A Darker Shade of Midnight Read Online Free Page A

remnant of the beautiful woman she in the portrait came through. LaShaun once again knew why Monmon Odette was a legend in VermilionParish. Nothing short of magic seemed to flow from that smile. Yet, LaShaun also knew the truth.

 
    Chapter 3
     
     
    LaShaun answered by playing the song as though she were in a grand concert hall. She repeated the opening notes then let them tinkle like flowing water. Monmon Odette continued to smile as she sat down in the nearest stuffed chair. LaShaun ended the tune with a flourish that would have made any conductor proud.
    “Humph, now you’re just showin’ off,” Monmon Odette said when the final note died away. She put the walking cane aside and stretched out a hand to LaShaun. “Welcome home, my sweet baby girl.”
    LaShaun went to her. She kissed the hand that had guided her through childhood. Now the knuckles were knotted, the tapered fingers weakened by arthritis. Yet, the skin appeared strangely smooth.  
    “Bon soir, Monmon. You should be in bed.” LaShaun kissed her forehead. She breathed in the familiar scent of Cashmere Bouquet. The fragrance of lavender and chamomile came from another era.  
    “So, you finally come home. To watch me die, eh?” Monmon Odette patted LaShaun’s cheek.  
    “To celebrate your life, sweet mother,” LaShaun whispered. A tear slipped down her face. No need to make pointless protestations otherwise. They both knew Monmon Odette’s time on earth was growing shorter.  
    Monmon Odette shushed away her sadness with a soft hiss. She produced a scented lace handkerchief from the pocket of her robe and dabbed away the tear. LaShaun sat on the floor and rested her head in Monmon Odette’s lap.  
    “Don’t grieve just yet, Cher . The blood is still runnin’ warm in these old veins. I’ve got just enough time left I think.”    
    “Time for what?” LaShaun toyed with the hem of her grandmother’s cotton gingham robe.    
    “You’ll know soon enough. But tonight you need rest after a long journey. You’ve come back home through time and space I think,” Monmon Odette murmured.
    LaShaun looked up at her. “Has anything changed here?”    
    Monmon Odette patted her shoulder as a signal she wanted to stand. With a short grunt from the effort, and a hand from LaShaun, she rose from the chair.   Monmon Odette held LaShaun’s arm as they walked down the hallway to her bedroom.
    “Some things are eternal. The movement of the wind, the heat on the bayou when summer comes. All that is the same.”  
    “The land stays the same if people don’t ruin it. Like they ruin a lot of things,” LaShaun said softly.
    “Human nature doesn’t change either, Cher .” Monmon stopped and gave LaShaun a sideways glance. “The same deadly sins rule a man’s nature.”  
    “And women,” LaShaun added raising an eyebrow back at her.  
    Monmon Odette laughed and started walking again. “True. But age does make a difference. When you get to be old you look at things differently.”
    They arrived at the door to her grandmother’s bedroom. As they entered, LaShaun let her go in first. Then she fluffed the down pillows as her grandmother sank onto the bed. LaShaun helped her remove the robe and ease back onto the pillows. Once she’d tucked the vintage quilt around Monmon Odette’s chest her grandmother sighed.  
    “Thank you, sweet girl. Now sit with me awhile.”  
    LaShaun sank onto the cushioned seat of a large oak rocking chair next to the bed. A Bible was on the nightstand. “Of course. Shall I read to you?”    
    “Non.”  
    Monmon Odette closed her eyes after a few moments. LaShaun watched the slight rise and fall of her grandmother’s chest. After a while, she gazed around. Monmon Odette had redecorated. Her grandmother had a fondness for antiques, history and tradition. Yet, Monmon Odette was no old lady clinging to the past. LaShaun smiled when she saw the combination radio and compact disc player on the other wide