A Seat by the Hearth Read online

  “Miss?” The driver faced her again. “Are you going to get out of the car? Or do you want me to take you somewhere else?”

  Priscilla hesitated as anxiety gushed through her. If she told the driver to take her to the nearest motel, she and Ethan could try this again tomorrow. But Mark had already seen her and—

  “Let’s go, Mom!” Ethan’s insistence broke through her thoughts.

  Mark stepped back from the door as Ethan wrenched it open, climbed out of the taxi, and started for the front porch. Mark bent down and leaned inside. “Do you have any luggage?”

  “Yes, I do.” She pointed toward the trunk. “We have two big suitcases.”

  “I’ll get them for you.” Mark tapped the roof to signal the driver to open the trunk, pushed the door closed, and then disappeared around the back of the car.

  Priscilla paid the fare and thanked the driver before getting out. The stifling heat slammed into her like a brick wall as she turned to where Mark had both suitcases already sitting on the driveway.

  “Ethan,” Mark called as he closed the trunk, “why don’t you come pull one of these suitcases to the bottom of those steps for me?”

  “Okay!” Ethan jogged back down the porch steps and grabbed the handle of one of the suitcases before bumping it along the rock path.

  Priscilla fingered the strap of her purse as the yellow taxi steered back down the driveway. She should have asked the driver to take them to a motel. Her mother might welcome her, but her father would most likely slam the door in her face.

  “Priscilla?”

  She looked up and found Mark studying her. He seemed taller than she remembered. While he’d always been taller than she was, as were most of her peers, he looked as if he towered over her five-foot-two stature by at least eight inches. Not only were his shoulders broader than she recalled, but his striking blue eyes seemed even more intelligent. He was more handsome than she remembered, too, with his light-brown hair, strong jaw, and electric smile.

  He had an easy demeanor as well, and she bit back a frown. Mark Riehl had always been aware of just how attractive he was, and he enjoyed the attention of all the young women who followed him around, waiting for him to choose one of them to be his girlfriend.

  Mark’s twin sister, Laura, had been one of her best friends, but Mark had never seemed to notice Priscilla. No one did. She’d always felt as if she faded into the background with all the young men in their youth group. They noticed Laura and the other, prettier young women instead.

  A smile turned up the corners of Mark’s lips. “Are you ready to go into the haus?” He nodded toward the front porch. “Your dat walked inside a few minutes ago. I think your mamm is making supper.”

  “Mom!” Ethan’s voice held a thread of whining as he called from the porch steps. “I’m hungry, and I need to use the bathroom.”

  “I’m coming.” She started up the path with Mark at her side, and an awkward silence fell between them.

  “What’s that house for?” Ethan pointed toward the small cottage behind her parents’ large farmhouse.

  “That’s called the daadihaus.”

  Ethan snickered. “The what house?”

  “It’s where my grandparents lived when I was little.” Her heart felt heavy at the memory of her father’s mother, who was widowed when Priscilla was still just a toddler. If only Mammi were still alive. She would’ve welcomed her and her son home. “My father’s farmhand, Robert Yoder, lives there.”

  “He doesn’t live there anymore.” Mark lifted the suitcase he’d been pulling and carried it up the porch steps. “He quit a little over a year ago and moved to Ohio with his new fraa.”

  “What’s a fraw?” Ethan scrunched his nose.

  “Fraa means wife.” Priscilla turned back to Mark. “Robert moved to Ohio?”

  “Ya.” He set down the suitcase. “He met a woman who was here visiting relatives, and they fell in love. They married, and he moved to Ohio, where she was from.” He went back down the steps for the second suitcase.

  “Who’s working for my father, then?”

  “I am.” When Mark reached the porch again, he opened the screen door and set each suitcase inside the family room. Then he held the door open for her and Ethan.

  Questions swirled through her mind. Why would Mark work for her father when his own father owned a dairy farm? Wouldn’t he be expected to help run the family business?

