CHAPTER NINE

Genevieve Robicheaux

“I know that you’re scared, but everything will be alright,” said Tailor. “Nothing will harm you here.” The young woman stared at the giant in front of her and the tiny Indian woman. Things were not as she left them.

“Maybe I can help,” said Alec, walking toward them with Lissa. There was something about the woman that he recognized, and if he were right, she was an ancestor. “My name is Alec Robicheaux. Who are you?”

“Robicheaux? I do not know you. You’re an imposter!” she declared. Alec laughed, shaking his head.

“You know, for someone who looks as though she’s about to run for her life, that’s not a very nice way to speak to the man who is trying to help her. I assure you, I’m Alec Robicheaux. My parents own this land.”

“No. No,” she declared. “My father, Raphael Robicheaux, owns this land.”

“He is the ancestor of my friend,” said Tailor. “Do you understand what you are?”

The young woman looked around, then down at her dress. She suddenly realized that she was not the same as the others. A pain, an ache in her heart made her gasp.

“Am I, am I dead?”

“I’m afraid you are,” said Alec. “Or you’re somewhere in between. We’re not sure why this has happened, but you and these other people who have died on this property were brought, um, out.”

“Out? Out of where?” she asked.

“That’s what we’re going to try and help you with,” said Lena. “My name is Lena, and I’m married to this giant.” The girl gave a small smile, nodding.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. But you’re both the largest men I’ve ever seen in my l-life.” She stammered the last words, looking down at her left hand again. “I’m not married.”

“We’re not sure,” said Tailor.

“No. I’m not married. I had an engagement ring, I think. But it’s gone. I was to marry someone. I can’t remember who it was, but I didn’t marry him.”

“That gives us a place to start,” said Lissa. “Do you remember how old you are?”

“Twenty. I was older than my sisters when they married, but I didn’t want to marry just anyone. I told my father I would only marry for love, and he agreed.”

“What is your name, sweetheart?” asked Alec.

“Genevieve. Genevieve Robicheaux.” Alec frowned at the young woman, looking at Tailor, Lena, and Lissa. “Do you know my name?”

“There is a story about you that’s written in our family Bible. The story said that you ran away from home to get married. You met a man from the North, packed a bag, and left with him.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No. I would have never done anything so shameful and hurtful to my father. Never.”

“Was your mother not living?” asked Lissa.

“No. I mean, yes,” nodded the young woman, jutting her chin out. “Father had married a woman from Germany. Hilda. My birth mother died, and he remarried, much to our dismay. I had several sisters, all married. Hilda insisted that I be married and leave the house, but my father refused to force me. They had many arguments over it.”

“I see,” nodded Alec. “I think that helps us to start looking somewhere.”

“Looking? For what?” she asked.

“Genevieve, I believe the men think that perhaps you died under suspicious circumstances,” said Lena. “Were you ill before you died?”

“Ill,” she whispered. “My stomach ailed me. I was unable to eat. Father was terribly worried and had called out Dr. Cobert several times, but he said it was nothing except a worried stomach. He said if I married and became a wife and mother, my ailment would go away.”

“He was an idiot,” frowned Lena. The young woman stared at her. “My apologies, but I’m a nurse. A very good one. I suspect that perhaps you were poisoned.”

“Poisoned? Who would do such a thing? I never hurt a soul. Never.”

“The man you say that you were engaged to, what did he look like?” Genevieve frowned at her extra-large ancestor, then paced back and forth, shaking her head. Why couldn’t she remember him? What did he look like?

“Why can’t I remember him? It’s as if I’d never met him before in my life. There is no vision of him in my head. None.”

“Maybe you didn’t meet him,” said Lissa. “Maybe this marriage was arranged, and you were supposed to marry someone you’d never met before.”

“Father would have never made me do that,” she said, shaking her head. She stared around the cemetery, watching as a strange woman with white hair strolled, speaking in a whisper. Ghosts were slowly disappearing, yet she and a few others stood there.

“Is this place magical? You all have a glow around you, an aura of light and benevolence.” Alec smiled at the young woman.

“This is the same place you lived all those years ago, with some minor improvements. For instance, every home here has running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity.”

“Elec-tri-citee?”

“It allows for lights to be automatic. No more candles or fire unless we want one in the fireplace,” said Tailor.

Her face was filled with horror, and she took a step backward.

“This is voodoo,” she whispered. “Is this where Madame Brouvon ran to?”

“I don’t know who that is,” said Alec. “But I can assure you this is the Robicheaux land. No one else has lived here since your time.”

“Madame Brouvon was a voodoo priestess. Father warned us to never speak with her. One of our neighbors, Jack Couvillion, he went to her asking for help with a delicate matter concerning his manhood.”

Tailor and Alec raised their brows, trying very hard not to laugh at the young woman. Lena glared at them, daring them to say something. They cleared their throats, nodding with concern.

“He went to her, and she gave him a tea and a poultice to apply to his manhood,” she said with a soft pink blush.

“Did it work?” asked Lissa.

“I should say so. They had nineteen children.”

“Well, I guess it worked,” smirked Alec. “There is no voodoo priestess here. At least, I don’t think so.” He whispered the last words under his breath, searching the grounds for his mother’s white head.

“Why would someone kill me? I’ve never harmed a soul. I was a good person. I had wonderful friends, and I adored my father.”

“I noticed that you didn’t say you adored your stepmother,” said Lissa.

“She-she was difficult to get to know. I tried. Truly, I did. I ran errands for her. I always helped with the household and the younger girls. She just never warmed to me, so I learned to stay out of her way.” Alec nodded at the young woman, wishing he could hug her, let her know that all would be alright.

“I know this is all a shock to you, Genevieve, but we’re going to try and find out what happened. Once we do, you should be able to follow your path.”