The Secret of Fair Hill: A Refuge in Fair Hill Book 2

by Faith Cummings

  "Thee doesn't understand what?" Paul asked, taking a chair and the cup. "Thanks, Libs."

  "I told her I don't believe in God." I announced firmly.

  "Barbara is seeking the light, Lisbeth. She needs to be allowed to find it in her own way." Paul explained. "I don't know what it's like either, libs. We've been lucky. But that doesn't give us the right to judge her. I learned this from her myself the hard way."

  I rose and went to Lisbeth. "I'm sorry I got angry with you, Lisbeth." I said gently. "I did the same thing to Paul when we talked about it the other day."

  "And with good reason," he put in quietly. "I was anything but understanding." Lisbeth hugged me for a moment and I knew she had accepted my apology. "I don't understand. Perhaps I never will. But if I can help, I'm here." She said.

  Amy looked out the window of the kitchen and turned to put some more wood in the stove. "I hope we don't get snowed in so we can't celebrate Christmas with the others." "Is Betsy coming?" Lisbeth asked her brother.

  "I don't know. She said she might."

  "I don't understand this, son," Amy began with concern.

  "What?"

  "I don't understand Betsy's not being here more often. Thee sees her at home but she never comes here. What's going on?"

  "I don't see her at home that often, Mother, her father doesn't want me to see her."

  "I thought he had already consented to thy marriage,"

  "Yes, so did I but something's happened and I can't get him to tell me what it is. I fear that Jeremy's right."

  "Then why doesn't thee ask him outright if he wants Betsy to marry Sean?"

  "Because I'm afraid of the answer," he admitted.

  "Even if thee is, thee should ask," she said firmly. "Thee is not being honest if thee doesn't and frankly, Paul, that's not like thee."

  Paul said nothing. He knew she was right but dreaded the consequences of bringing up the question to Daniel Olsen. That evening over supper, Paul realized if he didn't bring it up, it would be brought up for him. Andrew told us all he had been visited by Jared Johnson that afternoon.

  "What did he say?" Amy asked, passing the milk pitcher to Lisbeth.

  "He said there'll be a meeting of the Ministry and Oversight committee tomorrow evening and he wants Paul there. Also, he said this whole issue will come before the Meeting this First Day."

  "Why before the whole Meeting?" Paul wanted to know.

  "Because it's a known fact all over Fair Hill that Sean is drinking too much and I guess has been abusive when drunk."

  Paul's hand went up to his face in surprise and horror. "Thee doesn't think he would hurt Bets, does thee, Father?" He managed.

  "That is the concern, yes."

  He dropped his fork to his plate and sat staring at it for a moment. Everyone knew he was fighting emotions he wasn't sure how to handle. I put a hand on his arm and spoke softly. "The Meeting isn't going to let that happen, Paul," I assured him. "They'll take whatever action is necessary to see that it doesn't."

  "I hope thee is right," he said woodenly. "I truly do."

  When the dishes were finished and the family was gathered in the sitting-room, we were surprised by a knock on the door. We had been about to begin worship for that evening. But, instead, Andrew rose and went to see who it was. He reentered the sitting-room with Doc Wilson. "I want to have a few words with this young lady here," Doc said, coming to where I sat. "Would you like to talk here or somewhere else?"

  "We'll talk in the kitchen so the family can start Meeting for Worship," I suggested, knowing that Andrew was tired after a long day of work.

  "That would be fine, Barbara, thank thee for considering us," Andrew said giving me a smile. "Thee can join us after thee talks to Doc if thee likes." I said I would and followed him from the room.

  "I've been giving much thought to you these days," Doc began, taking a chair and fixing a friendly gaze upon me. I sat at the table opposite him, wondering what he might have come to tell me.

  "What have you been thinking about?" I asked curiously.

  "I've been thinking about what you're going to do if you leave Fair Hill. I know you need a family around you right now and the Beckers will allow you to stay with them. But there may come a day when you will have to support yourself and you're going to need a way to do that. So, I thought you might like to consider working for me. I'll teach you all I know and you can work among the people here. Then, if you decide to leave the farm here, you could still work. Sometimes we don't get paid in money. Sometimes we get eggs or milk or food of some other kind, but that's all right. At least we eat well. What do you think?"

