Chapter 10
The next morning, Mary awoke with a refreshed view of the situation. She had to trust God that things would get better. Dwelling on questions about why Beth and William had been taken so suddenly would do no one any good.
Mary decided she should be grateful she would see Lois every day. She went to get Lois for breakfast. Pushing the nursery door open, she saw Lois waving her arms around wildly. Mary walked toward her, smiled, and leaned over to pick her up. “Did you sleep well?”
Even though she couldn’t understand the gibberish, Lois’s wide eyes and soft smile spoke in place of the words she was unable to utter.
“I was just going to get some breakfast. Would you like to join me?” Mary asked staring into her baby’s face. “Come on, I’ll get you something to drink too.”
It delighted her when Lois reached out her arms.
The plan was to make some breakfast before Samuel woke up. It was still so early that the sun was barely peeping over the horizon. Mary was caught off guard the moment she stepped into the kitchen. There at the large kitchen table sat Samuel with a steaming cup before him. He glanced up at her but remained silent.
Samuel then stood and walked toward her extending his arms. Although she was reluctant, Mary handed Lois to him. “Good morning,” Mary said, expecting a response, but none came. Instead, he turned away after uttering a sound that sounded more like a grunt than a word.
Mary stood there, touching the back of her neck as she tried to assess the situation. Why was he so rude and cold? Didn’t his nursemaid at least deserve a ‘hello’ or a ‘good morning?’
She watched in silence as he whispered to Lois, carrying her out of the kitchen. Finally, he turned around and said, “It’s Freda’s morning off. I’m taking Lois outside for a stroll. We’ll be in the front of the property. Come find us when her bottle is ready. Make sure you don’t take too long, or she’ll fuss. And I don’t like it when she fusses.”
With that, the kitchen door slammed closed behind him, causing the house to echo the loud noise. Mary fixed Lois’s breakfast and warmed the milk over the stove. As Mary waited for the milk to heat, her thoughts dwelt on Samuel’s behavior.
It didn’t make any sense for him to treat her like that. Sure, he had always been arrogant and distant; but now he was treating her like a servant. But perhaps that was how he typically treated his employees. Despite those things, Mary understood the importance of making him like her. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only hope she had for staying on as the nursemaid if Samuel happened to marry the woman in yellow. Many wealthy families had nursemaids, but no Amish people she'd ever heard of. That woman in yellow might become a problem.
After heating the milk too much and then waiting several minutes for the overheated milk to cool, she filled the bottle. Mary then fastened the end onto it and placed it on the table.
Her mind flashed back to Damian. He would’ve scolded her and told her she should’ve cleaned the pot before she did anything else. She quickly washed it and returned it to the stove next to the pot of oatmeal.
Then, Mary gripped the warm bottle in her hands and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Here goes nothing,” she mumbled, heading outside to fetch Samuel and Lois from wherever they had disappeared.
Mary stood on the front porch peering out over the land. As she looked out, she realized that her mind was still frail, fraught with worries she couldn’t shake. Regardless, she had to play the part of a confident nursemaid the best she could. If Samuel felt the need to get rid of her, then her life would fall apart for the very last time. That couldn’t happen; she needed to make him want her there. The gentle wind carried a cold, bitter touch as it blew loose strands of her hair around tickling her face. She pushed the hair back under her kapp trying to look as tidy as she could. Lois’s happiness could very well depend upon Samuel being happy with her. Something told her he needed everything to be a certain way.
After glancing around, Mary saw movement in the distance. She hurried down the steps, with Lois’s bottle in hand. Samuel was sitting on an old wooden bench with Lois clinging to his chest. They looked peaceful and happy together.
Mary strolled past some shrubs and followed the path up to the old bench. As she stepped toward the seat hoping to sit next to Samuel, he held up his hand telling her to stop. Then he stood and extended Lois toward her. “Hurry along inside. It’s far too cold for her to stay out here any longer.”
“Of course,” she replied, taking her daughter in her arms. “Let’s get you someplace warm so you can eat,” she whispered to Lois, before looking back at Samuel. “Enjoy your morning.”
