Miriam's Secret Read online

  What hadn’t helped was the tension in the house over Shirley’s attraction to Jonas Beachy. She’d even gone to call him on Monday night right after the lecture Daett had given her! So far the older ones had kept the situation from the younger kinner, but that surely wouldn’t last long. Sometimes Miriam despaired for Shirley and her gut intentions that often didn’t pan out. Why couldn’t Shirley just do what was right? But one must not give up hope. With the Lord’s help they would make it through Shirley’s troubled time. At least Shirley could be kept away from Berlin until this was safely over. Miriam had taken care of the shopping on Tuesday, and she would continue to do so after she began work tomorrow in the Berlin Gospel Bookstore.

  A dark cloud passed over Miriam’s face. The pay at the bookstore would be considerably less than what Mr. Bland had been giving her. How would her parents deal with this drop in income? No one had said anything so far. Maybe Shirley would have to take a job earlier than they’d planned. But then the trouble with Jonas would take center court again. Shirley wasn’t safe out of the house at the moment. From the looks of longing that often came into Shirley’s eyes, any meeting with Jonas would lead to more meetings, more rides in cars, and more…well, only the Lord knew where all that might end.

  Surely her sister wouldn’t actually marry the man? Shirley had assured them all she had no such intention, but she wasn’t known for keeping her promises. Hadn’t she called Jonas the same evening she’d promised Daett she’d get over him once and for all?

  A rattle of car tires in the driveway came through the open window. Miriam jumped. She tucked the last bit of stray hair under her kapp and dashed down the stairs. Mamm was seated on the rocking chair with a letter in her hand, so Shirley must have picked up the mail. From the smile on Mamm’s face the news must be gut. Miriam glanced at the return address on the envelope sitting on a little table by the rocker. Mamm’s sister Fannie had written from the Clarita, Oklahoma, community. Fannie and her husband, William, had moved there several years ago. That was also where the Swartz family had come from. Miriam shoved that thought aside. She didn’t want to think about Laura or Ivan right now.

  “Fannie’s first child is due soon, right?” Miriam guessed.

  Mamm’s smile grew larger. “Yah! After all these years of waiting, the Lord has finally blessed them. The midwife thinks there will be no problems.” Mamm gazed out the living room window. “Oh, how I wish I could be there for this wunderbah moment! Fannie is to be a mamm after all.”

  Miriam paused by the front door as the thought hit her. “I could go to her and be her maid for a while.” She’d like that better than working at the bookstore. But the idea was impossible. They had no extra money for a bus ticket to Oklahoma, and she needed work that paid. Besides, Aunt Fannie had probably arranged for one of the local Amish girls in Oklahoma to live with the family and help after the birth.

  “Will you be back for lunch?” Mamm asked.

  “I would think so.” Miriam pushed open the front door. “The Englisha have fast services—if last night at the viewing was any indication.” She’d been surprised how fast the small crowd moved through the viewing line. Miriam was glad she’d attended. Rose had asked her to be there as a “comforting presence.” That was understandable with the few family members who showed up. Mr. Bland and Thelma had never been blessed with children, so mostly there were cousins, aunts, uncles, a few family friends, and some business acquaintances in attendance.

  “Maybe Rose will take you out to eat afterward,” Mamm suggested.

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Miriam glanced at Shirley, who was still working on the large mending pile. Shirley’s eyes shone. No doubt her sister wished she had this opportunity to get out of the house.

  “Well,” Mamm continued, “either way is okay with us. If you don’t show up by lunchtime, we’ll eat without you.”

  Shirley cleared her throat. “Maybe I should go with Miriam?”

  “You’ll do no such thing!” Mamm replied.

  A hurt look crossed Shirley’s face, but she offered nothing more.

  After giving Shirley a look of sympathy, Miriam wondered why she hadn’t thought to include Shirley earlier. Mamm might have consented if she’d had time to think about it. The excursion would have done Shirley gut, and she wouldn’t have gotten into trouble with so many people around.

  Miriam dashed out the door. She would have to remember this in the future and include Shirley whenever possible.

