Page 5 of A Bridge Through Time
"Brave girl."
If you only knew, Ashley thought. Aloud, she responded to Edna. "I just needed to get away. To push myself out of my comfort zone." Ashley was actually very proud of herself. This was the bravest thing she’d ever done.
"What does your family think of this? Aren't they worried about you?"
"My parents are both deceased, so I’m on my own. I was their only child."
"I'm so sorry, Ashley. I didn't mean to pry." Sympathy was evident in Edna’s eyes.
"No worries, Edna. I still miss them terribly, but it's gotten easier with time." Her eyes started to well up and she stared at her food until she got the tears under control.
"I hope I didn't upset you, dear. Angus and I have had our share of losses as well. It's just the two of us now. Our daughter, Arlena, would have been about your age, I think." She shook her head sadly and Angus reached across the table and silently took his wife's hand. They exchanged a loving look. "We've found family all around us and you will too; I just know it, Ashley." Edna was staring into the fire now, almost in a trance. "Yes, you'll meet a handsome young man and even though you'll seem like you're from two different worlds, you'll fall in love and his family will become yours."
What a strange thing to say. Ashley thought Edna sounded like a fortuneteller or something. Edna looked back at Ashley and her whole demeanor changed, smiling and upbeat again. "Listen to me," she laughed. "You'd think I could predict the future."
Ashley was a bit disappointed; she had secretly hoped Edna could, because that was exactly what she had been dreaming of. A handsome man, falling in love, becoming part of his family…it was everything she wanted.
"Would you like to join us in the parlor for a little after dinner sherry?" Angus asked.
He speaks. Ashley hadn't heard Angus utter more than a handful of words throughout dinner.
"I’d love to, just for a little while though."
As they left the room, Ashley glanced at the corner again. Teddy was gone.
***
When she returned to her room for the night, Ashley noticed that the fire was still blazing.Odd,she thought.This is a wood burning fireplace. It should surely have gone out by now.She stood in front of it for a few moments, enjoying the warmth and the glow it cast about the room. Drinks with Edna and Angus had been pleasant. They were a warm and devoted couple. They had treated her as if she was one of their own, and Ashley truly appreciated it. She needed the feeling of belonging, more than she realized.
Ashley put on her pajamas and then curled up in the chair by the window. Staring out through the glass, she thought she saw a solitary figure staring up at her window from the shelter of the trees beyond the garden. She shivered and got up to make sure the door to her room was locked. When she checked again, whoever it was had vanished. Ashley shook her head at herself – the strange interaction with that Teddy guy in the dining room obviously had her on edge, but at least he was gone now.
The fireplace crackled as she climbed into bed, and after some initial tossing and turning, Ashley fell into a deep sleep. She dreamed of a very handsome man with soft grey eyes, which twinkled as he smiled at her. His glorious smile made her weak in the knees. When he held his hand out to her, Ashley took it, feeling an electric charge run up her arm and through her body.He pulled her into his arms and she rested her head on his very solid chest. She could hear his heart beating and feel his warm breath as he whispered in her ear. "I'm waiting for ye, Ashley love." This was the first time he had spoken to her and his voice did not disappoint. He held her close and she felt safe and loved in a way she never had before. The comfort and warmth she felt in his arms was beyond anything she had ever hoped to experience.
“This is where I belong,” she sighed in her sleep.
SIX
Ashley woke to the sounds of howling wind and rain pelting her windows. She couldn't tell what time it was, but assumed it was morning, even though it was dark and gloomy outside. She snuggled deeper into the blankets with a contented smile on her face. As she laid there, eyes closed, the atmosphere in the room began to change.He’s here, she thought, and as she turned onto her side, she saw him taking shape. ‘Grey Eyes’, as she had started calling him, was standing right next to the bed.
“I’m waiting. Hurry,” he said, and then he was gone.
“Hurry?” she said aloud. “Where are you?” Seeing him three times in such a short period was unusual, in fact, it had never happened before. Now if she could just find this guy. She felt like she was getting closer, but didn’t know if it was possible to find someone who was only a figment of her imagination.No, he’s real,Ashley told herself. She had never been with a man who made her stomach flip flop and her body tremble at his touch, but Grey Eyes did it to her every time. What she wouldn't give to experience such a reaction to a man in real life.
As she was throwing off the covers, there was a knock at her door.
"Who's there?"
"It's just me, dear – Edna."
Ashley opened the door, to be greeted by her own personal ray of sunshine on this dark and rainy day.
"I thought you might like to have breakfast in your room this morning." Edna bustled across to a small table near the fireplace. "It's going to be a bit gloomy today. The rain should let up enough for you to explore our small town a little later, but in the meantime, you can relax and enjoy some down time."
"Thank you, Edna. That’s so thoughtful of you. It looks wonderful."
"There’s tea and scones, eggs, bacon, and some oatmeal with honey."
"Wow. That’s a lot of food. You really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble," Ashley protested.