  "I'd never thought of being a nurse," I said. "But it's not a bad idea. Could I try it temporarily until I know whether I'm cut out for it?"

  "Sure, that's fine. Can you start tomorrow morning?"

  "I'll have to drop school, but I can if you think it's best."

  "I didn't know you were continuing with school. That's wonderful. No, you keep going. That will help later. You can work with me after school and on weekends and evenings. All right?"

  "Yes, thanks, Doc, very much for offering me the chance."

  "You're a bright young lady and you're going to have to depend on yourself unless you marry someone who can take care of you. Since we don't know whether that will happen, it's best that you have something to do to support yourself. Besides, I need the help." I told him I would come to his dispensary after school the next day.

  "Well, now that that's all settled, let's go to worship," he said and we both joined the family in the sitting-room.

  At breakfast the following morning, I told the Beckers about Doc's suggestion. "I think that's a good idea," Andrew told me, glad that I wasn't leaving Fair Hill. "And I think thee is wise to continue with school until thee finishes. Thee never knows when thee might need the extra learning."

  "I'll miss riding home with thee after school, but I'm glad for thee," Lisbeth said. "Doc can use the help."

  "What do you think?" I asked Paul as he rose from the table, having eaten his breakfast in silence.

  "I think it's a fine thing. Doc is looking out for thee just as we are. I hope thee likes the work and will continue to do it while thee is here." So after school that day, I walked from the schoolhouse to the dispensary where Doc waited for me.

  "Today," he said as I entered the office, "I'm going to tell you a little about my work and, unless we're interrupted by an emergency or something, a little about some of my patients here."

  Meanwhile, at the farm, Paul waited half dreading, half eager for the Ministry and Oversight Committee Meeting that evening. He wondered what had been decided about Sean and what they would say about him and Betsy. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her, especially to someone like Sean Murphy. The day passed slowly, in spite of the work. Paul thought it would never end. Mike and Lydia stopped by to see him that afternoon. They had been together at Lydia's home and decided to come and see what they could do to help him.

  "We imagined thee would be pretty anxious," Mike told Paul as they entered the warm kitchen. Amy was just taking a cake from the oven and they watched her with interest.

  "Thee has to wait until it cools and I frost it," she said, seeing their eyes were on the cake. "But there are a few cookies in the cookie jar if anyone wants them." Paul was glad they were with him. He was very grateful to have friends like these. "

  Where's Barbara today?" Lydia asked.

  "She's helping Doc after school and on weekends now," Paul told them. "He's training her to be a nurse."

  "I'm sure she appreciates that," Mike put in, taking Amy up on her offer of the cookies. "I guess Doc thinks she needs a vocation of some sort."

  "Since she doesn’t have any family, except us, I think he's right," Amy added. The other two children soon arrived home from school and were also glad to see Mike and Lydia.

  "Paul's worried about tonight," Lisbeth said, giving her brother a hug.

  "I am trying not to be, but
it's not easy," he admitted. "But it helps to have a caring sister like Libs here."

  "I like Betsy a lot," Lisbeth told him. "I hope she doesn't marry Sean. I don't think he would make a very good husband."

  "I don't either," Lydia agreed. "But we'll see what the Meeting decides." That evening, after supper, Paul went to the Meetinghouse. Most of the committee members had arrived when he got there. He was glad. There would be no long wait then before the Meeting could begin. Betsy was there with her father as was Sean Murphy with his. Andrew had not accompanied Paul. He had offered to go, but Paul had asked him not to, preferring to go alone.

  "Thy father isn't coming?" Jared Johnson asked as Paul entered and took a place on a bench.

  "No, I asked him not to come. Did thee want him here?"