  Rose rolled down the car window as Miriam approached. “Good morning, dear.”

  “Good morning,” Miriam replied as she climbed into the car. Rose was also dressed in a black dress, but it had considerably more finery than hers. Nothing inappropriate, but apparently even at funerals the Englisha added the extras.

  “There’s rain forecast for this afternoon,” Rose said as she turned the car around and headed out the driveway. “I hope we get my brother buried before it starts.”

  Miriam didn’t say anything for a second. Then she spoke in a hushed voice. “I still think of Mr. Bland as I saw him alive the last time—patiently waiting for his breakfast on the porch. It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”

  “You two did have a soft spot for each other.” Rose gave Miriam a warm smile. “I’m glad you made his last years pleasant ones.”

  “Thank you,” Miriam acknowledged as Rose turned the car onto the road and headed toward Sugarcreek. “He was almost like a daett to me—a second father.”

  “I can imagine.” Rose’s face was pensive. “He felt the same about you…that you were like a daughter.”

  “Did he tell you this?” Miriam asked in surprise.

  Rose’s face softened. “He didn’t have to. My brother’s regard for you was obvious to us all.”

  Miriam watched the landscape through the car window. “I tried to be a blessing to him, that’s all I know. I wish he were still here.”

  Rose glanced at Miriam. “I’m not sure when the best time is to tell you this, but my brother mentioned you in his will.”

  “What does that mean?” Miriam asked.

  “Being mentioned in a will usually means the person who died wanted to give you something. We’ll wait until after the funeral to discuss the details. I’ve set up a brief meeting with our attorney. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, of course I don’t mind. Whatever works best for you.” Miriam took a deep breath. This sounded serious.

  Moments later Rose pulled into the parking lot of Smith’s Funeral Home. A few cars were already there. This would be a small funeral like the viewing had been last night. Miriam got out of the car, and Rose led the way toward the entrance. The place was familiar from last night, but Miriam stayed a few steps behind Rose. An usher took them to front row seats, and Miriam sat beside Rose. She was seated with the family, which didn’t seem appropriate, but maybe they considered her like family in spirit. The service began with a hymn played by a pianist, which no one sang along to. How different this was from an Amish funeral. The place felt cold as the clanging notes rang through the large room. The music sounded hollow, Miriam thought. She preferred the a cappella sound of human voices singing in unison at their community services. She looked around discreetly. Mr. Bland deserved more than this.

  When the music ended, Miriam forced herself to concentrate on the speaker, who had risen to stand behind the pulpit. Surely he must be an Englisha minister, she thought. He read the Twenty-Third Psalm in a slow and somber tone, and then he added a few words of commentary. How unlike Amish ministers. At Amish funerals, each minister spoke for at least thirty minutes.

  Rose leaned over and whispered, “That was Amos’s favorite psalm.”

  Miriam wiped away a tear. She hadn’t known that, but then she and Mr. Bland had seldom spoken about the Lord. She’d been sure, though, that Mr. Bland was close to Him. Such awareness had passed between them. Mr. Bland had loved his frau, Thelma, right after the Lord Himself. And now Mr. Bland was no doubt with both of them.


  The minister read Mr. Bland’s obituary. It wasn’t a long one. He was survived by his sister, Rose, a short list of nieces and nephews, and a few other assorted relatives. Miriam rose with the others to view Mr. Bland in his casket before it was closed for the last time. In this the Englisha did things like the Amish. The family didn’t linger long around the coffin.

  Miriam took a brief look at Mr. Bland’s composed face before she moved on. He looked happy, and that comforted her.

  Chapter Eight

  The time wasn’t twelve o’clock yet, but Miriam, Rose, and the Bland family lawyer were seated in a fancy restaurant called Dutch Valley located south of Sugarcreek. Despite the lavish-looking menu, Miriam wasn’t the least bit hungry. On the way over, Rose had said again that Miriam had been mentioned in her brother’s will. This time she added that she knew money was involved.

