It's Hard to Refuse You

Epilogue

When Louisa Prentis, the only child of prosperous Richmond storekeeper Charles Prentis was betrothed to Edgar Canby, the young owner of Myrtle Manor Plantation in April of 1800, no one in Richmond was surprised. The young man had long been smitten with the lovely Louisa, and when his father passed on after a long and debilitating illness, it was clear that the young man would need a wife. He had doubled his efforts to convince Louisa Prentis that she was that woman.

Louisa had taken her time making her choice. She had dissected the prospects of the young men in Richmond with the dexterity of a surgeon until she finally settled on Edgar, and everyone who knew the young couple was pleased that his persistent wooing had finally won the day. Wealthy, good looking and intelligent, he was a man that she could love, respect and understand. The fact that his kiss, when she finally allowed him to kiss her properly, took her breath away certainly sealed the deal.

Her parents, Charles and Nan Prentis, and her bachelor uncle, Brent Davidson, who was also a prosperous Richmond businessman, were all pleased by the match. Canby's home in town was one of the finest homes in the city, and his plantation just outside the town was equally well known.

Their plans for their lavish engagement party had been the talk of the town, and it was indeed a glittering affair, all that she had ever dreamed of, but Louisa was more concerned with their upcoming trip to Virginia. Edgar was coming along to meet the rest of Louisa's family. All of Louisa's extensive family met every summer for a barbecue at her Uncle Ben Davidson's horse farm.

In her gown of white lawn, Louisa and Edgar took a few moments to sip some punch and as they surveyed the party. She smiled. The four downstairs rooms and hallway of her parent's house had been opened up for the reception and dancing, and people were milling about, having a wonderful time.

Richmond took its dancing seriously. It was a great comfort to Louisa that she had found a man who could manage the traditional Virginia reels, as well as do an elegant waltz. She did so love to dance.

Edgar, as he adjusted the flower in his buttonhole, thought about the upcoming trip. He had heard of the Davidson's horse farm. Nearly everyone in Virginia had. The Davidson horses were known all over the world for their speed and their strength. He was looking forward to seeing King's Creek for himself.

Louisa had told him many things about her family over the years. She had told him stories she had heard about her great-grandfather, who had started King's Creek as a plantation, growing oats and wheat, and how he had left it to her Merriman grandmother and grandfather, when he had passed away. She had not known her grandmother, but her grandfather had lived a long life, and Louisa could tell many stories about him.

She had grieved long and hard when she had received the news of his passing. She had been a child then, but Edgar had known her as a child, and remembered well how solemn she had gotten the year Edward Merriman had died.

Long before Edward Merriman's passing, though, he had given the plantation over to his eldest child, Felicity, and her husband, Benjamin Davidson. His only son had died in childhood, and Felicity, Louisa told him, had been the eldest daughter, and her father's favorite. According to Louisa, her Aunt Felicity's husband had started off as an apprentice at the elder Mr. Merriman's store in Williamsburg. Later on, not long after he had married his wife, Ben and his brother, Bryce, had turned the plantation into Virginia's finest farm for breeding and training horses.

"You'll adore my Aunt Felicity," Louisa assured him, as they went into the Prentis parlor the day after their engagement party to have tea. "She and my mother are quite different, though. Felicity has more spirit." She reached for the caddy, and the fragrant smell of the tea leaves filled the room.

Edgar considered this. Nan Prentis was a perfect lady at all times, and often made Edgar nervous. Perhaps Aunt Felicity would be more fun. Edgar was a man of the world, most used to city life. He had able managers for his own plantation and didn't spend a lot of time there. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to live in the country all year round like the Davidson family did, and wondered how he would feel out at their country home. He might need extra help to get used to this plantation Louisa was always talking about, but he was bound and determined to do so. His future wife obviously loved the place, and he wanted to love it, too, for her sake, but he was quite sure it would be much different from his plantation outside of the large city of Richmond.

"Your Aunt Felicity has four children, does she not?" Edgar asked, as a servant brought in the tea things and a platter heaped with ginger cookies. Louisa served tea like a gentlewoman. It was comforting to see her carefully handle the teapot. It reminded him of his mother, and how she liked to fuss when company came to call. He hoped at some point to be able to take her along to meet the rest of Louisa's family, but she was too exhausted from the preparations for the engagement party to even consider making this particular upcoming trip.

"Yes. Matthew is the eldest. He married a girl from Charleston last year…Claire McIntosh. The McIntosh family has been friends with my family as long as I can remember. Their son, John is married to my cousin, Ann. She's the only daughter of Bryce Davidson and his wife, Elizabeth. They also have a son named William, but he is not married."

