Naomi’s face fell. “You’ve known all along?”
Fannie nodded her head, eyes lowered. “I wanted to keep my word to Lily, since she . . . well, kept all my secrets.”
“Oh dear,” Naomi whispered.
Eva felt she might burst. “So where’s Lily now?”
“Do ya promise you’ll never say where ya heard this?” Fannie looked pale.
Eva glanced at Naomi. “If it saves Lily from ruin, what’s it matter?”
There was a long and painful silence. At last Fannie said, “I’ll only tell you what Lily told me ’cause she hasn’t written like she said she would . . . and I’m worried.”
Eva held her breath.
Fannie began to share more. “Lily’s staying somewhere in Ohio.”
“Where in Ohio?” Eva asked.
“I’m not sure, really,” Fannie said. “Lily talked ’bout different places over several weeks’ time, but I don’t remember now.”
How could she forget? Eva wondered. “Please try,” she urged. “If you could just remember the city or town . . . that would help us ever so much.” She felt frantic.
“Well, if it helps any, Lily was supposedly gonna stay with her boyfriend’s married sister and family for a while.”
Eva’s mouth dropped open. “A boyfriend? That’s why she left?”
Fannie bit her lip. “I hate bein’ the one to say. . . .”
Hearing it helped in some ways but also raised so many questions that both Eva and Naomi started talking at the same time. “Go ahead,” Eva said, motioning for Naomi to continue.
“Nee . . . you first, she’s your sister.” Naomi eased back into her chair.
“Since Lily’s gone fancy,” Eva said, scarcely able to get it all out, “then her beau must surely be English.”
“Jah.” Fannie continued, seemingly eager now to reveal that the young man in Lily’s life was twenty-one and a mighty gut horse trainer. “He’s from somewhere over near Canton, if I remember correctly. Lily met him a year ago when she went with my family and me to Kidron to visit relatives. She hit it off with this Englischer fella and said that he hardly noticed she was Amish, which kinda had me surprised.”
She ran off to be with a worldly beau. Eva tried to let this sink in.
“He must’ve been writing to her all this time to influence her so,” Naomi said, looking thoughtfully at Eva.
“That’s where I came in—the go-between,” Fannie confessed, sounding somewhat embarrassed. “Lily gave her boyfriend my address, which meant the envelope was always addressed to me, but with no return address. My mother actually thought I had a beau in Ohio.”
Eva struggled to remain calm. “How’d Lily get out there?”
“My brother Thomas picked her up that night and took her to Strasburg, where she met a van driver. She wouldn’t tell me much else. And Lily kept other things secret, too,” Fannie admitted. “It was the oddest thing—she was open ’bout certain things but not others.”
“And you haven’t heard from her to know if she got there in one piece?” Naomi asked, looking concerned.
Fannie shook her head. “I can’t understand it for the life of me. She promised to keep in close touch.”
A tremor ran down Eva’s back. “Is it possible Lily changed her mind about where she wanted to end up? Maybe she didn’t go to Ohio, after all.”
Fannie sighed loudly and leaned her face into her hands. Then, after a time, she looked out the window. “Makes no sense why she hasn’t written to me . . . or to you, Eva.”
Fannie’s emotions and her obvious concern for Lily seemed to point to the fact that she was finally telling the truth. Or so Eva believed.
Jed’s pulse raced as he drove toward Eden Valley that evening in Jonas’s buggy, thinking it wise to chart his course to the spot where Eva had suggested meeting on Saturday. He’d made a mistake, having failed to ask her out for tonight, since he planned to leave for home next Monday afternoon.
Even now, he could not erase Eva’s guileless expression when he’d first seen her at the auction and her surprise when she’d spotted Sammy riding on his shoulders. And her pretty face—the delightful yet unexpected connection to the photograph in his pocket.
Providential, he thought. And yet . . .
The fly in the ointment was the forbidden photo itself, lingering proof of Eva’s disobedience. On the other hand, if she hadn’t had her photo taken, Jed might never have sought her out.
