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Anna fidgeted as the horse slowed in front of the house and the black carriage carrying Adam’s other sister rocked to a stop. A man wearing a black-brimmed hat tied off the reins and exited the buggy without offering a greeting to Grace or even acknowledging their presence on the porch.
The man extended his hand through the shadowed interior and a slender hand filled his. Her porcelain face caught the light and Annalise immediately categorized her as a woman who had such natural beauty, makeup would only diminish her perfection.
Dark, feathered lashes emphasized the symmetry of her eyes. Her nose was small and straight. Her lips full and pink. While Grace possessed more elfin features, her sister had a more regal beauty. And by the severe part of her dark hair tucked impeccably tight into her bonnet, Annalise wasn’t sure what sort of personality to expect.
The front gate creaked, and the man ushered the woman to the porch, her eyes downcast. Her black apron cinched around her trim waist matched her bonnet. Also, unlike Grace, this woman had the height of a runway model.
“I will pick you up when the meeting is over. We will not be supping here, so do not ask.”
“Yes, Silus.”
The man turned, gave a quick nod to Grace and a sharp, unnerving study of Annalise. No one moved or said a word as he walked away. But as soon as he sprung the horse into action and the buggy was on its way, Grace squealed and yanked her sister into a hug.
“You’re here!”
The woman’s smile seemed guarded. She hugged her sister and laughed softly. Her crystal eyes swept over Annalise as she released her sister. “You must be Annalise.”
Her words flowed like poetry and she held herself with a certain eloquence. Annalise couldn’t stop staring. Everything about this woman was ... perfect.
Grace nudged her arm. “Anna, this is our sister, Larissa.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she finally said. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”
“Shall we go inside and unpack the items I brought?”
Only then did Annalise notice the suitcase by her side. Grace carried it into the kitchen. “I see Silus is his usual antisocial self.”
“He was summoned to the Council early this morning. I had asked Cain to deliver these dresses, but I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning, so I convinced Silus to let me visit. And now I have the opportunity to get to know our future sister.”
Future what?
Grace intercepted. “Anna’s still weighing her options,” she said slowly.
Larissa’s eyes widened. “What options? There’s only one.”
Again, Grace gave her a cryptic look. “They still have some details to discuss. Let us leave it to our brother to handle.”
Larissa rolled her eyes. “God forbid anyone else have an opinion about marriage around here.”
“Larissa!” Grace scolded and laughed. “Don’t be bitter about such things. This is a happy time. It will all work out.”
“You’re right.” She caught Annalise’s hand and squeezed. “I apologize if I overstepped.”
“No problem.” She was more curious about why Adam’s older sister seemed so bitter toward marriage. But she had a good guess. “Are you married to the man who dropped you off?”
“Married, yes. For now.”
She frowned. It was obviously not a happy marriage. “Are Amish allowed to divorce?”
“Not unless they’re called to their true mate.”
This was why Grace wanted to wait.
“Silus requested Larissa as a wife,” Grace explained.
“Did you want to marry him?”
Larissa laughed. “So long as the Elders approved his request, it didn’t matter what I wanted.”
“What? You were forced into an arranged marriage?”
Larissa kept her attention on the dresses and fabric she brought, unfolding each bolt of plain material and spreading it across the kitchen table. “Forced? No. According to the record books, I obediently obliged what my Elders asked of me.”
Annalise gaped at her explanation and Grace added, “Marriages are simple here. Once he shared Larissa’s bed after the ceremony, she had to move to her new home, which is all the way on the other side of the farm and why we love when she comes for visits.”
They just explained it away, like some archaic claim, some boys-club rite of passage. “But Adam said...” She frowned, thinking of all his promises and talk about soul mates.
“Marriage isn’t the same as bonding. Bonding only happens between called mates. Larissa or Silus can still get called. But Silus is older. He probably got tired of waiting.”
“That’s enough, Grace.”
“Sorry.” She blushed and whispered to Anna, “It’s improper to discuss a married couple’s personal business.”
