Debra gestured up and down Miriam. “Surely you can see it’s not normal for her to want to be like you!”
Miriam didn’t quite know how to take her words. “It is unusual for an Englischer to join the community,” she began slowly, but Debra interrupted her.
“It’s nonsense!” she snapped. “It’s utter nonsense. It’s just ridiculous, if you ask me. The girl has gone from one extreme to another. First of all she was a spoiled little brat, and now she’s gone the opposite and has become a goody goody two shoes. Why couldn’t she have found a middle road? She always was a difficult child.”
Miriam shifted in her seat, completely at a loss. It was a great relief that Jonas came back into the room. He marched straight over to Mrs. Bedshill. “How may I be of assistance?”
Debra, for once, seemed to be at a loss. “I was just telling Mrs. Berkholder here that I’m going to order Tiffany to come back home, and I’ve asked her not to interfere in any way.”
“No one has any desire to stop Tiffany from making her own decisions,” he said, but Miriam noticed that his comment only seem to rankle Debra.
“Why is she staying here with you, then?” Debra addressed the question directly to Miriam.
Jonas answered for her. “You’d have to ask Tiffany that yourself. Shall I fetch her for you?” He left the room before Debra could speak, leaving a weighty, uncomfortable silence hanging in the air, a silence so heavy that Miriam almost felt she could reach out and touch it.
Tiffany looked even more alarmed to see Debra than Miriam had been. “Hello, Mom,” she said nervously.
Jonas took Miriam by the arm. “We’ll give you two some time alone,” he said as he and Miriam hurried from the room.
“Let’s walk down to the pond,” Miriam said. “That should be far enough away.”
Jonas laughed. Miriam was pleased to see him laugh—she hadn’t seen him laugh for a while. At that moment, whatever had been troubling him seem to have been washed away. “Thanks for coming to my rescue, Jonas,” she added.
Jonas slowed his stride for a moment. “I’ll always come to your rescue, Miriam,” he said.
Miriam’s heart fluttered at his words, and at his proximity to her. Whatever did he mean by that? Were they the words a friend would say to another friend? She wasn’t sure. To cover her embarrassment, Miriam broke into fast speech. “You don’t think Tiffany will go back with her mudder, do you? Do you think Debra will yell at her? I feel so sorry for Tiffany.”
“Gott will have his way,” Jonas said calmly. “Gott cares for the birds of the air and for all of us. Look at those little ducklings, Miriam.”
Miriam stopped and took a deep breath. It certainly was a tranquil scene in front of her. Five little ducklings floated behind their mother on the pond and a gentle breeze blew against the wisp of hair that had escaped from her bonnet. Just then, a barking dog disturbed the peace.
“I’m so sorry,” Ava Douglas’s voice called out. “Cuddles is being very naughty today.” She appeared round the corner, clutching her hip and limping. “I wish I’d had the hip replacement before I had taken this vacation. I’m certainly regretting that decision now.”
Miriam at once went to her. “Are you in much pain, Mrs. Douglas?” she asked with concern.
Ava waved her concerns away. “I’m fine, I’m fine. There’s no need to fuss. I’ll be right as rain once I get that nice new hip. I only hope I don’t need both my knees replaced. The doctor said it was a strong possibility.” Soon her frown was replaced by a smile. “Never mind, today is a lovely day and running after Cuddles keeps me young.”
“Would you like some help back to the house?” Miriam asked her.
Ava shook her head. “I wish I was as agile as Kevin Smith.”
Miriam and Jonas looked at each other. “What do you mean?” Jonas asked her.
Ava pointed to where the little track around the pond ran into some thick trees. “He was hurrying in there with a backpack. Perhaps he’s training for a marathon or something. Who goes running with a backpack? I thought it was very strange, and he certainly didn’t want to be seen. Oh well, it’s none of my business.”
Ava limped off with her little dog, leaving Miriam worriedly looking after her.
“What you make of that, Jonas?” she asked him.
