XI
Five years passed, and Ben still had not forgotten his promise to save Lissie. Though Mr. Merriman would broach the subject of marriage now and then to his grown apprentice, it was without the same hopeful interest as before. Ben was all but blind to the droves of young female customers who patronised the store for a chance to be assisted by the tall young man. Mr. Merriman could hardly complain at the business his eligible apprentice unwittingly brought, but he wished Ben might forget his impossible love and choose one of the free and amiable ladies of the town. He was not foolish enough to press Ben as before, but tried a more subtle role in persuasion. Ben did his best to answer with civility, as he knew it impossible for his master to understand how desperately in earnest he was in loving his Lissie.
Mr. Merriman took a particular interest in Madeline Greene as a prospect for Ben. An orphan of means who lived with her ailing aunt, she found many excuses to drop by the store and procure any new or odd item that might relieve her aunt's maladies. Mr. Merriman was certain no woman in existence could be taken with so many ailments at once, and decided it was another reason entirely that had Miss Greene walking the half mile there and back with or without her chaperone, even in the most inclement weather.
Today, Miss Greene was intent on selecting a pair of mitts that must be small enough to "squeeze out the tiredness of my fingers," as her aunt had put it. Mr. Merriman did not say aloud that he thought her aunt might be better served at an apothecary. He was too preoccupied with searching out Ben's location. As he spied him restocking the tea, Mr. Merriman nodded in his direction.
"Perhaps your aunt might like some tea, as well. We have a fine import from India. Would you care for a pound?"
"Oh, do you think...?" Miss Greene shook her head and smiled. "You are always ready with a suggestion of how I might lighten my purse."
Mr. Merriman had the sense to look ashamed. "You must forgive me. I did not mean to presume."
"I was not offended," she laughed. "And I think I will take some tea today."
"Ben would be glad to assist you," he said, with more enthusiasm than was entirely necessary.
Ben had already finished his task, and was heading towards the stockroom to collect a delivery. He stopped in order to wait for the lady's answer, cringing a little at the thought that this was another one of Mr. Merriman's traps.
She noted his reluctance, and answered Mr. Merriman abruptly. "Mr. Davidson seems to be occupied with other matters. There is no need to trouble him."
Mr. Merriman tried to conceal his disappointment over the untimely delivery as he assisted the lady with the rest of her purchases. He noted how swiftly Ben donned his hat and cloak, billowing out into the rain to escape the well intentioned torment.
Perhaps there was nothing untoward in assisting a young lady who deemed it acceptable to go about town unaccompanied as she pleased; in truth, Ben cared little for matters of protocol, but he did care for Lissie. So much so, that even to speak too friendly or too long with another lady felt cruel.
Not heeding his direction, Ben found himself passing the tavern before he realised he was near it. The relentless downpour meant no lack of activity at Mr. Toddy's. If anything, the tavern was even more alive with travellers and locals alike, seeking a warm brew, and a reprieve from the outside chill. Ben pushed his way through the loud but congenial group of drinkers, made his delivery to Mr. Toddy and turned about to continue on his way.
A slight disturbance from a darkened corner of the tavern caught his attention. Toddy's daughter—a comely girl, but one of loose morals—was rejecting Jiggy Nye's obvious advances. Ben couldn't help but watch the exchange. He was well aware of how Jiggy Nye treated his own daughter, and had a queer curiosity to discover how he treated other men's. Though playful at first, it was evident Toddy's daughter was not appreciative of the extra attention for long, and when Jiggy Nye tried to grope her, she managed to extract herself from his grip by threatening to stop the flow of spirits.
Ben froze as Jiggy Nye met his eyes with a drunken scowl. "What are ye gawkin' at, boy? Do ye take offense at this face? Or is it the woman that makes yer eyes bulge?" He let out a throaty cackle. "I'll give ye some free advice," he slurred, "if they don't fear ye, they won't pleasure ye, neither." He sniffed hard and slammed his empty mug on the table, shouting at Toddy's daughter for more.
