A Simple Vow

by Charlotte Hubbard

  Asa made a choking sound. “He—we ate PB and J sandwiches before bed last night. Two of them,” he murmured. “So it’s pills that are making me so groggy? Even now?”

  Andy nodded. “Your system’s not used to the sleep-inducing ingredient they contain. You would’ve eventually slept off the pills’ effect, but Will woke you before they’d run their course.”

  “Sleeping pills?” Fern looked away, her expression horrified. “What if Drew had given him too many? What if—”

  “Asa’s going to be fine, so let’s not dwell on that,” the nurse insisted as he squeezed her hand. He looked at Asa again. “If you think a nap would make you feel better, I’m not concerned about any repercussions now. Luke could walk you down to the apartment—”

  “My bed’s upstairs, here at the house,” Asa insisted with a frown. “I’ll not be sleeping in Drew’s apartment anymore—not that I’m inclined to nap after all this stuff has come to light.”

  “You sound like you’re coming out of your fog,” Luke put in. “How about if I get you a glass of water?”

  “Gut idea. That’ll clear his head faster and keep the sleep medication moving out of his system.” Andy sighed. “I’m sorry this has happened, Asa.”

  “So . . . you’re telling me that my brother drugged me with the intention of—of marrying my Edith?”

  Luke headed for the door, relieved that Asa’s head was clearing and that no permanent damage had been done. Inside the house, folks were holding intense conversations about the morning’s events. As Luke walked down the narrow aisle between the pew benches toward the kitchen, Cornelius Riehl called for silence.

  “In light of how the Witmers have closed their café today for our wedding festivities—and how they’ve prepared food for more than three hundred of us,” he announced in his booming voice, “I invite you all to be our guests for dinner. Josiah says they can be ready in twenty minutes.”

  As Luke reached the kitchen, the chatter grew louder. He found a glass and then took a pitcher of cold water from the fridge. The beautiful table and chairs in the center of the kitchen made him wince. Asa had chosen such a fine gift for his bride—and Edith had painted the rooms in this home, fully intending to share it with her new husband. What would happen now? Would one or both of them change their minds about marrying, after they got to the bottom of Drew’s deception?

  “Hey—why not have the wedding after we eat?” one of the young men in the front room called out. “It’s not like Asa or Edith is to blame for what’s happened today. They still want to get married.”

  Luke stood absolutely still. When the chatter in the front room quieted, his older brother spoke.

  “Ya saw how devastated Edith was, and how dazed Asa appeared,” Ben said ruefully. “I believe some important matters have to be cleared up before those two stand up together. They deserve a happy wedding day without clouds of deceit and distress hangin’ over their heads.”

  “I’m all for that,” Bishop Tom chimed in. “Both families have some sortin’ out to do. Let’s take a moment to hold the Riehls and the Detweilers in prayer, and to thank God for the food we’re about to eat. Even when it seems our lives have taken a turn for the absolute worst, we’re to believe that God will provide everything we need.”

  Luke bowed his head, gripping the glass of cool water. We humans mess things up pretty bad sometimes, Lord. Hold Edith and Asa—their families—in Your hand as they try to make sense of what happened today. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Edith sat in the old rocking chair in the front room, staring at nothing as she aimlessly pushed up and rocked down, pushed up and rocked down—anything to avoid thinking about what had happened during her wedding. She was grateful that Nora and Loretta didn’t feel the need to chat or to console her. What could anyone possibly say to make her feel better? Or to make sense of the way Asa’s brother had behaved? The clocks in the room ticked off the minutes and then, one after another, chimed ten times.

  Only ten in the morning. How am I going to get through the rest of this horrible day?

  Footsteps on the porch made the three of them look toward the door. Rosalyn entered with Leroy in his basket, followed by Will, who carried little Louisa against his shoulder.

  “Time for these kids to have their bottles. They’re getting fussy,” Rosalyn said with a quick squeeze to Edith’s shoulder. “Dat invited the wedding guests to eat the food the Witmers have prepared, so it won’t go to waste. How about if I fetch us some carryout?”

