Brightest and Best (2 page)

“When the wind blows in the winter, the entire building creaks,” Miss Coates said.

“All buildings settle and creak,” Gideon said, glancing at Gertie, who mimicked his movements on another window beside Ella.

“It’s not that kind of noise,” the teacher retorted. “It’s the sort that makes one think the ceiling might come down. The students become quite distracted.”

“How did it get to be so bad?” Walter Hicks wanted to know.

Aaron King shrugged. “One day at a time.”

Robert Haney, the second
English
father, spoke for the first time. “We get busy with the summer harvest and then planting and then the fall harvest.”

“And then the children are back in school,” Miss Coates said. “You’re all busy with your farms, but I do feel that for the safety of the children, this is the time for a concerted effort.”

Gideon tilted his head back to inspect the ceiling beams. “Perhaps we should ask the school district for funds to build a new structure entirely. If we had the supplies we need, I’m sure the Amish families would be happy to build.”

“One of your frolics?” Walter said.

Gideon nodded. With proper planning, the Amish erected barns in only a couple of days. A one-room school should not be difficult to organize.

“I doubt the district would underwrite the construction,” Robert said. “I see in the newspaper all the time how the schools lack proper funding. And the process of requesting funds and awaiting a decision would take longer than we have before school begins again.”

“Perhaps we just need to impress upon the authorities the extent of the need,” Ella said.

“I’ve been trying and trying,” Miss Coates said. “It’s as if the superintendent turns and walks the other way when he sees me coming.”

“Gertie,” Gideon said, “come stand with your
daed.
”

Walter Hicks leaned against a beam, as if to test its strength.

The cracking sound pulled Gideon’s heart out of his chest.

“Watch out!” Gideon’s voice boomed.

Ella lurched toward Gertie and snatched her up.

“No!” Gertie writhed in protest.

Ella held tight.

“Gertie!” The edge in Gideon’s voice startled his daughter into compliance.

Ella held the girl in a viselike grip and stumbled through a maze of desks toward the back of the schoolhouse. Above her, the ceiling split open.

“I see the sky!” Gertie said.

Ella squeezed tighter, wishing she had a third hand for raising the hem of her skirt so she could see her feet and move faster.

“Ella! Gertie!”

Ella turned toward Gideon’s frantic voice, a tone she had never heard from him before. She stumbled where two desks narrowed the aisle and shoved at one of them with her hip.

“I’ve got her,” Ella shouted. “Everybody get out!”

Nora moved quickly. Mr. Hicks and Mr. Haney hesitated but headed for the door. Ella had her eye on the opening. Behind her, the front wall of the classroom groaned. In reflex, Ella turned her head toward the sound. The blackboard snapped off the wall on one end, rent down the center, and dangled.

Ella gave the obstructive furniture one last shove as the structure heaved. A fracture traveled above her head. Half the ceiling crashed down, strewing debris. Ella did not see the origin of the board that smacked the back of her head.

G
ideon shouldered past Aaron King and back into the schoolhouse.

“Ella!”

“Here!”

Her voice led Gideon to the shelter Ella had found under a desk, her arms still clasping his daughter.

“Has it stopped?” Anxiety threaded Ella’s voice.

“For now.” Gideon squatted and reached to take Gertie from Ella. “Come quickly.”

With his daughter over his shoulder, Gideon reached for Ella’s hand, not caring who might see the affection between them. Only when they were safely out in the sunlight did he realize Gertie was limp against his neck.

“Gertie!”

The child made no sound. Gideon knelt to lay her on the ground and rubbed a hand over her face. “Gertie!”

“She was fine when I went under the desk.” Ella knelt beside Gideon.

Gertie’s intake of air came before she opened her eyes. Gideon exhaled his own breath.

“Daed.”

“I’m right here.”

“I don’t want to go to that school.”

“Does anything hurt?” Gideon put a thumb under Gertie’s chin and looked into her eyes, satisfied that all he saw was shock.

“No. Ella wouldn’t let go.”

“She wanted to keep you safe.” Gideon turned grateful eyes to Ella. “Thank you. I would never have reached her in time.”

“As far as it is within my power, I would never let anything happen to Gertie,” Ella said.

Gideon looked carefully at Ella now. She was noticeably more scraped up than Gertie. Bits of wood stuck to her bonnet, and gray dust spattered her blue dress. “What about you? Are you hurt?”

She put a hand to the back of her head. “Something took a whack at me. I may have a bit of a headache tonight.”

“Promise me you’ll rest.”

She nodded, and Gideon allowed himself to meet and hold her gaze.

“I want to go home,” Gertie said. “Carry me.”

“Of course,” Gideon said. “First show me that you can move your arms and legs.”

Gertie responded by moving all four limbs at once. “Now can we go home?”

Gideon slid his arms under Gertie’s shoulders and knees and unfolded his stocky form as if she weighed nothing more than the wind.

Miss Coates stepped toward them. “I’m sorry. Even I did not realize the true condition of the schoolhouse.”

“You’re not to blame,” Gideon said.

“If I’d had any idea, I would never have suggested that we meet inside.”

“This will certainly make our case with the school district. It’s time for a new building.”