Ben was shaking when he abandoned the warm shelter of the tavern for the rain-soaked streets. He did not fear for himself. Jiggy Nye went through bouts of clarity, and at times would recognise Ben as the boy who had tried to "take what was his" away with a fistful of pennies, but he could do him no harm without risking imprisonment. What affected Ben so was the intolerable thought that Jiggy Nye may have touched Lissie that way; may have hurt her in a manner far worse than even bruises and burns that showed plain on her skin.
He pounded down the cobblestones, heart in his throat.
Lissie stood up in surprise when he barrelled through the door, dropping the mending from her lap and unto the floor. Her hair had grown back into the enticing length prior to its shearing, and she kept it carefully braided, and far away from anything of Jiggy Nye's. Her foot, however, had never fully healed, and as she went to be near Ben, she leaned against the table at the last step, unable to walk without a slight limp.
"Ben! What's happened? Are you hurt? Is Mr. Merriman well?"
He let her push him to the chair, supporting her gait as he caught his breath.
"Let me fetch you water."
"No," he said, hindering her by grasping her hand. "No, Lissie... there is something I must ask you."
Lissie knelt to put the pressure off her feet, keeping her hands tucked in his. "What is it? Have I done something wrong?"
Ben's outburst was something like a strangled cry, "No, you've never done a wrong in your life. But I needed to know... I had to find out... Lissie? Does he... does he touch you?"
Lissie's eyes were filling with tears. "You know he does. And more than that, he's burned me, starved me, beat me, and shorn my hair. You've seen it for yourself. Why are you asking me this?"
Ben shut his eyes and gritted his teeth against the meaning of his question. He couldn't bear to think of it, let alone speak it. He shivered at the gentle touch of his Lissie as she brought him back to meet her gaze, so full of concern for him. "What do you mean to ask me?"
"I saw him... Just now, at the tavern. He was with a girl, and the way he touched her..." Ben exhaled sharply and pressed his hand over his eyes. He was a scoundrel, coming here to worry Lissie into comforting him. It was he who should be comforting her.
Lissie tugged at him until his face was no longer hidden. She wiped the rebel tears from his cheek, as he had done for her so many times in the past. "Ben..." she said in a hush, and through the length of a single breath, the silence seemed to stretch on forever. "I am still pure for you."
Her self-proclaimed innocence only made him angrier with himself. "Oh, Lissie, I don't care because of that."
"I know," she said, nestling in his lap, and laying her head against him, "because you are everything that is good, and kind, and lovely in this world. But I have thought of it; how I am so little, and broken, and poor, with nothing to give you but troubles, and I've thought, 'There is that. The one thing he's not taken from me.' I want to give that to you, Benjamin Davidson. So that I can truly say I've given you all of me."
Ben could scarcely remember how to breathe. "Do you know what you're saying, Lissie?"
"Yes," she murmured, and then, "I don't mean now," she added with some force. "But I think if... if there was a time you should ask me, I would not refuse."
"I would never ask for such a thing before we were wed," he assured her. "And as I have promised to marry you, I have every intention of keeping that promise."
Lissie bit her lip. "I don't expect you to marry me. Not in the usual way that people do, with the church full of townsfolk, and the flowers, and the feasting. I should be more than happy if you only took my hand and said you were my husband."
"And I would do so at once, except that you deserve a real marriage. We may not be able to have the banns published, or procure a license, but at least let me take you to the blacksmith, and tell Mr. Merriman that I'm to bring you home."
Lissie sat up straight and turned to face him. "You mean to take me with you?"
"Of course! You expect me to leave my wife with the man who abuses her?" Ben's stomach did turns at the thought of Lissie being his wife.
"But what if he comes after me! What if I'm forced to go back? The law..."
"Any law that binds you to Jiggy Nye is a wrongful one. I'll keep you safe, my sweet Lissie. Will you at least... consider it?"
"I will," she promised, and sealed her oath with a kiss.
Author's Note:
If there's any man in the world more perfectly sweet than Benjamin Davidson, please let me know so that I can marry him. :P And then forget to feed him as I write a hundred more stories featuring him as the hero.