The Mistress of Black Grove Manor (103 page)

The kettle popped behind John, the light vanishing as he turned and reached for the cupboard.  He pulled out two small packages of something. 

“Instant noodles.”  He said. He handed a package to Sarah.  She took it and read the package from front to back.

You just add water, and in 5 minutes they are ready?
“How interesting.”  She mulled it over as John handed her a bowl.  She watched carefully as he prepared his.

Once she had watched John get his read she got her own bowl of instinct noodles ready, and John poured the boiling water into it for her.  They carried the bowls into the living room and sat down.

“Here.” John held a fork out for her.

“Dakna.”

Sitting down beside John, Sarah took a second to look around the room.  It was small, with two large and comfy couches taking up most of the space. There was a small coffee table in the center of the room, and along the back wall there was a large TV.  Sarah stared at it with wide eyes.  A TV was never something she’d seen outside of a store.

“Have you been able to see much?”  She asked, playing with her food as it cooled down.

“I’ve seen a little.  Is there anything you want to do while you’re here?”

Spend time with you
.

“Not that I can think of.”

“I’ll have to come up with a few ideas then.”  He gave her a smile before he took a bite of his food.  Sarah waited a little longer.

They fell silent for a few minutes.

John cleared his throat.  “So, do you have somewhere you are staying?”

“Nee.  I was hoping…”  Sarah trailed off.  She wouldn’t say it out loud.  She couldn’t bring herself to.  Her community was not the type that approved of Bed Courting, or even having the couple alone for much more than a couple hours.

“I could see if Amy or Hanna will let you stay with them.”

Sarah bit her lip. 
I do have Jen.
She said if I needed anything I could call her.

“Do you have a phone here?” 

“Jah, why?”

Sarah nodded, not answering his question.  She looked down at the bowl of food and took her first bite.  It was unlike anything she had ever had before, the flavors overwhelmed her.  She wasn’t sure if it made her sick, or delighted her.  A little bit of both maybe.

Chapter Three

Sarah couldn’t believe she’d done it.  She’d come here to surprise John, and now here she was with her bags ready to go- waiting for Jen to come pick her up.  When she called Jen asking for a place to stay the girl who barely knew her had been worried, Sarah could hear that in her voice, but Jen had promised to get in her car right away and come get her. 

“So, you just met this girl on the bus?”

“Jah, I sat beside her.”

John’s brow furrowed.  “Are you sure you want to stay with her?  She’s a stranger.”

And what? She was supposed to stay with one of his friends?  They were no better than strangers.

“I’m sure.”

“Your da-”

“I’m sure.”  She repeated the words, cutting him off.  If he wasn’t going to let her stay here then she would stay with Jen. 

A blue car pulled up, stopping in front of their place.  A man stepped out of the door, taking Sarah’s attention away from the other people who stepped out of the car on the driver’s side.

“Sarah?” Jen’s voice called.  She stepped out from behind the man and waved.

“Hi.”  Sarah jumped to her feet, grabbing her bag.  She hadn’t realized Jen had a boyfriend. 
I hope I won’t be getting in their way.
She thought. 

Taking a deep breath Sarah made her way down the steps and towards the car.

“Oh good!  I was worried I’d gotten lost and couldn’t find you.”  Jen sounded relieved as Sarah came to a stop in front of the car.

“Here,” The man held his hand out for her bag. “let me.”

Sarah locked eyes on him.  He had brown eyes and black hair.  His lips curved up as he smiled, his thin lips parting to show a set of white teeth.

Sarah held her bag out to him.

“Danka.” It slipped out as he took the bag.  Her cheeks flushed.

“You’re welcome.”  He didn’t skip a beat, it was like he didn’t even think about the fact that she had just used a different word than he was used to. 

He carried it to the back seat, where he sat down and closed the door.

“You must be…” Jen paused, as if trying to remember his name. “John, right?”

Sarah turned to see John take his gaze away from the man who had just taken her bag.

“Yes,” John stepped forward. “Thank you, for helping Sarah.”

“Oh, anytime!”

Jen smiled widely.  “It can be hard when you’re somewhere new and have no clue what is going on or what you should do next, or where you can stay,”  She looked at Sarah. “I’ve been there.  I’m just glad I can help you.”

Sarah’s brow furrowed.  What did that mean?