With that, she headed back toward the house, passing the garden. Mary found herself admiring the beauty of the scenery, walking slower as she took it all in. It seemed like such a happy, beautiful place. Even though Mary’s future was uncertain, she tried to concentrate on the good things. She had to be thankful she was with her daughter. Mary noticed birds fluttering overhead before they settled on a tree branch. As she and Lois walked underneath their watchful eyes, they chirped as if they were speaking, giving her encouragement and positivity.
Once Mary had reached the porch, she looked back over the garden. It looked like Samuel was still sitting where he had been. Shrugging, she turned and headed inside. At least he cared about Lois. He wasn’t much for pleasantries, but it was obvious he had affections toward her child. In fact, the only times she had seen Samuel show any signs of compassion was when he was with Beth, Lois, and that woman in yellow. She could do without that woman being in her daughter’s life, but for now, Mary was happy.
After Mary had made her way up to the nursery, she sat in the rocking chair in the corner and held Lois tightly, putting support under her head to prop it up. “Ready to eat?” she asked, holding the bottle to Lois’s lips.
Without hesitation, Lois’s bright eyes gazed up at her as she sucked urgently with both hands on the bottle. Pretty soon Lois would be saying words. Mary wondered what words she'd say first. Mary couldn’t help smiling as she stared at the most beautiful little girl she had ever seen.
At that moment, she made herself and her daughter a vow. “I’ll never stand in the way of your happiness,” she whispered, as tears welled up in her eyes. “I want you to have the life that I have wished for myself since I was a child. I want you to experience everything the world has to offer. I’ll never take you away from this good life you have. Unless it changes, and I’ll be watching over you ready to snatch you away,” she added, wiping away the pain from her eyes.
As Lois continued to drink, Mary thought about ways to ensure she would be able to stay there forever. She had to show Samuel she was doing the best job possible with Lois.
After the baby had finished, Mary patted her back gently until several small burps signaled her belly was settled. “How do you feel now?” she asked, her voice gentle and soothing. “It’s been a long morning already, and you still haven’t had your porridge.” Lois yawned. “Would you like to take a nap?”
Lois looked up at her and smiled, letting out a quiet murmur as if she was trying to speak. Mary smiled back and rocked in the chair. As the minutes went by, Lois’s eyelids drooped until she was snoring softly with her thumb resting against her lips.
“You can’t have been too hungry, then,” Mary said to her sleeping baby.
Mary wanted to stay there as long as she could with the baby in her arms, but the mess she’d left in the kitchen had to be cleaned. The porridge wouldn’t keep, and would have to be thrown away, and the pot scrubbed. She placed Lois in the crib and then patted her back to ensure she wouldn’t wake. Mary stepped out of the room and hurried to grab a bite to eat and clean the kitchen before Samuel saw the mess.
The rest of the day Samuel kept his distance from the house. Mary hadn’t seen him since she met him in the garden earlier that morning.
Mary had enjoyed the day with her daughter and now it was approaching dinnertime. “Let’s go down to the kitc
hen to see if we can find Freda,” she whispered to Lois.
When she walked in, she saw Freda hard at work in the kitchen. “Oh, there you are,” Freda said with a smile.
“Hello. I’m Mary.”
“And I’m Freda. Please, take a seat. Mr. Kauffman will be dining alone in the dining room as usual, and you and Lois can join me here.”
Freda had made some of her favorites: mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh bread, and even some type of fowl, but Freda refused to give away her recipes.
“It’s a family secret, and for the last time, that’s all I can say.” Freda smirked. “And besides, you might not like it if you knew.”
Mary’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”
Freda glared back at her with the most serious look she had ever seen. Moments later, she laughed as she shoveled a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. “I had you going for a minute,” she mumbled, chewing her food all the while.
Mary chuckled but turned her attention to Lois whose eyes always darted around taking in every aspect of her surroundings. It was quite wondrous to see how a baby learned about the world. Moments like that meant everything to Mary, and she was so happy that she was there for them.
