The Ghost and the Gold Louis

1. CHLOE inherits the House of Promise Museum on her 18th birthday to find it near bankruptcy by relatives who embezzled funds and stole artifacts and papers from the War of 1812 and Civil War. CHLOE'S great grandmother, EVANGELINE haunts a painting from the museum and appears before CHLOE with a plan to recover 50 pounds of gold Louis coins gone missing during a Civil War skirmish. 2. EVANGELINE appears in the painting and leads CHLOE on a path through historical events where the coins played a part. Gold Louis coins were a favorite of the slave trade, small easy to count used by JEAN LAFITTE, GUY DUBARRY and most slave auction houses in New Orleans. EVANGELINE shows CHLOE the day she was purchased by GUY DUBARRY taken to his plantation and used as a mistress until she became pregnant. DUBARRY does the unthinkable takes EVANGELINE to Charleston convinces a priest she is of Spanish nobility and marries a slave and manumits her. EVANGELINE joins the ranks of wealthy whites but most know of her background and DUBARRY fights duels to protect her honor. Gold Louis coins are donated to ANDREW JACKSON to buy men and guns to fight the British in the War of 1812. 3. EVANGELINE'S twin sons grow into adults one becomes an artist the other CHARLES takes over his father's slave trade and devastates EVANGELINE by donating 50 pounds of gold Louis to the Confederate war effort. The coins go missing and EVANGELINE knows where they are as the story weaves from history to modern day crime CHLOE helps recover artifacts and papers. The story ends with a surprising twist as CHLOE finds true love.