“The ghost did not step back so much as drift like a patch of fog, and Laurette noticed he was not actually standing, but floating, his legs slightly bent and close together, the toes of his boots inches above the floor. She hopped off her chair, popping the rest of the cookie into her mouth, chewing and swallowing, as she hurried around the table to get a closer look.”

Marielaure Fortune “Laurette” Duday is the eldest living child of the Dudays, born in 1873, one hour before her twin, Telesphore. Laurette is gentle, always the first to comfort a crying child or give succor to an injured animal. She will, however, without thought or pity, break the neck of any chicken her mother wants to prepare for dinner.