The next morning, Matt came to collect Jane, and Sadie was right there to keep Matt up to date with recent goings on.
“Jane had a visitor last night,” Sadie was quick to tell him.
“Oh? Who was it?” Matt asked, sinking into the couch.
“Someone from her community ... and he came with a proposal.”
Jane heard what was being said from the kitchen. She put the last dish away, and folded the tea towel over the tap to dry.
“For Jane?” Matt asked.
“Of course for Jane.”
Jane walked into the living room. “Sadie! I told you that in the strictest confidence.”
“Proposal for what?” Matt asked looking blankly between the two of them.
“Proposal for marriage, of course, what else would he propose about?” asked Sadie.
Matt tilted his head to one side. “Someone has proposed marriage to you, Jane?”
“That's right.”
“I thought you'd never marry.”
“Well, you were wrong. I will.” She noticed he gulped.
“So you said yes?” His eyes opened wide.
“She’s considering it,” Sadie answered for her.
“Sadie, please.” Jane then looked at Matt, and sat down beside him. “Please don't let anyone know about this. Isaac wouldn't want anybody to know.”
“Especially if she refuses him,” said Sadie.
Matt shrugged. “Who is this 'Isaac' person?”
“He’s a neighbor of mine.”
“Jah, and he chased her all the way over here just to make sure she wouldn't forget him. He wants to marry her.”
“You said that once or twice now, Mamm.” He looked from his mother to Jane.
“You never mentioned anyone called Isaac in any of the letters.”
“Well, I didn't tell you about everything just like you didn't tell me everything about your intentions with these five women.”
“I see.”
Isaac did make her feel special. He had followed her and stated his intentions. That was something she wished Matt had done.
Jane hoped that Matt was jealous, but she didn't even consider that possible. She'd seen the competition and all of them were far more pleasing to the eye than she was.
“Oh, did you have big plans for us today?” Jane asked. “I’m hoping that whatever it is won’t take too long.”
“Why?”
“I told Isaac I’d go to lunch with him.”
Matt’s shoulder’s drooped. “You’re here to see me. Not to go to lunch with someone you can see when you’re at home.”
“Ach, Matt, stop being such a boppli,” Sadie crowed.
Jane found that a little bit funny and couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “It’ll just be a quick lunch for the very reason you mentioned. I told him I was here helping you with something.”
“Did he ask what?”
“I don’t recall that he did. Anyway, I didn’t—and I won’t—tell him.”
“What time is he calling for you?”
“About eleven, he said.”
“Then you’re mine for two hours?”
“I guess.”
“Come on let’s go.” Once they were in the buggy and turning onto the road, Matt said, “Tell me about Isaac.”
“Like I said, he's my neighbor. A widower with a young girl.”
“You forgot the part about him being in love with you.”
Jane looked at the fields they were passing.
Matt continued, “I'm your friend. Haven’t I told you all the details about my life? Don't you think I should have that in return?”
“To tell you the complete and honest truth, Matt, I really don't think I know you anymore.”
He took his eyes off the road and stared at her.
“Why would you say that?”
She breathed out heavily. “All this about you not knowing who you want to marry. It's all a bit strange. Do you want to choose between these women as if one woman is practically the same as another? It seems a cold approach and I never saw you as a cold person.”
“I'm sorry you feel that way, but that's not the way I see it. I've come to a certain age and I do want marriage and everything that goes along with it. I want a family to look after, Jane, don't you understand that?”
“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said how I really feel. I wouldn’t have if I had known you’d get upset.”
“I’m not upset. I'm pleased that you … um, respect me enough to tell me your true opinion.”
“When does love come into it with you? Don't you think it's important to love someone before you are married?” Jane asked.
“That's the way I've always hoped it would be … love, marriage, bopplis.”
She smiled when he smiled at her.
“Don't you want that, Jane?”
“That's what I've always wanted.”
She saw him swallow hard. “Jane, have you ever been in love?”
“Jah, I have been.”
“And who is he, or who was he?”
Her heart froze. She didn't know what to say. When she opened her mouth, desperately hoping the perfect words would somehow spill out, she looked up the road and saw a buggy heading toward them.
He saw it too and squinted. “That looks like Lanie. I wonder what she's doing out this way.”
Jane was saved from answering the question. What a relief! She hoped he wouldn't ask it again. If he asked straight out, it would be hard to tell him a lie. But she might have to tell a quick lie to save everybody from embarrassment.
When the buggies came level to each other, Matt pulled his horse up and Lanie also stopped. “Where are you off to?” he asked.
“Back to your mudder’s haus. I think I left my coat there last night.”
Jane remember that Lanie had been wearing her coat last night. What was she playing at? “I think I saw you leaving in your coat.”
“Really?”
Jane nodded.
“That is strange. I can't find it anywhere at home.”
“Maybe I'm wrong,” Jane said, with a quick shrug.
“It won't hurt to ask her. Mamm’s home.”
“What are you two doing today?” Lanie asked.
“Nothing in particular. I just thought I needed to take Jane out give her a break from being home with my mudder all day.”
“I'll keep Sadie entertained for a while, then.” Lanie offered him a big smile.
Jane knew that Lanie was trying to get on Matt’s good side and his mother’s. If Sadie really liked Lanie it would make things easier for Matt. It was an obvious ploy, but probably a good one.
They said their goodbyes when a car appeared behind Lanie, and then the horses and buggies continued on their separate ways.
“What do you think of Lanie?” asked Matt.
“I like her. She's intelligent and mature and ready to settle down. She already has Mary-Lee and I'm sure she doesn’t want her to be an only child.”
“For sure.”
Jane waited for him to say more but that's all he said about her.
“Are you going to marry Isaac?” he asked.
“Do you really want to talk about this? I'm here now because of you and who you're going to marry not the other way around.”
He chuckled. “That's how it started out, I'm not so sure it's going to end that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“We could have all kinds of men coming to look for you, asking for your hand in marriage.”
“That is very unlikely.”
“I don't think so. You could have five, and maybe I’ll be helping you to choose between them.”
“Nee, that would never happen. I can make up my own mind. We are here to find you a fraa. That's all I want to think about.”
“So you haven't given an answer?”
Was he talking about Isaac? “About what?”
“An answer about marriage to Isaac.”
“Nee, I haven't given him an answer. And I’d rather not talk about myself or my life. I'll find you a fraa, I'll go home and then we may or may not keep writing to one another. Those letters will have to include your wife of course, once you’re a married man.”
“And your new husband,” he shot straight back at her.
She glanced over at him disapprovingly, and shook her head.