Residents of French Town were already in a festive mood, almost two weeks ahead of Mardi gras. Many of them gathered at the harbor to welcome the passengers of La Sirene which had arrived from Corsica, only an hour ago. Among them were Mayor Jean Dominique, Luis Dubois, the Owner of La Parisian, the only hotel in French Town and Edgar Armand, the sheriff of French Town. Luis instructed his attendants to accompany the guests to his hotel for lodging. As they set foot on the pier, people enthusiastically welcomed them to the island, waving their hats and hands at the visitors. Luis was waiting for a special guest who had been invited to participate in the upcoming festival. When his guest disembarked from the vessel with twelve beautiful ladies, Luis rushed at them to give a warm welcome.

That evening, following the arrival of La Sirene, all the patrons of Monsieur Beau flocked to the tavern to have a look at the guests. As there was no more room inside, many people waited outside for others to leave. The tavern served not only liquor, but also snacks and meals. It had the only restaurant in the town. Hence, it was a hot spot for travelers and sailors who visited the island. The bar was near the entrance of the pub, while the restaurant occupied the other end of it, with arrangements for at least a hundred people at a time. Prior to the Carnival, the space inside the tavern still seemed insufficient. Those who were involved with the temperance movement, for them, it offered lemonades and different types of fruit juices. However, among the sailors, rum was the most popular drink. Onboard, when the rum tub would run out, their vessels docked at the harbor for reloading the supplies, while the sailors used the opportunity to flock to the tavern for its fresh batch of rum, acquired from the nearby distillery. On top of that, they loved the regular meals of the restaurant they longed for during their arduous sea journeys.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The owners of Monsieur Beau were a French man named Jules Beau and his wife Darcy. Jules was a sturdy looking thirty-eight-year-old man who always knew what to say to please his customers. His wife Darcy, with her dark black hair and thin long nose, was in her mid-twenties. She loved preparing exotic cuisines, not only for her customers, but also for her husband. The two formed the most perfect couple, complementing each other, in every possible way. Jules’ ancestors had vineyards in the southern part of France, so he was familiar with various types of liquor that was available in the market.

Jean and Luis were engaged in a conversation about the upcoming Carnival. Armand, the town sheriff, sat a few feet from them with his two associates, always watching carefully for any signs of brawl which often broke out among the drunken sailors or the members of the gambling party. One corner of the tavern was allocated for gambling.

Everyone knew Jean as a family man who also owned a small grocery store at his place. His wife Joan ran the store while he looked after the town’s business. They had one nine year old daughter named Katrina who was a student of grade two at Saint Josephine’s. Often Mayor Jean would boast of his wife’s devotion to him. He never showed any negligence on his part, regarding his family responsibilities, making sure his family members always knew, how much he loved them. However, for being his closest friend, Luis, the owner of La Parisian, was aware of a little secret, no one knew about the town Mayor. At times, when Jean would become bored, Luis arranged one of those beauties who were often seen hanging around inside the tavern, to spend time with Jean in one of his hotel rooms. Luis had no such problem for he was not married. He had been living in his hotel with his mistresses for years.

Secretly, whenever Mayor Jean spent time with a beauty, the next day he would never forget to visit the little chamber inside the church for confession and a verbal assurance from the priest that he was forgiven. Of course, from his heavy voice, the priest knew very well who it was on the other side of the curtain, but he carefully avoided revealing this to anyone.