From the backseat of Quill’s car, Lovina stared as the two shadows in the distance parted ways. The girl hurried across the field. Quill returned to the phone shanty. A moment later the light went out, and then he strode toward the car.

Isaac shifted, craning his neck. “You think that was Ariana?”

That’s what Lovina had said ten minutes earlier. “What other woman would Quill allow to wag a finger at him? Who else would he then stand toe-to-toe with, talking for any length of time?”

“Why would she be out here?”

“To fight with him about helping the Amish leave.” If anyone could get Quill to change his ways, it was Ariana.

“You think he told her about the night she was born?” Isaac asked.

“Nee. He wouldn’t.” Did her husband know Quill at all?

From the time Quill was young, he was quiet and willful. When he spoke, it was clear he’d first thought carefully. He seemed to have a level of intelligence that she’d never seen in anyone else, and it unnerved her. Other traits came to mind too, like integrity. Still, she didn’t like him…or maybe she just didn’t like what he did. But observing him now, she couldn’t see him as someone who’d broken her daughter’s heart while running off with another girl. She saw a man committed to leaving her young daughter’s life intact.

He opened the car door, and without a word they were soon on their way again.

Wasn’t he going to say anything about why they’d stopped? Should they ask him about it?

Lovina had been shocked when he ran off with Frieda. The girl was sweet, but her health was poor, and sickness chipped away at her emotional stability until her only strength seemed to be what Quill could do for her. The more Lovina saw of him and tried to piece together what she knew firsthand with what the rumors said surrounding his Daed’s death, the less she understood what had happened to make him leave as he did. Whatever had happened, she had watched as the rumors and his actions mutilated his reputation.

The car hit a bump, pulling her from the rambling thoughts. Quill stopped the vehicle in front of the oversized, dilapidated shed on the far side of his Mamm’s property. He jumped out, leaving the vehicle running as he unlocked and opened the shed doors. He returned to the car and drove it inside next to their carriage. Their horse was in a small stall with feed and water, and Lovina wondered how many Amish people had met Quill here over the years. People’s ability to disappear during the night made more sense now. How much did his Mamm know of what went on?

“Kumm.” Isaac motioned for her.

Lovina grabbed the sack with her clothes and got out of the car. Her mind was every bit as weary as her body. She felt as if her heart were walking through a thick fog, dragging her mind and body with it. The horse lifted its head, looking at them inquisitively. Sadly, she didn’t have much more insight into what was going on than the animal did.

The inside of the building was lined with black roofing paper. When Quill lit the kerosene lantern, no light escaped to the outside. The faithful Amish weren’t likely to think that a run-down shed would be used as a meeting or communication place.

Isaac glanced at Lovina, and she knew what was on his mind. They would need Quill’s help again when they were ready to contact Brandi, have DNA testing done, and whatever else would become a part of this awful journey. What little she knew about DNA came from a lifetime of hearing about genetic disorders among the Amish. The Amish had their own Plain clinic for children with genetic issues, but they wouldn’t need that service.

With keys in hand, Quill gestured toward the open shed door. “I’ll step outside, and you two can change. Once you leave in your carriage, I’ll lock the shed.”

Their world was falling apart, and he continued to speak matter-of-factly as if none of what was happening affected him. She supposed it didn’t. Quill remained in place, perhaps waiting for one of them to ask another question or nod, saying it was okay for him to leave. They did neither.

Isaac stepped forward. “Was that Ariana you were talking to?”

Quill looked at the toe of his boot as he used it to tamp down some dirt. “It will be very difficult to keep what’s going on to yourselves, but it’s best to say as little as possible to as few people as possible. The last thing Ariana needs is to overhear gossip about this. You want to be the ones to tell her at the right time.”

Isaac blinked several times, looking a bit baffled, but she wasn’t surprised that Quill didn’t even acknowledge her husband’s question.

Quill fidgeted with the keys, rattling them in the palm of his hand. “Isaac, when you talk to the ministers about Ariana and the benefit, be aware that if they catch wind of the situation with Skylar, they could try to remove from your hands what little control you have in this situation.”

Lovina hadn’t thought that far ahead, but he was right. If the ministers learned about any of the compromises she and Isaac had made tonight, they would be held accountable. Riding with someone who had left the community as Quill had was forbidden. A baptized member dressing like the Englisch was forbidden. What would be allowed concerning Skylar and Ariana? It wasn’t as if anyone Amish had ever encountered a similar scenario.

Quill pushed the car keys into his jeans pocket. “When you talk to them, say that buying the café is about what your family needs, and God has given Ariana the dream and skill for it. Do you feel that’s a true statement?”

“Ya.” Lovina nodded. “The café would mean a lot to all of us.”

“Good.” Quill looked pleased. “Both of you have been very faithful to help every cause the ministers have brought to you over the years. Remind them of specific incidents, and explain how this is similar. Assure them you now need their help. They’re good men, and if you tug on their heartstrings before anyone gets a chance to stir up strife against Ariana having a benefit, you’ll win the battle.”

