WRITER'S NOTE: This story takes place after the events of MATING WITH THE PRIESTESS. It is not a treatise on religion, just a story about marital love and the supernatural events in the lives of the Carter family and their allies.
Priestess-Bride and the Spirit
Astrid slowed down to maneuver the sports car between pot holes in the oyster shell driveway. She'd been to Cartier Plantation hundreds of times, but never alone. It already felt different.
As priestess she would normally preside over the Solstice ceremonies of the Sisterhood, but as newly weds, she and Lucius were excused from their duties so they could spend the holy night together. They would have come to Cartier together if his cousins had not called him to the law office. He would join her in a few hours.
Though gaily painted, the raised Creole house loomed big and grey under the cloudy December sky. As she stepped out of the car she tried to comfort herself with pleasant memories. "Momma brought me here to be initiated," she said out loud. "I was elevated to priestess here. I was married here. Now I'm here as... Mrs.... Lucius... Carter..., lady of the house." Reassured with herself, she reached into the trunk for her canvas suitcase and the picnic basket and started up the front steps.
"Enter through the left door, like the Creole lady you are," she continued as she fumbled with the lock.
Designed for cooling in the Louisiana summer, the house was especially chilly. Astrid looked at the marble fireplace and remembered standing in this room as an eleven year old girl, with her mother, grandmother and older sister bidding her welcome as an initiate of the Sisterhood: In the Old Way, a girl was welcomed into the women's assembly during her first menstrual cycle.
She found the thermostat, grateful for the renovations Lucius' family had made in his absence, and turned on the electric furnace. Every New Orleanean loves the smell of a furnace on the first cold day of winter as it comes to life for the first time in six months. "Not too warm," she said aloud as she adjusted the thermostat. "I want it cool enough to cuddle tonight."
Leaving the picnic basket in the dining room, she stepped into the master bedroom, plopped the suitcase on the antique bed and unzipped it. The first thing she saw was her tartan wool dress. She picked it up and held it to shake the wrinkles out. Lined with soft silk, it was usually too warm to wear in Louisiana, but from experience she knew it was perfect for winter evenings at Cartier. For an instant she considered being naked under it, but decided against that. "The last time we were here we were naked in front of the entire coven," she said out loud and reached for the teddy she had packed. "Tonight, I want him to undress me and do it UNDER THE COVERS!"
"Good idea, dear."
Astrid almost jumped out of her shoes at the voice. She spun around to face Sister Elizabeth, the ghostly nun who frequently visited Lucius. Astrid didn't like those visits: Elizabeth and Lucius had been lovers before Liz took her vows as a novice, and her visits usually heralded something unpleasant in the battle against Lucius' enemies.
But this time Liz was smiling, almost glowing. She turned to the ancient armoire and opened it, taking a handful of hangers. "Please continue changing your clothes dear," the ghost said. "Hand the suit to me and I'll hang it for you."
Astrid hesitated, and then decided that if it came to a duel between them, her state of dress or undress would make no difference, so she removed the polyester jacket and handed it to Liz.
"I've never undressed in front of a nun," Astrid said as Liz put the coat on a hanger, "not to mention a DEAD nun."
Liz giggled. "If I had a penny for every time a teenager said that to me in physical education class I could have put a new roof on St. Genesius myself. Not the 'dead nun' part, of course!" She turned her back completely to Astrid as if to say "I'm not afraid of you either, dear," but neither commented on it. Astrid kicked off her shoes and unzipped her skirt. Liz hung it also as Astrid unbuttoned the blouse.
"As I was saying, dear, I think you're absolutely right: Lucius should have some very feminine attire to remove from your body tonight. You didn't have much of a honeymoon in Montana."
A chill ran up Astrid's spine at the thought. What should have been her honeymoon was a life-and-death battle with Aaron and Phinneas, Lucius' vampire brothers. The combination of Lucius' powers and the Native American magic of the Aberdeens had sent them back into hiding, but there had been casualties.
Astrid peeled off her pantyhose as Liz hung her blouse. Liz reached behind Astrid, saying "Let me get that for you, dear," and unhooked her bra, which dropped over Astrid's arms onto the bed. Astrid was now naked and started to reach for her lingerie when Liz suggested "Why don't you use the bathroom before you put that on, dear."
It occurred to Astrid that Elizabeth was acting far too familiar with her, but nudity and bodily functions were not private matters in the Old Way. She grabbed her makeup bag and proceeded to the bathroom. She started to close the door, then thought it would make no difference to the ghost. As she sat on the toilet to relieve her bladder she asked "So, Liz, did you come to help me change or do you have another reason to be here?"
"Correct again, dear," said Liz. "I've come to give you an assignment. I'll wait until you come out to tell you.
Astrid washed her hands and face, dried them and stepped back into the bedroom. Liz had put away the suitcase and everything except the lingerie, tartan dress and Astrid's white squaw boots. She rolled the teddy in both hands and held it up. Astrid put her arms and head through it and closed the crotch herself, tying the ribbons in neat bows. Liz wrapped Astrid's garter belt around the priestess' hips and stood back to let her put her stockings on. As Astrid clipped the second stocking to the belt Liz knelt in front of her and put the squaw boots on her feet. Then she stood, picked up the tartan dress and held it up for Astrid.
Wrapped in the warm dress over her most sexually provocative lingerie, Astrid sat down on the bed and asked "So what have you come to tell me?"
The ghost sat next to her like a sister or best friend might.
"Do you remember Katie Boudreau?"
"I remember the name," Astrid replied. "Philippe Trufont's former girlfriend, really sad situation."
