Amish Romance: Annie's Story: Three Book Box Set Read online

  They stayed pressed together for a long time. Annie’s arms finally started to cramp, and she pulled away gently, wiping Sarah’s face with the corner of her apron.

  “Are you ready to tell me now?” she asked gently, looking into Sarah’s swollen eyes.

  Sarah lifted her chin, and Annie saw a glimpse of the old Sarah in that gesture, and her heart was glad.

  “We got married,” Sarah said.

  Annie jolted back. “What?”

  “We got married.”

  “Where? How?” Annie didn’t know everything about the Englisch world, but she did know that one had to be eighteen to be married. Unless the parents signed. She’d learned that during the scandal of Bessie Wotmeier.

  Sarah’s eyes were dry now, and she stared at Annie.

  “But Dat and Mamm would have to give their permission—”

  “We lied.” Sarah looked at her as if gauging Annie’s reaction.

  Annie’s lungs tightened. Sarah married? But it was a lie. So was she really married or not?

  “It’s over.” Sarah looked down and plucked at the quilt, her fingers pinching and lifting, pinching and lifting.

  “So, it’s not legal?”

  “Nee.”

  “But in the eyes of Gott…”

  Sarah slapped her hand on the bed. “In the eyes of Gott? Are you kidding me now? God isn’t interested in me anymore. How could He be?”

  Annie shook her head. “What are you saying? Of course, Gott’s interested in you.”

  “Annie, I’m not a fool. Stupid, maybe. But not a fool. I made my decision, and Gott knows it.”

  “So, you’ve rejected Him?” If Annie thought she had been upset before, it was nothing compared to the sorrow and dismay moving through her now. It rolled over her in heavy waves, curling her shoulders inward as she gaped at her sister.

  Sarah bristled. “Aren’t you listening? He’s rejected me.”

  Annie’s lips trembled. “We need to talk to the bishop,” she said. “Once we get home, we’ll talk to him, and he’ll advise you.”

  Sarah grunted with impatience. “We’ll see about that.”

  Annie ignored her comment. “So where do you and Eric stand right now?”

  “He didn’t…” Sarah had trouble getting the words out. Annie held her breath. “He doesn’t want the baby.”

  Annie breathed again, the air rushing into her lungs like a drink on a sultry day. “He doesn’t?” She didn’t want to look happy. The last thing she wanted to do was to insult her sister with her own relief, but there it was. A massive reprieve washed through her, giving her hope again.

  And giving her shame. This wasn’t about her. Or Amos. Or their desire for a child. This was about Sarah and what she was going through.

  But Annie couldn’t help it. Her gaze shifted involuntarily to Sarah’s stomach, and her heart went straight toward the child growing inside.

  “You’re relieved about it, aren’t you?” Sarah asked, and her eyes narrowed. When Annie started to protest, Sarah interrupted. “Don’t bother denying it. It’s written all over your face. And don’t worry. I understand.”

  Annie blinked and looked down at the bed.

  “I said I understand,” Sarah repeated. “When I realized how stupid we’d been, all I wanted to do was see you.”

  Annie looked up, her eyes moist with tears. Sarah’s words both surprised and pleased her. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Thank you, Sarah.”

  “Do Mamm and Dat know? That I’m back, I mean?”

  “Isabel left a message with the Ebersols.”

  Sarah nodded slowly. “They’ll be angry.”

  “Nee, Sarah. They’ll be grateful. They were worried. I was worried. All of us were.”

  “I thought that if—” Sarah paused, and Annie could see what it was costing her to go on. “If Eric and I could be married, then everything would be all right.”

  “But it wasn’t?”

  “We didn’t have any money. Eric wouldn’t tell his parents. I thought they’d welcome us. You know, like you and Amos live with us in the daadi haus. I thought it would be like that. Like a family. I was wrong.”

  “I don’t think the Englisch see it the same way.”

  Sarah sighed heavily and drew her knees up to her chest. She readjusted the quilt around her legs and put her arms around them. “I would have stayed if he… Well, I would have stayed if Eric had wanted me to.”

  “He told you to go?” Anger swooped through Annie.