  As she followed Ethan into the house, memories mixed with the smell of fried chicken wafted over her. She scanned the family room. It was just as she remembered. The two brown sofas her parents purchased before she was born still sat in the middle of the room, flanked by their favorite tan wing chairs. The two propane lamps and the matching oak end tables and coffee table were the same too.

  The doorway at the far side of the room led to a hallway that led to her parents’ bedroom and a bathroom. The staircase to the four upstairs bedrooms and another bathroom sat to her left. The stairs seemed to beckon her to venture to the second floor to see if her old room was still decorated the way it was when she’d snuck out of the house that night, leaving a note promising to never return.

  Ethan took her hand in his and tugged. “Where are my grandparents?”

  “Your grandmother is probably through there.” Priscilla pointed to the doorway to her right.

  Taking a deep breath, she steered Ethan into the large kitchen. Her mother stood at the stove, her back to the doorway, turning over pieces of chicken with a pair of metal tongs.

  “Yonnie, I told you I would call you when supper was ready.” She lowered the flame and half turned around. When her eyes focused on Priscilla and Ethan, she gasped and whirled. The tongs dropped to the floor with a clatter. “Priscilla?”

  “Hi, Mamm.” Tears stung Priscilla’s eyes.

  Mamm’s mouth worked, but no words escaped.

  “Hi.” Ethan skipped over to her. “I’m Ethan, your grandson.” He looked back at Priscilla over his shoulder. “How do you say grandson in Dutch?”

  “Gross-sohn,” Priscilla responded, her voice thick with raging emotion.

  Mamm made a strangled noise and pulled Ethan into her arms. “My prayers have been answered!”

  Priscilla wiped her eyes as guilt, hot and biting, nearly overcame her.

  Mark leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms over his chest. “You haven’t taught him Dutch.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “No.” She shook her head. “His father didn’t like me to speak it.”

  “Huh.” Mark rubbed his clean-shaven chin.

  “Priscilla.” Mamm closed the distance between them and pulled her into a crushing hug, forcing the air from Priscilla’s lungs. Then she stepped back and touched Priscilla’s face. “You look tired.”

  “It’s been a long day.” Priscilla looked up at her mother, taking in her affectionate, dark-brown eyes and pretty face. Lines reflected the eight years that had passed.

  “I can’t believe you’re here.” A sheen of tears glistened in her eyes as she caressed the thick ponytail that cascaded past Priscilla’s shoulders to the middle of her back. “Why didn’t you call or write so I could prepare? I would have had your favorite meal ready for you.”

  “This wasn’t planned. I mean, I had been hoping to come visit, but I . . . Well, I wasn’t sure when I was going to be able to . . .” Her hand fluttered to her right bicep again.

  There was so much she wanted to share with her mother, but she couldn’t hurt her that way. Besides, they had an audience. Not only was Ethan there, but Mark Riehl, a man she’d never trust with her deepest secrets, was still watching them.

  “I wanted to surprise you.” Priscilla tried to smile, but her mother’s eyes were assessing her. Mamm could probably sense she wasn’t telling the truth.

  “Are you back for gut?” Mamm touched Priscilla’s cheek again.

  “Possibly. Would that be okay?” Priscilla could hear the humiliating thread of supplication in her voice. S
he cleared her throat and glanced at Ethan, who had taken a seat at the long kitchen table where Priscilla had eaten all her meals while growing up.

  “Of course it will be okay.” Mamm nodded with emphasis. “This is still your home.”

  Will Dat agree with that? Priscilla felt her lips press together with apprehension.

  “Would you like me to carry the suitcases upstairs for you?” Mark asked.

  Priscilla spun toward the doorway. Mark shifted his weight on his feet as if he were eager to leave.

  “No, I think I can handle them, but thanks for offering.”

  Mark lifted an eyebrow. “They’re pretty heavy. I don’t mind carrying them up for you before I go.” He gestured toward the suitcases. “Just let me know where you want them.”

  “It’s fine. Really,” Priscilla said, insisting.

  Mark nodded. “All right. It was nice seeing you. I’ll head home now.” He nodded at her mother. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Edna. Gut nacht.” He turned to go.

  “No, wait,” Mamm called after him. “Stay for supper.”

