Ruth went into the kitchen to find Miriam and Naomi setting the table. “John Barber will be joining us for dinner,” she said to no one in particular.
Miriam shared a smile with Naomi. “Good.”
“What?” Ruth asked, looking from one to the other.
“Nothing,” Naomi said, though her eyes said something else entirely.
“Naomi…”
Miriam laughed. “It is only that it is good John is joining us,” she said.
Ruth narrowed her eyes at her nieces.
“Well, you do like him, do you not, Aenti ?” Naomi asked.
“Yes, of course,” Ruth said. “He is a good man and Joanna’s husband.”
Miriam reached out to give Ruth’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “He is Joanna’s widowed husband,” she reminded Ruth unnecessarily, “who is showing an interest in you.”
Ruth suddenly looked like a cornered rabbit, frozen in fear.
“You do like him,” Naomi said.
“Yes, but…”
“But?” Miriam asked.
Ruth sighed. “Joanna only died a few months ago. I am certain that John is still mourning her.”
“You forget that I met and began to fall in love with Daniel only four weeks after Jacob died,” Miriam reminded her.
“For Seth and me it was only days,” Naomi added, remembering just how easy it had been to fall in love with her husband after that first chance meeting.
“I became quite certain that Jacob had asked God to send Daniel to me,” Miriam said, her smile tinged with the sorrow she still felt at the loss of her first love. “Perhaps Joanna has asked God to send you to John.”
Ruth pulled away to look out the kitchen window from which she could see the men heading up to the house.
“But you have a baby coming,” she said to Naomi.
Naomi sighed. “I will be fine with the baby, Aenti Ruth. I will still have Miriam, Rachel, Esther, and even you close by to help me if I need it. And besides, the baby will be here months before you and John could actually marry.”
“Marry!” Ruth gasped, turning back to her nieces.
“Marriage to a good man is what you deserve,” Miriam said firmly. “And I have watched John watching you—I do not think marriage is out of the question.”
“I have always been happy here,” Ruth replied, her gesture taking in the kitchen that had been the center of her life for so long.
“Of course you have,” Miriam said. “And this family could not be what it is today without you. But you deserve a husband and a home of your own, Ruth. We are no longer children who need to be watched over every moment.”
Ruth looked up, conflicted. “I never thought to marry,” she protested. “First there was the fiasco with Thomas, and then your mother died. It seemed that I was meant to be a part of this family always.”
“You will never stop being a part of this family,” Miriam said, “but you have given so much to us over the years. I think it is time you allowed someone else to do something for you.”
Ruth remained silent. She thought about what Miriam had said and wondered. Have you meant me for John, Lord? she thought. Is he meant for me? Did I see Thomas in town this week just so I could close that chapter in my life for good and move on to the next chapter?
They heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the porch announcing the arrival of the men at the house, and Ruth started.
“Please do not say anything about this to anyone,” she said, her eyes pleading with the two younger women. “Promise me.”
“We promise,” Miriam answered kindly, and Naomi nodded.
“But you must promise us that for the first time in your life, you will think of yourself, for a change,” Naomi said firmly.
Ruth smiled, finally accepting that perhaps the Lord had more in store for her than she’d realized. “I promise.”
Naomi awkwardly attempted to give her aunt a hug, but her belly got in the way, and the men walked inside for dinner as the three women had dissolved in laughter. Daniel and Seth came in, looked at the three women, shrugged their shoulders in unison, and washed their hands for dinner. They were used to walking in a room and never being able to discern the topic of the conversation that their entrance had interrupted.
As they sat down for dinner, John’s gaze met hers and Ruth felt her heart flutter.
21
The rotation for Sunday services had brought the community to John’s house, which was convenient, both because his house was big and because he stored the district’s bench wagon and benches in his big barn. John and his sons had needed only to carry the backless wooden benches inside to get ready to host the service. There were nearly a hundred people gathered, spread throughout the downstairs rooms, men and women separated, as usual. The five ministers in the community were scattered in the various meeting rooms, and there were also a number of vorsingers, or song leaders, who led the singing with talent and enthusiasm in each of the rooms. There was no instrumental accompaniment, of course, but with a strong vorsinger present, even the most timid voice could join in with confidence.
