by Sarah Price
A gasp escaped from Lizzie’s mouth, and she quickly turned her back to the door in case anyone was nearby. She didn’t want anyone to see her reaction or to hear her words. She tried to catch her bearings and figure out the best way to respond to the angry charges put forth to her.
“Well?” Christiana demanded. “It can’t possibly be true now, can it?”
“You have said so yourself,” Lizzie quipped, feeling pushed into a corner and not liking the feeling.
“Answer the question!”
“If the news is so impossible,” Lizzie said slowly, enunciating each word, “I still cannot imagine why you would have contacted me!”
“Do not be insolent with me, Elizabeth Blank. Have you heard this rumor then?”
“I have not.” It wasn’t a lie. As far as Lizzie knew, only two people had known about the proposal: her and Frederick. Since she had confided in no one, it was apparent that Frederick had. However, she realized that, being such a private man, it was highly unlikely. So the source of such a rumor created a problem that Lizzie could not solve.
Christiana was not about to be satisfied with Lizzie’s simple reply. “Are you saying that there is no truth to this story then?”
Lizzie felt her cheeks grow hot with anger. Who was this woman to contact her and ask such personal questions? “I do not have the same qualities as you do, I fear,” she snapped. “I am not comfortable being as frank or forthright with you, a woman whom I do not know beyond a brief meeting, just weeks ago! I am not about to answer questions of such a personal and private nature.”
“Elizabeth!” The shrill voice on the other end of the phone was growing increasingly irritated. “Do you deny that my nephew has proposed marriage to you?” she demanded.
Lizzie clutched the phone, her blood coursing through her veins as she tried to control her temper. “It was you who just said it was impossible, ain’t so?”
“Insolent girl!” Christiana snapped. “I will get to the bottom of this. My nephew might be swayed by momentary charms, but he will not forget his obligations to this family and to my husband’s niece! And what for, anyway? Marrying into a disgraced family from Pennsylvania?” The way the word Pennsylvania rolled off of her tongue made it sound as if it were poison. “And you, with your flashing eyes and quick tongue, will not interfere with a marriage that has been discussed for years! What do you say to that?”
A dozen responses went through Lizzie’s head, not one of them fit for vocalizing. She knew that she would have to pray for forgiveness later for having even thought such terrible things. Instead she clenched her fist and pressed her lips together, forcing out her words. “I dare say that your nephew is a grown man and is welcome to propose to whomever he likes, Christiana. If he chooses to marry your niece, I wish him the best. However, if he chooses to seek a life companion elsewhere, it is not your place to interfere nor mine to presume to tell you before him what I would or would not say!”
Without another moment’s hesitation Lizzie said a quick good-bye and hung up the phone. She stood there for a few minutes, her hands shaking and her heart beating rapidly inside of her chest. She couldn’t begin to understand what the meaning of that phone call and Christiana’s accusations were. How could Christiana have come to learn of Frederick’s proposal? Certainly he would not have told his aendi, not that particular aendi anyway. With her unwanted opinions and mannerism in expressing them, Lizzie was more than certain Christiana would have been the last person to have heard of his previous intentions from Frederick directly.
Besides, Lizzie had turned down his offer of marriage. She did not want to admit that to Christiana, for it was surely none of her business. And she knew that there was little hope of such an offer being repeated, especially now with Lydia’s disgraceful disappearance and her hush-hush marriage to George Wickey. Why on earth would Christiana be interested in pursuing this conversation when the proposal had been asked, rejected, and both parties had moved on with their lives?
Lizzie leaned against the wall and shut her eyes. Despite learning so much about Frederick and growing in her respect for him, she knew that Frederick would never renew his offer, lest he be forever linked to George Wickey as a brother-in-law.
Chapter Twenty-Four
OH, BOTHER!” MAEM said, her voice exasperated and weary, as she stared out the kitchen window. “Here comes Charles Beachey again, and with that disagreeable Frederick Detweiler!” She tossed her hand towel into the sink and turned around, addressing the four pairs of eyes that stared back at her. “Why must a pleasant visit be ruined with that man’s overbearing and miserable presence?”
