Charles Lapierres was born in the heart of France and also lived in Switzerland. He was an explorer, inventor, and quite eccentric. He was ahead of the times and highly esteemed by some, yet still harshly ridiculed by others, because his ideas and inventions had never been seen before. They were absolutely remarkable!
Charles met Gwendolyn when she traveled to Venice from Brighton while teaching abroad. Gwendolyn loved Charles' vigor and enthusiasm, especially because Charlie reminded her of the way her father once was before her mother died. Now, Sophie's grandfather is a quiet, stern man who longs to be left alone. He even gave Gwendolyn her inheritance early. Gwen's father sent her away because it was too painful to see the mirror image of Eliza every day! He told her to leave immediately and never speak to him again.
Sophie practiced her French incessantly, which annoyed her nanny, but she didn't care because she wanted to learn! She gave her tutors no trouble! She deeply longed for her father to be proud of her, and also didn't want to ever forget him! "Ma mere!" "What is it Sophie?" "The box, the little wooden box ma pere gave me, I must run and get it!" "Oui! Go quickly but quietly ma fille! Hurry!"
Charlie would bring new inventions home every evening, and Sophie waited up with anticipation. Sophie loved every intricate detail of how they worked. The little unicorn and seahorse were Sophie's favorite, because every time her father told her a story, it was as if his words made them move and come alive.
Each creation sounded like the parts of a clock. Each part was so brilliantly crafted; they would tick, squeak, bend, and whir, and then fly up high and float above her head! Sophie was reprimanded by her nanny every night for not being in her bed! Sophie's nanny became more strict after Master Charles disappeared, and she took it upon herself to rid Sophie of all nonsense, even if it meant stealing the memory of her father.
Blitz popped back out of the parchment letter and began to surround Lady Gwendolyn with what looked like little, radiant feathers. "We must wait for Sophie!" She shook her head in amusement that she was actually believing these outlandish, fantastical notions, but they were all she had.
Sophie tiptoed through the hallway and down the corridor. She bumped into a chair, but quickly became silent and squeezed her petite body to fit the frame of the chair, as not to be seen, because she heard someone open a door. When it was quiet again, she slipped into her room, pushed books away on her shelf, and looked back to make sure no one could see.
Charles made a hidden compartment for Sophie, because he knew his inventions were ahead of the times, and people even tried to rob their home several times in search of these creations. Sophie slowly reached her hand in, but suddenly...
...her nanny boxed her ears and grabbed her hand so tightly it bruised! Sophie's furrowed brow did not intimidate her nanny. She even tried to explain to her that her mother wanted her. "Don't talk back to me girl! That is a lie!" Luckily, the compartment shut and still went undetected. "What were you really doing?!" Her nanny threw the books off the shelf and tried to find what Sophie's little secret was. "Tell me right now or I will flog you Sophie!"
"Please! Don't! Ma mere is waiting!" "Stop speaking in French to me! What is it?! What were you hiding?!" "Did you steal a cake or biscuit from the kitchen after I forbid you not to eat this late?" Sophie tried to be respectful, but she didn't want to miss her mother and Blitz, and especially needed the box. "I'm sorry! I won't do it again. I will get into bed right now!" "Sophie I am going to have to lock you in your room until I figure out a suitable punishment for you!" The door slams and books fall off of the shelf! "No! No! Ma mere! Ma pere!" Sophie pounds on the door!
Blitz cannot wait because the portal will soon close. He swoops down and around Lady Gwendolyn and they vanish! Her pen falls on the floor. "Wait! We must wait for Sophie!" The door to the study opens and Sophie's nanny walks in. "Lady Gwendolyn. Excuse me Lady Gwendolyn. Sophie is lying again and I know you told me to wait before punishing her, but she needs a good flogging. My Lady..."
The nanny realizes Lady Gwendolyn isn't in the study, but she sees peculiar little feathers in the air near the desk; she steps closer and tries to brush them away, but they disappear. She reaches down, picks up the pen and sets it on the desk. There is no letter there. Puzzled, she turns off the light!
To be continued...