Ruth sat between Miriam and Ruthie, helping the young girl to follow the German in the Ausbund, as they sang along. Some of the hymns were quite poignant or even sad, but it was difficult for Ruth to feel sadness when she sat next to sweet little Ruthie..
The three-hour service had been followed by a light meal and enough snitz pie to please everyone, thanks to John’s three youngest daughters. Some members had already left for home, while others remained to socialize, the men talking mostly about their farms and businesses, and the women discussing their families and various home and craft projects. Ruth found herself in John’s kitchen, with his three youngest daughters—Bethany, Mary, and Martha—as well as Miriam, Frau Lapp, and a few others. Naomi and Seth had remained at home, because Naomi was too far along in her pregnancy to comfortably attend worship or socialize, and Seth hadn’t wanted to leave her alone so long. Most of the children were playing outside in the unseasonably mild weather, the older ones watching the younger ones, giving their mothers and grandmothers a rest.
The women chatted amiably as Martha washed and Ruth dried the dishes and others repacked the remaining food baskets. The women who sat around the kitchen table cheerfully passed Miriam’s Jacob and little Rachel around, cooing over the infants who were such a pleasure to all.
“You stay away from my father!”
All eyes turned to the doorway to find John’s eldest daughter, hands on her hips, glaring at Ruth.
“Tamara!” Martha exclaimed, shocked at her sister’s behavior.
“You stay out of this, Martha,” Tamara said, crossing to confront Ruth. “You have already done enough to bring this woman into this house. This, this…harlot has gone too far!”
Miriam passed her daughter to Rachel and jumped up in Ruth’s defense. “How dare you say such a thing about my aunt!”
“It is true! Just ask her! She met with an English man in town this week—and not just any Englisher! One who was shunned!” Tamara turned all the way around to see the effect of her shocking words on the women in the kitchen.
“‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,’” Frau Lapp said in a voice full of accusation, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the younger woman. “Breaking one of the Lord’s commandments—and on the Sabbath, no less. You should be ashamed of yourself, Tamara Raber!”
“There was indeed a sin committed, but it was not mine. It is true,” Tamara protested, in a sanctimonious tone. “I saw them, speaking in the village. It was right outside your store, where the whole world could see them! Let her deny it!”
Ruth took a deep breath. She found she was trembling and clutched the damp dish towel tightly to keep her hands from shaking.
Frau Lapp surprised everyone by laughing out loud. “If you are talking about what happened on Tuesday morning, then you really are being ridiculous,” she said. “I was looking out the window that day, too, and Ruth M
iller did nothing but stop to have a polite conversation with a tourist and his children.”
“He was not a tourist,” Tamara said. “It was Thomas King!”
Ruth realized that quite a crowd had gathered in the kitchen, and when Tamara named Thomas, Ruth heard his mother gasp and saw her press her hand to her heart.
“Do you deny meeting him? Will you call me a liar?” Tamara demanded of Ruth.
Ruth took another steadying breath and prayed. Please, God, help me say the right thing—and not say the wrong thing!
“I deny ‘meeting’ him, as you put it,” she said, pleased to find her own voice steady. “He was in Paradise, he did stop me when he recognized me leaving Lapp’s Store, and we did speak, yes, but it was no more than a passing greeting between former friends.”
Murmurs filled the room. Many present knew at least something about the circumstances of Thomas King’s departure from the Amish community, and she heard surprise and even some shock that she would have actually spoken to a man shunned all those years ago.
“Ha!” Tamara said. “She even admits to it!”
“Tamara!”
There was no mistaking that booming voice, and Ruth wasn’t certain if she was relieved or concerned that John and the other remaining men had arrived on the scene.
“Father!” Tamara explained, beginning to sound like a whiny child. “I am only telling the truth about this woman for your own good! She is a sinner, and should not be made welcome in this house!”
