by Sarah Price
However, upon their arrival, Maem soon found herself flocked by her friends, who demanded the latest information and updates about Lydia’s unexpected behavior and ensuing marriage. While Lizzie was certain that many people speculated about a possible underlying reason for the hasty marriage, she could hear her maem immediately putting that gossip to rest by happily telling everyone that George was a wunderbaar and most welcomed addition to the family. A family, she added, whose growth she genuinely looked forward to, as she was eager to become the happy grossmammi of many boppli to bless the union at some point in the far distant future.
Only time would quell that rumor, Lizzie thought wryly.
Despite all of Maem’s proclamations of family bliss, she was hard pressed to maintain her composure when Lydia walked into the building with George following two steps behind her. In fact, a general hush filled the room and every eye was trained on the newly married couple.
For many members of the g’may, this was the first time they had seen George Wickey, for this was certainly the first worship service he had attended. He looked stiff and uncomfortable in his Sunday suit, avoiding eye contact with the Blank family and retreating to the side of the room where the younger men were gathered. A few of them, the unmarried ones who had not taken their kneeling vow as of yet, seemed to have already made George’s acquaintance, a fact that made perfect sense to Lizzie now. Those nights after the storm, when he had disappeared and not returned until the early morning hours, he most likely had been with a group of friends on a wild rumschpringe, two of whom were standing with him now. Lizzie easily recognized them as having developed a rather questionable reputation as of late.
In complete contrast, if Lydia was embarrassed or self-conscious about her recent actions, she gave no such indication. She smiled from ear to ear as she greeted the line of women, shaking their hands and kissing their lips, sparing a few words in response to those who were able to overcome their surprise at her unexpected appearance to congratulate her on her recent nuptials.
Lizzie took a deep breath, dreading the idea of having to greet her schwester. She felt deeply uncomfortable and a little bit angry at how carelessly happy Lydia appeared, oblivious to the pain that she had caused so many.
When Lydia had finished with the greeting line, she looked around until her eyes rested on her four schwesters standing off to the side. Rather than acknowledge that they were clearly avoiding her, Lydia smiled and immediately pranced up to her sisters, her fingers reaching to adjust her white prayer kapp upon her head, a sharp contrast with the black kapps that her four unmarried sisters wore.
“I can’t believe not one of you has come to visit me in my new home,” Lydia pouted playfully, moving her head from one sister to the next in such a fashion that the untied white ribbons of her kapp flipped through the air. “I would think you’d want to offer some congratulations!”
Lizzie took a deep breath and shook her head. “This is neither the right time nor the proper place, Lydia.”
Her youngest sister laughed and waved her hand at Lizzie. “Oh, Lizzie,” she said cheerfully. “You don’t have to always be so serious. I was just teasing you.” She glanced around the room and waved to one of her friends. “I know you must have been shocked by my marriage. I must admit that I was too.” She looked back at her sisters as she sighed. “But when you have someone as wonderful as George Wickey . . . ” She let the sentence trail off, and Lizzie could hardly imagine what Lydia might have meant by that. There were a half dozen ways that Lizzie could have completed the sentence, but none of which, she figured, that Lydia had possibly considered.
“Vell, as long as you are happy . . . ,” Jane quickly offered with a forced smile, trying to sound genuinely happy for Lydia.
“Oh, danke, sister Jane!”
Mary and Catherine mumbled their own congratulations. Lizzie remained silent on the point.
“Ja, vell,” Lydia said in an uppity tone. “I best go stand with the other married women since we are to be seated soon.” She giggled at the statement as if overly delighted to no longer be forced to sit on the benches reserved for the unmarried women in their church district.
After the three-hour service Lizzie found herself standing beside Leah Lantz, as the men began to set the benches into the wooden brackets that transformed them into tables for the fellowship meal.
“How are you doing, Lizzie?” Leah asked softly so that no one else but her daughter’s friend could hear.
Lizzie smiled her appreciation at her best friend’s maem. “Only as well as could be expected,” she replied halfheartedly. She hadn’t seen Leah or William since the driver had returned them to Leola, and understandably so, as too much had been happening at the Blank farm. “I’m so terribly grateful for your support on the trip home and can only apologize again for the way we left the Dutch Valley.”
“Never you mind about that,” Leah said. “It’s not something you could have prevented, and it certainly wasn’t something that you caused.”
Still, Lizzie couldn’t help but feel guilt over the entire trip. What should have been a fun and light visit had turned dark and soured more with each passing day, from running into Frederick at the Bechler farm, to his unexpected proposal, to Jane’s letter that contained the most dreadful news about Lydia. Lizzie knew only too well that her visit with Charlotte had not been as it should have been.
“Ja, vell,” Lizzie said with a sigh. “At least they are married now.”
“And how remarkable that their whereabouts were finally discovered by Frederick and that he was able to locate them,” Leah added casually, her voice soft so that no one else could hear.
Her words almost went unnoticed by Lizzie, but at the mention of Frederick’s name, she whirled around and stared at Charlotte’s maem. “What do you mean that he located them?”
