The Sand Vines
By Michèle Callard
Publication Date: 01 May 2024. Publisher: Millefeuille Press. Page Length: 400. Genre: Historical fiction
Bordeaux 1870 – Life is hard on the moor.
If Flore, a shepherd’s daughter, is not married by autumn, she must go into service and lose everything she holds dear.
Back form the French army, the dashing Ricar has set her heart and body on fire. Will he propose to her before it is too late?
Martial the viscount’s son adores Flore from afar. Aware that she can never be his. When a betrayal and a forest fire put Flore in danger, Martial seizes his chance, grabs her hand and takes her to safety far away in the north of France, hoping they might start afresh, but war looms. . .
Will it bring them together or tear them apart?
Excerpt
Notre-Dame de Paris
Just below her, corseted inside brand-new quays, the wide ribbon of the Seine flowed west, carrying trains of barges. Snug inside its wall, a stylish, elegant Paris was rising from mud, scaffolding and rubble. It was not at all what Flore had expected. No wonder Martial’s brother had fallen in love with it. He had money. Paris was a courtesan, a grande cocotte, fun only for those who could afford her. Beguiling, expensive, Paris put on airs, while at her heart lurked a core of poverty and shame.
After a long time, Flore turned to Minnie. ‘What’s it like where you come from?’
Minnie did not answer at first, focussed on a large expanse of green to the right of the river. ‘See those two grand buildings down there? They are the Louvre and the Tuileries Palace, where the emperor lives. A lot of people hate him. They want a republic, as we have in America. He won’t last much longer.’ Serious, her gaze now bore into Flore. ‘Let me tell you something. When he goes, I won’t want to be around.’ Her chin in her hands, she leaned against the parapet. ‘I come from New York. It’s just like Paris. How about you?’
‘My country is marshy and wild, but to me it has everything, woods, rivers, the ocean.’ Flore’s voice trailed. Would she ever see it again? ‘They’re planting pines all over it now. Soon it will be the biggest forest in the world.’
‘What’s wrong with pines?’
‘You can’t eat them.’
Minnie pointed south. ‘Over there is the entrance to the catacombs, the first stop in my ghoulish tour of Paris. Underground caves full of bones and skulls. You visit them by candlelight. Americans love it.’
‘Bones?’
‘Uh-huh. You can also visit the sewers, ride over them in a little cart. It’s a bit smelly, but it’s fun.’ She hugged herself. ‘Brrr, it’s windy up here. Come on, let’s go down.’
Skulls? Sewers? Flore wondered as she crossed the wide space where Quasimodo had yearned for Esmeralda. Fun?
She caught up with Minnie at the bottom of the steps. ‘The catacombs, is that where you’re taking me?’
‘Not today. Our next stop’s right here.’ Minnie halted in front of an imposing stone building just behind the cathedral. ‘We’re in luck—there’s no queue today. You would not believe the queues normally. They go on for miles.’
They joined a line of working women in aprons and bourgeoises in crinolines herding their broods into a wide corridor and shuffled forward, following the sound of water. An aquarium! They were all the rage. Flore had seen them in almanacs and could not wait to see the fish.
Step by step, they chatted until they came to a large marble space with a floor-to-ceiling expanse of glass to one side. Flore halted, suddenly very cold. This was no aquarium.
Michèle Callard
Michèle Callard grew up in France. A country girl at heart, she swapped her Paris flat for a cottage in rural England where she lives with her Irish husband and the youngest of her three sons.
She writes fast-paced novels set in different regions of France, bursting with authentic characters, colours, flavours and history.
Social Media Links:
Thank you very much for hosting Michèle Callard today. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club