by Sarah Price
“A driver!” Catherine exclaimed. “Oh, help! Is something wrong? My parents?”
“That’s what I thought.” The sadness in Ida Mae’s voice caught her off-guard. “But it has nothing to do with your parents.”
Relieved, Catherine clutched her hands together and kept them folded on her lap. “What news did he have that was so very important that he sent a letter with a driver? Nothing bad, I presume?”
For a moment, Ida Mae hesitated. She moved over to the reclining chair and sat down. With great drama, she extracted the letter and unfolded it carefully. “Nee, not bad, I suppose.” She glanced at Catherine while she held the letter in her hand. “He wrote that he is not returning to Banthe for a while. He has to stay and work on the farm.”
That was no surprise. Despite having other siblings, James was the oldest and strongest for farm work. Richard was only thirteen and couldn’t do half as much as his older brother. Plus, school was starting soon for the younger children. Their father would need help with cutting and baling hay whenever it was ready again. And with the cows, no doubt. A man’s help, not just a thirteen-year-old. Certainly, that news could not have upset Ida Mae so much. “And ...?”
The color drained from Ida Mae’s cheeks. Whatever news was contained in the letter, it was clear that she was unhappy about it. With an exaggerated sigh, she said, “Seems that he spoke with your daed about our marriage.”
Catherine fought the urge to shake Ida Mae. She was purposefully delaying sharing the news that had created her distress. The over-the-top drama was irritating her. “Surely there were no objections to that.”
“Nee, no objections.” Ida Mae raised her eyes to meet Catherine’s. “But there is an issue regarding our future.”
Raising her eyebrows, Catherine stared at her. “Your future? What on earth?”
“It seems we won’t be able to marry in October.”
That caught Catherine off-guard. Why would their marriage have to be delayed?
“There is no place for us to live,” Ida Mae explained.
Catherine blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“Your bruder doesn’t have the money to buy a farm.”
She had known that. But that still didn’t explain the delay.
Ida Mae’s shoulders fell and she played with the letter in her hands. “He hasn’t saved enough money to buy a farm, and your daed doesn’t have extra to loan him. James will continue working for your daed to save money.”
“I still don’t understand the long delay.” Frowning, Catherine pursed her lips as she waited for Ida Mae to explain.
“Apparently, your daed says that we could live in the grossdawdihaus until …” She paused as she lifted the letter so that she could read his exact words. “‘… until such a time as we can afford our own place.’ That’s what he said. But James says that he needs to fix it up and that he couldn’t start until the winter.”
Once again, Catherine was confused by Ida Mae’s unhappiness. “That’s wunderbarr gut news, then! You could marry in the spring, I’m sure.”
But Ida Mae did not look as pleased as Catherine thought she might. “It could take three or more years to see the money for a farm … if we could even find one in the area. Both of us would have to work to earn money for the deposit.” Ida Mae shook her head. “I hadn’t known that your daed intended to pass the farm down to one of your younger brothers.”
The look of disdain on Ida Mae’s face startled Catherine. “And that’s upsetting you? That one of the younger ones will inherit the farm?” Wasn’t that usually the case? Older siblings usually left the farm, striking out on their own. Once he had turned nineteen, James had been paid to help with sporadic carpentry jobs and, when he wasn’t doing that, he helped his father on the farm. A few more years under his belt and he would easily be able to afford his own place. “Or are you upset about having to work outside of the farm?” Neither explanation made much sense to Catherine. It wasn’t uncommon for the older children to live in a grossdawdihaus after they married. Nor was it uncommon for newly married women to work outside of the house until their firstborn child arrived.
Taking a deep breath, Ida Mae raised an eyebrow and finally said what was on her mind. “James had led me to believe that he would be running the farm when your daed retired.”
At this comment, Catherine gave a short laugh. She couldn’t imagine James purposefully misleading Ida Mae. Surely, she had misunderstood her brother. “I’m sure James will work there for as long as he wants. But unless you intend to raise your children in that two-bedroom grossdawdihaus, you’ll have to move somewhere else. My parents still have to raise their own family. My youngest bruder is only six years old!” It would be twelve years or more before young George married. And, at that time, her parents would retire to the grossdawdihaus while one of their younger sons took over the farm. “That’s the way it is on most Amish farms, Ida Mae. Did you expect something different?”
Quickly, Ida Mae averted her eyes and shook her head. “Nee, of course not. That’s not it at all, Catherine.”
Her words were not convincing.
“I … I just feel bad for James, that’s all. Such an enormous amount of pressure on him now. I mean …” She lowered her eyes. “I had thought he would be better situated if we were to marry. A grossdawdihaus is fine, I’m sure. But he’ll have to work and save every penny in order to buy his own farm. And you know how expensive they are around here! I didn’t want it to be so difficult for him, you know?”
If she believed Ida Mae, Catherine might have been more empathetic with her suffering. But she didn’t. Instead, Catherine was beginning to understand exactly what Ida Mae was insinuating. There would be a lot of sacrifice in their initial years as husband and wife. Sacrifice and hard work. “Are you having second thoughts, Ida Mae?”
