The Bishop's Daughter

   the

Bishop’s
Daughter

O
THER BOOKS BY
W
ANDA
E. B
RUNSTETTER
:

F
ICTION

D
AUGHTERS
OF
L
ANCASTER
C
OUNTY
S
ERIES

The Storekeeper’s Daughter

The Quilter’s Daughter

N
ON
-F
ICTION

The Simple Life

   the

by
Wanda
E
. Brunstetter

© 2006 by Wanda E. Brunstetter

ISBN 978-1-60742-032-3

Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations are also taken from the H
OLY
B
IBLE
, N
EW
I
NTERNATIONAL
V
ERSION
®.
NIV
®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

For more information about Wanda E. Brunstetter, please access the author’s Web site at the following Internet address:
www.wandabrunstetter.com

Cover art by Müllerhaus Publishing Arts, Inc.
Cover photography by Gloria Roundtree

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683,
www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.

To Arie, Sue, Betty, and Ada Nancy—
four special women who have taught Amish children
.

Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God
.
L
UKE
18:16
KJV

I
—I want you to promise me something.”

Jim cringed when he thought of all the times he had reneged on a promise he’d made to his wife. “What do you want me to promise, Linda?”

“Would you see that—” Her voice faltered. “I—I want to be sure Jimmy continues to go to church—after I’m gone. Will you take him?”

A knot formed in the pit of Jim’s stomach, and he nodded.

“I’m glad we adopted Jimmy. He’s brought such joy into my life.” Linda fingered the edge of the Amish quilt tucked around her frail form. “I—I know we agreed not to tell him that he’s adopted while he’s too young to understand.” She paused. “But I want you to tell him about the adoption when he’s older. He needs to know the truth. It—it wouldn’t be right to keep it from him.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And you won’t tell him until he’s old enough to handle it?”

“I promise I won’t.” Jim gritted his teeth.
Should I tell her the details of Jimmy’s adoption? Would it be wrong to let Linda die without revealing the truth?
He dropped his head forward into his open palms.
It would be cruel to tell her what I did when I know she’s dying. The news in itself might kill her, and it would certainly add to her agony. And for what purpose? Just to ease my guilty conscience? I did what I did because I loved her and wanted to give her a child, so I can’t let her die with the truth of my betrayal on her mind
.

“What is it, Jim? Are you all right?”

He lifted his head and reached for her hand. “I will tell Jimmy about his adoption when I think he’s old enough.”

“Thank you.” Tears matted Linda’s lashes, speckling her pale cheeks. “I love you and Jimmy so much, and—and I pray you’ll find comfort in knowing that I’m going home soon—to be with my Lord.”

Jim’s only response was a brief nod. The motion was all he could manage. He knew Linda believed in God and thought she would go to heaven, but he’d never been sure about all that religious mumbo jumbo. He only went to church when he felt forced to go—whenever Jimmy was in some special program. Even then, he always felt uncomfortable. Linda had said many times that she thought God had an answer for everything. But where was God when Linda had been diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago? And where was God when the cancer came back and spread quickly throughout her body?

Linda drew in a raspy breath. “Will you and Jimmy be able to manage on your own—after I’m gone?”

Jim groaned. He didn’t need these reminders that she was dying or that their son would be left with only one parent. “We’ll get along. I’ll raise him the best I can.”

“I know you will.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
If it were within my power, I would move heaven and earth to keep you from dying
.

T
ears welled in Leona Weaver’s eyes as she glanced around the one-room schoolhouse where she’d been teaching the last four years. Her days of teaching would have been over in two weeks, when the school year ended. The school board would have then selected a new teacher to take Leona’s place in the fall, due to her plans to marry.

“But that won’t be happening now,” she murmured. “I’ll be teaching in the fall again—not getting married.”

Leona closed her eyes as she relived the shocking moment when she had been told that Ezra Yoder, the man she was supposed to marry, had been kicked in the head while shoeing a horse and had died.

“Uh—Leona, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“What’s that, Papa?”

“The thing is—”

“You seem kind of
naerfich.
Is there something wrong to make you so nervous?”

Papa pulled in a deep breath as he motioned for Leona to take a seat on the sofa. “There’s been an accident, daughter. Ezra is—”

“Ezra? Has Ezra been hurt?”

He nodded soberly. “I’m sorry to be the one havin’ to tell you this, but Ezra is dead.”

Dead. Ezra is dead.
Leona sank to the sofa as her
daed’s
words echoed in her head
.

Papa took a seat beside her, and Mom, who’d just come into the room, did the same
.

“How did it happen, Jacob?” Mom asked, reaching over to take Leona’s hand
.

“Ezra was shoeing a skittish horse and got kicked in the head. His brother, Mose, saw it happen.”

The tightness in Leona’s chest interfered with her ability to breathe. “Ezra can’t be dead. I just spoke to him last night. We were making plans for our wedding, and—” Her voice trailed off, and she gulped on a sob
.

Papa kept his head down, obviously unable to meet her gaze. “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. It must have been Ezra’s time to go.”

Her
daed’s
last words resounded in Leona’s head. The Lord taketh away. It must have been Ezra’s time to go. She gripped the edge of the sofa and squeezed her eyes shut
. No, no, it can’t be! I love Ezra. Ezra loves me. We are going to be married in the fall!

When Leona opened her eyes, she saw a look of pity in her
mamm’s
eyes
.

“You’ll get through this, daughter. With the help of your family and friends, God will see you through.”

As the reality of the situation began to fully register, Leona’s body trembled. “The Lord giveth. The Lord taketh away,” she murmured. “Never again will I allow myself to fall in love with another man.”