Love Finds You in Nazareth, Pennsylvania

by Melanie Dobson

  Something rustled behind her, and she leaped to her feet. Annabel also lectured the women about roaming outside of the settlement. After listening to the horror of the refugee stories, even Annabel had become concerned about the hostile Indians.

  Susanna scanned the brush to see if it was an Indian or if an animal was watching her…and an Indian girl stepped out. She didn’t recognize Lily at first. Instead of her bodice and petticoat, she wore a leather dress and moccasins. There was no smile on her face.

  “Lily,” she whispered, rushing to her friend.

  She kissed Lily’s cheeks, but Lily didn’t return the affection. Instead she pushed her away, not harshly, but with an intensity that surprised Susanna.

  “Where did you go?”

  “Nathan’s father,” she began, her voice as cool as the November air. “He has come for me.”

  Susanna slowly tried to understand her words. “Your husband is here?”

  “Not my—” she started. “Nathan’s father wants me, and he wants his baby.”

  Susanna cringed at her words. “Nathan is your baby as well.”

  Lily nodded slowly. “I must protect him from this man.”

  Protect him from his father?

  The coldness of Lily’s words turned into a plea. “If he becomes angry, he might hurt Nathan just to spite me. If he doesn’t kill him, he will teach our son how to hate the white man. How to kill them. He will turn my sweet boy into a savage.”

  “Oh, Lily—”

  “Howling Wolf—he talks of raiding the Nursery so he can take Nathan.”

  Susanna clutched her hands to her chest. The refugees often talked about the possibility of a raid on Nazareth, but none of the Brethren thought the Indians would attack their Nursery. “We need to move the children.”

  “And you need to—” she whispered. “Could you please take Nathan away from here?”

  “But where would I take him?”

  “My father, he will take care of him in their village.”

  “I don’t know where your father lives.”

  “My father is Langoma. Samuel knows.” Lily camouflaged herself in the forest’s overgrowth though her voice was still clear. “You must hurry.”

  Susanna stepped toward the trees. “You don’t want to go with this man, Lily.”

  “You would not understand.”

  “But I want to.”

  “I can’t explain in your words,” Lily said. She hesitated and then began to sing about a love so great, a love so powerful, that nothing else mattered, including one’s life.

  Her implication pierced Susanna—Lily thought she didn’t understand the power of love. While her friend was willing to risk her life to be with this man.

  Susanna held up her hand to stop Lily’s singing. “You love him more than your life, and you love him even more than the life of your son.”

  The brush rustled in front of her. “I love Nathan with all my heart. That is why you must take him from here.”

  Leaves and branches rustled again, and Susanna knew Lily was gone.

  Susanna glanced back one more time at the wooden markers, and she cringed at the thought of burying Timothy or Nathan or any of their precious children alongside them. Lifting her petticoat, she rushed back down the hill. Elder Graff and the others must move the children today.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A burlap bag dangled from Catharine’s shoulder as her little bag of treasure banged against her hip. She scooped up a handful of the seed and dropped it into the tilled dirt. Her back ached, and even though the coolness of fall was upon them, sweat poured from her face. Elias hadn’t promised her that he would take her away, but if they didn’t go—

  Even as she brushed her fingers over the bag hidden under her clothes, she refused to consider the possibilities.

  Her father had been proud when Elias had been selected to oversee the building of Count Zinzendorf’s manor, and he’d been proud when she had been selected to accompany Elias as his wife. Her parents had guessed that Elias would one day become a leader in the church on the new continent, and she’d planned to support him in this leadership.

  But what would her parents think of her now, covered in sweat and planting wheat alongside the rest of the women? She’d done every task assigned to her since she’d been in Nazareth, and even though she’d grumbled some, she had done most of them in silence.

  Last week Annabel insisted that Catharine get off her bed and start working again among them. The woman couldn’t understand how tired she’d become. Her nights never refreshed her. Instead of welcoming her, the mornings mocked her. And her baby, the pretty girl that had formed in her womb, drained any ounce of energy that she could muster.

  Rebecca Wittke trailed her, covering the fallen seeds with dirt, but the woman didn’t speak to her. They had never been good friends, not even during their months in Gnadenhutten when Rebecca spent much of their little free time visiting with the Indian women and their children, as if she preferred the company of the natives more than Catharine’s. Now that they were back in Nazareth and Catharine was a mother, Rebecca had stopped speaking to her altogether.

  Rebecca had stopped speaking with her, and Christian had stopped watching her from across the Saal. Part of her wanted to be rid of his admiration, but another part of her, a part she’d never reveal to a soul, wondered if she had lost her allure. It had been so long since she’d seen a looking glass. Had her beauty faded in the wilderness…or perhaps after Juliana was born?

  She needed to get out of here before Elias stopped looking at her as well.

  She sprinkled another handful of seed on the dirt, a bit more than their supervisor had instructed; but the more she tossed onto the ground, the faster she would finish this chore. Maybe she could go back to rest for an hour or two before she went to get her baby.

