by Sarah Price
Chapter Twenty-Three
OVER THE NEXT few days Christian remained increasingly vigilant, a constant presence at Mary Ann’s side. Eleanor suspected he had learned of Willis’s unexpected visit to the area—perhaps someone had seen Willis riding to or from the Detweilers’ home. Regardless, Christian was not taking any chances and he stayed at Mary Ann’s bedside, sitting on a ladder-back chair and reading to her from the book of Psalms and the Song of Solomon. His voice carried throughout the house while Maem made batch after batch of chicken soup, which Eleanor repeatedly tried to force Mary Ann to accept.
When she continued to refuse the food, it was Christian who offered to try to convince her to eat. He took the bowl from Eleanor, and with gentle words and coaxing, he pleaded with Mary Ann to accept the liquid so that she could regain her strength. In the early evening of the second night, she opened her eyes and looked up, a strange expression on her face as if trying to recognize him. When she did, she frowned and moved her head, just slightly, to look at the ladder-back chair with the open Bible on the seat.
“You—” she said in a soft voice, barely audible. Her eyes were wide and bright, studying his face as she spoke. “You came for me.”
Christian nodded his head once. “I did.”
“You found me.”
Another single nod, his eyes never leaving her face.
Something changed in her expression. It softened with what Eleanor suspected was an understanding. Mary Ann seemed to be thinking, perhaps remembering the series of events that led up to this moment. When she refocused on Christian, she looked wide-eyed and enlightened. “You’ve been here the whole time.” It wasn’t a question, merely a statement. And with that she accepted the soup from Christian’s hand and her recovery truly began.
Eleanor blinked back the welling of tears in her eyes and turned her head to look out the door. She recognized that enlightened look on her sister’s face. Certainly Mary Ann finally understood something that had been so obvious but completely overlooked by her during the past weeks of her pining for Willis. While she had been so focused on following her heart in such a public manner, she had missed seeing another who followed his, just in a quiet, more subdued way. Eleanor suspected that her sister’s fancy for the dramatic romance now recognized the unspoken suffering of Christian Bechtler, who had watched from the sidelines as the relationship between Mary Ann and Willis developed. Certainly that knowledge would change the way she thought of him.
Leaving the room, Eleanor walked to the kitchen, pausing once to glance over her shoulder. From the kitchen she could still see them, Christian seated beside Mary Ann, gently feeding her spoonful after spoonful of soup. Now it was Mary Ann’s eyes that never left his face.
“Oh my,” her mother whispered, watching the scene from the kitchen. She reached out and touched Eleanor’s arm. “Perhaps tragedy will lead to something good after all, ja?”
Eleanor nodded her head and gave a soft smile. “I do believe so,” she whispered back. “And she’ll be all the better for it.”
The two of them clasped hands, content in the knowledge that Mary Ann’s care was in the hands of someone who loved her as much as they did. Maggie, listening to the conversation from the kitchen table, looked confused, but for once she remained quiet, most likely for fear of being told to leave the house and play outside.
For the next two hours Eleanor worked at catching up on their sewing orders, enlisting Maggie to assist since, clearly, Mary Ann could not. They sat at the table, working under the light of the propane lantern that hung overhead, hissing and sending enough heat from the flame that Maem had not needed to start a fire.
Christian left the bedroom door cracked open when he withdrew from Mary Ann’s side and retreated toward the front door. “She’s doing much better, I think,” he said as he reached for his hat, which he had hung from a peg in the wall near the door. He spun it several time in his hands as he looked down the small hallway toward the bedroom where Mary Ann rested. “Regrettably I must depart for the time being. But I shall return. Is there anything I can bring for you? Medicine from town? Supplies?”
Eleanor smiled at him and shook her head. “Danke, Christian. You’ve done more than you will ever know. How can we ever repay your kindness to our dear Mary Ann?”
Christian glanced at her mother and then back to Eleanor before he slid the hat on his head. “It’s no more than any other man would do,” he said modestly, and then, with a dip of his head, he opened the door and disappeared into the afternoon sun.