"Your cousins married quite young," Edgar commented, taking up his delicate china teacup.

"So did my Aunt Felicity, and my mother, for that matter," Nan said with a smile. "When the members of my family make up their minds, they really do make up their minds and stand by their decisions."

She dismissed the servant, and then continued. "John and Ann live on the McIntosh plantation. My cousin Mercy, Matthew's younger sister, married John's brother, Thomas. He works in his father's business in town. Mark Davidson is unmarried as of yet. My father would like him to move here to Richmond and help him with the stores, but we'll see. Ben and Felicity's youngest, Minette, is much too young to marry at present. I think Connor McIntosh is sweet on her, though, and my Aunt Felicity is pressing his suit. Aunt Felicity would like to see Matthew and Connor take over the farm some day. They are the best with horses, and get along about as well as Ben and Bryce."

"I take it I'd better get along with the McIntosh family," Edgar teased her. "You seem to be quite connected to them. Didn't they have a relative for you to marry?"

Louisa laughed. "No, but they have two other daughters, Mary Jane Middleton and Margaret Johnston. Their husbands are both prosperous rice planters in Charleston. It isn't as bad as it sounds, you see. We do bring new blood into the family, my darling. Aunt Elizabeth was a Cole, and while it's true, her sister, Annabelle, married my Uncle Brandon Davidson; it was only after they had both been widowed. His first wife was my father's older sister, Louisa. That's the one I'm named for. They have two daughters, Constance and Catherine. And my Aunt Polly Merriman married a man from a neighboring plantation, Edward Wentworth. They have three children. The oldest is named after his father, and the girls are named Charlotte and Julia, after his mother and grandmother."

"I will never be able to sort all these people out," Edgar told his betrothed. "I can't wait to start putting more faces to these names."

"They will all love you, as I do," Louisa said solemnly, helping herself to a ginger cookie.

As they packed for the trip to King's Creek, Louisa and her mother chattered about the successful engagement party. Nan had been well-satisfied with the music, food, and the number of prosperous Richmond families who had seen fit to attend. She was high society by Richmond standards, and she enjoyed that.

"I couldn't get over how fast they played the reels," Nan commented to her daughter as they folded petticoats and sorted through ribbons. "It reminded me of the dance lessons I took when I was a child in Williamsburg. I did so love to dance, much more than your Aunt Felicity did."

"Aunt Felicity and Uncle Ben dance beautifully together," Louisa said with a toss of her head.

"He wasn't the best dancer I ever saw, but he was the only one who could ever coax her into enjoying a dance. He took her to a ball at the Governor's mansion when she was not more than a child...ten or twelve, I think. I'll never forget it. She had a beautiful blue dress trimmed with lace, and he looked so handsome. I was wild with jealousy at her for getting such an opportunity."

"Ben went to the Governor's mansion?" Louisa looked up surprised. "Wasn't that an awkward thing to do at the time? That was right as the war was starting, was it not, and Ben was a patriot."

"Yes, but Felicity wanted to go. It was considered quite lucky to receive an invitation to the palace. Your grandfather could not take her, as my mother was recovering from a very serious illness at the time, and he could not leave her. Ben offered to escort Felicity because Felicity had worked so hard at her dancing lessons, and was so looking forward to wearing that new dress." Nan sighed. "It was so romantic. I watched them ride away, and I think I thought right then for the first time about what a lovely couple they might make."

"I never think of Uncle Ben and Aunt Felicity as being particularly romantic," Louisa admitted. "They're very loving toward each other, but so practical, and I have a hard time picturing Aunt Felicity decked out in lace. In my best memories of her, she's wearing a riding habit!"

They both laughed. Charles, passing though the hall, came in then, to find out what the merriment was about.

"We're trying to think of our best memories of Felicity," Nan said, wiping the mirth from her eyes.

Charles smiled. "I like to think of her as she was on the day that Matthew was born. He was such a perfect baby. Ben was a wreck waiting for that child to finally come into the world, and was over the moon when he did. The first thing Felicity wanted afterward was the biggest possible breakfast. She was always so happy and strong, but that day was the one that will stay longest in my mind."

Nan's face shadowed, as she remembered the day Louisa had been born, and the terrible moment she had found out she would not be having any more children. Charles had never held that against her though, and they were so proud of their only child. Privately Nan hoped that Edgar and Louisa would have better luck, and produce a lot of grandchildren for them to spoil.

