Amish House of Secrets by Samantha Price Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Samantha Price
angry, but I’m upset about it too.”
Emma was too angry to think of comforting him. “We’ll talk when I get back.”
After she finished her call with Wil, Emma could scarcely hold back the tears as she relayed the entire story to Maureen. “What am I to do, Maureen? What am I to do?”
Maureen put her arm around Emma’s shoulder and gave her a tight squeeze. “You’ll forget about it while we’re here and we’ll enjoy ourselves. Now, wipe away those tears and we’ll have a walk outside in the sunshine.”
Before Emma answered she sat and looked around the hotel room. The covers on the twin beds were bright pink, the wallpaper was swirls of green and purple and small ceramic sailing ships were dotted along the walls. Emma missed home. The homes in the community were plain and not fussy at all, and the colors were always muted and pale. She knew if she stayed in that hotel room any longer than she had to she would surely get a headache. “ Jah , a walk sounds gut .”
Together they stepped out of the hotel room and into the bright Florida sunshine.
* * *
It was five o’clock when they got back to the hotel.
The man on the reception desk of the hotel said, “I’ve got a message for you, Mrs. Kurtzler.”
Emma took the slip of paper. It read, ‘Phone Ettie back.’
Maureen and Emma walked up one flight of stairs to their room.
“I can’t wait to hear what she’s found out. I hope it’s not something bad,” Maureen said as she pressed the buttons on the telephone. She put the phone on loudspeaker so Emma could hear what Ettie said as well.
“I’m sorry to say that it’s not gut news, Maureen,” Ettie said.
“What did you find out? Is he dead?”
“Worse than that, I’m afraid. He’s married, or at least he was married. A year after the war ended we have a marriage record for him and one Miss Cutter.”
“He’s alive?” Maureen asked.
“He’s alive, and he married Josephine Cutter,” Elsa-May said.
Maureen’s mouth fell open as it sunk it that Dorothy’s love had married her best friend, the one who had disappeared. She looked at Emma, who was as shocked as she.
“That’s not all,” Ettie said. “I’ve found a death record for a Josephine Fielding and no death record for Harold Fielding.”
“Do you have an address for him?” Maureen asked.
“I’ve got a current address for him, get a pen.”
Maureen penned the address and hung up the phone.
Emma looked over her shoulder. “It’s not far from where Dorothy lived in Lancaster.”
“I wonder how long he’s lived there for? Why did he avoid Dorothy and marry her best friend?”
“It doesn’t make sense; not if you’ve read the letters. It’s awful. Dorothy won’t want to know that. Let’s not tell her just yet,” Emma said.
“ Nee , we can’t tell her. Let’s have Ettie and Elsa-May go visit Harold. He might tell them his side of things,” Maureen said.
“ Jah , Maureen. Quick call them back and see if they’ll do it.”
Chapter 7.
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach,
because we trust in the living God,
who is the Saviour of all men,
specially of those that believe.
1 Timothy 4:10
Elsa-May and Ettie climbed out of the taxi at the address that Ettie had found for Harold Fielding.
It was a small house and a man was out the front, crouched in the garden and he rose to his feet as the ladies walked through the low gate.
“Would you be Mr. Fielding?” Ettie asked.
He placed his garden fork on the ground and took off his gloves. “Yes.”
“Did you once know a Dorothy Welby?”
The man studied the two ladies in turn. “What’s this about?”
“We’re friends of Dorothy Welby and she believes that you went missing in the war.”
“I’m sorry, I think you ladies are mistaken. Dorothy Welby is dead; I’m sorry to say.”
The ladies shook their heads. “She’s alive and well, two of our friends just visited her yesterday. She’s the same Dorothy Welby
Emma was too angry to think of comforting him. “We’ll talk when I get back.”
After she finished her call with Wil, Emma could scarcely hold back the tears as she relayed the entire story to Maureen. “What am I to do, Maureen? What am I to do?”
Maureen put her arm around Emma’s shoulder and gave her a tight squeeze. “You’ll forget about it while we’re here and we’ll enjoy ourselves. Now, wipe away those tears and we’ll have a walk outside in the sunshine.”
Before Emma answered she sat and looked around the hotel room. The covers on the twin beds were bright pink, the wallpaper was swirls of green and purple and small ceramic sailing ships were dotted along the walls. Emma missed home. The homes in the community were plain and not fussy at all, and the colors were always muted and pale. She knew if she stayed in that hotel room any longer than she had to she would surely get a headache. “ Jah , a walk sounds gut .”
Together they stepped out of the hotel room and into the bright Florida sunshine.
* * *
It was five o’clock when they got back to the hotel.
The man on the reception desk of the hotel said, “I’ve got a message for you, Mrs. Kurtzler.”
Emma took the slip of paper. It read, ‘Phone Ettie back.’
Maureen and Emma walked up one flight of stairs to their room.
“I can’t wait to hear what she’s found out. I hope it’s not something bad,” Maureen said as she pressed the buttons on the telephone. She put the phone on loudspeaker so Emma could hear what Ettie said as well.
“I’m sorry to say that it’s not gut news, Maureen,” Ettie said.
“What did you find out? Is he dead?”
“Worse than that, I’m afraid. He’s married, or at least he was married. A year after the war ended we have a marriage record for him and one Miss Cutter.”
“He’s alive?” Maureen asked.
“He’s alive, and he married Josephine Cutter,” Elsa-May said.
Maureen’s mouth fell open as it sunk it that Dorothy’s love had married her best friend, the one who had disappeared. She looked at Emma, who was as shocked as she.
“That’s not all,” Ettie said. “I’ve found a death record for a Josephine Fielding and no death record for Harold Fielding.”
“Do you have an address for him?” Maureen asked.
“I’ve got a current address for him, get a pen.”
Maureen penned the address and hung up the phone.
Emma looked over her shoulder. “It’s not far from where Dorothy lived in Lancaster.”
“I wonder how long he’s lived there for? Why did he avoid Dorothy and marry her best friend?”
“It doesn’t make sense; not if you’ve read the letters. It’s awful. Dorothy won’t want to know that. Let’s not tell her just yet,” Emma said.
“ Nee , we can’t tell her. Let’s have Ettie and Elsa-May go visit Harold. He might tell them his side of things,” Maureen said.
“ Jah , Maureen. Quick call them back and see if they’ll do it.”
Chapter 7.
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach,
because we trust in the living God,
who is the Saviour of all men,
specially of those that believe.
1 Timothy 4:10
Elsa-May and Ettie climbed out of the taxi at the address that Ettie had found for Harold Fielding.
It was a small house and a man was out the front, crouched in the garden and he rose to his feet as the ladies walked through the low gate.
“Would you be Mr. Fielding?” Ettie asked.
He placed his garden fork on the ground and took off his gloves. “Yes.”
“Did you once know a Dorothy Welby?”
The man studied the two ladies in turn. “What’s this about?”
“We’re friends of Dorothy Welby and she believes that you went missing in the war.”
“I’m sorry, I think you ladies are mistaken. Dorothy Welby is dead; I’m sorry to say.”
The ladies shook their heads. “She’s alive and well, two of our friends just visited her yesterday. She’s the same Dorothy Welby