Miriam sighed again. She expected Tiffany’s mind was elsewhere, namely on Ethan. She took a deep breath and set about explaining funeral pies once more. “Funeral pies are the traditional gift to give the familye of someone who has passed away.”
“Why is that?” Tiffany asked, this time paying attention.
“Funeral pies keep well and can be made a day or more before the funeral,” Miriam explained. “Before people had gas refrigerators, they didn’t always have fresh fruit, but they usually had dried fruit. The ingredients are found in most homes: raisins, of course, and cornstarch, cinnamon or various spices, vinegar, butter, and the ingredients for the dough. The pies keep without refrigeration.”
“But you put milk in the ones we made,” Tiffany asked, puzzled.
“You don’t need milk to make a funeral pie,” Miriam explained. “Ours do have milk and so will have a custard pie taste to them. Of course, I have a refrigerator, which is why I put milk in the pies.”
Tiffany nodded. “That makes sense. Do funeral pies all look like the ones we made, double-crusted pies with lattice tops?”
“Usually,” Miriam said, “but there are some variations. Now let’s fetch the potato salad. Remember, some of this food will be used tomorrow, but the women are bringing most of it today.”
Tiffany fetched the first of the potato salad from the refrigerator. “It’s all very well organized, isn’t it?”
Miriam laughed. “Yes, very well organized. Now, do you remember what happens at a viewing?”
Tiffany bit her lip and looked off into the distance. “The coffins are simple and made of pine. They have six sides, and there are two pieces on hinges that fold down to show the body from the chest up. The body will be dressed in white clothing.”
Miriam was impressed. “You remembered all that very well indeed.”
“I also know that the viewings can last for three days after someone dies, and that I have to sit quietly in a room at the person’s haus.”
Miriam nodded. “Jah, you remembered correctly. One of the familye will ask us if we want to see the body, and we will go to the coffin briefly.”
When Miriam arrived at the Lapps’ haus, she saw Rachel and Isaac arrive with their boppli, Hannah. Miriam hurried over to them. “We won’t stay long, what with Hannah teething,” Rachel said.
“We can’t stay long, either,” Miriam said. Isaac loaded himself up with food and headed into the Lapps’ house, with Tiffany trailing behind him, while Rachel caught Miriam’s arm.
“How are things with Jonas?” she whispered.
Miriam looked around nervously. “Shush, Rachel. Someone might hear you.”
Rachel laughed, balancing the baby on her hip. “You haven’t answered my question.”
“Nothing is happening with Jonas. What do you mean, Rachel?”
Rachel shot her mother a look. “You can’t deny you’re in love with Jonas, Mamm. You’ve already told me that.”
Miriam did not know how to respond. After a few more steps, she whispered, “Yes, I am, but he doesn’t feel the same way.”
Rachel looked surprised. “Of course he does!”
Miriam stopped and turned to face Rachel. “How long have we been at Eden?” Without waiting for her dochder to answer, she spoke again. “And all that time, Jonas has never shown any interest in me.”
“Yes, he has…” Rachel began, but Miriam interrupted her.
“Jonas has been getting uncomfortable lately when the two of us have been talking.”
“That’s because he has feelings for you,” Rachel protested, “and I’m sure he has no idea of your feelings for him. I know he charges you a very low rate for all the renovation work, and I’m sure that’s so he can stay around Eden, just so he can see you.”
They had reached the house, so Miriam could say no more. She sat down on one of the benches that the community had placed in two of the rooms for the viewing. She looked around for Jonas, but couldn’t see him. She had no idea if he was attending the viewing that afternoon, because he hadn’t told her. That was unlike him.
Soon it was Miriam’s and Tiffany’s turn to view the body. The white cloth was pulled back to reveal Mr. Lapp’s face. Tiffany gripped Miriam’s arm, and Miriam patted her hand reassuringly.
After some time, Miriam sought out Mrs. Lapp. “Gott saw fit to take my husband,” Mrs. Lapp said by way of greeting. “Did you know he was my second husband?”
Miriam said that she did not know.
