Chapter Five - Schemes

After breakfast that same day, Paladin found his father in the common room smoking along with cousin Sigismond and cousin-in-law, Rory Brandybuck. Old Rory had brought his mother, Mirabella, all the way from Buckland to celebrate her brother’s birthday, as Isengar had traveled to Brandy Hall to visit on his sister on her ninety-fifth birthday. Paladin heard snips of lighthearted discussion as he entered the room. He would have to be very careful with his words.

“Father?” He tried to behave as usual, plopping himself on the couch next to his father.

“Paladin!” Adalgrim was delighted to see his son. “I was beginning to wonder where you had run off to--though I shouldn’t have far to guess. Addie, right?”

“Yes, Father. But,” Paladin continued, “Addie’s father is letting him go camping with Bilbo for two whole days. May I go with Addie?”

Without pause, Adalgrim replied, “Not in my lifetime, son.”

“Why not? It’s only for two days.”

“It’s not the camping that bothers me, Paladin,” his father answered, “it’s going off with Cracked Bilbo that bothers me.”

Paladin was incredulous, “Why, father? He’s our cousin--and he’s not cracked!”

Sigismond watched father and son go back and forth for a minute then decided to throw in his opinion. “Adal, what harm would it be to let the boy go camping? Bilbo will have two willful lads in his care--and he’ll have to feed them as well!” Sigismond had a wicked twist to his laugh.

“Please, Father!” Paladin implored, “I give you my word that I will work extra hard in the harvest when I return.”

Adal sighed, then slipped his pipe into his mouth. “Paladin, you work enough hard as it is.” He looked hard at Sigismond, “I suppose I could allow you a couple days with that endless wanderer. Just make sure you come back.”

Paladin wanted to jump for joy. “I will!” he smiled. He hugged his father, “Thank you.”

~ ~ ~

Adelard stepped quietly up to the couch on which his father slept and eased himself onto the cushion. “Dad?”

“Hmmm?” Flambard was in the middle of a very serious nap.

“Paladin’s father is letting him go camping with Bilbo--I’m going to go with him--is that all right, Dad?”

Flambard mumbled something then shifted to turn over.

“Is that a ‘yes’? Because I think that’s what I’m hearing.” Adelard waited to see if he was terribly wrong. “No objection then?” More mumbling. “Thank you, Dad--I’ll be sure to leave you a note just in case you forget that you said yes.”

~ ~ ~

Bilbo was busy loading up his little cart with the provisions that the three of them would need on their little expedition out camping. None of the Tooks noticed that they were taking a great deal of provisions. He laughed a bit nervously to the cook’s questioning gaze, and said that it was the growing tweens forcing him to take more than adequate portions.

“Where are you going?” Paladin turned to see his younger sister standing at the rear of the cart.

“Father said I could go camping with Bilbo.”

She glanced quickly about her then closed in to her brother, “Don’t leave me here with that--that--”

“Who?” Paladin teased, “That Saradoc? What’s the matter, Essie?”

“He follows me everywhere I go!”

Bilbo, Adelard, and Paladin crowded around one particular sack to hide its bulky content. They heaved it into the back of the cart very carefully.

“What is in that sack?” Esmeralda asked.

“Food--what else?” Paladin brushed off her question, then began shifting around the rucksacks and provisions. He looped the ropes several times around the back of the cart then tied the ends in a square knot; just as his uncle had taught him as a boy.

Paladin saw the Brandybuck teen jogging up the drive where they were loading their provisions. “Oh no,” he sighed. “Essie, you have to help me and keep him entertained--he can’t come along this time. Here,” Paladin handed his sister an envelope. “Give this to father after supper tonight.”

“Why after supper?” But Esmeralda never got an answer to her question; Saradoc Brandybuck sauntered up with a grin on his face, obviously in a good humor this afternoon. “Hullo, Paladin…Addie,” he said; he smiled bashfully at Esmeralda. “Where are you lads off to, now?”

Esmeralda eyed her brother, mouthed a big, “you owe me”, then turned to the teen saying out loud, “The lads are going camping with Bilbo.”

“Why can’t I go, too?” As the sole Brandybuck child present, Saradoc felt a bit left out of the Took mischief.

Esmeralda smiled sweetly, “Because your job is to keep me company, Saradoc.”

