Notes and Disclaimer: So, I had a minor panic/ internal debate right before I posted this chapter about if the boys should have gone to Yale or not, I was consoled by my sister, who gave me this advice "I think they should go to Yale. Some strapping young Yale men, it just sounds manly" so I couldn't disagree with that. Plus it works with the Stratton thing, has anyone gotten that reference? Characters belong to the Pleasant Company.
More Than This
An American Girl: Felicity Fanfiction
By: DaggerQuill
Chapter Five
Nan could not believe this was happening. With nothing more than a few letters and one meal, her parents were going to decide whether her sister would be safe traveling with these two boys. As if her parents hadn't made their decision before Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Stratton arrived, they had managed to completely charm them in less than ten minutes.
She couldn't understand why. They had arrived an hour and a half late, and yes, they were polite and eloquent, but Mr. Lockwood stared at her while she was introducing herself and they practically ran to the dining room the moment it was announced that the food was ready.
While everyone was being seated there was a terribly awkward exchange between Mr. Stratton, who was seated on Nan's side of the table and Mr. Lockwood, who for a reason he wouldn't explain, also wanted to be, despite the open chair right next to him. This lack of candidness was very different for the rest of the evening, where it seemed they had no reservation about any subject.
"We started in the same dormitory at Yale." Mr. Stratton told them, "but soon enough the faculty began their four year challenge to keep us separate as often as possible."
"An unsuccessful effort, I'm assuming." Her Father laughed.
"Usually," Mr. Lockwood agreed, "but they did best us once or twice, didn't they Nathaniel."
Mr. Stratton laughed, "The night with the vinegar and the fireworks?" Mr. Lockwood nodded with a coy smile and Felicity, who had apparently heard the story, snorted into her wine.
"What did you study at Yale?" Mother asked.
"I studied business," Nathaniel said. "I am an only child, and am to someday take over my family's affairs. Andrew was trained for the church, an occupation which he never intends to pursue."
"Why ever not, Mr. Lockwood?" Nan asked.
Mr. Lockwood seemed startled but pleased that she had addressed him. "It seems such a banal occupation." He said with a smirk.
"I think it is completely admirable." Nan disagreed, causing his grin to instantly fall.
"Well," he faltered, "Perhaps someday. Your sister loves to tell me that someday I will settle down completely, with my parish and my slippers and be happy somehow. For now that is simply not a life for me."
"Andrew and Nathaniel have vowed never to get married, but I know better; they'll change their minds." Felicity announced.
Father laughed loudly at the comment. "Why, my dear girl, is that?" he asked.
"Felicity!" Nathaniel scolded. Ben had been at the table for the entire meal, but seemed to have only been brought to the present by Mr. Stratton's slightly harsh tone. "There is no need for this tonight."
"Andrew cannot let an afternoon pass with out changing his waistcoat, so finding a person to spend the rest of his life with would be next to impossible. And Nathaniel," Felicity continued, smiling triumphantly at him while he glared back at her. "Nathaniel has declared that he is too much of a rogue for marriage."
"I plan on squandering my inheritance away on drinking and at the poker tables. The only honorable intention I can manage is to not disappoint some poor girl who gets stuck with me." Mr. Stratton said, his voice light but his cheeks were burning red.
Nan looked around the table, her younger siblings were clearly tired and uninterested, but Felicity and her parents were laughing uncontrollably. Ben's baffled expression matched exactly what Nan was thinking. Her sister was parading with these children disguised as gentleman, and her parents seemed to love them.
After supper William had been asked to take Polly up to bed, while everyone else went to the parlor for drinks, which their guests were very quick to accept. They spent the evening listening the boys tell stories of their time at University, where apparently their nonsense was very commonplace. Once the fire began to die down Mrs. Merriman proposed that it was time to retire for the night.
"Mr. Stratton, Mr. Lockwood, please let me take you upstairs, you will sleep in Nan and Polly's room, if that's alright with you."
"Of course, that's perfect, thank you, Mrs. Merriman. I hadn't noticed how late it was, and think we're leaving early tomorrow morning." Mr. Lockwood said.
"Early?" Ben said suddenly, speaking for the first time that night.
"They think anything before noon is early." Felicity told him rolling her eyes. "We're leaving after breakfast."