Mrs. Lapp nodded. “My first husband died after we had five children, and then I had another three children with my new husband. I was blessed.” She gasped and turned around.
Miriam turned around, too, and saw that a black-capped chickadee was sitting on the coffin. “I’ll try to coax it outside,” she said to Mrs. Lapp, relieved to see a brief smile flitter across Mrs. Lapp’s face.
The cheeky bird took a considerable deal of coaxing and flew around the room several times before leaving through the open door, much to the delight of the kinner present. If only Jonas had been here to help, Miriam thought, but then that was a regular sentiment for her. She always wished Jonas was there, no matter what she was doing.
On the way home in the buggy, Tiffany chatted away about the viewing, but Miriam’s thoughts drifted away to what Mrs. Lapp had said. Mrs. Lapp had found happiness after being widowed.
Yet would Miriam ever know such happiness? Would she ever find love again? She had feelings for Jonas, deep feelings—that much she could admit to herself, but did he feel the same way about her? It didn’t seem so, no matter how much Miriam wished it to be true. They had been at Eden long enough for Rachel to find a husband and even have a boppli, yet Jonas had not shown interest in Miriam. Jonas had been a widower for some years, so perhaps he intended never to marry again.
Miriam’s heart sank at the thought.
Chapter 12
The following day was the funeral itself, and Miriam had not spoken to Jonas since the previous day. Miriam and Tiffany were sitting on the bench seats. Tiffany leaned across and whispered to Miriam, “Please don’t think I’m being rude, Miriam, but I think I’ve adapted fairly well to the Amish way of life.” Before Miriam could speak, Tiffany held up a hand. “I’m not being boastful or anything, but I said that simply to say that I’m having a lot of trouble getting used to the church meetings.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Sorry, I know you don’t call them church meetings, just meetings. But it’s just that they seem to go on for ever and ever!”
Miriam smiled to herself at Tiffany’s sad tone. “You’re saying that you find the talks boring?” Tiffany turned beet red, so Miriam added, “Listen to what the ministers have to say, because their words are wise. If you get distracted, you will be bored, but try to listen to what they say and pay attention.”
Tiffany nodded, but Miriam did not think she looked convinced. Miriam had been born and raised Amish, and she understood that someone born and raised an Englischer could easily be bored by the meetings that went for hours.
Miriam tapped Tiffany’s knee. “Hush now. The helpers have just arrived, so it’s about to begin.”
The first minister spoke for an hour, as did the next minister. Both spoke words of praise to Gott, but Miriam realized she had not followed her own advice to Tiffany. She had not listened to the words of wisdom from the ministers, because her thoughts were firmly with Jonas. By the time the bishop read a hymn and then mentioned Mr. Lapp’s name, his birth date and death date, Miriam was still wondering about Jonas’s feelings for her.
When she and Tiffany were finally in the buggy, and in a procession of buggies following the buggy that served as the hearse, Miriam turned to Tiffany. “What did you think of the service?”
Tiffany shrugged. “I did my best to listen to the wise words, but one thing surprised me.”
“What was that?”
“The bishop and the ministers didn’t say anything at all about Mr. Lapp. At an Englischer funeral, all they ever talk about is t
he person who died.”
Miriam nodded. “I’ve heard that before.”
“Why didn’t they mention Mr. Lapp?” Tiffany persisted.
Miriam wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. “I suppose because he’s no longer here,” she said tentatively. “It’s not the Amish way to mention the deceased at a funeral.”
“That’s weird,” Tiffany said, quickly followed by, “No offense. How long will the service last at the cemetery?”
Miriam could not help but smile at Tiffany’s tone. “It’s very fast,” she said. “The minister will read a hymn, and then the coffin will be lowered into the grave.”
Tiffany’s face brightened up. “Is that all? What else happens?”
Miriam shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing else happens. Then most people will go to the Lapps’ house for food, but we have to go back to Eden. We have a mountain of laundry to do.”
“Laundry,” Tiffany said gleefully.