“I have not sinned,” Ruth answered clearly. “I merely spoke to a man and his children on the street.”
“Let me through, please,” another man said.
Ruth felt her stomach drop as she recognized the bishop’s voice. The elderly man pushed through the crowd and stopped before them, eyeing Ruth and Tamara with equal displeasure.
“Bishop, you must listen to me,” Tamara exclaimed, looking delighted at the bishop’s appearance.
“I will hear both sides of the story,” Herr Hersberger said firmly.
“But…!”
“Our Lord said, ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged!’” he said, reminding the crowd at large.
“But she…!” Tamara interrupted again.
“That is enough, woman!” another voice shouted.
Abner Raber pushed his way through to the center of the group, his displeasure with his wife plain. He was a large man, tall and muscular. His position as the local butcher made him both prominent and relatively wealthy in the community, the very reasons Tamara had sought him out. Typically oblivious to his wife’s tendency to stir up trouble, Abner was clearly embarrassed that she would make accusations against someone of such good standing as Ruth and publicly argue with the bishop. Ruth could not remember ever hearing Abner raise his voice about anything, let alone to his wife in a public gathering.
Tamara turned her focus to her husband. “But Abner, she is…”
“I said, enough!” Abner grabbed his wife by the arm and turned to the bishop. “I ask your pardon,” he said to Herr Hersberger. “My wife and I will take our leave now.” Without another word, he pulled an obviously stunned Tamara out the side door.
Ruth did not dare to breathe.
“I would speak with you, Ruth Miller,” Herr Hersberger said, before turning to John. “Is there a room where we can have privacy?”
John nodded and led the way back to his parlor. Ruth followed Herr Hersberger, refusing to make eye contact with anyone and grateful when Ezra joined her.
“Ezra?” Herr Hersberger said when they had entered the room.
“Ruth is my sister. I am the head of our family. I will stand with her.”
Herr Hersberger thought for a moment and nodded. “Very well.”
He gestured toward the sofa, and Ruth and Ezra sat and watched as the ministers filed into the room and took their seats. Herr Hersberger closed the door behind them.
When the older man turned to face them, Ruth laid a firm hand on her brother’s arm, hoping he would not allow his anger—clearly visible, now—to cause him to say anything he should not. Oddly enough, now that she faced the elders, she, herself, felt a calmness come over her. Surely four rational men would be easier to face than one very irrational Tamara Raber.
Herr Hersberger was about to speak when there was a loud knock on the door. He turned back to open it, and Ruth could see Thomas’ father in the hall.
“I have a right to be here,” he said shortly
Herr Hersberger hesitated then nodded. “Perhaps you do.” He stepped back and allowed Matthew King to enter gesturing to the one open chair in the room. King took the seat, sitting forward in the chair, his arms resting on his thighs, his eyes locked onto Ruth.
“My sister did nothing wrong,” Ezra said, his voice controlled, but clearly strained. “She told me of this unintended meeting the very day it happened, and I can find no fault with her.”
“I would agree under most circumstances, Ezra,” Herr Hersberger said, surprising them all, “but she did speak with one who has been shunned, and we must know what was said and why.”
He looked pointedly at Ruth. She took a deep breath and told them everything that had transpired between Thomas and her during their brief meeting on the street.
“She should not have spoken to him,” Herr Yoder declared when she had finished.
“What would you have had me do?” Ruth asked, risking their wrath with her forwardness. She made a point of looking at Herr Hersberger. “The street was full of tourists by that time. Should I have treated him rudely? Simply walked away? Given all the English another reason to think poorly of us?” She turned her fierce gaze on Herr Yoder. “Should I have attracted unwanted attention to myself by making a public scene? Embarrassed Thomas in front of his children, who are innocent in all of this?”
“Perhaps she did do the right thing,” Herr Otto said to Herr Yoder. “What harm did it really do to speak with him after all these years? And is it not better that she demonstrated kindness and hospitality to one who has become a stranger—and to his children—especially, as she says, in a public place?”