“Such a fine man, that Christian Bechtler,” Maem said as she stood near the window and watched him unhitch his horse from the hitching post. “How fortunate we are that he found her that day.” She shuddered. “I cannot bear to consider what might have happened.”
“Then don’t, Maem,” Eleanor scolded. “God took care of Mary Ann, and that is all we must consider, not the what-ifs.”
For a long moment Maem and Eleanor stood there, each one reflecting on the unusual change of circumstances. In such a short period of time, their hopes that Mary Ann would marry had shifted from Willis to Christian Bechtler, and while originally thought to be an unlikely pairing, it now seemed to be the most sensible matching for Mary Ann.
“Hello, there!”
The sound of a male voice startled them. Eleanor turned toward the door to find Jacob standing there with a bright smile as he shook off his coat and hung it on the very peg from which Christian had just retrieved his hat. “How fare the Detweiler women today, then?” His eyes fell on Maggie. “No school for you today, eh?”
She shook her head.
Maem spoke up. “We’re all so concerned for Mary Ann. It wouldn’t do her any good to sit in the schoolhouse worried about her sister all day.”
Jacob nodded, crossing the room to the kitchen table. He paused momentarily and glanced out the window where Christian’s buggy was just now rounding the bend. “Ah, but I suspect from what I hear that things are taking a turn, ja?” He chuckled. “And definitely for the better, no doubt.”
Neither Maem nor Eleanor said anything in response.
“Vell, that’s right gut to see some spark of hope in Preacher!” He leaned back in the chair, his broad frame causing it to creak beneath his weight. “About time some lovely young woman recognized the size of that man’s heart. Will do him good too. He’s been too long alone and is far too gut a man to be left alone!”
“Coffee?” Eleanor asked, hoping to change the direction of the conversation.
He waved his hand. “Nee, but danke, Eleanor.” He looked around the room, his eyes taking in every detail, from the green window shades to the pretty dishes displayed on the fireplace mantel. He seemed satisfied and sighed. “How comfortable and fine this cottage has become. I knew that it only needed a little bit of love to be transformed. Like everything in life, I reckon.”
Maem smiled at the compliment, the first genuine smile Eleanor had seen on her face in days. “Danke, Jacob. It has become a wunderbarr home for my family, indeed.”
“Speaking of family,” he said, positioning himself to start a new conversation. “I come bearing interesting news. Leah spoke with her maem on the phone this morning.”
“Oh? How is Widow Jennings?” Maem asked, joining Jacob at the table.
“Quite fine, although I imagine her well-being was not mentioned during the conversation, for there was much news to discuss of greater interest.” He looked at Eleanor and raised an eyebrow, his eyes never leaving hers. “Seems our Lydia is to be married two weeks from this coming Thursday. The wedding was announced after worship service this past Sunday.”
Standing at the kitchen counter, Eleanor felt as if her stomach twisted and her heart fell. She tried to remain stoic, bracing herself to deal with her mother’s reaction after Jacob left. Ever since Lydia had confided in her, Eleanor had been praying for the strength to face the moment when the engagement of Lydia and Edwin would become public knowledge. Unfortunately she now realized
that no amount of prayer and preparation could have prepared her. Perhaps deep down inside she had hoped that it would never come to fruition. Now, however, she knew that the news was no longer secret.
“Oh my!” Maem clapped her hands together. “A wedding? I’m sure we’ll be thrilled to attend!”
Even Maggie seemed overjoyed. She grinned at the news and bounced on the balls of her feet, doing her best not to shout out or cheer. “I love the desserts at weddings!” was all she said.
Jacob laughed at her comment and rubbed his protruding stomach. “I tend to agree with you there, Maggie! Perhaps too much!”
Maem smiled at the joke. “Weddings are such great fellowship, ja! It will be nice to have something positive to look forward to attending. I hadn’t known that she was seeing someone, however. Do we know who the young man is?”
