Ben's jaw almost hit the floor in sheer shock. Why had she done this? Did he do something wrong? This was a complete 180 on what was supposed to happen. Felicity glared slightly at David, then jerked herself away from him and went outside, wrapping her arms around herself.
Ben went right after her. "Felicity!" he demanded, half in shock. "How-" he cut his sentence off when he saw her. She had wrapped her arms around herself and was heaving with sobs. He took a step closer to her. "Felicity?"
"Oh go back inside, you deceitful ass!" Felicity barked, pushing him away.
"Felicity, tell me what's wrong! You can't just close off like this!"
"I can do what I want, I'm none of your damn business anymore!" Felicity hissed, pushing him back again.
Ben backed off a little bit, but continued speaking. "You don't have to tell me anything, fine. But please, please do. Felicity, whatever's wrong, I want to fix it." He held up his hands as if he was surrendering. "Please."
Felicity eyed him. "Guess." she hissed cruelly. "Guess what news I just found out about."
Ben shrugged.
"You're engaged!" Felicity stomped, reaching near tears again.
"Well I was going to be." Ben mumbled, but Felicity didn't hear.
"Don't mutter, Ben Davidson, I found the letter! Annabelle came stomping over and taunted me, and I should've read your mail, I know, but I'm damn glad I did! You're engaged - and you've known for weeks!"
Ben's mind reeled. Annabelle! He had forgotten all about that whole situation, of course she was the one to muss things up! "No, Lissie, you don't understand!" Ben pleaded. "I got the letter, yes, and I wrote my family back, refusing the whole thing! A while ago! I haven't heard back and-"
"AND the engagement isn't called off then! It's still official, and approved, and Annabelle knows. Right now, you're marrying her. And you can't be marrying me, then."
"Lissie, I don't want to marry Annabelle."
"And I don't want to marry David!" Felicity said flatly. "But I don't have a choice anymore, do I?"
"Yes you do! Call of the engagement. We'll figure a way out of this, I know we will."
"Ben, I'm not eleven years old anymore. I don't just do whatever my first impulse is. I have to be married." she said, a bit more bitterly. "It's the only way. I can't get a job for myself, what would I do? I certainly can't teach gentlewoman lessons, and no one hires women. I can't just live with my parents and sponge off their support - I'm far too old for that!" she hunched over and a sigh rippled through her body. "I'll learn to be happy with David, I know I will. It'll take time for me to get over...us. But I will." she said it firmly, almost firmly enough to convince herself.
"Please, Lissie, don't do this."
"We can't fix this Ben, not anymore. I'm going inside."
…
"You need to stop moping!" Nan scolded Felicity.
"I'm not moping." Felicity lied, straightening her back.
Nan scanned her sister then grabbed her wrist, tugging her into a more secluded room. "Oh come on!" Nan shut the door behind them. "Now tell me what's wrong!"
"Nothing's wrong." Felicity said blankly, not making eye contact with her sister.
"Don't lie to me! For goodness sake, Felicity, it's your engagement ball! What could possibly be wrong?"
"I don't love David." Felicity said quietly, sitting down.
She expected Nan to whirl around and begin scolding rapidly, shaming Felicity for her childishness and foolishness and general selfishness. After David had been so nice to her and her family and everything, how dare she try and say she doesn't love him!
"I know." Nan said flatly.
"What? Nan, who told you?"
"You did. Not with your words. Goodness, I'm your sister, Lissie. I can read you like a book. You're never excited to see him. Whenever he asks you to head out, you always seem annoyed by the sheer idea that he wants to be around you. I'm not stupid, Felicity."
Felicity squirmed a little. "Am I terrible?"
"No. Because you're going through with it anyway." Nan smiled gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "David is a good man Felicity, and he loves you very much."
Felicity didn't say anything.
"You haven't even given him a fair shot, your heart's been set on Ben since he left for war. But you seem to have shaken that, thank the Lord. He's reckless, Lissie. Just...just give David a chance. A week, maybe two. Go into it with an open heart. If you still can't find any redeeming qualities in him, we'll talk it over. Just give him a chance."
"...fine."
…
"Annabelle!" Ben hissed, grabbing his fiance's wrist and tugging her away.
"Ben, don't be so rough!" Annabelle whined, yanking her wrist away.
"We need to talk." Ben said quickly, skipping an apology.
Annabelle batted her eyelashes and smiled. "I agree. We've got a lot of planning to do if you want a fall wedding, now I was thinking we could bake-"
"Annabelle, we're not getting married! I already wrote my parents, refusing the offer." Ben said sharply. "Now I need you to drop this. If we were getting married, don't you think I would've said something to you? Like a proposal?"
"That's not how these things always work Ben! Why, a young man wrote to my father requesting my hand, just like Father wrote to your parents requesting this arrangement. Well, it's not quite the same, but it's rather close enough I'd say-"
"Well then why didn't you just marry him?" Ben spat.
"It's complicated." Annabelle flicked her hand. "Either way, the engagement has been decided upon and set." she furrowed her brow. "You should want to marry me."
Ben rolled his eyes a bit. "But I don't, Annabelle. And I don't plan on doing so."
Annabelle furrowed her brow. "You just need time to get used to it."