Isaac fidgeted with his Englisch shirt, apparently ready to get out of it. “What you’ve said is gut. Denki.”

Quill nodded and walked out, closing the double-wide doors behind him. Lovina set the bag of clothes on the trunk of his car. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail of sorts and brushed her hair in a way that removed the part down the middle. She and Isaac would get home around one in the morning. Did her hair need to be fixed in order to walk through her home and to her bedroom? She supposed that depended on whether they would bump into one of their children along the way. At least Quill had briefed them on how to answer honestly and yet tell them nothing. He suggested saying things like “we were out…together.” And then he said to smile as if it had been a wonderful evening. He called it the no-lie, no-facts zone.

No sharing honestly with her family? What an awful position to be in.

She heard the muted sound of a man’s voice outside the shed. Was Quill talking to someone?

She and Isaac froze. Had whoever was out there already heard them moving around inside the shed?

“You know the agreement.” Quill’s tone was calm and firm. “You shouldn’t be here right now. I need you to say not a word, not one. Just return home immediately. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“We have to talk!” Sobs escaped a raspy voice.

Isaac’s eyes met Lovina’s, and he mouthed the words Is that Salome? Lovina’s heart began thudding in her ears. If it was Salome…

Lovina’s knees threatened to give way. If it was Salome, Isaac had been wrong. He had been so sure and had even convinced Lovina that any rumors about a child of theirs leaving the Amish were just that—rumors. Pain shot through her chest, and she knew she couldn’t take much more.

“Ariana knows!” the voice said.

Isaac’s eyes grew wide, and Lovina supposed he was realizing the same things she was.

“I’m aware,” Quill answered softly.

Isaac went to the doors and pushed them open, apparently willing to reveal their presence. As he and Lovina walked outside, they saw Quill clearly directing Salome and Emanuel away from the shed, and they were about to get into the carriage.

“Salome?” Isaac’s voice held complete disbelief. “What’s going on?”

Salome turned, looking completely baffled. “Daed, Mamm, why are you dressed like that, and what are you doing here?”

Steely exasperation flashed through Quill’s eyes before he motioned for all of them to go into the shed. He then closed the doors behind them, appearing for a moment as if he would like to lecture all four of them. But Lovina couldn’t tolerate the questions pounding her.

What did Ariana know? Why were Salome and Emanuel here? How did they know to meet Quill here? It was too much to have two daughters under her roof whose lives were shrouded in secrets.

Quill leaned against the trunk of his car. “Before anyone speaks, think. You cannot un-tell something.”

Lovina knew there was only one reason for Salome and Emanuel to have this kind of contact with Quill Schlabach. “You’re planning to leave, aren’t you?”

“What?” Isaac’s eyes widened as he looked from his wife to his oldest daughter. “That’s not possible. They’re only here because…because…Why are you here?”

Salome’s face showed desperation and embarrassment.

Emanuel put his arm around her shoulders. “We didn’t want you to find out this way.”

“You can’t.” Isaac moved in front of his daughter, facing her. “Please.”

Guilt shrouded Salome’s face. “This isn’t a frivolous decision, and we will stick to our plan.”

Isaac paced the floor. “If nothing else, at least tell us you won’t leave soon, for your Mamm’s sake and Ariana’s. There’s too much happening for us to bear one more heartache.” His voice cracked.

Salome held her newborn close, looking completely baffled. “Does that mean you know where Ariana is?”

Isaac turned to Quill, desperation in his eyes. “Have you seen her?”

Quill nodded. “She’s on her way home.”

Salome breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s my fault she sought out Quill. She discovered our intentions earlier today, and we argued over it.”

Isaac’s face turned red. “I can’t believe you’d plan to steal away during the night. Why, Salome?”

“Daed, we’re suffocating under the rules. My daughter’s face is scarred for life because the church frowned on skin grafts. It wasn’t their decision to make!”

“They didn’t make that decision. You had a choice. Medical decisions are left up to the family.”

“You say that now, but there wasn’t any support for what I thought was best. Everyone quoted the Ordnung and scolded us about not trusting God’s will. The constant pressure to do things according to the Old Ways came from everyone—except Ariana.”

Isaac grabbed his forehead. “Maybe we did do that, and maybe we were wrong. We need to talk and—”

“No.” Salome held up a hand. “I won’t listen to one more word about how I need to submit to what everyone else thinks I ought to do or not do.”

Isaac rubbed his forehead. “You can’t leave now. We need you. Ariana needs you.”

“What are you talking about?” Salome asked.

Isaac nodded, and then he gestured from Quill to Salome. Explaining the events was just too difficult right now, so they listened as Quill laid out what might have happened the night Ariana and Skylar were born.

Salome reacted with shock and tears as she engulfed Lovina, and it brought a welcomed sense of camaraderie between mother and daughter. Lovina prayed that somehow, through all that lay ahead, Salome and Emanuel would decide that family was more important than any reasons they had for leaving.