PART FOUR
 

Monique layed the blue silk dress beside Marita on the bed and said "Try it on, beautiful clothes always make me feel better." With that said, Monique began to don her gloves and place her "haut couture" hat jauntily on her upswept hair.

"Where are you going?!!" questioned Marita, almost ready to scream. Monique knew she wanted to talk, thought Marita, yet Monique was ready to run out on her cousin, who happen to be in total despair.

"Clay offered to show me the farm in a carriage, mind you, not on a horse nor on foot.  And I accepted, now no need to warn me to be careful of your backward, country white folk dear- we'll never leave the land," Monique said with a smirk in the mirror.

" I don't worry about the people of Lexington hurting you, dear cousin, but the other way around, if it were up to you you'd turn this town into cosmopolitan Paris, where everyone went to soirees and carriage rides with anyone they please, colored, white, a stable boy, or a businessman." responded Marita.

"As it should be, Marita, this pretty package..," Monique said with a wave of her hand towards her face, "is merely that. A dressing for the real gift inside, If people choose to be ignorant, barbarians because of my color or class, well then they are more shallow than even the worst debutante. Have a
good afternoon, luv." Monique gave Marita a quick peck on the cheek and exited the room in a cloud of lace and curl.

Marita turned to stare out the window at the Logan carriage that waited for Monique, she smirked at the sight of Clay assisting her cousin into the carriage. Those two looked like the epitomy of southern gentility.  Clay, with his swagger of a newly acquired adulthood, and entrance into manhood
and Monique's pastel parasol twirling slowly, her eyes showing all together too much interest in youngest Logan son.

Marita, thought quickly, she had to speak to her pa. She could use Clay and Monique as a cover.......

"Pa?", Marita called from the front door of the house.

"Well afternoon, baby, what can I do for ya?' responded Isaac from the front porch.

" Pa.. we're close friends of the Logans, right?" she asked

"Of course, I'd trust Ned Logan with my life and have." he said.

"Would you approve of a 'friendship' between Monique and Clay" Marita asked,glacing up the drive towards the carriage.
"That would be fine, Marita, as long as they don't let young hearts overstep their bounds."

"What bounds would those be?" Marita asked trying to sound as non-chalant as possible.

"Clay is strong, independent and reckless, Monique is willful, intelligent and cunning- together they could either make a wonderful couple or burn down the town with the  trouble they could cause." he said on a half-serious note. " Why, the interest, has Monique mentioned something to you about
Clay.?"

" Well not exactly, just a quick mention about love in the most unlikely of places....Would people accept Monique as Clay's companion?"

Isaac turned a shrewd eye on Marita. "What type of companion?"

"Well, a ...um..wifely companion." answered Marita

Isaac gave a very ungentlemanly snort and said ," Not in my lifetime, Marita, It would be illegal, immoral and looked down upon by all sides, colored and white. Some would say God had not meant us to 'mix'. Some would find it threatening enough to cause us the Logans, Clay and Monique, and
especially their children harm, even try to kill us.  Would it be worth the risk to us, even if the family approved? Would it be selfish on their part to continue together? These are some of the questions they would have answer between themselves as a couple. Is love worth the taking or the harming of a life?
But is life worth living without love in it? It's a hard choice."

"I know ,Pa , ...I know." said Marita as she wrapped her shawl tighter across her shoulders as if warding off a cold, desperate wind.
_______________________________________________
 

"C'est Magnifique, Clay!" announced Monique to Clay as he raced Gauntlet on to the finish line. Clay reigned in Gauntlet and trotted proudly back to his audience, Monique clapped in praise as Clay motioned for Gauntlet to bow to the lady and the horse lowered itself onto one knee.

Clay laughed as he slid to the ground and responded " Non, Madamoiselle, Tu est magnifique."

"Oh ,Clay." responded Monique with a genuine blush.

Clay placed Monique's arm through his and continued to walk back to the carriage.

"Marita, said you rode very well..." said Monique converstationally.

"She said the same of you, Ms. Lafontaine." responded Clay as he noted the way Monique layed a gloved hand on his forarm as if to emphasize her compliment.

Clay had never met a woman his age that was so travelled and wise and she was  beautiful to boot!! He had pulled out all the stops today to  impress her, Gauntlet, his trophies, his books, everything. And Monique had enjoyed every minute of this young man's attention. She glaced at him through a vail
of lashes and noted Clay's wonderful blue eyes and his strong features. He was handsome,kind, smart and didn't even once notice that she was Marita's COLORED cousin. Just a pretty companion worthy of impressing. Oh my! she thought, whatever the elder Logan fed these boys on this farm, he should package it and sell it.  They were innately good, strong men that had none of the cruelty that seemed to dictate that she be treated as anything other than less than a lady. Whatever rose-tinted glasses Marita had on about Sean and their life together was explaind in her day with Clay.  Marita had grown up here with these boys and their lovely sisters and was sheltered as the day is long.

Marita had never been told she couldn't love Sean so she had just fallen in love without or even in spite of  the thought of legal, or social repercussions.  Monique, had seen too much and heard too much to do the same. But wished her little cousin the best and hoped God knew true love when he saw it and protected them.........

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