CHAPTER TWENTY
October 1781
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, a little chilly, but sunny and a perfect day for a ride. After church, Felicity and Ben took Penny for a ride. Felicity purposely left her shawl at home because she knew if she was cold Ben would put his coat around her, and she loved the way his coat smelled, it smelled like Ben.
This particular afternoon Ben wanted to ride further than usual which was fine with Felicity. They rode beyond the edge of town, and out into the countryside. Felicity couldn't have been happier. She was off with the two she loved the most Ben and Penny. After a while they decided to give Penny a rest. Unannounced to Felicity, Ben shimmied off of the horse rather clumsily, because of his leg. Usually Felicity would get off first so she could help stable Ben as he climbed off.
"Ben you crazy lad," she scolded. "What are you doing?"
Ben caught his balance.
"Crazy I am Miss Felicity," he replied. "I'm crazy for you. In the pocket of my jacket, I have a small vial of tonic for my leg. It is ailing me. Could you hand it to me?"
The only time that Felicity had seen Ben take anything for his leg was before they would bundle together. He drank some sort vile smelling tonic for it. But Felicity didn't ask questions, she couldn't imagine the pain that Ben must feel. She reached down into the pocket of his coat, but she did not feel a vial of anything. She felt a small, square box. She pulled it out.
"There is no vial," she said. "Just this box." She examined it, and her heart began to thud.
"How did that get in there?" Ben asked. "I don't know what it could be. Open it Felicity."
Felicity needed no further instruction. She popped open the box. There sitting brightly was a beautiful gold ring, with a single amethyst. It sparkled radiantly in the sunlight. Felicity felt as if for a moment her heart stopped.
"Is this for me?" She gasped.
Ben took Felicity's hand.
"I couldn't think of a better way to ask you than when you were doing your favorite thing in the world, riding your horse. Marry me Felicity!"
Felicity almost fell off of Penny due to shock and excitement. She began to nod as tears formed in her eyes. Carefully, Ben helped her down off of the horse, before she fell of or fainted. They embraced.
"Felicity I hope this doesn't sound odd to you but I have loved you since you were nine years old," Ben said as he held her tightly. "Ever since you went and let Penny go from Jiggy Nye, I knew you were the girl for me."
"Ben, I feel as if this were a dream come true," said Felicity. "I would be honored to marry you, I can't believe you want a head strong girl like me."
"I wouldn't want it any other way," Ben replied.
"I don't make very good pudding cake," Felicity said as she slid the ring safely onto her finger.
"I would eat a hundred uncooked pudding cakes if it lead to you my dear," Ben replied and kissed the top of her head. Felicity held her hand up towards the sun. The ring sparkled.
"You like your ring?" Ben asked. "I haven't yet paid for it. I have to go to Yorktown and get my money. I will need it anyway if we want to buy a house, and for my store. The jeweler let me take it out on loan for a deposit, a perk of being a wounded soldier I guess. I told him that I might bring you back by if you wanted to chose something yourself."
"I adore it," Felicity exclaimed and jumped up again to hug him, almost causing Ben to loose balance on his good leg.
The young happy couple rode back to Williamsburg as fast as lightening. They couldn't wait to announce their engagement that night at supper. Ben said that he had asked Mr. Merriman's permission, and that he was absolutely thrilled, and even offered Ben a partnership in the store. Ben would open up and run a second branch of Merriman's store, and would guide him and getting the store started. But first the couple decided they would take a little personal time up in the stable loft.
Felicity didn't bother with stabling Penny away for the day. She might take her for a trot over to Elizabeth's house later to tell her the news. For the time being she tied her to the hitching post, in the Merriman's yard.
"You don't mind being the wife of a war cripple?" Ben asked as she helped him up the stairs.
"Of course not," Felicity replied. "You are my war hero, my warrior. I am going to buy you a whole collection of fancy canes. You'll have a different one for every day of the week."
"Well at least I will be a well dressed cripple," Ben laughed. They kissed as they reached the top of the stairs.
Nan sat at Felicity's desk. The emerald necklace from Andy was around her neck.
"Nan!" Ben called. "Get out of Lissie's room! Run along!"
"Well Felicity," Nan retorted. "It must be rather nice having a boyfriend to do your dirty work for you."
"He's not my boyfriend," Felicity snapped. "He is my fiancé. Now get out."
