Tuesday Tales: From the Word BOAT

Hi, there! It’s me. I’m back. I’ve survived my first major cold of the year.

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. I’m going back to The Price of Courage, Canadiana Series Book Two. Since I haven’t touched this in months, I’ve gone back to the beginning. This is a scene I added. Not much excitement, but they can’t all be cliffhangers. LOL

Guy poured brandy into his guest’s goblet and then into his own.

“My lord,” Patoulet nodded his thanks. He sat in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace in the small room Sophie had given Guy to use as an office. He sipped the brandy and leaned back. “This is an excellent vintage. I haven’t yet acquired a taste for the caribou so many drink in the colony.”

“I’ve grown quite fond of it,” Guy said. “It warms a man’s belly the way little else will, but it is, as you put it, an acquired taste,”

Patoulet chuckled. “No one need have an educated palate at your mother’s table. She’s an excellent cook. I haven’t had coq au vin that tasty since I left France. Hospitality in Ville-Marie may well exceed that of Quebec these days.”

After Talon and Lucien had left on their respective missions, the secretary had traveled to Ville-Marie with him to meet with the Sulpicians, the religious order who handled the finances of the colony on behalf of the intendant. There was no way D’Aubigny would do so at this time of year. The new intendant had quickly termed his new post unbearable. Guy hoped the land would grow on him. The colony needed as many men on her side in France as she could get. It was true New France’s weather was harsher than the mother land, but no worse than the Scandinavian countries to the north or the Russian Empire, currently ruled by Tsar Alexei I. If D’Aubigny wanted a long career in the diplomatic service of King Louis, he would need to grow a tougher skin.

The trek from Quebec had not been without its hardships. What passed for a road between the towns barely deserved that designation. In summer, most preferred to cover the distance by boat, especially with the smaller vessels Talon had designed, better suited to river than ocean travel. Since he enjoyed long rides, he frequently rode his stallion, camping out in the open when needed. But, come winter, both horseback riding and boating were not the favored options. If the weather turned bad, a man on a horse could easily lose his way in a blizzard, and since the waters at the shore could freeze as early as December, taking a boat  could prove just as dangerous.

That’s it. Don’t forget to check out all the other posts on  Tuesday Tales.