  Nursemaids were caring for Juliana in the Nursery, women who had been trained in how to care for children. Catharine had been trained to care for servants, but her ability to run a household didn’t matter here in Pennsylvania. Nor did her ability to stitch beautiful clothes or dance a waltz or banter with London’s elite. The laboress wanted her to work like a mule, not speak or dress like a lady. A strong back was prized over finery or clothes or conversation.

  She was far from her home, both in location and in attitude. And all she wanted to do was go home.

  Even though she wouldn’t be here to eat the harvest of her work, she threw another handful of seed and Rebecca silently covered it with dirt.

  “Catharine!” she heard Elias shout. She turned to see her husband walking toward her. She shoved the burlap bag at Rebecca and turned back toward him.

  “Where are you going?” Rebecca called, breaking their silence, but Catharine didn’t acknowledge the question.

  She rushed to him. “What is it?”

  He handed her a mug of apple cider, and she gulped the sweet liquid. He directed her away from the field, toward a large tree, and she leaned against it.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  “Elder Graff wants to see us right away.”

  “Is he sending us away?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  She lifted her skirt and followed him through the remaining field, to the Gemeinhaus. Elder Graff and Edward were waiting for them along with Benjamin, their Indian brother from Gnadenhutten. Her husband greeted Benjamin and then they sat on the bench, waiting to hear why the elder had beckoned them.

  “The wheel on the gristmill has stopped turning,” the elder said. “Benjamin has requested that you come and help fix it, Elias, so they will have enough flour to last the winter.”

  Catharine leaned forward. “And what will I do?”

  “You will stay in Nazareth and care for Juliana.”

  “Oh no,” she insisted. “I’m going with him.”

  She trusted Elias now, but she no longer trusted herself. If he left her here, there was a good chance she wouldn’t be here when he returned.

/>   Elias reached for her hand, something he had never done in public before. “Catharine?”

  “You are my husband, Elias. I need to be with you.”

  And he must have known it, because he jumped to her defense. “If I go,” he said, “my family goes with me.”

  She smiled at him, softening her voice. “We can’t take Juliana to Gnadenhutten.”

  A trace of sadness crossed his face. “The Indian women can help you care for her there.”

  “It will be too cold. And too dangerous.”

  “I will protect her,” Elias insisted, but she shook her head.

  “She will be safer here, Elias. The Nursery workers will care well for our daughter.”

  Much better than she ever could.

  “If we go to Gnadenhutten,” Elias said to the elder, “I have a request to make upon our return.”

  He glanced at her for approval, and she nodded her head. She didn’t know exactly what he was going to ask, but she hoped it was for them to go to Philadelphia.

  “What is it?” Elder Graff asked.

  “I would like to take my family to Bethlehem…to stay.”

  She lowered her gaze. There would be no home for her and Elias to live together in Bethlehem, but it would be so much better than here. In time, perhaps, they could continue south to live in the city.

  Elder Graff considered his words. “You were sent to Nazareth to help us build.”

  “And the Disciple’s House was almost finished when we arrived.”

  “But we will have other buildings—”

  He squeezed her hand. “My wife, she longs to live in a bigger village.”

  “They may not have room for all of you when you get to Bethlehem.”

  Maybe they would have to go to Philadelphia.

  “When we get there, we will decide about accommodations.”

  “Or we can pay for them,” Catharine muttered. Elias shot her a look, and she stopped talking.

  Elias stood, and the elders agreed to put his request to relocate before the lot. The lot would decide whether or not she would join Elias in Gnadenhutten and whether they could move on to Bethlehem when they were done.

  Christian waited until the Schmidts left the Gemeinhaus and then he joined the other men inside. He’d already spoken with both Edward and Elder Graff about Lily’s disappearance, but neither man knew where to look for her. But now that Benjamin was here, perhaps he could help them search.

  Elder Graff instructed him to speak.

  “Do you know the Indian girl named Wingan who lived among us?” Christian asked Benjamin.

  The man nodded slowly.

  Elder Graff took off his spectacles and placed them on the table. “Her name here is Lily, and she has left us.”

  “Not left,” Christian corrected him. “She disappeared in the night.”

  “Lily is a free spirit,” the elder said. “She came to us in need and left when she no longer needed us.”

  Christian leaned forward, trying to make them understand. He had told Susanna he would help her, and he meant to keep his word. “Maybe she has gone back to her clan.”

  Elder Graff shook his head. “Samuel brought her to us, and it would be almost impossible for her to find her way back home without a guide.”

  The door on the back of the Saal opened and Susanna rushed to his side, and when she sat down, she gasped for air. He smiled at first, glad that she had joined him, but his smile turned quickly to alarm. “What is it?”

  “I just saw Lily, up by God’s Acre.” She took several breaths. “She was dressed in her Indian clothes.”

  “What did she say?”

  “That her husband is a dangerous man—and he’s looking for his son.”

  Benjamin scooted forward on the bench; his voice was low when he spoke. “What is her husband’s name?”

  “Howling Wolf.”

  At Benjamin’s low whistle, Christian fell back against his seat. Perhaps that is why they had seen the man so close to Nazareth.