  “Nee! He loves me.” Sarah’s eyes grew intense. “He loves me. He just doesn’t want to raise a baby.”

  Annie felt like Sarah was letting Eric off way too easily, but she kept quiet. Indeed, it didn’t matter what Eric wanted as far as she was concerned. The important thing was Sarah was back, and she was all right. Or going to be all right. Annie would see to it.

  Chapter Two

  The next few days were blissfully uneventful. Both Annie and Sarah fell into the rhythm of Isabel’s and Andrew’s house. Annie helped out a lot with the children, and Sarah spent most of her time in the kitchen. She said that cooking soothed her, and Annie was pleased. Anything that soothed Sarah was fine by her.

  Isabel had softened. She even let the children spend time with Sarah, something she’d been loath to do in the beginning. In return, Sarah was careful to avoid any talk of Eric or the Englisch when she was with the kinner, which was a big concession on Sarah’s part.

  Annie watched her sister, trying not to hover. But her heart was pleased whenever Sarah showed any signs of contentment, however small. Only the day before, Sarah had surprised the entire family by making a huge batch of snickerdoodles. And her face had lit up when everyone dug right in, saying how good they were.

  One evening, Sarah paused as the two of them were walking upstairs to their bedrooms. “Annie?”

  “Jah?”

  “Do you think Mamm will visit us?”

  Annie’s gaze flew to her sister. “Do you want her to?”

  “Might be nice.”

  “I can write her and ask her to.”

  “All right.”

  “Or better yet, you could write and ask her.”

  Sarah balked and continued climbing the stairs. “Nee. Never mind. It’s not important.”

  But Annie knew it was. She hurried to follow her up. “Don’t worry. I’ll write her.”

  Sarah let out her breath. “All right, if you insist. Thanks, Annie.”

  Sarah went into her room and shut the door. Annie stood for a moment in the hallway, gazing at Sarah’s closed door. She gave thanks to God that her sister seemed to be doing all right. Annie felt no more fear that Sarah would run again. With Eric’s reluctance, there literally was no place for Sarah to go anymore.

  She’d never gotten the full story of how Sarah had spent those days away. She only knew about the marriage. But not where she and Eric had stayed. Annie wondered if she’d ever know the full story. Maybe not. It didn’t really matter much. Not anymore.

  She entered her bedroom and went to the dresser where she kept her writing stationery and envelopes. She’d write Mamm that evening. But first, she wanted to write Amos. Her breath caught. She missed her husband—missed him desperately. She’d received a letter from him the day before, and he was longing for her, too. He wanted to come and visit, but he’d gotten an order for a dining room table, and he was intent on creating the most beautiful piece of furniture his clients had ever seen. So he wouldn’t be coming. At least, not any time soon.

  Annie fell asleep while she was writing to him. Later, she awoke with a start and saw that her candle had sputtered down to a dim flame swimming in a pool of wax. There was a chill in the room, and her back was cramped from being flopped up against the end of the bed. She thought a noise might have awakened her. She rose and went to her door, listening. Nothing.

  She sighed, deciding that it must have been the cold instead that woke her up. How silly to fall asleep on top o
f the covers in her cape dress. She quickly changed into her nightgown and left her room to use the bathroom. She was padding barefooted down the hallway when she heard the moan. Instantly alert, she paused.

  There it was again. She whirled and went to Sarah’s door. Annie threw open the door and saw Sarah huddled on the floor. A lantern flickered on her dresser, throwing long moving shadows around the room.

  “Sarah!” Annie cried, rushing to her sister and kneeling beside her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Annie,” Sarah’s voice was panicked, and she clasped Annie’s hand. “Help me up.”

  Annie gathered Sarah into her arms and managed to get her back in bed. “Sarah, are you hurt? Did you fall? What happened?”

  Sarah groaned again and pulled her knees up to her chest. “It hurts!”

  “What hurts? Sarah! Tell me!” Fear roared through Annie. “Sarah!” she cried. “Is it the baby?”

  Sarah clung to Annie, burying her face in Annie’s shoulder. “It hurts!”

