The days passed slowly and Felicity was much quieter than usual. She missed Ben, she missed Henry too. She felt awful for the break-up, turning-down real suitors was not as fun as it was in lessons with Miss Manderly, they did not take it graciously like the imaginary gentlemen in lessons. They hurt, they feel betrayed and they are angry, in all reality, men do not like to be rejected. Felicity felt silly for believing that Henry would accept, that after courting for the past few months, she would suddenly tell him that she did not care for him as much as he had thought and accept it as though she had told him it was going to rain tomorrow.
Elizabeth asked Felicity if she had turned Henry down and Felicity told her a summarized version of the turning down.
"I'm sorry it did not go well, Felicity. I thought he was a fine gentleman, I did not know he would be so rough." Elizabeth said sadly.
"Rough?" James said is a shocked yet sarcastic tone. The three of them were sitting in Elizabeth's garden sipping lemonade. Elizabeth had consulted James for his opinion on the matter, believing that a man's insight would do them good. "How would you feel if I suddenly told you that these past few months, I had tried to return your love? That I could not pretend any longer, I could no longer live a lie."
"I would feel horrible." Elizabeth said, placing her hand on top of his.
"Precisely, what else?" James pressed.
Elizabeth withdrew her hand and looked down at the liquid in her glass and admitted, "Angry."
"Angry, why?" he pressed further, getting closer to the point he was trying to make.
"Because someone who I believed cared deeply for me, someone who I trusted and loved was really just pretending—they were lying to me. I would be angry that someone I trusted lied to me." Elizabeth said, her brown eyes growing wide with understanding of Henry's behavior.
"I understand James, stop using Elizabeth, I understand, I have poor word choice." Felicity conceded.
"But he still did not have to behave violently." Elizabeth pointed out.
"No, that was bad form. Though very predictable—he is a man and there are flaws in character, we are not all gracious gentlemen like the gentler sex would like to believe."
"Such insight." Elizabeth said mockingly.
James took a sip of his lemonade and continued in a gentler tone, "Tis not your fault Felicity, there is no easy way to serve rejection. Put this behind you and move on. Tell me about this Benjamin, if he is going to be my wife's best friend's future husband I should bloody well like the chap, I may have to see him often, and from what my Elizabeth tells me this Benjamin is an even finer specimen of man—even if he is a Patriot!"