by Sarah Price
After setting the platters onto the men’s table, she had started walking back toward the kitchen when she felt a hand on her arm. Startled, she turned around and, to her surprise, found herself staring into Hannes’s blue eyes.
“Ella.”
That one word, spoken from his lips in such a quiet, husky manner, made her catch her breath. Ella felt the heat rise to her cheeks as his hand lingered on her arm. Behind her, she knew that the group of young women was watching, and that only made her feel even more conscious of Hannes having approached her so publicly.
Apparently unaware of the scrutiny they were under, he gave her a warm smile. “I was hoping to see you during fellowship.”
She managed to take a step backward so that they were not standing so close together. “Here I am,” she managed to say.
Softly, he laughed. “Ja, indeed. Here you are.”
For a long moment, he said nothing. Instead, his blue eyes searched her face as if studying every freckle that dotted her cheeks. The silence felt heavy, and Ella waited for what seemed like an eternity. Still, he simply stared at her.
“I . . . I must return to the kitchen,” she mumbled, glancing over her shoulder in that direction.
Sure enough, the young women who had been bantering back and forth about Hannes stood there, mouths hanging agape, as they watched Ella conversing with the subject of their affections. Drusilla and Anna’s eyes narrowed and their lips pursed, their faces etched with displeasure that Ella should be the recipient of the stranger’s attention.
Quickly, Ella turned back to Hannes and lowered her eyes. Her heart began to beat rapidly. She wanted nothing more than to escape the scrutiny of her stepsisters. “Is . . . is there something you needed?”
“Ja. There is.” Hannes hesitated. He tilted his head, his gaze flickering over her shoulder and, most likely, noticing the other women staring. He frowned, just for a second, and then took a step closer to her again. His dipped his head down and lowered his voice. “I was wondering if you might be attending the singing tonight. I understand it’s to be held at the Grimms’ farm.”
The singing?
Ella’s heart fluttered. Why would he want to know if she was going to attend the singing? Curious, she couldn’t help but lift her gaze to stare at him. “Oh.” She breathed the word, a little whoosh of air escaping her lips. If only she could attend the singing! Would her stepmother permit her to go? “I’m not certain.”
His expression darkened, a look of disappointment on his face. “I see.” He dropped his hand from her arm.
Immediately, Ella realized that he misunderstood her response. Could he have thought she was not interested in him or that she was walking out with another fellow? “I mean . . . I’d like to go, but my maem doesn’t often let me attend.” She hoped that her words, spoken guardedly but truthfully, told him what she couldn’t say: yes, she was interested in him, even if he was from another town and wouldn’t be staying long in Echo Creek.
Immediately, the disappointment vanished from his face. “Vell, if you do attend,” he whispered, “I’d like to see you home in my buggy.”
Once again, she felt her heart flutter. No young man had ever asked her to ride home from a singing in his buggy. She didn’t take it personally. Most of the men in Echo Creek knew that her stepmother forced her to work so much that she couldn’t attend singings or other youth functions. But now, standing before her with a look of hope in his eyes was Hannes, asking her to ride home with him.
“I . . . I’d like that very much,” she heard herself whisper back. She looked up at him. “I’ll try to get there tonight.”
His smile lit up his face, and he stood up just a little straighter as he beamed at her. “I’ll be looking for you, Ella.” He took a step backward, still staring at her. Those blue eyes danced with joy, and Ella felt a wave of warmth course through her body.
Perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps there might be a romance in Echo Creek after all with the handsome Amish man from Blue Springs. But what surprised her even more was that it might just include her.
No sooner had she returned to the kitchen than her stepsisters cornered her.
“Who was that man you were just talking to?” Drusilla demanded in a hoarse whisper.
Anna chimed in with her own question. “What was he saying to you?”
Ella looked over their shoulders, her gaze wandering to where Hannes now stood with Deacon King. They were talking as if they had known each other for years.
“I’m not quite certain,” she admitted, returning her attention to her stepsisters. “Just someone I met the other afternoon by happenstance.”
The cool look Drusilla gave her indicated her clear condemnation. “You met a man? Alone?”
The insinuation irritated Ella. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she responded, “We met on the road, Drusilla.”
“Hmph.” Drusilla pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “If Maem finds out . . .”
Ella tried to hide her exasperation. It wasn’t as if Ella were so overly social that she needed to fear for her reputation. However, she didn’t particularly care for the accusatory tone of her stepsister’s voice.
“He asked for directions, Drusilla. Nothing more.” After she said that, Ella immediately wondered if her response constituted a lie. While they had talked, it was truly about nothing in particular, or at least about something that would be of little interest to other people. And yet Ella simply could not refrain from thinking about him. “You make it sound so sinister. Why, I don’t even know his last name,” she added.
Anna gasped and reached eagerly to clasp Ella’s hand. “But you know his first name? What is it?”
Suddenly feeling protective of Hannes, Ella pressed her lips together. She wanted to share no more information with either Drusilla or Anna about Hannes. While Drusilla was more discreet in her desire to land a husband, Anna was much more overt. The last thing Ella wanted was to turn either of them loose on the unsuspecting Hannes.