A shadow passed over Leah’s eyes and she glanced around. Women were beginning to set the tables, so they still had a few moments before it would be time to sit. “I thought you knew,” she began. “It was Charlotte who told me in a letter, just this past week.”
“Knew what, Leah?” Lizzie urged.
“Well, it seems that Frederick left for Pennsylvania that Sunday, shortly after visiting with you. He hired a Mennonite driver and went straight through to Philadelphia. He found the two of them at a youth hostel known for hosting Amish youths in their rumschpringe, and he brought them back to Lancaster. I don’t know how he did it, but somehow he was instrumental in finding a way for them to get legally married before returning them to the Beachey farm.”
Stunned, Lizzie took a moment to comprehend what Charlotte’s maem had just told her. Certainly Leah is misinformed, she thought, for the words Leah spoke seemed unreal and foreign to her. After all, the story that Lizzie had been privy to was that George and Lydia had simply reappeared of their own volition, after having eloped. She had never suspected that someone else had been involved in making the two disgraced youths marry and bringing them home. “I don’t think I understand you properly,” Lizzie whispered, still in disbelief. “How would Frederick have known where to find them?”
“Apparently George had made similar plans with another young lady just the year before,” Leah said, not mentioning Grace Detweiler’s name. “Since you certainly couldn’t have known, I can only imagine that Frederick didn’t want anyone to become aware of his involvement, so I won’t be telling others, Lizzie. I reckon he’d tell the story himself if he wanted others to know. But I must confess that I am most impressed with that Frederick. He is one right gut and most godly man. Not only did he arrange for a proper marriage, I heard that he even spoke to the bishop and has arranged for both to take the October kneeling vow so that they can still join the Amish church!” Leah laid her hand on Lizzie’s arms. “He saved your schwester from ruination, that’s for sure and certain.”
Indeed! Lizzie’s head whirled, and she had to lean against the wall to regain the strength to keep standing. What could all of this mean? Lizz
ie was at a loss to imagine how he had possibly managed to beat them back to Pennsylvania and how he had been able to track down the wayward couple in a city as large as Philadelphia! It was almost impossible to comprehend.
Even more amazing was the fact that he had been in Leola and yet no one had known. In just one day he had arranged for a quiet marriage so that it appeared that the young couple had eloped, thus saving Lydia from certain disgrace. And he had met with the bishop and negotiated entrance for the newly married couple into the church, the only way to calm the Amish gossip line and ease the pain of the Blank family. Yet at no point had Frederick made his presence known, nor had he tried to take any credit for what he had achieved. If ever a man with less pride had walked the earth, Lizzie was hard pressed to think of one.
Still, one larger question loomed over her head: Why? Why would Frederick Detweiler spend the time and money to travel so far? Why would Frederick Detweiler take it upon himself to salvage the future of her ridiculously naïve sister and the less-than-honorable George Wickey? She couldn’t begin to make heads-or-tails sense of the entire situation.
She stayed where she stood, in the back of the room, watching as the first seating of people situated themselves around the tables. Lydia had insured that she had secured a place to sit for herself, despite the table being crowded. Lizzie watched her sister as she chatted away, happily talking about her new husband, completely unaware that, once again, she was making a fool of herself.
With her appetite lost, Lizzie slipped through the door. She stood in the sunshine and shut her eyes for a long moment. For the life of her she could not imagine what all of this meant. Instead of pondering it, she decided to walk, knowing that an hour by herself in the cool air was her best chance of clearing her head of the dozens of questions that were swarming within it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
SEVERAL WEEKS PASSED, and mid-September brought with it cooler weather and shorter days. But the biggest change was the return of Charles Beachey and Frederick Detweiler to Leola. No one had heard any forewarning of their arrival. There was no gossip mentioning the men being back in town. Instead, the two of them merely showed up at church service as if they had never left.
When they walked into the church service, a deep silence fell over the gathering. Even the bishop looked up, a bit perplexed as to why the room had become so still. Jane felt her breath catch in her throat, and unknowingly she reached out to clutch Lizzie’s hand.
Charles nodded his head and smiled as he quickly took his place among the men. Frederick merely glanced around the room once, catching the attention of the bishop, whom he acknowledged with a familiar nod, and followed his friend. At no point in time did Frederick’s eyes seek Lizzie’s, and she felt herself anxious for such a moment to occur.
She remained disappointed.
For the entire service Lizzie felt nervous and couldn’t concentrate. Whatever does this mean? she wondered. She had never confided in Jane about what she had learned in the Dutch Valley, not wanting to reveal that the disgraceful behavior of their maem and sisters prevented Charles from pursuing Jane. And now, without any warning, Charles had returned to Leola? Was there reason to hope?
For as anxious as Lizzie remained during the service, fidgeting despite her best efforts to sit properly, Jane was the complete opposite. She stayed calm and composed, her eyes on the bishop or on her Ausbund.
