It's Hard To Refuse You
Chapter Eleven
Little Ann was six weeks old when her cousin arrived. Felicity gave birth to a daughter with a minimum of fuss a week after Ben's birthday in March.
"I am sorry your birthday gift arrived late," Felicity told her husband mischievously; when he was at last able to hold his newest child.
"Good things take time to prepare," he said with a grin, looking at his wife as he comfortably held their newest child. "What shall we name her?"
"I would like to honor grandfather," Felicity said, "But this is obviously not the right time to do it. I think he would have liked it if we had named a daughter after Grandmother, though. What about calling this one Mercy Merriman Davidson?"
Ben thought about it for a moment. "I like it. It is as perfect as she is, and of course it makes good use of our lucky letter."
Little Mercy was a perfect baby. She had dark blue eyes, very round fat cheeks, and strawberry blonde hair. They watched her, wondering if the baby blue would eventually go dark, like Ben's eyes, but it remained a dark blue. Matthew liked to stand by her cradle and watch her sleep. As small as he was, he was aware enough to be quiet, so they often let him do so. He was just as fascinated by this small person as anyone else in the house. Mr. Merriman also liked to sit beside the new arrival, thinking of how lovely she was, and how much Martha would have enjoyed a granddaughter named after her mother. Felicity thanked God daily for her two healthy youngsters.
As much as the three women sharing the house loved their new young ones, having three babies in the house was a challenge, however. Miriam was running around day and night. Nan's Louisa had begun to sleep through the night, but now was apt to wake whenever Ann or Mercy roused the household with their cries to be fed, and Nan began to get cross, as she was also a light sleeper. Elizabeth sat with Felicity one day, both young women holding their new daughters.
"As soon as I can, I would like to move back to the plantation," Elizabeth told her friend one afternoon, when for just a few moments, the house was silent. "It's hard on Ben and Bryce to travel back and forth to get the spring planting done the way they want it, and Bryce will not move back permanently until I do."
"Are you well enough to go back?" Felicity asked with concern.
"I think I will give it another two weeks, to be sure. I enjoy spending time with you and Mercy, and want to make sure I am up to the journey, but it's no use tarrying too long. I'll have Rose with me, and even though she is getting on in years, she can handle helping to oversee the plantation house and little Ann with me. I need to be at home. I love Williamsburg, but it just is not home anymore. It hurts me to see the shuttered shops, and empty houses, and there are so many faces that I used to watch for in this town that I will never see again."
"I understand," said Felicity quietly. Williamsburg didn't seem so much like home to her anymore either.
The silence was broken by little Lou, whose waking wail echoing down the hall woke the other babies. Elizabeth smiled slightly and shrugged. "It must have been her turn," Elizabeth sighed, and Felicity smiled back.
Felicity missed Elizabeth dreadfully when her friend had gone, but she was eager to be back at home herself. She was getting along better with Nan, now that they both had daughters to fuss over and compare, but she knew that Nan's thoughts no longer dwelt on Williamsburg. Nan was just looking forward to the day when she and Charles could move to Richmond, and they could not do that until Felicity was back on her feet at King's Creek.
Charles had made several trips to Richmond, to work on his plans for the new store. He was very enthusiastic about it. Brett was helping him all he could. Charles thought that the best time to go would be in the fall, before the winter weather had set in. Nan would be full strength by then, and Ben and Felicity would be gone. The Williamsburg house was not worth much, because of the decline of the town, but since they would be able to stay with Brett in his townhouse at first, Charles and Nan would be able to put all of their resources into getting established. They had already begun selling some of the household goods that were no longer being used, and every time Ben or Charles went to King's Creek, they moved a few more of the things they had been given by Mr. Merriman. Polly was busy setting aside the things that Nan didn't want, but she did. She called them her hope chest, to everyone's amusement. October looked like a reasonable time for Charles and Nan to actually pull out of the declining town.
"I want to have a farewell party, before we go," said Nan. "I want to invite Brandon and Louisa, and I hope that Bryce and Elizabeth will be able to come back for it. And you and Ben, of course."
"If you are going to continue to sell off furniture and other things, or start taking them to Brett's," Felicity said cautiously, "how will you be able to host a party here?"