Saradoc laughed, “I would love to, Esmeralda, but since when has it become my task to keep you company?”

Esmeralda looked again at her brother. The things I do for you, she thought to herself, then dove in head first. “Since this,” she said, grabbing the seventeen year old by the lapels of his waistcoat and then kissed him.

* * * * * *

“I knew it!” exclaimed Pervinca, smiling wide at hearing the part of her aunt and uncle’s kiss. “I’ll bet that’s when they fell in love!”

Merry and Pippin looked at each other. “Eeeww!”

“Why do you say that Merry?” Pearl asked. “You keep telling me you’re a teen now and that you want to do more grown-up things. I hate to inform you, Master Merry, that kissing is one of them!”

“To kiss another lass, maybe,” he replied, blushing a little, “but I don’t want to listen about my mum kissing my dad.”

“Well if you’re mum didn’t kiss your dad then you wouldn’t be here.” Paladin winked at his nephew.

“Come now, Uncle,” Merry reached over and tousled his uncle’s hair. “We’ve had that discussion before, and we both know that kissing had…little to do with me being here!” and winked back. He could tell by his uncle’s reaction that he would pay for his cheek later, but Merry laughed all the same.

Over the course of the story, Pippin had managed to inch his way into his father’s cozy lap. He looked up to his father quite puzzled, “Kissing? I thought Momma said the coach brought Merry here?” The poor child had no idea why the other children burst out laughing.

Paladin sighed, shaking his head sadly; Oy! And I thought that minding children was easy! “Let’s continue with the story, shall we?” Paladin became enthusiastic as he began his story again. “As I was saying, I was jolted off my feet…”

* * * * * *

A very stunned Paladin was jolted off his feet in the back of the cart as Bilbo started up the ponies. He could hear Adelard laughing behind him in the passenger’s seat.

“I trust this isn’t her first kiss!” Adelard slapped his friend on the back.

“No, but it’s his,” Paladin remarked, watching the figures recede as the cart traveled westward towards the lanes north of Great Smials.

“I don’t know Saradoc very well; is he trustworthy? Do you think Essie suspects we’re up to something?”

Paladin crawled over, leaning against the side of the cart, “I would wager my pittance this month that Essie knows we’re up to something. I’d like to think that’s why she diverted his attention. As for Sara, I’ve never told him a secret bigger than finding Yule gifts or birthday presents, but he was good about keeping his tongue then.”

Adelard watched the two cousins shrinking, “Let us hope that he can still keep it.”

~ ~ ~

Esmeralda loosed the Saradoc’s lapels as she pulled away from the kiss. She wondered what he was thinking. She stood in front of the teen, watching him squint in the afternoon sun, looking off beyond her shoulder. She noticed the sun accenting the highlights in his light brown hair and blue eyes. Smiling to herself, she saw that he was a tad winded.

Finally Saradoc spoke, “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Esmeralda smiled coyly.

“Kiss me,” he answered. “Why did you kiss me? I’ve been nothing but a pest to you since yesterday--I can see your expressions when you think that I’m not looking.”

Esmeralda felt a pang of guilt. “I haven’t been a very good hostess, have I?”

Saradoc relaxed a little. “You have been an exceptional hostess,” he replied. Then they began walking back down the drive. “I’m sorry for making myself a nuisance to you. My younger brother is back in Buckland nursing an injured ankle, and I’ve been feeling a bit…I don’t know…alone, perhaps? There’s no one else here my age that I know of.”

“There is Rosamunda and Ferdinand--you’ve met them before, haven’t you?”

“Once or twice,” he answered. “But…I’m the shy sort. I feel I know you and Paladin much better.”

“I do apologize, Sara,” she answered sincerely. “I shall endeavor to be a more…appropriate hostess. Do you forgive me?”

The teen smiled, “Of course.”

Esmeralda took in a deep breath of fresh air. “It’s a shame to let the afternoon wane without walking in the sunshine. Would you care to walk in the garden with me? Most of the summer flowers are gone, but there are plenty of roses still in bloom.”

“I’d like that,” he said. “I’ve heard that your north gardens have the finest display of roses.”

Esmeralda had a better plan. “No, I do believe it’s the roses in the south garden that are the more beautiful.” ;-)