Newbury Acres: An Amish Christian Romance Novel: An Amish Romance Adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey (The Amish Classics)

by Sarah Price

  James leaned back and stared up at the sky. “I heard that she was engaged to Freddie Tilman.”

  “So you said in your letter.”

  “I heard that they were engaged, not from her lips or hand but from others when I returned to Banthe.”

  Catherine raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t known that James had returned there. Of course, it made sense that he would want to go see his fiancée. “You returned to Banthe?” she asked. “What happened?”

  “I didn’t want to write it in a letter,” he said solemnly. As he began to explain, Catherine understood his discretion. “But I arrived with John, and Ida Mae was nowhere to be found. No one knew where she was, Catherine. So John and I drove around looking for her. I began to panic, worrying about something awful. It’s all those mystery books that she read, I fear. I began to think someone had harmed her or …” He let his voice trail away and covered his eyes with the back of his arm. “Never once did I think that she would harm herself. Not in the way that I found her.”

  “Found her?” Catherine blinked her eyes in shock. “James, you must tell me what happened.”

  “She was leaving the Tilmans’ cottage in Banthe, Catherine. It was almost dark and she came traipsing out the door, not even wearing her prayer kapp, and her hair …” He shook his head. “Her hair was a mess. I knew that Freddie Tilman was there on his own, that you were at Newbury Acres with the rest of the family. She had no business being alone in that man’s cottage!”

  Immediately, Catherine thought back to the late Sunday drive she had taken with Henry. Oh, how she had wanted to see inside the Woods farmhouse. But even there, with little to no risk of being discovered, Catherine had known that even making such a request could damage her reputation. What would Henry have thought of her? She could only imagine. Yet his older brother seemed to have no problem consorting with a woman who would enter the house unchaperoned.

  “Perhaps there was an explanation?” she asked, although her voice gave away her own doubt.

  James sat up and stared at her. “I had heard enough of the rumors, Catherine. Whatever she did or did not do in that house, she never should have been there in the first place. Regardless, her own reputation is ruined, and no other reputable man would consider courting her now. She’s ruined herself, exactly like you said, for wanting more than just enough.”

  Catherine felt as if her heart would break all over again for her brother. Just one look at the dark circles under his eyes told her that he had lost many nights’ sleep over this situation. And she didn’t blame him. She, too, had not slept since she had left Newbury Acres. Instead, she tossed and turned, fretting over the fact that she would never see Henry again and had most likely lost what could have been a lifelong friend in Ellie.

  “I’m so sorry, James,” she said once again. “If there are any words of wisdom I can offer it is that you are better for knowing of her moral flaws now, rather than later.”

  He gave a soft laugh. “Moral flaws?”

  “Poor judgment?”

  He laughed again. “I’ll say. She immediately told everyone that she was engaged to Freddie, not me. Not even two days later, I received a letter from John, begging me to reconsider my proposal. Apparently that Freddie Tilman just up and left Banthe with nary a word to her. Ida Mae locked herself in her bedroom and cried for two days, her folly exposed along with her true character. And yet, when she wiped away her tears, she actually believed that I would take her back!”

  Folly. There was that word again. Ida Mae had used it to describe the tourists, instead of herself. Perhaps Ellie had been correct when she stated that Ida Mae was in denial. How else could anyone explain her foolishness? Her lack of common sense was shocking, especially since Catherine knew that she came from a good family. Just like the proverb: “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, ‘I have done no wickedness.’” Catherine thought back to the letter that Ida Mae had sent to her, asking if she might try to help James reconcile with her. But she held back this bit of information from James. There was no sense furthering his emotional distress over the situation.

  “I’m glad that you rejected John’s attentions,” James said. “At first I felt sorry for him, for he seemed to think there was something there, when I could see that you obviously didn’t care for him. I thought his boastful ways were amusing when it was just the two of us, but when he boasted of you!” He sighed and shook his head. “Be careful where you place your heart,” James concluded as he stood up and reached down for his sister’s hand. He helped her to her feet. “A broken heart is not easily mended.”

  Catherine faced him, wondering at his warning. Had he heard about her feelings for Henry? If only he knew that Henry Tilman had not wronged her, but she had wronged him. It dawned on her that Henry’s heart must have been broken by her deception. When he had left for Woods farm, he must have realized the extent of his own hurt and contacted his father. Certainly, Gid Tilman was already aggrieved over his older son’s mischief in Banthe. The last thing Gid wanted was more problems. That must have fed his fury on the evening he returned so suddenly.

  “You will love again,” Catherine said to her brother. “A woman who is worthy and kind, who loves you for you and not what you can do for her.”

  He sighed. “I do hope so, although I dare say that it will be a long time before I venture to trust another so easily.”

  “You know what the Bible says: ‘He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.’” She tried to smile at him as she folded the quilt. “I suppose we both just need to remember that God knows what we need and trust in that.”

  James reached out for the folded quilt. “Sometimes I wish his lessons were a little less painful,” he mused. Then, returning her soft smile, he turned to walk with her back to the house, both of them reflecting on what had happened and how they had grown because of it.