"We can have it at one of the taverns," Nan told her sister. "There are still a few open. Travelers still stop here, on their way to other places. They just don't stop and stay anymore. Will you come? It would mean so much to me if you and Ben and father were here to see us off."
"You are not going that far away," Felicity pointed out.
"No, but it is far enough," Nan answered cryptically.
"Will you come if Ben and I have another barbecue at the plantation this summer?" Felicity asked gently. She knew how the last barbecue and Martha Merriman's death were mixed up in Nan's mind.
"Yes," said Nan thoughtfully. "I think I need to. Actually, I would like that. I have to go back before I go on. I need to close that chapter of my life."
"Not for forever, Nan," said Felicity. "We hope to see you at the plantation often. It will always be part of your legacy, too. Mother would have wanted it that way."
"Thank you," Nan replied. "That means a lot to me."
Felicity, Ben and Edward Merriman left for the plantation at the end of May. They had a joyful reunion with Elizabeth and Bryce, and Charles came with Nan and baby Lou for a barbecue in July. This family reunion was becoming a tradition that Felicity treasured, even though it was overshadowed a bit by Charles and Nan's constant talk with Brett Davidson of the plans to move to Richmond, and by Edward Merriman's daily trips to the burying ground. He liked to spend an hour or so a day, talking to his wife as he cleared away brush and other debris from the plots in the small cemetery. Felicity cherished her time with her father, because she knew he was growing old quickly without her mother.
The entire family was gratified, however, by the continued conversion of the plantation into a horse farm. The Davidson stables were becoming famous. Their horses were known as the finest in Virginia, an area known for fast horses, and both buyers and sellers were coming from as far as Charleston, where they knew all about good horses, to do business with Ben and Bryce Davidson. Inside both of their twelve stall horse barns, and the miles of fences, were enough beautiful horses to keep Felicity delighted.
In September, Ben was invited by a prominent visiting Charleston horse breeder named McIntosh to return with him for a visit to his plantation and to attend some races in Charleston. The prosperous planter cared more for his horses than his fields, and was intrigued by the lively young couple from Virginia who shared his passion for animals.
He had come looking for horses, and found both horses, and the Merriman family, having their annual family picnic. They had made him welcome, and their closeness, their obvious concern for each other had actually impressed him as much as their horses.
He had lavished praise on their barbecue beef and pork, which fell apart at the touch of a fork. The potato salad was a perfect mixture of sweet and tart goodness. He assured them easily, that it was the best potato salad he had ever had. The freshness of the fish was heaven. The pies were perfection. He was impressed by the food, the company, and by Ben's horses in equal measure.
They were equally impressed with him. Felicity nicknamed him Sandy, a name he accepted with good humor. He was a big, jolly man with sandy colored hair, and a complexion to match. His face was covered in freckles, and he teased Felicity about not being worthy of her red hair, since she now had very few of them. After they had all praised the food, and eaten their fill of it, they talked horses nonstop until Elizabeth was bored to tears and retired to bed early, complaining of headache.
When Mr. McIntosh urged Ben to let him return the hospitality, Ben was not sure if he should go on such a long trip at such a busy time of the year, but Felicity urged him to go, and to remember every detail so he could tell her all about Charleston when he returned home.
"I will miss you, but Bryce can take care of things here, and you will probably meet many important people that we can do business with," she said as she kissed him goodbye
When Ben arrived in South Carolina, he was much impressed by the thriving city where the planter kept a fine house, and by a visit they made to the breeder's plantation in the Low Country. You'd have never known they had so recently concluded a war. Unlike Williamsburg, Charleston's prominence had skyrocketed after the war.
Ben watched with interest as they drove past marshes filled with birds and animals he'd never seen before, trying to decide how he would describe an alligator to his inquisitive wife. He saw Negroes harvesting the rice fields, and was fascinated by the process. Ben's host explained how the seed was planted in April, and how trunk gates were opened for the spout flow several times before the rice was ready to harvest.
Horsemen came from Virginia and Tennessee to South Carolina to buy and sell, to win rich purses, and set their horses on fast tracks. Plans were already underway to build a huge four mile track with a clubhouse. Mr. McIntosh showed Ben some of the gentlemen's clubs around town, but Ben didn't care much for gambling, and only drank socially, so he did not enjoy that much of that part of the trip. He only saw McIntosh's wife, Mary, in the evenings, but he was impressed by their brood of six, and the way she shared her husband's love of horses. She was a short, plump woman, lovely for her age, with large, wide, deep-set blue eyes, and exquisite shoulders, which she often showed off to their best advantage in gowns that dipped low on her arms.