  "Not necessarily. It was up to thee. I think we can begin now. Everyone is here." They all fell silent then, entering worship time, out of which their business would be concluded. It was their belief that all business or counseling matters should be taken care of in a spirit of worship and in the presence of Christ. Jesus was their teacher and guide. No matter of business or personal importance should be dealt with without His input. They sought His presence and opened themselves to receive whatever message He might give them about the matter at hand. After twenty minutes of unbroken silence, Jared spoke. "We are here to come to some agreement about the impending marriage between Paul Becker and Betsy Olsen. The Meeting has already been made aware of their intention to marry and it has been approved. Now, there is a possibility of Betsy marrying Sean Murphy instead. From what I have been told, it has something to do with land. I would like to hear from Sean and from Daniel Olsen as to their agreement about this." "Sean has agreed to join our farms into one if he can marry Betsy," Daniel began slowly. "He has better land than I do, but with his help, both farms can prosper. Paul, on the other hand, doesn’t have any land to make a farm on for my daughter. She probably would live with the Becker family. I believe she would be better off with Sean."

  "Sean, how does thee feel about this?" Jared asked.

  "I don't own the land now, but I will eventually. My father has agreed to this plan. We will work the land together."

  "What about Betsy?" Paul asked urgently. "Both of thee have discussed the land situation but Betsy is caught in the middle of this with no consideration at all. Does thee love her, Sean?"

  "I hadn't really thought about it much," Sean admitted.

  "And yet thee wants him to marry her?" Paul asked, turning to Daniel.

  "Love isn't the only thing to think about here," Daniel said firmly. "Land is scarce in Fair Hill. We need to use it the best way we can."

  "And thy contention is that Betsy will not be happy?" Jared asked Paul.

  "I just think her feelings should be considered here," he answered. "And I would ask that my feelings for her be considered too. We have come before the Meeting and asked for clearness about whether we should marry. And we have received that clearness. Now, to please her father, she's going to marry a man she doesn't love. I don't think thee, as elders of the Meeting, should allow this to happen."

  "Thee is just looking for special favors because thee is a recorded minister," Sean put in.

  "No, I don't believe he is," This was Molly O'Connor, well-known and widely respected in Fair Hill. She had held a place of esteem and love in the hearts of the Meeting for many years. "I think Paul is earnestly concerned for Betsy's well-being," she continued, directing a piercing gaze toward Sean. "It is widely known, sean that thee indulges in alcohol to a degree well beyond moderation. It is also common knowledge that thee becomes abusive when thee has had too much to drink. Paul has a concern for Betsy's safety under these circumstances and, frankly, so do I." Sean said nothing. Daniel Olsen rose and handed a sealed document to Jared Johnson. It was the agreement about which Sean and he had previously spoken. It had already been signed and sealed in Newport.

  "If I don't allow Betsy to marry him, I'll be breaking the agreement and I'll lose the land." He told Jared.

  "Why was this done without the approval of the Meeting?" Jared wanted to know. "Thee knew that Betsy was already planning to marry Paul. The date has already been set by the Meeting."

  "I knew that, but she's my daughter." Was all Daniel said.

  "I think we should go before the Lord with this," Molly said firmly. "I think whatever He tells us to do should take precedence over any legal agreement."

  But Sean and his father disagreed with this decision as did Daniel Olsen.

  * * *

  They all rose together and, taking Betsy with them, they left the Meetinghouse. Clearly they would not abide by any decision reached by this Meeting.

  "What can we do?" Paul asked Jared as the door closed behind them. "Can we do anything to stop them?"

  "I'm afraid not." Jared said sadly. "I fear for Betsy Olsen more and more by the minute.”

  When Paul reached home, we all waited for him. We had already begun worship and had lifted him and the whole situation up to God in prayer. As soon as he entered, Amy knew that something had gone horribly wrong. She drew him down beside her on the sofa. He sat for sometime, staring into space without a word. I didn't think I had ever seen anyone look so hopeless. After worship was over, Paul told us all what had happened at the Meeting.

  "It probably won't come up before the whole Meeting now. There would be no need. It's evident they've already made up their minds and all the talking in the world isn't going to change them."

  "What does thee suppose will happen now, son?" Amy asked bewildered.

  "I imagine she'll marry him in Newport sometime soon."

