Ashlynn, Part I
by Melanie Ann Billings

“Happy Birthday, Sweetheart.” Ashlynn’s father handed her a small parchment scroll, with a golden ribbon wrapped around the middle.

“Oh, Father! What is this?” Excitement danced in her eyes as Ashlynn slipped the golden ribbon off the scroll and began to unroll it.

It is with great joy that Monsieur William Blakeley sends forth this invitation. Join him as he celebrates a day of love that will forever bind to his side, Madame Violette Miloshay.

Ceremony: The Garden of Duray, the 20th of July, Ten o’clock in the morning.

Reception To Follow.

Shock and sudden anger overtook her and Ashlynn crumpled the invitation in her hands. Shaking violently, sobs threatening to erupt, she turned toward her father.

“Why? Why now?” Her voice trembled. She watched as William Blakeley sat on the couch and buried his head in his hands.

Ashlynn threw the crumpled paper at him as she ran up the stairs to her room. Slamming the door, she fell to the floor in a heap of frustrated tears. It had been fourteen years since the death of Ashlynn’s mother. Never in all that time had her father shown the slightest interest in any other woman. But now… A new wave of tears overpowered Ashlynn. How could this have happened? Life was wonderful. They had each other and didn’t need anyone else.

Now that comfortable life was being threatened by an unwelcome invader. Her father could have told her before this. He should have! Why did he wait until everything was set in stone to tell her? And on her sixteenth birthday!

Ashlynn’s heart raged within her.

Slowly, the sobs subsided. Ashlynn lay sprawled out on the floor, the side of her head damp with all the tears she had cried. Sniffling, she raised herself to a sitting position. There was nothing she could do. She knew that for certain. Once her father’s mind was set on something, no matter what it was, it was permanent. The wedding was a week away. That meant Ashlynn had a week to say goodbye to everything she had come to love. The security of her father’s love, the special times alone with him working on the various hobbies she had picked up, all of that would be gone…and she would be here.

Ashlynn steeled herself against that name: Violette. Lifting herself off the floor, Ashlynn walked on shaky legs toward the mirror above the vanity to fix her hair and face. She would have to apologize for her outburst; that was certain. Above all, she could not lose her father, not to some selfish, high and mighty stepmother. Practicing a sorrowful apology in the mirror, Ashlynn gnashed her teeth. No stepmother was going to take her place in her father’s heart; Ashlynn would make sure of that!

Downstairs, Ashlynn’s father paced back and forth. He could only imagine what was going through his daughter’s head. The word betrayal kept running through his mind. It had been a poor choice, after all, to do this to Ashlynn on her birthday. He thought she would be happy, overjoyed to have a mother at last. How could he have been so blind? Because of his own happiness, that’s how. Violette was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to him, aside from Ashlynn and her natural mother. He felt certain that Ashlynn would come around, especially when she found out—

His thought was interrupted by the squeak of a stair heralding the arrival of Ashlynn from her room.

Ashlynn had to admit her father looked a mess. Worry lines creased his face and he was wringing his hands as he paced back and forth across the floor. He looked up as she descended. A faint glimmer of hope twinkled in his eyes.

“Father, forgive me.” At least it sounds sincere. The sarcasm that laced her thoughts had not yet found her voice.

“Oh, my dear! I am so sorry. It is I who should be asking your forgiveness.” His voice was tight with emotion as he walked towards her, arms outstretched. “I was so sure that you would be pleased. I couldn’t wait a second longer to tell you.”

Ashlynn clenched her teeth as he embraced her. She still felt robbed of the choice that should have been partially hers to make. She straightened herself, pushing away from her father’s grasp.

“I suppose all is set? The wedding will be next week?” She feigned a bright smile. Her father nodded, his eyes shining. Ashlynn sighed. At least the new stepmother was only one person. One person should be easy enough to deal with, easy enough to keep from being permanently wedged between her and her father.

“Ashlynn.” Her father took both her hands in his. “There is something else that I need to tell you.” She saw a minute look of concern on his face. The icy fingertips of fear tickled her heart. “Violette has two daughters. Both of them will be coming to live here with us.” He got it all out in one breath, just as Ashlynn almost lost hers to a swoon.

Quickly, she regained her composure, before her father could notice that anything was wrong. Words, words, she had to say something!

