Destiny's Daughter by Langan Ruth Ryan

Author:Langan, Ruth Ryan [Langan, Ruth Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Published: 2013-03-26T17:17:47+00:00

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Lunch was a lighthearted meal, occasionally served in the elegant dining room, but more often taken in the bright, airy kitchen. Most of the women slept until nearly noon, and upon request, a maid delivered coffee and beignets or French rolls to their rooms. They assembled for lunch dressed in anything from cotton wrappers to silk peignoirs. Many of them wore their hair streaming down their backs, or pulled back with simple ribbons. In the bright light of day, their faces free of makeup and freshly scrubbed, without their finery, they appeared to be what they really were—young women who shared a bond of friendship.

The meal was simple. The cook had made a gumbo, which she ladled from a black kettle. Freshly baked bread cooled on a sideboard, along with slabs of cold meat and cheese. A basket of ripe peaches dripped moisture in the sun.

"This is wonderful, Thelma," Annalisa sighed as she finished her soup and bit into a juicy peach.

"Did you see Lafourcade last night?" Gabrielle asked, helping herself to a second bowl of gumbo. "He preens like a peacock."

The others laughed.

"I was stuck with Willis," Francine sighed. "The man is so pompous. Always talking about money. Sometimes I swear that man thinks everything in that bank belongs to him."

Delia nodded in agreement. "It’s the only thing he really loves."

Lowering her voice, Francine went on, "He’s so sly. Always dreaming up new ways to make more money for the bank. Last night he told me he’s found a buyer for Durier’s Park. Some eastern millionaire will buy the entire six hundred acres for ten cents on the dollar. Can you imagine?"

Annalisa gripped her teacup tightly in both hands, losing the thread of conversation that went on around her. Could it be possible that the Durier family could lose their precious plantation?

Shortly after her arrival in New Orleans, Annalisa had learned about the Durier plantation. Francois Durier, a transplanted Parisian, had brought a cosmopolitan flavor to his lovely plantation. All the roads had been turned into wide boulevards, with rows of stately oak trees offering shade. There were lovely beds of azaleas and camellias, and formal rose gardens with decorative topiary trees and carefully manicured hedges. The mansion, three stories tall, with wide, pillared steps and an elaborate upper balcony, was designed in the Greek Revival style. During his lifetime, it had been a magnificent showplace, filled with the finest furnishings from Europe. Riverboats delivered elegant wallcoverings from Paris, as well as chandeliers, silver and crystal, and marble statues from Italy. It was called Durier’s Park because every year the entire population of New Orleans was invited to a summer picnic, with games and pony rides for the children, and exotic food and refreshment for the adults. After Durier’s death at Richmond, his widow and young son valiantly tried to maintain the estate. With their servants scattered, their crops destroyed, and many of their outbuildings burned, Durier’s Park fell into disrepair. Most of the lovely furnishings and antiques were sold to pay off their mounting debts.

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