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Jemima slipped into the house through the back door and closed it softly behind her. She had just returned from a date with Brad. It was after midnight, and her shoes were dangling from her hands as she tiptoed up the stairs and down the long moonlit hall to her own bedroom door.
She slipped safely inside and placed her shoes carefully under the bed. Then she trimmed the lamp, and lit it, preparing to undress.
But to her surprise, she wasn’t the only one up late. There was a soft tap at the door. Jemima’s heart quickened in alarm, and she padded to the door and pressed her face to the crack.
“Who is it?” she whispered.
“It’s me, stupid.”
Jemima opened the door, Deborah stood there in her nightgown. She pushed in as soon as the door was open.
Jemima closed the door behind her, and looked at her sister with some irritation. “What is it? Why are you up at this hour?”
Deborah gave her a shrewd look. “I could ask you the same question! You’ve sure been sneaking out a lot lately. I’m surprised how much you’re pushing your luck.”
“It’s late, Deborah,” Jemima told her. “What do you want?”
“You’re skating on such thin ice that I just want to review some facts before I skate out on the ice with you. You’ve decided on the Englisch boy, that’s your final decision? You’re sure you’re not sneaking out with Samuel or Joseph or Mark?”
Jemima pinched her lips into a thin line. It was a crazy hour of the night to have this conversation, it was none of Deborah’s business who she loved, and she had no idea why Deborah was interested anyway.
But she didn’t dare tell her so. Deborah had too much on her now to be challenged. She took a deep breath, and nodded. “I’ve decided. It’s Brad.”
Deborah looked oddly relieved. “Well, what are you going to do with the others? It won’t take long for word to get out that you’ve given away all your money. All three of those guys are going to be coming here to court you again. You’re not going to be able to put them off for long.”
Jemima bit her lip. Deborah was right, but for the wrong reason. She should’ve told her friends the truth as soon as she knew it herself. It was cruel to keep them in suspense.
“I’m not going to try to put them off,” she answered. “I’m going to tell them all. It isn’t fair to them to delay.”
“I agree,” Deborah mused. “Go ahead and tell them – the sooner the better! But it’s going to be harder to meet your Englisch boy on the sly once you’ve cut them all loose,” she added. “You have to be prepared for that. Mamm is holding Daed off because she thinks you’re meeting Mark or Samuel every weekend. She’s covering for you – or haven’t you noticed?”
Jemima gasped and looked at her sister in dismay. Deborah shook her head.
“You really are in your own little world, aren’t you?” she marveled. “But you better wake up quick, if you don’t want things to blow up on you. You have to be extra careful. If Daed catches you with that Englisch boy, then there’ll be fireworks!”
Jemima shuddered. “Don’t even say it!” she murmured fervently.
Deborah bit one thumbnail. “Daed might kill him,” shrugged. “I’d give it fifty-fifty odds.”
Jemima sat down on the bed, and brushed her hair a little harder than necessary. “You all talk like Brad is some, some kind of housebreaker. He’s a fine man. He says he wants to learn about becoming Amish,” she said.
Deborah glanced at her, but said nothing.
“He really is interested!” Jemima added defiantly.
“So you’re not going to be the one to change?” Deborah frowned. “I thought you were going to, I don’t know, run away with him and get married and live with the Englisch. Do you really think he could live like us?”
Jemima stopped brushing and stared into space. She really didn’t know the answer to that question.
“If I were you, which God forbid,” Deborah said devoutly, “I’d be thinking about how I was going to meet Brad after you set all those other boys free, because Mamm will be so mad at you for throwing them away that not only will she stop holding Daed back, she’ll be watching you herself.”
Jemima’s eyes widened. She hadn’t thought of that.
“Oh, Debby,” she gasped.
“Mmm-hmm. So, you need to be setting things up now, before you let the others go, so Mamm can okay your outings before she knows what they’re really for.”
Jemima hung her head sadly. “Oh, Deborah, you make it sound so – so sneaky.”
“Do you want to see him, or not?”
“Oh, I have to see him!”
Deborah sighed and looked at her ruefully. “You are my sister, Jemima, but honestly. God knew what he was doing when he made you beautiful,” she mused, “because you are the woolly lamb of the world. You’re lucky I’m here to hold your hand, or things would’ve gone bad for you long before now.”
Jemima looked up at that, and eyed her sister doubtfully. “Why are you helping me?” she asked. “You never gave me an explanation that made any sense. Why do you care if Brad and I get together?”
Deborah gave her a shrewd look, as if she was weighing her answer. After a long moment, she shrugged.
“Because I’m in love with Mark, that’s why!”
“What?”
“If you’d been paying any attention at all, you would’ve seen it,” Deborah told her, shaking her head.
“Oh, Debby, I didn’t dream—” Jemima wailed softly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Deborah gave her such a wry look that Jemima felt her own face going hot. “Oh – yes. I guess it would have been – very awkward.”
“I know it’s a hopeless case,” Deborah sighed forlornly, flopping down on the bed, “but I figured that if you didn’t want him yourself, maybe you could put in a good word for me – here and there.”
Jemima pursed her lips and nodded. Now the mystery was solved. That explained everything. But, even if Deborah was a scheming little imp, and bad-tempered and rude and not above lying, and lazy and manipulative and generally not to be trusted – she still was her sister.
Though to tell the truth, she didn’t know if there was much good she could honestly tell Mark about Deborah. But – then again – maybe Debby had been all those wrong-headed things because she’d been in love with Mark, and had to watch him fall in love with someone else. It must have been very trying.
She decided to give Deborah the benefit of the doubt.
“Well, Debby,” she said softly, “here’s what I can do, and I think it will work out the best. I’ll tell you what kind of girl Mark likes, and maybe you can – try to be more like that.
“Mark is very conservative. He likes a girl who has a sweet, pleasant personality, who says nice things about other people, who doesn’t complain.”
Deborah gave her a dry look, but said nothing.
“He likes to be the one to lead. He likes modesty, and a girl who holds to traditional ways.” She gave Deborah a meaningful look.
“And most of all – Mark hates lying, and can smell it a mile off!”
“Hmmm,” Deborah said primly. “I guess we’re both in trouble, then.”
