Ashley's letters had grown increasingly morose in the last two months. She had once expressed nothing but affection and admiration for Richard. A year ago, he had swept her from her feet and brought her a level of joy and contentment she had never felt before, but something had gone wrong. Her writings were now full of loneliness. Ashley spent nearly her whole day in the company of others but she felt entirely isolated. I did my best to comfort her in my own letters. I told her of my adventures, I tried to distract her with stories of local politics.
Her last letter had arrived just yesterday. In it she said she would be in the district sometime in the coming month and she intended to stop in and see me. The thought of seeing Ashley left me awash in a mix of joy and apprehension. Ashley's presence always brought a smile to my face and she could brighten my darkest day but she also brought with her a fear that rested deep in my stomach. For years she and I had been close friends, and I had gained her trust to a level that few others had. My attraction to Ashley threatened to undo the relationship I had built with her. Her position itself would never allow the two of us to be any more than close friends. All else aside, whatever tiny fragment of hope remained within me been had crushed by her marriage to Richard. She would see any indication of my feelings for her as a deep betrayal.