“Here’s my number, if you want to call her or anything.”  She handed John a piece of paper very close to the one she had given Sarah.

“Thank you.”  John didn’t seem to have any trouble with confusing English and Amish words. 

Sarah’s cheeks flushed.
Had he slipped up at all when he first came here?
Or had he had lots of time to practice?  This had all been spur of the moment for Sarah, had it been for him or had he known for a long time he would do this?

Jen headed back to the driver’s side of the car and slipped inside.  Leaving John and Sarah alone outside.

“I guess… I’ll see you around.”

“Tomorrow.”  He nodded.  “I can come pick you up, if you give me a call and let me know the address.”

“Alright.”  She’d gotten his phone number in case she needed to call him.

Sarah closed the distance between them, thinking about the hug he had given her when she first arrived.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into another hug.  Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach.  It felt like they she was leaving him already. 
Nee. 
She knew that wasn’t the truth but she couldn’t shake the feeling.

“I’ll see you later.”  It was a promise.

“See you,”  John nodded as he pulled away from her.  “Take care.”

“Bye.”

It took everything Sarah had not to pull him back into a hug and ask him not to leave her, not to make her leave.  She took a deep breath and forced herself to turn towards the car.  She slipped into the seat beside Jen and buckled her seat belt.

“You sure you’re ready?”  Jen asked.

“Yes.”  It took Sarah a couple seconds to think, just to make sure she was using the right word.

The car pulled away as John turned, heading back into the house without looking back.  Sarah watched him as long as she could, praying that he would turn around and wave, or even try to make her come back.  She prayed he would change her mind. 

We could stay in the same house together.
She thought. 
We wouldn’t sleep in the same room!
She knew that but if they had separate rooms, would it really be that bad?

Would it be that frowned upon by their family?

The entire community knew why Sarah had made this trip, they even approved of it as a show of love for the man that she would marry.

“So, did it go well?”  Jen asked after a couple minuets of silence.

“It went okay.  We’re going to get together again tomorrow.  It’s just… not common for us to be staying in the same place.  He offered to have me stay with one of his friends, but I thought…”

“I’m glad you called!”  Jen cut Sarah off.  “I was wondering if I would actually here from you. Anyways, I’ve got a spare room that never gets used, unless Dylan stays the night.”  She jerked her head to the backseat where the man sat.  Sarah turned to face him. 
I guess he’s not really a man.
More a boy.  Closer to John’s age than to her fathers

He gave her a wide grin.  “I’ll take the couch while you’re here.”

Wait…
they weren’t a couple? 
How do I try to figure this out without being rude?
These kinds of thigs were never a concern at home.  Everyone knew if someone was with another person or not.  Things were not easily kept secret.

There were a few of the older ones who managed to keep it a secret.  Normally that resulted in a fast marriage though, and even though no one said anything about it they all knew what that actually meant.

The ride back to Jen’s didn’t take long.  As it turns out, Sarah would easily be able to walk over to John’s if she wanted to drop by to say hi and didn’t want to spend her money, or make Jen drive her around.

“It’s not much,”  Jen said as they came to a stop in the driveway. “but it’s home.  There is everything you’d need.” 

The three of them got out of the car and headed into the house.  Sarah tried to take everything in.

“You know,”  Jen cleared her throat as Dylan stepped past them, Sarah’s bag in his hands.  “I’ve got some clothes that are a size too small for me, but you look like you might fit right into them.  Would you like to try them on, or…”

“Sure.”

Sarah hadn’t thought much about her clothing while she was back home.  Now that she was here, she’d been taking notice of everyone’s clothes all day- and it seemed like everyone had been taking notice of hers.

Jen motioned her head towards the hallway before turning on her heel and leading the way.  Sarah followed her, her mind racing.

“That’ll be your room.”  Jen pointed to a small room on the left where Dylan was packing up his own backpack.  Sarah felt guilt tug at her. 
I’ll convince him to let me take the couch later.
She told herself as she went into the other room, the one on the right, with Jen.

She looked around at the small room.

There was a bed, a dresser, and a mirror.  But mostly there were just clothes all over the floor.

“Anything that’s folded is clean,”  Jen said.  “you’re welcome to try any of it on if you like it.”

Sarah stared down at everything, trying to take in all the colors and the prints as Jen made her way over to a closet and pulled it open.  Sarah’s jaw dropped as she stared at even more clothing.

“You have so much.”