“So, have you seen that young woman that Mr. Kauffman has been wooing? Can’t be around the girl without smiling like he’s possessed,” Freda said, laughter spilling out as she spoke. “Which would make sense, since she isn’t exactly an angel.”
“What woman?” Mary asked pretending she hadn’t noticed anyone. “Oh, the one here yesterday?”
“That’s the one. Her name’s Dorothea. He prefers the staff not be seen when she’s around, but the few times I met her she was rude and uppity. She’s not like regular Amish folk, not the ones I’ve met anyway. For some reason, he seems smitten,” Freda said, shaking her head. “She’s not from ‘round here.”
“I think I know who you mean now. She’s John and Ruth Hostetler’s niece. She moved here a few months ago. I don’t know her that well.” Mary was trying not to look too interested, but she couldn’t resist the chance to find out more about the woman who had Samuel so captivated.
“She’s a wealthy widow, so I've been told. I’ve seen it before, men like Mr. Kauffman build up their wealth, and then marry a rich widow, and they become even richer. That’s how the world works.” Freda eyed Mary carefully. “I know you think that’s harsh, and I guess who he associates with is none of our concern. It would just be nice if he didn’t expect us to hide whenever she was about. Don’t fret about it. Go on, eat up.”
Mary nodded, swallowing hard before taking another bite. As the world seemed to slow around her, images of the woman flashed in her mind. Then a familiar voice called out.
“Mary?”
Turning quickly, she saw Samuel in the kitchen. His face assumed its usual stern expression. “Tomorrow, it’s important that you and Lois both be ready to leave for the meeting at seven ten.”
She held her heart. “Meeting?” she repeated, her voice quiet and shaky.
“Did you forget what day it is?”
“Nee, we’ll be ready.”
Then, he was gone again, leaving Mary with even more anxiety than she already had.
“He’s made it a point to make sure Lois will be raised as he was. I’m glad he hired you or he might’ve made me go with him. At least I dodged that one.” Freda chuckled again. “I go in the buggy with Luke. We can just be ourselves.”
“I see.”
“Just make sure you’re ready by that time. Mr. Kauffman can be very particular about being on time, early even.” Freda polished off the food on her plate quickly. “I should get back to work,” she said smiling at Mary.
“Thank you for the delicious dinner.” Mary stood and hoisted Lois into her arms. “Can I help you clean up?”
“Leave your dishes. I’ll take care of them. I think the little one’s ready for bed,” Freda said, looking back and pointing at Lois.
Glancing down, Mary noticed that her daughter was already fighting off sleep. Lois buried her head into Mary’s shoulder, and Mary wondered whether Lois somehow knew that she was her mother.
Chapter 11
Mary woke to the soft whines of her baby. Wiping away the weariness from her eyes, Mary headed to the nursery to check on her. When Mary walked in, her daughter was standing up in the crib staring up at her with bright, curious eyes. “Good morning,” she said, leaning down to lift her up. “Are you ready for the meeting, my little angel?”
Just as the words left her lips, Mary glanced at the clock to see that it was already twelve minutes to seven. That meant she had only twenty-two minutes to feed and change Lois, on top of getting herself ready. Mary changed Lois’s diaper and her clothes. She popped Lois back into the crib so that she could get herself dressed. There wasn’t enough time for her to press her clothes or worry about her hair, so she just threw on the least wrinkled attire she had. Without time to brush out her hair, she wound it on top of her head and fastened it with pins and then placed on her kapp.
Then Mary rushed to the kitchen to make Lois a bottle. Freda was nowhere in sight, so there was no one to help her. While she heated the milk, she made Lois some breakfast. After she had poured the milk into the bottle, she rushed back to the nursery to get Lois.
Once back in the kitchen with Lois, Mary glanced up at the clock and saw she had two minutes to go before it was time to leave. Mary let out a loud sigh of relief, realizing that she’d made it in time. In two minutes, Lois would have food in her tummy, and she could have her bottle on the way to the church.
Just then Samuel walked into the kitchen. He looked at her with a scowl on his face. “Didn’t I ask you to be ready?”
