CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Felicity felt every mite has awful as Elizabeth did the next morning, but since Felicity was the one who gave Elizabeth the brandy in the first place she felt it was her responsibility to make sure that no one in the Cole or Dunham family found out about it. With the help of Ben, Felicity got up early the following morning, so she could get back to the Cole mansion before anybody noticed she was missing. She had a blistering headache, but throughout the day she helped out on last minute preparations, and made sure that no one went into Elizabeth's bedchamber. The excuse was that Elizabeth was sick with nerves about the upcoming wedding, and needed a day of rest.

The wedding itself was beautiful. Though it was stifling hot, Mother Nature was on Elizabeth's side providing a sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. Elizabeth had her flood of blue flowers everywhere, even tied into her hair. As Felicity stood next to her friend holding her flowers, she began to imagine her own wedding. Felicity Davidson had a very nice ring to it, much nicer than Felicity Prutt.

Annabelle decided to make Felicity's life miserable during the reception. Felicity was the only Patriot in a room filled with Loyalists, and Annabelle made sure than everyone knew it. Tides were turning in the war, and things were looking up for the Patriots, making Felicity more despised than normal. One old man even said

"Don't mind the silly lady. She is just a woman, and doesn't know how to think better."

It was a good thing that Ben hadn't been Felicity's beaux at the time they made the invitations, he wouldn't have put up with the Tories for a minute.

Felicity had brought along the emerald necklace to stuff in Annabelle's face. After meeting up with Ben last night, she had decided that she wouldn't show Annabelle the necklace, because she didn't want to drudge up rumors about her and Andy, with Ben back in town. Andy was a finished chapter in her life. But Annabelle's behavior at the reception changed Felicity's mind. Annabelle had traveled with an entourage including a personal servant, chef, hairdresser, launderer, and wet nurse. And according to Annabelle England had this, and England had that. England was better, in England they did this.

She's being shipped back to England tomorrow thought Felicity. There would be no harm showing her the necklace, and it would finally shut her up.

So Felicity stuffed the necklace into her pocket, to pull out if Annabelle annoyed her again. It was after the guests had left. Felicity was down in the Cole's sitting room, trying to make some rhyme or reason with the mound of wedding gifts that Elizabeth received. Annabelle flounced into the room.

"Honestly Felicity that dress you wore to the ceremony is so dated," she huffed. "Why in England we-"

"In the colonies we have this!" Felicity interrupted and held the necklace up towards the light where it glittered brilliantly. Annabelle was completely speechless, even her face had lit up in admiration for the beautiful gem.

"Did your mother give you that?" She snapped.

"No," Felicity replied coolly and she put it back into her pocket. "Just a beaux of mine who is wealthy, and loves me."

Dangling the necklace in Annabelle's face had given Felicity a huge sense of satisfaction. That evening while she was collecting up her things to go home, she returned the necklace to it's box, as she shut the lid, she shut out all thoughts of Andy, if only Andy could do the same for her.

Ben was absolutely thrilled to be back finishing out his apprenticeship at the Merriman store. In an odd way, that store had become home to him. Ben wasn't always planning on being an apprentice in a general store. His plans had always been to attend the College of William and Mary, and receive a business degree. Ben's family had made a fortune off of their tobacco plantation in Yorktown, but due to their untimely death when Ben was sixteen, changed all of his plans. His parents both had taken down with fever, his mother died in the night, his father the next morning. Their children would each receive a sum of the family fortune on their eighteenth birthday. Ben's older brother and sister were old enough to receive their inheritance, for they were already married with families of their own, Ben's brother had his own plantation. But Ben and his thirteen-year-old sister Constance were still too young.

Ben's uncle had come to take over the plantation. All he was interested in was the successful plantation his brother had built, not raising the two children he had left behind. Constance he was stuck with until she was of age to marry. She was a useless girl, and there was nothing he could do with her, but Ben was old enough to be indentured or apprenticed somewhere, so he responded to an add in the paper. Some shopkeeper in Williamsburg was looking for an apprentice, and Ben was shipped off just a week after his parent's death.

Constance who he always called Connie, wrote to him often, but her letters were sad, she was miserable living with her uncle. He did make a few visits home to see her, until she eventually married, but the Merriman's still became like a family to him, and because it was in the store that he earned his keep, he always felt at home there.

Ben hated working with Nan. Except for being able to utter the token hello to a customer, Nan was completely useless. She was bad with counting money, and was always giving customers the wrong amount of change back. On top of that she always moved so slow. Ben with his bum leg could walk twice as fast as Nan did. Mr. Merriman even brought Felicity back to do deliveries because of Ben's bad leg, and Nan being so slow. Nan was also famous for keeping change to buy things for herself, as well as taking anything from the store her heart desired. With Felicity, Ben had only had to worry about her snatching a piece of penny candy here and there, but Nan would swipe aprons, mop caps, fine soaps, ribbons, feathers, once she was swiping a yard of fine deep purple silk ribbon, the ribbon was fairly expensive.

"Nan," Ben barked. "You put that ribbon away right now. That ribbon is pure silk, and cost your father a pretty penny and he must make a profit off of it."

"My father owns the store," Nan replied. "Not your father. Tis going to look perfect on my new bonnet."

When Mr. Merriman wasn't around Felicity and Ben would often gang up on Nan and play tricks on her. Whether it was saving his friend from the heat of battle, or playing tricks on Felicity's sister, Brady would do anything for a pint of ale. One day they sent Brady into the store to act like a difficult customer and give Nan a hard time. Another day, they hid a toad in the cash box.

