From a hole in the ground, there fled a Hobbit.
Back then
When Gerontius presented Gandalf with yet another squirming bundle upon showing up in his garden after a long absence, the wizard had to bite back a remark about his friend's potency.
Since this was Gerontius, after all, the hobbit could no doubt guess what he was thinking in any case, and far from being offended would take it as a compliment. Adamanta, however, watching nervously from her chair under the shade of the great tree, might not be so amused; so wizard and hobbit merely smiled as Gandalf took the newest baby up into his arms and Gerontius stuck his thumbs into his waistcoat pockets, near swelling to bursting with pleasure and pride.
"Say hello to Gandalf, Belladonna," he said to his newest daughter, and "Isn't she beautiful?" he added to Gandalf.
Gandalf hastened to assure him that in all his time upon this Middle-Earth, he had never seen a fairer infant. True, he had said more or less the same of any one of Gerontius's children…or indeed any child he had ever had the privilege to be allowed near, children being wondrous no matter if they were born of Men or Dwarves, in multitudes when it came to Hobbits or so very rarely, now, when it came to Elves.
This little lady, though, the wizard mused as she yawned and blinked up at him, might leave them all in the shade, if only for the present.
"A star shines on the hour of our meeting, Belladonna Took," he told her solemnly, phrasing it in the Common Tongue for Adamanta's peace of mind. Not that Adamanta was the silly sort who'd be up in arms if she so much as heard a syllable of Elvish, but Gerontius's Chubb bride had always been faintly apprehensive of the unknown - and of him, for that matter, though he could really hardly blame her for that. But, she'd always been sincerely gracious and welcoming as well, and what more could a person ask for in this age of the world?
He could see she was already twitching to hold her child again, so Gandalf sighed and reluctantly gave Belladonna back to her father, and through him to her mother.
"We must have a party," Gerontius said as soon as Belladonna was quite secure in her mother's embrace, "to celebrate your return!" and he was already waving his arms about as he planned the beginnings of the gathering that would be taking place this very night, if Gandalf was any judge; then dashing off with a "Be right back!" to the three of them as he set off to collar the hapless innocents he'd need to bring his plans about.
Adamanta sighed in loving exasperation, shaking her head before remembering her guest and smiling up at him. "Won't you sit down, Mister Gandalf sir? Shall I ring the bell for more tea?" her hand was already reaching for the bell in question, to summon one of the maids from the house.
"It would be much appreciated, thank you," he assured her, right before several somethings (most like at least three of her sons) hit him in the back of the knees and all but knocked him to the ground with many cries of "Gandalf Gandalf Gandalf!"
Which, inevitably, started Belladonna screaming. In addition to being the fairest infant he could ever remember encountering at the present moment, she surely also had the largest lungs.
Here and now
Belladonna knows that all the usual escape routes are likely to be watched; a quick peek out of the window confirms that there are plenty of her brothers and cousins standing about innocently on the pavement, so a mad dash for the road or the woods is out of the question.
"This is very unfair," she says aloud to Brockle the cat, "and completely ridiculous." Brockle just sits and washes his face; she groans and drags her fingers down her own.
"Springing this on somebody like that," she adds, getting up to pace. "It's just so rude!"
They'll have made sure to not leave so much as a scrap of food out that she can take, not a walking stick or a cloak, she'll bet they'd have locked all the doors and windows if it wouldn't look suspicious – actually, they probably have except for the front door and the back door. "Prisoner in my own home," she mutters, digging her nails into her arms. "I hate you all."
Still, she makes her way to the back door. It's the most obvious choice, which is why they'll hopefully expect that this time she won't choose it, and there'll be somebody she can bribe. With what exactly she doesn't know yet but there must be something, because she can't stay here a moment longer.
But today is not her day because Isembard is leaning right across the open doorway, eating an apple.
"Sorry, sis," he says with his mouth full, not looking particularly sorry at all.
"Traitor," she says, turning back towards the parlour. "I can't believe you think this is funny." Pot kettle black, she admits to herself, if this were happening to anyone else than her, anyone at all, it'd be hilarious. But it is happening to her, and she feels sick.
She stops in the front hall, looking directly at the front door – which might not be locked. Might not be. If this doesn't work she'll have to barricade herself in the attics and refuse to come down, but until then…
She ties her hair back with an extra ribbon so as not to give them something lagging to get a painful grip on. She tucks up the skirts of that oh so pretty dress Mama insisted she wear today, should have been suspicious about that from the start. She creeps to the door, grabs the handle and yanks it open and bursts into the burning sunlight.
Luck is with her, speed is with her, whoever it was standing guard falls backwards with a yelp – Wait, I think that was Bungo, oh oops - and she says "Sorry" very quick, leaps over him and is off, fast fast fast down the great paved way to the main road with what seems like the whole of Tuckborough chasing after her, once they've gotten over their surprise.
So, I'm out, what do I do now? For now she can keep running until they catch her and wait until Bungo can catch up, duck and dodge, assuming he can get up after she dumped him onto the floor like that, faster faster, goodness what if he broke his skull oh drat wait, cart, cart, Gandalf hasn't quite left yet, Gandalf Gandalf!
She leaps and yanks herself onto the back of it, screaming for him to go faster and, bless him, he doesn't start or curse or stop the cart altogether, he just whispers something and the horse goes from a walk to a canter. She looks around and sees Bungo somehow right at the front of her pursuers looking very confused and red faced, and it only occurs to her now what a nasty thing she's doing to him; she almost jumps off the cart and runs back to him to say "Sorry" again and beg his forgiveness.
She stays clinging to the cart but she does do those last two things, shouting "I do love you, really I do, I just need some time to think, I'll tell you when I get back," and just as she says that the cart jolts so that she goes head over heels, no doubt giving Bungo and everyone else in the immediate vicinity a fair flash of petticoats, and lands right on the food supplies and other things Papa gave Gandalf only this morning.
She squints at the blue above and tries to get her breath back as the shouts fade away behind her. It was hard to tell but she thinks Bungo was smiling, although it didn't look like a very happy one. Well done, Bella, oh well done indeed, any other hearts you'd like to rip out and stamp on today?
Then Gandalf says, turning, "Belladonna Took, what in," and gets no further, staring at the crowd they are hopefully leaving very much in the dust. Although, really, how could he not have heard all those people shouting and yelling before now?
"Hello again, Gandalf," Belladonna says, pushing herself up off the bundle of Old Toby. "I hate to ask, but could you go even faster than this? Bungo's trying to ask me to marry him."