  Miriam’s face had gone pale. Did Rose think she’d manipulated Mr. Bland by weaseling her way into his good graces to get his money? That idea had never even occurred to her. Her face grew red at the very idea. “I hope you don’t think I was nice to Mr. Bland because…because of….I wasn’t after his money, Rose. Money or anything else for that matter. I only wanted to help him and do my job.”

  Rose’s smile was soft. “I know, dear. I’m glad you cared enough to make the last few years of my brother’s life happy ones. Sometimes one is rewarded for that, and sometimes one is not. This seems to be one of those times when one is.”

  Miriam tried to keep her breathing even. “I…I don’t know what to say. He paid me well, and I always felt unworthy. Beyond that, Mr. Bland never spoke to me of such things.”

  “I’m sure of that,” Rose said. “My brother was a private man. He was very often quite generous and anonymous in supporting his favorite charities.”

  Miriam’s heart throbbed. Attorneys, wills, money. Money. It’s come up again…just like with Shirley and her desire to be rich. I wish there wasn’t anything like money. If Rose only knew how much trouble money had already caused the Yoder family, she wouldn’t even bring up the subject. If Mr. Bland had left her an extra paycheck or even as much as five hundred dollars, she could handle that. She’d just pass the funds straight on to Mamm and Daett. They’d understand.

  Miriam hoped her face wasn’t still burning red from the embarrassing conversation about money on the ride to the restaurant. Why was her family doomed to suffer from money problems? She couldn’t get away from it even when she innocently did her job and took care of an elderly gentleman.

  When they’d arrived at the restaurant, the lawyer had introduced himself. “Mr. Rosenberg,” he’d said without a smile as he rose and shook her hand. Perhaps lawyers were stern people and never smiled? Miriam wondered. Or perhaps Mr. Rosenberg thought she’d done something wrong to get herself mentioned in Mr. Bland’s will. What would Daett and Mamm say if she arrived home and had to admit that she’d become embroiled in some dispute about money? Well, she would solve all of this once she found out what was going on…and her voice worked again. She’d turn down the extra check or whatever it was, even though that might seem unkind or even rude. She meant no disrespect to Mr. Bland’s memory, but perhaps it would be for the best so people wouldn’t think she’d connived to get Mr. Bland’s money.

  The waitress appeared and Miriam waited until the other two had ordered before she glanced up. “I’ll take the same. The buffet.”

  After the waitress left, Rose led the way to the buffet. All Miriam could bring herself to do was take a little bit of some of the items. She must eat something for the sake of gut manners, but if the knot in her stomach didn’t subside soon, she’d lose anything she got down. That would be way too embarrassing.

  Back at the table Miriam waited until Rose and the lawyer had seated themselves. Rose bowed her head for a short prayer, and Miriam felt relief. What would she have done if Rose hadn’t prayed? Maybe a silent prayer would have sufficed, she decided.

  Mr. Rosenberg frequently regarded her with a steady gaze as he ate, and Miriam felt the knot in her stomach grow tighter. When would he say something? It wasn’t her place to start the conversation—even if she was up to it. The sheer tension of the moment was awful.

  Thankfully Mr. Rosenberg finally cleared his throat. “Rose tells me she told you about Amos Bland including you in his will.”

  “She did,” Miriam managed. The food had gone down whether she planned on it or not, and her stomach had settled some. Perhaps she was hungry and didn’t know it. Anything seemed possible right now.

  “And you weren’t surprised?” Mr. Rosenberg asked, regarding Miriam openly.

  “Yes, I was. I was shocked. I never expected anything like that,” Miriam began. “I’m pleased that he thought of me, of course, but yes, very surprised. I didn’t ask for anything and certainly never desired anything beyond my salary. And even the money Mr. Bland insisted on paying me was too generous.” She smiled at the memory but then frowned. “Rose didn’t say much else, but I sense your concern. You are wondering whether I influenced Mr. Bland to mention me in his will. I assure you, I did not. And please understand that if there’s even the appearance of impropriety, I’ll gladly forfeit whatever Mr. Bland left me. I’m content with what he set my salary at, and I was just happy I got to know him and work for him. If there is a problem with Mr. Bland leaving me something, Rose can take me home now, and that will be the end of it. I don’t want any trouble or be the cause of any trouble. My family has enough of them already.”

