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Susan’s eyes widened even farther, and Rosa figured her sister might dash out of the room.

She didn’t, though. Instead, Susan remained in her chair.

“I need to say one more thing. I don’t expect any of you to forgive me, and I’ll pack up my things and move out of the house if you say so.

But I do want you all to know that I am truly sorry for my wrongdoings, and I confessed my sins to the Lord during church in a silent prayer. ”

A horse whinnied from outside, and Susan finally rose from her chair.

“Noah must be here. I need to go wash my face, and then I’ll go with him, because it’s the right thing to do.

” She looked at their parents. “Besides, I’m sure you both need some time to decide if you’d like me to move out of the house.

You can leave a note for me on the kitchen table, and when I get home from the singing tonight, I’ll see if Noah will give me a ride to the bus station.

” Without waiting for anyone’s response, Susan dashed out of the room.

Soon, her footsteps could be heard running down the hall and then tromping up the stairs.

A knock sounded on the front door, and Mom rose from her chair. “I’d better answer that and let Noah know that Susan is upstairs and will be ready to go in a few minutes.” She looked over at Rosa. “After your sister leaves with Noah, the three of us will need to talk about all of this.”

“You’re right,” Rosa replied. Although I’m really too exhausted to think clearly, let alone talk.

When Elsie opened the door, she found Noah holding the brim of his hat in one hand.

The battery-operated lantern on the porch provided enough additional light for her to see the eager expression on the young man’s face.

With his feet pointing forward and his shoulders straight and back, Noah announced, “I’m here to pick up Susan. Is she ready to go?”

“Almost. She’s upstairs at the moment, but I believe she will be down soon. Would you like to come in and wait for her in the living room?”

“Naw, that’s okay. I’ll just stay right here till she comes out.”

“All right. I’m sure it won’t be too long.

” Elsie stepped back inside and closed the door.

She hoped her daughter hadn’t changed her mind and decided to stay upstairs in her room.

If she did, Elsie would feel obligated to offer the young man some kind of an explanation, but it wouldn’t be an outright lie.

They’d had enough of that in this family.

Elsie returned to the living room and took her seat next to Mahlon.

“Was that Susan’s escort to the singing?” her husband asked.

“Jah. I invited him in, but he said he’d rather wait for her on the porch.” Elsie glanced toward the door leading into the hallway. “I hope our daughter doesn’t disappoint Noah. He wore an eager expression, and if Susan doesn’t come down, I’ll have to offer him an explanation.”

“No need to worry about that,” Mahlon was quick to say. “I will take care of the problem if it becomes necessary.”

“What will you say, Dad?” Rosa asked from her chair. “Surely you won’t tell Noah about Susan’s confession.”

“No, but I won’t make up a lie either. I’ll just say that Susan’s not up to going anywhere this evening.”

“That would definitely be true,” Elsie said with a nod.

She sat quietly, fiddling with her head-covering ties and wondering how long Mahlon would wait before he gave up on Susan and went out to speak with Noah.

This was a very awkward situation, and Elsie was still in shock from hearing Susan’s confession.

She glanced over at Rosa and noticed the lines of fatigue etched on her face.

Her sister’s revelation had no doubt shaken her to the core.

If only Susan had been honest and shown us the note she’d found that Rosa had left. If we’d received Rosa’s letters and phone messages, none of us would have been so worried about her. Disappointed that she’d gone off on her own, yes, but not in a panic because we thought she might be dead.

Elsie felt her pulse begin to race, and she knew she needed to calm herself before anxiety took over and she’d have to go lie down. Just breathe and try to relax. And most of all, don’t forget to pray, the voice in her head reminded her.

Several minutes passed, and then Elsie heard steady footsteps coming down the stairs.

A few seconds later, Susan entered the room.

The tears had been washed away, but the area beneath Susan’s eyes still looked a bit puffy.

Hopefully Noah wouldn’t notice or ask about it, so Susan wouldn’t have to offer an explanation.

“Where’s Noah?” Susan asked, looking in Elsie’s direction. “Did you tell him I wasn’t going?”

“No, I said you were upstairs getting ready.”

“Okay. I’ll just get my shawl now and go with Noah. I guess a few hours with other young people singing songs that bring glory to God will be good for me.”

Elsie nodded. “Jah. I hope the evening goes well.”

Susan glanced at her father and then Rosa, but when neither of them said anything, she hurried out of the room.

Elsie heard the front door open and close, and a short time later the whinny of Noah’s horse, followed by a steady clip-clop, clip-clop as the horse trotted down the driveway.

Mahlon cleared his throat and drew his fingers through the ends of his full beard. “Well, ladies, should we get on with our discussion about how we’re going to handle this situation with Susan?”

Elsie nodded, as did Rosa. There was no doubt—this was a subject they needed to talk about, and it should be done before Tena and Alvin got home.