by Sarah Price
Ella gasped and almost dropped the plates. “Sadie?” Shocked, Ella took a step backward and leaned against the counter for support.
She had just talked with Sadie after the worship service on Sunday. They had spent the fellowship hour ensuring that everyone had plenty of food. Afterward, they had enjoyed their own meal with the other people who had helped serve the rest of the congregation. And Sadie had even mentioned that she wanted to go to the youth singing that evening, asking Ella if she might be able to attend, too.
“Missing?”
“Ja, missing,” Linda confirmed.
Ella felt as if something heavy was pressing against her chest. She could barely breathe. Oh, how she prayed that nothing bad had happened to Sadie. “When?” she managed to ask.
“Monday night, it appears. No one knows where or how. She’s just”—she paused and averted her eyes—“gone.”
For the rest of the evening, Ella had been in complete shock. Besides Belle, Sadie was one of her very best friends. She had known that things were not good in the Whitaker household, at least not for Sadie, especially when it came to Rachel, her stepmother. But unlike in Ella’s case, Sadie’s father was still alive to act as a buffer.
Now, with Drusilla and Anna having cried their way out of working, Ella had been enlisted to help at the store. Perhaps the distraction would be good for her, she thought. Throughout most of the morning, everyone who entered seemed to have more news about Sadie. Unfortunately, none of it contributed information about her whereabouts; it was instead merely speculation as to why she had disappeared. Ella tried not to listen, but she began to be more and more convinced that Sadie had run away. And while that, too, broke her heart, at least no one was speculating that something sinister had happened to her.
“Oh, you should see her father,” Esther Kauffman said, clucking her tongue as she gossiped with Linda at the counter. “So distraught.”
“I can only imagine,” Linda responded, which made Ella look up, wondering if her stepmother would feel distraught if she went missing. “And poor Rachel. After all she’s done to raise his daughter.” Linda gave a long, drawn-out sigh. “It’s so hard being a mother to another woman’s child,” she said, sorrow in her voice. “You give so much, and then”—she made a gesture with her hands as if holding nothing within them—“they just run off.”
“Oh, and Rachel did so much for Sadie. Such a sorrowful state of affairs, that she would hurt her father and Rachel in this way.”
Ella was glad when Esther finally left, taking her wagging tongue with her. She could have shared a different perspective with both Linda and Esther about how Rachel Whitaker truly treated Sadie. Though she was not as harsh as Linda, Rachel’s envy of Sadie was known by everyone.
Just before noon, Ella was in the back of the store, where she was unpacking a box of yarn. The bell over the door jingled and, to her delight, she saw Belle walk into the store.
“Belle Hershberger!” she called out as she quickly left the box of yarn in the aisle and hurried around the front counter. She gave Belle a quick embrace, feeling a sense of relief at finally seeing her friend.
“Gut morgan,” Belle said, a slight smile on her face. “How are you, Ella?”
“Why, I’m just fine today,” Ella said as cheerfully as she could. She didn’t want to burden Belle with her own woes, for her friend was clearly not her regular, cheerful self. She hadn’t been that way in a long time, ever since her father had that accident on the road to Liberty Falls a month before. Ella could understand the change in her friend, given that Belle had demonstrated the true meaning of being a dutiful daughter by marrying Adam Hershberger to help save her father’s farm.
“And you?”
Belle shrugged. “As well as can be expected, I reckon.”
Ella felt as if the weight of the world were on her friend’s shoulders. She would have done anything to have been able to help Belle with that burden. “I’m sorry, Belle. I wish things would get better for you and Adam.”
Belle quickly changed the subject. “How is life in Echo Creek? I feel so out of it, living so far away.”
After checking that her stepmother wasn’t watching, Ella grabbed Belle’s hand and led her in between two rows of shelves far away from the front counter. “Oh, Belle. The craziest thing has happened!”
“What is it?”
“Sadie,” Ella whispered. “She’s disappeared.”
Gasping, Belle covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh help!”
