Gunpowder and Tea Cakes: My Journey with Felicity

I decide to stay in Williamsburg. I want to learn as much as I can about colonial days—good and bad. I hear Felicity’s footsteps, so I walk back around the corner. I sip the cool water, which helps me feel a bit better. Mrs. Merriman comes up to us. Felicity introduces me and tells her mother that I lost my father in the crowds. I joke around that my father isn’t worried. He may even march off with the militia. Mrs. Merriman asks me where my mother is, and I tell her she died last year. Mrs. Merriman gently strokes a strand of hair away from my face. She says that the troubles brewing between the colonies and King George will bring hardship to young girls and children like me and Felicity. She’s right. The Revolutionary War lasted years, and many soldiers were killed.

Before we head inside to change my clothes, Marcus comes outside. He’s wondering what he should bring out to the carriage. Mother explains she was considering taking the children to King’s Creek. Felicity says that’s her grandfather’s plantation. They used to spend the summers there. But now that there’s so much unrest in Williamsburg, her mother is worried. Patriot militias are coming to the city, and there are rumors of British troops marching from the coast.

Mrs. Merriman turns to me. She says I’m welcome to go to King’s Creek with them.