Promised to Another (29 page)

Annie sat in stunned silence. She couldn’t believe her ears. Surely, he was about to bring down his judgment.

But after a long, uncomfortable moment, he turned back to Joshua and started discussing horses. Should she offer him a refill? Probably. She stood, picked up the bishop’s mug, filled it with koffee, and set it back down in front of him. Then, she settled in her seat again, waiting.

It wasn’t long before Annie started to fidget. She wished he’d get to the point of his visit. No way had he interrupted their picnic and asked for a word with the sole purpose of sitting around the kitchen, talking about normal things. And, on the slight chance that his visit had no purpose, there wasn’t any reason Annie should have been there with the men.

She glanced at Joshua. He met her eyes for a moment, then turned his attention back to his tea and the conversation at hand. If only she knew him well enough to understand anything he might have tried to communicate nonverbally.

Now, the bishop was questioning Joshua about his intentions to purchase a horse and buggy of his own. Why did Joshua’s responses sound so noncommittal? It was as if he were beating around the bush instead of giving a straight answer. “Aaron said he’d look around” was just one example of his vagueness.

Annie furrowed her brow and looked at the bishop, but he had apparently accepted Joshua’s answer, for he turned to Daed and asked about his latest honey harvest. Would this mundane discussion drag on forever? Annie wondered if she shouldn’t get up and go check on Mamm, though she probably was napping, or see where Cathy had disappeared to. But she might have gone to visit a friend. Or to work. Could she still work as a cashier with a broken arm?

Finally, the topic of honey apparently exhausted, Bishop Sol turned back to Joshua and her. Studied them. And drew in a deep breath. “I’m not in the habit of explaining my decisions. And I’m not entirely comfortable doing it now, but I feel I must.” He inhaled deeply once more and glanced at her daed. She looked that way, too. Daed was tugging at his beard. He must be just as nervous. “I had a gut reason for demanding that you two get married, and I must confess that what I witnessed in the hospital room had nothing to do with it. Well, next to nothing. The truth is that I witnessed something similar in my early years as a bishop, and I let it pass. It turned out the couple was actually expecting.” He picked up his mug, studied it, then set it down and reached for the sugar bowl. “But, like I said, that is not the whole reason.”

***

Joshua felt his stomach roil as the bishop’s gaze settled on him. Had he somehow found out his secrets? Decided to force him to marry a woman whose family clearly needed her close by, so that he wouldn’t be allowed to go home to Pennsylvania?

He should have told Annie of his plans right away. Instead, he’d put off telling the truth in favor of more pleasurable things—things that might not have happened, had she known his intentions.

And now, he faced a deadline. His parents were probably on the bus at this very minute, headed toward Missouri. Even if the bishop didn’t bring it up, his parents would be sure to do so.

He clenched his fists under the table, determined to focus on the present. He would not act guilty. He would pretend he didn’t have the slightest idea what was going on inside the bishop’s head. After all, he wasn’t a mind reader.

Joshua leaned forward a bit as the bishop picked up his mug again. It seemed that this man of God was a bit nervous, too.

“I heard some very disturbing news on Saturday nacht. My frau and I had decided to go down to the pond and look at the stars. Admire God’s handiwork. Great way to grow close to the Lord and to spend time with my frau. But we weren’t alone. There were some buwe on the other side of the pond, and I don’t think they ever saw us. They were drinking, probably drunk, and talking loudly. I knew most of them, and they were in their rumschpringe. There isn’t much I can do about it, other than make a few visits around to their homes.” Bishop Sol glanced at Isaac, then set the koffee mug down once more and folded his hands on the table.

Isaac shifted his gaze to Joshua for a moment, then looked back at the bishop. Joshua’s stomach threatened to revolt. He knew. He had to. But who among those drinking at the pond could have known his secret? Jacob and Matthew were the only other two who knew, and neither of them drank. They’d both joined the church. He opened his mouth to confess but quickly pressed it shut again. Maybe it’d be better to wait until he’d heard the bishop out.

“They were talking about Annie.”

What? Joshua turned his attention to his frau of just one day. He couldn’t stop himself from reaching for her hand, even if the one closest to him had the sprained wrist. It felt icy cold, despite the thick gauze wrapped around it.

“Annie?” Isaac sounded numb. “Why would they be talking about my Annie?”

The bishop exhaled. “Apparently, they felt ‘that transplant’ was trying to woo her away from someone who had a prior understanding with her. They were talking about some Englischers helping to kidnap her on her way home from school and forcing her…well, shall we say, dishonoring her.”

That transplant.
Joshua knew immediately who was involved. And so did Isaac, judging by the way his face turned a frightening shade of red.

Annie’s face paled. “Nein. Nein.”

Joshua tightened his grip on her hand. She winced, and so he released it, sliding his hand down to her fingers.

Bishop Sol looked at Annie. “That is why I had to get you away from the school. I had to get you married. I had to protect you, as fast and as best I could.” He turned his eyes on Joshua. “I’m sorry. I puzzled and prayed over it all day Sunday, knowing I had to fire her to protect her, at least in part, and not quite sure how to shore up that protection. I’d planned to discuss it with Isaac on Monday, but….” He bowed his head briefly. “When I walked in and saw you two kissing, I saw the beginning of a relationship. I knew Annie would not kiss anyone unless her heart was committed. And it was then that I knew what I had to do.”