“Indeed we do. Seems she has been secretly courting a young man for quite some time. I believe you know him.” He paused and, once again, looked over at Eleanor. When she lowered her eyes, he took a breath and returned his attention to Maem. “Edwin Fisher is the man. I believe he is the bruder of your Fanny. Apparently they had an understanding that dates back to their rumschpringe.”
The news caught Maem off guard. She gasped and raised her hand to cover her heart. “Edwin Fisher?” Her eyes immediately shifted to Eleanor. “Our Edwin Fisher is to marry Lydia? Oh . . . ”
Maggie could not contain herself. “That can’t be! He and Eleanor . . . ”
“Shush, Maggie,” Eleanor snapped, interrupting her sister with a fierce tone that said much more than she wanted to share. When both Maem and Maggie quieted, Eleanor did her best to compose herself, and with as much poise as she could muster, she said to both of them, “We should all be quite happy for their good fortune to find each other.”
Maggie’s mouth opened, and for a second she stood there staring at Eleanor as if disbelieving what she heard. But Eleanor remained resolute in her stance that if she accepted what she could not change, it would be easier for the rest of the family to follow her example.
Jacob nodded his head at her words. “They will need support too.” He lowered his voice, most likely to indicate that he was about to share information of a sensitive nature since there was no one around to overhear. “Apparently Edwin’s mother was not as understanding as you, Eleanor. She does not care for Lydia, says she’s not a gut farmer’s wife. And she was put off by the story of such a long, secret engagement. Seems his maem now refuses to let him take over the family farm and claims that it shall be given to his younger brother, not Edwin.”
For a brief moment Eleanor shut her eyes. She increasingly believed that Lydia was a foolish and manipulative young woman who had likely prodded Edwin into a commitment before he was mature enough to know better. Yet Edwin would never go back on his word to Lydia. He was not that type of man. While Eleanor knew very little about Fanny and Edwin’s mother, she could only presume that the woman had a very strong hand in the family decision-making process. With Lydia more engaged in womanly pursuits such as baking and needlepoint, her lack of interest in farmwork would mean that, until their children were of an age to help, Edwin would labor on the farm alone. And the farm, one of the larger ones in the area of Narvon, was much too special to the Fisher family to have it fall apart because of a bad marital decision on the part of the Fishers’ son.
Jacob let his hand fall down, hitting the top of the table, a sound resonating in the silence of the room. “So there you have it, the fall of two young men who did not choose wisely.” He stood up. “I’m sorry to be the one to break the news.” He said this while looking at Eleanor for the third and final time. “However, it’s best to learn now about the true nature of these men.”
“Danke, Jacob,” Maem said in a strained voice.
“Now, I best be going to tackle my evening chores.” He walked to the door, where he paused to lift his hat from the peg and place it on his head. “Have a good evening, then.”
The room remained silent long after he left. Eleanor waited for the questions, wishing she had a place to go for private reflection. With no barn to retreat to and Mary Ann in their bedroom, Eleanor’s only option was going for a walk. Still, she’d have to come back eventually. It was better to just get it over with, she told herself.
“How long have you known?” Maem asked at last.
“A few weeks, I reckon.”
“And you said nothing?” Maem didn’t wait for Eleanor to respond. “You knew yet you went to Honey Brook? You baked goods alongside Lydia? You listened to your schwester with her false hopes that Willis would come back to her? Oh, Eleanor!”
“It’s all right, Maem,” Eleanor heard herself say. She knew she spoke the words only to reassure her mother. It would take a long time for those words to be spoken in truth.
“But Edwin loves Eleanor!” Maggie cried out, the disbelief in her voice giving way to tears in her eyes. “I know he does!”
At a time when Eleanor should have been comforted, she went to her sister’s side and hugged her instead. “Edwin and I are right gut friends, Maggie. There is no need for tears.”
Maggie clung to her, the tears falling freely now. “If this is what happens during courtship, I don’t ever want to do it!”
