A Bride's Agreement

by Elaine Bonner

  With Herr Seitz translating, the man introduced himself as Dr. Phineas Hughes. He pulled up a chair next to the bed, displacing Diedrich, and handed Regina his dusty, short-top hat. First, he lifted Father’s eyelids one at a time and peered into them. Then he removed the bandage from Father’s head and examined the wound. Despite the bluish-purple lump rising on Father’s forehead, the doctor pronounced the wound superficial and of no grave concern. The problem, he surmised, was any unseen damage that might have occurred to the brain in the fall.

  Diedrich fought the urge to pepper the physician with a barrage of questions, deciding it best to wait and allow the man to make a full examination. So he held his peace as the doctor took a sharp instrument from his satchel and poked the bottom of Father’s foot. At the touch, Father moaned, rolled his head, and drew up his knee. Though ignorant of medicine, Diedrich took Father’s response and the doctor’s “Mm-hmm” as encouraging signs.

  Returning the sharp instrument to the satchel, Dr. Hughes then took out a wooden tube with a bell shape on one end and an ivory disk on the other. He placed the bell-shaped end on Father’s chest and pressed his own ear to the ivory disk. Slipping his watch from his plaid waistcoat, he watched the face of the timepiece as he listened. At length, he put away both the tube and the watch. While Diedrich waited with bated breath, the doctor sat upright and emitted a soft harrumph. “Well, his heart sounds strong.” He shook his head. “But that he has not yet regained full consciousness is troubling.”

  Standing, he picked up his satchel then retrieved his hat from Regina. “There is really nothing more I can do. His healing is in God’s hands now. We know very little about the workings of the brain, and such injuries are unpredictable. All we can do is to wait and observe.” He shot a glance at Regina and Frau Seitz. “Keep the head wound clean and bandaged, and someone should sit with him until…” Clearing his throat, he looked down. When he looked back up, he gave Diedrich a kind smile. “Just keep a watch on him. And it would not hurt to talk to him. It has been the experience of some physicians that such patients do seem to hear and understand in some way. It is thought by some who study these cases that conversation can actually help stimulate the brain and bring the patient back into consciousness.” He plopped his hat on his thick shock of graying hair. “Let me know if there are any changes. We should know one way or another within forty-eight hours.”

  As Herr Seitz interpreted the doctor’s words, a crushing dread gripped Diedrich. The doctor’s prognosis seemed to be Father would either recover or die in the next two days.

  Bidding the group good day, Dr. Hughes exchanged handshakes with Diedrich and Herr Seitz then left the house with young Tanner.

  With the doctor’s departure, a somber pall fell over the room, and an overwhelming sense of guilt and despondency enveloped Diedrich.

  Regina’s heart broke for Diedrich. Only the two of them remained in the room with Herr Rothhaus. Mama had left to gather more cotton cloths for bandages, while Papa saw Herr Tanner to his wagon. Seeing Diedrich slumped in the chair beside his father’s still form, his face crestfallen and drawn, she was filled with a desire to comfort him. She pressed her hand on his shoulder. “Gott will hear our prayers and heal him. We must have faith.”

  He shrugged off her hand, sending a chill through her. The cold look he gave her felt as if he’d stabbed her through the heart with an icicle. He gave a sardonic snort. “My faith is all used up, Regina. I prayed Gott would change Vater’s heart—not stop it. When I asked Him to remove the obstacles preventing us from marrying, I never expected Him to answer by taking Vater from me.” His lips twisted in a sneer, and his voice dripped with sarcasm. “But Gott has given us what we asked, has He not? Soon there will likely be no impediment to our marrying.”

  A pain more excruciating than any she had ever felt before slashed through Regina. Though reason told her Diedrich’s hard words were born out of crushing worry for his father, she also knew they came directly from his heart. Diedrich blamed their love and, by extension, Regina, for his father’s condition. Whether Herr Rothhaus lived or died, a marriage between her and Diedrich had become impossible. Tears filled her eyes and thickened her voice. “Pray for your Vater’s recovery, as I will be praying. But there will be no marriage. I am releasing you from our engagement.”