  Annie peeled Sarah away, knowing she had to look. If Sarah was bleeding then she knew the baby was in grave danger. She clenched her teeth and drew back to see.

  “Sarah,” she said, willing her voice to be calm now. “I need to check to see if you’re bleeding. I need you to stretch out a bit.”

  “Don’t let me go!” Sarah was clawing at her now.

  Annie’s breath came fast as her alarm grew. Sarah was not one to cling. “It’s all right. Just let me check you.”

  “Nee!” Sarah cried again.

  Annie held her close, letting her cry into her shoulder. She rocked her back and forth on the bed.

  “I heard something. What’s going on?” It was Isabel. When she took in the scene, she hurried to the bedside. “What happened? Is Sarah all right?”

  “I don’t know,” Annie said, her eyes black with fear. “She’s cramping.”

  “Is she bleeding?” Isabel’s voice rose in pitch.

  “I don’t know. Can you check?” Annie kept her hold on Sarah.

  Isabel moved closer still and pulled back the covers to check Sarah’s gown. “I see some blood. Not a lot.”

  Annie’s lungs constricted. “She’s bleeding?”

  “I’m getting Andrew. I’ll send him for Aenti Ida!” Isabel ran from the room.

  “I don’t want to lose the baby.” Sarah moaned. “Is it Gott punishing me? Is it, Annie?”

  Annie held her closer. “Ach, don’t say such things. Gott loves the baby, just like He loves you.”

  Sarah took a great gulping breath and began to weep. Annie felt her sister’s tears soak through her gown. “It’s all right, Sarah. Andrew will get help.”

  Annie continued to rock her. Within minutes, Sarah stopped crying and relaxed in her arms. “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she whispered.

  “Gut. That’s gut. Just rest now.” Annie felt limp with relief. She kissed her sister on the top of her head. “Do you want to go clean up a bit first?”

  Sarah nodded. Annie held her breath when her sister got up, praying there wouldn’t be a trail of blood. There wasn’t. She saw spotting on her nightgown, but that was all.

  “Do you want me to help you?”

  Sarah shook her head. Annie gave her the lantern and watched her shuffle down the hallway to the bathroom. Annie hurried into her bedroom and found a new candle. She lit it and then dug through her dresser until she found her extra nightgown. She approached the bathroom and rapped quietly on the door.

  “Here’s a clean gown,” she whispered through the wood.

  The door opened, and Sarah took the garment. Before closing the door again, she looked at Annie, her eyes watery. “I’m sorry, Annie.”

  “What for, Sarah? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “Did I lose the baby?”

  “Aenti Ida will be here soon. I’m guessing she’s the local midwife. She’ll tell us what we need to know.”

  Sarah bit her lip and nodded. She shut the door, and Annie leaned hard against the doorframe. Had Sarah lost the baby? Surely not. There would have been much more blood. Wouldn’t there? Annie didn’t have much experience with such things. Only with farm animals, and she hated to make such a crude comparison. She pressed a hand against her heart, willing herself to be calm. She closed her eyes and sent up a prayer.

  Isabel joined her in the hallway. “I’ve checked on the girls. They’re all sleeping soundly. Andrew’s gone. Aenti doesn’t live far. He’ll be back right quick.” She studied Annie. “You okay?”

  Annie nodded.

  “I’ll go down and fix some tea. I’ll be back up in a minute.”

  “Thank you, Isabel.”

  Isabel was already halfway down the stairs. Annie drew in a long slow breath. She heard Sarah moving about in the bathroom, and she heard the water go on. It ran for some minutes before going off again. Annie watched the candle she was holding, staring into the flame. It swayed and danced under her breath. She stared hard, searching the small orange blaze as if she expected to find answers in the fire.

  Nausea began to climb her throat, and she swallowed hard. She needed to relax. It did no good to worry. It wouldn’t change a thing. She tapped her bare foot on the cold smooth floor. She wished Aenti Ida was already there. She glanced around. She felt the sudden need to sit, but there were no chairs in the hallway.

  She rapped again on the door. “You almost finished, our Sarah?”

  The door opened, and Sarah emerged. The wisps of hair surrounding her face were damp, and her long hair had been pulled back in a ponytail.