  “Oh?” Mr. Rosenberg said.

  The words rushed on. “My sister, well, let me start with the fact that money has caused my family untold problems. My daett has a lame leg from a childhood injury, but he works hard on our farm. My brothers help him, but there never seems to be enough money to go around. Yet the Lord provides for us, just as He promises in His Word. So I never asked Mr. Bland for money. Never. I didn’t ask for the generous salary he paid me each week. I was thankful, and my family needed the funds, but I was more than content with what I was given.” She glanced at Rose. “Maybe you should take me home now?”

  Rose glanced at Mr. Rosenberg with a “See, I-told-you-so” smile. “Like I said, she’s genuine.”

  Mr. Rosenberg shrugged. “A will’s a will, but I needed to ascertain whether Amos was talked into something or not. That’s part of my job, that’s all.”

  “I don’t understand,” Miriam said.

  “I’m sorry, Miriam.” Rose smiled. “Mr. Rosenberg was my brother’s attorney. It’s his job to see that Amos’s last wishes are carried out. But he also has to make sure there was no…well, no undue influence on my brother in his weakened condition. I knew Amos well, of course, and I know you, Miriam. I have no doubt about the nature of your relationship with Amos. But Mr. Rosenberg knew only Amos…not you. He needed to be sure that nothing untoward occurred so that the will’s arrangement won’t end up contested in court.”

  Miriam gasped. She stood up. “My people don’t get involved in Englisha courts. I could never have my family involved in any such occurrence. That would be a disgrace. Rose, please take me home.”

  Rose stood and gently held Miriam’s arm. She guided her back into the chair. “Miriam, everything is okay. I can assure you that you will not be going to court.”

  “Let me cut to the chase then.” Mr. Rosenberg wiped his brow. “Miriam, Mr. Bland left you his entire farm, including all the equipment and animals, and quite a tidy sum of money.”

  “He did what?” The world swam before Miriam’s eyes. Had she heard correctly?

  Rose seemed to understand. “That’s right, Miriam. Amos left you his farm, debt free, along with two million dollars.”

  Miriam’s gaze was steady, but she wasn’t seeing anything. The world appeared white in front of her. The features of the restaurant, including its long bar of food, were gone, replaced by a heavy fog.

  Rose’s voice sounded distant and unreal. “Miriam? Are you okay, Miriam?”

  “
We should have chosen a better place to break this news.” Mr. Rosenberg sounded irritated.

  “Miriam?” Rose pulled on her arm again. “Are you still with us?”

  Things came into focus again. Miriam clutched the side of the table. “Did you really say what I think you did? That Mr. Bland left me his farm and two…two…” Miriam couldn’t complete the sentence.

  Mr. Rosenberg didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I did. The farm, everything on it, and two million dollars.”

  Miriam still couldn’t breathe right. Two million dollars! She didn’t even know anyone who had so much money. Right now she couldn’t even remember how many thousands that was. A lot! That much she knew. Suddenly she turned to Rose. “But what about you? You’re his closest relative. Shouldn’t Amos have given everything to you?”

  “Dear, Amos was a very wealthy man. I’m already well provided for, but Amos was very thoughtful. Although he left you a great deal of money, the estate was split three ways. I was given a third, you were given a third, and the other third is to be divided among several ministries he supported.”

  Miriam didn’t know how to respond. Finally she managed to speak. “B-b-b-ut what am I to do with a farm and all this money?”

  “Do you have an attorney?” Mr. Rosenberg asked.

  “Of course not!” Miriam almost choked.

  “If I may make a suggestion?” Rose asked.

  Miriam nodded.

  “I recommend you ask Mr. Rosenberg to represent you,” Rose said. “You can’t do better than having him look after your interests in this matter. He’s very reputable, and, after all, Amos trusted him completely.”

  Miriam’s head was still spinning. “I don’t know what to do,” she said. “If I need a lawyer, then yah, I’d like it to be you.”