  As she turned to leave the room, she harbored a glimmer of hope Diedrich might utter a word of objection. But he stayed silent, extinguishing her hope and plunging her heart into darkness.

  For the next twenty-four hours, Herr Rothhaus’s condition remained unchanged. Diedrich never left his side except when Regina came into the room to change Herr Rothhaus’s bandage or feed him warm broth from a cup, which he oddly took only from her hand. She had insisted on shouldering much of Herr Rothhaus’s care, initially out of a sense of scriptural duty. He hated her. And his hatred had robbed her of any hope for a happy life with Diedrich. But she did not want to hate him back. She had seen the pain hatred inflicted on Sophie and then later the freeing power of forgiveness. Though Herr Rothhaus could inflict an injury on her heart, she would not allow him to inflict one on her soul. Also, she hoped by caring for his father, she might earn back a measure of Diedrich’s regard. But she hadn’t expected to so quickly find her heart blessed by the moments she spent with Herr Rothhaus. She soon ceased to equate the gentle man she cared for like an infant with the angry man who had hurled insults at her. At the same time, Diedrich’s altered demeanor toward her ripped at her heart. The moment he spied her coming, he’d leave the room with scarcely a word or a glance. It hurt to think he could not even bear to share the same space with her.

  Despite Diedrich’s rejection, Regina found solace in ministering to his father. Although Herr Rothhaus gave no sign of awareness, the fact he took the broth in a relatively normal manner with her holding the cup and wiping drips from his chin encouraged her. Remembering the doctor’s advice, she talked to him, prayed, recited encouraging verses of scripture, and even sang hymns as she cared for him.

  Two days after the accident, Regina had just finished giving Herr Rothhaus his supper of broth. As she dabbed the remnants from his mouth and chin whiskers with a cotton towel, she recited scriptures about healing. “‘For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.’” She bowed her head over her folded hands. “Dear Lord, I ask You to heal Herr Rothhaus. Please restore him to full health—”

  “Regina.” Diedrich’s soft voice halted her in midsentence. Opening her eyes, she looked up to find him standing in the doorway, gazing at her. His gray eyes—as soft as the morning mist—held a tenderness toward her she thought she would never see again. “I surrender.”

  She could only sit gaping, confused by his ambiguous comment. “Surrender what? I do not understand.”

  He stepped into the room. “I surrender to you—to my love for you.” He crossed to where she sat and, taking her hands in his, knelt before her on one knee. “Regina, when I learned of Vater’s accident, I feared he might die without us reconciling.” He glanced at his father’s face and grimaced. “I still do.” He swallowed. “I blamed you. And I tried to close my heart to you. But it is no use. You have become too much a part of it—too much a part of me.” He gave her a sad smile. “I could not bar you from my heart last spring when I thought I wanted to go to California. I should have known I could not do it now.”

  He glanced at his father again, and his eyebrows pinched together in a frown. “You were right. Vater made his choice. I have done much praying.” His lips quirked in a wry grin. “Like Jacob of the scriptures, I have wrestled with Gott about this situation. In my own guilt, I blamed you for the rift between me and Vater. That was wrong of me—as wrong as it was for Vater to blame you for what your birth Vater and Großvater did against our family.”

  Regina held her breath. The lump of tears gathering in her throat rendered her mute. What was he saying? Was he choosing her over his father?

  Diedrich’s thumbs c
aressed the backs of her hands, sending the familiar thrill up her arms. “You did not repay your sister’s trespasses against you with meanness or spite but forgave her as our Lord bade us to do. In the same manner, I have watched you tenderly care for my Vater after the unkind way he treated you.” He shook his head, and his eyes brimmed with emotion. “Where could I find another woman like you? I know now whatever happens”—he glanced once more at his father’s face—“whatever happens, I must make you my wife. I cannot bear the thought of living my life without you. My Vater may be against our marriage, but I feel with all my heart Gott is for it. Please say again you will marry me.”

  Before she could answer, a faint voice intruded.

  “Angel.”

  At once, Diedrich sprang to his feet and rushed to his father’s bedside. But Regina stepped back. If Herr Rothhaus was truly rousing from his two-day stupor, Diedrich’s face should be the one he saw first—not Regina’s.

