Ella: An Amish Retelling 0f Cinderella (An Amish Fairytale Book 2)

by Sarah Price

  His words caught her off guard. Oh please, she silently prayed, let this not be a dream, and if it is, may I never wake up.

  “I returned home that afternoon and spoke with my daed. He sent me back later that next week. And wouldn’t you know it? As I was walking through town, I heard that same voice singing from the banks of a hidden pond. Later, when I returned to Miriam’s haus, I mentioned running into a lovely young Amish woman named Ella. Miriam didn’t tell me that you were Linda’s stepdaughter. But she did speak highly of your character. I took that as her approval for me to pursue you. She never mentioned you again, at least not right away. I suspect she wanted us to find each other, if that was God’s will.”

  Suddenly, everything became clear. Miriam asking Ella to help serve the food to the men’s table at church when Hannes was there that second time. Miriam showing up for Scrabble that same evening and insisting that Ella be allowed to leave to go socialize. Miriam arriving unannounced to help her finish her chores on the day of the charity auction.

  “I never suspected a thing . . .” Ella’s voice was barely audible.

  “Neither did I,” Hannes admitted. “That day when I learned you were a Troyer, I told Miriam how horribly Linda treated you and yet that, when given the chance, you refused to say one harsh word against her. If you felt bitterness or anger, you hid it behind hard and humble work. And, unlike so many others, you certainly never tried to beguile or impress me.”

  A blush covered Ella’s cheeks.

  “When I told all of this to Miriam, she came clean and confessed that she had suspected we were well suited for each other. She had hoped we’d find each other.” He chuckled as if remembering that conversation. “She’s apiece of work, that woman.”

  Ella wasn’t certain how to respond. She was still too stunned to process everything that Hannes had just confided to her.

  “So the question remains, Ella,” Hannes continued, his eyes meeting hers once again.

  “The question?”

  “Ja, the question of whether or not you will help me run the store that your daed started. You know that my daed already signed the paperwork to buy it, Ella, and I can think of no other woman I’d like by my side, both for business and for life.”

  Ella blinked as she digested his words. Was it possible that he was truly asking her to marry him? Suddenly, she felt light-headed and feared that she had misunderstood him. “Are you . . . ?”

  Once again, Hannes laughed. “Oh, sweet Ella, ja! I’m asking you to marry me, and I don’t intend to wait until November! If you say that you will, John King will announce the banns tomorrow at worship, and Miriam is prepared to host the wedding at her haus a week from Thursday!”

  “A week from Thursday?” She could hardly believe all of this was happening, and so quickly.

  He bent down so that he was on eye-level with her. “But only if you will be my fraa. What do you say, Ella?”

  What could she possibly say? Who would deny the opportunity to marry such a man, one who was righteous and kind, good-hearted and lively, mysterious and perceptive, all at the same time? In the short while she had come to know Hannes, she recognized that he was different from any other man in Echo Creek. Today he had proven her to be more than correct.

  “All my life,” she began slowly, avoiding his penetrating gaze, “I’ve tried to live by the final words my maem said to me. ‘Be kind and good, no matter what happens, for God has a plan for you.’ There were times when it was so very hard to obey her final request, especially after my daed passed away. At times, I doubted God had a plan for me. But now I see the truth.” She lifted her eyes, and through the tears that began filling them, she stared at him. “My trials and suffering have done more than make me stronger. They’ve led me to you.”

  Hannes started to smile.

  “You, Hannes Clemens, are part of God’s plan for me.”

  “So,” he said slowly, drawing out the word. “Does that mean you will marry me?”

  A single tear slipped from her eye. “Ja, Hannes Clemens.” She gave a joyful laugh and raised her arms, wrapping them around his neck as she embraced him. “I’d love nothing more than to marry you!”

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later, Ella sat on the front porch of the house, sipping a glass of fresh meadow tea. It was the last of the mint, and there was a hint of bitterness to it. Still, she found it refreshing in the waning heat of the September evening.

  “There you are!”

  Hannes walked through the door and sat next to her.

  Ella greeted her husband with a broad smile. “Home so soon?”

  “Ja, indeed.” He leaned over and kissed the side of her head near the edge of her prayer kapp. His lips lingered there, pressed against her skin, and Ella felt as if she could have stayed like that forever. When he finally pulled away, Hannes brushed his finger against her cheek. “Our first Saturday evening as a married couple. How could I possibly work late at the store?”

  Sad that the brief moment of intimacy had ended too soon, she handed him her glass of tea and watched as he sipped it. A strange feeling of electricity coursed through her body. Despite the newness of everything, their marriage and now living in the house, Ella felt strangely at peace. She wondered if Hannes felt the same way.

  “Is it strange for you?” she asked.

  “Your tea?”

