In April, James asked for Elizabeth's hand.
"Oh Elizabeth! I'm so happy for you!" Felicity exclaimed swinging in a circle with Elizabeth in the middle of the Merriman's store.
"Congratulations child," Mister Merriman beamed from behind the counter.
"Sixteen and engaged!" Felicity continued, "Why Annabelle is not even engaged!—Elizabeth you are very much the catch! This calls for a sweet!" After much celebration and feasting on the sweets, Elizabeth left to go back home. Stepping outside after her friend, Felicity watched Elizabeth's yellow dress skip merrily up the street. Suddenly, Felicity felt very alone. Her closest friend was getting married and about to start a whole new life. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Felicity walked home to her garden to collect her thoughts. She sat in the dirt picking at a stubborn weed when her mother came out. "Your father tells me Elizabeth is to be married."
"Yes, in early October of next year." Felicity responded, looking up at her mother with sad eyes.
"What is it child?"
Felicity confessed to Mother her concerns about Elizabeth marrying and starting a new life, "Felicity, Elizabeth you best friend. There are things that women cannot tell even their husbands, she will always be your friend. But also, you have been carrying the sadness of Ben's disappearance for quite a while. We all loved him, but it would not dishonor his memory if you stopped mourning him and began living again. Right in front of you is an honest man, one who's kind and gentle and right before your eyes. Let him into your life and become a friend, dear one." Mrs. Merriman kissed the top of Felicity's head and went back into the house. Felicity sighed, maybe Mother is right.
The next day when Henry stopped by the store, Felicity took her mother's words to heart and for the first time accepted Henry's offer to escort her home. She felt a twinge of guilt in accepting the offer, especially because Henry was so shocked that he grinned the entire way home, did his look did have the appearance of self-satisfaction?
Felicity was warming up to him! Henry's happy heart sang. When they finally reached the Merriman's house, Henry lightly kissed Felicity's hand and then, as if an afterthought, quickly kissed her cheek. "Thank you Felicity for allowing me to walk you home." Henry said with a bow. Felicity let herself into the house and shut the door quickly. Leaning against it, she tenderly touched her cheek were the kiss lingered. It wasn't as horrid as she thought it would be What are you doing! Felicity conscious yelled.
After that Henry began to frequent the store more often in hopes of accompanying Felicity home. Felicity was slow to warm up to the idea of maybe something more than a mere friendship with Henry, she had to first put away an old dream. She had fallen in love with a dream of her and Ben happily sharing a life together, and she did not want to let that dream go –it was silly, he was all but six years older than she and could have met several more suitable girls than she . . . or worse, he could be dead. Maybe it was time to fall in love with a new dream, a dream that was more likely to become a reality than the former. Both Felicity's parents found Henry to be to their liking, as did her sisters, and Elizabeth and Henry got along well. Felicity could find no faults, though William could find plenty, with him save for the fact that he was not Ben. She knew she could not fault him for that. Maybe she could learn to love him.