Riverbreeze: Part 1 by Ellen E. Johnson

hadn’t always been that way though. As
little children, because they had this unusual and frightening gift
of dreaming future events, the twins had been shy, secretive and
distrustful of adults. They had lived an introverted life with
their governess as their confidante and surrogate mother. It had
taken many years for the girls to overcome their shyness and gain
confidence and courage to perform in front of people and to also
feel comfortable interacting with them. So now she didn’t
understand why she was so nervous about meeting all the citizens of
the county. She felt like she was reverting to that shy, scared
little girl of years ago.
    She and Evelyn had been told all the
prominent planters and businessmen, many of whom also served as
local officials and members of the Council, and all the tradesmen
and smaller farmers as well, including their families and servants,
had been invited to meet them. She supposed she should be flattered
but she wasn’t ready to be put on display, she wasn’t ready to
smile and mingle and speak with so many unknown people. And she
wasn’t ready to be married off so quickly.
    It wasn’t that she was opposed to marriage.
In fact, she knew just like every other woman knew, that her
greatest purpose in life was to marry and one day have children.
Both she and Evelyn loved children and had spent the past several
years of their lives at the urging of their governess giving of
their time, caring for orphaned children at their local parish
orphanage. So it was not marriage and children that frightened
them; what the both of them were worried about was that they would
be forced to marry men that didn’t understand their need to be
together. The bond between them was so strong that both Elizabeth
and Evelyn were worried sick they would be separated and have to
live far apart from each other. And that they could not
tolerate.
    Elizabeth had been standing at the window for
over an hour already, watching the scores of guests that had been
arriving all morning. They were all in high spirits, laughing and
gossiping and greeting friends they hadn’t seen in a long time. The
people of Virginia loved to socialize and looked for any reason to
interrupt the stress and hardships of their everyday lives. They
arrived by all manner of boats, shallops, skiffs or sloops, tying
up their crafts side by side and on both sides of Francis’
impressive wharf which reached out into the river at least one
hundred feet. The ship that had brought the twins to Virginia was
also docked here for repairs and some of the mariners generously
helped the guests secure their boats.
    Then they spilled out into the yard like a
throng of fair-goers. She noticed they were all dressed in their
Sunday best; the men in smart doublets, breeches and loose linen
shirts, with ribbons at their knees and wrists, short or long
cloaks, the new short cloak favored by the younger gentlemen,
beaver hats with plumes of feathers on their heads and rapiers at
their sides and pistols tucked into their belts or muskets in their
hands. The majority of them wore pointed, well-trimmed beards and
mustaches and all the men had shoulder-length hair either left
loose with a single curled or waved tress of hair longer than the
rest, or tied back with a colorful ribbon. Jewelry was also worn by
many of the men especially earrings and signet rings.
    The women wore brightly colored gowns, amber
yellow and blue were very popular, with white lace collars and
long, flowing skirts. Some wore gloves and cloaks to ward off the
chill of the morning while others had shawls or mantles. The more
prosperous ladies also wore several pieces of jewelry, small
pendants, earrings and rings. The fashions ranged from three months
out of London, the length of the average ocean crossing, to several
years behind the times, depending on the prosperity or the age of
the individual, but all were clean and neat and conscious of
looking their best.
    Even the children were in their best