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had explained what he had learned to his wife.
    The pamphlet was sprinkled with Bible verses. Leah was surprised to find them all in English. The Bible used in her Amish church was written in German, and only a few of the words made sense to her when it was read in service.
    But this—these words struck her heart. The message in the brochure was of hope and freedom. Incredibly, it did not include anything about obeying the Ordnung. No long list of rules to adhere to—nothing about the length of her skirt or the size of the hat band her daet and bruders wore. She found no instructions about the kind of fabric her dresses had to be made from, or the color, or the amount of undergarments she needed to wear. No directions about securing her skirt and aprons with straight pins. Nothing at all about verboten buttons or zippers. There was nothing mentioned about being a certain kind of person in order to deserve or earn her salvation.
    Leah furrowed her brows. Could it be so simple? The verses spoke of the futility of living only to do good—of trying to be the best for the sake of showing good works to God, family, and community. She flipped the pamphlet back to the front and read through the verses again. What would it be like to own a Bible she could understand?
    She remembered a group of Englishers who had stopped by her school one year when she was in the elementary grades. They had handed out small New Testament Bibles written in English. What had she done with the book the Gideons had given them? It had to be among her childhood things somewhere.
    She reread the verse on the front: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
    What could that mean? Leah wasn’t sure but knew it had something to do with her desire to be free from the Ordnung. Could that ever be a good thing? Maybe this was the answer she’d been looking for.
    Or maybe Matthew Schrock really was a sinful and treacherous man trying to lead innocent Amish into hell.

    Leah carefully carried a frosty glass of mint tea and a neatly made sandwich on a tray to the shop. Maem had asked her to take Daet his lunch. The gnawing in her stomach reflected her worry that Daet had something to say to her.
    To her relief, Jacob was working alongside Daet. She didn’t think her father would air the family’s dirty laundry in front of others. She hurried to the counter and placed the food within Daet ’s reach. He looked up, surprised she was there.
    “ Maem asked me to bring your lunch today.”
    “Yes. I see. Jacob and I have more work to do, Leah, but I’d like you to come back later—in about an hour.” He turned his back, dismissing her.
    The curt reply in front of Jacob embarrassed her. Daet was angry or he wouldn’t have spoken like he did, but his censure fanned a spark of her own anger. Impulsively she stopped, hand on the doorknob.
    “Jacob, I heard Martha and Abe went to Richland yesterday. They watched every movie at the theater. They spent the whole day there, and then they went to the mall and both of them bought new blue jeans. Martha said they had a great time.”
    She knew her observation would bait Daet. Knew it, and for the moment didn’t care. Her only thought was to shock him, to defy him and the rules he represented. “I wonder what a movie is like.”
    Jacob turned a piece of wood over several times before he met her gaze. Leah hoped he would side with her like any Amish teen would. But he dropped his gaze when Daet swung around and tossed a two-by-four onto the pile with a heavy hand.
    Daet ’s eyes scorched Leah like hot coals. He pursed his lips and sighed as he strode across the shop.
    “You’re forbidden to talk with that … that … Martha again until she comes to her senses and stops this nonsense.” He pointed a finger in her face. “ You want go to a movie, too, eh? You want to wear jeans and dress ungodly, too? No more of this! No