The Matchmaker (22 page)

“And for such a young man, he seems far too independent and worldly, in my opinion.”

“You seem rather determined to find flaws in his character,” she pointed out.

“Mayhaps
,” Gideon owned. Candor was one of his traits that she both admired and disliked. Gideon was never one to pretend to be someone he was not. However, that same trait caused him to speak his mind, sharing his thoughts and opinions even when they were not popular or sought. “But it is quite easy to do in this particular case,” he added.

Emma leaned forward and pointed her index finger at him. “Ah ha!” she said, unable to hide her pleasure at having tricked Gideon. “There! You are judging him. One does not often judge someone who is in good favor! Therefore, you admit you do not like him!”

Gideon laughed. “You are in my good favor, yet I find myself judging you rather often.”

“Bah!”

“It’s true,” Gideon confessed, a sparkle in his eye and light tone to his words.

While there was truth to his statement, Emma took it good-naturedly. “Indeed, you do it as frequently as possible, it seems!”

He laughed. “You certainly seem to give me just cause!” A comfortable silence befell them, the gentle teasing having created a warm feeling in the room. It lingered for just a few long seconds before Gideon spoke again. “You speak of my judging Francis. What say you of Hetty’s niece?”

The rapid shift away from Francis caught her off guard. “Jane? What of her?”

He eyed her carefully. “It is most apparent that you are not very fond of Jane.”

“Me?” Emma placed her hand upon her chest. Try as she had to hide her dislike of Jane, it was clear that Gideon was
not going to be deceived. Still, unlike Gideon, she tried to maintain her innocence against his accusation. “Oh, heaven! Whatever would give you that impression?”

“My dear Emma,” he said, shaking his head with that all-too-familiar amused smile on his face. “The deep sighs, the glazed look, and your unusual silence during any conversation involving her speak volumes. You forget how well I know you!”

“And I, you!” Emma shot back. It unexpectedly irritated her how much Gideon presumed about her, all the while not considering or admitting his own attentiveness to the young woman. “For as much as I may not be partial to Jane and, indeed, count the days for her return to Ohio, I sense that you, on the other hand, dread that day!” The words slipped out before she could stop them and she immediately caught her breath, staring at Gideon with wide eyes, not quite believing that she had just uttered those words.

He sat in the chair, left thumb under his chin and his index finger rubbing back and forth above his upper lip, a familiar gesture he often adopted when pondering someone’s words. The longer he waited to respond, the more Emma braced herself for a reprimand. Surely it was coming, she reasoned, for she had spoken far out of turn about something that, once again, was not her business.

Oh, she knew that she was correct in what she had said, for she had noticed on more than one occasion that Gideon seemed to favor the pretty young woman from Ohio. Hadn’t he hurried to get her water, concerned for her comfort when she was responding to the barrage of questions from the group? Hadn’t he insisted upon going out of his way to take her home? And how many times had she caught Gideon staring at Jane during service? It wasn’t hard to count them,
for much to Emma’s discomfort, Jane had sat between her and Rachel.

Clearly Gideon was smitten with Jane. Only it wasn’t until this moment that Emma realized how much his attention to Jane truly bothered her. She had always presumed Gideon would remain an old
buwe
. He was well into his thirties, and during the time that she had known him, he had not shown an inclination toward marriage. There was actually a time, not very long ago, when she wondered whether he would ever marry or if he was just as comfortable remaining an unmarried man, an old
buwe
. She knew several men in the
g’may
who preferred to leave these matters up to God and readily accepted the fact that a
fraa
and some
kinner
were not what He had in mind for them. They may have tried to court someone, but after a rejection or two they took it for granted that such things were not in His plans.

Of course, if Gideon
were
to take a wife, Emma knew that his frequent visits to their house would cease. He’d be obligated to spend more time with the family of his
fraa
.
And once there were
boppli
. . .
Emma shuddered at the thought. Why, if Gideon fancied Jane and married her, Emma would most likely see him only at family gatherings that included his
bruder
John and Irene. Even worse, her
daed
would be devastated at the loss, that was for sure and certain.

During the time that these thoughts raced through her mind, Gideon remained quiet. He too was reflecting upon her words, and she couldn’t read his reaction. Certainly, she thought, another of his lectures would follow, and she braced herself for the inevitable.

It took what seemed like a very long time to finally come, and when he eventually spoke, she realized that she had been holding her breath.

“I think I understand the situation much better now,” Gideon said, a thoughtful tone in his voice. He leveled his gaze at her and, without any expression on his face, stated his thoughts. “You are prejudiced against Jane.”

While the brevity of his lecture surprised her, his words caught her completely off guard. Such an accusation was on the verge of insulting, for it made her look as if she thought herself superior to another human being. “Pre-ju-diced?” The word, each syllable of which she made a point to emphasize, seemed to echo in her ears. “Why, I highly doubt that I am prejudiced against anyone!”

He gave her a skeptical look, raising an eyebrow, but remained silent.