Ella nodded. “Ja, missing. No one knows where she’s gone. Her daed’s distraught as all get-out.”
“I imagine so!”
And then Ella narrowed her eyes as she leaned closer so that she could whisper into Belle’s ear. “Last Sunday Sadie had told me that her stepmother was up to something. I don’t think Sadie has met with foul play but has run away.”
Another gasp. “I will pray for her.”
“That’s all we can do, I fear. Pray.”
They visited for a few more minutes, Ella soaking up as much of Belle as she could. Now that her dear friend lived north of Echo Creek, some distance outside of town, they didn’t get to see much of each other. And without Sadie around to accompany her, Ella didn’t think she would be walking all the way out to the Hershbergers’ farm too often.
It was later in the afternoon, after Belle had left, that Ella noticed the clocks on the shelves. She paused and studied them, each one more beautiful than the next. She remembered that someone had been coming to meet with Linda about clocks, and for a moment, she wondered if that had been Hannes, the stranger she had met at the pond. Was he the clock vendor?
“Maem?” she said when she returned to the back of the store.
Linda sounded vexed when she asked, “What is it, Ella?”
“I just noticed those clocks.” She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the aisle.
“The wedding clocks?”
“Ja, those. When did they arrive?” she asked.
“Oh, just the other week. Someone arranged for a vendor to come, and he left some for display.”
Ella couldn’t help but wonder why her stepmother had the wedding clocks in the same aisle as the kerosene lanterns. That didn’t seem like the proper placement for such an expensive product, one that was intended to be a gift from a man to his new bride.
The bell over the door jingled, and Linda looked up. “Go see who that is and if you can help.” It wasn’t a request but a demand.
Obediently, Ella hurried to position herself behind the counter.
Miriam King wandered down the aisle, and upon seeing Ella, she smiled. “Well look who is here today!” She set her empty basket onto the counter. “It’s always so wunderbarr to walk in here and see you.”
Ella blushed. “Danke, Miriam. It’s always gut to see you, too. Did you have a nice visit with your family the other week?”
“How kind of you to ask! John and I had a delightful visit with my bruder and his family, danke for asking.” She leaned over the counter and craned her neck to peek into the office where Linda sat. “Awfully busy, I see. That’s gut, I suppose.”
“Might I help you with something, then?” Ella asked.
“Indeed. We’re hosting church this week, you know. I’ll be needing some flour to make extra bread.”
Without hesitating, Ella immediately offered her help. “Oh, Miriam, please do let me make the bread for worship. You’ve enough to do to prepare for so many people coming to worship in your haus.” She didn’t want to add that Miriam had no daughters still living at home to help her.
“Well!” Miriam appeared taken aback by Ella’s kind offer. “Aren’t you just so thoughtful, Ella Troyer!” She glanced in the direction of Linda’s office. “I’ll take you up on that, Ella, but only if your stepmother agrees.” Without waiting for Ella to respond, Miriam called out for Linda to join them.
“Good day, Miriam!” Linda said, a smile glued to her face. “How are you?”
“Why, I’m right
as rain!” Miriam gushed. “Especially since your Ella just offered to help me by baking bread for the worship service this Sunday. It’s being held at our place this week, you know. I came in to buy the flour and yeast to make it all myself, but, as always, kind Ella was good enough to volunteer to help me.”
Linda winced. It was barely noticeable, but Ella saw it right away. “Of course we know. We’re looking forward to it, as usual.”
“But I told Ella that I would not agree to her baking the bread without your permission.” Miriam leaned closer to Ella and gave her a friendly nudge with her arm. “You’re always such a busy young woman. I’d hate to add to your workload.”
For a moment, no one spoke. Miriam waited expectantly for Linda to grant her permission while Ella braced herself for the backlash she would undoubtedly incur afterward. She could tell Linda was angry that she had made such an offer. But for the life of her, Ella could not imagine why!
“Of course,” Linda said at last, her voice strained. “I’m sure that would be just fine.”