Edgar had grown more apprehensive during the long ride to King's Creek, but he was much impressed by the Davidson's horse farm when they arrived, and found it quite easy to fit in. Louisa, Ben and Felicity gave Edgar a tour of the stables and tack room. As he perched with Felicity Davidson on the top rail of the corral, a tall, brawny servant named Sam led each of Ben Davidson's horses out of the barn, one by one, so that Edgar could admire them.

He and Ben and Bryce talked horses endlessly, and Felicity often joined in. She was, Edgar quickly realized, as knowledgeable about them as any man he had ever met, and Louisa's fiancé grew especially fond of Felicity Merriman very quickly. She was the perfect hostess, and was very sympathetic to young lovers. As soon as she greeted them at the door, with a white shawl draped carefully over her exquisite shoulders, and her red hair blazing, and a wide smile on her lips, he was smitten.

"How long have you been married, Madam?" he asked her, as Ben and Bryce conferred with Sam about one of the horses.

"Oh, I can hardly remember a time when I was not married," Felicity said solemnly, but her eyes were dancing as she looked into the corral at her husband.

Ben heard that, and looked back at his wife. "It's been nearly forever, or at least it's felt that way. This woman has been a tribulation at times, I must say," he said, just as solemnly, but his eyes were dancing, too.

"I took a chance on you, Mr. Davidson" Felicity answered, smiling, "but that's what love is. It's a chancy, chancy thing."

They all laughed merrily at Felicity's observation and Ben's teasing. Edgar admired the way the two of them could joke together, and hoped he and Louisa would be that comfortable with each other when they had been married, as Ben Davidson put it, "nearly forever."

The room they had given Edgar faced west. He could see the green pastures between the house and the river. It was a spectacular view. At dinner that first night, Felicity Davidson sat at the end of the table wearing a fine silk dress. It was periwinkle blue in color, and reminded Edgar of moonbeams on water. White lace edged the square cut bodice and there were dainty blue bows in the sleeves. She was also a spectacular view. If she had been ten years younger, Edgar thought, he would have been more smitten than he already was. It would be a pleasure having her for a kinswoman. Ben Davidson would be an asset as well. He was a strong, handsome, sensible man with a firm chin and clear eyes. He was definitely much older than his wife. Edgar could see that his future wife hasn't been exaggerating about that. Felicity Merriman must have been a precocious child to catch and hold the eye of a man like Ben Davidson for as long as she had, or at least a determined young woman.

When the hectic pace of the weekend got to be too much, Louisa took Edgar for a walk to the burial ground, which was a very peaceful place, and gave Edgar an even stronger sense of what family meant to his wife-to-be. He wondered what it would have been like if Felicity's brother had lived. Would everyone still be together? It was hard to imagine King's Creek without Ben Davidson in charge. He had such an obvious love for the land.

Edgar had been very impressed by Sam, the man in charge of managing the horses. Ben Davidson explained to him that Sam was the grandson of Saul, the man who had been in charge of the plantation when Felicity's grandfather had been running it. Such a long unbroken connection to the land was something that Edgar could appreciate. He vowed to himself, that once he was settled down, he would give his own country home more attention.

The barbecue was a great success, and the table was draped with linen and set with china and silver as fine as any Edgar had ever seen at any Richmond Ball. As a well-trained servant handed Edgar his plate and a glass of wine, he closed his eyes and just breathed in the scent of the good cooking mixed with the fresh, sweet air. It was delightful. It was heavenly.

Everyone who came to the barbecue had a lot of suggestions for the wedding, and all of the arrangements were quickly made over pulled pork and potato salad. The entire Merriman clan was looking forward to seeing another one of the girls wed, and Nan was proud and happy when she was asked to make her daughter's wedding dress.

"I know you will do a wonderful job, Mother," Louisa said, looking at Nan with love in her eyes.

"Of course she will. When she gets finished with that dress, you will look like a princess. No one can sew as well as Nan," Felicity said wryly, putting a hand to her head, which puzzled Edgar, but he shrugged it off.

They began to discuss news of the day, and Edgar was also impressed by how interested they were in the doings of the world. These were not simple farmers by any means. They sincerely mourned the death of General George Washington the previous December. Ben Davidson had actually seen the famous general in person during the war, and Edgar was very impressed.

Patrick Henry has also passed away the year before, and the entire Davidson clan had mourned him as well. They had forgiven him for his desertion, along with Thomas Jefferson, of Williamsburg, since he had proved so able a Governor. No one had ever doubted his patriotism, either, and his "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech was legendary.