“If it were true, and it is not, I can assure you,” she stammered, trying to find the words to defend herself. “Then I imagine I am prejudiced against Jane just as you are prejudiced in her favor! Likewise, you are prejudiced against Francis while I am partial to him.”

“I think there is more to this than your simple summation,” he replied softly. “While I have questions about Francis’s work ethic, that is for certain, your disdain for Jane is deeper. Perhaps it stems from something that you are not used to: losing regard within the community, for she seems to steal much of the attention that would otherwise be directed toward you. In addition, you favor Francis for the exact opposite reason.”

Jumping to her feet, Emma put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. “Now you are accusing me of pride! You insult me!”

“Nee
,” Gideon said, rising to stand before her. Since he was taller than she, he stared down into her face, his eyes shifting back and forth in short little bursts as he studied.
“
Nee
,” he repeated. “I do not insult you for I speak the truth. However, Emma, you have given me something to ponder, something I had not expected to consider before now.”

Frustrated, she crossed her arms over her chest and continued scowling. Whatever was he talking about? “You speak in riddles!”

Despite the tension in the air between them, Gideon wore a calm, if not almost peaceful expression on his face. It contradicted how Emma felt, for the visit had been most pleasant until this moment. “Time will tell, I reckon,” he said thoughtfully.

At this, Emma took a deep breath. She wanted him to leave the house. Her head was beginning to hurt, a painful throbbing at her temples indicating that her fatigue was giving way to a possible migraine. It was time for Gideon to go. “I’m afraid I feel a headache coming on,” she said and glanced at the clock. “I’d like to lie down for a while, before
Daed
returns.”

Always the gentleman, Gideon nodded his head and quickly retrieved his hat from where he had hung it on the hook by the door. He delayed his exit by a few, drawn-out seconds as he fingered the brim of his black felt hat. He looked up and stared at her one last time. “I do hope that you feel better, Emma Weaver,” he said. “And I think we shall continue this conversation at a later time. There is much more to be said on the matter, I assure you.”

Without another word he placed the hat upon his head and hurried through the door, a faint smile on his face, leaving Emma perplexed. She could hear his boots on the porch as he walked across it and descended the steps. A few minutes later, the sound of his horse’s hooves and the metallic hum of his buggy wheels filled the air. She listened
until she could no longer hear them before she uncrossed her arms and retreated to the sanctuary of her room, hoping that a long nap would help her forget Gideon’s words and replace the bouts of ill humor she felt as of late with her typical cheerfulness and joy.

Somehow, however, she knew that it would take a lot more than a short nap for that to happen.

Chapter Fourteen

O
N
T
UESDAY AFTERNOON
the Weavers received an invitation to attend a welcome dinner planned for Paul and his new wife on Thursday afternoon. It was written on lavender stationery and delivered by Paul’s younger
bruder
, who stayed only long enough to receive the Weavers’ response. Apparently the newly married couple was scheduled to arrive in Lititz on Wednesday, and the Esh family wanted a proper gathering the following day in order to introduce Alice, Paul’s wife, to the community.

Henry Weaver was quick to respond in favor of joining the celebration and even went so far as to turn to his
dochder
, inquiring whether she might have time to make some schnitzel pies for the guests.

While Emma didn’t feel like facing Paul, she knew that refusing to attend would cause more questions and raised eyebrows than was worth the trouble, especially if her
daed
suspected that Paul had asked to court her. With a forced smile on her face, Emma replied that she would happily make schnitzel pies to bring along for Paul, his bride, and their many guests. Her response was met with enthusiasm by the
bruder
and a look of approval from her
daed.

By the time Thursday came around, Emma was mentally
prepared to put on a brave face and greet Paul’s
fraa.
The five previous days had given her enough time to get accustomed to the news. Despite her inability to make any sense of his rash decision to engage in a whirlwind courtship with what amounted to no more than a complete stranger, letters or no letters, Emma remained determined to wear a smile as her armor and to use laughter as her shield. A positive attitude, she reasoned, would improve any situation.

What Emma had not, however, expected was to take such an immediate dislike for the woman who had so conveniently filled the role that Paul had originally planned for her!

Alice Esh was a larger woman, not necessarily overweight but definitely big boned. Her hair was already graying, which gave her the appearance of being older than Paul, despite the fact that they were rumored to be the same age. While her face was certainly pleasant enough, it was easy to see that she would have to avoid gaining any weight for it to remain so. Unlike Hannah, she immediately made known her preference for the plain, cuplike Ohio prayer
kapp
and vowed that she would not change to the heart-shaped style worn in Lancaster. Her voice carried in the room so that when she made this statement, several older women clucked their tongues and raised their eyebrows.

Without doubt, the Amish grapevine would have a comment or two about such a remark by Alice Esh!

Upon meeting her, Emma smiled and welcomed the newcomer to Lititz only to be informed by Alice that the town was so akin to the Dutch Valley that she felt the similarities outweighed the differences. And from that point forward Emma never got in another word. Alice was not necessarily a well-spoken woman, but speaking was one thing she
apparently did well and for a long time. Once captured by Alice Esh, Emma had a hard time escaping her attention and discourse.