Miriam hid a smile. Obviously, Tiffany would rather do laundry than listen to another long talk by one of the ministers. Miriam realized she had not yet asked Tiffany how she was faring after her conversation with her mother. Still, Tiffany’s demeanor seemed cheerful enough.
Miriam raised her eyebrows. “I’m glad to see you’re okay, after your talk with your mudder.”
Tiffany nodded. “I was quite scared to see her at first, but she seemed to calm down and she was almost reasonable.” Tiffany gave a dry laugh. “It started off badly, but it got better and better as time went on. I don’t even think she was all that angry with me in the end.”
Miriam smiled with relief. “That is gut news. That was the impression I had, too.”
When Miriam reached the cemetery, Tiffany exclaimed aloud. “The headstones are all the same! They’re little, and white.” She looked around for a few more moments before speaking again. “The headstones don’t have angels or crosses on them. I know; don’t tell me. It’s the Amish way.”
Miriam nodded, but she had spotted Jonas’s buggy. He caught her eye and nodded to her, but then walked in the opposite direction.
Miriam’s heart fell, but one thing she was grateful for—Timothy Yoder had not spoken to her again. That probably had something to do with the fact that she was doing her best to avoid him, but she knew he wasn’t one to take no for an answer. She figured he would propose again sooner or later, and she certainly wasn’t looking forward to that.
Chapter 13
Jonas had been conspicuous by his absence for the remainder of the day, although Miriam had seen him from a distance. She even began to wonder if he would come for dinner that night, as was his habit.
That night, Miriam had invited all the guests for dinner. Miriam usually provided dinner for the guests twice a week, but had decided to busy herself by preparing yet another dinner for them. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have enough work to do, but thoughts of Jonas made her stomach churn and her heart race, and the harder she worked, the more those thoughts kept away, so work harder she did.
Tonight, Miriam intended to serve meatloaf with creamed celery and a variety of vegetables, and for dessert, caramel pudding, banana pudding, and shoo fly pie.
At that point, Tiffany entered the kitchen. Tiffany’s time since the funeral had been filled with laundry and general cleaning. “One thing I like about the Amish is that there is always more than one dessert,” Tiffany said by way of greeting. “When I was an Englischer, we only ever had one dessert, but Amish can have up to five desserts at the one meal.”
The sound of someone clearing his throat caused Miriam to spin around. Jonas was standing in the doorway looking awkward. Tiffany took that as her cue to leave the room, leaving Miriam and Jonas alone.
“You had a conversation with Timothy Yoder the other day,” Jonas said.
Miriam nodded. She knew that Jonas would not come out and ask her what was said, but he clearly was keen to know. “Yes, Timothy asked me to marry him.”
Miriam was almost amused by the expression on Jonas’s face. His eyebrows shot up so rapidly and so far, that Miriam wouldn’t have been surprised if they flew off his face. “He, he did?” Jonas sputtered. His face went beet red.
Miriam nodded. “Jah.”
“And what did you say?” Jonas asked in a surprised voice.
“Well, I told him no, of course,” Miriam said. Did Jonas really think she would accept Timothy Yoder’s proposal? He certainly didn’t know her as well as she thought he did.
To her surprise, Jonas’s face was covered with immense relief. “You did?” he squeaked.
“Of course I turned him down, Jonas,” Miriam said in a scolding tone. “I thought you of all people would know me better than that. Why on earth would I accept a proposal by Timothy Yoder?” She stopped speaking when she realized she was waving a wooden spoon at him.
For some reason, Jonas looked awfully pleased and hurried out of the room. Tiffany came straight back in. “If you don’t mind me saying so, I overheard everything,” Tiffany admitted. “Did Mr. Yoder really propose to you?”
Miriam nodded. “Jah, he did.”
Tiffany looked surprised. “But the two of you hardly know each other. He didn’t ask you on a buggy ride or anything?”
Miriam laughed at the look on Tiffany’s face. “Nee. He actually asked me outright to marry him. Mind you, he wasn’t proposing a marriage of love, rather a marriage of convenience.”
