abodes were also full of relatives, some from the southward lying areas of Buckland that did not get up to Bucklebury that often.
“Near the River Shirebourn, it’s like a trap of some sort,” Merry had told Estella some days earlier, “Folks go in, and don’t come out – at least for a year or two – there’s relatives down there I don’t know the names of, and I know quite a few names.”
But it was in no way an occasion that did no deserve such an audience – the marriage, as Saradoc had said at the evening’s dinner, was as important to all Bucklanders as it was to the couple themselves. He’d followed the remark with an embarrassing story from his son’s past – an incident involving a stolen pony, which Merry hid in his room somehow. Saradoc had discovered his son’s theft, and lectured him on responsibility. “I don’t think he quite got the point, though – he committed a similar, heinous act two months later – thoroughly grounded, of course.”
Merry’s head was in his hands, the tops of his ears blood red, as his body shook in silent mirth – Estella, next to him, laughed heartily as she patted his hand gently. She still laughed now, some time later, before the vanity mirror in her room.
Estella had never been one to admire herself, to think herself gorgeous and radiant – at best, she thought her appearance average, and add a slightly taller than average height into the mix, made for a lass with nothing special. Her face, with soft brown eyes and supple, pale skin, was nothing to be admired – but was nothing to shirk away from in horror, she reminded herself. Her hair hung about her face in tiny brown ringlets, and cascaded halfway down her back, for the most part, in a fairly straight fashion.
Perhaps it was the lighting of the room – the candle before the window was dimly lit, with the night wind threatening to blow it out altogether – or maybe it had just been a result of all the effort she’d put into her appearance lately, but she felt most enchanted and engrossed by her appearance in the mirror that evening.
“Yes?” she answered as a knock on the door outside alerted her from her thoughts. Expecting to see Merry come within – perhaps to wish her goodnight – it was instead her mother, clad in her nightgown.
“Wasn’t expecting you here,” Estella said, and returned to brushing her hair before the vanity.
“If that’s your way for saying hello to your mother – then hello back,” she said, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.
Estella smiled, shaking her head. “I’m sorry – I thought you might be someone else.”
“You thought I was that fiancé of yours, didn’t you?” she said, grinning, “The two of you aren’t yet married, there’s no need to get a jump on things – there’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
“Mother!” Estella gasped, but she smirked as she did so, “There’s no reason to say things like that – I suspect you’ll be quite happy once I’m married off and out of your life.”
“Happy that you’ll be married, yes – not to get you out of my hair, but to see that you’re with somebody who cares for you, someone who’ll make you happy,” she said, and bent to kiss her daughter’s cheek, “I’m sure he’ll make you very happy, my dear.”
“He already has, mother – but thank you anyway.” Mrs. Bolger sat upon the bed, while her daughter stayed before the mirror, continuing to brush her hair. “And no, I’m not marrying him just to please you,” she said, and smiled back at her.
“I never assumed you were – I’m sorry if I ever put you in that situation – forcing you to go to Buckland for my sake, when you clearly didn’t want to.”
Estella sighed. “You never forced me, you merely suggested it of me for my own good – I was such a recluse anyway, I needed to get out, socialize and find some friends. And had I married for your sake rather than my own,” she said, putting down the hairbrush, “I would have married a few years ago, when I was first of age, to the first lad who looked my way in the local marketplace – some anonymous drifter that I would have hated anyways.”
“But you didn’t want to go to Buckland, did you?”
She sighed once again. “No, I didn’t – at first. But I made friends there –”
“And was courted by your future husband.”
“And spilled a piece of meat into the lap of my future father-in-law, if that helps any.”
“Yes, I believe Fredegar told me of that,” she said, scrunching her eyebrows, “I assume you apologized to the poor man – I don’t want him holding this against you or your family.”
“You mean you don’t want him to hate you, because of something I did, right?”
“Partly, but of course I’m only looking out for you – you don’t want to upset your in-laws before they even get a chance to be your in-laws.
“I’ll be all right, mother – really. Now shouldn’t you be getting back to bed?”
“If you ask me, you’re the one who needs to get to bed – but what I came here for, really,” she said, standing up before her daughter, “Was to give you this, since you probably know I didn’t come just to chat with you.” And from her pocket she took a small parcel, swathed in cloth. Estella unwrapped it to reveal two tiny diamond earrings and a comb of palest pearl.
“To hold your hair up with tomorrow.” The top of the comb was shaped in a budding flower.
“It’s lovely,” Estella said, fingering the petals, “It’ll go nice with the necklace, I suppose – the one that Merry gave me. Did you see it?”
“I think so – give it here, let’s see what it looks like.” Estella stood before the mirror as her mother took the comb, and smoothing out her hair, piled it in lumps upon her head.
“That won’t look good at all if it’s in piles.”
“Now, just you wait – this’ll look nice, I know it will.” To Estella it looked only like a mess upon her head – once everything was in place, Mrs. Bolger stuck the comb into a central, crucial spot, and stood back to admire her work.
“There, now doesn’t that look nice?”
“Um,” Estella said, biting her lip, “Not really – but it’s not like you tried.” Looking in the mirror, Estella’s hair looked to be all heaped in one messy pile on her head, and seemed to defy gravity – it was a wonder that the comb was holding it up at all.
“Well, no matter – Rosie and Celandine will probably fix your hair up nice tomorrow, better than your own mother can.”
“And I’m sure they’ll do a lovely job – really, mother, thank you. You’ve done more than I could ever have hoped for,” she said, embracing her in a hug. Once released, her mother made to exit the room.
“Goodnight, Estella,” she said in the open doorway.
“Night,” she said from her place on the bed.
Mrs. Bolger closed the door behind, and wandered through the hall to her own room – when about to turn a corner, she stopped, seeing a shadow before her. The owner of the shadow also paused, biding his time.
“Estella?” she heard the other say.
“Merry Brandybuck? What are you doing up this late?”
From around the corner Merry’s face peered, and broke into a smile once he saw who it was. “Mrs. Bolger! I didn’t think you would be up this late. Seeing to Estella, I suppose?”
“Yes, and the same purpose to you as well?”
“Well, I just wanted to wish her goodnight – really, that’s all.”
“Now, don’t you know it’s a tradition for the bride and groom not to see each other until the ceremony?”
“Well, I think that applies to the day of the wedding – but I’m willing to take the chance, if such a venture means bad luck.”
“I don’t believe it does, actually. I always assumed it was for precautionary measures so as to prevent the couple from – well, getting a head start on things, if you will.”
“Then there’s no risk, I suppose.”
“Goodnight, Merry,” she said, shaking her head and passing him in the hall.
“Night, Mrs. Bolger – see you bright and early tomorrow then.”
“You too.” And opening the door of her room, she retreated within for the night.