[Desert Roses 02] - Across the Years Read Free Page A

whispered. She leaned against the chest for support and buried her face in her hands. Tears came again, but this time they seemed to stretch across the years to that day when hope had died.
    She could remember exactly what she’d been doing—what she’d been wearing when word came of Ethan’s sacrifice and bravery. That morning she had donned her two-piece salmon-colored dress—the one she’d worn when they’d married. The skirt fell just about eight inches off the floor, allowing her to show off the sweet little button-up boots Ethan had bought her just before he’d gone off to war. She liked to wear this outfit because it made her feel close to Ethan, and she always dreamed of wearing it when he arrived back home.
    But, of course, he hadn’t come home.
    That August in Baltimore had been very warm, but a cold chill had permeated the house after word of Ethan’s death. Only the news that she carried Ethan’s unborn child had kept Ashley from throwing herself into the harbor. For days she had refused to see anyone, barely dragging herself from bed each morning.
    Her mother, a socialite who valued her position and status more than her daughter, had cut off all communication with Ashley when news had arrived of her marriage to Ethan Reynolds. The man was of no account as far as her motherwas concerned. As a student of architectural studies, he could hardly hope to go far; besides, his parents were common factory workers.
    After Ethan had joined the army, Leticia Murphy had fought to get her daughter to annul the marriage but without any luck. When this failed, she made one final threat. The words still rang in Ashley’s ears.
    “Annul this farce of a marriage or you’ll never again have anything to do with our family. The choice is yours. It’s either him or us.”
    Ashley hadn’t concerned herself overmuch with her mother’s threat. After all, her mother was always creating tirades, storming around for days in order to get her own way. Ashley had thought of simply going to stay with Ethan’s parents. They lived just outside of Baltimore, and she knew they’d be delighted to take her in until their son returned.
    Then the influenza epidemics began sweeping the larger East Coast cities. People were advised to stay inside, to wear a mask if they went outside—though the very smell of death necessitated one anyway. This made Ashley all the more determined to leave town and stay in the country with her in-laws, but then word came that both of Ethan’s parents had succumbed to the flu themselves. Ashley was devastated. She would have to write Ethan with the news, and she knew his heart would break.
    But before she could send him word, she was notified of Ethan’s death. Shocked beyond words, Ashley had sat around in a stupor for days afterward. Her entire world had changed.
    Somewhere, someone had told Leticia of Ethan’s death. No doubt she knew full well Ashley couldn’t afford the expenses that would come. Despite her grief, Ashley had already taken a mental tally of her assets and knew they were sorely lacking. No doubt her mother knew this too.
    Leticia Murphy came to the little house Ethan and Ashley had rented and demanded entry. Ashley had no strength to deal with her mother, but rather than order her to leave,Ashley waited to hear what her mother had to say. A thin ribbon of hope still existed that her mother, seeing Ashley’s grief, would find it in her heart to comfort her daughter. But that wasn’t the case at all.
    “You look positively ill—you don’t have the influenza, do you?” Ashley’s mother demanded to know.
    “No, Mother. I do not have the influenza.” Ashley wasn’t sure how to break the news that her look of ill health came from morning sickness rather than the epidemic.
    “Good. Look, I’ve heard of his death.” Ashley burned at the thought her mother wouldn’t even call Ethan by name. “We can still annul the marriage. You surely can’t protest it now. The man is dead