“Oh, no! Not at all!” she gushed far too quickly. “You know that James is my everything! I couldn’t imagine not marrying him. I just wish we didn’t have to wait so long.”
“You are young yet, and you haven’t even met our parents or the rest of the family,” Catherine pointed out. “Waiting might be for the best.”
“True, of course.”
“My daed’s offer to live in the grossdawdihaus is what he can afford to do,” Catherine continued, trying to pick her words carefully so that she did not offend Ida Mae. “And I know that James will take care of you and your children. He’ll make ends meet, and you’ll have your own farm eventually.”
While she understood Ida Mae’s concern, she did not understand her hesitation. Marriage was work, regardless of the financial situation. Even though romance was delightful, the true glue that kept a marriage together was friendship, and that was something that James and Ida Mae certainly seemed to have.
“Everything will work out,” she reassured her friend. “Now, why don’t we walk up town and I’ll treat you to some ice cream? It’s our last day together for a while, ja? We should have some fun.”
As they sat on the bench near the center of town, their ice cream cones dripping in the increasing heat of the day, they watched the people coming and going. Most rode bicycles while a few used their horse and buggies. It was the one thing that Catherine would miss about Banthe. Unlike Fullerton, Banthe’s town center was truly the heart of the community. On any given day, most people passed through it.
So she wasn’t surprised when she saw a familiar face driving an open carriage. While she had not spent any time to speak of with Freddie Tilman, she would never forget meeting him the other day at the shop frolic.
“Oh, help and bother!” she muttered under her breath.
But Ida Mae had seen him too. Suddenly, she sat upright and tossed her ice cream into the trash bin beside the bench. “Do I look alright?” she whispered to Catherine.
“Of course. Why?”
Catherine only needed to follow Ida Mae’s gaze to figure out why she had asked.
“Ida Mae! You’re to be married!” she hissed.
> “I’m just being friendly.”
“Too friendly, if you ask me.”
Ida Mae ignored Catherine’s reprimand. “Freddie!” she called out, waving her hand in the air. “Have you come to town looking for something special then?” she asked as the buggy slowed to a halt before them.
There was no mistaking the roguish way that his eyes looked at Ida Mae. “Indeed, I have! And it appears that I have just found it! And now, if that something special would care to go for a ride …?”
“Oh!” She giggled in a flirtatious way that angered Catherine.
“Your fiancé would not approve,” she said loud enough so that Freddie would hear. Unfortunately, he didn’t even blink at the mention of an upcoming wedding. Instead, he jumped down from the carriage and held out his hand for Ida Mae to take. He then held her hand far too long before he guided her to the little round step on the side of the carriage. Furious, Catherine dropped her ice cream cone and crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at Ida Mae.
“Oh, don’t be a spoil sport,” Ida Mae said in a light-hearted manner. “I need to get home anyway. I have wedding preparations to make.” She dragged out the word in such a way that it sounded almost mocking. “Have a great time in Newbury Acres, Catherine!” she called out as Freddie climbed beside her and quickly urged the horse away from town.
Catherine clenched her teeth as she watched the buggy disappear down a road that led to neither the Troyers’ farm nor the Tilmans’ cottage. Her brother would be devastated, and Catherine knew that she would have a hard time forgiving Ida Mae for this blatant slight toward James.
Once they were gone from sight, Catherine wandered over to the store where she had purchased her book the previous week. She didn’t want to return home yet, her head being too full of worry about Ida Mae and James. While she couldn’t do anything to change Ida Mae’s poor decision to ride off with Freddie, she could try to find a new book to read so that she could forget about it.
She lingered near the bookshelves, taking one book after another off the shelf so that she could read the back cover. When she was on the fifth book, she felt someone walk up behind her.
“Are you going to select a book or just read them all here?”
Startled, she spun around and collided with Henry. He placed his hands on her arms and steadied her.
“Whoa now! Easy does it,” he teased.
“You frightened me!” But she smiled.
He glanced down at the book in her hand. “A mystery?”
She blushed and put the book back on the shelf. “Just something to bring with me to Newbury Acres.”
“Ah! Of course! Newbury Acres is the perfect place to read a mystery book! There are so many secrets lurking in the shadows!”
Her eyes widened. “Are there really? Like what?”
He leaned forward and whispered, “Large buildings with dark corners and shadows that conceal passages.”
“Do you think you might speak with your bruder?” she asked in a timid voice. She had not expected to ask Henry for this favor, but the words had blurted out of her mouth. “About Ida Mae, I mean.”
Henry seemed puzzled by her request. “Why would I do such a thing?”
“Well … I thought …” She stopped and tried to figure out what, exactly, she had thought. “Oh, I don’t know.”
Patiently, Henry tried to coax it out of her. “What is it you thought, Catherine?”
“That maybe you might talk to him about Ida Mae’s engagement. That it’s inappropriate for her to be riding around with him. If he paid her less attention …”
Henry held up his hand, stopping her in midsentence. “Say no more, Catherine.”
A feeling of relief washed over her. “Then you will speak to him?”
“I will not.”
She hadn’t expected to hear that from him. “You won’t?”
