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.
Dear J Hardy,
Intriguing excerpt. I love FF for sharing bits of novels. This sounds like one worth reading. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
What? The silk merchant’s daughter is not a maiden? Oh horror! She is undone!
Maid as in servant. She’s talking to the miller, after all. ;-)
Yeah, I knew
I sense that the protagonist is upwardly mobile. Or if not, he very shortly will be. Good one.
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?
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!
Wow, that sounds like a project and a half. Happy New Year, and all the best for 2017.
Lovely insight into the book. Looks very promising.
Excellent excerpt, certainly sounds like a great setup for a novel, keep us up to date on your progress!
Excellent peep into what looks like a mega novel. Hope you will keep us posted with more such sneak peeps!
Enjoyed the excerpt as I enjoy your books!
A lovely taster for your novel. It sounds like a great project, best of luck
Great way to share an “in-progress” novel… and one that sounds interesting, to boot.