Can anything good come of something so wrong?
Hidden beneath his struggle was the biggest question of all. Why had Eva had her picture taken? Do I dare ask?
The prospect was both exciting and alarming.
On Eden Road, he got stuck behind a slow-moving buggy—probably an older horse—and decided not to attempt to pass, but slowed up and sat back in his seat. Passing by a large farmhouse, he saw three little Amish girls jumping rope while their older brothers hung back near the stable, heads together. They’re up to something, guaranteed. He smiled and remembered when he was their age, always looking for a way to make mischief with his brothers after chores were done or on lazy Sunday afternoons. And some evenings, too, when the older youth were busy at Singings and other gatherings.
Finally the pokey horse and carriage turned off, and Jed urged the horse onward, noticing a young woman walking this way, her head down. He slowed again, staying well inside the right lane.
It was still light enough that as he came closer to the woman, he saw that it was Eva, deep in thought. Goodness, if he didn’t keep running into her, although it was less surprising when he was traipsing around her neck of the woods.
Pulling over, he waved to her, leaning out the right side of the enclosed carriage. “Eva . . . it’s Jed. Would ya like a ride somewhere?”
She looked startled, so he quickly reassured her. “I was just out here double-checking where we’re going to meet Saturday evening.”
She smiled at his explanation. “’Tis a welcome surprise.”
Jed got out and stood near the horse, holding the driving lines. “We could ride a little while now, if you’d like.”
She didn’t say at first if she would or not but glanced over her shoulder, presumably toward her house. “My sister’s expecting me home.”
“Of course. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Need some time alone, maybe?”
She shook her head and crossed the road, then got right into the buggy. “I don’t mean to be standoffish. It’s just a nice evening for a walk,” she added.
Something’s bothering her, he thought as he returned to the carriage. He could sense it, and not because she was reluctant to talk. Eva was completely different than she’d been today at market. Her exuberance had vanished.
She folded her arms and turned to look out the window on her side. For a good minute or longer she was silent.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Eva took a breath and let it out slowly. Another moment passed before she turned to him. “My younger sister’s run off. It’s that simple, really, and it’s ever so hard on my family . . . and embarrassing, too. But most everyone here knows, so I guess you might as well hear it, too.”
Jed was at a loss for words.
“I think I’ve shocked ya,” Eva added.
“You’re obviously worried for her.”
“Putting it mildly, jah.” Eva hung her head again. Then, sighing, she sat up straighter and said, “I just learned Lily’s gone to live in Ohio.”
“A long way off,” he said, then added feebly, “Stayin’ with relatives?”
Eva shook her head, visibly upset. “You don’t understand, Jed. She left without tellin’ us where she was going—not a word, not a clue.”
He wondered if this sister was sowing her wild oats as some did before joining church. Eva shared more of her concerns, admitting she didn’t think Lily was capable of handling herself among strangers. “We’ve all been through a sad time with my mother’s recent passing,” she added. “My candy
shop has made the biggest difference for me, keeping me busy. Lily didn’t have anything like that.” She stopped talking and peered at him. “Listen to me, rambling on.”
He felt so drawn to her, pulled into her heart and her life, and deeply touched by her compassion for her missing sister.
“I really need to get home,” she said abruptly. “I don’t want Frona to worry that I’ve jumped the fence, too.”
He didn’t know how to respond.
Eva sat without speaking as Jed drove to the spot where she’d said they should meet Saturday evening. On the way, they passed a makeshift sign, Homemade Soaps for Sale, and Eva explained that when these neighbors had first started selling soaps, Lily had insisted her mother and sisters go over and buy several as an encouragement.
“Sounds like Lily’s a very caring person.”
“Jah, she is.” Eva bit her lip. “She’s just mixed up right now.”
A curtain of silence fell between them once more; then Jed decided to speak up. “I really want to get to know you, Eva.” By this, he hoped to assure her that Lily’s issues would not interfere with that.
