CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"Yuck," William muttered as he lifted his spoon and watched the thin, runny, slime that Felicity called porridge, drip off of his spoon. William disliked porridge, but he especially disliked Felicity's porridge.
"You eat that right now, or else I will shove it down your throat," Felicity commanded. "There are soldiers off starving in the Continental Army!" Felicity had no patience today to fight with William over eating breakfast. She was scurrying about trying to get ready to meet Andy before the auction began. Mother had asked Felicity to make breakfast, while she went a tended to Polly. Felicity had had a sleepless night. She had to do her shift caring for Polly, who needed a constant eye to make sure she didn't move her neck the wrong way. She was also worried sick about Ben. Ben had left the previous evening for Yorktown. Felicity had begged him not to go.
"Please Ben," she begged. "It is not safe right now! There is too much fighting going on over that way. Andy can wait a week for his payment."
"I can't wait Lissie," Ben replied. "I must go now. I need my money anyway if I want to marry you and start a business of my own. I haven't seen my sister in four years. Trust me, do one is going to bother a cripple like me."
"What if you get shot?" Felicity pressed.
"Been there done that," Ben replied with a smile. He turned to her and gave her a big kiss. Then he climbed up on Patriot and began his journey.
"I don't want it," William moaned as he beat at the slimy mound with his spoon. William had outgrown playing with his food, well most of the time. He had atrocious eating habits, and rarely ate what was put in front of him. If it were up to William, he would live on a diet of tarts, candy, pies, and Shrewsbury cakes, and he would sneak treats out of the kitchen all the time. He was short for his age, but extremely stocky.
Felicity had no time to argue. Getting Penny back was far more important than bickering over porridge with a twelve year old.
She met Andy in front of the apothecary. He gave her a huge overly dramatic bow.
"Good morning Miss Felicity," he greeted. "You are late."
"Sorry," Felicity mumbled. She held out the contract that Ben had made up for Andy to see. "Sign this."
"The piss ant actually made a contract?" Andy asked with surprise. "How tedious."
"Ben is a man true to his word," Felicity answered. "He just wants to protect his honor and good name."
"Humph," Andy snorted as he sloppily signed the contract. "I could do a dozen cartwheels, heal all the people of Williamsburg, and send all of the Tories back to England, and I still wouldn't have a good name."
"I don't think any different of you just because Jiggy Nye is your father," Felicity answered. They were briskly walking towards the auction. "I'll admit that I was a bit surprised."
"That is awfully humble of you," Andy said with a sarcastic grin.
There was quite a crowd gathered around the auction block. The crowd made Felicity nervous, everyone was the enemy. There were seven horses being auctioned, they were all roped together.
"Penny!" Felicity screamed and ran towards her horse, only to have Andy pull her back.
"Felicity, you can't touch Penny right now," he explained. "We haven't won her yet."
"Why are there so many people here?" Felicity asked.
"You are at a public auction," Andy replied.
Finally the bidding for Penny began. Andy stayed quiet as the price began to slowly climb.
"150,154,155,160!" The auctioneer barked. Felicity dug her elbow into Andy's ribs.
"Bid! Do something!" She hissed.
"There is no point in bidding yet," Andy answered.
"Oh just yell 300 pounds and let it be done," Felicity muttered.
"There's no point in bidding 300 pounds for her if I wait and can win her 250," Andy shrugged.
The price for Penny grew steeper and steeper, all the time Andy remained silent. It was all Felicity could do to sit on the bench next to him. Her heart was racing, her insides boiling. They had to do something.
"200!" The auctioneer barked happily. "Do we have a 201? 201, 202, 207!"
"Andy," Felicity gasped.
"215!" Andy finally called.
The bidding went higher. Soon there was Andy, a squatty old man, and one other guy who were still bidding for Penny.
"280," the old man yelled.
"285!" Called Andy. The other man bowed out after this. It was down to Andy and the old man.
"287!" The man yelled.
"Why won't he let her go," Felicity moaned. "Whatever could he want with Penny?"
"Penny is a fine horse," Andy replied.
The bidding went all the way up to 300 pounds. The auctioneer was quite surprised as the two went back and forth.
"350!" The short, fat, balding, old man shouted.
"Mercy! Is he mad?" Andy said in complete shock. Felicity had worked herself into quite a tizzy,
"He must be one of those scoundrels with loads of money to waste," Andy said to her. "He doesn't care what he wins in an auction, just as long as he wins." Andy wasn't even sure if he should go any higher to get Felicity her horse. He had had a few bad nights of playing cards at the tavern, he knew he was going to have to stop.
"351." Andy yelled hoping that the old bald man would get the picture, and leave it alone. There was a silence, and a glimmer of hope spread onto Felicity's face.