Lizzie caught her breath, surprised that Frederick had once again accompanied Charles to their home.
The previous Sunday Charles had picked up Jane before the singing. Despite his invitation to take her too, Lizzie had merely waved her hand at him and smiled at Jane. Three was a crowd, and Lizzie had no intentions of tagging along.
When Jane had finally returned home, Lizzie had been waiting up for her, eager to hear the details of their exchanges during the evening. In the quiet of their room Jane had shared with Lizzie about how they had talked the entire way to the singing and on the way back. It almost felt as if he had never left, Jane had said. Yet there was something wistful in the way that she said it, and Lizzie knew that Jane still had her doubts.
“Oh, fiddle-faddle!” Lizzie had exclaimed. “He may have left, Jane, but he did come back. And I can assure you that he is even more in love with you than ever!”
Jane had tried to smile at her sister’s reassuring words, but without fully understanding Charles’s reasons, reasons that he had chosen not to share with her during their time alone in the buggy, she could not be comforted. “If only I knew why,” she had replied before dropping the subject.
Today, however, was Saturday, and he had not stopped at the farm during the entire week. Daed had confided in Lizzie that the Beachey farm had suffered under George’s lax supervision that summer. Thankfully no crops had been ruined, and the herd of cows had been tended to when George and Lydia ran off, a fact for which Charles had expressed his profuse gratitude to Daed on more than one occasion. However, since George’s return and marriage to Lydia, it was clear that the young couple was in way over their heads, and the farm, which had been pristine and well maintained prior to Charles’s departure during the summer, was now in complete disorder.
Daed continued telling Maem how Charles had made plans to return to Leola to check on the farm when he had heard that George married Lydia. He had, unfortunately, been totally unaware that his young cousin had left town in the first place.
“I wonder why they thought it wise to leave the farm to George’s care to begin with!” Daed had said, his words short and spoken with no emotion. “They certainly have their hands full, picking up where our son-in-law let go.” The word son-in-law was uttered with heavy sarcasm. Lizzie knew that her daed had yet to forgive Lydia for what she had done and the emotional trauma that had befallen the Blank household. Indeed, George had yet to be invited to visit the Blank farm. It was clear that his presence was unwelcomed, at least for the time being.
Now, Lizzie hurried to the side window to watch the two men. They had not driven a buggy but apparently had preferred to walk. It was late September, and the weather was still nice for walking, especially in the late morning hours. Her eyes trailed Frederick, her heart beating inside of her chest. Charles seemed nervous and paced a bit as he walked, stopping as if he were about to backtrack, then returning to Frederick’s side. As usual, Frederick remained calm as he slowed his pace and seemed to patiently wait for Charles.
Without a doubt Lizzie knew why Charles was there. She felt tears of joy in her eyes, which she blinked rapidly in order to avoid shedding them. “Jane, you should change your apron,” Lizzie said without turning around. She could hear Mary and Catherine scurrying around the kitchen, quickly straightening up as much as they could. They had been making cheese all morning, usi
ng fresh milk from the cows to set until the big, chunky curds could be drained and pressed. In the side room three cheese presses were already at work with large plastic containers filled with sand holding down the arm of the press in order to apply as much pressure as was needed on the plastic molds filled with curds and covered in cheesecloth. The result would be beautiful wheels of homemade cheese: Colby, cheddar, and even Monterey Jack.
When the footsteps were finally heard on the front porch, the kitchen was straightened up and only a dried spot of milk lingering on the linoleum floor gave any indication that they had been working all morning. Maem answered the door, politely greeting both men, although Lizzie thought she heard an edge to her voice when she specifically greeted Frederick. It pained her to think that her maem was so prejudiced against the very man who had saved Lydia and the family from complete disgrace. Yet she knew it was not her place to share this information with her parents based on Leah’s comments alone. Besides, from what little she had learned of Frederick, he preferred his good deeds to remain secret.
