
Produced by Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
TO CHARLES HANSON TOWNE - CHAPTER I - I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
CHAPTER II - I
CHAPTER III - I
In the glittering yet scarred world of post‑earthquake San Francisco, Ruyler Ruyler can’t shake the feeling that his wife, Helene, carries a hidden past buried beneath the city’s ruins. Their marriage has been unusually happy, but subtle shifts in her temperament and whispered hints from his mother‑in‑law stir a lingering doubt that something vital has been concealed for years.
Determined to keep their finances in order, Ruyler imposes a strict allowance on Helene, hoping discipline will reveal any lingering secrets. As she learns to balance ledgers and curb her fashionable excesses, the couple navigates the social whirl of clubs, boutiques, and high‑society gatherings, all while the shadow of an undisclosed history looms. Listeners will be drawn into a delicate dance of love, trust, and mystery, eager to discover what truth the city’s ashes may finally expose.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (225K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-06-30
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1857–1948
A bold and prolific American novelist, she wrote vivid fiction about California society, women’s independence, and the tensions of her era. Her bestseller Black Oxen made her one of the most widely read literary figures of the 1920s.
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