  Diedrich sat on the chair beside the bed and grasped his father’s hand. “Vater, it is Diedrich. Did you say something?”

  Herr Rothhaus’s head rolled back and forth on the pillow. “Angel,” he murmured again. His eyelids fluttered then half opened. He peered at Diedrich from beneath drooping lids. “Diedrich, mein lieber Sohn. You are in heaven with me, then?”

  Diedrich smiled and shook his head. “Nein, Vater. And neither are you. Two days ago, you fell at the mill and hit your head on the grinding stone. We feared Gott might take you, but He has heard our prayers, and you are still with us here on earth.”

  Herr Rothhaus scrunched his face, and his head rolled more fiercely on the pillow. “But there was an angel with me. She sang schöne hymns and spoke words from the Heilige Schrift.”

  At his words, Regina’s heart pounded, and she fought the urge to flee the room. It appeared Dr. Hughes had been right when he suggested patients with head injuries like Herr Rothhaus’s might actually hear and have some awareness. What would Herr Rothhaus think if he knew hers was the voice of the angel his muddled brain had heard?

  Diedrich glanced at Regina then turned back to his father. “Vater, I believe the angel you speak of is Regina. She has cared for you since Herr Tanner and his Sohn brought you here to the home of Herr Seitz after your accident.”

  Herr Rothhaus’s right hand clenched, wadding a fistful of quilt. For a long moment, he said nothing. Tension built in the room like a coming storm. Regina’s breath caught in her throat, and she braced for his angry outburst.

  Instead, when Herr Rothhaus spoke again, his voice was small, weak, even contrite. “Bring her, Sohn. I want to see her.”

  Turning to Regina, Diedrich curled his fingers toward his palm in a beckoning gesture. “Come.”

  Regina hesitated as fear gripped her. She did not want to ignite another ugly scene like the one they experienced in front of the new house a few days ago. But the steady look in Diedrich’s eyes assured her of his unwavering protection, and she tentatively approached the bed. As she stepped into Herr Rothhaus’s view, her heart thudded. How would he react?

  To her surprise, a gentle smile touched his lips. His watery eyes looked sad, and his face appeared ancient, tired. “Forgive me, liebes Mädchen. I was wrong.” His gaze shifted from her face to Diedrich’s. “I must ask your forgiveness, too, Sohn. You were right. I had forgotten the lessons our Lord taught us in His Word.” Reaching up, he fingered the bandage around his head. “It took you and Gott together to knock the sense back into my head.” The quilt covering him eased down as he breathed out a deep sigh. “I am tired of carrying the burden of hate in my heart. It has grown too heavy,” he murmured as if to himself. “Too heavy and too costly.”

  A tear slipped down his weathered face, touching Regina deeply and forcing her to wipe moisture from her own cheeks. Herr Rothhaus looked up at Diedrich, his eyes full of contrition. “I do not want to lose you, mein Sohn.” He turned a sad smile to Regina. “Or the chance to have an angel Schwiegertochter.” Then his gaze swung between them. “You have my blessing to marry.” He grinned. “But you must wait until I am strong again. I want to stand beside my Sohn as he takes a wife.”

  Smiling, Diedrich rose from the chair and slipped his arm around Regina. “Do not worry, Vater. Regina and I will marry in September, as we agreed the day we arrived here. By then you will be stark, like Herr Seitz’s bull.” He shot Regina a knowing grin. At his veiled reminder of their first meeting, she couldn’t hold back a merry giggle.

  Herr Rothhaus’s voice turned gruff. “Now both of you go and let me rest so I can heal.”

  Diedrich grinned, and Regina bent and pressed an impulsive kiss on her future father-in-law’s cheek. Her heart sang with anthems of thanksgiving for the answered prayers and miracles God had wrought over the past several minutes.

  With his hand around her waist, Diedrich guided Regina outside. There they met Mama coming in from the garden with a basket of vegetables on her arm and shared the joyous news with her.

  Mama wiped away tears. “Praise Gott!” Her expression quickly turned from relieved to determined. “After two days of broth, I must make Herr Rothhaus a proper supper.”

