III

Ben was planning. He put a little of his money aside every day. He heard that Jiggy Nye was a greedy man and thought perhaps if he could give him money, he might let Felicity go. He looked at his small pile of coins, sighed sadly, and put it back into the wooden box of his very few possessions. He would never make enough to buy her freedom.

Felicity spoke much more now, and it always cheered him to listen to her voice. She noticed things that others never saw. She could find tiny beetles and worms for fishing bait when she felt brave enough to leave her post. She knew when Ben was sad, or angry, though he tried so hard to only show her happiness.

Though listening to Felicity was the best part of his day, it also made him sad. She had so little, and Jiggy Nye hurt her for the most simple of things.

"I kept looking for you," he said, one fine afternoon. "You haven't been outside in so many days."

"I had to spill something."

Ben was used to her simple, yet mysterious statements. "What do you mean?"

"If I'm too noisy and make mistakes he ties me up here so I'm not in the house. I dropped some things on purpose so he'd let me outside." Her timid green eyes sought his approval.

He didn't know what to say, so he changed the subject. "I'm learning to count the things in the storehouse. Soon I can lift big barrels like Marcus, but for now, my arms are too skinny." Felicity reached out to squeeze his arm, testing it. He laughed, as it tickled, and continued on. "I delivered some cornmeal since Marcus was busy, and Mr. Merriman gave me a ginger cookie!"

She gave him that curious tilt of the head which indicated she didn't understand.

"A cookie!" he cried. "Have you never had a cookie?"

He was sad for her. How could a person go on living without knowing the delights of a ginger cookie? "It's like a sweeter biscuit, but sharp, and tastes like..." Though he had her enraptured by the crude description, he could tell she was no closer to understanding. "I'll bring you one next time!" he promised.

But the next time, Ben brought several. Her eyes widened at the sight, and again when she tasted their sharp sweetness.

"My mother used to bake cookies like this for my birthday. Where is your mother?"

"In heaven, with baby sister. They left me because I'm a naughty girl." Ben paused his whittling to watch fresh tears form in her eyes.

"Why would you say that?"

"Mr. Nye says Mama was tired of my… my… use'tisness, and she went to heaven and took baby Nan with her, since I didn't deserve to go with them."

Ben flinched as the knife pierced his hand, but he ignored it. "Felicity, that is not true." She was startled by the harshness of his tone. "It is Mr. Nye who is evil, and you are good, and kind, and… and pretty!" He couldn't say what made him add the last part, but incensed as he was, all he could hope to do was persuade Felicity that Jiggy Nye was a liar. "Mr. Merriman told me your mother and sister died of a fever. That is not your fault, do you hear me?"

Felicity's lip trembled and she looked up to Ben with fearful eyes. "I'm sorry! I won't say so anymore!"

"Lissie," he soothed, setting down his craft and brushing away tears with his handkerchief. "I'm not angry with you. But you must know that it wasn't your fault."

"Truly?" she pleaded.

"Yes."

"Then why didn't I go to heaven, too?"

"Because…" the words Ben found felt silly and unimportant in the face of such a pitiful child and the weight of her tragedy, but he could think of nothing else to say, and the words were honest.

"I need you."

"You do?" Her face brightened as she was overcome with a new purpose.

"Aye. If you'd gone to heaven, I wouldn't have a friend here."

Felicity sat stunned. Her gaze flickered back and forth from Ben to the ground as she thought. "Then I'm glad I didn't go to heaven, yet."

Ben exhaled in relief. He absentmindedly reached for his tools again.

Felicity gasped suddenly. "Oh! You're bleeding!"

Ben reassessed his hand. There was a gash in the palm from his carelessness, agitated as he was by her distress. Felicity was quite concerned. "Give me part of your shirt," she said. "Like when you cleaned my hands…"

He was not acting quickly enough for her, so she took the hem of his shirt and tugged. Finally understanding, Ben cut a strip of cloth so she could bandage his wound.

All traces of sadness were gone as she concentrated on tending to him. Her head bent over the delicate work, and she paused only to brush the hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand. She finished the binding with a small knot, once again waiting for his smile of approval.

Ben was taken off guard when she shyly kissed the palm of his hand and hurried away to her lonely abode.

Author's Note: From now on, I'll be giving snippets of the next chapter to anyone who reviews! :) It is not a bribe. It is a gift. Of good will and... okay, I'm a terrible liar. It's a bribe. But remember, if you leave an anonymous review, I won't be able to send you a teaser!