Jonas shook his head. “The sheriff said he’d look into the Smiths. It does seem a bit suspicious that Kevin Smith was acting furtively and went somewhere where he wouldn’t be seen with a backpack.” He shot a look at Miriam. “Don’t worry about it, Miriam. If he has a criminal record, the sheriff will turn it up in no time at all.”
Miriam wrung her hands nervously. “But Jonas, surely the sheriff should have checked if any of the guests had a criminal background by now? And he hasn’t discovered anything. Jonas, I don’t know what to do.”
Jonas took a step toward her. “Miriam…”
Chapter 10
Miriam looked up at Jonas. She hadn’t seen him wearing that expression before. He was serious, but there was some other deep emotion. Fear? Trepidation? She could not be sure.
“Miriam,” Jonas said again, “we’ve known each other a long time now. Well, ever since you came to Eden. I don’t suppose that was a very long time ago, but it really was a long time ago when you think about it. After all, your dochder Rachel married Isaac, and now they have a boppli, but when you came to Eden, Rachel and Isaac hadn’t even met, so I suppose you could call it a long time ago.” He hesitated and scratched his chin. “Although, I suppose, some people wouldn’t call it a long time ago. I do,” he added, avoiding her eyes.
Miriam was suddenly confused. Was he going to quit working for her as her builder? “You haven’t finished the renovation work yet,” she said in a small voice.
Her words seemed to surprise Jonas. He frowned deeply and then shifted from one foot to another. “No, I haven’t.” He continued to look confused. They stood there in silence for a long moment, before Jonas pushed on. “Miriam, it’s been a long time since my fraa died, and I know it’s been a long time since your husband died. Of course, some might not call it a long time, but I call it a long time. I was wondering if you call it a long time, too?”
Miriam was more confused than ever. “Jah,” she said, wondering where on earth this conversation was going. “Jonas, are you saying you don’t want to continue to do the renovation work at Eden?”
A spark of realization flashed across Jonas’s face. “Nee! Nee, I wasn’t talking about that at all. Sorry, have I been confusing?”
Miriam nodded, but before she could speak, a tall figure appeared around the cover of the hickory trees. It was Timothy Yoder.
He waved as he strode over to the pair. Ignoring Jonas, he stood squarely in front of Miriam. “I heard about the jewelry robbery at Eden.”
Miriam gasped. “But it only just happened!”
Timothy shrugged. “The sheriff came over to tell my mother to be careful, given that she lives nearby, and I happened to be there. He told me about the robbery at Eden.”
“The sheriff isn’t even sure it is a robbery yet,” Jonas interjected. “It was only one piece of jewelry, an engagement ring, and it may even have been lost.”
Timothy pursed his lips and looked at Miriam once more. Ignoring Jonas’s words, he said to Miriam, “Mer muss uff sich selwer achtgewwe.” You have to take care of yourself.
Miriam was beginning to get a little tired of Timothy’s attention. She had given him not the slightest bit of encouragement, yet he was acting quite proprietarily toward her. What’s more, he had interrupted whatever Jonas had wanted to say to her. She had no idea what that was, but it had obviously been awfully important to Jonas, so Timothy’s timing could not have been worse.
Before Miriam could respond to Timothy, she heard yelling over by the hickory trees. The three of them spun around to see Susan yelling at Kevin, waving her arms at him. Susan seemed quite angry, and Kevin took a step backward. Susan snatched his backpack from him, looked in
side it, took something out, and then threw both the object and the backpack to the ground.
Jonas and Miriam exchanged glances. “I wonder what all that’s about?” Miriam said. “Susan seems very upset.”
She continued to watch the scene unfold, but then Kevin picked up his backpack and trailed after Susan who stormed off in Miriam’s direction. They’re coming this way, Miriam thought. It will get a little awkward if they realize that we observed the whole scene.
Susan was the first one to round the corner and come upon the trio. She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. Nevertheless, she recovered her composure quickly. “Hello, everyone.”
Miriam introduced Timothy Yoder, who simply pursed his lips and nodded. Kevin caught up to Susan, and Miriam likewise introduced him to Timothy. Susan then reached back for Kevin’s hand, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. The two of them walked away, their arms around one another.
