Chapter 1.
Feeling foolish was the last thing Amish woman, Angela Bontreger, expected when she arrived in Lancaster County. Her Aunt Elsa-May had assured her Robert would be a match. That was the sole reason she agreed to correspond with the man. Now, after at least forty letters and many months had passed, she was in his living room while he sat glaring at her as though she’d escaped from some far-away insane asylum.
“How is it that you know nothing of me?” Angela pulled a bundle of letters, tied with a purple ribbon, from her drawstring bag. “You’ve written me all these.” Somewhere in Angela’s embarrassed fog, she hoped seeing the letters might bring something to his mind.
He glanced at the letters in Angela’s outstretched hand and gave a dismissive wave. “I know nothing of them.” His dark brown eyes looked directly into hers. “Is it possible that you have the wrong person?” His voice hinted at desperation—desperation to get her out of his house.
Angela shook her head and placed the letters in her lap. “I just can’t understand it.” She drew one of the letters from the pile and pointed to the name and address on the back of it. “That’s your name and this is your address. I’ve been writing to you at this address for months.”
Robert bounded to his feet and ran his long fingers through his thick, dark hair. “Give me a look at one of those letters.” He examined the letter she passed him for a moment and then shook his head. “That has to be the only explanation.”
“What?” Angela asked, “What has to be the only explanation?”
Robert either didn’t hear her or chose to ignore her. He strode purposely toward his front door and yelled, “Jacob, come here.”
“I’m busy, Onkel Robert. Can I talk to you later?”
Angela hurried to the door and stood behind Robert. She stood on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder at Jacob, who was in the field closest to the haus. Angela had heard of Jacob, the nephew that Robert had taken in and cared for as his own. Robert always mentioned in his letters how much he liked Jacob.
“Now,” Robert repeated, firmly, pressing his hands into his hips.
Jacob lifted up the long rein attached to the horse. “I’m busy with the horses.”
It appeared to Angela, from all the straps attached to the horse, that Jacob was breaking the horse into harness.
“I said now, Jacob.” Robert moved out of the doorway and onto the porch.
Angela stayed a little behind Robert and watched Jacob unstrap the horse and then walk toward his uncle shuffling his feet.
“Jacob, this is Miss Bontreger.”
“Hello, Miss Bontreger.” Jacob smiled when he looked at Angela.
“Hello, Jacob.” Angela noticed that when Jacob’s eyes moved back to Robert, the smile left his face altogether.
“Do you know anything about letters? Have you been writing letters to Miss Bontreger, pretending to be me?”
Angela’s mouth fell open.
So that’s what happened.
She was glad she did not gasp audibly; she felt foolish enough just being there.
Jacob glanced over his onkel’s shoulder toward Angela then looked to the ground. “Well, I thought it would make you happy if you had a fraa. Maybe then you won’t be angry all the time.”
Angela moved to stand next to Robert and out of the corner of her eye she saw that Robert was red in the face with anger.
In a controlled tone, Robert said, “I’m only angry because you do things such as these. If you didn’t continue to do these things then I would have no cause for unhappiness or anger. Go to your room.”
Jacob dragged his feet past Robert and Angela.
“Wait a moment,” Robert said.
Jacob stopped still and looked up at his onkel with large, sad eyes.
“Don’t you think you have someone else you should apologize to?” Robert asked.
Jacob looked up at Angela. “Sorry, Miss Bontreger.”
Angela did the best she could to force a smile. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for Jacob, being reprimanded in front of a visitor. “Apology accepted, Jacob.”
Jacob walked into the house.
Robert turned to Angela, red-faced. “No words, I simply have no words.” He put a hand to his forehead. “No words except to say that I’m very sorry. I hope you can forgive my rudeness earlier. I had no idea who you were and we’re not used to having visitors.”
“That’s quite all right. My visit must’ve come as a shock.”
“Jacob and I keep to ourselves most of the time.” Robert ran his eyes up and down Angela. “Come back inside and I’ll fix some tea and cookies.”
Angela put her hand to her heart. “I feel terrible for intruding on you like this. I feel silly, so silly.”
Robert put his hand up. “Not another word. It’s me who’s in the wrong – completely. Please, come back inside.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were in the kitchen drinking hot tea. Angela was trying to keep the conversation light and off the embarassing reason she was there.
It was Robert who raised the subject again when he asked, “How many letters did he send you?”
“Quite a few and over some months. He even sent me money to travel here to meet him, I mean you did – ach, it’s a bit confusing. I’ll give you the money back, of course.”
Robert shook his head. “So that’s where his money went. Nonsense, you’ll not give anything back. I feel deeply troubled with the disruption that Jacob and I have caused you.”
Angela forced another smile even though she felt sick to the stomach. “No harm done.”
Robert disappeared into the kitchen then came back with a tray of cookies.
Angela brought the teacup to her lips, saddened that the letters weren’t from Robert. He was exactly the kind of mann she would have liked. He was tall, strong and responsible. Robert must be a caring mann to have looked after Jacob all this time. Elsa-May was right about him. I wonder what he thinks of me? Seems he’s not looking for a fraa at all, Angela thought.
Robert put both hands over his face and rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that boy.”
“His heart was in the right place. He was trying to make you happy.”
“I wouldn’t have dared to do a thing like that when I was a youngin. I would’ve got such a hiding I wouldn’t have been able to sit for a week.”
Angela knew she was partly responsible. She should have realized that it was a child writing to her, but the writing style was so mature. “Are you going to punish him?”
“I’ll stop him looking after the horses for a week. He likes to train the horses. We’ve got a new one out there at the moment. The gray one he was working with.”
“Did you teach him to break horses in?”
“I showed him the basic things, but he has a knack of knowing how to handle the horses and they respond well to him.”
“Jah, keeping him away from the horses will upset him and make him think twice about doing such a thing again.” Angela was glad that the boy escaped a whipping. She would feel horrid if such a thing happened on her account.
