The Rescued

PRAISE FOR

The Forgiven

Keepers of the Promise, Book One

“A tender novel of second chances, endearing characters, and a can't-put-it-down story.”

—Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of
Anna's Crossing

“A gently drawn portrait of two lives renewed by the power of love. In this story of second chances, readers will come to care deeply about Rebecca and Matthew, as I did, and will look forward to the next book in this series.”

—Robin Lee Hatcher, bestselling author of
A Promise Kept
and
Whenever You Come Around

“With exquisite grace and unflinching honesty, Marta Perry once again takes us into the Amish world . . .
The Forgiven
brings together young widow Rebecca Lapp Fisher and tormented furniture maker Matthew Byler, but the book also has a story within the story—from the diary of Anna Esch, one of Rebecca's ancestors. This diary tells of how the Amish had to deal with World War II and the stigma of being conscientious objectors. But the big question is, how do peaceful people confront and deal with anger? The slow, sweet realization of Rebecca and Matthew's growing love takes us on a journey of healing and victory over difficult circumstances. This story touched my heart and held me captive until the last page.
The Forgiven
is a wonderful read that will bring a perfect peace to your heart.”

—Lenora Worth,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Bayou Sweetheart

“A born storyteller, Marta Perry skillfully weaves the past and present in a heart-stirring tale of love and forgiveness.”

—Susan Meissner, author of
A Fall of Marigolds
and
Secrets of a Charmed Life

“I just finished
The Forgiven
and loved it! As usual, Ms. Perry's storytelling is tender, touching, and full of gentle wisdom as she explores the flaws and struggles of her Amish characters . . . I especially liked the weaving of past with the present as Grandmother Lapp passes her legacy of memories to three special granddaughters. I can hardly wait to see what happens with Barbie and Judith! This is going to be a terrific new series, and I'm confident readers of Amish fiction will love it.”

—Linda Goodnight,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Memory House

“Five stars! Marta Perry's tender family saga of love and faith will touch your heart.”

—Emma Miller, author of
A Match for Addy

PRAISE FOR THE PLEASANT VALLEY NOVELS

Susanna's Dream

“[Perry] has the ability to make the reader feel what the characters are feeling and thinking. That is truly a gift.”

—
I'm Hooked on Books

Lydia's Hope

“[
Lydia's Hope
] has long-held family secrets, romance, and the chance at discovering family one never knew about. Characters are sweet, charming, and very realistic.”

—
RT Book Reviews
(4 stars)

Naomi's Christmas

“[Perry] never disappoints.”

—
The Mary Reader

Hannah's Joy

“Amish book lovers . . . you are
ferhoodled
if you don't go out and pick up a copy of
Hannah's Joy
RIGHT NOW!”

—
The Mary Reader

Katie's Way

“Superb . . . Magnificent Marta Perry provides another engaging Pleasant Valley tale.”

—
Genre Go Round Reviews

Sarah's Gift

“Perry's narrative keeps a nice pace as things develop credibly . . . between Aaron and Sarah; the legal challenge makes for more than merely romantic tension. Minor characters are also clearly sketched and differentiated.”

—
Publishers Weekly

Anna's Return

“Those who enjoyed the first two series titles will eagerly await this third entry, which does not disappoint. It will also appeal to fans of Amy Clipston and Shelley Shepard Gray.”

—
Library Journal

Rachel's Garden

“A large part of the pleasure of this book is in watching Rachel be Amish, as she sells snapdragons and pansies to both Amish and ‘English' at an outdoor market, taking in snatches of Pennsylvania Dutch.”

—
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Leah's Choice

“What a joy it is to read Marta Perry's novels!
Leah's Choice
has everything a reader could want—strong, well-defined characters; beautiful, realistic settings; and a thought-provoking plot. Readers of Amish fiction will surely be waiting anxiously for her next book.”

—Shelley Shepard Gray,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Amish Brides of Pinecraft series

Pleasant Valley Novels

LEAH'S CHOICE

RACHEL'S GARDEN

ANNA'S RETURN

SARAH'S GIFT

KATIE'S WAY

HANNAH'S JOY

NAOMI'S CHRISTMAS

The Lost Sisters of Pleasant Valley Novels

LYDIA'S HOPE

SUSANNA'S DREAM

Keepers of the Promise Novels

THE FORGIVEN

THE RESCUED

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

This book is an original publication of Penguin Random House LLC.