Fortunately, before Ella was forced to decide between answering or ignoring Anna’s question, Miriam walked up to her once again.
“There you are, Ella! Have you finished setting out all of the food, then?” The older woman glanced at the tables and, from her expression, it was obvious she saw that people were beginning to sit, even though platters of cold cuts, pickles, chow chow, and sliced bread were only set at one table. “Heavens to Betsy, child! Don’t get distracted now! There’re hungry people waiting.” Gently, she pushed Ella toward the kitchen counter. “Get on now. You best finish before the bishop sits. And then I’d like you to pour water for the men after everyone’s seated and the prayer is said.”
Thankful for the interruption, Ella hurried to get another two platters and began carrying them to the tables, but not before she heard Miriam scold her stepsisters.
“And you two.” Her voice didn’t sound half as cheerful as it had when she’d spoken to Ella. “Why, it wouldn’t hurt either of you girls to help! Now, you go carry those bowls of applesauce and pretzels over to the women’s table.” As she walked away, she mumbled, “How you’ll ever think to get married . . .” and clucked her tongue disapprovingly.
Chapter Eight
“Absolutely not!”
Linda stood in the center of the kitchen, her arms crossed over the front of her olive-green dress as she practically blocked Ella from walking toward the door. Behind her, Drusilla and Anna watched the exchange between their mother and stepsister, both of them wearing a smug expression.
Oh, how Ella wished that both of them were not standing there behind their mother. Their airs of superiority and self-satisfaction made her feel even more nervous as she tried to convince Linda that she should be permitted to go with the others to the gathering. “But—”
Ella didn’t have a chance to finish. Linda held up her hand to stop her from speaking. “You’ve too much work to do in the morning.”
Not for the first time that day, Ella bit her tongue. Sh
e wanted to respond, to defend herself. After all, she always finished her chores. She also always finished Drusilla and Anna’s chores, too. Today was no different from any other day, and tomorrow, no doubt, would be just the same. Her stepmother’s claim that there was too much work for Ella to do the following day was just another way to hinder her from socializing with the other youth. Away to control her. Again.
Despite thinking this, Ella remained quiet. Inside, she seethed. What did her stepmother have to gain from forcing Ella to stay home? To prohibit her from having some occasional fun? But she said none of this, for Ella realized that it would be a losing battle. There would be no winning against Linda’s barring her from attending the youth gathering that evening.
With a satisfied expression on her face, Linda unfolded her arms and reached up to touch the sides of her hair as if checking to make certain it was still properly tucked under her prayer kapp. “Besides, Miriam King and her muder are coming to visit later and play Scrabble. We need a fourth person, and you know how much Miriam enjoys your company.”
And so it was settled.
With a heavy heart, Ella watched as Drusilla and Anna practically pranced out of the house as they headed to the Grimms’ farm. She moved over to the window and watched as they walked down the street, laughing as they talked. Ella wondered if they were laughing about her.
She sighed and turned away from the window. It wouldn’t do her any good to feel sorry for herself. It wasn’t as though anything would have come from the buggy ride with Hannes. At some point, he’d finish whatever business he had in Echo Creek, he’d return to Blue Springs, and that would be the end of that. It wasn’t as if a true romance could blossom in just one buggy ride anyway.
Still, the idea of having been asked to ride home with someone had made her feel so hopeful. It was a rare feeling for Ella to feel hopeful about anything.
And now, those hopes were dashed.
Again.
After Drusilla and Anna left, Ella went down to the basement, the small beam from her flashlight illuminating the darkness. She walked around several empty boxes and found the square folding table leaning against the wall. As she reached for it, two little mice ran out and scurried over her foot.
Startled, Ella jumped. But she followed the mice with the light and saw that they stopped running just long enough to sit on their haunches and stare at her.
Bending down, Ella lowered her voice. “Hello there,” she whispered.
One of the mice twitched its nose and started to sit up, its paws in the air like a trained dog. Ella laughed.
“So adorable.”
She stood up and reached onto a nearby shelf for a jar of corn kernels.
“Ella? Have you found the table yet?” her stepmother called from upstairs.
“Ja, Maem. I’m just dusting off the cobwebs before I bring it up.”
Quickly, Ella scattered some of the kernels onto the dirt floor before turning her attention to the table. Within minutes, she was dragging it upstairs, glad that Linda hadn’t ventured down the creaky steps. She’d have seen those mice and insisted, yet again, that Ella sprinkle poison in the corners.
Thankfully, when Ella finally reached the top of the stairs, Linda was nowhere to be seen. Most likely, she had retreated to her bedroom, probably to lay down for a nap before her guests arrived.
Of course, Ella thought as she began to set up the table. Whenever there was work to be done, everyone scattered faster than those kernels on the basement floor.
After setting the Scrabble board onto the table, Ella placed two bowls on top of it, one filled with pretzels and the other with popcorn. She had already made a fresh batch of meadow tea, and there was nothing left to do. Satisfied that everything was ready and her stepmother could find no fault with her, Ella wandered over to the small sofa near the back wall and sat down. At least she could take advantage of the peace and quiet to read the Bible.