“Well, that is…well, wonderful.” She barely managed to get the words out. The bile rose in the back of her throat. Now she had to get back to her room, without arousing suspicion.

“I am so glad that you are taking this news so well.”

If only you knew. The sardonic thought burst in her mind.

“Now, Ashlynn, I know that this is only a little house and not quite big enough for five persons.”

That is an understatement, she thought.

“We will have to decide how to make it all work,” he continued. “I am sure that you and the girls will get along just fine, so I am not going to worry about sleeping arrangements and so forth.”

Ashlynn dug her teeth into her bottom lip.

“You will be able to work that all out yourselves.” He smiled at Ashlynn. “Now, it’s late. The week will go by quick enough, and I know that there are many things you must want to take care of before our new family arrives. So, off to bed, my dear! One thing at a time when the morning comes.”

One thing at a time indeed! Ashlynn thought as she scurried up the stairs to her room. After closing and locking the door, she seated herself on the edge of her bed and stared blankly at the wall. Two stepsisters? The tears welled up, blurring her sight. One stepmother was bad enough, but two stepsisters would certainly spoil everything. Her father was as good as lost to her already.

* * * *

The wedding was beautiful, but Ashlynn didn’t notice anything other than the three people who were invading her life. Violette was the epitome of grace and charm. The girls, Angella and Belinda, were soft-spoken and extremely polite. Before the ceremony, they had come looking for Ashlynn.

“There you are!”

Ashlynn jumped at the sound of a voice directly behind her. Turning around, she saw Angella standing there, smiling.

“We wondered where you were,” Angella said. “We thought it would be nice to meet you before coming home with you. I am Angella and this is my sister, Belinda.”

Belinda giggled at her sister’s introduction.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. The two girls were ridiculous. Both were wearing matching light blue dresses, with little golden ribbons cascading down their shoulder-length brown hair. Belinda, the youngest, had curly hair. Angella’s was straight as a pin.

“Is there anything we can help you with?” Belinda chirped; her eyes hopeful.

“No.” Ashlynn wasn’t going to say any more than was absolutely necessary.

Angella stepped closer to Ashlynn. Reaching out, she grabbed Ashlynn in a quick hug before Ashlynn knew what had happened.

“I am so excited to be getting another sister, and one so close to my own age! We are going to have such fun, don’t you think?” Angella smiled broadly as she stepped back from her impromptu hug. “Just let us know if we can help with anything before, during, or after the ceremony.”

With that, the two sisters turned around and walked away, leaving Ashlynn alone with her thoughts.

As Ashlynn watched them go, a tiny twinge of pain and fear bit into her heart. She frowned. They were pretty, and nice, and…too nice! She wondered what they could be up to. Trying to befriend her before their tyrannous takeover of her home and father? Ashlynn clenched her fists one at a time. That was not going to happen!

* * * *

And then the wedding was over. It had gone much more quickly than Ashlynn had expected. It seemed like everything was said and done in the blink of an eye. The carriage ride home was the worst part. She had to sit, facing her father and stepmother, watching them laugh and smile at each other. There was an awful lot of kissing, too.

To make matters worse, Ashlynn was sandwiched between Angella and Belinda. Angella kept squeezing Ashlynn’s hand and Belinda rocked back and forth, singing a happy song about love and family. Ashlynn thought she would be sick. Somehow she made it home with her sanity hanging on by only a thread.

“Girls! Take your trunks inside!” Violette called to her daughters.

“Just set your things inside the door, near the fireplace. We’ll decide where everything will be going from there,” Ashlynn’s father added.

Violette turned to William and put a hand on his cheek. With a quick kiss to his mouth, she turned to go inside the house.

“Oh, no, you don’t! Violette, wait a moment!” William pulled his new wife close and lifted her in his arms. She giggled hysterically. “A bride should be carried over the threshold.”

Ashlynn watched in silent rage as her father kissed Violette and carried her into the house.

“Ashlynn!” Angella was calling from upstairs…in Ashlynn’s room! Ashlynn ran upstairs so quickly that she didn’t even feel the first or last step. There, in her room, on her bed, sat Angella. Belinda was sitting on the floor…playing with one of Ashlynn’s favorite dolls.

“What is going on here?” Ashlynn asked, hearing her own anger drip from the words like red-hot lava.

