Acadian Star by Helene Boudreau Read Free Book Online Page B

eyes and saw the familiar girl from the rowboat standing in the doorway, holding a little boy’s hand. The little boy wriggled out of the girl’s grip and ran after a scruffy cat pouncing across the barn.
    â€œWhat’s the matter? First day on your new feet?” The girl’s eyes twinkled as she smiled. She tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear.
    â€œNève?” Meg asked. The resemblance was uncanny.
    The girl put a hand to her hip and stared past Meg.
    â€œYou know I hate when you do that. Yesterday it was Ginette, today it’s Nève. Really, Marguerite, your head is in the clouds these days. Why can’t you just call me by my real name? Ge-ne-viève,” she stressed each syllable.
    â€œGeneviève?” The name sounded odd on Meg’s lips. Geneviève. Meg sat up and blew a piece of straw from the corner of her mouth.
    â€œI swear, Marguerite, you’ve been acting so peculiar these past couple of days,” Geneviève said.
    â€œOh, sorry, it’s just that…” What could she say? Meg tried to clear her head. For some reason, Geneviève knew her as Marguerite. If she had any hope of getting back to Picasse Bay, she was going to have to play the part.
    â€œMarguerite! Geneviève! Joseph! Dans la maison! ” a shrill voice called in the distance.
    Geneviève’s back straightened.
    â€œYour maman wants us in the house. Maybe she has news.” She turned to go. “Joseph! Get Mache-couine and come!”
    The boy tucked the cat under his arm and took her hand. They disappeared out the door.
    Meg assessed her situation. Still alive. Still breathing. Patting her arms and body, she made sure everything was still in place.
    A hard lump from her apron met her hand. Meg pulled the oyster shell from her apron. A piece of paper came with it, crinkling between her fingers.
    Tante Perle’s note!

Chapter 11

    M EG’S HANDS FUMBLED TO UNFOLD THE PAPER . Could this contain the answers she was looking for? Would the note tell her what she needed to do to get back to Picasse Bay? She dropped the shell in her lap and read Tante Perle’s words.
    Ma belle Marguerite,
    The first Marguerite could not keep Geneviève from being
separated and put on a different ship during the Acadian
Deportation. This has left a curse on the Gallant family ever since.
    Marguerites throughout the generations have been sent back in time to fix this mistake and failed. My failure cost me my dear Ginette. Yours may cost you Nève.
    You are our last hope. The magic is in danger of being lost. If you fail, the Gallant legacy of broken friendships will remain with our family forever.
    Tante Perle
P.S. Think on your feet and you will find the answer.
    Meg stared at the paper. A rush of thoughts scrambled in her mind. The first Marguerite? She scanned the message again.
    Marguerites throughout the generations have been sent back in time to fix this mistake and failed.
    Could it be true? Her mom had said that most generations of Gallants had had a Marguerite.
    Marguerite. Perle. Meg. Was each Marguerite reliving the same moment in history until one of them got it right?
    The first Marguerite could not keep Geneviève from being separated and put on a different ship during the Acadian Deportation.
    She had seen Geneviève—she guessed it was her—being sent to a different ship just moments earlier. Was that the quest? To keep Geneviève from being separated?
    My failure cost me my dear Ginette.
    Ginette. Geneviève had just mentioned that name. Had Tante Perle been sent back on the same task and failed? Had she lost her friend Ginette in the process? Was she the friend who had moved away all those years ago?
    Yours may cost you Nève.
    Geneviève. Ginette. Nève. Were they all linked just like the Marguerites seemed to be?
    Meg’s mind raced between images of Nève and Geneviève. The resemblance was creepy. But Nève was back in