Part X - Clermont-Ferrard

The trek by merchant wagon wasn't very fast, but it was steady and legs other than their own were doing the work. Plus part of the pay for Waverly's aid included meals for them both - mostly consisting of hard bread rolls and soft cheese, but neither of them minded that. Waverly had driven a few teams when he was in his teens and soon remembered the nuances of it. This sort of activity was totally new to Millicent, but as she wasn't expected to drive, it didn't matter a bit. Especially since it turned out the Monsieur Doucet was more wanting for company than for actual manpower. He was a very social creature and had hated the thought of making the long drive all by himself with no-one to talk with. And talk he did.

Monsieur Doucet spoke of Cerise, the daughter he had back at home who was Mademoiselle Cheval's age - which he placed at fourteen, much to Millicent's delight. He asked them a few questions about their own family and they were both careful to listen to anything the other gave as an answer to avoid contradicting one another, but they really didn't have to worry about that too much. Monsieur Doucet did most of the talking and proved to be an entertaining storyteller. Stories about his family, his goods and the country they were passing through made them feel that they had known him for quite some time. By the time they made camp that first evening, he was already asking them to call him Uncle Lucien.

Beyond the surprisingly pleasant company that was helping make the time pass, they had another reason to appreciate the deal that had been made on the second day when rains began to fall. The showers only lasted a couple of hours, but that amount of time would have gotten them thoroughly soaked had they been on their bikes. The protective covering that was put up to protect the driver's area didn't keep all of the water off, but it did keep off the majority.

They were fortunate to find a dry area to park the wagon that evening and 'Uncle Lucien' even brought his guitar out from the back of the wagon. Waverly didn't think much of his own voice, but the other two seemed to like the way he carried a tune well enough so they passed a pleasant evening singing several old French folk songs.

They arrived at their destination by mid-morning on the third day. By the time the wagon was unloaded, money passed over and goodbyes said, it was early afternoon. Now that they were alone again for the first time in three days, Millicent brushed herself off and gave Waverly a smile.

"Uncle Lucien was wonderful company, but I do believe I've learned more than I ever desired to about camping out by sleeping under a wagon, Alexandre."

He chuckled at that, picking a bit of grass from his own coat.

"We both could do with a good dusting off, I think. Shall we consider remaining here for a day or press on?"

Millicent took a good look at herself, then Waverly.

"Much as pausing a day sounds heavenly, do you think allowing the hounds extra time would be the best idea?"

"Probably not. Well, if nothing else, the wagon camping extended our funds and the work added a bit to them. We can check out the cost of tickets between here and Avignon, if you like."

"We still over a hundred and fifty miles to go, don't we? If we can manage the train, that would be nice."

"I have to agree. Seems to be a bit of a crowd there. Why don't you wait in the shade and keep an eye on our cycles while I see what we can manage?"

Arrangements took longer to arrange that he cared for, but Waverly was rather pleased with the results. They would have a bit over three hours before their train left and that should give them enough time to clean up a bit.

When he returned to where he'd left Millicent, he saw the cycles, but not her. The didn't worry him at first. He had been gone longer than expected and there was a good chance she simply couldn't wait longer to find a powder room.

Getting closer to where she had been though told another story. There were signs of a struggle. Three hours. Waverly had just three hours to find who had taken her, where they had gone and find a way to liberate her. A daunting challenge even if he knew this city, which he most certainly did not.