  Images of the white tablecloths in the Grill N Skillet’s dining room and the dozens of pies covering the kitchen counter flashed through Edith’s mind. “I couldn’t eat a bite, but you folks go ahead,” she murmured. She grimaced and hugged herself to keep from crying again. “Don’t let them cut our wedding cake! This is all so wrong!”

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” Rosalyn reassured her. “I’ll ask Miriam to freeze it for you. If you think of anything else, let me know, Edith.”

  “I’ll warm the twins’ bottles.” Loretta rose, taking Louisa from Will.

  When her sisters had gone to the kitchen, Will took a seat on the end of the sofa nearest Edith. He rested his elbows on his knees, looking as though he knew things he didn’t want to reveal.

  “So what else happened after we left?” Nora asked. “Is Asa going to be all right?”

  “Jah, he’s with his mamm and Andy and Luke. They, uh, found out that his brother crushed sleeping pills and mixed them into a peanut butter sandwich last night,” Will replied with a disgusted shake of his head. “But Drew’s refusing to say anything else.”

  “Nobody’s going to stand for that!” Nora snapped. “If Drew’s too much of a coward to tell his story, Bishop Tom and Ben—and Luke—will keep after him until he answers their questions and comes clean to Asa and Edith. Then they might just run him out of town!”

  “Sleeping pills?” Edith demanded. She gripped the arms of the rocking chair, trying to process this information. “What did Drew think would happen once Asa woke up? Did he really believe I’d stay married to an imposter?”

  Edith sprang from the rocking chair and went to the window, unable to fathom that any man would concoct such a vile—flimsy—scheme. Across the road, a stream of people came out of the home where she’d planned to live with Asa for the rest of her life. As the guests turned toward the Grill N Skillet, on their way to eat the special meal the Witmers had cooked, several of them gazed toward the house as though to catch a glimpse of her—

  That poor bride who was too stupid to realize she was standing beside the wrong man . . . That silly goose who didn’t listen to the warnings about how this romance was galloping way too fast . . .

  Edith moved away from the window. She couldn’t watch them acting as though they’d attended a normal ceremony and were on their way to celebrate her and Asa’s union with a wonderful meal.

  “Thank goodness you followed your hunch, Will,” Nora said. “If you hadn’t found Asa when you did, we’d be in even more of a pickle once the truth came out.”

  Edith felt Will gazing at her as she paced, but she couldn’t look at him.

  “It was his attitude this morning, an edge to his remarks that didn’t sit right with me.” Will let out a long sigh. “I’ve only known Asa about a month, but even when he was arguing with me about not being the twins’ father, he didn’t sound so demanding. So impatient.”

  “Which explains why Edith didn’t pick up on those differences,” Nora said gently. “Like most brides, she didn’t see the groom until they both showed up for the service this morning. She hadn’t spoken to him or heard him talking until she was standing beside him in front of Bishop Tom. And you sure can’t tell them apart by looking at them.”

  Edith blinked. “It was only when he told Bishop Tom to keep going—when you got up and left in such a hurry, Will—that things seemed strange,” she murmured. “I thought Asa was just nervous, like I was
—”

  “You had no way of knowing.” Nora came over to stand in front of Edith, gazing into her eyes as she grasped her shoulders. “I want you to stop feeling stupid, all right? Who on earth would ever figure on a twin’s taking his brother’s place at a wedding? Especially when you didn’t even know there was a twin.”

  Edith let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Denki, Nora. You tried to tell me to—well, you’re a true friend, taking my side instead of saying ‘I told you so.’”

  Nora smiled. “I’ve taken my turn at playing the fool, honey.”

  “Jah, me too,” Will chimed in ruefully. “I’m glad we’ve figured out who bamboozled you, Edith, because I still don’t know who got Molly pregnant before she married me.”

  Edith’s pulse thudded as an appalling idea struck her. “What if it was Drew?” she blurted. “What if he pretended to be Asa when he was with Molly, just like he did with me?”

  Will and Nora gaped at her as they considered this. Loretta and Rosalyn stepped out of the kitchen to follow the conversation, each of them holding a baby and a bottle of milk.

