Past Destinies. Constance Ruth Clark

      “Come on, Black,” Elizabeth whispered to her aptly-named stallion as she turned him in the direction of Sarah Raven’s house.

      They had agreed to meet today to finish reading Jane Austin’s Emma. The two girls often got together to read books and poetry by different authors and to write their own ideas as well. Sarah was admittedly better at writing stories, but Elizabeth felt that her poetry could hold its own. They had entered numerous contests but had yet to win anything more than an honorable mention.

      Bending low over Black’s head, Elizabeth encouraged her horse to go faster across the field and to jump various stone walls as they rushed toward their destination. Elizabeth was riding sidesaddle. Although she preferred to ride astride, it wasn’t ladylike. She had been told so more times than she cared to remember, and of course one must be ladylike at all costs.

      Arriving in the Raven yard, she pulled Black up short, and he reared slightly before settling down and standing as she’d taught him. As Elizabeth jumped to the ground and tossed the reins over his head, Sarah came outside to greet her.

      “Elizabeth, I declare, someday you are going to kill yourself the way you ride that beast!” Sarah stood a safe distance away from Black’s flashing hooves, watching Elizabeth walk him toward the stable.

      A groom met her half-way, and she handed the reins over but didn’t let go of them.

      “See that he gets a full rubdown, and that he is not left with the saddle cinched. In fact, just take it off altogether.” She stared at the confident young man of about sixteen with suspicion. “Have you cared for my horse before?”

      “Yes, Miss Gates,” he replied with a smile. “I cared for him last week when you visited.”

      “Oh yes.” Elizabeth didn’t remember him, but he was probably right. “So you know what to do for him?”

      “Oh, for heaven’s sake Elizabeth, it’s only a horse!” Sarah said in exasperation. “Come into the house, we’ve more important things to do!”

      Releasing the reins, Elizabeth walked to where her friend was standing.

      “That horse means a great deal to me.” She frowned and looked back as the groom led him away. “I raised him from a colt.”

      Sarah shook her head and led the way inside. She was well aware of Elizabeth’s attachment to her horse, but Elizabeth knew she didn’t understand it. Sarah had made no secret of the fact that she thought horses were beasts of burden, not friends, an opinion Elizabeth had tried to change to no avail.

      That afternoon, after finishing Emma and settling comfortably on Sarah’s bed, as was their custom for literary activities, Sarah surprised her by asking, “Have you ever been kissed by a man?”

      “What?” Elizabeth looked at her friend in shock. “No. Never! Why on earth do you ask?”

      “Well…” Sarah blushed prettily and studied her hands.

      “Don’t tell me! Who kissed you?” she demanded with a laugh, half-horrified and half-excited at the thought.

      “Remember Billy Adams?” Sarah asked shyly.

      “Not little Billy Adams?” she asked in disbelief.

      “He’s not so little anymore,” Sarah said, laughing nervously. “He’s taller than you and I now.”

      “So what was it like?” Elizabeth looked closely at Sarah.

      She didn’t look any different. Wouldn’t she look, well, more grown up now that she’d been kissed?

      “It was a very interesting experience,” Sarah confided. “Of course I shouldn’t have let him kiss me at all, only I wanted so much to see what it was like.”

      “‘Oh Kiss, which dost those ruddy gems impart,’” Elizabeth quoted softly. “‘Or gems, or fruits of new-found paradise. Breathing all bliss as sweetening to the heart. Teaching dumb lips a nobler exercise!’” Elizabeth closed her eyes in bliss at the thoughts the poem conjured.

      “Shakespeare had it right!” Sarah sighed. “It is wonderful.”

      “The poem is beautiful and wonderfully romantic, but I’m sure a real kiss could never be as nice,” Elizabeth declared

      “I guess it all depends on who is doing the kissing,” Sarah remarked with a knowing look.

      “Don’t tell me you’re allowing Billy Adams to court you?” Elizabeth asked in disbelief. “Oh, it’s too silly to be real!”

      She laughed, jumping up and pretending to be a love-struck suitor overcome with Sarah’s beauty.

      “Elizabeth! Stop!” Sarah protested as she laughed helplessly at her best friend’s antics. “I really do like him.”

      Elizabeth raised her head from her prostrate position on the floor, all merriment forgotten. Slowly she stood up and returned to sit by her friend on the bed. Sarah stared back at her with eyes pleading for understanding.

      “Sarah, if this is what you want…if he is who you want, then I am very happy for you,” she said slowly and seriously.

      “I don’t know yet if he is who I want, but he is very nice, and I do like him very much,” Sarah said. “What about you? Jonas Carver has been rather forward in his attentions to you. One can only assume he must have encouragement.”

      “One can assume otherwise,” Elizabeth said, shaking her head firmly. “I have no intentions of seriously considering his suit.”

      “But why, Elizabeth? He is from a good family, he’s wealthy enough to make sure you and your family are well taken care of, and he seems like a perfect gentleman. I don’t understand your objection to him.”

      “For the sake of my family, I wish I could feel differently, but there is something about him I can’t quite trust,” she said earnestly. “While his words and actions are proper, I have a feeling there is something untoward under his gentlemanly exterior.”

      “What do you suspect?” Sarah leaned forward, her eyes wide with excitement.

      Elizabeth shook her head and frowned.

      “I’m not certain. While I do admit not being overly concerned with a gentleman’s attentions, I have never felt so uncomfortable with an admirer before,” she said.

      Sarah rolled her eyes. “Likely you’re just afraid that you finally have a beau,” she said with a little giggle.

      “Sarah!” Elizabeth said. “I promise I am not. I am not entirely averse to having a beau, just not Mr. Carver.”

      “Who, then?” Sarah pressed.

      “There is someone.” Elizabeth looked out of the corner of her eye at her friend and wondered if she was doing the right thing by revealing him.

      “I knew it!” Sarah squealed. “Tell me!”

      “Remember the fortune teller at the fair?”

      “Of course,” Sarah said and nodded. “You told me she said nothing of importance and was an old fool.”

      “I lied,” Elizabeth admitted. Standing, she hugged herself and walked over to stare out the window.

      “You lied?” Sarah sounded shocked.

      “She was anything but a fool. She showed me my soul mate,” Elizabeth admitted, refusing to look at her friend. She knew how crazy she was going to sound trying to clarify this.

      “Showed you? What do you mean?”

      “I