“I walked up to where I suspected you were. And for pity’s sake, such goin’s on, and right out where anyone could see,” her aunt said.

Eliza hung her head in shame. Being with Eb like that had thrilled her at first, but terrified her now that she pondered it. “I just want to go home to my family,” she pleaded, her voice breaking. “I need to go home!”

“Gut thing, ’cause I went and phoned your parents.” Her aunt mentioned how she’d hobbled out to the little shanty to make the call. “I’ve just gotten back, in fact.”

Eliza couldn’t bear to stand there and have her wrongdoings recited, not now. “I best be going to my room,” she murmured, excusing herself.

“Your parents will fetch ya in the mornin’” were the last words Eliza heard as she reached for the screen door and stumbled inside.

Falling across the bed, Eliza wept bitterly in this room that had been hers since mid-May. Three and a half months of venturing onto a path of friendship with Eb Lapp had led to this. Such joy . . . and now, such sadness.

Eliza wept for her trickery against Great-aunt Joanna, and her parents, too. And she realized that her poor choices proved she was too young to make a decision about anything so serious as love.

No, she must leave here willingly and set him free to court a girl amongst his own People. That would also spare her parents and her family the heartache she herself was suffering this night.

Thinking of it now, Eliza wished she had told Eb not to waste time writing another letter. All the same, he wouldn’t have understood.

Eb has no inkling he’ll never see me again. With that thought, she rolled over onto the pillow to muffle her moans.

Eliza sat in the back seat of her father’s car as he drove her away from Strasburg the next morning, past Yost and Nellie Petersheim’s farm, where she’d gone to purchase eggs so many times, and past Eb’s parents’ home farther up the road.

She stared out the window and wondered what the point was of having a friendship, forbidden as it was, with Ebenezer. In the end, what purpose had it served?

She shook her head as big tears rolled down her cheeks.

Chapter 47

Anna was occupied with several tours on Monday, but between clients, she contemplated yesterday’s Old Order Preaching service and Gabe and Emmie’s obvious affection for her. How was she going to handle that when pulling back now might break little Emmie’s heart? And what about Gabe’s heart?

Each workday that week, Anna’s thoughts revolved around her own growing friendship with Gabe that had started so innocently and now was at the place where he was showing constant interest in her.