Hi Ted,
That seems to be the problem, then; Ashley will need to start an account. This may be a change from the last time she was able to subscribe, which is how her subscription "expired" - there may have been a period of time that users were grandfathered in.
Here's a little bit more of the benefits account users get when they follow blogs:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/following/
If you'd like some help getting her set up, I'd be happy to lend a hand!