Despite the pain in her heart Eleanor gave a mournful laugh as she rubbed at the young girl’s back. “Now, Maggie, don’t be so silly.” She pulled back and squatted so that she could stare into Maggie’s eyes. “If Maem had felt that way, she never would have married Daed. Then where would we be?” She smiled and wiped away Maggie’s tears with her finger. “Everything happens for a reason. God’s reason. In due time, mayhaps we will learn why, if He chooses. If this is what God intended for them, then I’m happy for Edwin and Lydia.”
“Happy or not, I will not go to that wedding!” Maem declared.
Maem’s defiance surprised her, although Eleanor had already made up her mind that she would not attend if asked. So she raised no argument with her mother’s words. Instead, she took a deep breath, knowing that the next few weeks would be long and painful as she wondered about the flurry of activity happening in the lives of Edwin and his soon-to-be bride, Lydia.
Although this was the beginning of the wedding season, Eleanor suspected that the announcement came as much of a surprise to Lydia’s family as to Edwin’s. Most parents suspected or were even told in advance of the bishop announcing the wedding at church service. With all weddings falling on Tuesdays or Thursdays, the family had little time to prepare the house, the guest list, and the food. If the Fisher family was in an uproar about the wedding, Edwin would be stuck inviting all of his family’s guests by himself.
Despite how she felt emotionally, Eleanor couldn’t help but feel a little compassion for him. All because of a promise made long ago, certainly when he was too young to know better, he now faced a lifetime of honoring it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
ELEANOR EXCUSED HERSELF and started to head toward the stairs, hoping to retreat to the bedroom she normally shared with Mary Ann. With Mary Ann staying downstairs, Eleanor knew she could find comfort and solace in her bedroom, if nothing more than a few private moments to come to grips with her feelings. However, just as she put her foot on the first step, she saw that the door to Maem’s room was open and Mary Ann stood in the doorway, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she leaned against the frame.
“A wedding?” Her large eyes and pale face seemed to drain of even more color. “Please tell me it’s not more news about . . . ”
“Nee!” Eleanor shook her head. “It is not about John Willis. For once, Mary Ann, it has nothing to do with you.” She started to climb the steps but stopped when Mary Ann put her hand on the stair railing.
“But Maem sounded so angry! Whoever could it have been about?”
Eleanor drew in her breath. “She spoke of Edwin Fisher’s marriage, Mary Ann.” Then she climbed the rest of the stairs, not once looking back to see if Mary Ann followed.
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She did.
“Edwin?” Surprised at this name being in the center of their discussion, Mary Ann slowly followed Eleanor into the second-floor bedroom. “Edwin Fisher? He’s to be married?”
Eleanor stood by the window, staring outside so that she did not have to look at her sister. For once she just wished her sister would go away. The last thing Eleanor wanted was to rehash the details from this horrible news.
“Eleanor? What’s going on?” she insisted.
“He’s marrying Lydia, Mary Ann.” Her voice sounded flat and emotionless. Inside, however, she cried at the very thought that their engagement was now public knowledge and sure to proceed to marriage.
“Lydia?” Mary Ann exclaimed. “But he loves you! Of that I am sure!” When Eleanor did not respond, Mary Ann walked to her and touched her arm. “Is this true, Eleanor?”
Still refusing to look at her, Eleanor nodded.
“And how long have you known?”
Finally Eleanor turned to face her sister. “Lydia was quite kind in confiding in me from the very beginning of our relationship, Mary Ann.”
Mary Ann’s mouth opened and she gasped. “Yet you never said one word to me!”
“Nee, Mary Ann,” Eleanor said. “She asked me to keep her confidence. I could not go back on my word, even though I often thought of doing so.”
“Oh!” Mary Ann sank onto the side of the bed and shut her eyes. “How could I have been so blind?” she asked rhetorically. “All this time I was thinking only of my own pain.” She raised her eyes to stare at Eleanor. “And you have been so calm and cheerful at all times. You have supported me, even when you did so by putting yourself in her presence! How selfless you are, Eleanor!”