Her favorite book was Ecclesiastes, and she often turned to the third chapter when she was feeling down. Oh, she knew that there would be a time for her to laugh. She just wondered when that time would come.
Ever since her father had passed away, she felt as if the only season in her life was winter . . . dark, dreary winter. She tried to pretend that every day was spring or summer, but when she truly had a moment alone to sit and reflect, the truth was that there was little sunshine or brightness in her life.
Even when her father had been alive, Linda had been harder on her than on her own two daughters. Ella’s father had done what he could to keep everything equitable among the three but sometimes, Ella had thought, being fair to all was not fair at all. Especially when Linda always favored her daughters over Ella, while her father had never favored Ella over his stepdaughters.
And now that he was gone, things had only gotten worse.
Ella set aside the Bible and leaned back against the sofa. No, Ecclesiastes was not making her feel better today.
“Ella!”
She took a deep breath at the sound of Linda calling for her from the first-floor bedroom. “Ja?”
“How many times have I told you about those mice?” Linda appeared in the doorway, an angry scowl on her face. “I just saw two mice in my bedroom. Haven’t you set out those traps in the basement yet?”
Ella bit her lower lip. The truth was that she had put out the traps, but she had purposely not set them. She simply couldn’t stomach trying to kill the mice. “The traps are out, ja,” she said, knowing that her vague answer bordered on deceit. Surely God would forgive her.
“Then go outside to cut some fresh flowers,” Linda demanded. “Those old ones can go to compost.”
Sighing, Ella started to walk toward the back door, pausing only to grab the vase of black-eyed Susans that were only four days old. Some of them did look a little the worse for wear, but Linda always insisted on fresh flowers when company was coming.
She stepped outside and looked into the sky. It was blue and still bright from the sun, which had yet to begin its descent for the evening. To the right, she saw the cows and horse grazing outside of the whitewashed barn, a reminder that she still needed to tend to them.
The compost pile was along the side of the property, just over a barbed wire fence that bordered a dusty country lane. Ella headed in that direction, her heart heavy as she watched a courting buggy pass by with a young man driving, his special friend seated beside him. They were smiling and talking as if they’d known each other for a long time. Ella didn’t recognize the man, but she knew that the woman was none other than Anna Rose Grimm’s cousin Elizabeth, who was also the schoolteacher in Echo Creek. From the looks of Elizabeth’s smile and her companion’s laughter, the school board might be forced to look for another teacher come springtime.
“Why, hello there, Ella!”
Startled, Ella dropped the flower vase and spun around to see who had called out to her. “Hannes!” She placed her hand over her heart and gave a weary smile. “You frightened me!”
“Well now, I didn’t mean to do that!” But he gave her a broad grin as he approached her.
With the sun shining through the tops of the trees, Ella caught a good look at him. He still wore his Sunday suit, which, she noticed, had not one speck of dust on it. She wondered what he had been doing all afternoon in Echo Creek that he hadn’t changed from his worship clothes.
As he neared her, he removed his sunglasses and, as usual, those blue eyes lit up his face. She found herself mesmerized by how handsome he was. Even more importantly, he was clearly a good-hearted man with a kind disposition. She could hardly believe that someone like Hannes had noticed her above all the other unmarried women in Echo Creek.
“Fetching flowers?” Hannes leaned against the wooden post, careful not to get pricked by the barbed wire fencing. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the singing, then?”
She liked how he spoke, his words almost musical. Like many other Amish people, he ended the last word of his sentences on a highe
r note. It was singsong speaking, she always thought. And while it was a happy sound, her mood was anything but joyful. His question had reminded her of why, exactly, she was outside gathering flowers instead of doing as he suggested: preparing for a night with her peers.
With a heavy heart, she took a deep breath. “It appears that I won’t be attending the singing after all,” she admitted slowly. She lowered her eyes when she spoke, praying that he couldn’t see her hurt.
His response was silence.
When a few long seconds had passed and he still remained quiet, Ella finally looked up. She was surprised to see a frown etched across his face.
Oh, how she hated to disappoint people. And from the way he looked, he was, indeed, terribly disappointed.
“I’m very sorry, Hannes,” she said in a soft, apologetic voice. When he didn’t say anything, she added, “Maem has company coming over. The deacon’s wife. And my maem told me that I must stay to play Scrabble.”
He raised an eyebrow, a curious response to what she had just said. Still, he said nothing.
“I . . . I truly was looking forward to . . .”
She wanted to tell him that she had thought of nothing else but the proposed buggy ride home with him. Her first. But she didn’t want to sound too forward.
“. . . the singing.”
Hannes reached up, removed his hat, and wiped his brow with the back of his wrist. While he looked less cheerful than when he had arrived, he clearly was not holding it against her. “Reckon a singing is just that . . . a singing.” He sounded as disappointed as she felt. “Suppose there’s no sense in my going, then.”