Ben tried his best to remember what each of her dresses looked like, so he could describe them to Elizabeth, who was fond of fashion, and would much rather hear about what the ladies were wearing in Charleston than she would like to hear about which horses ran best on a mud track, but he was not sure he would be able to do either the horses or the gowns justice.
The children were all well behaved whenever Ben saw them, which was not often, as children did not often get to listen in on adult conversation in Charleston. They dressed in clean, crisp frocks, and all had their father's sandy hair, but the brilliant blue eyes of their mother. Baby Claire was his favorite. He had no qualms about holding her, She reminded him of Polly, when Polly had been that age, and she was quite enthralled by her father's new friend, craning her small head to look up at Ben with her quizzical blue eyes whenever she managed to gain a place on his lap.
"You have a delightful family. My wife just had our second in March," he said wistfully to Mary McIntosh one evening after supper. "I look forward to catching up to you soon. I've always wanted a large family."
"You must come again, and bring your family, Mr. Davidson," the gentle woman replied. "South Carolina's hospitality is already legendary!"
Ben laughed. "And you must come to King's Creek with your family sometime. My Felicity would love to have a new friend who is as fond of horses and children as she is."
"Perhaps I'll bring her when I come back in the spring," Mr. McIntosh said, as he thoughtfully lit his pipe. "And you could come back with us after that for a visit." He turned to his wife, grinning broadly. "I do think you'd like Felicity Davidson. She's a real spark."
"Husband! Mind your manners!" Mrs. McIntosh blushed.
Ben laughed. "Your husband says what he thinks about all things. I took no disrespect, and my wife would be greatly amused by such an assessment of her. She tends to speak her own mind as well, so be forewarned. I'm sure she would love to come for a visit. We will have to see when it gets closer, but I think that would be a good idea."
"Who manages your plantation when you are gone?" Mrs. McIntosh asked.
"One of my older brothers and I are partners. He married my wife's best friend, and we took over the plantation from my wife's family when her only brother died. It originally belonged to my wife's grandfather. He was a Loyalist, but a good man. He only had the one daughter, my wife's mother. We lost her last summer, and I miss her greatly. She was a fine woman."
"You have other brothers then? I noticed you said one of them was at the plantation with you," said Mrs. McIntosh with interest.
"Yes, I have a brother in Yorktown, who has his own business, and a brother in Richmond who works for a large firm. He's helping out right now by arranging a move for the husband of my wife's younger sister. She and her husband had a shop in Williamsburg, but since the capitol moved to Richmond, Williamsburg is failing."
"Goodness, what a large family! And you all seem so close, even though you are not all living together!" Mrs. McIntosh exclaimed.
"They're quite a jolly crowd," Mr. McIntosh said. "I miss that. My brother and sister both died soon after they were born. I'm grateful for my healthy youngsters." He looked at his wife fondly. "And my wife lost two brothers in the war. Did your wife's brother die in the war?"
"Of illness, not of wounds," Ben said sadly. "He was too young to fight, but not too young to die."
"Thank God it ended when it did," said Mr. McIntosh. "I say, did you see what Ben Franklin is up to now? He just wrote a pamphlet about the Red Indians. He calls it his remarks concerning the savage in North America. Very interesting."
"He is a man with many talents," Ben said simply, swirling the after-dinner brandy in his glass. The aroma was warm and soothing, even to someone who was not a huge fan of brandy.
When he returned to King's Cross, Felicity put little Mercy into his arms, as they sat and talked about his visit to Charleston. Bryce was very interested in the Charleston racing circuit, and about all of the contacts Ben had made for them. He was sure that the foals they expected to be born in the spring would find good homes and make them a lot of money. Elizabeth was intrigued by Ben's descriptions of the McIntosh family's homes, and their children, and was grateful to Ben for being considerate enough to try to remember what the Charleston ladies were wearing these days. Mr. Merriman looked wistful when Ben described Mrs. McIntosh, and the many humorous interactions between them. Ben's stories about Mrs. McIntosh reminded him of his late wife. Felicity drank in every word Ben had to say on every subject. He made everyone laugh when he described how a floating log he had noticed in one of the marshes had turned out to be an alligator that Ben insisted had been at least eight feet long.