  When Mama had disappeared into the house, Diedrich led Regina to the garden. Regina gazed over the vegetable patch where bees buzzed and butterflies flitted around the verdant growth of potato and cabbage plants as well as vines of beans entwined around clusters of sapling poles. Her full heart throbbed with a poignant ache. Here she and Diedrich had shared so many significant moments in their relationship over the past several months, and now she sensed they were about to share another.

  He took both of her hands in his, and she cocked her head and grinned up at him. “Why have you brought me here?” She gazed into his eyes—those same flannel-soft gray eyes that had made her feel safe last April in the bull’s pen.

  He didn’t smile, but a muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth. “To hear your answer.”

  It suddenly occurred to her that Herr Rothhaus’s awakening had distracted her before she could answer Diedrich’s proposal. Mischief sparked within her, and a playful grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. Feigning weariness, she gave an exasperated huff. “Diedrich Rothhaus, I have agreed to marry you twice before. Must I say it again?”

  “Ja, you must.” He sank to one knee and lifted an expectant look to her, while an untethered smile pranced over his lips. “So, Regina Seitz, will you agree to be my wife?”

  At his repeated petition, Regina’s heart danced with happy abandon. Blinking back renegade tears, she fought to affect a bored pose while bursts of joy exploded inside her. “Ja,” she drawled. “Since your Vater now agrees, I suppose I must marry you. But our Vaters promised us months ago, so my answer should be no surprise.”

  Grinning, he stood and let go of her hands. “Then this, too, should come as no surprise.” Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her until her toes curled. Suddenly September seemed excruciatingly distant.

  “Well,” he murmured as he nuzzled his face against her hair, “did I surprise you?”

  “Nein,” she managed in a breathless whisper.

  His voice against her ear turned husky. “Then I must try harder to surprise you.”

  Regina leaned back and smiled up into her future husband’s handsome face. “Only if all your surprises are as sweet as the last one you tried.”

  He pulled her back into his arms and tried again.

  CHAPTER 30

  Sauers, Indiana, September 1850

  Regina bent and reached into the oven to extract the pan of freshly baked corn bread. The sweet aroma tickled her nose as she gingerly grasped the hot pan with the cotton pot holder. Noticing the quilted square of cloth’s stained and singed condition, she couldn’t suppress a smile. Over the past year, Sophie’s wedding gift had seen much duty.

  As she plopped the pan on top of the stove, strong arms encircled her waist. Twisting in Diedrich’s embrace, Regina smiled up at her husband. She slipped her arms around his neck. Would his to
uch ever cease to send delicious shivers through her? She couldn’t imagine such an occurrence. “I should make you wear your Holzschuhe in the kitchen so you cannot sneak up on me, mein Mann,” she teased.

  Grinning, he nuzzled her cheek with his prickly chin, filling her nostrils with his scent and firing all her senses. “But then I could not surprise you, and you know how you love surprises.” His lips blazed a searing trail from her jaw to her mouth and sweetly lingered there.

  When he finally freed her from his kiss, she still clung to him, reveling in his closeness. No, she would never become immune to Diedrich’s caresses. “You can no longer surprise me with kisses,” she challenged breathlessly.

  Stepping back, he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Ah, but I have other means by which to surprise you.”

  Intrigued, she plucked the already-opened envelope from his fingers. “What is this?” She looked at the name printed on the envelope’s top left corner. “So what is so surprising about a letter from your brother Frederic?”

  “Look at the postmark.” His grin widened.

  “Baltimore, Maryland?” It took a moment for the significance to register.

  Diedrich beamed. “Frederic and Hilde and the Kinder are now in America. They should arrive in Jackson County within the month.”

  Regina’s heart thrilled at her husband’s joy. Separation from his beloved brother had remained the one spot marring Diedrich’s otherwise flawless contentment. Her smile turned fond. “That is wunderbar, mein Liebchen. I am excited to meet my Schwager and Schwägerin.” Not to be outdone, she decided to share her own piece of news. “Frederic, Hilde, and their children are not the only additions to our family we are expecting.”