  Chapter 28

  Catherine lay under the shade of a large oak tree in the backyard. She had spread an old quilt on the ground and lay upon it, her head resting on her arm as she stared up through the expansion of limbs filled with dark green leaves. Many years ago, she had enjoyed this very spot, not for the tranquility and solitude that it afforded her, but because there was a large limb with a swing attached to it. When she was little, she had swung on it for hours on end. But one day, during a terrible storm, the limb had fallen, taking the swing down and ruining the prospects for any other children to enjoy the tree in the same way that Catherine had.

  Today, however, she enjoyed the tree simply because it gave her shade from the sun so that she could gather her thoughts.

  They had attended worship that morning, but Catherine could hardly pay attention to the preachers, even when her father stood up and gave the second sermon. Her mind transported her back to Newbury Acres. Surely Henry had returned by now, perhaps even with Freddie, although she didn’t care two shakes for that Tilman. She could envision the two brothers sitting side-by-side at worship, the younger one paying attention and the older one eyeballing the unmarried women who sat on the other side of the room. She shuddered at the thought.

  After the service, Catherine imagined them enjoying fellowship with the rest of their community before walking home to their large, empty farmhouse. They would spend the rest of the afternoon in silence, although she imagined that Freddie would slip out and not be seen again until the following morning. But certainly, Ellie and Henry would sit in the kitchen, perhaps playing a game of Scrabble or just reading a devotional. It would be a quiet day for them—of that she was certain.

  Her morning had passed in much the same way as she imagined that the Tilmans’ had. But in the afternoon, the children were allowed to play outside. James and Richard had put the harness on the horse and hitched it to the open-top buggy. While they had invited her to go riding, she had declined, preferring to escape to the large oak tree so that she could spend some time alone. The last thing she wanted was to go out with the other you
ths, plastering a fake smile on her face while her heart broke inside of her.

  In the distance, she could hear the sound of her younger siblings. They were laughing inside the hay barn. She wondered if they were swinging on the rope swing that James had put up after the storm took away the tree limb. Catherine had never played in the hay barn, too loyal to the old wooden swing of her own youth. Plus, she didn’t like the big spiders that sometimes hid in the loose straw. Still, she was glad that David, Elizabeth, Harriet, and George had something fun to do on a sleepy Sunday afternoon.

  “Catherine!”

  She shut her eyes and groaned.

  “Catherine! Catherine!” the shrill voice screamed out.

  “I’m over here, Harriet!” she called back.

  Her youngest sister ran around the side of the house, straw in her hair and her eyes wide open.

  “What is it?” Catherine asked.

  “There’s a man. A man on a horse coming down the lane!”

  Sitting up, Catherine caught her breath. Why was Harriet telling her this, and not her parents? Didn’t Harriet recognize the man? Was it possible that the visitor was for her?

  She got to her feet and quickly brushed any stray dirt or grass from her dress. Then she walked after Harriet, who ran back to the driveway in the front of the house. Catching up to her sister, Catherine peered down the driveway and, shocked, recognized their visitor. “Henry Tilman!” she said far too loudly before she regained her composure.

  “Oooh, the handsome Tilman boy who taught you how to fish?”

  Catherine glared at her sister and, through gritted teeth, shushed her. “Go on, Harriet. Let Maem know we’ve a visitor!”

  Harriet did as she was told but, she made a big show of glancing back in Henry’s direction as she ran toward the house.

  As he approached the gate, Henry stopped the horse and swung his right leg over so that he could dismount. Immediately, the horse dipped its head and began to graze, clearly winded from such a long journey.

  Alarmed, Catherine imagined only the worst news could have brought him to Fullerton. “What on earth are you doing here? Is everything alright? Has something happened to Ellie? Are you okay?”

  He removed his black hat and held it in both hands before him. “I suppose I should ask you that very question, Catherine.” His eyes bore into her and she blushed at the intensity. “Truly. Are you well?”

  Still astonished that Henry stood before her, she merely nodded.

  He rolled the hat in his hands, appearing a bit uneasy which was not the Henry Tilman that she remembered. After a brief silence, he left the horse’s side and took a long step toward her. “I … I came to apologize, Catherine.” His words rushed out.

  “Nee! It is I who should apologize!” she gushed. “I … I should never have gone into the other side of the house. I knew your daed forbid it, and I was so wrong to let my imagination run so wild.”

  “Catherine …”

  But she continued. “You were so angry … and rightfully so.”

  He took a step forward. “It’s true that I was disappointed, Catherine. I will not say otherwise. But that was easily forgotten. It certainly wasn’t something that I would let fester.”

  She blinked her eyes. “So, you aren’t angry with me anymore?”

  He gave a soft laugh and shook his head. “Would I be standing here if I were, Catherine?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Nee, it is I who should find out if you are angry with me.”

  Stunned, she gave him an incredulous look. “Angry with you? Why would I be angry with you?”