  “That seems like a wild stretch of your upset imagination, Edith,” Rosalyn said, shaking her head.

  “It sounds outlandish,” Loretta agreed. “But then, who knew Asa’s brother was his identical twin? None of us had met him—”

  “Which smacks of a plan!” Will said, pounding his palm with his fist. “Drew never came to Willow Ridge because everyone would’ve seen that he looked exactly like Asa. I think he’d been planning to displace the groom for quite a while.”

  “But why?” Edith demanded. “Why would he want to marry me when he’d never met me?”

  Nora glanced out the window, toward the house across the road. “Looks like most of the guests have left for the café,” she said. “I can’t think the Detweilers would allow their wayward son to join the dinner party, so it seems like a gut time to go over and ask Drew some questions. Are you up for this, Edith?”

  The thought of confronting Drew made Edith’s head pound, but it wasn’t as though she was the only person he’d duped. Asa had been betrayed on a much deeper level than she had—and maybe Drew should be answering to Will, as well. Edith stood taller, inhaling deeply to fortify herself. “Jah, it might be best if Drew has to face everyone he’s tricked at the same time,” she replied resolutely.

  Will stood up and headed for the front door. “I’m not leaving until I get answers. He owes every one of us the truth.”

  * * *

  Asa looked sadly at the beautiful new table he’d bought for Edith. With help from Luke and Ben, he’d put in all the leaves and fetched the rest of the chairs. The kitchen was filled with family members and friends, but this wasn’t the type of gathering he’d envisioned when Edith had chosen her wedding gift.

  Edith, he thought with a loud sigh. Lord God, please hold her close, because after what happened today she might not want me to hold her ever again.

  Asa’s mother and Ruth Ropp—Molly’s mamm—were filling glasses with water, handing them around as folks took seats at the table. It seemed like paltry hospitality, considering the other wedding guests were enjoying the special meal the Witmers had prepared at the Grill N Skillet—not that Asa could’ve swallowed a bite of food. His stomach churned, and his temples throbbed. Most of the grogginess from the sleeping pills had worn off . . . but would he ever get over the ache in his heart?

  My brother Drew—my closest friend since before we were born—drugged me so he could marry the woman I love.

  It clawed at his heart, this doubt and betrayal. Asa wondered if his brother had been planning to steal his bride for a long time—which would explain Drew’s excuses for not visiting Willow Ridge. But too many pieces of the puzzle remained hidden for Asa to have a complete picture of his brother’s treachery. It was the Old Order way to forgive and forget, but it would take a long, long time to rebuild the trust his twin had shattered.

  The folks around the table stopped chattering and looked toward the doorway.

  “Edith,” Bishop Tom said as he stood to welcome her. “Here, take my seat—”

  “No, she can sit here,” Vernon Gingerich offered as he, too, rose from the table.

  “Let’s scoot around to make room for Nora and Will,” Luke suggested. He didn’t seem surprised to see that the two of them had come over.

  Will waved off his offer. “Couldn’t sit still if my life depended on it,” he said. He glanced warily at Drew, who leaned against the counter by the sink. “I’ll stand behind my mamm.”

  Asa was vaguely aware of other remarks being made and of the scraping of chairs against the floor, but his gaze remained on Edith. She was so lovely in her royal-blue wedding dress and crisp white apron—clothing she’d sewn to wear on the biggest day of their lives. Her pink-rimmed eyes and pale complexion attested to the shock she’d endured. As she looked at the folks around the table, however, she seemed stronger. Determined to deal with whatever Drew chose to say to everyone.

  Asa swallowed hard and opened his arms. He had no idea what he’d do if Edith had decided she no longer wanted to be with him. Her sorrowful smile as she hurried into his embrace was a balm to his battered soul.

  “Asa—Asa, I’m so sorry,” she murmured.

  He clung to her slender body. “No need for you to apologize, sweetie,” he whispered.