  "Then they're going to be read out of Meeting," Andrew announced firmly.

  "Folks don't get read out of meeting these days, unfortunately." Paul remarked. "Well, they ought to and I'm going to see that it happens." Andrew was resolute. Paul said nothing. There wasn't anything he could do without seeming vengeful. And he wasn't vengeful. He didn't feel anything right then. He only knew Betsy was gone. There was nothing he could do to stop her. A great numbness came over him. He felt unbearably weary.

  "I know how you're feeling just now," a calm voice said beside him. It was I who stood there, a light hand on his arm. "It hasn't been that long since I lost my parents and I loved them as much as you love Betsy. I'm awfully sorry, Paul, really I am." He put a hand over mine. Our eyes met and he smiled briefly.

  "I know thee is and I thank thee. I also know that thee understands." We all retired to our respective rooms.

  Life continued restfully. Christmas went as planned with all three families gathering at the Becker farm. I tried to join as much as possible in the festivities but they were marred somewhat by the memories of Christmases past with my parents. Paul too found it difficult to join in fully but he tried hard for his mother's sake to have a good day. When Christmas dinner had been eaten and small gifts exchanged, I was surprised when Doc came by to ask for my help.

  "I know it's Christmas, but things don't stop happening on holidays," he told me as I came out to his buggy, wrapped warmly against the cold in a new wool cloak.

  "I know. What is it this time?"

  "A woman on an outlying farm, has a fever of some sort. Thought maybe you could help with the nursing until she gets better. Would you mind?"

  I said I wouldn't but again thought of my parents. They had died of just such a fever. "Is she dying?" I asked uncertainly.

  "I hope not," was all he said. When we reached the farm, we found the distraught Husband, pacing the sitting-room floor in extreme agitation.

  "She's bad, Doc," he managed as the two of us entered the house.

  "I figured she was from what you said. How long has she been like this?" Doc asked, speaking calmly.

  "Just since this morning, Doc, or I would have gotten in touch with thee sooner." "Well, Barbara Scott here has had some experience nursing folks like this. She's going to stay and help if you don't mind."

  "No, I'd be gratefu
l, Barbara? Is thee a Friend?" He asked, not remembering ever having seen me at Meeting.

  "No, but I attend Meeting with the Becker family," I told him. "I'll go see to your wife now if you like, where is she?" He pointed to a closed door and I went quickly in to the next room, trying to seem calm and self-assured. The woman lay in an old, four-poster bed, propped up a little with a pillow or two and looking very feverish. She seemed not to notice my presence at all. Beside her bed on a small table was a Bible and a basin of water he had been using to bathe her face. I went to the kitchen and got some cooler water from a bucket there. I also got some cloths and returned to the sick room to bathe the woman's hot body.

  "Is she conscious?" Doc asked, entering a few minutes later.

  "Yes, but she doesn't really know what's going on around her. It's bad already. I didn't see my parents like this until near the end. I hope we can pull her through, Doc." He examined the woman carefully then stepped aside so that I could continue my ministrations.

  "I hope so too, but I understand why you're not sure," he said honestly.

  "I'll do what I can," I said and continued to apply cold water to the woman's face and forehead.

  "I'll be back in the morning, can you make it till then?" He asked.

  "I think so, I'll have him make me some coffee if I need it," I said and wished him a Merry Christmas.

  "I'll tell the Beckers where you are," He told me as he left the room. I thanked him and returned to my patient. This was the Emerson farm. John and Rachel Emerson had lived here for ten years. They had been married in the Meetinghouse and had both grown up in Fair Hill. I sat by the bed, gazing out the window from time to time at the snow covered farm. The room was warm and cozy as John had built a fire in the fireplace so that his wife would not be cold.

  "Does thee need anything?" He asked, coming to the doorway.

  "No, thank you, not now. I may want some coffee later if you have it."

  "We do and I'll gladly make it for thee. I very much appreciate thy help with Rachel."

  "I wish there were more I could do," I said lamely. When Doc reached the Beckers, the other two families were just leaving. A light feathery snow was falling. They wanted to reach their farms before it got any harder.