Yet Eva remained quiet until she got out of the buggy. “I’ll see ya Saturday, Jed.”
He watched her hurry up the road and wondered if she might have preferred to cancel their upcoming date. I’m glad she didn’t, he thought and hoped he wasn’t being selfish. As it was, he had little time to win her heart.
Jed slapped the reins and considered Eva’s rebellious sister, who’d apparently escaped to his home state, of all places. Indeed, he felt sorry for Eva and her family. Surely Eva has moved past the mistake of having her photo taken—a youthful indiscretion. He presumed she’d be mortified if he brought it up, particularly now, with Lily’s disappearance on her mind. He preferred not to risk doing anything to break the connection he felt with the sensitive young woman.
Eva’s been through a lot.
———
On her way back to the house, Eva’s eyes caught sight of the large bushes alongside the house, where the back sidewalk met the driveway. She and Lily had often tossed their scooters into the shade of those bushes when they were little. Oh, she wished Lily were around so she could share her thoughts of Jed. Talking with Frona about such things just wasn’t the same.
“Frona!” she called as she rounded the house and stepped into the empty kitchen. “I have to talk to you!” She darted from room to room, looking for her sister. “Fro-na!”
Just about the time she was beginning to think her sister had gone somewhere, Eva found her out in the stable pouring grain into a feeding trough. “I’ve been lookin’ all over for ya,” she said breathlessly.
“I thought you were over at Naomi’s.”
“I was.” Oh, she felt so ferhoodled.
“What’s the matter, Eva? Your face looks all red.” Frona came forward. “Ach, you’ve been cryin’.”
“Fannie Ebersol finally talked about Lily. She thinks Lily’s somewhere in Ohio.”
“It’s ’bout time Fannie coughed up what she’s been keepin’ to herself.”
“And there’s more. Lily’s got herself a worldly boyfriend.” Telling Frona this made Eva feel all the worse.
“Well now. We should’ve expected as much.”
“I guess Fannie felt persuaded to tell because she’s worried ’bout Lily, too, since she hasn’t heard from her. This time I’m sure she wasn’t makin’ it all up.”
Frona’s face softened. “Slow down now. Start at the beginning.”
Eva recounted what Fannie had said about Lily’s Englischer boyfriend and where she’d met him.
Frona shook her head, dismayed but also determined. “I know just what to do. I’ll send out word to our Ohio relatives. If Lily has shown up in a small town, maybe, how could she keep this sort of thing quiet?”
“You wouldn’t think it’s possible.”
“Someone will surely know and make the connection, the Lord willing,” Frona continued, stooping to pet Max. “Well, Lily went to that there town—Kidron—last summer with Ebersols!”
“Why didn’t we go with her?” Eva shook her head. “We should’ve!”
“You and I didn’t accept the Ebersols’ invitation because Mamma needed help with gardening, and you couldn’t leave the candy shop untended during tourist season.” Frona hung the feed scoop on the designated nail and wiped her brow. “Remember?”
“After Lily returned from that trip, I found some fashion magazines and dress catalogues under our bed—a few love stories, too, especially contemporary novels like Mamma’s always discouraged,” Eva said. Lily had always loved to read and had once declared to Eva and all of their girl cousins that she was going to read a book every single day for the rest of her life. But up till last summer, her interest had only been in the classics.
Lily’s words when confronted came back now. “Books can’t be the only way to experience the rest of the world,” her sister had said. “As much as I love to read, I don’t want to just imagine what’s out there!”
At the time, Eva had hoped this wasn’t going to turn into a phase, like the curiosity of a handful of other youth in the community. Lily must have given in to her inquisitiveness, she thought as Frona headed to the house.
“Would she still be here if I’d said something?” Eva wondered aloud, giving their Eskimo spitz a gentle pat. She recalled the look of surprise on Jed’s face when she’d told him about Lily. He must think little of our family now. He’s probably glad to return home soon.
But that wasn’t her biggest concern. Right now Eva couldn’t understand why Lily hadn’t kept her word to Fannie. Why didn’t Lily contact her? Or us?
