Ashes and Ice Read Online Free

footing with her married church sisters, but unlike them, she had no husband to keep her in line on Sunday morning. She was free to move about and speak to whomever she chose, and that made a great many people uncomfortable.
    This had been especially true in the oversized Presbyterian church she’d first attended upon her arrival in San Francisco. Women her own age seemed to scorn her, while older married women saw her as some kind of unspeakable threat. Grace found she didn’t fit in with the older widows, either. They were not of a mind to have a young married woman in their midst as they talked of death, childbirth, and their grandchildren. So everyone nodded politely when Grace appeared, then turned their backs on her and hurried away.
    Before long, it even seemed to Grace that the sermons were directed to her. Comments were made from the pulpit about sinful women who sought their own way in the suffrage movement, in employment, and in seeking to follow their own course rather than that of their husbands. Maybe she was just extra sensitive to the topics, but they made her uncomfortable nevertheless.
    After a while, Grace simply found it easier to keep to herself, and eventually she left the stuffy and selective congregation of Presbyterians and joined a small gathering in a newly founded church within walking distance of home. Grace had learned about the church during tea with one of her neighbors. It seemed the opinion of this gathering that people had gotten too wrapped up in man-made rules and regulations. The goal of the minister was to bring his small, but growing, flock back to some of the most basic biblical truths.
    That suited Grace just fine. Her hunger for spiritual truths had only been compounded since her marriage. Peter had no desire to make Bible reading and prayer a focus for his life. He’d chided Grace about things they could better spend their time doing together, and while she’d tried to take it all in stride, her heart was torn. Grace’s one consolation was Peter’s sister, Miranda.
    Miranda’s presence comforted Grace like no other. She seemed to understand Grace’s loneliness and shared feelings of her own that closely matched those of her sister-in-law. Miranda had few friends and knew the same sense of isolation that Grace experienced. Miranda became more and more compelled to participate in Grace’s daily schedule, and Grace, in turn, eagerly encouraged her presence. This became especially true of church attendance.
    It also didn’t hurt that there were several eligible bachelors in the congregation. Miranda had confided to Grace that she had begun to fear never finding an appropriate suitor, but now Grace saw her sister-in-law quite enthusiastic. After the service, a host of men descended upon the two women like flies to a picnic.
    “Miss Colton,” a handsome man with flaming red hair said, taking up Miranda’s hand, “I wonder if I might speak to you alone.”
    Miranda looked to Grace as many of the other congregation members filed past them. “I’m sure that anything you have to say to me can be said in front of my sister-in-law.”
    The man blushed furiously, his face nearly matching the color of his hair. “It’s just that . . . well . . . I wondered . . .”
    “Old Corky is trying to ask you to share lunch with him,” another of the men proclaimed. “But you can just tell him no, because I asked you first. Remember?”
    Grace wanted to laugh out loud at the man’s obvious devotion to her sister-in-law. Miranda, on the other hand, looked quite perplexed as she tried to recall the earlier invitation.
    “Miss Colton has no time for either of you gentlemen,” yet a third man announced. “I sent a written invitation inviting not only Miss Colton, but her sister-in-law, as well. It’s what true gentlemen of society do if they desire the company of dinner guests.” He hooked his fingers in his waistcoat pocket and leaned back on his heels looking quite