  Elder Graff interrupted the men. “This Howling Wolf,” he began. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “This man is not her husband.”

  “But—” Susanna began to protest the elder’s words and then she stopped. The quiet in the room was agonizing after his announcement, and she refused to look at Christian. She was frustrated at her naïveté, frustrated that she continued to swallow lies from those whom she was supposed to trust. “Lily said her husband brought her to Nazareth.”

  The elder shook his head. “Howling Wolf is not her husband. When Samuel brought her to us, he said that Howling Wolf never planned to marry Lily.”

  And so the sisters had taken her in and sheltered her from this man.

  Susanna supposed she understood why Lily hadn’t told her the truth—no one in Nazareth had ever given birth to a child before they were married. Susanna would have been among those who judged and condemned Lily for her sin. But after they had become friends, after they learned to love each other, Lily should have told her.

  And now Lily had chosen to run away with this man, the father of her child who was still not her husband. She had seemingly chosen to return to this sin instead of staying with her child and the sisters who welcomed her.

  “Why did she come to you now?” the elder asked.

  “The children are in danger,” Susanna said. “Her hus—This Howling Wolf is planning to raid the Nursery to find his son.”

  Elder Graff shook his head. “We can’t trust Lily’s word.”

  “There are fifty children there,” Christian said.

  “Where are we going to put fifty more children and the workers and all their belongings?”

  When Christian looked out the window, toward the Disciple’s House, Edward shook his head. “It’s already full.”

  “It would just be temporary,” Christian said.

  “We could move them on to Bethlehem before winter,” Brother Graff said. “When Catharine and Elias return from Gnadenhutten.”

  “But we must trust her,” Susanna said. “She doesn’t want her son to be hurt.”

  “Or she is being used by the people who want to hurt us,” he replied slowly. “To gather us together for an attack.”

  “No,” she insisted. “Lily wouldn’t want any of us to be injured.”

  “My wife is right,” Christian interjected. “We must move the children.”

  “It won’t stop him,” Benjamin said. “Howling Wolf doesn’t care who he wounds or kills.”

  “Lily—she asked that we take Nathan back to her people.”

  “We don’t know where she came from,” the elder said.

  “She said her father was a chief by the name of Langoma.”

  “Langoma?” Christian turned toward her and then looked at Benjamin.

  “Langoma has three daughters,” Benjamin said. “I don’t know their names.”

  “When I was there, he said he lost a child.”

  Susanna forgot everyone else in the room. “You’ve visited her people?”

  “They were the clan that decided to follow Christ.”

  “They will care well for him?” the elder asked.

  Christian nodded.

  Susanna’s eyes filled with tears. She would keep her promise to Lily, but she’d grown to love both Nathan and his mother over the past year. She didn’t want to say good-bye to either of them.

  “The other children will not be safe as long as Nathan is kept among us. When he is gone, there will be no reason for his father to threaten us.” Elder Graff leaned forward. “Benjamin, can you escort him back to his village?”

  “I must stay in Gnadenhutten and help Elias with the gristmill,” Benjamin said. “I could wait to take him, but if Howling Wolf finds out we kept him from his son, he will bring harm to our people as well.”

  Christian spoke rapidly. “I will go with you tomorrow to Gnadenhutten. I can take Nathan back to his people.”

  Tomorrow.

  Her mind spun. Now Lily was gone and
her son would follow in the morning. It was too much change too quickly.

  Elder Graff tapped the desk, looking at all of them. “You don’t know the language, Christian.”

  “I know enough, and Chief Langoma speaks English.”

  Still the elder didn’t seem to be convinced. “I’m not sure it is safe for you to travel by yourself.”

  “It is not safe for us to stay in Nazareth either,” he said. “And yet God’s angels continue to protect us.”

  Susanna cleared her throat. “He doesn’t need to travel by himself.”

  The men turned and looked at her.

  “I would like to visit this village with him.”

  “You can’t go,” Christian murmured.

  Her hands embedded themselves into her hips. “Why not?”

  “It’s not safe, like Elder Graff said, and it might snow. I don’t want you to get sick again.”

  “I haven’t been sick in months.” The elder was listening, but she didn’t acknowledge him. “If Catharine can make it to Gnadenhutten, then I can make it to this village.”

  “It’s a six-hour canoe ride upstream from Gnadenhutten to Tanochtahe.”

  She shrugged. “Then I will canoe for six hours.”

  When he protested again, she inched closer to him. “Do you know how to care for a child, Christian?”

  He leaned back against the bench. “I will figure it out.”

  “How are you going to paddle a canoe and care for him?”

  “He will ride in front of me.”

  She laughed softly. “He will tip over your boat.”

  “I will figure out a way.”

  “I want to go with you, Christian. To meet these people and help you care for Nathan on the journey.”

  Elder Graff tapped his hand on the table. “This is a decision that neither of you will make,” he said. “We will take it before the lot.”

  Susanna sighed, her hands balled in her lap. She wanted to continue arguing, fighting for her position, but she would wait first to see what the lot would say.

  The elder slipped the papers into the tube, but before they could draw a lot, Joseph rushed into the room with his face white with worry.