  Edith eased away, aware of their audience. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I’ll make it now that you’re here with me,” Asa replied. He glanced toward the table, where Preacher Ben was gesturing toward two empty chairs. “Let’s sit down. I—I’m not sure I’m ready for what Drew might say, but I hope he’ll be truthful.”

  “Jah, we have a lot of questions,” Nora remarked quietly as she sat down next to Luke. “And you two deserve more than just honest answers.”

  Asa pulled out a chair for Edith and then sat beside her. When she took hold of his hand, twining her small fingers between his, he felt her strength seeping into him. He could better endure this ordeal because Edith had set aside her disappointment and heartache to be with him.

  Bishop Vernon Gingerich, who sat beside Will’s mother, Marian, spoke up in a voice that hushed the chatter. “Let’s come before the Lord in prayer,” he said earnestly. “God our Father, we’re grateful for Your presence as we gather to talk with Drew and to discern Your truth in this difficult situation. Open our hearts and minds. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Amen.”

  Asa opened his eyes. His mother and father were gazing at Drew as though he had disappointed and shamed them beyond words. Cornelius Riehl, his brow furrowed, appeared ready to launch into a lecture Asa didn’t want to sit through—and Edith shouldn’t have to endure, either—so Asa spoke first.

  “What were you thinking, Drew?” he asked tersely. “For the love of God, man, why did you try to marry my bride? You hadn’t even met Edith before today!”

  Drew cleared his throat nervously. He’d remained standing against the sink, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Jah, I had,” he murmured. “I stopped through town with a wagonload of furniture a while back, and . . . and I also slipped in a couple of weeks ago when she was painting this room.”

  Edith’s face turned a sickly shade of pale. “I was so surprised and glad to see you, because I thought you were—and you kissed me,” she cried out. Her hand fluttered to her mouth as though she wanted to vomit.

  “You believed I was Asa, and I—I didn’t correct your perception.” Drew licked his lips, glancing nervously at Asa. “I’ve been to Willow Ridge a few other times, as well. Did you think I’d agree to transplant the furniture business—my life—without knowing something about the town we’d be moving to?”

  “When were you here?” Asa demanded. “Why didn’t you come along with me when I asked you to, instead of—of sneaking around behind my back?”

  Drew’s responses made Asa stiffen with anger and resentment. His twin wasn’t as outgo
ing as he was, but Asa had never figured Drew would deceive him. He clasped Edith’s hand, awaiting Drew’s answer . . . already sensing it would make his actions more incriminating.

  “I was here the day you bought this place—or rather, the day Hooley had already snapped it up and told you we’d be buying the house and buildings from him,” Drew replied testily. “Amazing what you can hear from behind the windbreak of evergreens along the road.”

  Luke scowled and sat up taller in his chair. “Why didn’t you participate in that transaction? This was your new home—your new place of business,” he pointed out sharply. “I’m guessing some of the money going toward the purchase was yours, as well.”

  Drew shrugged—not that it dislodged the chip on his shoulder. “Asa was the one who was in such a lather to relocate,” he muttered. “Asa’s always been the take-charge guy, you see. I’m just along for the ride.”

  Although Asa regretted that his brother was airing his grievances in front of so many people, he also noticed that the expressions on their faces mirrored his own disbelief. He had repeatedly suggested that Drew come along to Willow Ridge with him, but his brother had always had other more important priorities—or he’d pretended to, anyway. “So you’re saying that instead of being in Clifford, supervising the painting of our building that weekend, you were skulking around, spying on me.”

  Drew’s lips twitched. “Those painters did a gut job. You said so yourself,” he countered. “And meanwhile, you and Miss Edith were out running the roads in a courting buggy—”

  Edith sucked in her breath. “That was you behind the bushes! I thought I saw something moving when we came out of the pizza place,” she said in a hoarse whisper.

  “And where else have you been hiding, spying on folks?” Cornelius demanded as he rose from his chair. “What I’m hearing makes me very leery of your moving to our town, Detweiler. If you’d do this to your own brother—”

  “Let’s let Asa and Edith finish with him,” Bishop Tom suggested as he took hold of Cornelius’s forearm. “The rest of us can ask our questions later.”