"Going once, going twice," the auctioneer began.
"352," the old man croaked.
Andy grabbed a hold onto Felicity's sleeve. Her arms were flailing about. He believed that if he hadn't had held her back, she would have been all over that porky old man. Tears were streaming down her face. Andy knew it had been foolish getting so involved with a woman. He should have just let the Davidson boy deal with her.
"400!" Andy bellowed loud and clear. The audience was in shock. That was a good hundred pounds more than Penny should have gone for! Even Felicity was speechless, as well as feeling guilty at the same time. The old man threw his hat on the ground.
"That's ridiculous!" He yelled. "That nag isn't worth that much."
"Sold to the man with the pretty lady," the auctioneer announced. Felicity ran and threw her arms around Penny's neck. Once again everything was right with the world. Polly was going to be okay, Ben still loved her, and she had her horse back.
"You are a silly man," the auctioneer told Andy. "You could have bought a real fine racing horse for what you paid for that mare."
"Aye," Andy replied. "But a racing horse doesn't come with the lady."
Ben didn't arrive in Yorktown until late that night. It had taken him much longer due to all of the fighting that was going on around there, and Ben had to go off the beaten path, to get to his sister's house. His sister had a small farmhouse about five miles past Yorktown. He thought he was never going to get there. Ben didn't have to limp up to the door. As soon as she had heard the sound of horse hooves Connie was peeping out the window. A woman living alone was always out on the defense. She moved out onto the front porch. Could it really be?
"Ben!" She yelped and ran down the steps to greet her brother. Ben was so stiff from riding most of the day he was very happy to have help getting down off of Patriot.
"Oh Connie," Ben said. "With all the fighting going on around here you really shouldn't be here alone."
"I am fine Ben," she replied. "I have been helping the troops. I know a little about medicine and I can cook for them."
"Tis dangerous," Ben said. She helped him limp into the house.
"Any poor Patriot soldier boy that comes this way could have been you," Connie replied. "I would only hope that some nice person would only do the same for you. Come inside. Let me have a look at your leg."
"I can't stay long," Ben answered. "My leg is fine. I am here to collect my inheritance. I must get back to Williamsburg by tomorrow."
"I wish you could stay longer," said Connie. "But it is much safer over in Williamsburg than it is over here."
"Come back with me Connie," Ben said. "You have plenty of money. We can get you a room to stay in. You can't like living all alone like this."
Connie Davidson Fellows was only nineteen, but in those nineteen years she had seen quite bit of tragedy. Her parents had died, and the uncle she went to live with thought of her as a hindrance, and he pretty much ignored her. She was a Revolutionary War widow. She married at sixteen, and the very next morning her husband joined the army. Three months later she had gotten the letter saying he had been killed in action. Since then, she had been living in a small farmhouse outside of town, feeding and helping starving, wounded, soldiers, and tending to her garden.
She was a tiny, flat chested, woman, with a boyish figure, and a slightly long face. Though her brother was tall, Connie was very short. She had pretty hazel eyes, and her hair was the exact same honey shade as her brother's. Before the war she had worn her hair in long beautiful curls, but of late, she wore it back in a thick braid down her back, or up in her mop cap. She had the potential to be quite pretty, but she looked like she was about twelve years old, instead of nineteen.
"I don't know Ben," Connie answered. She had grown tired of the war raging on her doorstep. The war had consumed her life for five years, had killed her brother, and had wounded her brother. Perhaps she would enjoy being able to go outside for a walk during the day without having to worry about it being safe. Perhaps it would be nice to get away from all of the violence and death.
"You must come back," Ben pressed. "I am engaged now. Wouldn't you like to meet your future sister?"
"Oh Ben!" Connie gasped. "That is the most wonderful news. I am so excited for you! I bet I know who the lucky girl is."
"Ha," Ben laughed.
"It's the Felicity girl isn't it?" Connie replied.
"How'd you know?"
"Because whenever you would come for a visit you would spend it talking all about her and her horse. I know more about Felicity than I do about your apprenticeship." Connie said.
"You are right Connie," Ben said. "It is Miss Felicity. Please come back with me. I think you two would enjoy each other."
Connie bit her lip and looked back at the tiny, little, house that she had made her home for the past three years. She had loved the house because it had been her haven, her sanctuary, away from her uncle. It was so nice having a home and not feeling unwanted inside of it. She nodded her head.
"Good choice," Ben said and gave her a hug. "I am going to the plantation to see about the money. Can you be ready when I return?"
Connie nodded. She knew she wouldn't be able to take much, but she didn't require much to be happy. She was just happy to be wanted.
"All right then. We will leave for Williamsburg tonight."