There was a thoughtful silence, as all the men considered Herr Yoder’s words.
Matthew King spoke for the first time. “Do you think he will come back?”
Ruth glanced up to meet the piercing gaze of Thomas’ father and had to shake her head.
“No, Herr King. I do not believe he will. As I said, he came this time simply to show his children where he came from, to answer their questions about his Amish roots. That was all.”
“Did he come to your farm?” Herr Hersberger asked Matthew King.
King looked down and looked defeated. “No.”
“He told me he planned to drive by your farm, so his children could see the place where he grew up, but he would not go in.” Ruth spoke carefully, aware of how painful this must be for Thomas’ father.
Matthew wanted none of Ruth’s sympathy, and his eyes were full of fury as he snapped at her. “You are why he left!”
Ezra started to rise in her defense, but Ruth held her brother back.
“I had nothing to do with Thomas leaving, Herr King,” she said softly. “I loved him. I was ready to marry him and would have, but he wanted to take me away from here.”
“He planned to take you with him?” Herr Hersberger asked, clearly surprised.
Ruth nodded. “He had plans for both of us. Marriage, a job, a family, a new home—all among the English.”
The bishop considered Ruth’s words. “But you would not go with him?”
She looked up at Herr Hersberger and shook her head. “I may have thought I loved him, Herr Hersberger, as a young woman might, but I never even considered leaving this place with him. I belong here, where God planted me, and I have never doubted it. Thomas never understood that about me.”
“I spoke without knowing everything that happened,” Matthew said to Ruth, his jaw clenched as if it pained him to take back his accusation. “I accuse
d you wrongly. You are a formidable woman, Ruth Miller,” Matthew King said, shaking his head. “I wish my son had followed your lead and stayed here among his people.”
Ruth hid a smile behind her hand and looked away.
“Do you think this a laughing matter?” Thomas’ father snapped.
She shook her head. “Not at all, Herr King. It is only that those are the very same words Thomas spoke to me on Tuesday. And I will tell you the same thing I told him: I am not formidable so much as certain in the knowledge of what God has always intended for me.”
They were once more silent for a time, thinking about her words. She thought the men who had gathered to judge her now looked at her with approval. Herr King refused to look at her at all and finally jumped from his chair and stomped out, slamming the door behind him.
“Why did Tamara Raber attack Ruth in this way, I wonder?” Herr Otto asked no one in particular as Matthew King’s footsteps faded.
Herr Yoder snorted. “She is a trouble-maker, that one—jealous, petty, and spiteful over perceived insults. My wife has complained about her more than once.”
“Mine, too,” Herr Hersberger admitted.
Ruth remained silent. Apparently, none of the men had heard Tamara’s warning to stay away from John. She suppressed a sigh. She needed to speak with him—and soon.
“If we are through here, I would like to take my sister home, now,” Ezra said, rising.
Herr Hersberger nodded. “Of course. I am sorry we had to put you through this,” he said to Ruth, “but when there is any question about noncompliance with a shunning, we must ask questions.”
Ruth rose to stand beside her brother. “I understand.” She did not like it, nor was she pleased that a young woman of Tamara’s reputation could cause the bishop to question Ruth’s character, but she did—however reluctantly—understand.
Herr Hersberger seemed to be aware of what she was thinking, for he gave her a wry smile and an understanding nod before turning to the door.
Herr Lapp had remained quiet throughout the questions, and spoke up at last, clearly displeased with the whole ordeal. “If they had listened to my wife instead of Tamara, this would not have been at all necessary,” he said to Ruth and Ezra as he stood and moved past them. “Elizabeth told me about your meeting with Thomas the day the encounter happened. We wondered if anything would come of it, but we never dreamed that even Tamara Raber would have stooped so low as to attack someone like you over this. One thing I can promise you, Ruth Miller, is that anyone coming into Lapp’s Store will know the truth in short order, because my Elizabeth will not tolerate spiteful gossip.”
Romance In Amish Country Series Boxed Set: 1-3 Naomi's Story; Miriam's Story; Ruth's Story Page 13