0425273059 by Miranda James Read Free Book Online Page B

what had happened. Something tragic, obviously.
    “ Grand-mère , you have got to promise me you’ll get rid of that woman.” Sondra pushed back her chair and dropped her linen napkin on the table. “I hate her, she’s always saying mean things to me when no one else is around, and I don’t want her anywhere near me. If you want me to wear that old moldy dead woman’s dress, then you’d better get Estelle out of this house.” She stalked out of the room, and no one made a move to go after her.
    The remaining eight at table sat in silence for a long moment until Jackson coughed discreetly. “Miss Mireille, I’ll be back with the main course momentarily. I’ll ask Miz Winwood to stay in the kitchen.”
    “Thank you, Jackson,” Mireille said. “Please tell her I will talk with her later.”
    The butler nodded and walked out with a heavily laden tray. Mireille offered her guests a shaky smile. “Everyone’snerves are a bit on edge, I’m afraid. There is still so much to do with the wedding so close now.”
    “Of course, my dear,” Thurston said. “We all know what Estelle’s like, think nothing of it. Now, tell me, who is going to sing at the wedding? At one point, I think you told me you were hoping that girl Sondra went to high school with would be able to do it.”
    Conversation turned to this and other details of the wedding, and Dickce was thankful they made it through to the dessert course without any further emotional outbursts. Sondra had not returned, and Dickce was a bit puzzled that no one appeared to be concerned about her absence. Perhaps it happened so frequently it wasn’t remarkable.
    Lance ate bits of his food and smiled vaguely at Benjy, who remained silent along with Dickce. An’gel joined in the conversation enough for both sisters, and Dickce was content to leave her to it.
    She kept hoping someone would bring up the subject of Melusine Devereux before they finished dessert. Her curiosity was getting the better of her, however, and she finally decided she might as well do it herself. An’gel would probably have a fit with her later, but so what.
    There was a sudden lull in the flow of conversation while the diners addressed themselves to the delicious white chocolate mousse Jackson served them.
    Dickce leaned forward to gaze down the table in her cousin’s direction. “Mireille, I know this is truly bad of me, but won’t you tell us about this tragic bride? At least I’m assuming it’s tragic, the way Estelle was talking.”
    Mireille set down her dessert spoon and stared at Dickce.
    “Would you like me to tell the story?” Thurston asked when Mireille did not respond right away.
    Their hostess nodded, her expression one of resignation. “If we must hear it, I’d rather you told it.”
    Thurston gave a genial smile in Dickce’s direction. “Miss Ducote, it’s an old story that has been handed down in St. Ignatiusville for well over a century. Nobody knows if it’s true, though I suppose we could find out if we really wanted to.” He laughed. “But it’s probably just an old wives’ tale, as I believe someone already said.
    “If it happened,” Thurston continued, “it was most likely in the decade or two after the War.”
    Dickce, along with the rest of the company, knew that the War meant the Civil War.
    “Melusine Devereux was the beautiful daughter and only child of an old plantation family. Their place was abandoned around 1900 or so, and another planter bought the land and had the house torn down. Some say Melusine’s ghost still lingers there in the woods.”
    Dickce shivered, although Thurston laughed at his own words.
    “Melusine was betrothed to a handsome young man from New Orleans, and everyone was happy. Until the night before the wedding, that is.”
    Thurston paused and glanced around the table, perhaps to be sure that everyone was listening. Even Lance, Dickce noticed, had fixed his gaze on the attorney, away from Benjy.
    “All day a storm had been