It must have cost her a fortune to buy all this.  Sarah had heard girls sometimes spent $300 or even $400 on a single garment or pair of shoes.

“I like shopping,” Jen laughed softly. “of course, with how much I like doing it I can only afford to shop second hand, but that’s okay with me.  I get some good deals like that.”

Jen reached into one of the pockets of the closet and grabbed a handful of things. She turned back to Sarah and closed the distance between them. “Here.”

Sarah took the clothes that Jen held out for her.  Jen stepped past her and made her way to the door, closing it.

Sarah stared down at the folded clothing.  It had to be at least a dozen items.  She set the pile down on the bed and picked up the first thing on the stack of clothes.

“Oh, you’ll need pantyhose for that.”  Jen crossed over to her dresser and opened the top drawer as Sarah stared down at the ultra-short skirt.  Her heart did a back flip as she thought about actually wearing it.
What would my parents say if they ever so me in something like this?

“Here.” Jen handed her a pair of black tights.  They would keep her legs covered.

Sarah bit her lip.  She didn’t want to miss any chance to experience the English world.
I mean, I’m here. I should at least take advantage of it, right?

Half an hour later Sarah and Jen stepped out of Jen’s room.  Sarah wore a black skirt, pulled all the way up to her belly button with a belt around it. ‘For fashion’ as Jen had put it when she handed the item to Sarah.  She wore a bright teal top, and even with the black leggings on she felt like she was showing more skin than she had since she was a baby.

“We’ll have to see if you can slip into my shoes, but it looks like you’re a size or two smaller.”  Jen said, but Sarah didn’t pay much attention.  Jen had offered her one of her old bras, and Sarah was still getting used to the wire that was pressed against her chest. 

When she’d looked at herself in the mirror she hardly recognized herself. 

“Wow.” 

Dylan’s voice sent a chill down Sarah’s spine.  She’d forgotten he was here.  Her cheeks burned as Jen sat down on the couch beside him.

“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?”

“I’d say.”  Dylan gave her a soft smile.

“Thank you,”  Sarah said softly, circling around the coffee table and sitting down in a chair.  She was used to having to sit in a dress, but this skirt was short and, despite the fact Jen promised no one would be able to see anything, Sarah was very conscious of how she sat down in it. She crossed her legs and looked around.  “for everything. I mean,” She looked at Jen. “I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t met you.”

Jen blushed.  “I’m just glad I could help.”

They spent the night inside.  Sarah knew a lot about the English world, or so she had thought.  As it turned out she still had quite a bit to learn her new friends were happy to help her figure everything out.

They ordered pizza, popped popcorn in a microwave and put a movie on.  After that, Sarah got a crash course in computers, and when she lay her head down on the pillow in the guest room (having lost to Dylan in an friendly fight about who would take the couch) she felt like she was almost a new person.

“Are you sure you won’t want a ride?” Dylan asked.

“Yes, but thanks for offering.”

“You know, I don’t mind if you want to say ‘danka’ instead.”

Sarah paused, staring at him.  She had never thought that someone would tell her that.  A smile speed over her lips.  “Thank you.”

Without another word Sarah headed out the door. The truth was, she needed a little time to herself to process everything. The night before she had learnt so much, but she knew there was so much more to learn.

Her mind buzzed as she made her way to Johns.  This time, she didn’t knock.  She entered the house quietly, he hadn’t called her like he said he would which left her worried about him. 

“I just don’t get why you don’t send her home or something.”  Amy said.

“It’s not that simple, Am’s.  I’m supposed to marry her.”

“And you haven’t told her the truth?

The truth?  What was she talking about?

“No, and you’re not going to either.  This is my choice, and Sarah
can’t
know.”

My mind raced. I stood there, the door slipping out of my hand as a gust of wind caught it.

Smack.

My heart skipped a beat as the door slammed closed.

“What was that?” John snapped.

Sarah’s heart did a backflip. 
I’ve got to get out of here!
She spun on her heel, yanking the door open as she head John’s footsteps.  She fled out the door and down the stairs as fast as she could.  The skirt she wore today felt constricting against her, but she didn’t care.  She ran.

“Sarah!”  She heard him call after her but she didn’t stop.  She ran as fast as she could to get away from that house.  To get away from his voice. 
He’s been lying.
For how long?  Why would he lie to her?  What could he be lying to her about?