âIâm so glad you girls understand what Iâve told you,â she said softly. âYour mamm and your aunt Mattie and I are getting our second wind now, after weâve lost important people in our lives. And you know what? Weâre finding out that unattached women donât have to follow so many rules, â she pointed out. âItâs not a bad thing, being single. But donât say that to Preacher Amos. Bless his heart, he wants us to be happy in the traditional way.â
âHe wants Aunt Mattie to cook and keep house for him, too,â Laura remarked.
Rosetta chuckled. âThey were sweethearts for a long time before Dat steered Mattie toward marrying Marvin,â she said. âAfter the way he treated her, though, your aunt is determined not to marry again. Weâll see who winsâyour aunt, or Amos.â
Phoebe frowned, stopping before they descended the back stairway. âWhy was Uncle Marvin so mean?â she whispered. âWe loved playing with Roman and Noah when we were kidsâbut not when their dat was home. We never knew when he might get cross with us, or with Aunt Mattie.â
âMamm always told us not to gossip about it,â Laura chimed in earnestly. âShe said we shouldnât talk about the Schwartzesâ personal business, nor quiz Aunt Mattie about any bruises we might see.â
Rosetta listened to her nieces with a sad heart. Their words confirmed the way folks in Coldstreamâand in most Amish colonies, she suspectedâlooked the other way when a man mistreated his wife. If she and her sisters were to end the cycle of abuse here, they would need younger women of Phoebe and Lauraâs generation to help them carry out their vow.
âPart of Marvinâs moods had to do with his diabetesâand the fact he didnât want a doctor telling him how to manage it,â Rosetta replied. âBut I always believed that he couldâve controlled his sharp tongue and his temper, had he wanted to. Unfortunately, Mattie had no way out of their marriage until he died. And we all wonder how Deborah got that big handprint on her neck, too, donât we?â
Rosetta gave the girls a moment to consider what sheâd said. âYour mamm and Aunt Mattie and I are determined not to keep looking the other way now that weâre starting fresh here in Promise,â she continued earnestly. âWe probably shouldnât quiz Deborah about that bruise, but we can encourage her to talk about whatâs been going on in Coldstream. We want her to stay as long as she needsââ
âBut wonât her parents wonder where sheâs gone?â Phoebe interrupted. âWhy hasnât she called home?â
âDeborahâs never been in trouble,â Laura said with wide eyes. âI canât believe her dat âor anyone elseâwould grab her neck so hard.â
Rosetta sighed. âI agree. And I suspect that within another day or two weâll know more about it,â she speculated. âMeanwhile, weâre glad Deborah came to us when she was running from trouble. Jah? â
Both girls nodded again.
âShall we go downstairs and see those treasures you found?â Rosetta asked in a more cheerful tone. âWeâll keep Deborah in our prayers. And weâll keep believing that God knows the truth and that Heâll reveal it when weâre ready to understand it.â
As they started down the narrow wooden steps, Lauraâs chuckle echoed in the stairwell. âWe learned some truth about you today, Aunt Rosetta,â she teased. âNo matter what you think, Iâm not giving up on Mr. Right finding you here at Promise Lodge.â
âMe, neither,â Phoebe insisted in a lighter tone.
Rosetta laughed as they reached the bottom of the stairs. âMeanwhile, Iâm moving ahead with my plans for these apartments and my new life,â she told them.