Word Count: 54,005
Summary of Events:
Chapter 17:
Granville and Jacques-Henri came over to have lunch with Heleighna and the Amyottes and met Étienne; Heleighna showed them around and they watched Étienne work with Couronne before Jacques-Henri asked to learn how to train horses as well.
Chapter 18:
Heleighna got called by her dad in the middle of class, but got him to call back later. Étienne went with M. Amyotte to look at some horses that might work for Heleighna and Jacques-Henri to learn to train with.
Excerpt of the Day:
"Gerard turned and led them to his stables from the back end and stopped at the second stall in. Taking up the halter, Gerard slipped inside and led out a handsome grey stallion who was much lighter than Tempête.
The stallion had good confirmation and lines, and he looked like a good example of the Hanoverian breed. Étienne nodded. He was definitely a good looking horse. But that meant nothing, really.
"What's he like under saddle?" Étienne asked.
"Who knows?" Gerard replied. "He's never been trained to saddle."
Étienne felt like this would've been an appropriate moment for him to have the physical ability to drop his jaw to the floor.
"How old is he?" M. Amyotte asked.
"Six," Gerard replied.
"Why wouldn't they have trained him to ride?" M. Amyotte asked.
"Couldn't tell you," Gerard replied.
"Well, he looks good enough, and seems of good temperament," M. Amyotte said. "It would be nice to see him under saddle, though."
"How much do you want for him?" Étienne asked.
M. Amyotte and Gerard both looked at Étienne with mouths agape — their jaws would've probably hit the floor if they'd had the physical ability.
Gerard closed his mouth, shook his head, and recovered himself, somewhat. "Being as I got him for five I'm only asking fifty five hundred," he replied.
Étienne reached into his coat and pulled out his chequebook and pen. He filled out a cheque for the amount and handed it to Gerard. Gerard looked at it, and then looked at Étienne, his eyes wide. M. Amyotte still hadn't recovered.
"Why are you buying him?" Gerard asked.
"I want to see what he's like under saddle," Étienne replied. "And if he's good enough I might even consider competing with him."
"What about Tempête?" Gerard asked. "I heard you might be riding him."
"I can ride more than two horses," Étienne replied. "And Père's already ordered the jet."
"The what?" M. Amyotte asked.
"I got to thinking about the logistics of travelling with two stallions when you proposed Tempête to me," Étienne replied. "And being as we have to get everything off of the planes quickly so they can go off to get ready for their next flight and whatnot, I have to hold Sauvage with two mares present who don't usually coordinate their cycles — although I'm afraid of what might happen if such did occur — and I don't know that I could control two stallions, or three. However, if I had a private jet, it's solely for flying me and my guests wherever we want, or need, to go, and I could have it converted to have special isolated areas for each horse, and then we can take them out one at a time or whatever and not have to hurry or try and restrain stallions from having at cycling mares. So I asked Père, and he ordered one, I can always add another horse suite or two."
"I guess it works," Gerard said. "Oy."
"Bon Seigneur," M. Amyotte said, looking like he'd been run over by a truck."
Gerard: zhehrahrd
Père: pehr'
Bon Seigneur: boh' sehnhyuhr
**Note: There will be no posts until Monday, April 20, when the novel will resume due to a family trip.**
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