Tiffany seemed to be digesting her words. “Is that normal? I mean, is it normal in the community to have a marriage that isn’t based on love?”
Miriam shrugged. “Not in my experience, but I suppose everyone has their own ways. I’m sure it works for some people.” But it wouldn’t work for me, she added silently.
When the mashed potatoes were ready, Miriam took them out to the table. Soon all the guests were there, including Jonas, much to Miriam’s relief. So too, was Jake, the author. Miriam had forgotten all about him. She wondered if he had kept under the radar because he was in fact the thief.
However, she soon abandoned that opinion, because Jake did not stop talking. “Do you realize that someone sitting at this table is a jewelry thief?” he announced loudly.
“Now, young man, it’s not wise to accuse people like that,” Jonas said, although not unkindly. Miriam shot him a grateful smile.
Jake did not appear to mind Jonas’s words. “I’m not accusing anyone in particular; I’m just saying it has to be someone here. It could be any one of us. I mean, I know it’s not me so I know it has to be someone else. Someone stole the keys to Miss Tiffany’s car, and that could have been anyone, but then someone stole Susan Smith’s engagement ring.”
“That’s right,” Susan piped up.
Jake waggled his finger at her. “Then again, and this is only hypothetical, mind you, you might be the jewelry thief and pretending someone stole your engagement ring to cover up the fact.”
Susan looked horrified, and Ava giggled. Miriam noticed that Kevin took the opportunity of his wife’s distraction to pile mashed potatoes onto his plate.
Jake held up his hands. “I’m not saying it’s you, Susan,” he hastened to add, “not at all. I’m just saying that all of us here are suspects.”
Bruce Hanson looked at him through narrowed eyes. “You’re not a detective, are you? I thought you were an author.”
Jake nodded. “Sure, I’m an author, but all writing is autobiographical to some degree. I write about my experiences. I write murder mysteries, and I always kill people that I don’t like. For example, a friend cheated me out of money, so I killed him.”
Tiffany gasped. Jake laughed, and added, “In a book, I mean, Miss Tiffany. I’ve killed lots of people in books, but of course I’ve never killed anyone in person. However, if I do say so myself, I’m a good judge of human nature and I know when people are more than they pretend to be.”
“You should leave the detecting to the detectives,” Bruce said in a dismissive tone.
Jake looked affronted.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Heather frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“I know that you and your husband are thinking of opening a Bed and Breakfast in this very town, and you’re here to do industrial espionage on Eden, and you went to the Bedshills’ for the very same reason.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it industrial espionage,” Bruce began, and then let out a loud yell, bending under the table and clutching his shin. He looked at his wife. “Why did you kick me?”
“Shut your mouth, you silly fool,” she snapped, drawing a collective gasp from the others at the table.
Bruce glared at her but didn’t say any more.
“I can’t speak for Mrs. Berkholder,” Jonas said, “but I am sure that she welcomes all guests here. However, if you are here to spy on how Miriam runs this business in order to open your own establishment, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. If you simply ask her, I’m sure she will be glad to assist you.”
Miriam shot Jonas a grateful look. “Yes, I would be happy to help you. All you have to do is ask.”
“I’m truly sorry,” Bruce began, ignoring his wife’s attempts to hush him. “We won’t be in direct opposition to you, Mrs. Berkholder, because this is an Amish establishment, and ours of course won’t be Amish.”
Miriam nodded. So that was the Hansons’ secret! They were intending to open a rival Bed and Breakfast business and were snooping around the established ones in the area. This meant that they weren’t the jewelry thieves. That only left Jake, Kevin and Susan Smith, and Ava Douglas. Ava needed a hip replacement, and the thief had climbed up a drainpipe when robbing the jewelry store in town, so Miriam did not think it could be her.
Miriam now thought the thief was either Kevin Smith or Jake. After all, Miriam had caught Kevin looking in her kitchen cupboard, a cupboard under the very drawer where she had kept Tiffany’s car keys, the keys to the car used in the robbery in town. Could his story about being hungry be believed?
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