“I’m nearly ready, Lois just needs a couple more mouthfuls of food, and she can have her bottle on the way.”
“I’m not worried about her right now,” he replied, his voice growing louder as irritation invaded his tone. “You look an unsightly mess. Your dress hasn’t been pressed, and your hair is poking out at the back of your kapp. Go and fix yourself. I won’t be seen in public with you looking like that,” he added, shaking his head as he took Lois from her. “I’ll feed her. Just see what you can do in the least amount of time, please.”
She knew he was right. If she’d had enough time, she would have ironed her dress and fixed her hair properly. “I’m so sorry. I woke up late and I’ve been trying to get everything done. I thought …” Her late husband had been right to scold her. She was lazy and never on time for anything. She had to try harder and do better. Starting with using an alarm clock.
“Whatever it is, you thought, you thought wrong. Please, go make yourself look presentable. I can’t show up to the meeting with you looking like that,” he said, sitting down to feed Lois.
Mary had no words in response. “I’ll return shortly,” she said before she rushed to her room.
This time, Mary would not disappoint. She used a heated flat iron to press out the wrinkles in her dress, making sure that every wrinkle was a thing of the past. Then, she unwound her hair and combed it and braided it before pinning it under the nicest prayer kapp she owned.
When Mary walked back into the kitchen, she told herself to smile. “I’m ready now I hope,” she said, smiling brightly at Samuel, who was holding Lois in his arms.
Samuel looked up at her and nodded his head. “Well, that’ll have to do. Come now; we’re already late.” He ushered her and the baby out to the waiting buggy.
The ride to the meeting was bumpy and the wind was cold, but all Mary could think about was Dorothea. Would she be there too? Was that the reason Samuel was being so rude and particular? It has to be, she told herself. It’s all about his lady friend.
Dorothea was beautiful; and even though Mary had been given similar compliments in her lifetime, she knew Samuel had higher standards than most.
Mary could only imagine how remarkable Dorothea really was. The thought of seeing her at the meeting made the prospect even more te
rrifying. Then she realized she had more to concern herself with than a seemingly perfect woman.
Mary held Lois tightly, smiling whenever she glanced down at her to avoid letting her baby feel her sadness. It wasn’t Mary’s fault she had been born into poverty with only an unstable mother to raise her in the early part of her life. Did that make her a bad person? She didn’t think so, but it was still a powerful enough reason that she wanted a different life for her baby.
Looking down at Lois one last time when the buggy came to a halt, Mary wished that she could freeze that moment and hold onto it forever. Any minute with Lois could be the last. She had to enjoy all the time with her daughter because Samuel had the power to terminate her employment at any moment. It gave Mary a jolt of anxiety to think about that. If that happened she’d have another life-changing decision to make. Would she then tell everyone that Lois was hers?
“We’re here. Follow my lead and don’t speak unless spoken to, please,” Samuel said climbing down from the buggy. He then walked over to Mary’s side and helped her down before placing Lois gently into her arms. “We’re so late that the service has already begun. Don’t interrupt anything.”
Mary frowned, wishing he didn’t feel the need to point out such obvious things as though she were a child.
Samuel made his way up the steps to the house where the meeting was being held. Pushing his way in, he held the door just long enough for Mary to catch up and step inside. They walked closely together and he sat on the men’s side and she sat in the women’s section. Samuel turned and offered Mary a sharp glance before turning to the front to listen to the sermon.
Mary mentally sighed to herself and looked down at Lois, who was falling asleep in her arms. With nothing to do but listen, she took in everything the preacher said. From the few subjects he discussed, though, one stood out far above the rest. It was the story of Moses; how as a baby he was sent down a river in a basket to avoid certain death. Moses's sister, Miriam, watched over the basket hoping that someone would save him. When Pharaoh’s daughter walked up to wash in the river, she noticed the child, rescued him, and took him in as her own. At Miriam’s suggestion, the Princess took on a Hebrew wet-nurse who happened, thanks to Miriam's quick thinking, to be Miriam and Moses's own mother.
The Amish Woman And Her Secret Baby_Amish Romance Page 5