After about of week of putting up with Nan, Ben went to speak with Mr. Merriman about Nan taking things from the store, as well as one other important query he had.

"Aye," Mr. Merriman agreed. "I think I am going to have to dismiss Nan from working here. I've had a few complaints as well from the customers about her giving back the wrong change." He got up and paced about the counting room. "I don't know where I went wrong with my daughters. Hopefully, things will turn out okay with Polly."

"I think Felicity has turned out wonderfully," Ben replied.

"Humph," Mr. Merriman snorted. "Perhaps, but she's been close to disgracing herself a few times, running around behind my back with some doctor fellow!"

Ben felt uneasy whenever the doctor was mentioned. He just had to remember what Felicity had told him, that night in front of the Cole mansion. It was a brief and foolish thing, and it was over.

"Well," said Ben, wishing that Mr. Merriman was in a better mood. "I don't presume on going behind your back. I would like to ask your permission to court Felicity sir."

Ben was quite surprised as Mr. Merriman jumped up to hug him.

"Yes my boy," he said. "That would make me, as well as her very happy. For once she finds a suitor who acts like a fine gentleman."

So the official courtship of Felicity and Ben began. Every morning they would take a ride together. Since Felicity liked holding the reins she would sit in front, Ben would sit behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Having Felicity sleep in the stable loft also worked out nicely. It was easy for Ben to sneak out and see her at night, and they bundled almost every night. The news of Ben and Felicity even made its way to the taverns, and Mrs. Fitchett's gossip ring.

Andy was not thrilled with this information. Andy had worked hard coming from nothing, and getting what he wanted, wealth. But now Virginia held two things he could not have, the piece of property that should belong to him, and Felicity Merriman. He was so stupid. Three and a half months ago Felicity had offered to run away to Charles Towne, and he rejected her, so she wouldn't have to run away. Now he wished more than ever he had taken her up on her offer. They would have been long gone before that Davidson boy had returned. But Andy wasn't going to give up. He was going to try one last time to see if he could revive the feelings that Felicity had three months ago, maybe she would offer to run away with him one more time.

Andy pushed open the door to Merriman's store and poked his head in to make sure Felicity wasn't there. Just her whiny, insipid, cuss of a sister was there playing with her hair behind the counter. Andy strolled on in. Ben was sitting behind the counter doing the wretched task of trying to make sense of the store's monthly books. Due to Nan's store picking, it wasn't an easy task.

"What are you doing here?" He snarled.

"Geese," Andy sighed. "Mr. Merriman doesn't do a very good job training his employees to be pleasant to the customers."

" Oh don't mind Mr. Davidson," Nan sighed. "He's back from the war, it made him bitter." She flashed Andy a smile. "I can I help you today Doctor Matthews?"

"I want a pound of your finest Belgian chocolate," Andy commanded. He threw a few coins down on the counter. "Wrap it nicely, and you can keep the change."

"Good because she can't count it out correctly anyway," Ben grumbled.

Nan ignored Ben.

"It must be for someone very special," she remarked.

"Aye," Andy replied. He picked up another toy wooden horse. He threw it over to Nan. "Throw this in with it, she likes horses."

"Okay that's it!" Ben shouted. "Get out of here!"

"Ben! Have you gone mad?" Nan gasped. "Doctor Mathews is a paying customer."

"What is going on in here?" Mr. Merriman roared, coming out of the counting room.

"Ben told a customer to get out of here," Nan reported.

"Ben, what is the meaning of this?" Mr. Merriman ordered.

"Well," Ben stammered. "I just a-"

"Don't mind the boy," Andy interrupted. "He threw down three more shillings onto the counter. "Here, for the trouble I caused."

"I'm sorry," Mr. Merriman apologized and held out his hand. "What is your name?"

"He's Doctor Matthews Father," Nan piped up. Mr. Merriman immediately turned from cordial to very defensive.

"Oh," he said dropping his hand. "You're that swindler that kept lurking around my Felicity. You stay away from her, unless you ask me respectfully to see her."

"I am most pleased to meet you," Andy said mockingly. He glanced at Nan. "Hurry up with my order girl. I haven't got all day. I guess I see where Felicity and Ben get their rude training from."

Nan wrapped up the chocolate, and Andy snatched it up sprinted out of the store.

"I am about ready to fire the whole lot of you!" Mr. Merriman said. "Between you and Felicity hiding toads in the cash box, Felicity using the store as a venue to flirt and pot around!"

"I'm sorry sir," said Ben. "I don't think that Doctor Matthews is good news."

"He's a scoundrel!" Retorted Mr. Merriman. "He might be a handsome face, but he is none good enough for my daughter. However it is not your place to pick fights with him in my store."

Ben didn't argue the point that Mr. Merriman wasn't exactly cordial with Andy either. Nan was smiling coolly, enjoying Ben getting scolded in front of her. Mr. Merriman turned to her.

"And you, are dismissed from working here," he bellowed. "The books are a mess, you can't do simple math, and you are lazier than old Bess! I'm tired of you stealing from the shop too Nan, you're a thief!"

"Well!" Nan stammered. She grabbed her bonnet and flounced out of the store.

Mr. Merriman sadly shook his head.

"Young people these days, the whole lot of you! What is this world coming too!'