“Gut mariye,” Charles said politely, nodding at the women in the room. His eyes lingered on Jane and he paused, a smile on his lips wavering from nervousness.
“What a pleasure to have you stop in,” Maem said, a little too enthusiastically for Lizzie’s taste, especially after her prior comments regarding Frederick. “Would you like to sit for a spell this time?”
Charles almost trembled as his eyes left Jane’s, and he glanced at her maem. “Nee, nee,” he quickly replied, his nervousness more than apparent. “But I would like to speak with Jane outside for a moment if that is fine with her and I am not interrupting something of greater importance.”
Maem caught her breath and looked over at her oldest dochder. The color drained from Maem’s face. If there was ever a doubt, this was not the time. With wide eyes and pale cheeks, Maem nodded to Jane. “Go on, Jane,” she whispered, gesturing toward the door with her head. “We have everything under control here in the kitchen.”
Lizzie remained at the counter, watching as Jane stood up and walked across the kitchen floor. She was pleased to see that Jane had quickly replaced her soiled work apron with a fresh, clean one that covered the bottom half of her purple dress. As Jane passed Charles on her way outside, he quickly followed, leaving his friend Frederick standing in the doorway.
As she watched Frederick for a moment, the harsh words from Christiana rang in Lizzie’s ears and she bit her lip, wondering if he too had heard those rumors. Since she couldn’t imagine that he had started them, surely he would have thought she had told others about having turned down his proposal. That very thought had been bothering her since she had spoken with his aendi. The last thing she wanted was for Frederick to think she was mocking him behind his back and telling people she had rejected his offer of marriage.
And then there was the issue about Lydia. As Lizzie stared at him, her eyes glazing over and her mind wandering, she found herself wishing she could have had the opportunity to thank him for what he had done for Lydia and her entire family. Yet, with so much going on and the stoic nature with which he stood there, she neither wished to make him uncomfortable nor speak of her gratitude in front of the others.
Still, the silence was weighing too heavily on her, and she felt that something should be said to welcome Frederick into the house. After all, he more than deserved to be treated as a valuable guest of the family; a benevolent friend would even be an understatement, she reckoned. “Would you care for some meadow tea? It might be the last fresh batch until spring,” she said lightly.
He looked at her and then quickly averted his eyes. “Nee, but danke,” he replied.
“I was surprised to learn that you had returned,” she managed to say, wishing that Mary, Catherine, and her maem would leave the room. “I trust your family is well in Ohio?”
“Quite well,” he replied, his eyes meeting hers once again. She was relieved to see that there was no malice in his look.
“And Grace?”
He smiled, a soft and thoughtful smile. “She is fine, Elizabeth, and sends her best regards to you.”
“It’s a shame you could not bring her with you,” Lizzie observed lightly but immediately regretted her words. The color flooded to her cheeks, knowing that her attempt at small talk had backfired. She didn’t want him to think that she was insensitive to Grace’s emotions in regard to George Wickey. After all, it had only been a year ago that Frederick had interfered with George’s plans to elope with his then sixteen-year-old sister. “Oh, help. I didn’t mean . . . ”
He nodded his head and lifted his hand as if to calm her, the gesture reassuring Lizzie that he knew she meant no harm by her carelessly worded statement. “I understand. The change of scenery would have pleased her, ja, but she is better at home with Aendi.” He paused. “Plus, I prefer to not leave Aendi alone for long periods of time, if it can be avoided.”
To her relief Mary and Catherine busied themselves in the sunroom while Maem excused herself to tidy up her bedroom. Lizzie took the opportunity of this unexpected privacy that presented a chance to speak more directly to Frederick about what was really on her mind.
“I understand you have had another change of scenery recently too,” she began, her voice low enough so that she could not be overheard. “It seems that you keep returning to Pennsylvania.”
He lifted an eyebrow in feigned ignorance.
“When Leah told me that you were the one who found Lydia and George and, subsequently, arranged for the marriage,” she continued, “I . . . I was speechless, Frederick. My entire family owes you so much gratitude for your kindness and willingness to be so unselfish in helping them. I cannot thank you enough for what you did.”