Miriam clapped her hands together, delighted. “Wunderbarr!”
After a few more minutes of visiting, Miriam finally left the store, her basket as empty as when she had arrived.
The door had barely shut when Linda whirled around and, with her hands on her hips and a dark scowl upon her face, glared at Ella. “You foolish girl! How dare you!” she hissed. “Not only could you have sold her the flour and yeast! But now it will cost me the same for you to make all of that bread, plus your time spent baking and not doing other things!”
Ella shrank away from her stepmother. “I’m sorry, Maem. I . . . I thought it was the right thing to do.”
“The right thing? The right thing?” Linda yelled, her voice rising with each word. “What would you know about doing the right thing?” She squared her shoulders and stared down her nose at Ella. “Not only will you make that bread, Ella Troyer, but you will pay for those ingredients, and don’t you think for one minute that I will let you forego any other chore. Honestly, Ella, sometimes you just speak without thinking.”
Lifting her chin, Linda turned on her heel and stormed into her office, stopping only long enough to slam the door behind her.
Ella stood near the counter, confused by her stepmother’s reaction. There was no sense arguing with her, that much she knew. If she had to pay for the ingredients, so be it. She knew she had done the right thing, whether or not Linda agreed. And she did not regret making the offer.
Still, she could only wonder what terrible list of chores Linda would give her now in order to punish her for having volunteered to help the deacon’s wife.
Chapter Seven
To Ella’s surprise, when the young men walked into the Kings’ house to take their seats for Sunday worship, the mysterious Hannes was among them once again.
Over the course of the past week, Ella had repeatedly scolded herself for mulling over her encounter with the intriguing young man with the dazzling blue eyes and a strange business secret. After all, she wasn’t likely to encounter him again. People passed through Echo Creek all the time to do business at the general store, the feed store, or the hardware store. She had not expected that the man from Blue Springs would stick around long enough to join their worship service not once, but twice!
But there he was.
And it became more than apparent that, this time, Ella wasn’t the only person who noticed the handsome stranger. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a few of the other unmarried women seated near her nudging one another and gesturing with their heads toward Hannes. Even Drusilla and Anna seemed interested in knowing who he was.
Hannes had entered the house through the kitchen door with the other unmarried men, which was unusual in itself. Guests usually sat in the front row behind the church leaders. But not Hannes. For the second time now, he sat on the hard pine benches in the back of the room with the other unmarried Amish men.
On cue—a silent cue, at that!—the men simultaneously removed their hats and placed them beneath their seats. Without moving her head, Ella managed to glance to her side. Sure enough, the other women were watching Hannes, some of them openly gawking at him.
She shook her head, and while the church leaders stood up and left the room, she tried to focus on the singing of the first hymn. She knew that it would be anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes before the leaders returned. During that time, the rest of the congregation would sing one hymn, each syllable of every word sung a cappella in a drawn-out, singsong manner. Sometimes it took up to four minutes to sing just one line of a hymn! And rarely did they ever finish the entire song.
Twice during that hymn, Ella snuck a peek at Hannes. Who was he? Why was he still in Echo Creek? She suspected he hadn’t been staying in Echo Creek, for surely the Amish grapevine would have been in full bloom if someone like Hannes was a guest in town. Even if he had been visiting with friends or family farther outside of town, people would surely have heard about it.
From where she sat observing him, Hannes seemed quite at ease, with no appearance of discomfort at joining worship with complete strangers. Just like the last time. And she noticed that Hannes never once glanced down at the chunky black book of hymns he held in his hand. He knew all of the words by heart.
Surely he’s a good Christian man, she thought.
By the time the second sermon was just about over, Ella had caught herself gazing in his direction more than a few times. One glance at the other young women seated near her and Ella knew that she was not the only one intrigued by the handsome young Amish man seated on the other side of the room.
