Chapter Seven - The Business of Family

Paladin’s head was full of swirling thoughts as he pulled up the lane. He had just returned from taking Esmeralda to Tuckborough to send her off on the coach back to Buckland. He sat for a moment in reflection before unhitching the cart and putting the ponies out to pasture. After locking the gate, Paladin shuffled back towards the smial he had come to love; he knew that it was filled with the warmth and love of his family. His compassion went out to his little nephew; Merry did not have any siblings, nor a father who truly cared for him at the present. He knew in his heart what he would do.

Paladin stepped inside the kitchen and found his young daughters busy at play, or doing chores. “Where’s your mother?” he asked.

Pearl was stirring a pot boiling with something that smelled very good. She turned around to her father. “She’s in Pervinca’s room with Merry,” Pearl answered, giving a quick glance towards her sisters then put her attention back to what she was stirring.

Paladin did a double-take as he glanced at Pimpernel tying yet another ribbon in her younger sister’s thin baby hair. He looked at the head full of tiny ponytails, “Pimpernel, that’s enough ribbons, don’t you think?”

“She likes lots of ribbons, Papa. Right Pervinca?” The older girl laid down the hairbrush and grasped the scissors to snip another length of ribbon from the spool. Pervinca said nothing; she was engrossed with grasping as many of the loose pieces of ribbon in her chubby little hand as she could.

Paladin had a bad feeling that something drastic was waiting to happen. “Pearl, watch your sisters while I find your mother.”

He quickly made his way to the nursery to find his wife rocking a small boy in her arms. Paladin saw the child was breathing erratically from a long, hard cry. Eglantine held Merry close to her bosom, stroking his damp curls. He shook his head sadly as he brought the other chair near to them and sat in it. “How is he?”

“About as well as can be expected for a small laddie who’s had a very bad day.” Eglantine paused from smoothing his hair, “He’s almost asleep.”

Just then Pimpernel came into the room leading her baby sister by the hand. “Look at Pervinca, Momma! Isn’t she beautiful? I did it all myself.”

Eglantine and Paladin stared in horror as Pimpernel turned Pervinca about, showing off all of her tiny ponytails. Some tails were cut almost to the ribbon while some were still long. Her hair in the front reminded Paladin of curly stair steps going up and down.

Paladin buried his face in his hands, sinking into his chair, “I asked Pearl to watch them.”

Eglantine looked at him, “Don’t blame Pearl, love. Watching the girls is ultimately our job. Pearl offered to help with supper while I tended to Merry. She’s too young to cook dinner and mind her sisters at the same time. I’m positive that Pearl was watching them at some level.” Eglantine patted her husband’s hand, “Let’s just be thankful her hair was all that was damaged.”

She rose up and put Merry in her husband’s lap. Taking the hands of both girls, she paraded them back out towards the kitchen, “Come now, ladies, we have cleaning up to do in the kitchen.”

Ultimately our job, mused Paladin. Too bad Saradoc doesn’t feel the same way. Merry stirred in his uncle’s lap as the others left and rubbed his eyes. “Where’s Mummy?” 

Paladin sighed. “Your Mummy is safely on her way to Buckland,” he said, squeezing him into a soft hug. “She‘ll be returning for you in five days.” Paladin watched the child wipe his nose with his sleeve and looked as if he would burst into tears again.

Paladin remembered the object he had finished while waiting with his sister for the coach. “Merry, do you remember that gift I showed you earlier?” he asked. “Would you like to see it?” The boy nodded his head. “Then come with me.” Paladin took Merry’s hand and led him back to the study.

When he entered the room, Merry saw wood shavings were still on the desk as they were earlier. Now, instead of a chunk of wood, a round-ish object lay on the desk. It was wide at the top with a groove going round it where a string would be wound through, and then narrowing to a point at the bottom.

“A spinning top!” Merry exclaimed. “Cousin Berilac has a spinning top, but he won’t let me play with it. He lets Merimas play with it, but he says I’m too little.”

“Well, this is your very own spinning top.” Paladin handed the toy to Merry. “I just finished it today as I waited with your Mummy. Tomorrow we can paint it.”

Merry was examining every inch of his new toy. “Can I paint it yellow? Yellow is my favorite color.”

Paladin chuckled, “You may paint it whatever color you want, Merry; it’s yours.”

From this moment on, Merry no longer saw his uncle as big and intimidating. He looked up at the gracious hobbit that he would come to love more than his own father and smiled, “Thank you, Uncle Paldin.”

* * *

Much later, after the children were all put to bed, Paladin and Eglantine snuggled against each other in their own bed; the only place the two got any privacy together. As they often did, they talked about events of the day, or plans for the next--sometimes about their future. Eglantine asked, “What are you going to do about the fields? Do you plan on staying at home all week with Merry?”

Paladin nuzzled up to her hair, smelling the sweet fragrance, “Oh, I thought to let my newly hired assistant step up and do most of the counting and selling. He’s ready for it--he should be; I taught him everything he knows!”

“That Woodcot fellow?”

“Hmm,” Paladin kissed her neck.

“Paladin!” She laughed, “Let’s talk family business first.”

“This isn’t family business?”

Eglantine smiled, “You know what I mean.”

Paladin leaned back with his elbow atop his pillow. “Talk to me, dearest.”

Eglantine turned around to face her husband. “I’ve been worried about Merry. What will happen if Sara doesn’t listen to Essie?”

Paladin sighed, “I worry about that, too. It’s disturbing to know that Merry has a father who... I don’t know, Tina. When my father was alive, I just couldn’t imagine not being close to him--even when I was growing up. If we ever did have a son, I would like to believe I would never treat him as Sara has treated his own.”

Eglantine agreed, “He’s such a sweet little lad. Its too bad Frodo got hold of him and taught him all those distasteful limericks. We should keep a close eye out for him.”

“As always,” said Paladin, though he kept quiet about the limericks.

“You know Paladin,” Eglantine began, combing the stray curls around his ear with her fingers, “if we were ever to have another child, lad or lass, you’d continue on being a good father.”

Paladin looked his bride in her lovely hazel eyes and held her close. “That is the second best compliment anyone has ever told me.”

“What was the first?”

“That I had married the most beautiful and wonderful lass in the Shire.” Then he kissed her.

Rather odd note : About the hair-thing; I based this on a real situation. My mother left me (6 yrs) and my sister (8 yrs) alone with our father to go to some ladies’ type function....we wanted to play Barber and I couldn’t see the need to pretend--after all, the barber shears weren’t plugged in! For years I thought I was rather odd in this case, but a few months after I wrote this story for ff.net, a co-worker’s six-year-old daughter did the exact same thing. Yes! I feel vindicated now!