Meet on the Road
Claude was furious as he counted out his money over and over again. "What to do for that little girl? She can't stay there!" he growled as he jammed his coins back into his purse.
He collapsed against his seat in the stagecoach with a disgruntled sigh. "Maman, you taught me to be too kind," he thought. Even in the worst of their poverty, he and his mother always found some way to do their neighbors a good turn.
He leaned out the window of the stagecoach and blinked at the sight that greeted him. "What an odd fellow to be wearing a yellow coat!" he remarked.
"Some bandit," someone else in the coach said.
"An odd one. There are people like that," a lady chimed in.
Claude shrugged. "Wonder what business he has, walking about when he could easily take a coach. He's no worse off than we are."
"Say, you went to that inn? The proprietress was in a foul mood when I went in before the coachman told us to hurry up since we were leaving," the lady said.
"My doing. I tripped over her serving-girl," Claude said, flushing slightly. For the first time, he got a good look at the lady speaking to him. She seemed no older than around twenty-three, with her luxurious black hair in braids and her cheeks showing the faintest mark of freckles. Judging by her appearance and the state of her slightly gnarled hands, she was a working girl going on some trip.
The lady blushed as she realized that Claude was staring at her. "Monsieur, why the attention?" she asked coyly.
Claude held out his hand by way of introduction. "I'm Claude Beauchamp."
"Mimi Leroux," the lady replied, toying with her handkerchief. "Where do you go, Monsieur Beauchamp?"
"Faverolles. And you?"
Mimi leaned in as if about to tell some deadly secret. "Montreuil-sur-mer. How un-Parisian is that?"
Claude laughed. "Mademoiselle, I have heard of late that the town reached some prosperity..."
"Before its mayor was jailed," Mimi frowned. "Too bad for me. I have family there. Now what is a young man like you have to do with a town like Faverolles?"
"I have family there," Claude said stiffly. "At least I think so".
Mimi lowered her eyes. "Je suis desole..."
"Nothing to forgive, Mademoiselle," Claude said