Copyright © 2015 by Martha Johnson.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

BERKLEY® and the “B” design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

For more information, visit penguin.com.

eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-13933-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Perry, Marta.

The rescued / Marta Perry. — Berkley trade paperback edition.

pages ; cm. — (Keepers of the promise ; book 2)

ISBN 978-0-425-27142-1 (paperback)

I. Title.

PS3616.E7933R47 2015

813'.6—dc23

2015000853

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley trade paperback edition / June 2015

Cover illustration by Shane Rebenshield.

Cover design by Sarah Oberrender.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

This story is dedicated to my grandson, Tyler.
And, as always, to Brian.

PRESENT DAY:

Judith Wegler,
wife of Isaac Wegler; their children: Levi, 8, Paul, 6, and Noah, 3

Joseph Wegler,
Isaac's brother, 14

Simon Wegler,
Isaac's uncle; Emma, his deceased wife

Rebecca Lapp Fisher,
Judith's cousin; her children: Katie, 7, and Joshua, 5

Matthew Byler,
engaged to Rebecca

Elizabeth Lapp,
Judith's grandmother

Barbara “Barbie” Lapp,
Judith's cousin

LANCASTER COUNTY, 1953:

Mattie Lapp,
widow of Benjamin Lapp; their children: Rachel, 14, Nathaniel, 9, Toby, 7, and Anna, 5

Adam Lapp,
cousin of Benjamin, widower

Becky Lapp,
Mattie's mother-in-law

Jonah Lapp,
Mattie's father-in-law

Bishop Thomas Beiler,
bishop of the church district

ach.
oh; used as an exclamation

agasinish.
stubborn; self-willed

ain't so.
A phrase commonly used at the end of a sentence to invite agreement.

alter.
old man

anymore.
Used as a substitute for “nowadays.”

Ausbund.
Amish hymnal. Used in the worship services, it contains traditional hymns, words only, to be sung without accompaniment. Many of the hymns date from the sixteenth century.

befuddled.
mixed up

blabbermaul.
talkative one

blaid.
bashful

boppli.
baby

bruder.
brother

bu.
boy

buwe.
boys

daadi.
daddy

Da Herr sei mit du.
The Lord be with you.

denke.
thanks (or
danki
)

Englischer.
one who is not Plain

ferhoodled.
upset; distracted

ferleicht.
perhaps

frau.
wife

fress.
eat

gross.
big

grossdaadi.
grandfather

grossdaadi haus.
An addition to the farmhouse, built for the grandparents to live in once they've “retired” from actively running the farm.

grossmutter.
grandmother

gut.
good

hatt.
hard; difficult

haus.
house

hinnersich.
backward

ich.
I

ja.
yes

kapp.
Prayer covering, worn in obedience to the Biblical injunction that women should pray with their heads covered. Kapps are made of Swiss organdy and are white. (In some Amish communities, unmarried girls thirteen and older wear black kapps during worship service.)

kinder.
kids (or
kinner
)

komm.
come

komm schnell.
come quick

Leit.
the people; the Amish

lippy.
sassy

maidal.
old maid; spinster

mamm.
mother

middaagesse.
lunch

mind.
remember

onkel.
uncle

Ordnung.
The agreed-upon rules by which the Amish community lives. When new practices become an issue, they are discussed at length among the leadership. The decision for or against innovation is generally made on the basis of maintaining the home and family as separate from the world. For instance, a telephone might be necessary in a shop in order to conduct business but would be banned from the home because it would intrude on family time.

Pennsylvania Dutch.
The language is actually German in origin and is primarily a spoken language. Most Amish write in English, which results in many variations in spelling when the dialect is put into writing! The language probably originated in the south of Germany but is common also among the Swiss Mennonite and French Huguenot immigrants to Pennsylvania. The language was brought to America prior to the Revolution and is still in use today. High German is used for Scripture and church documents, while English is the language of commerce.

rumspringa.
Running-around time. The late teen years when Amish youth taste some aspects of the outside world before deciding to be baptized into the church.

schnickelfritz.
mischievous child

ser gut.
very good (or
sehr gut
)

tastes like more.
delicious

Was ist letz?
What's the matter?

Wie bist du heit.
How are you; said in greeting

wilkom.
welcome

Wo bist du?
Where are you?