“Jah, you did the right thing,” Isaac said. “With Joshua and me both protecting her….” He leaned forward and reached for Annie’s shoulder. His voice had broken with emotion and probably some suppressed rage.

“She mustn’t go anywhere alone,” the bishop insisted. “I’m not convinced those buwe won’t still try something. Some of the young men were at the wedding, and I could tell they were angry.”

Joshua had seen it, too. He winced at the memory of Luke’s menacing gesture.

But then, he said a prayer of thanks. Because it looked as if he’d have a way out of his predicament, possibly without having to reveal that leaving Seymour had been his plan all along. “My parents are on their way to visit. Annie and I will go back to Pennsylvania with them.”

Annie dropped her jaw and turned to stare at Joshua. “What?” She kept herself from adding, “We’ll do nein such thing.” A comment so lacking in submissiveness would be a big mistake. Especially in front of the bishop, though she’d forgiven him for firing her and for forcing her to wed.

She loved Joshua. Was glad to be his frau. But she would
not
leave Seymour. Period.

“Might be a gut idea.” Daed’s voice quaked with his words. He didn’t want her to leave.

She didn’t want to go.

“That might be best,” the bishop agreed. “An extended honeymoon, of sorts.”

“But I’m needed here.” Annie spoke quietly, calmly, not wanting to reveal her indignation at Joshua’s idea. “Mamm is still recovering from her buggy accident. She’s getting better, but progress is slow.” She looked at Daed for support, agreement, something. But he merely studied her with a concerned expression. “Cathy has a broken arm, so she can’t do much,” she went on. “And Aaron is planning on marrying. Besides, Daed needs Joshua here. We can’t go.”

“Lots of history in Pennsylvania.” The bishop tossed the comment out there, just like Daed trying to tempt the wild bees with a bowl of sugar water. Of course, Daed had given up trying to capture the bees for his hive and had ended up ordering a starter set, instead.

And, if she could frustrate the plan by balking, they would eventually give up on this ridiculous idea.

“We can’t go.” To emphasize her position, she rose to her feet, walked over to the counter, snatched up her book, and left the room. The rain was falling more heavily now, so she retreated upstairs rather than back to the woods.

She wanted to slam the door to add further emphasis to her statement, but that would disturb Mamm and Cathy, and then Daed would have plenty to say about her show of temper.

As if walking out on the bishop weren’t enough to get her into trouble.

Daed would definitely have something to say to her about her attitude.

Or maybe he’d leave that up to Joshua, since she was married now.

Let’s see them try to get me on a bus to Pennsylvania.
She would not leave her home, her family, and her friends. Besides, the Bible said that a man was to leave his mother and father and cleave unto his frau. It didn’t say for the woman to leave and cleave.

***

As Joshua watched Annie bolt from the room, he was tempted to run after her and offer comfort. He rose from his seat, intent on doing just that, but the bishop’s voice stopped him. “Of course, you’d be expected to return to Seymour.”

Joshua hesitated in the doorway and turned around. “What?”
Don’t give yourself away.
He glanced at Isaac, relieved to see no signs of suspicion. Then, he looked back at the bishop, awaiting an explanation.

“Once Annie’s out of the way, I expect the bu will leave for gut. Either that or he’ll find another girl to court and marry, and then he’ll confess and join the church, ain’t so? And, at that point, it would be safe for you to kum back.”

Joshua could have sworn that Bishop Sol was smirking. He felt a wave of nausea rise in his throat. At least the bishop had waited until Annie had left the room to spill this part. Joshua went back to his chair and sat down again.
How did he figure it out?

Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe Joshua’s guilt-ridden conscience was reading into his expression and the conversation meanings that weren’t there.

***

Annie flung a pillow across Joshua’s room—their room—and then went to retrieve it, ashamed of her show of anger.
Forgive me, Lord.
Still, she never wanted to leave home. It seemed unfair that they’d force her to, just because of some comments made by a few drunks. Okay, so one of them happened to be Luke, but what could he do now? She was married. No longer available. And wasn’t kidnapping a crime?

Luke wouldn’t do anything to her, now that she was married. The men downstairs were just overreacting.

Had to be.

Because she wouldn’t leave. No way, no how.

Hadn’t her dream been to marry Joshua and have him help with Daed’s businesses? Like Jacob and Becky’s story, only rewritten with different names. And Joshua would build her dream haus next door to Mamm and Daed’s, or he’d construct a smaller dawdi-haus for her parents to inhabit, while Joshua and she took over this one. Especially when the babies started coming.

Aaron would probably get the haus, however. And the land. Which meant that Joshua would have to buy new property.

Still, she would not be ripped away from her family. Especially not now. Daed would never force her to go. Joshua would see things her way soon enough. He’d have to agree to stay. Hadn’t he been prepared to do that when he’d signed up for the swap?

As for Bishop Sol…he might be the trickiest to convince, but one never knew exactly where he stood.

She peered out the window. The rain still came down in sheets. The bishop would be in no hurry to leave in the middle of a downpour. And Bertha King wouldn’t be expecting him home anytime soon, either.

Annie had to convince him to abandon this foolish idea. She stood up, straightened her shoulders, opened the door, and started to march downstairs.

“Do you have anything you want to say, Joshua?” Something in Bishop Sol’s voice froze her in her path on the staircase.

There was a long silence. Annie peeked around the corner and saw Daed, still tugging at his beard, staring at Joshua. He was going to pull his hair out by the roots if he kept that up.