  Priscilla studied her mother. Why would her mother invite Mark to stay? Did she think his presence might keep her father from lashing out?

  “Danki, but I need to get home.” He jammed his thumb toward the front door. “Mei schweschder and her family are coming over for supper tonight.”

  “Laura?” Priscilla asked, her heart swelling with affection for her best friend. How she’d missed both Laura and their mutual best friend, Savilla Lapp, over the years. Leaving them behind had been almost as difficult as leaving her mother.

  “Ya.” Mark smiled. “She’ll be froh to hear you’re back.”

  “Oh. Tell her I said hello.” Would Laura accept her back into the community after learning she’d had a child out of wedlock?

  “I will.”

  A door clicked shut somewhere in the house, and then Mark looked toward the far end of the family room. “Hi, Yonnie. I was just getting ready to leave.”

  “Where did these suitcases come from? Is someone here visiting? Why didn’t I know about this?”

  Priscilla trembled at the sound of Dat’s voice. The moment had arrived. Her father might tell her and Ethan to leave. She held her breath and sent a silent prayer to God.

  Please let him take pity on Ethan and me. I need to stay until I can earn enough money to rent a safe place for us. Please help me be the mother Ethan deserves.

  “Yonnie!” Mamm called. “You have to see who’s here! It’s a miracle.”

  “Ethan.” Priscilla held out her hand. “Come here and meet your grandfather.”

  Ethan crossed the kitchen to stand next to her, a smile spreading across his face. Surely her father wouldn’t break her son’s heart.

  Dat appeared in the kitchen doorway, and although his darkbrown hair was now threaded with gray, he was the same tall, wide, overbearing man she remembered.

  “Priscilla?” He seemed surprised, but then the look in his dark eyes turned fierce. “What are you wearing?” His eyes moved up and down her attire.

  Her cheeks heated as she brushed her sweaty palms over her worn jeans.

  Dat’s face transformed into a deep scowl as his eyes trained on hers again. “Why isn’t your head covered?”

  His words seemed to punch her in the stomach.

  “I’ll get you a headscarf.” Mamm hurried into the utility room off the kitchen.

  “Yonnie,” Mark called from behind her father. “I’m going to leave.”

  Priscilla had forgotten Mark was standing there until he spoke, and she longed to run and hide under the table. Why did he have to witness this painful and embarrassing conversation? When her father didn’t respond, Mark stayed put. Why didn’t he just leave? He’d already said good-bye.

  “Who is this?” Dat pointed to Ethan.

  “My son.” Priscilla’s voice was soft and shaky. Why did she allow her father to steal her confidence? She forced herself to stand a little taller as she addressed him. Then she turned to Ethan. She had to shield him from her father’s festering anger and disapproval.

  “Why don’t you go use the bathroom in the hallway?” She pointed toward the family room. “Just walk through there. You’ll see the door to the bathroom down on the right.”

  Ethan hesitated, dividing a look between Priscilla and her father. Then he nodded and hurried off.

  “Didn’t Mamm tell you about him? We exchanged letters.”

  Dat looked toward the utility room. “Your mamm didn’t tell me she wrote to you. I told her any contact with you is forbidden because you’re shunned.” His icy voice seemed to bounce off the cabinets before seeping through her skin.

  “Here you go.” Mamm appeared beside her with a light-blue scarf. “Put this over your hair. I kept your dresses, so you can put one on tomorrow.” She gave Priscilla a smile that seemed more forced than genuine.

  “Danki,” Priscilla whispered as she covered her hair with the scarf before tying it under her ponytail.

  Dat frowned at her mother. “Why didn’t you tell me our doch-der had a bu?”

  Mamm fingered her apron and looked between Priscilla and Dat as she’d always done when Dat criticized her. Couldn’t Mamm ever stand up to him? It was obvious nothing had changed in this house. Anger, hot and explosive, heated her from the inside.

  “I knew it would upset you,” Mamm finally said.

  “And you continued to write to Priscilla after I told you not to.”