Miriam thought back to when Tiffany had said that someone had slept on the couch in their bedroom. Clearly, Kevin and Susan were covering something up. Was it simply an attempt to cover up marital discord, considering they were newlyweds? Miriam shook her head. It was none of her business, unless of course, they were the jewelry thieves.
She looked up to see Timothy staring at her, which made her uncomfortable. “I’d like to speak to you in private, Miriam,” Timothy said, shooting a look from under his bushy eyebrows at Jonas. His words came out more as a strong demand than a request.
Jonas appeared decidedly unhappy. Miriam likewise was not happy, but she did not know how to refuse Timothy. To do so would be rude.
“We’ll continue our previous conversation later,” Jonas said to Miriam. He looked none too pleased.
Timothy waited until Jonas was well out of earshot before turning back to Miriam. “Miriam, I’m worried about you being by yourself with a criminal on the loose.”
Miriam had no idea how to respond, so simply nodded.
“Miriam, I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’ve come to the conclusion we should get married.”
Miriam gasped. She had certainly not expected to hear those words out of Timothy’s mouth. In her imagined worst case scenario, she had figured he might ask her to go on a buggy ride—but marriage? “Married?” Miriam echoed.
Timothy nodded solemnly. “It’s not good for a woman your age to be living alone and running a business. I suggest a companion marriage.”
“A companion marriage?’ Miriam repeated. “What is that?”
Timothy frowned. “It’s just a normal marriage. I suppose you haven’t heard that term before as you’re from another community. I don’t like children, so I want a companion marriage, that is, one where we won’t have kinner. A family formation marriage would be one where I married a younger woman, one of child-bearing age, and had a familye. I’ve never been married, but I don’t mind taking on a widow of your age. You will come and live with me on my farm, and sell Eden.”
“Sell Eden?” Miriam repeated. She was a little annoyed with herself for simply echoing Timothy’s words, but she was in a considerable amount of shock. She was also offended by his words. “I have no intention of selling Eden,” Miriam said, saying the first thing that was on her mind. “My grossmammi left it to me, and I’ve put a lot of work into it. What’s more, I enjoy running the business.” Miriam once more silently chastised herself for her words. Why was she defending herself? She had no intention whatsoever of marrying Timothy Yoder, or even going with him on a buggy ride for that matter.
Timothy pursed his lips tightly, so much so, that they formed a thin line. He frowned down on her with a look of stern disapproval. “Perhaps we could rent out Eden rather than sell it, if you really insist,” he added, “but I would prefer to sell it. Anyway, that could be a matter for further discussion. I need help around my farm, so you can come and live with me once we’re married.”
Miriam could feel her anger rising within her, and sent up a silent apology to Gott for her temper. It was all she could do not to stomp her foot. “Thank you for your kind offer, Timothy,” she said through clenched teeth, “but I shall not be marrying you. I have no feelings toward you, and so I won’t be marrying you.”
“Feelings, pshaat!” Timothy said with disdain. “What do feelings have to do with marriage? This is a suitable marriage, by all accounts. You won’t have to work anymore running a business as that is most unseemly for a single woman your age, and you can live on my farm and assist me instead. That is a far more suitable arrangement. I’m sure we will grow to be fond of each other in time.”
“I said no, Timothy. Please accept my decision. There will be no further discussion of this matter.” With that, Miriam turned on her heel and hurried away. She listened for footsteps, but thankfully there were none. She was afraid Timothy would come after her to insist.
As Miriam approached Eden, she saw that Debra Bedshill’s car was still there. This had certainly been a most difficult day. As Miriam approached the porch, Debra walked out. When she saw Miriam, she stopped and waited for her.
Miriam’s heart caught in her mouth. She hoped this was not going to be yet another difficult conversation. “Did you speak to Tiffany?” she asked Debra, and then clutched her stomach, waiting for a verbal tirade.
