Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green

Author:Jocelyn Green [Green, Jocelyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780802405760
Amazon: 0802405762
Publisher: River North
Published: 2012-07-02T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

New York City

Sunday, September 8, 1861

The cool brick wall felt good against Ruby’s back as she leaned against it. Finally, the soggy heat of summer had been blown away by the same cool winds that now pushed white-gold clouds across the azure sky. Church bells resounded from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, calling worshippers together for holy mass, but Ruby would remain outside the fence, again. She was not worthy to set foot inside the solid brick perimeter, the boundary between lost souls and saved. But if she closed her eyes while the bells drowned out the sounds of Mott and Prince Streets, she could imagine the wind on her face was the brush of angels’ wings.

Oh how she needed an angel.

The bells stopped their singing, and the sounds of a New York City street corner filled her ears once more. The spell was broken, but she did not open her eyes. Not yet. It was too soon.

If she could just absorb a shred of the holiness and purity that resided beyond this brick wall, she would stand here for hours and not complain. The rough edges of the brick poked and prodded at her shoulder blades, almost as if they were nudging her away. A rueful smile played on Ruby’s lips. Even the walls knew her sin.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

It was the only prayer she knew, the only one that came easily to mind. And it applied. How many times would she have to say it in order to be heard? She had already prayed it in her mind more times than she could count. And yet so far, heaven had remained silent toward her.

Hail Mary, full of grace …

Ruby jerked her head back, banging it into the unforgiving wall behind her. She must have nodded off again. A low murmur of voices began to grow louder. Mass had just let out. It was time for her to go.

Smoothing the deep mauve skirt over the hoops Emma insisted she get used to, she pushed her shoulders back and began walking down the street. She still wasn’t comfortable wearing such finery, but hoped it didn’t show.

By the time she got to Broadway, it was beginning to fill with an injection of fancy-dressed ladies and gents. Ruby pushed her straw and ribbon bonnet back on her head, revealing painted cheeks and signifying that she was open for business. With every step she took, she seemed to separate her soul from her body until her body was just an empty shell.

It didn’t take long for a fat, mustached man with spats on his shoes and a top hat on his ridiculous head to catch her eye and make some crude gesture. As he came closer, the grin widened until his eyes were only slits in his chubby face.

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