He shook his head. “Nee, I will not. She is a grown woman, and she is making her own choices. If I were to interfere and ask Freddie to leave her be, one of two things will occur.” He held up one finger. “He becomes more interested in her because she is the forbidden fruit or …” He held up a second finger. “… If that is her true nature, to succumb to temptation, she will find someone else to interest her while James is away.”
“Oh, help!” Catherine muttered. She hadn’t considered those two outcomes, but she realized that it made sense.
“In my life, I have learned that when you tell someone ‘No,’ that very prohibited thing becomes that which is most ardently desired.”
His words took her by surprise. She hadn’t thought of it in that way. But he had a point. If Ida Mae was willing to risk her engagement and reputation by flirting with Freddie, then he was not the problem: she was. And she knew very well how hard it was to tell her younger siblings that they could not have something, such as a cookie or piece of fresh-baked bread. Once she said no, that was all that they wanted.
“Come now, Catherine,” Henry said. “I’m sure that everything will be just fine with Ida Mae and your bruder. You shouldn’t worry about their romance, especially when you have your own.”
Her eyes widened.
He gestured toward the bookshelf. “See? Tons of romance at your disposal. Let’s select your novel, and if you would not mind, I’d enjoy walking you home, Catherine.” He glanced through the titles and selected a book. “Ah! Maryanne and Eleanor! Based on Jane Austen’s lovely romance, Sense and Sensibility, I see.” He held up the book for her to admire the pretty cover while he read the description on the back of the book with exaggerated drama, which made her laugh. When Henry finished, he looked at her and raised his eyebrows as if inquiring whether or not she wanted that particular book. “What do you say? Should we find out what happens to those two sisters? Will they find romance after they are forced to move to Devontown?”
Charmed by his ability to make her feel better, all that Catherine could do was nod her head. While she suspected that both Maryanne and Eleanor would find romance in Devontown, she could only hope and pray that a certain young woman named Catherine Miller would find it in Newbury Acres.
Chapter 16
Unlike the Andersons, the Tilmans had driven their horse and carriages to Banthe. When they arrived to pick up Catherine Saturday morning, she was surprised to see Gid, not Henry, come to the door for her bags.
“Good day, Wilma. Duane,” he said with all manner of politeness.
“Take good care of our girl.” Wilma already had a tissue clutched in her hand and was dabbing at her eyes. Even though Catherine was embarrassed by the overly exaggerated display of emotion—for they were returning to Fullerton on Monday and would have had to part company then anyway—she went over and gave Wilma a quick embrace. “Oh, help,” Wilma sniffled and gave a little laugh. “I’ve grown even fonder of you these past few weeks! I didn’t think it was possible. I’ll miss having you around.”
Extracting herself from Wilma’s arms, Catherine gave her a kind smile. “Danke for having me. It’s been wunderbarr!”
And just as quickly as Gid had walked into the house, he exited. Catherine hurried and followed him, pausing at the road to wave at Wilma and Duane.
“Now, Catherine,” Gid said as he tossed her bag into the back of his buggy. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you to ride with Henry. Keep him company, ja?”
While she didn’t mind one bit, she was, however, curious as to why Gid Tilman would make such a request. Rather than ask, she merely nodded and hurried to the second carriage, the same one that Freddie had driven the other day with Ida Mae.
Henry greeted her with a big grin and reached down his hand to help her jump into the carriage. “What a pleasant trip home this will be!” he commented jovially.
“I hope my companionship lives up to your great expectations,” she teased back.
No sooner had they pulled away from the lake house than Catherine understood why she was seated beside Henry. The back of Gid’s buggy was filled with bags, and there
was no room for her in the back seat. Ellie looked miserable as she rode beside her father. She stared into the distance, and neither one of them appeared to engage in any conversation.
Henry, however, kept enough distance from his father’s buggy that they could converse without any fear of being overheard.
“I hope you like Newbury Acres,” he said. “It’s a bit different than most Amish farms.”
“Oh?” She stared at him while he drove. “How so?”
The reins moved in his hands and the horse snorted, trying to speed up, but Henry held it back. “It’s an older farmhouse. Been in the family for generations now. Over the years, it’s been added onto several times so it’s rather …” He paused and glanced at her. “Large.”
She laughed at the serious expression on his face. “It’s large? And that’s why you think I wouldn’t like it?” She leaned over and lowered her voice. “I’m not afraid of large houses,” she whispered.
He leaned toward her so that their shoulders touched. “I didn’t think you were,” he whispered back, and she laughed.
“So, tell me about this large farm of yours.” She straightened up and leaned back against the seat.
“It’s five hundred acres,” he started to say.
Catherine gasped, cutting him off from continuing. “Five hundred acres! Why, that’s not large! It’s monstrous!”
He glanced at her and winked. “Afraid now?”
“Not even one bit! But that is far too large to farm, Henry.”
He nodded his head. “Ja, indeed. Part of the property is wooded. Daed and Freddie go hunting there sometimes, and in the winter, we tap the trees for syrup. It’s a good time when everyone comes together to boil down the syrup. We bring our grill and cook food while we work.”
That sounded like fun to Catherine. “I’ve never done that before!”
“And of course, we have the dairy barn. We have almost a hundred cows.”