  “Well, you were mistreated quite badly,” he whispered in a voice that dripped with shame. “I had to come to you. To see if you and your family could possibly forgive me for my daed’s irrational decision, never mind his reasons behind it, that sent you rudely away in the middle of the night with no explanation.”

  Catherine glanced over his shoulder and noticed that David, Elizabeth, and even young George were staring at them from the doorway to the hay barn. David grinned at her and Elizabeth smiled from ear-to-ear. “I …” She looked back at Henry, who was staring at her with an expression of desperation. “I’m sure I don’t understand, Henry.”

  “Catherine!”

  Inwardly she groaned as her mother called out for her. “Over here, Maem!”

  “Who’s here?”

  It took Ruth only a few seconds to descend the porch stairs and round the side of the house where Henry and Catherine stood. She stopped short when she saw them standing before each other.

  Henry extended his hand toward her. “Henry Tilman,” he said.

  “Oh!” Ruth gasped. Catherine wasn’t certain how to read her mother’s reaction.

  “I’ve come to check on Catherine’s well-being,” he explained. “I meant to come sooner but was prohibited from doing so.”

  Catherine was certain she understood what that meant.

  Henry shuffled his hat from one hand to the other. “I do not expect that I am welcome here after …”

  “Nonsense,” Ruth said quickly. “My Catherine has done nothing but speak highly of both you and your schweister.”

  “But my daed …”

  Ruth pressed her lips together and grimaced. “Let us not speak of the past, shall we? Any friend of Catherine’s is welcome in our home.”

  Relieved, Henry nodded his head in appreciation of her kind words.

  “I’ll let the two of you finish visiting and then, perhaps, you would stay to have supper with us?”

  He glanced at Catherine as if seeking her approval. When she made no reaction, either for or against his staying, he returned his attention to Ruth. “I’d be delighted, but only if Catherine says she feels the same.”

  This time, Catherine felt the heat rise to her cheeks. His arrival in Fullerton was beyond unexpected. Just days ago, she had wept to her mother that her chances with Henry were ruined. Yet now he stood before her. And at such an effort! Being that it was Sunday, he could not hire a driver, so he had resorted to riding his horse. She could hardly imagine such a journey. It had taken her almost an hour by car late Wednesday night when she had returned. Even though the distance was not so great, the roads were winding and not always in the best of shape. She wondered if he had taken some short cuts through people’s farms.

  When she realized that he was waiting for her response, she quickly said, “Of course you must stay. You’ve ridden a far way, Henry.”

  She saw him wince as if he had expected a different answer, or perhaps he had expected she would be much more enthusiastic. But she was too dumbfounded to formulate her words properly.

  “I’ll add a plate for dinner while you two visit a while,” Ruth said pleasantly. “I’m sure you have some things to discuss.”

  Catherine pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. But Henry stared only at her, waiting for her mother to return to the house.

  “Shall we walk a little?” he asked, and when she looked up, he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the barn. Her younger brothers and sisters were staring, mouths hanging agape as they far too obviously eavesdropped. “I would like to speak to you in private, if that is alright with you.”

  They walked around the back of the house, and Catherine gestured to the oak tree she had been sitting beneath prior to his unexpected arrival.

  “I’m surprised to see you here, Henry,” she said as she sat down.

  He tilted his head. “I’m surprised to hear you say that. I’d have come sooner, but Daed insisted I was needed at the farm and would not let me go till today.”

  She blinked. “But … but you were so angry with me.”

  “Angry?” For a long, drawn-out second, he seemed to contemplate her words. “Why would you think I was angry?”

  Her heart began to race and her lips felt dry. “I … I presumed because I disobeyed your daed’s orders about not going in the other side of the haus. Isn’t that why I was sent away?”

  Henry took a
deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Catherine, you were sent away for completely different reasons.”

  Her breath stopped and she pressed her lips together. If his appearance in Fullerton was unexpected, his announcement was even more so. “I cannot possibly imagine how, then, I may have offended your daed.”

  He nodded his head, as if to indicate that he understood her bewilderment. “It’s not something that you did, but something that you weren’t. You see, my daed knew the name Anderson as being associated with a childless couple who own a large farm in Farmington. He mistakenly presumed your Andersons were one and the same. Because you were vacationing with them and he knew they had no children, he thought that you were a potential heir to their property.”

  Catherine’s mouth fell open and she stared at Henry, a shocked expression on her face.

  Henry shut his eyes and held up his hand before him. “I know. It’s a horrid presumption.”

  “Where would he have gotten such an idea?” she cried out.

  “Apparently, your friend’s bruder, John, caught my daed’s ear after worship service that one Sunday in Banthe.”

  “John Troyer?” How on earth was John Troyer involved in any of this? She could hardly believe what Henry had just told her. “What could John possibly have to say to your daed? And about me?”

  This time, Henry shrugged. “I only know that my daed asked him if he knew who you were. We were standing together—you, me, and Ellie—talking, and he spotted us. Remember?”

  She nodded, vaguely remembering seeing Gid speaking with John. Clearly, she should have paid more attention to that unusual exchange.