  To Priscilla’s surprise, Mamm lifted her chin. “Ya, I did. She’s our dochder, and Ethan is our gross-sohn,” she said. “They’re our family.”

  “She’s shunned,” he repeated before turning his glare back to Priscilla. “Where’s your husband?”

  “I don’t have one, and I left his father.” Priscilla folded her arms over her waist, trying to calm her shaking body.

  Dat’s eyes widened, and she braced herself, awaiting the explosion.

  Priscilla’s gaze flickered to Mark, and she found his eyes focused on her. Trepidation detonated in her gut. If only her father had waited to have this conversation until Mark was gone. Now before the next Sunday church service the entire community would buzz with the juicy gossip that Priscilla Allgyer had not only returned, but with a child born out of wedlock.

  Mark nodded at her, adjusted his straw hat on his head, and slipped into the family room. She heard the front door shut behind him.

  “You came back to mei haus with a kind, and you’re not married?” Dat’s voice rose.

  “Yonnie,” Mamm began, her voice trembling. “Please—”

  “It’s all right, Mamm. This was a bad idea.” She ran to the front door and yanked it open, hoping she could catch Mark. When she spotted him walking toward one of the barns, she ran to the edge of the porch and leaned on the railing. “Mark!”

  He spun and faced her. “Ya?”

  “Would you please take Ethan and me to a motel?”

  He hesitated, but only for a moment. “Ya, sure.” He pointed toward the barn. “I just need to hitch up my horse.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No!” Mamm appeared on the porch, her eyes glistening. “Please don’t go.” She folded her hands as if she were praying. “I just got you back and met Ethan. My heart can’t take losing you again.”

  “I can’t stay here if Dat is going to criticize Ethan and me.” Priscilla pointed to the open door behind her mother as her eyes filled with threatening tears. “I need a healthy and safe environment for my son.”

  “I understand, but please give me a chance to talk to your dat.” Mamm touched her shoulder.

  Ethan appeared in the doorway. “I’m hungry.”

  Mamm gave Priscilla a hopeful look. “Will you please stay for supper?”

  Priscilla hesitated as she glanced toward where Mark stood hitching his horse to his buggy.

  “Please,” Mamm said.

  Priscilla glanced at Ethan in the doorway, taking in his sweet face. He looked confused
at the idea that they might not be staying. She was grateful he hadn’t heard her father’s horrible words, but there might be times when she wouldn’t be able to shield him. Could she risk that? And could she tolerate her father for the sake of both her mother and her son?

  “Just give me a chance to talk to him,” Mamm whispered. “I’ll smooth things over with him, and everything will be fine.”

  “I’ll give him one night,” Priscilla said, lowering her own voice. “If he doesn’t treat me better, especially in front of Ethan, we’re leaving.”

  “Danki.” Mamm smiled as she took Priscilla’s hands in hers. “I’m so froh you’re here.” Then she turned toward Ethan. “Do you like fried chicken?”

  Ethan’s face brightened, and he clapped his hands. “Yeah!”

  “Will you help me set the table?” Mamm asked as she started toward the door.

  “Yes,” Ethan said.

  Mamm touched his shoulder as they walked into the house together.

  Priscilla turned toward the barn again.

  “Priscilla?” Mamm stopped in the doorway. “Are you coming inside?”

  “Ya,” she said, easily slipping into the language she now realized she’d missed. “In a few minutes. I need to tell Mark we’re staying.”

  After her mother and Ethan disappeared inside the house, Priscilla descended the steps and folded her arms over her middle as she approached Mark. “Thank you for agreeing to help, but I’ve decided we’re staying for now.”

  “Okay.” Mark gave her a little smile. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Ya.” She motioned toward the house as heat pricked at her cheeks and humiliation curled through her. “I’m sorry you had to witness all that back in the haus.”

  He waved it off. “Don’t worry about it.” He pulled open his buggy door. “Have a good night.”

  “You too. Be sure to tell Laura hello for me.”

  “I will.”

  As Mark’s buggy disappeared down the lane, Priscilla wondered just how fast the rest of the church district would find out she’d come back to the community unmarried and with a child.