Rencontre Chanceuse

He bought a basket of new plums, ate them while he watched the girl exchange pleasantries with the miller. He was struck by her  beauty, her freshness.

“Who was that maid?” he asked the miller after she had gone.

“That’s no maid, sir. She’s the daughter of Florent the silk merchant.”

“Is this Florent a member of the guild?”

“A prominent member, sir.  Florent Guyart owns a large warehouse and several wagons. And this mill. Very well-off. I’m surprised you’ve not heard of him.”

“I am new in town, friend. But it happens that I am a silk artisan myself.”

Friday Fictioneers

This is a tiny excerpt from L’Incarnation,  a novel in progress which is partially set  in seventeenth century France.

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  1. Lynn Love

    Now, what does the silk man have planned for the comely girl, I wonder? Wouldn’t do an up and coming man any harm to make better connections in his trade … Very intriguing excerpt – a ‘lucky meeting’ indeed :)
    What’s your plan with this when you’re done? Are you planning to do the rounds of agents or self pub?

    • J Hardy Carroll

      Honestly, it’s so far away that I don’t know. I am busy querying my last one, since I don’t yet have an agent. This is my fourth novel, and by far the most challenging thing I have ever undertaken. It entwines three lives: a silk merchant’s daughter who becomes an Ursuline nun, a Jesuit lay brother and surgeon who becomes the first North American Martyr in 1642, and a Wendat medicine man who is taken to Europe as a boy and returned to the New World to assist in a mission. It spans two continents and forty years and is based on actual people and events, though the histories are somewhat scant. I will post on the subject as time allows. Researching historical fiction is really fun, but it’s sometimes pretty grueling. Thanks for reading!

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