She thought she saw something soften in his expression, the darkness lifting from his eyes. Hesitantly he took a step into the room so that he stood closer to her. His eyes drifted to where Mary and Catherine had positioned themselves. Convinced that they were busy talking to each other and not listening, Frederick responded. “I had hoped no one would find out. But I see that this has not happened.” There was remorse in his voice when he said that, and Lizzie knew that he was sincerely disturbed that his actions had been shared with her. “For that, I’m sorry. However, it was not for your family’s sake that I did it, Elizabeth,” he said. “It was only for you . . . only you.”
His words took her breath away, and she stared at him directly, their eyes meeting for too long a moment to not cause her cheeks to flush once again. Only you, he had said. Whatever could that mean? She started to open her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. She was finally able to whisper, “I . . . I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“Speechless again?” he quipped, a light teasing tone to his voice, one that she had only heard once before, back in Ohio at his farm.
There was no further time for conversation as the door opened and Jane walked in, her eyes glowing and her cheeks flushed despite being streaked with tears. She took one look at Lizzie and burst into more tears, despite the smile on her face. With a sigh of relief Lizzie hurried to take her oldest sister into her arms and hug her. There was no need for words or explanation as Charles walked in behind her, a broad grin on his face as he nodded toward his friend.
“Looks like I’ll be settling in Pennsylvania after all,” Charles announced, looking at Frederick, who managed to smile his approval. “Jane has delighted me with the honor of agreeing to accept my offer of marriage.”
The door to their parents’ bedroom burst open and Maem bustled out, her arms open and her mouth in as big a smile as Charles’s. She hurried to Jane and held her, laughing and crying at the same time as she announced that she had known it all along. “I couldn’t have wished for a happier arrangement,” she gushed. She reached her hand out to take Charles’s. “What a wunderbaar gut couple you shall make!”
For a few moments there was quite a commotion in the kitchen. Charles beamed at the joy with which the family had
received his proposal. Catherine crowded around Jane, begging to help with the wedding while also lobbying to be seated across from a very specific list of young men in the g’may. Mary seemed happy but greeted the news with a quiet smile, not quite sure of how to respond to issues dealing with love.
As for Lizzie, her eyes caught sight of Frederick, and when he looked at her, she found herself fighting tears. At that moment she knew all that had occurred behind the scenes, all of the kind and generous deeds that Frederick had done to correct the alleged wrongs that she had so mistakenly accused him of. Yet she knew that it was too late for any chance to correct the wrongs that she had done to him.
There was a bittersweet joy in that moment. Lizzie listened as Maem began prattling off a list of people who simply had to be invited to the wedding while Jane laughed nervously at the attention from Catherine. It was a joyous setting; yet as Lizzie held Frederick’s gaze, she longed to thank him personally for so much more than just having salvaged Lydia’s reputation.
It was almost an hour after Charles had finally left that Lizzie had a chance to speak privately with her sister. Jane could scarcely contain her happiness and her tears of joy at having been asked to marry Charles Beachey. Despite her claim of being at peace with his departure, it was clear to Lizzie that what she had suspected all along was true: Jane had truly loved him and her heart had been broken.
“What on earth did he say to you?” Lizzie asked, holding Jane’s hands as they sat on the edge of the bed the sisters shared upstairs.
Jane laughed and covered her mouth as if to hold back the sweet sound of her bliss. “Oh, Lizzie, I cannot begin to believe how the pain of the past few months has been ever so worth it, now that I know he truly loves me and that we are to be together forever!”
“Tell me everything!” Lizzie pressed eagerly.
Jane glanced down at the floor, trying to remember exactly what had occurred. “Vell,” she began, “he apologized for having left so quickly and never sending a letter to me. Originally it had been his intention to return to Leola, but someone convinced him that I did not truly care,” Jane said, a brief frown on her forehead. “He was as heartbroken as I was. Can you imagine?”