Nan sighed and made a big production out of taking off the necklace and handing it to Felicity.
"Fine. By the way, that is a gorgeous necklace you bought for my sister," she said to Ben. "I didn't know apprentices had so much money."
Ben eyeballed the necklace that Felicity was now clutching in her hand.
"Good Heavens Felicity!" He exclaimed. "Where on earth did you get such a big emerald?"
"You mean you didn't give it to her?" Nan asked innocently, but Felicity could see the impish look of deception hiding in the corners of her mouth.
"No," Ben said. "Felicity where did you get this?"
"From no one," Felicity said sheepishly.
"An emerald as extraordinary as that must have cost a small fortune," said Nan. "I don't think it was from no one. Perhaps it was from the doctor."
"Nan, please get out of here," Felicity ordered.
"Felicity did Doctor Matthews give you this necklace?" Ben asked. "I thought you had no feelings for him. You told me that you didn't."
"He did give me the necklace," Felicity admitted, fighting back tears, and fighting back throttling Nan to death. "But I have no feelings for him. None at all."
"And you still kept his necklace?" Nan shrieked. "Why Lissie, every proper woman knows that you do not accept fine jewelry from a beau that you don't care for!"
Felicity had never seen as much hurt as was in Ben's big brown eyes at that moment. Just one look at his face, was enough to make her cry.
"Ben, it's not what you think. He gave me the necklace before you came back," she began to say.
"I don't care!" Ben yelled. "I told you the night I came back that I understood if you had other suitors that you cared for, but if you did, do not involve me because I have already been through enough pain!"
"Ben!" Felicity cried. "There is nothing between Doctor Matthews and me anymore!"
"Look I know that your Father despises Doctor Matthews because he would never properly court you," Ben shouted and began pacing the room. "You have feelings for this Doctor Matthews or you would have given back his stupid necklace instead of having it stashed away in your bureau drawer! What were you planning on doing? Marrying me because it beats being dubbed an old maid, while carrying on a steamy affair with the wealthy doctor who buys you jewels? I loved you Felicity Merriman! I loved you more than life itself, and I deserve that love back! I will not have my wife make a mockery out of me! We are no longer engaged!"
He turned to leave. Felicity grabbed his coat sleeve.
"No Ben please!" She yelled. "I love you! I love you Benjamin I do! I never had a chance to give it back to Doctor Matthews! It was too fine a necklace to just throw away!"
"So you threw away our love instead," Ben snapped and limped off down the stairs. Felicity was in hysterics by now. You picked up a small footstool, and hurled it across the room. Nan sat pale and open mouthed. Felicity dumped the necklace onto the desk.
"You bitch!" She shrieked and lunged at Nan. Nan swiftly moved from the chair and over to the bed. Felicity pinned her down roughly, and grabbed her wrists tightly. "I hate you!"
"Lissie no!" Nan whined pathetically. "Stop you are breaking my wrists!"
"You broke my heart! You despicable brat!" Felicity roared. "Do you just get joy out of my pain? I know that we have had our differences, but I have done nothing to deserve this, what have I ever done to you!"
Now Nan was also crying.
"It's not fair," she kept whimpering. "I have been of age to court for six months now, and I haven't had one, not one suitor even take an interest in me, let alone ask Father to court."
"That doesn't surprise me," Felicity bitterly snapped. She tightened her hold on Nan's wrists.
"Many girls that do marry do so based on a business or political deal for their parents," Nan whined on. "But you have not one, but two men that love you! They love you and want to marry you out of love! Frankly I don't think you deserve either one of them! It's not fair!"
Felicity loosened the grip on Nan's wrists and thrust her in a sitting up position. She pulled hard on her ponytail, Nan shrieked.
"Get out of here, and get far away from me. I am so mad I could literally kill you Nan. I will get married and when I move out of here I never ever want to see you again! You are no longer my sister! You are dead to me! Now leave!" Felicity gave Nan's hair one more violent and painful tug. Nan went screaming down the stairs. Felicity got up and slowly walked over to the desk where that loathed necklace sat gleaming in the beams of afternoon sun that floated in through the window. Sitting primly upon her finger was the ring that Ben had given her only but an hour ago. She couldn't even bear to look at it, but she also couldn't bear to take it off. She threw herself down onto a heap on the floor and began to sob uncontrollably, for Ben, but mostly for her, for she had lost the best thing in her life. Things just couldn't get any worse.