"After breakfast," Ben smiled. "Well then, Goodnight Lissie."
Nan saw Mr. Stratton and Mr. Lockwood's heads snapped around to face each other. 'Lissie?' Mr. Lockwood mouthed dramatically. Nan couldn't keep her exasperation silent as she set her sampler on the table and went up to bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"You are really going with them?" Nan asked the moment she closed the door behind them.
"Of course I am, I have to go and see Elizabeth's wedding. They're my friends Nan, please try and get along with them." Felicity said with a smile. "Come with us tonight?"
"Tonight!?"
"They haven't had a proper tour of Williamsburg." Felicity said with a girn.
"Felicity, 'tis already past midnight!" Nan protested.
"So, 'tis not like they've never seen the inside of a wigmakers or tailors. We're just going for a walk. I have a feeling Andrew would like nothing better. He seemed captivated by you at supper."
Felicity was shocked to hear Nan made a noise of disgust.
"Nan! You can't be rude!"
"I can be polite toward him, but honestly did you hear them going on at supper?"
"They can be silly, but they are absolutely wonderful. Please come?"
"Is the younger Miss Merriman joining us this evening?" Mr. Stratton whispered, the boys entering Felicity's bedchamber with no warning.
"Please, Nan. It's my last night home." Felicity begged.
"Oh, yes, Miss Merriman, we would love your company." Andrew said in an excessively sincere tone.
"I, no. I have to go to bed. I have lessons in the morning, and, I… I can't."
Felicity pulled her aside. "If you stay, you won't say anything to Mother or Father or … or anyone else, will you?"
Nan was surprised, and nearly offended, at the same time she wondered if Felicity was more worried about their parents finding out or the 'anyone else' she had referred too. "Of course not! I may not approve, but I won't get you into trouble."
"Thank you, Nan. Are you sure you won't come. It really will be a good time."
Nan glanced at Andrew, who even without hearing their conversation was looking at her expectantly. "I'm sure." She said in a decisive voice.
"Alright." Felicity agreed, kissing her sister on the top of her head and walking softly toward the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Felicity leaned backwards into the grass, one boy on either side of her, as her eyes struggled to stay open. The rise of the hill still allowed her to see the rippling reflection of the stars in the pond.
"But then, Ben caught me in the barn one morning putting on his missing breeches, which I did so my Mother wouldn't notice my skirts getting dirty." She laughed.
She'd been telling them the story of how she'd trained Penny since they had passed by Jiggy Nye's house several hours ago.
Felicity had never gone out in the middle of the night without a purpose and was surprised at how quiet the night was, and how little there was to do. They had quietly roamed through the streets while Felicity gave them a tour of the town, pointing out shops and houses, and telling the boys all about the people who lived and worked there.
After a few hours of directionless wandering Nathaniel proposed they sit on the bank of a large pond they ran into hidden in the trees, about a quarter mile behind Mr. Randolph's house. Once they were comfortable he pulled a rather large bottle of wine out of his coat, which they had been passing between them selves since.
"So your plan was foiled!" Andrew exclaimed a bit too loudly. "You already have a reputation for sneaking out, don't you, Felicity?"
"I suppose I do" she giggled. "But my plan wasn't foiled. Ben helped me continue lying to my parents, and stood up for me when I got into trouble."
Nathaniel snorted. "That's really quite a role model, how old were you, ten? And stealing horses?"
"I was nine!" Felicity laughed. "But, it was when we became friends."
"And what about now, would he help you lie if he found out about tonight?"
"I don't know!" She said, surprised to hear her tone becoming defensive. She didn't want to think about the feeling she had that even if Ben would lie for her about going out with Andrew and Nathaniel, he would be upset with her. "And besides, since he's been back he's been out riding with me every morning at dawn. And we don't have any reason to lie to anyone." She did not understand why she felt like she had to defend the time she spent with Ben to these boys who had been her friends for so long.
After an awkward pause, Andrew pointed at the hazy gray light was appearing over the eastern horizon "I hope you weren't planning on meeting him this morning." He said with a grin.
Felicity opened her eyes and the rising sun sent a jolt through her. "I am!" she exclaimed, leaping up.
"But we're leaving!" Nathaniel protested.