Brett told Ben all of the news of the plantation, and Ben was delighted to see how well little Matthew was walking now. Miriam had a hard time keeping up with the children, and they debated about whether or not they needed another nursemaid. Rose was jealous of any strange Negroes, however, so they would have to be careful when looking for another servant.
Ben was happy to be home, and the others were happy to have him back safely.
They began to plan for their trip back to Williamsburg for Nan and Charles' goodbye party. They were leaving soon for Richmond, and Nan was having a large gathering. Louisa and Brandon would be coming, and so would Brett, who was going to drive one of the wagons back to Richmond with the Prentiss family's household goods. It was an exciting time, but tinged with sadness.
Harvest time on the plantation was easier now that they had less fields of grain, and more pastureland, but they had expanded their gardens, so they would have more food when horse breeders and buyers came to visit. Felicity and Elizabeth supervised the food as it was being put up for the winter, and checked supplies, while the men supervised the repair of fences and buildings.
The whole family was delighted when Nan wrote to tell them that Charles had somewhat reconciled to his other sisters, and that they would be coming with their families to see him off to Richmond.
Felicity knew that her sister and brother-in-law were right in wanting to leave Williamsburg, but it hurt her to see the decline of the town. It had been such a thriving vibrant place during her childhood, and now it was almost a ghost town. She looked up at Ben as they drove toward the house she had once called home.
"Do you think it will ever come back? Will Williamsburg ever again look the way we remember it?"
"I hope so," he said seriously. "It had such a special place in the history of this new nation of ours. I hope someday that it can be remembered for what it was, exactly as it was."
"I doubt it," said Bryce with a sigh. He also remembered the town fondly, and felt sorrow at its decline. "People forget. Now that the capital has been moved to Richmond, Williamsburg is fading and dying, and I fear the memory of what it stood for will be lost forever."
Elizabeth disagreed. "I think Ben is right. It was a special place, and momentous things happened here. Some day I think people will remember the way it used to be, and they will find a way to let future generations see what we saw."
"I hope so," said Felicity. "For there is so much here that holds my heart."
Felicity was equally distressed by the emptiness of the Merriman house when she saw it. Nan had sold so many of the precious things that the Merriman's had collected from all over the world…paintings, art objects, and furnishings. Many of the books, linens china and glassware had already gone to Richmond to grace Nan's new home. A few things that Polly had asked for, keepsakes that were dear to her heart had been packed up to go out to King's Creek, where Polly planned to live permanently with her father, but the house just didn't look the same anymore than Williamsburg looked the same, and Felicity was shaken to see what had been her entire world disappearing.
Felicity knew that Nan had a right to these things. When Ben and Felicity had accepted the plantation, they have given up their rights to the store and house in Williamsburg to Charles and Nan. She knew her home was now with Ben, and Bryce and Elizabeth, but it was still so hard to accept! Her head understood perfectly, but her heart was having a difficult time with this stripping of her past.
She watched her father anxiously, fearing that he too would be grieving for what he has lost, but he seemed to take it all in stride. He saw nothing but Nan and Charles, and baby Lou, and suddenly, Felicity, looking at her father, holding Nan's only child, understood.
The house is only a house to him now, she thought to herself. It was a home when mother was here, but now that she is gone, the house doesn't matter so much anymore. Family is what matters, and we are family, no matter where we are.
Once she had thought this out, she made up her mind to mend her fences with Nan once more. She didn't want her sister going to Richmond without knowing that Nan also understood that family was forever. When Mr. Merriman turned toward Felicity, with baby Lou in his arms, Felicity took the baby from him gladly, and went to kiss her sister, holding the child in her arms. Nan, Felicity suddenly realized, had taken little Mercy from Miriam, and was holding her just as tightly, her cheek resting against the baby's soft wispy hair.
When the two sisters stood together, holding each other's children, they didn't even have to think about it. They moved into each other's arms, and embraced, as each small girl looked with interest into the face of her cousin.