  “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  “It’s going to be all right,” Annie told her, willing herself to listen to her own words. She put her arm around Sarah and led her back to her room. She tucked her into bed and felt like she was ready to collapse onto the bed herself.

  “You okay, Annie?” Sarah asked, looking at her solemnly with wide eyes.

  “Ach, me? Of course, I am,” Annie answered. But she wasn’t. She felt quite horrid. She silently scolded herself for becoming so emotional that she had made herself ill.

  Isabel came in with a tray and three cups of steaming tea. “Here’s some tea.”

  Sarah reached out and took a cup. She sipped it and closed her eyes. “Thank you, Isabel.”

  “You doing better now?” Isabel asked. She offered Annie a cup of tea, and Annie gratefully took it.

  “I think so.” Sarah took another drink. “I’m so tired.”

  Isabel walked to the dresser and set the tray on top of it, taking the last cup of tea for herself. “Aenti Ida will be here any minute. She’ll check to make sure everything is all right. You can trust her, Sarah.”

  Sarah nodded. She looked at Annie. “Eric wanted me to go to the hospital.”

  Annie’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? When you were with him?”

  “Nee. When the baby comes. He wanted me to have the baby there.”

  “But—” Annie started.

  “Don’t worry,” Sarah interrupted her. “I told him we use midwives.”

  “Midwives have helped me birth all four of my girls,” Isabel interjected.

  Sarah blew out her breath. “I guess it doesn’t matter now anyway.” Her voice caught. “He won’t be involved.”

  Annie’s heart went out to her. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “Because it’s true,” Annie said. She squeezed Sarah’s arm. “Can we get you anything else?”

  The front door banged closed below them.

  “That’ll be Aenti,” Isabel cried and hurried from the room.

  Sarah’s eyes had gone huge. “I’m scared.”

  “I know you are.”

  Within moments, Isabel brought Aenti Ida into the room. Annie could see immediately that the elderly woman was accustomed to be called upon at all hours. Her white hair was pulled back tightly into a low bun, and her kapp was pinned to perfection. Her black dress stretched around her rotund frame, and
hit low on her legs, almost to her ankles.

  “Now then, you’re the patient?” she said, bustling over to Sarah. Annie jumped off the bed to make room for the woman.

  Ida immediately pressed her hand on Sarah’s forehead. “No fever. That’s gut. Now, why don’t you tell me exactly what happened?”

  Watching, Annie leaned against the wall, her breathing shallow. She didn’t know if she was expecting bad news or whether she was simply bracing herself for the possibility. Either way, she was glad for the wall behind her.

  Ida glanced over her shoulder. “Why don’t you two wait for me downstairs? I’ll holler if I need you.”

  Isabel grabbed Annie’s candle, leaving the lantern, and the two of them backed out of the room. Isabel closed the door with a gentle click. They looked at each other in the flickering light and then went downstairs.

  Andrew glanced up from where he knelt before the fireplace. “Figured we might be up a while, and it’ll be cold.”

  Isabel went to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Andrew.”

  Annie sat down in a rocker and drew an afghan around her shoulders. “Jah, thank you. And thank you for fetching Aenti Ida for us.”

  Andrew shrugged. “I’m no stranger to a pregnant woman.”

  Annie began to rock, pushing the chair in a steady rhythm. She glanced upward, wondering what was happening in Sarah’s room. The minutes ticked by, and Annie felt every second. When she finally heard movement in the upstairs hallway, she jumped up and the afghan slid to the floor. She hurried to the stairway and watched Aenti Ida huff her way downstairs.

  “Well?” Annie asked.

  Ida walked into the dining area where a lit lantern glimmered on the table. She pulled out a chair and sat. Annie followed and perched on the bench across from her.

  “Is she okay? Is the baby all right?”

  “Some women have heavy spotting during pregnancy. It’s just their way. The pains are more concerning.”

  Annie’s heartbeat sped up. “But, is the—”

  “Patience,” Ida interrupted, although her tone was kind. “Have patience. I know you’re worried. But, I don’t think you need to be. Everything seems fine now.”