Larissa straightened her shoulders. “And marriage isn’t uncommon for those waiting to be called. Not everyone shares my sister’s patience. Our parents, for example. They’re married and unbound.”
Unbound?
Larissa tilted her head, a faraway look in her eyes. “Called mates are rare. You’re very lucky to be called to a male as honorable as Adam. Not all males are as gentle and kind as my brother. He would end his own life before allowing any harm to befall you. I don’t know if love, even in its purest form, can create that sort of devotion.”
“That’s enough about that,” Grace said. “Which colors do you like, Anna? You’ll need four, one for wash, one for wear, one for dress, and one for spare.”
“And perhaps a blue one.” Grace giggled and her sister smiled as if they shared a secret.
Annalise cleared her throat. “What I’m wearing is fine. I don’t want anyone to go to the trouble of sewing a new dress.”
“Nonsense.” Larissa lifted a deep purple sheet from the pile. “I love the brighter colors.” She also reached for the green. “This one would bring out your eyes.”
Her acknowledgement of vanity was refreshing. “I like both of those.”
“And you’ll eventually need a black prayer cap to cover your head.”
That she didn’t like. “Can’t I just use the one I’ve been wearing?”
“Not if you get—”
“Shoes!” Grace interrupted. “We’ll need a measurement of your feet to take to the shoemaker.”
Whatever Larissa had been about to explain was forgotten. The following hour passed in a whirlwind of measurements and harmless gossip. There was a gentleness to the women here that Annalise found refreshing. While they relied heavily on word of mouth news, their commentary never came across as judgmental.
Larissa showed a curiosity for Annalise’s home life no one else seemed to share. Her eyes lit when they talked about Annalise’s independence and the fact that she attended college.
“Who takes care of the children if the mothers work?”
“They do.” Annalise laughed. “Or the dads, if they’re around. Each couple works it out. There’s no one-size-fits-all set of rules for everyone. But I know plenty of single moms who manage work and family just fine on their own.”
“But they have to need a man for some things.”
“Such as what?” Annalise tried to think of something, but she honestly couldn’t. “If there’s something we need that we can’t do ourselves, we can learn how to do it.”
“How?”
She shrugged. “We just look it up online or in a book. And if we still can’t figure it out, we can always pay someone to do it for us.”
“Because you have your own money,” Larissa said, her eyes full of awe.
“Exactly.” She didn’t want to shock the woman, but even sex could be a one-woman show. “It’s really amazing how much you can do with a little electricity in your life.”
“It must be very dangerous, living on your own.”
“Not really. I mean, bad things happen, but you learn to read your surroundings and carry pepper spray.”
“Pepper spray?” The girls laughed and Grace asked, “For what?”
“If someone tried to attack you, you spray it in their eyes.”
Larissa gasped. “That would burn, no?”
“Like hell.” They covered their mouths and she realized her slip. “Sorry. Adam keeps warning me about my language.”
The girls smiled and glanced at each other.
“What if a man wants you?” Larissa whispered.
“He has to ask. No means no. And we have plenty of female judges who work hard to make sure men who break those laws are punished.”
Larissa took a deep breath and then sat back in her chair, while Grace continued to pin the seams of Annalise’s dress that they were making. “It must be nice to have such freedom.”
Something inherently sad crossed Larissa’s face. Grace didn’t seem to notice, but Annalise saw it. And then she didn’t.
Pressed by an unspoken obligation to help any woman in trouble, she lowered her voice and asked, “Does he force you?”
Larissa’s head shot up, a dark shade of red tinging her cheeks. “He is my husband.”
“I understand, but—”
Grace placed a hand on Annalise’s. “You mustn’t discuss such things. We could all get in trouble.”
The color leached from Larissa face and she stood, moving to the window. Annalise glanced at Grace in question.
She slid the last pin through the hem and rose from where she kneeled on the floor, offering Annalise a hand to help her off the chair. “The men are on their way back.”