To her surprise, Debra’s expression was more mellow than earlier. “Yes,” she said simply. “We had quite a good talk. To my surprise, Tiffany seems more mature than she’s ever been before, and she even talked sense and didn’t yell at me. Maybe this…”—Debra broke off and appeared to be searching for the right word—“lifestyle,” she continued, “is doing the girl some good, much to my surprise.” Debra nodded curtly and made to march past Miriam.
Miriam remembered something and called after her. “Do you mind if I ask you a question about the Hansons?”
Debra spun on her heel, a look of shock on her face. “What is it?”
“You said they booked at your establishment and then said they had finished their vacation and were returning home. You seemed surprised to see them here.” Miriam knew it was a statement and not a question, but she did not like to ask Debra outright if the pair had been acting suspiciously, or whether Debra thought they could be the jewelry thieves.
Debra appeared to be thinking it over for a moment. “Yes, they said that, and I was surprised to see them here. I had to keep a close eye on those two. I found they behaved strangely on several occasions, so I was keeping a very close eye on them.”
So Miriam had been right after all. “What did they do?” she asked with interest.
“On one occasion, I caught Bruce Hanson in my office, looking at my laptop,” she said. “I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was looking for the internet password. I knew that wasn’t true, so I wondered if he was working for the IRS. Still, I’m sure the IRS doesn’t sneak around doing things like that, so I had no idea what he was up to. I didn’t know what, but I was sure he was up to something. I also saw Heather slipping one of my menus into her purse, and they took copious amounts of photographs. Now, I must be off.”
As Debra hurried back to her car, Miriam gave the matter some thought. Bruce and Heather Hanson had also taken abundant photographs of Eden. She had thought they were fascinated by the Amish way of life, but then again it seemed they had done that at Debra’s place as well. What on earth could they be up to? And if they were the jewelry thieves, why would they steal a menu and take photographs? It certainly didn’t make sense.
Miriam looked around the house for Jonas. He was nowhere to be seen, but she really wanted to tell him of her conversation with Timothy. It had upset her considerably and she needed a strong shoulder to lean on.
Miriam headed straight for the kitchen to make herself a nice cup of meadow tea, but to her surprise, Kevin was there, bending over, looking in a cupboard. He swung around when he saw her. “I’m so sorry!” he said. “I know guests aren’t allowed in here. It’s just that I’m really, really hungry.” At that point, his stomach
rumbled loudly, seemingly in agreement with his words. Kevin’s face turned a pale shade of pink.
Miriam thought his behavior suspicious, but gestured to the kitchen table. “Please sit down, and I’ll fetch you something to eat.”
Kevin beamed at her and took a seat at the table. “Please don’t go to any trouble on my account. I’m just after something very quick to eat. My wife has me on a strict diet.” He laughed ruefully and patted his stomach.
“Would you like some bread soup?” Miriam asked him.
Kevin looked puzzled. “What is it?”
“I’ll take some of that bread I made two days ago and tear it into some pieces and put them in a soup bowl. Then I’ll put some fresh fruit on it and pour milk over the top.”
Kevin’s face lit up. Miriam set about preparing the bread soup, all the while wondering what Bruce and Heather Hanson were up to, what was in Kevin’s backpack that Susan had thrown to the ground—could it have been stolen jewelry and Susan had found out that her husband was the thief?—and why had Timothy proposed to her out of the blue when they had not even dated, and where on earth was Jonas?
Chapter 11
Miriam had to attend a viewing that afternoon. Mr. Lapp, an elderly mann from the community, had gone to be with Gott earlier in the week. The viewing was that afternoon, and the funeral was the following day.
Although Miriam really needed Tiffany to stay and attend to the guests, she felt that going to a viewing and a funeral would be good for Tiffany to help her become more accustomed to the Amish ways.
Tiffany helped her pack the funeral pies into the buggy. “Why are they called funeral pies again?” Tiffany asked her.
Miriam sighed. She hoped Tiffany would not ask too many questions that she had already answered previously. “I explained this yesterday when we were making the pies,” Miriam said patiently.
Tiffany looked somewhat embarrassed. “I forgot. I remember why they have raisins, though. Oh sorry, I’ve forgotten again.”
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