“But I would take care of her,” said Felicity eagerly. “I would tame her and teach her. I would do everything.”
Ben looked up.
Mrs. Merriman sighed. “Lissie,” she said. “My impatient, headstrong Lissie. You have not the patience to sew a seam properly. You leave your writing practice half done. You lead your sister and brother to dangerous places and never stop to think. A willful girl and a willful horse is more than one family can handle. You must put that horse out of your head. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Felicity answered. For it was true, she did hear what her mother said. But she did not put the horse out of her head or her heart.
Ben’s Promise
It was better when she was outside. Felicity put on her shoes. Then she gathered her petticoats in her hand and ran fast through the garden, through the dark streets, past the sleeping houses. On she ran to the edge of town, where the trees grew close to the road and she was just another ghostly shadow.
By the time Felicity reached the pasture, she was out of breath. She stood on the lowest rail of the fence and searched the darkness for Penny. The horse was tied to a stake by a thick rope. Penny looked up and tossed her head.
Felicity did not dare speak aloud. “I’m here. It’s me,” she whispered to Penny. “You don’t have to trust me yet. But you will. I know you will.”
Penny did not move. Felicity left a small apple near the stake. “Good-bye,” she whispered. Then she ran home. The sky was only just beginning to grow light around the edges.
When Felicity came to breakfast, her mother looked at her. “Felicity!” she said. “Your petticoats are wet and muddy. Most likely your stockings are wet, too, all the way up to your garters. What on earth have you been doing?”
Felicity looked down at her muddy hem.
“I was just…just in the garden.”
Mrs. Merriman smiled. “Digging around the pumpkins you planted?” she asked. “My impatient one! They’ll not grow faster just to please you. Now sit down and eat your breakfast.”
I need breeches, thought Felicity. Then I can run freely. Then it won’t matter if I get wet and muddy. But how can I get them?
She found the answer in the mending pile. It was a pair of Ben’s breeches made of thin black cotton. Felicity knew Ben didn’t wear these breeches very often, just to church sometimes. He wouldn’t miss them if she borrowed them for a while.
The next morning before dawn, Felicity sneaked out of the house again. This time, she stopped by the stable. She had hidden Ben’s breeches there, under an old bucket. She put the breeches on over her shift and tied them around her waist with a rope. Ben was skinny but tall, so the breeches went down to Felicity’s ankles. As she ran through the silent streets toward the tannery, her legs felt so free! For once she could run as fast as she wanted to, without petticoats to hold her back.
Morning after morning, before anyone was awake, Felicity slipped out of the house to visit Penny. At first, Felicity stayed outside the pasture. After a few days, she sat on the top rail of the fence. She sat near, but not too near, the stake to which Penny was tied. Felicity never spoke aloud. She knew that if she were rough or noisy, she would frighten the horse. Even though Felicity couldn’t sit still for her stitchery, she could sit almost without moving at all when she was near Penny. She felt peaceful, sitting on the rail fence those misty gray mornings, watching the beautiful horse. Sometimes Penny was calm. Sometimes she pulled on her rope or raised her head to sniff the wind. She’s thinking about running away, thought Felicity. She’s thinking about freedom.
The first time Felicity climbed off the fence into the pasture, Penny tossed her head and danced about. But she did not whinny or shy away. Soon Felicity thought Penny expected her to come each morning and maybe even looked forward to seeing her. Penny knew Felicity was kind and patient and would not hurt her. With all her heart, Felicity wished she had more time to spend with Penny so that the horse would trust her completely.
One morning after breakfast, Felicity was trying to hide her yawns as she practiced her stitches. She sat up straight when she heard her mother ask, “Ben, did you put your breeches in the mending pile, as I told you to?”
“Yes, ma’am,” answered Ben.
“I don’t see them there,” said Mrs. Merriman. “Where are they?”
“I do not know, ma’am,” said Ben.
“Well, look about you, lad!” said Mrs. Merriman. “Breeches don’t just disappear!”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Ben.
Felicity kept her head down but watched Ben out of the corner of her eye. He looked confused and a little embarrassed. He has no idea what has happened to his breeches, thought Felicity. I wonder how he would feel if he did know?
But no one knew Felicity’s secret. No one knew about the lovely times she had with Penny all those dreamlike mornings. Felicity’s secret made her happy. All day long, while she was mending or practicing her writing or playing with Nan and William, Felicity thought about Penny. The beautiful horse was growing more friendly every day.
Felicity always took an apple to Penny. One morning, after Felicity had been visiting her for a few weeks, Penny took the apple right from her hand. Felicity held her breath when she felt Penny’s warm nose tickling her fingers. She stood still. She did not try to touch Penny. From that time on, Penny made a game of asking for the apple. She would nudge Felicity gently and nicker until Felicity held the apple out to her.
On one drizzly morning, Penny nuzzled Felicity for the apple as usual. But before she took it, Penny raised her head, whinnied, and seemed worried. Felicity stepped back.
“What’s wrong, Penny?” she whispered. Just then Felicity heard dogs barking and yowling. Mr. Nye! He was coming out to the pasture! Felicity dropped to the ground, rolled under the fence, and hid in the tall, scraggly grass. Penny whinnied and pawed the ground.
“Don’t start with me, ye useless horse!” Mr. Nye snarled. He came into the pasture and stood by the fence, near Felicity’s hiding spot. Felicity dared not move. Her heart thumped as she watched Mr. Nye put a bucket of water on the ground in front of Penny. “No oats till ye let me ride ye,” he muttered to the horse. “Starve to death for all I care.” As soon as Mr. Nye turned his back, Felicity got up and ran home as fast as she could.
But nothing—not even Mr. Nye—could keep Felicity away from Penny. The mornings grew more chill as September blew into October. Felicity shivered when she pulled herself out of bed these mornings. But the sky stayed dark longer, so she had more time with Penny.
There was frost on the grass the morning Felicity untied Penny’s rope from the stake and led her around the pasture for the first time. Penny followed behind Felicity, leaving the whole length of the rope between them. But after a week or so, Penny followed with her nose right next to Felicity’s shoulder. Sometimes Penny even pushed at her playfully. At the end of their walks, Penny let Felicity stroke her neck and rub her nose.
“Aye, that’s my girl,” Felicity whispered in her ear. “You know I love you, don’t you, Penny? Don’t you, girl?