Unknown Woman

KERRY JOHNSTON STUDIED the brochures on New Orleans that she'd picked up that morning. Here she was, having lunch in the famous French Quarter, and she was feeling down. This trip was supposed to cheer her up after the difficult year she'd just had, not leave her feeling more lonely than ever.The restaurant she'd chosen, up the street from the Hotel Marchand where she was staying, had a charming Old World atmosphere and seemed bustling after the slump caused by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.Fortunately this area of the city was higher than districts west of the river and hadn't suffered as much flood damage. She surveyed the historic buildings with their lovely fretwork of iron lace. They reminded Kerry of elderly ladies dressed in their finest outfits, waiting for gentlemen callers.She winced. Maybe that would be a description ofherone day.Well, she didn't feel old and she wasn't waiting for anyone, but she sure wished she didn't feel so blue. "Here you are."The waitress, dressed simply in black slacks and a crisp white shirt, expertly placed a huge salad, complete with crayfish and a secret house dressing, in front of Kerry.The woman's name tag read Patti, and she was truly beautiful, with blue eyes and the blackest lashes Kerry had ever seen. Her smile was infectious, and her complexion, a blend of tan and rose, was flawless.By contrast, Kerry felt rather plain with her short spiky light brown hair and hazel eyes, her face pale from the Midwest winter.The waitress was at least ten years younger than Kerry, maybe twenty-five. She looked vivacious and happy with her life, and on her finger was a gold ring with an intricate rope design.From a lover? Kerry wondered. She sighed inwardly as her gaze drifted to her bare ring finger. Last summer an engagement diamond had sparkled there."Are you here for Mardi Gras?" the waitress asked in a friendly manner, placing a glass of iced tea and a basket of hot rolls on the table."Well, not the whole season," Kerry replied, returning the smile. "I have a week. The trip was a birthday present from my friends back home.""How nice of them. Where do these friends live? Perhaps I can meet them?"Her soft laughter was enchanting. This woman was exotic and beautiful enough to be a movie star.Kerry felt as stale as day-old bread. "White Bear Lake, Minnesota -- a tiny place that no one's ever heard of. It's near the St. Paul-Minneapolis area.""It sounds charming," Patti said."Are you a native of New Orleans?" Kerry asked, thinking her accent and manner of speaking suggested that."Mais oui.""Creole?" Kerry asked, smiling at the obvious pride in the lilting voice. From a TV documentary, she knew those of Creole descent often prided themselves on speaking fluent French without the patois of the Cajun population."Yes. My people have been here a long time. We are descended from the same line as Empress Josephine, who was born, as my own ancestors were, on Martinique. My family moved to Louisiana. She married Vicomte Alexandre de Beauharnais, son of the French governor of the island, and lived in Paris.""Where she met and later wed Napoleon Bonaparte after her estranged husband was executed," Kerry concluded, recalling her history lessons.Patti's eyes sparked with delight. "It's a romantic story, is it not?""Except possibly from theVicomte'sview," Kerry said drolly, causing Patti to laugh.A couple came and sat down at the next table. "Enjoy your lunch," Patti said, then turned to attend the new guests.Kerry wasn't sure whether the waitress's story about her ancestors was true or a put-on for the tourists, but she found it interesting. Just as she had been cast aside for another woman, Josephine Bonaparte had been replaced by a younger woman who could give the emperor an heir.At least Ben had married someone her own age, Kerry thought, a divorced classmate who'd returned to town for their high school reunPaige, Laurie is the author of 'Unknown Woman ', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373389407 and ISBN 037338940X.