The Amish Nanny (51 page)

When Herr Lauten finished reading the letter, there wasn't a dry eye among us. So much guilt, so much regret, so much pain. I was reminded, yet again, of all the suffering that had come before, and I was grateful for the life I had and the freedoms that came with it.

Our mood was somber as our guests arrived, and we all headed into the dining room for the clearing of the title and the sale of the land. Word had spread, calls had been made, and in the end even more people had come along than we had expected, including Herr Lauten's banker, a notary, a
transcriptionist, a newspaper reporter, three representatives of the land and property commission, members of the historical committee, and more.

The judge, the notary, and the transcriber sat on one side of the table, and Betsy Holt, Herr Lauten, Alice, and I sat on the other. Behind us stood everyone else, including the land and property commission officials, who had apparently agreed to come along so that if all went as planned, they could officially terminate their intentions to install a hydro plant on the property next door.

Fortunately, after reading through the agreement, both the judge and the lawyer felt it was sound. The other stipulations regarding the sale of the land were easily met by those of us who had gathered here, primarily having to do with order of inheritance, process of sale, and the intention that no expiration date be attached to the arrangement.

Finally, the judge looked up from all of the paperwork, focused in on Alice, and addressed her solemnly in English.

“As a direct descendant of Ulrich Kessler, how do you hereby exercise your rights with regards to the land described in these documents? Do you choose to purchase the property for the amount stipulated in the agreement?”

Alice nodded, but the transcriber asked for a verbal reply. Alice cleared her throat and said, “Yes. I would like to buy it.”

“Very good,” the judge said. “I am hereby clearing this title of all attachments and infringements. It may now be sold.”

That caused a flurry of activity as the necessary documents were gathered and slid in front of me and then her for us to sign. We signed and signed, and when all was said and done, Alice quipped, “Now that my name's on the bottom line, I suppose I should ask how much I'm paying for it.”

Everyone laughed, and only then did I realize that one of the men behind us was tapping away furiously on a calculator. He had to convert currencies between Swiss francs and dollars, both in 1877 and now. “When all was said and done, he gave us the option of two prices. The agreement had specified that the property be sold back to the Kesslers for the same price Abraham had paid for it, but it didn't say whether that amount was to be adjusted for inflation or not.

“Let's hear both,” Daniel said, his eyes sparkling.

“Very well,” the banker replied. “If we adjust for inflation, Alice Beiler owes Frannie Lantz four hundred thousand eight hundred sixty-two dollars and fifty nine cents.”

“And if we don't?” I asked, swallowing hard at such a massive amount of money.

“Then she owes you just sixteen thousand twelve dollars and four cents.”

For some reason, everyone looked to me as if I had a decision to make.

There was no decision here. I knew exactly what my grandmother's intention was. She had all the money she needed, gained from the sale of Amielbach twenty-four years ago. Now it was Alice's turn to secure a nest egg for herself and save her family's business. Though her profits
wouldn't be nearly as large as
Mammi
's had been, I felt sure the amount would be big enough to carry the Gundy family company through their current hardships and into brighter days.

Smiling at Alice, I held out a hand and said, “That'll be sixteen thousand dollars, please.”

Again, they all laughed.

Once we'd finalized that sale in every way, it became Herr Lauten's turn at the table.

“And now, dear Alice,” he said, “I would like to make you an offer for your land. Would you sell it to me, please? Against the advice of my Realtor, and despite the current market value, for the sake of Amielbach and as compensation for all that you have been through, I am prepared to offer you five hundred thousand American dollars for the Kessler property.”

Tears filling her eyes, Alice looked over at him and smiled. “Herr Lauten,” she said, “you have yourself a deal.”

Everyone cheered, talking at once. Soon the property had been sold to Herr Lauten and the historical committee had secured a guarantee of the protection and improvements of the land as an important historic site. Beyond the fact that Herr Lauten had preserved forever the beauty and ambience of his inn, I knew Daniel and George were also winners, having made great strides in assuring the success of their future tour company that would take advantage of both.

My heart was very full. Overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the well-wishers that pressed in on me from every side, I sought out a friendly face in the crowd. I looked to Morgan, who was high-fiving Daniel. I looked to Christy, who was hugging her grandmother. I looked to Herr Lauten, who was shaking hands all around and then embracing his son. I even looked to Giselle, who was speaking animatedly with the reporter and clearly talking about herself.

Then I looked to Will, his gaze catching mine across the crowded room. In that moment, his gentle smile was filled with gratitude, even as his eyes were filled with tears.

M
uch later, after all of the guests were gone and Giselle and Alice were settled in the cottage, sitting in the living room with Christy and Will, I went looking for Daniel. It had been a crazy afternoon, but now that we'd all had time to recover a bit, the mood was calmer and happier than it had been since we'd first arrived five days before.

I finally found Daniel in the dining room with Herr Lauten, Oskar, and Morgan. Now that the waterfall had been protected, Herr Lauten was eager to finish the renovation and open his inn. At the moment, the four of them were talking about the gift shop and what they could add to emphasize its Anabaptist connection.

I joined them, listening as they discussed selling Amish-made quilts, wooden toys, and other fine crafts. Daniel had his laptop open and was clicking from site to site, showing the others examples.

“These sell well in the U.S.?” Oskar asked.

“Oh, yes,” Daniel said. “The Amish are known for their craftsmanship. These things sell like wildfire.”

I was glad to hear of their plans, and I knew several Amish craftsmen back home who would be happy to have a new outlet for their work.

After a while the conversation waned, and Oskar said he had work in the kitchen to finish up. Herr Lauten said he needed a cup of tea and followed his son. Morgan swiped a strand of hair away from her face and smiled. “I'll leave you two alone,” she said, standing. “I think I'll see what's going on down at the cottage.” She yawned. “Or maybe just go to bed early.” Her hand fluttered in a quick wave as she left.

“We should talk,” Daniel said to me, looking me in the eye. “Have you spoken to Giselle about coming back and living with her for a while?”

“Not yet.”

“But you still intend to do it?”

“I'm not sure.”

His face fell. “Will you tell me tomorrow, before you go?”

I nodded. I owed him that, at least.

He didn't seem distraught for long but was soon talking about the tours. “George has some great ideas about how to incorporate you.” Daniel went on to explain that they intended to market their business to high school trips and to families as I suggested. “You could do the children's programs,” he said. “You'd be so good at that.”

I loved the idea of it. I imagined preparing the scholars before we visited different sites. Having handouts and coloring pages for them, that sort of thing. All the while, traveling all over Switzerland and maybe to Germany and Italy too. It sounded like a dream come true. And yet much of my yearning for adventure had been satisfied by this trip. What if I returned home and realized I didn't want to leave ever again? “I'll think about it,” I said. “I'll talk with Giselle.”

Daniel went on a little while longer in his excited way, but soon he was yawning too. I said I was going to head back down to the cottage and would see him in the morning before we left.

I prayed as I made my way down the pathway, asking God what I should do. Back in Lancaster County I would become an old maid. In Switzerland I would have adventures and excitement and the possibility of marriage. It wasn't that I was in love with Daniel—although I definitely liked him—but there was the possibility I would come to love him.