lord of the ringsI met Mundee when I ventured into Bywater today, where she and Sally were visiting the market. She made apologies for the way the dinner party ended. I brushed it off politely, assuring her that I had a very pleasant time. That may have been the wrong choice of words, for her eyes fairly flashed for an instant. But to give her credit she recovered her composure immediately and wished me "Good day!" with the added comment that she would send Sally round later with some fresh baked scones. I must say, her promise of fresh baked goods, along with her sweet smile and big brown eyes, put me in a very contented state of mind and I continued on my way.
A little later, I stopped in The Ivy Bush to sample a few mugs of ale, and spent a few carefree hours there, joking with Folco Boffin and Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger. However, on my way home, who should I encounter, but Bennie. I noticed she looked none the worse for wear after last evening's argument. Indeed, neither she or Mundee seemed to sport any bruises. So, that at least, was one positive sign.
Bennie never made one reference to her behavior of the night before. (And, I was certainly not about to!) How like her to ignore the matter and assume complete innocence. It's a quality that is irritating and endearing at the same time.
I do hope that their tempers will have cooled by the next time they meet. For it is inevitable that the two of them--make that the three of us--will be in the same company on occasion.
From time to time, I have found myself the object of interest for other Shire females, especially after I legally became Bilbo’s heir. Before that, I was still considered an unfortunate orphan. But none of the other females of my acquaintance have behaved with the same attentiveness and enthusiastic affection as have Bennie and Mundee. It is most unfortunate that they are each under the impression that they hold claim to me.
As I have mentioned before, the fault of that lies partially with me, for showing an interest in them. The interest was, and still is, genuine to be sure. Yet, although there are times when thoughts of a family of my own begin to tug at me, I am not yet ready to yield to marriage.
Oh, I’m sure there would be many a Shire lad that would be happy to be in my predicament. But the situation is made even more difficult for I do happen to care for each of them so very much.
It is even more complicated than that. Bennie and I have a history of sorts. I’ve known her all of my life. She and her parents visited Brandy Hall a lot and we played together as children. As we grew into tweenagers, we became even closer.
Too close for her parents liking, so they came up with a plan to separate us. It was very clever. Through a series of carefully choreographed fabrications and maneuvers, they devised it so that each of us came to believe that neither of us wanted anything more to do with the other. It was years later before the truth came out. I don’t know if Bennie was more angered or hurt by her parents actions. Now, I can understand their concern. I hold no grudge against them, but the damage has been done and I only regret that they didn’t handle the matter more sensitively.
I didn’t see much of Bennie after I relocated to Hobbiton with Bilbo. She was still living in Woodhall with her parents. Not long before Bilbo departed, I met another Baggins cousin, Diamond, or Mundee as she was nicknamed. We became fast and good friends and I soon found myself escorting her more and more frequently. We became very close.
It was about that time that Bennie moved to Hobbiton, sans her parents. She was of age, now(as was I), with wealth of her own and a headstrong disposition. She was determined to pick up where we left off and... ahem... move beyond that point... and so the trouble began....
I have tried to smooth things over and keep both parties, if not happy, at least not brokenhearted. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, myself included...still, I’m certainly not immune to female charms.