"We're leaving after breakfast." Andrew pointed out, now understanding last night's exchange.
"My mother will be awake soon!" Felicity added chaotically shoving her feet into her shoes before running down the road.
The boys chased after her and their journey home had become a kind of race until the moment they were in view of the back gate. Felicity stopped abruptly and pulled them down so they were hidden from the house behind bushes. "I'm going straight to the barn." She informed them, whispering orders. "You two go to the back door and go straight up to bed, and be quieter than humanly possible!"
"Yes, Sir." Nathaniel said, mockingly saluting her.
Felicity lingered for a moment as she watched them make their way through the gardens. Once they had made it into the house she stood and took a deep breath. She knew it was going to be a difficult morning, but she reminded her self that in only a few hours she could sleep the entire day on her ride to New York.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ben and Felicity were late for breakfast that morning. No one else seemed to mind, or even seemed very surprised, but once they got home and realized it, Ben and Felicity looked at each other sharing confused expressions while Ben tried to think through the morning. Felicity had been late, an unprecedented event, but he'd managed to ready the horses before she arrived, and it was hardly a set back at all. When he'd asked why, she told him she had been up late packing and hadn't gotten much sleep, he didn't think too much of it, and as the morning went on she'd slowly become livelier.
He was sure their ride had gone just like any other morning, discussing their daily news. She told him of the mess Polly had accidentally made while they had prepared dinner last night, and he'd had just received a letter from a friend who was in his regiment and had just gotten job in Yorktown.
Mostly Felicity talked about her trip. She couldn't wait to go back to New York. Ben didn't know why, but it bothered him, how excited she was to leave. He understood that she would want to see Elizabeth married, and that she would want to spend time with her friends. He even sort of understood that she wanted to see Annabelle's baby, but all of the reasoning he had done he still wanted to protest, even with no place or reason.
Of course he said nothing while they ate their lukewarm breakfast, when he helped her carry her things down from her bedchamber, or when everyone went out to the front porch to see her off.
"We promise to take excellent care of her, sir" Mr. Stratton promised Felicity's parents, while she hugged them both giving them each a kiss on the cheek. William seemed to want no part in the goodbyes. He squirmed out of his sisters attempted embrace and hastily muttered a farewell.
"Promise you won't be gone so long this time?" Polly asked, as Felicity picked her up.
"I promise. I'll be back in a few months, and you will be spending the entire summer at the plantation, you won't even notice I'm gone when you get to play there all day." She assured her, putting her back on the porch and kissing the top of her head.
Felicity hugged Nan who warned the side of her head to "Be careful!"
"Of course I'll be careful, there's nothing to worry about." Felicity laughed and held her sister closer.
"It's been a pleasure Miss Merriman." Mr. Lockwood said sincerely to Nan, appearing suddenly at her side.
"Indeed." She replied in a tight voice, not looking at the poor boy.
Ben was the only person she hadn't said goodbye to, and when she turned toward him he had an urge to grab her around the waist and kiss her. Felicity was walking towards him when Mr. Lockwood suddenly walked passed, bumping her along the way. She stumbled toward Ben, who was so surprised by his sudden thought that he stumbled a few steps backwards. He managed to reach for her at the last moment. Once they had regained their balance Ben did have one hand on her waist, the other holding the top of her arm, while her hands were on his shoulder and the other his elbow. Neither of them moved.
Ben could feel her looking up at him, and standing this close together, just as she was leaving, he wanted to say something important, but he didn't know what. Before he had time to think of anything he heard one of the boys, who had obviously pushed her toward him only a second before, pointedly clearing their throats. Felicity merely said "Goodbye" standing on her toes to quickly kiss him on the cheek, and then sweeping off the porch and into the carriage. Mr. Stratton and Mr. Lockwood followed her in, grinning and waving at the Merrimans.
"I'm not sure I trust them." Ben said, quiet enough so that only Nan could hear.
"Ha!" She exclaimed, even quieter, "You should have been there last night!"
"What happened last night?" Ben asked shaken by this offhand comment.
"I'm not allowed to say." she said with a coy grin as she walked back into the house.
Ben followed after her "Nan!" He hissed. "Nan, what happened last night?" but she walked away, shaking her head.
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