  One look and she knew that he was teasing her. With a little laugh, she leaned over and nudged him. “Nee, goose. Being here in Echo Creek, running the store, living here . . .” She gestured at the house. “Does it seem real to you yet?”

  Hannes set the glass on the side table. “I hadn’t looked at it that way.”

  For a moment, he remained quiet, as if considering her question. That was another thing that she loved about him. He never rushed to respond, but always gave proper thought and reflection to his answers.

  “Nee, Ella Clemens, it doesn’t seem strange at all. In fact, it feels like the most real thing in the world.” He reached for her hand and held it. His touch felt warm and wonderful, something that she knew she could never get enough of. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Sitting here with you on your parents’ porch.” He paused before correcting himself. “I mean our porch, for this is our home now. Ja, this is more than real.” Gently, he squeezed her hand. “It’s right.”

  Ella looked down at his hand, loving the sight of their entwined fingers. Just being near him made her feel alive. For too long, she had been alone, untouched and unloved. In all of her years, she had never dreamed that she would be loved by anyone the way that Hannes loved her. Even more importantly, she had never thought that she could love someone as much as she loved this wonderful man seated beside her.

  “And what about for you?” he asked. “Does this seem odd?”

  Leave it to Hannes to always think about her feelings, too. Ella wondered if she’d ever get used to someone caring about what she thought and felt. “Nee, it does not.” She shook her head. “Everything feels so perfect.”

  “Everything?”

  She didn’t want to admit that she tried to not think about Linda and her daughters. Whenever she did, Ella felt a bittersweet sense of fulfillment. Despite the sense of pity over her stepfamily’s fall from grace, Ella was surrounded with so much joy that she rarely thought about them. She didn’t want to ruin the happiness that filled her heart. Instead, she wanted to just focus on the positive—especially the fact that, just two days before, she had married the most wonderful of men.

  “Oh ja, everything. Especially our wedding.” She sighed dreamily. “It was just perfect.”

  The three-hour-long service, held in Miriam’s house, had been followed by a whole afternoon of feasting and singing. The day had passed far too quickly for Ella. Even when she had sat at the eck table to sample the different desserts that people had brought for the celebration, with Hannes by her side, she had hardly been able to believe that he was now her husband.

  And, of course, the fact that
they were living in the only house she had ever known just added to the fairytale ending.

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “A more perfect day never existed.”

  For a long moment, they sat in silence.

  “But, Ella, my question was how are you doing? With everything that’s happened . . .”

  It was true. So much had happened over the past few weeks. Ella’s life had completely changed—and for the better. But that wasn’t the case for her stepmother and stepsisters. Even though Ella tried not to think about them, she couldn’t help but feel some sorrow for their plight. “I’m still trying to digest that the church leaders moved so quickly to shun Linda.”

  “And her daughters,” Hannes reminded her.

  A momentary look of sorrow crossed her face. “Ja, Drusilla and Anna, too. I’m grateful that Miriam let me stay with her while Linda and her daughters moved out.”

  The Saturday night when Hannes had proposed, Miriam had insisted that Ella stay in their home. John King had readily agreed, for which Ella was filled with gratitude. After the events of that evening, she could hardly imagine what life would have been like in the house with Linda and her daughters, knowing they were undoubtedly to be shunned.

  And they had been shunned, indeed.

  The very next day at worship, after the bishop had announced that Ella would marry Hannes, the congregation had gathered for an emergency meeting at which the fate of Linda, Drusilla, and Anna was decided. With the store and house sold, there had been no reason for them to stay in Echo Creek.

  As soon as they had moved out, Hannes had insisted on having the entire house repainted so that everything would be fresh when he brought home his new bride. Several people even donated new quilts and furniture for the master bedroom, removing the old items so that the house was devoid of any lingering reminders of Linda.

  She felt him reach up and touch her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “Don’t forget that they tried to deceive everyone. And once everything was exposed, what else could the church leaders do?”

  Ella nodded. “Ja, they did deceive a lot of people for a long time, didn’t they?” She gave a soft sigh. “I wonder where they have gone. Where they are living.”

  “Miriam heard tell that they’re staying with a Mennonite family outside of Liberty Falls. Exchanging housecleaning and cooking for room and board.”

  Linda cleaning a house? Drusilla and Anna cooking? Ella couldn’t help but laugh at such an idea. “Oh help!”

  Even Hannes smiled. “Sometimes God has a sense of humor, too, ja?”

  “I’m just happy that John King was here to witness the whole pie-baking disaster. That was rather clever of you, Hannes Clemens.”

  He dipped his head at her. “Danke, fraa.”

  “I still don’t understand how you and Miriam came up with such an elaborate scheme.” Teasingly, she gave him a sideways glance. “Very sneaky, I must say.”