The fifth president of the United States in Congress assembled under the Articles of Confederation, Thomas Mifflin, had just passed away in January, and the Continental Congressman from Rhode Island, Ezekiel Cornell, has passed away in April. It seemed as if all of the great heroes of the war were being lost.

A new mansion was being built in Washington for future presidents to reside in, and they all hoped that it would be competed soon, so that whoever was elected president that year would be able to move into it. Voting has started in April, but was not expected to be completed until the fall, and it would be early in 1801 before a decision would be announced. The majority of the Davidson family favored John Adams for the office, and they had a keen political debate about his qualifications, with the women having as strong an opinion in most cases as the men. That surprised and delighted Edgar. He'd known many young ladies who preferred to keep their opinions to themselves, thinking it unwomanly to engage in such talk, but politics fascinated him, and it was a relief to see his in-laws were of much the same mind. The U.S. Congress would be holding its first Washington session that November.

They laughed over the fact that in January the previous year, British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger had introduced an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.

"They never did, it seems, learn their lessons about taxation," Bryce Davidson remarked dryly.

"Napoleon calls himself First Consul," Ben Davidson replied, sipping a glass of wine, "but trust me, some day he will be emperor. He fancies himself master of Europe no doubt, but he will find Europe a difficult thing to master."

"They never learned their lesson about war, either," said Felicity, signaling for the dessert course.

"New York has passed a law aimed at abolishing slavery in the state," Charles Prentice remarked. Everyone looked pained at this.

"It is a difficult question," said Ben with a sigh, watching the servants begin to bring out the dessert, a perfectly baked assortment of pies. "I do not see my slaves simply as property; they are people as well, and I have no respect for any man who mistreats his slaves, but I do not know how we would be able to maintain our way of life without them. Things must change a great deal for us to be able to do that, but I do think at some point the question will have to be taken more seriously than it is now."

They began to reminisce, and Edgar was soon laughing at their many traditional family stories. Ben told a thrilling tale about how Felicity had borrowed a pair of his breeches to wear while sneaking out at night to train her first horse that had all of the younger women in the family both delighted and scandalized, for scandals can be very delicious in retrospect.

The younger members of the family recalled past celebrations, barbecues, birthday parties, balls, and previous summer days whiled away at the plantation. Felicity's Minette had wandered away from the table to sit on a brightly colored quilt and teach Polly's youngest, Julia, how to blow bubbles, and Felicity shook her head and smiled at her fiery haired young daughter, remembering how she had done that as a child. Some things never changed.

It was legend in the family how Ben and Felicity had stood on the porch of the Merriman house in Williamsburg, to greet the invading British soldiers. Their fond tales of the old town made Edgar wish he could have seen it when it was thriving, but he could not imagine the family being as happy anywhere as they were at the plantation. He couldn't wait to come back with his mother, and had already started planning a return visit in his mind. He knew that she would enjoy and appreciate the place as much as he did, and that she would be comforted by his future wife's close knit family. Christmas was a possibility. Christmas with the Davidson family would be jolly.

As they were preparing for bed that night, Felicity asked Ben what he thought of Edgar, as she slipped off her shoes and stockings.

"Does it matter what I think?" Ben replied. "If Louisa is happy, then it is not for me to question her choice, but I do think her namesake would have been as proud of her as her parents are, and proud of this young man."

"Poor Louisa," Felicity said with a sigh. "She would have so loved seeing her niece married. I miss her at family occasions such as this, although I know that Brandon and Annabelle are happy, I often think of her. She lives in my memory. She will always be there."

"Mine as well," Ben admitted. "She was the playmate of my childhood years, and grew into a steadfast friend."

"Did you ever regret not marrying her?"

Ben laughed, and drew his wife close. "I have no reason to regret anything. I could not have married Louisa because she never loved me and by the time the talk of marriage began, my heart was already firmly attached to another." He kissed his wife. "I owe you everything I hold most dear, it's true, but of everything I have, you are the thing I love the most."

It was twilight on the plantation, and the air had cooled and softened. The wind was rustling the trees outside the house as Felicity's arms wound around him, as eager as they had ever been. As he slid his hands over her to undress her, he remembered the first time he had done so. The impatient pull of desire had never left them, but the urgency was tempered with the tenderness that had grown between them through the years.

"Please," she murmured against his mouth. "Please?"

"Felicity," Ben murmured back, "it's always been hard to refuse you."

The End, at last.