“It’s definitely the strongest argument we could hope for,” Miss Coates said.

Walter Hicks fell into step beside Gideon. “I will draft a detailed account of today’s event and deliver it personally to the school superintendent first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you, Walter.” Gideon glanced at Ella again, looking for reassurance that she was unscathed.

Gideon carried Gertie to his wagon with everyone else following as if no one wanted to be left behind. “Can you sit up?”

Gertie nodded. “I just want to go home.”

Gideon settled her on the bench of the wagon. If she got tired, she could lay her head in his lap as they drove home.

“Shall I take you home?” he said to Ella.

Miss Coates spoke. “I have my cart. I’ll take Ella. You just look after Gertie.”

“Yes,” Ella agreed. “Take her home. Watch her closely.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m fine.” She brushed debris off her dress and straightened her bonnet.

Gideon noticed Ella moved more slowly than normal.

“Daed,”
Gertie said, “please, can we go?”

“Go,” Ella said.

The other three men left shortly after Gideon, leaving Ella and Nora Coates standing and staring at the building with its roof yawning open to the elements on one side.

“What should we do?” Ella asked. “Is there anything we should take out to keep safe?”

“I feel badly enough that you were all in the building on my account,” Nora said. “I can’t ask you to go back in.”

“You wanted the men to see for themselves.”

“I was not expecting the encounter to be quite this dramatic.” Nora wrapped her arms around herself.

“I hate to think what would have happened with thirty-five children inside and you responsible for their safety,” Ella said.

“That would have been an unreasonable expectation—unfair to ask of you.”

“Yes. From that perspective, what happened today is the lesser of two evils.”

“There can be no argument now that we need a new school. Surely the superintendent will release the funds under these circumstances—and quickly.”

Nora looked away. “I rather suspect he will propose another solution.”

“What other solution could there be?” Ella gestured toward the building. “Even if the roof could be repaired, there are so many other things wrong.”

“I don’t know,” Nora murmured. “I can’t help but feel that there is a reason he has resisted all my requests for help before this. I wouldn’t have turned to the local committee if I thought the superintendent would help.”

Ella examined Nora’s profile, unable to push away the sense that Nora had something else to say.

“What is it?” Ella stepped into Nora’s gaze.

“I wanted to leave the school in good condition.”

“Leave the school?”

“I’m not certain of anything,” Nora said, “but I may not be returning to teach this fall.”

Ella was certain Nora had not mentioned this possibility to the parents committee. Gideon would have told her if he’d known the school would need a new teacher. He would be responsible to help select another young
English
woman willing to appreciate the Amish ways.

“I haven’t yet signed my contract for the new school year,” Nora said.

“Don’t you intend to?” Conflicting possible answers to the question swirled through Ella’s mind.

“I must decide by the end of July,” Nora said. “That would still give the committee a few weeks to hire another teacher.”

“I didn’t realize you were unhappy in your position.”

“Oh, I’m not!” Nora was quick to respond. Then she smiled. “I’m rather hoping for a marriage proposal very soon. My beau knows that if I sign a contract we wouldn’t be able to marry until next summer.”

Ella fumbled for words. “That’s … good news. I hope you’ll be very happy.” How difficult would it be to find a new teacher in just a few weeks—someone willing to teach in the middle of farmland and accommodate both
English
and Amish students?

“He hasn’t asked me yet.” Nora’s laugh sounded nervous.

“But you want him to.”

Nora’s lips stretched into a smile. “Yes. Very much. I’m quite smitten, I’m afraid.”

Ella recognized the sensation. She was quite smitten herself.

“You should teach,” Nora said.

“I’m not qualified,” Ella answered easily, seeing nothing to dispute. “I didn’t go to high school, much less the teachers college.”

“We’ve only met a few times,” Nora said, “but I see something in you. You’re qualified in other ways.”

“I assure you I’m not,” Ella said. She kept house for her father for eleven years before he remarried, and she gladly looked forward to running Gideon’s household. She knew nothing about teaching.

“You always have a book with you.”

Ella sighed. She would have to explain to Mrs. White at the library about the book she’d left in the collapsed building.

“There must be a way to demonstrate your capacity,” Nora said.

Ella said nothing. She also was hoping for a marriage proposal very soon. Embarking on a teaching career was the furthest thing from her mind.

“How are you feeling?” Nora asked.

“Well enough, under the circumstances.” The headache Ella anticipated had not yet materialized. She felt only a sting at the back of her head.

“Are you well enough to ride into town with me before I take you home?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ella said. “Haven’t we had enough excitement for one afternoon?” Riding into town would take them miles in the wrong direction.

“I want you to meet someone.” Nora raised her eyebrows with hope.

“If this is about teaching—”

“Just meet someone. A new friend.”

Ella hesitated.

“We’ll have a nice chat along the way. And I’ll bring you home whenever you like.”

“Well, all right.” Ella had no need to hurry home. Rachel looked after the house now. If she wished, Ella only needed to be present for the family’s evening meal.

Nora led the way to where she’d left her horse and cart. They climbed in.

“My beau has a Ford,” Nora said. “As soon as he proposes, I intend to learn to drive it.”

The horse began a casual trot toward Seabury.