  “Ah.” Hannes lifted his finger as if to indicate he was making a point. “Sneaky, but necessary, I’m afraid. You know that simply telling the church leaders would’ve served no purpose. The three of them had proven repeatedly that they’d lie over insignificant things such as who baked a pie. Without doubt, if someone can lie over a small thing, they will certainly be capable of lying about more important things, especially if lying might save them from being shunned.”

  She hadn’t looked at it that way. “I reckon that’s true.”

  “And Miriam worried that they would point the finger of blame at you.” He squeezed her hand. “And neither one of us wanted that to happen, for we knew that you, in your obedience to God and his commandments, would never say a harsh word about your stepmother.”

  “Well, all’s well that ends well, I suppose.”

  “‘Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him,’” Hannes quoted as he stood up and gently pulled her to her feet. “And while they may have gotten their just reward, I’m much more interested in getting my just reward for having worked hard all day!”

  Ella gave him a quizzical look. “Your just reward?”

  He led her to the kitchen door and opened it to let her pass through first. “Why, sampling whatever you have cooking in the kitchen, of course!” he exclaimed. “Everything smells delicious, Ella. I could hardly force myself to bypass the kitchen to find you on the porch.”

  She blushed at the compliment. “I’ve even made you a surprise for dessert.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess? Apple crisp pie?” When she nodded, he laughed. “And did you make it with your maem’s secret ingredient? The one that you’ve never shared with me before?”

  Ella nodded just once. “I most certainly did, Hannes Clemens. “

  “And are you going to tell me what it is?” Before she could answer, Hannes whispered, “If you do, mayhaps I have a special surprise for you, too.”

  “What kind of surprise?”

  “First you tell me.”

  She gave him a long look, studying him as if deciding whether or not to tell him. Then, after a few long seconds, she leaned over and whispered in his ear. “It’s love, Hannes. The secret ingredient is to make it with love for the person who will be eating it. And I most certainly used that ingredient when I baked it for the charity auction, for the supper with your father and the Kings, and tonight. I will always bake that pie, and everything else for you, with that one special and very secret ingredient.”

  For once, Hannes appeared speechless.

  Delighted, Ella couldn’t help but give a little laugh. “And you thought it was my leaving the figurine in the pie.”

  “Why, you!” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, giving her a soft kiss. “I like that special, secret ingredient, Ella Clemens. And I’ll never tell a soul, I promise.”

  “Now, you have a surprise for me, ja? What is it, my dear husband?”

  Gently he released her. “Indeed I do. After supper, my dear fraa, I am taking you for a buggy ride. You promised that you’d ride with me, did you not? That night after the singing you didn’t go to. Well, you’ve yet to make good on that promise.”

  Ella tried to hide her smile. “Are you asking me to ride with you in your buggy?” she teased playfully.

  “Today, tomorrow . . .” Hannes said, then leaned over and pressed his lips gently against hers. “And every day for the rest of our lives.”

  Ella’s Special Recipes

  Ella’s Bread

  1½ tablespoons active dry yeast

  2 cups warm water (110°)

  1 tablespoon brewer’s yeast

  ½ cup organic sugar

  1 tablespoon salt

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  6 cups all-purpose flour

  In a large bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast in warm water. Let sit until it bubbles.

  Add the brewer’s yeast, sugar, salt, and oil and mix together.

  Add 3 cups flour, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Stir in more flour to form a soft dough.

  Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

  Place the dough ball into a bowl greased with oil. Turn the dough one time in order to coat the top with grease.

  Cover with a clean, dry cloth and set in a warm place to rise.

  After 90 minutes, the dough should double in size.

  Punch dough down before turning it onto a lightly floured surface.

  Divide the dough into two equal balls and shape into a loaf.

  Place each loaf into a greased bread pan.

  Cover and let rise 30–45 minutes until the loaf is doubled in size.

  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

  Apple Crisp Pie

  FOR THE CRUST:

  1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

  ½ teaspoon sugar

  ½ teaspoon salt

 
; ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

  ¼ cup frozen solid vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch cubes

  ¼ cup (or more) ice water

  ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

  Put cubed butter and shortening into freezer for 15 minutes.

  Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.

  Add the butter and shortening and, using a pastry cutter, mix until it becomes crumbly.

  Sprinkle the mixture with ¼ cup of water (remove ice cubes).

  Add the apple cider vinegar before adding more ice water and mixing until the dough just barely begins to hold together.

  Press into a pie pan and refrigerate until ready to use.

  FOR THE FILLING:

  5 to 6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (Granny Smith preferred, but other types of apples work, too)

  1 lemon

  ¼ cup butter

  ½ cup white sugar

  ¼ cup brown sugar

  teaspoon nutmeg

  3 tablespoons flour

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  Squeeze the juice from the lemon and mix with the apples.

  Melt the butter.

  Mix both the white and brown sugar, nutmeg, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl with the butter.

  Toss apples with sugar mixture to coat.

  Pour into pastry.

  FOR THE TOPPING: