[2016] The Precious Amish Baby

by Faith Crawford

That evening they sat down to dinner with Aunt Meredith making a huge fuss of everything, from how well the table was arranged to the taste of the food. He could see that his godmother was a surprise to Fiona. How she had managed to retain her humility was beyond Derek's understanding.

  She was one of the wealthiest people he knew. Her husband had passed on some years ago and had left her the bulk of his wealth, which had been considerable. Sadly they had not had any children, and she looked upon Derek as her son.

  "You're a blessing to this family," she told Fiona now. "The last time I visited, I can tell you the house was much quieter than this. One could hardly believe that there were children in residence."

  Fiona blushed furiously.

  Later, after the children had gone to bed, the three of them had their tea in the drawing room.

  "I had the most frightful experience when coming down in the train. Derek, I shall never understand why you chose to live in this place. California is so much better, with the sunshine all year round and no frightful natives to assail one."

  Derek chuckled, used to her complaints whenever she came to visit.

  "You were telling us about the frightful experience," he prompted her.

  "Ah yes, now..." and she went on to regale them with tales of the questionable characters who had shared her cabin in the train, making him and Fiona fall over with laughter.

  He hadn't realized how much he had missed her laughter in the last couple of days. The whole marriage business was weighing her down heavily. They talked for an hour or so and then Fiona said goodnight and excused herself. He watched her as she walked off, a thoughtful expression on his face.

  "A penny for your thoughts?" Aunt Meredith said, eyeing him shrewdly.

  He never could keep secrets from her, Derek thought fondly.

  "Come on, spit it out," she urged.

  Derek told her all of it. How he and Fiona loved each other and the reception that their marriage was getting from people. Aunt Meredith shook her head as he spoke.

  "I'm afraid that's the way of our society. Why, I remember when your father proposed to your mother there was an uproar from her people. Your father, you see, had not any roots to speak off, no ancestors to boast. And you know your mother's family could trace their ancestors back several generations. She did go on and marry him, though I suppose for women it's different. Your Fiona must be frightened of being ostracized and I can sympathize with that."

  Derek was aghast. He had not expected such a reaction at all.

  "Aunt Meredith, what are you saying? That we should not get married?"

  "I said no such thing. However, we do need to give it a lot of thought. People need each other, and while you may not see it right now, your Fiona will need women folk to be friendly with her, especially in the later years. Why, where would I be without my lady friends?" They sat quietly for a few more minutes and then Aunt Meredith steered the topic in another direction, away from Fiona.

  In the days that followed, Derek thought that Aunt Meredith had forgotten the conversation. She surprised him a few days later when they were having their customary tea.

  "Fiona, my dear, Derek confided in me about the trouble the two of you are having with regards to getting married," she begun.

  Fiona looked down.

  "Marriage is nothing to be ashamed of. Why, I was happily married to a wonderful man for forty-five years."

  A long silence sprung between the three of them until Aunt Meredith spoke again.

  "Where was I? Now, I have given the matter some considerable thought and I believe that I have found a solution that will satisfy us all. I will gain myself a daughter in the process," she said, a twinkle in her eyes.

  Derek was intrigued and he leaned forward in his seat.

  "I see I have your attention now, Derek," she teased, and then grew solemn. "My proposal is this. I like you very much, Fiona. You're a well brought up lady and a credit to those nuns who raised you. I would like to adopt you as my daughter, and as such society will have no choice but to accept you."

  He heard Fiona gasp while his own mind raced. The more he thought about it, the more perfect the idea seemed. Bless Aunt Meredith, Derek thought, looking at her fondly. She had taken their problem as though it was her own.

  "What do you say, Fiona?" Derek asked Fiona, who had still not recovered from the announcement.

  She wet her lips. "It's a wonderful idea,” she said, with a hoarse voice.

  “Aunt Meredith, you're a rock for offering to adopt Fiona. I have no words to express my gratitude. Certainly it would smooth the road for us," Derek said.

  "Oh, don't mention it," Aunt Meredith said, her voice betraying the emotion she felt. "You're as good as my son, Derek, and any of your troubles affect me."

  Derek reached out for her withered hand and took it into his. He squeezed it and she squeezed him back.

  "Now I have something that I expect in return," Aunt Meredith said. "I shall take you under my wing, Fiona, so that in the future everybody will know that you're truly a lady."

  Chapter Nine

  "Your dresses must always be hung by the loop and the skirts turned inside out," Aunt Meredith said to Fiona from the other side of the curtain.

  Fiona finished putting on the costly lace, worrying every moment that she would spoil it. She had looked at the price tag and gasped. Aunt Meredith had waved away her concerns and, as she had in the last few days, took it as an opportunity to dish out some advice.

  “You must now learn how to buy good quality clothes without batting an eyelid. That is the mark of a true lady."

  Aunt Meredith always ended her lessons with that sentence. There were so many marks of a true lady that Fiona was afraid she would never remember them all. Once dressed in the fine, silky gown, she stepped out from behind the curtain. Aunt Meredith looked her up and down and then frowned.

  "Why doesn't that gown sit well?" she said. "What have you underneath?"

  Unabashed, Fiona lifted up the gown. Underneath, she wore a thin, flimsy petticoat that had seen better days. Aunt Meredith shook her head.

  "That won't do at all," she said, and then asked the shop assistant for a variety of petticoats.

  The idea had been that they go to the shops in the bigger town of Ripley, where Aunt Meredith would give her a lesson on shopping for clothes. But when Fiona finished trying on more dresses than she could count, Aunt Meredith asked for the total bill.

  "No, Aunt Meredith, you can't!" Fiona cried out.

  "I can and I will," she declared, her tone firm. "Do I strike you as the kind of lady who does things by halves? Of course not. Now be a dear and write down our address."

  Fiona was equally determined not to accept the clothes. It felt wrong, as if she was taking advantage of Aunt Meredith's generous nature. Fiona took Aunt Meredith's hand.

  "I'm so grateful for everything you have done for us, but please, this is too much. I simply can't accept it, Aunt Meredith. You've already done so much."

  The adoption papers had been filed, and in a couple of weeks Fiona Brown would become the adopted daughter of Aunt Meredith. With a piece of paper and a notice in the newspapers, Fiona's status would jump from that of a servant to the adopted daughter of one of the wealthiest widows in California.

  "Do you remember my condition to which you wholeheartedly agreed to?"

  Fiona nodded, eyeing the other woman suspiciously.

  "Well, part of making you a lady involves outfitting you with everything you will need to become one. Let's not argue, we're wasting precious time that we should be spending in the shoe store."

  "Thank you," Fiona said, overwhelmed by gratitude.

  They visited the shoe store and bought several pairs of shoes for Fiona.

  "When shall I wear all these shoes?" Fiona asked.

  "A lady can never own enough pairs of shoes," Aunt Meredith replied haughtily, making Fiona laugh.

  After Aunt Meredith had paid for the purchases, they left the store and headed to
a nearby hotel, which in other circumstances Fiona would not have dared to set foot in. For starters, it had an imposing entrance, and the carriages dropping off ladies and gentlemen told her the kind of clientele served in the hotel.

  "Don't slouch," Aunt Meredith said. "Always enter an establishment as if you truly belong there, no matter how insignificant you feel."

  Fiona looked up sharply at Aunt Meredith. She would not have expected her to relate to feelings of insignificance when faced with class and wealth.

  "I wasn't born wealthy, Fiona," Aunt Meredith said, her sharp eye having caught Fiona's reaction. "But that's a story for another day. Let's concentrate on the here and now."

  A few minutes later, they were escorted into the well-lit restaurant, with so much light streaming in from the windows that it took a moment for Fiona to give the room a good look. Their table was in a discreet corner, where they were obscured from view by a large potted flower but could see all the goings-on in the room.

  Aunt Meredith ordered their meal for them and then softly taught Fiona the names of all the cutlery on the table and what each was for. By the end of it Fiona felt frustrated. She would never remember all that.

  "It seems so much fuss about food," she said petulantly. "And clothes."

  Fiona knew that she was moaning, but she felt mentally and physically exhausted. Not to mention that her tummy was growling in hunger and here she was learning the names of spoons she might never use again.

  “You completely miss the point, my dear," Aunt Meredith said, unperturbed by Fiona's tone. "We are judged by appearances but most importantly is what good, quality clothes do to your person. Entering an establishment such as this one and knowing what etiquette is expected of you is also...”

  "The mark of a true lady," Fiona finished for her and they both laughed.

  They returned back to the ranch later in the afternoon to find that the packages had arrived.

  "Ms. Fiona, can we see what you got?" Harriet pleaded.

  "Oh, alright," Fiona said. "Let's go to my room and I'll show you."

  A week after the engagement, Derek had helped her to move all her belongings from the servants' quarters to a guest bedroom on the first floor. Now she lugged the bags, which had been left in the parlor, up to her room. It had an adjoining bathroom and she used this as a changing room.

  She wore a black evening gown first and paired it up with gold shoes. Fiona looked at her reflection in the mirror and could not believe that the exotic looking girl was herself. She walked in, shoulders thrown back as if she was entering a grand establishment.

  The girls were deathly quiet for a few seconds and Fiona experienced a moment of horror. Then they erupted into gasps.

  "You look ever so pretty, Ms. Fiona," Emily said, looking at her warmly.

  The other two girls echoed Emily's sentiments. She showed them the rest of her clothes and then allowed them to try on the different hats that Aunt Meredith had insisted on purchasing for her. For dinner Fiona decided to dress up, just to see Derek's reaction.

  She and the girls had planned it that she would walk into the dining room last. When she did, clad in a coral green dress with short sleeves and matching green shoes, Derek slowly stood up from his chair, his eyes not leaving her.

  "Oh, Fiona, you look so beautiful," he managed to say, amid giggles from the girls.

  "She does wear her clothes well," Aunt Meredith said, to no one in particular.

  Her eyes were on Derek. Love blazed from his eyes and she imagined that hers were the same. She remembered what Aunt Meredith had said about clothes. She felt seven feet tall, like she could accomplish anything she set out to do. And all because of a beautiful dress and good quality shoes. Fiona had never dreamt of owning such fancy clothes.

  He pulled out her chair for her and when she sat down she turned hotter by the second, as Derek would not tear his eyes away.

  "You do need some food, dear boy," Aunt Meredith said, mildly.

  "If you say so, Aunt Meredith," Derek said, merriment in his eyes.

  "When is the wedding?" Aunt Meredith asked later, as they had their tea. "I'd say Derek here needs it to be as soon as possible."

  Fiona blushed furiously and then grew upset at herself at how easily embarrassed she was. She jolted her mind from the images the words conjured.

  "I was thinking two weeks from now," Derek answered and then looked at Fiona. "Is that alright, my dear?"

  "Oh yes, two weeks is fine."

  Aunt Meredith exclaimed loudly, "Two weeks? What arrangements can possibly be made in two weeks, I ask?"

  "We don't want a big ceremony, Aunt Meredith. Just the family and perhaps a sprinkling of friends. That's it. I shall ask the preacher of he can wed us right here in the house. I'm sure the girls would enjoy decorating it."

  "Are you alright with that rush, dear Fiona?"

  Fiona nodded. "None of that matters to me, I just want us to be a family and I'm so glad that it's finally happening. And it's thanks to you, Aunt Meredith."

  "You're welcome, my dear. Now, that's the last I want to hear of it. I've heard enough gratitude from the both of you to last me a lifetime," she said, sternly.

  Chapter Ten

  The wedding gifts arrived in carriages. Fiona was shell-shocked that people who were relative strangers to her could be so generous. Derek chuckled at her amazement.

  “Enjoy it all, my dear,” he said, “No one deserves it more than you.”

  The look in his eyes told her what he would have liked to do had the girls not been in the drawing room with them. In the corner Aunt Meredith pretended to read a book, but all the while she kept glancing at Fiona and the girls as they unwrapped the gifts.