Service ended just before noon. Where the room had been still only moments before, it suddenly burst into activity. The men began reorganizing the benches for the noon meal, putting the legs of the benches into a wooden trestle to create long tables, while the little boys collected the black hymn books. Simultaneously, the older women began bustling about the kitchen, trying their best to avoid colliding with each other in the tight space. Ella headed in that direction, knowing they’d need volunteers to carry the food to the tables.
Several young women stood clustered together, whispering and looking toward the spot where Hannes stood talking with the bishop. Among those women were her two stepsisters.
Each time she walked by them, her hands laden with plates to set the table, Ella could hear snippets of their conversation.
“Do you think he’ll attend the singing tonight?”
“Where’s he from?”
“Wonder if he’s walking out with anyone?”
Ella shook her head. They sounded like a little flock of clucking chickens. Even more surprising was that they were talking about Hannes instead of discussing any news about Sadie!
No, Ella had no time for such idle chitchat. She had more important things to do, such as helping the others who were focused on preparing the fellowship meal. As usual, the men would sit at one table and the women at the other. In order to accommodate the worshippers, there were always two seatings, the second one usually for the women who worked in the kitchen or served those who ate at the first seating.
While the young women were often recruited to help serve the others, a task that some avoided by making themselves scarce after worship ended, Ella suspected that the presence of Hannes and the young women’s apparent interest in him would translate into there being no shortage of volunteers to serve the men on this fine Sunday.
“There you are, Ella!”
She barely had time to look up before she felt two large plates thrust into her hands.
“Would you mind carrying these platters of cold cuts to the men’s table?” Miriam asked.
“Ja, sure, Miriam.”
Miriam King pointed toward the men’s table. “There, ja?” As both the wife of the deacon and hostess of that particular Sunday’s worship service, she was even more on-the-go than usual, hustling to make certain everything was in order. “Then hurry back.” She eyed the group of gossipi
ng women and frowned. “We’re a bit shorthanded today, it seems.”
“Of course, Miriam.”
Before Ella stepped away, Miriam patted her arm. “I cannot thank you enough for baking all of that delicious bread. Your willingness to always help is appreciated,” she said. “Unlike some of the others. I hope it was not too much of a bother.” And then, without waiting for a reply, Miriam hustled away to oversee the rest of the logistics for the fellowship meal.
The compliment from Miriam warmed Ella’s heart. If only Miriam could know how much it meant to Ella to be recognized, especially after Linda had given her list after list of chores for the past two days, ensuring that she had hardly any free time to make the bread she had promised to give Miriam.
But Ella had managed anyway. She had slept very little in order to make good on her promise. She knew that giving one’s word was as good as a contract. To break it was almost like lying. Besides, it wasn’t Miriam’s fault that Linda was so strict with Ella.
Unfortunately, Ella knew that no one was aware that her days were spent laboring at home for Linda and her daughters. And they certainly didn’t know kind words of any sort were rare in the Troyers’ house. Why, the only time anyone ever spoke their gratitude or showed any appreciation for her efforts was when she helped people at the store or during the preparation for the fellowship meals, where she was always helping even if others weren’t.
Like the group of young women still hovering together and gossiping about Hannes.
As Ella walked by, she overheard Drusilla boasting. “I’ll be riding home in his buggy tonight, for sure and certain!”
Such bravado brought an immediate frown of disapproval to Anna’s face—but not for the reasons that Ella would have thought.
Anna put her hands on her hips and squared off with her sister. “Surely Timothy Miller wouldn’t be too happy about that.”
Drusilla swatted her sister’s arm. “Oh, hush now!” but not before two of the other young women nodded their heads in agreement with Anna.
Such silliness, Ella thought as she walked past them. Not one of those girls knew anything about Hannes. Despite having walked with him from the pond to town, even Ella knew very little about him. And while she admitted to being curious, she felt no need to make a public spectacle of herself. These women were practically fawning over him. From what little Ella knew, Hannes was merely passing through Echo Creek on business and, afterward, would continue back to Blue Springs. There would be no surprise romances along the way. That was something of which Ella was certain.