Chapter Eighteen
THAT EVENING, AFTER A LATE DESSERT of lemon sponge pie, Naomi Mast lingered at the table with Abner. She listened as he talked of his long day spreading fertilizer on their alfalfa field and of having some troubles with one of the mules, causing the whole team difficulties.
When Abner paused for more coffee, she mentioned her unexpected visitor that afternoon. “Evidently, someone thinks she knows where Lily Esch ran off to.”
“Really now?” Abner blew on his coffee.
“Jah, Fannie Ebersol says she didn’t feel at liberty to tell till now, wanting to keep her promise to Lily.”
“What’s different now?”
“She has some concerns about Lily, too . . . and it didn’t hurt that Menno confronted Fannie at market, putting pressure on her to tell what she knows.” Naomi paused. “I’m not sure how certain Fannie is ’bout any of it, honestly.”
“Well, I ran into Menno just this morning. He’s been appointed by the bishop to find Lily and bring her home.”
“Who better than her brother?” Naomi revealed that Lily was supposedly living in Ohio with her English boyfriend’s sister.
Abner muttered under his breath.
“What’re ya sayin’, dear?”
“Puh! I’m gonna say it right out, right now.” Abner shook his head. “I partly blame those battery-operated boom boxes and whatnot for so much of the Druwwel with our youth. There’s a general fascination with the world, and those just feed into it. ”
Naomi scratched her head. “The radios young people are listening to in their courting carriages are causin’ them to run away?”
“Trust me on this: It’s just one more temptation tuggin’ on them,” Abner said, picking up his coffee cup and holding it in front of his beard. “Worldly music is a trick of the devil . . . and it’s infiltrating the Plain community faster than you can say Sis en Sin un e Schand.”
“A sin and a shame,” Naomi whispered. “So do the other menfolk also blame radios for our youth’s troubles?”
“Oh jah. You should hear what they’re sayin’.”
Since the arrival of warmer weather, Naomi had been awakened by some of those boom boxes in the dead of Saturday nights. “Well, I know one thing: Spring is in the air . . . and with it, notions of romance.”
He rose
with a smile on his face. “That, my dear, ain’t no foolin’.” And he leaned over and kissed her soundly.
“‘The best and worst day of my life.’” Jed recited the words on the back of the photograph as he drove toward Eden Valley for his date with Eva Saturday evening. He’d spent a beneficial day with Jonas Byler, even though by late afternoon Jed was anxious to get cleaned up and out the door. Yesterday had been equally interesting, meeting a number of Jonas’s loyal customers and suppliers, as well as learning a few new techniques for buggy making that Jed was eager to pass along to Uncle Ervin.
One of the leisure stops this morning, however, had been to Mose Byler’s place, where Orpha had been sitting out on the porch, as though expecting him, wearing her ever-present smile. While the others remained in the kitchen to eat their three-berry pie, Jed had taken the opportunity to thank her for being so welcoming. Along with casual talk, she had shared her concern over one of their ailing ministers.
Jed was touched by her empathy for the man of God, and knowing it wasn’t fair or right to encourage Orpha to believe that they might further their friendship, he had tried to gently let her down. Surprisingly, Orpha took it well, although her unchanged demeanor made him uncertain she’d accepted the message. At least he had been forthright with her, difficult as it was.
Presently, Jed slowed the horse as he topped the hill before the turnoff from the highway. If he was a good judge of how things were developing with Eva, the potential for a relationship seemed good. Consequently, showing her the photograph tonight could prove disastrous. Besides, he wouldn’t think of putting her on the spot.
“But I can test the waters.” He began to formulate a plan while directing Jonas’s black gelding onto Eden Road.
Jed saw Eva waiting near some underbrush and slowed the horse with a “Whoa.” He pulled back on the reins as the carriage rolled to a stop. “Hope ya don’t mind ridin’ in Jonas’s old family buggy again,” he said as he got out to meet her, waiting till she was settled in on the left side of the seat.
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