Shadows From the Past
by
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Beth Kastner shivered, but not from the sudden breeze that rustled the delicate lace curtains at the open bedroom window. Shadowy images crowded her mind and memories long suppressed fought for recognition. She wrapped her robe closer and brushed a tear from her cheek.
I’m so worried that Jerry is serious about Carlee. I can’t let it go any further. Suppose what I suspect is true.
Beth had tried in many subtle ways to dissuade her son from continuing this romance. Nothing she said sounded right to her and had no affect on him. She had almost betrayed herself the day she saw the ruby bracelet on Carlee’s wrist – the bracelet that Jerry had given Carlee for her birthday.
We know nothing about her, she thought for the hundredth time. Dropping into the plum colored chaise, she punched the number for her son’s apartment in
“Good morning, honey. Have you got a minute to talk?”
“Just. I’m not even dressed, but court won’t convene until ten today. Judge Armstrong is not an early bird.”
“Are you coming down this weekend?”
“Yes, Carlee and I plan to.”
“Oh? Can’t you come alone? I need to talk with you.”
“About what?”
She raked her fingers through her hair. “We need to talk about this Carlee thing.”
“Carlee thing? What kind of remark is that?” The tenseness in his voice was obvious.
“Are you serious about her?”
“Very much so.”
“I don’t think she’s the girl for you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We know nothing about her. Why can’t you be interested in someone we know, someone whose family we know?” Jane, for instance. We’ve known her since she was born.
Jerry snorted. “Perhaps you’d like to arrange a marriage. Why don’t you look for a Shotchun in the Yellow Pages, or call some Rabbi? Maybe he’ll know of one.”
“Don’t be insolent, Jerome. What makes you think I want you to marry a Jewish girl just because your father’s Jewish? We’ve never pressed either of our faiths on you.”
“Sorry, I was being sarcastic.”
“Yes, you certainly were.” Her grip on the telephone turned her knuckles white. “What do we know about her family, Jerry?” Without waiting for his reply, she continued, “Absolutely nothing.” Her voice sounded shrill in her ears. “From what I’ve gathered, they’re a boring, provincial pair. Probably never even been out of that small town in
“Mother, that’s a damn snobbish remark. I can’t believe you said that.”
Beth’s pulse quickened. She had gone too far this time. Why had she said such an awful thing? It wasn’t like her.
Pushing her fingers through her hair again, she said, “I’m sorry I said that. You know I’m not a snob.” Her grip on the phone relaxed. “Forget what I said. Will you forgive me?”
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About the Book
What can a mother do when faced with the possibility that her grown son plans to marry a woman whom she suspects is the daughter she gave up at birth?
Beth has kept this secret from everyone including her husband, Norm. Only her best friend Joanne, who was with her through her teenage ordeal, knows the story. When Beth realizes that Jerry is determined to marry Carlee, she decides she must find out the truth. Turning to their friend Bill, a Private Investigator, she confesses her secret and asks for help.
Unaware of Beth’s suspicions, Carlee misunderstands Beth’s apparent disapproval of her relationship with Jerry. When Carlee learns from her own parents that she was adopted, she begins to suspect that she could be Beth’s child. Jerry and Carlee hire their own P.I. to search for her birth parents.
As the plot develops and new characters emerge, more questions than answers face the family until the full truth is revealed at the very end.
About the Author
Ethel Stambaugh was born and raised on
She later married an Air Force sergeant. Their nomadic and sometimes exciting military life, which included the heavy alert of the Cuban missile crisis, took her to a number of military bases where people from diverse backgrounds and cultures became her friends. From these associations and her extended family, Ethel draws insight and material for her characters and storylines. She has traveled extensively throughout
After her husband’s death she moved back to
SHADOWS FROM THE PAST, a contemporary suspense romance, is Ethel’s second book. Her first book, THE MAGPIE’S CALL, set in the mid 1900’s in