Read Day Dreamer for Free Online

in a constant prayer vigil. There seemed nothing sinister about the girl as she stood waiting impatiently for her to decide. Finally, Celine untied the plain cord that held her cloak closed.
    “Why are you so willing to help me?” Celine asked.
    “I’m offering you a way out of here in exchange for my own freedom.”
    Celine held out her worn cloak and they traded. Donning the fine, ruby-colored, velvet cape, her fingers trembled on the gold clasp as she snapped it closed. She waited in silence while the other girl adjusted the green cloak.
    When the blond girl smiled at her again, Celine was certain God had sent one of his angels down to rescue her. Celine pulled the hood over her wet black hair.
    The girl pushed her toward the door. “Keep the hood up, run across the street and get into the carriage.”
    “But the driver—”
    “He can’t wait to be rid of me. You, that is. Just don’t let him see your hair or your face. He’s a lout who won’t even bother to help you aboard. Just climb in and slam the door.”
    “Surely I could never pass as you …”
    “Where you are headed, no one has ever laid eyes on me. You will have a whole new life, if you decide to take it. By the time they find out you’re not me, it’ll be too late to do anything about it, and I’ll have gotten away.”
    “Will I be safe?” Celine could not believe she was actually considering this outrageous plan.
    “I would never send anyone into danger. So, you will do it?”
    The girl had her hand on the door handle. She opened it a few inches and urged Celine out into the rain. The carriage was waiting. The driver sat hunched over on the box. Celine could not leave before she asked one last question.
    “If I take your place tonight, what will you do?”
    She would not have thought it possible, but the girl’s dimples deepened.
    “I will fulfill my wildest dream. I want to be a nun.”
    The girl was furtively watching the driver through the opening in the door. He glanced over at the church and placed one hand on the seat, about to climb down.
    “Hurry! Before he sees us together. Keep the hood over your face.” She placed her hand in the small of Celine’s back and shoved.
    “But—”
    “Go!”
    Celine raised the hood and pulled it close to her face. The girl gave her another shove and Celine felt herself propelled out into the rain. She took a deep breath and hurried across the street. If God had sent the angelic blond girl to save her, she was not about to turn down such a gift.
    Just as the girl had predicted, the driver paid no attention when she ran up to the carriage. He settled back and let Celine open the door and climb into the dark interior. Before she had time to settle herself squarely on the seat, she was nearly tossed to the floor.
    The damp cloak offered her warmth, but she continued to tremble from more than the dampness. The carriage turned right at the corner and headed for the levee road. When one of the back wheels hit a mud hole, Celine nearly flew through the roof before she came down again with a sharp thud. She braced herself on the cold, hard seat, too drained to do anything but slump against the wall.
    It was a while before she realized tears were flowing down her face. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and then shrank into the corner of the seat and leaned her head back.
    There was no relief from her sorrow. She felt as weak as a kitten now, but earlier she had somehow found the strength to move Persa’s body to the small bedroom in the back of the house, lay her out on the bed and gently cover her.
    Before she left the room, Celine said a hurried prayer, hoping to speed Persa’s soul on to wherever it might be bound. Then, just as she was about to begin packing, she had heard the loud sound of men’s voices as they shouted to each other in the street. A glance out the front window told her it was the police pounding up the walk. She had raced out the back door.
    There had been nothing