Belinda immediately set the doll down and stood up, staring in shock at Ashlynn.

“This is a beautiful room!” Angella commented, as though ignoring Ashlynn’s outburst. “And to think, we are all going to be sharing it. Which side of the room would you like, Ashlynn? After all, it was your room first, so it is only fair that you get first pick.”

Ashlynn trembled. Share? Her room? First pick? She deliberately darted a fiery glance at Belinda.

“Father!” The scream shook the little house from top to bottom. William came sprinting up the stairs, Violette on his heels.

“What is going on up here!” His eyes were wild with concern.

“You never said that I would have to share my room with them,” Ashlynn replied, feeling her angry tears fill her eyes.

“Sweetheart, you knew that was part of the deal. There is no room anywhere else in the house; you know that. Besides, your room is nearly twice the size of mine. Each of you can have your own space and not have to worry about tripping over each other.” The sternness in his voice was replaced by a calm reasoning tone.

“I will not share my room with anyone. There is a shed out back. I will sleep there.” Her determined tone, Ashlynn reasoned, apparently caused her father’s eyebrows to shoot up in question.

What kind of game was she playing? He sighed. Best to let her have her way now. Eventually, she would come around.

“Very well, Ashlynn. You may sleep in the shed. However, you will eat in the house with us…every meal. No exceptions.”

Ashlynn hung her head in mock shame. This would most certainly show her father how much he had hurt her by bringing in all of these home wreckers. After a few days of sleeping out in the shed, he would come around. He would be begging her forgiveness and kicking Angella and Belinda out of her room! She smiled toward the floor where no one could see.

It took only twenty minutes for Ashlynn to gather together the few things she needed for sleeping in the shed.

Since it was summer, there would be no need for heavy blankets or heavy sleeping clothes. She slouched and wore her best frown as she carried her things down the stairs and out the back door to the shed.

Her father stood silently at the back door, watching worriedly. Violette came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her head against his back.

“Don’t worry. Ashlynn is going through a lot of changes right now. She just needs some time to figure out where she fits in this new family of hers. She will be just fine.”

Violette’s comforting words soothed the ache in William’s chest. He nodded and squeezed her arms lightly.

Ashlynn only needed time alone to work out the new family arrangements that had taken them all by storm. William turned from the doorway and walked back into the house, leaving the door open.

Ashlynn saw her father turn from the doorway and disappear into the shadows of the house. “At least he left the door open,” she said in a growl, under her breath.

The shed was very small, only about twenty-five square feet in size, and five feet in height. Ashlynn threw the light blanket and her pillow onto the dusty floor. She set her bag of clothes in one of the corners. In the other corner, she set her little oil lamp. A loud knock on the door made her jump.

“Ashlynn! Open the door; we’ve brought something for you.” Angella’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door. Ashlynn peeked through a crack in the wall. She saw Angella and Belinda holding her down-filled mattress, grunting and straining under the weight of it. Ash felt her face burst into flame. She could barely open the door before the words came pouring out.

“How dare you! Take that mattress back this instant!” Ashlynn slammed the door and two shocked little girls looked at each other.

“But, Ashlynn! You can’t sleep on the floor!” Belinda’s voice whined outside the shed.

“Come on, Ashlynn. We just wanted to make sure you would be comfortable, since you insist on sleeping out here,” Angella said in her best grown-up voice. She sighed and hefted the mattress for a better hold. “Let’s go, Belinda. It looks like she doesn’t want to be comfortable.”

Little Belinda nodded, her curls bouncing ridiculously. But before they walked away, Belinda sang out, “Just give a shout if you change your mind!”

Angry tears welled up in Ash’s eyes as she watched her mattress depart.

After an hour of pouting and trying to figure out what she could sleep on, Ash wandered out into the backyard. Up against the house were several bales of straw, used to help cut down the drafts during the winter months. She selected the cleanest-looking one and carried it over to the shed. Dismantling the bale, Ash scooped up the straw and carried it into her new little home. She piled the straw in the corner, near her clothes bag. Then she folded her blanket in half and set it upon the straw. That way she would have something covering the prickly straw, yet also something to cover herself with in case it got chilly.

When she had completed her task, Ash sat down on the little bed. She sat there, in the dismal darkness of the shed until the supper bell rang.



Be sure to check back next month for part two of Ashlynn, a three part tale.