During the final hymn Lizzie thought she saw Frederick glancing in her direction. She couldn’t be certain, for someone had accidentally dropped their chunky black Ausbund book. The noise caused several people to turn and look in the direction of the noise, Frederick included. At that moment, while the congregation sang, she caught his eyes looking at her, for the briefest of seconds. And then he returned his attention to the hymn.
Our Father in the kingdom of Heaven,
Hallowed be Your name forever,
Let us come to Your kingdom
Through Jesus Christ Your beloved Son,
Which He has taken in.
He is the way and also the door
Through which man shall come to You,
Besides there is no other path.
Whoever does not want to walk this way
Will not be permitted in Your kingdom.
Your will be done here on earth,
The same be fulfilled in us
As in the kingdom of Heaven.
Praise and honor be prepared for You
Always and eternally.
We ask you, O Lord God,
Give us the heavenly bread from above
Now at this hour,
Which is Your godly Word
That flows from Your mouth.
With which You nourish our souls,
That we give You praise and glory
Now and forever.
Your name is marvelously great,
To whom alone belongs the honor.
It was a beautiful hymn, one of Lizzie’s favorites. Besides loving to listen to the congregation sing it, one syllable at a time, she was also familiar with the story behind the hymn. By studying the Ausbund hymns and reading Martyrs Mirror, Lizzie had learned of how the Anabaptists had suffered persecution during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. She knew that this particular hymn was a special version of the Lord’s Prayer that one of the early leaders of the Anabaptist movement wrote during his years in prison in the early 1500s.
When the hymn ended, Lizzie took a deep breath, feeling a sense of renewal. Truly, nothing that happened during her earthly life could compare to what awaited her in heaven. Despite the heavy feeling in her chest when she had watched Frederick walk into the worship room, Lizzie knew that she could not change what had happened or the words that had been exchanged. From the ruins of those experiences God would rebuild her, but only if she honored Him.
During the kneeling prayer, her face pressed firmly upon her folded hands, she said a prayer to God to heal her heart and redirect her soul. She praised God for His goodness and glory, knowing that she had not been as godly a person as she had thought. She prayed for His forgiveness and guidance to become the very godly woman she wished she could be. And she prayed that her schwester Jane would not be hurt by the reappearance of Charles Beachey into their community.
When she had ended her prayer, Lizzie stole a quick peek at her sister but, to her surprise, noticed that Jane looked natural and undisturbed by the unexpected arrival of the very man who had left with no warning and who had spared her any form of communication for more than two months. Not once had Jane complained, at least not out loud or to Lizzie. She had written only one letter to Charles’s sister, Carol Ann, expressing her concerns for their daed. That letter had received only the briefest of responses, and the brevity of its nature had indicated that Carol Ann had no desire to continue communicating with Jane or anyone else from Leola.
Maem approached her dochders after the service, lifting up her chin and narrowing her eyes. Her distress was more than apparent, even before she spoke. “I think that it takes some nerve,” she whispered sharply to Jane and Lizzie. “Just breezing into the service with no warning whatsoever!”
“It’s a church service,” Lizzie pointed out. “No one requires an invitation.”
Her maem waved her hand at Lizzie. “That’s not the point.” She looked around the room, a look of disinterest on her face. “Ach vell, it is of no bother to us, I reckon. Doesn’t concern us at all, does it now?”
Jane managed to smile, but Lizzie could not help but frown. She could see through her maem’s transparency and didn’t like the way she sounded. Pride, she thought. Always that pride getting in the way of true godliness. “I reckon it concerns us as much as it did before,” she replied sharply. “They are neighbors of ours, and therefore we should extend ourselves to them as much as we would to any other!”
With that, Lizzie turned on her heel and marched straight to the two men who were standing at the back of the room, waiting for the second seating of food since
the gathering room was smaller than usual. She knew that people were watching her every move, and she decided that she didn’t care. It was proper to greet newcomers and guests to the service, and she was going to do just that.
“Charles Beachey,” she enounced politely, extending her hand to shake his. “It’s nice to see that you have returned to Leola!”
He shook her hand, a broad smile on his face. “It was a rather quickly made decision,” he said, his eyes darting over her shoulder as if anticipating that Jane would have joined her. When he realized that Lizzie acted alone, he seemed disappointed. “And your family is well?”
“Quite,” she responded. Turning to Frederick, she noticed that he avoided meeting her eyes. “And it is nice to see you too, Frederick Detweiler.” She extended her hand and noticed that he paused before reaching out to shake it. “It’s a nice time of year to travel,” she remarked. “With quite lovely weather, wouldn’t you agree?” she added, paraphrasing the same remark Frederick had made to her during his first surprise visit with her back at Wilmer and Charlotte’s home.
He lifted an eyebrow at her question, and she thought she saw something spark in his eye. She wondered whether or not he had picked up on her teasing and decided that he had, a thought that brought joy to her heart. “Indeed,” he said politely, taking her hand and shaking it. If he held it for a moment too long, no one else appeared to notice.