  She and Derek had exchanged a few secret kisses, and she couldn’t wait to be married to him so that the achy feeling inside her would go away. His kisses, sweeter than she had ever imagined kisses would be, left her trembling and wanting them to go on forever. Feeling embarrassed at her thoughts when in the presence of the girls and Aunt Meredith, she returned her attention to the wrapped boxes.

  There was a valuable silver jar, matching crockery, handmade table clothes, exquisite flower vases; Fiona thought she would lose her sight just from looking at all the shiny gifts on the table.

  “Remember to send thank you notes,” Aunt Meredith said.

  “Yes, Aunt Meredith,” Fiona said. “I can’t forget.”

  The days before the wedding were a whirlwind of activity. There were the girls’ dresses to see to, fuchsia gowns that looked heavenly on the three girls who were to be part of the wedding party. Her own dress was ready. All Fiona had to do was to pick it up from the store which had had it ordered from the city.

  The morning of the wedding dawned and Fiona woke up earlier than usual. She sat in her bed, contemplating the day ahead. It seemed unreal that in a few hours she would be Mrs. Burk. She had waited for her wedding day morning for so long. The birds seemed to chirp louder, their voices sweeter than any other day.

  Fiona needed a few more minutes in bed, not to sleep but to revel in the thought that she was about to marry the man she loved. She marveled at how her dream of having her own family would come true in such an unbelievable way. She would be the mother of three girls now.

  Not that Elizabeth would be forgotten, Fiona thought to herself. She must never be forgotten. This would be her last morning in the guest room. In less than an hour, the room would be filled with activity as she and her daughters got ready for the ceremony. The dining room had been opened up to the drawing room so that it was now one large room.

  The girls had insisted on decorating the room themselves. It would be the chapel, and after the church ceremony it would be converted back to a dining room and drawing room. Behind the wardrobe hung an exquisite cream gown, with a veil and a train that would flow behind her as she walked.

  Dawn broke through and with it yellow rays of light that fought their way into the room, casting golden light on the walls. Fiona swung her legs
to the edge of the bed, washed herself in lukewarm water and then dressed casually in her day dress, for breakfast. In the dining room she was pleasantly surprised to find everyone awake, apart from Aunt Meredith.

  “This is a surprise,” Fiona laughed. “I thought I’d be the first one up.”

  “Good morning, my love,” Derek said. “You look especially pretty this morning.”

  Fiona blushed and murmured her thanks.

  “Can we dress now, Ms. Fiona?” Emma quipped.

  They all laughed at the girl’s eagerness for the day to get going.

  “Not yet, my dear,” Fiona said. “Let’s have breakfast first.”

  After breakfast, she and Derek parted at the bottom of the stairs with a quick kiss. She led the girls to her room, where all the wedding clothes waited. Fiona patiently helped each girl with her dress and the small veil, admiring each one and musing at how blessed she was.

  When her turn came to dress up, everybody helped. Emily did her hair and then gently placed the veil over Fiona’s head.

  “I’m glad you and father are getting married,” Emily commented, as she fussed with Fiona’s hair.

  “Thank you. I’m glad that you’re glad.”

  “We love you, Ms. Fiona,” Harriet said.

  Her chest was beginning to swell with emotion. “I love you too, my dear girls.”

  Emily stopped all movement, and Fiona knew she wanted to say something. She did not prod her, merely waited patiently until she was ready.

  “The three of us were thinking,” Emily said. “If it's alright, we could call you mother. Not that we’ll forget our own mother…”

  Fiona could not see ahead. Her head swum with a mixture of emotions, primary of which was an overwhelming joy. She, however, lightened the moment, not wanting to cause any embarrassment to Emily.

  “Ms. Fiona is quite a mouthful,” Fiona said, and the four of them chuckled. “I would like that very much. And can I introduce you girls as my daughters?”

  It was the girls’ turn to choke up. Emma threw herself on her lap and Fiona cradled her. They left her shortly after that with instructions that Emma would come for her when the ceremony was about to begin. She was so lost in her thoughts that she only heard Aunt Meredith when she was standing over her.