The 'Avignon' Affair

Part I - In the Beginning

As he entered the doors of the Foreign Office in Whitehall for the first time as a newly employed clerk, Alexander Waverly took a long look around at the bustle and hum of activity all around him. A faint smile formed. For a young man trying to get his start in the civil service, this was about as ideal of a beginning post as he could have hoped for. Kismet - just like the name of that new play he'd been treated to a showing of at the Garrick Theatre for his nineteenth birthday last year.

Kismet was a more appropriate word for that day in 1912 than Waverly knew at the time. Even as he entered the building, three highly placed men were trying to decide the fate of the twelve year old - a politically inconvenient twelve year old. One of the trio paced and glanced out of an office window and his eyes just happened to land on the newly arrived Waverly. Possibly not the perfect solution, but likely as perfect as a reasonable man could hope for.

Just as Waverly's superior walked over to take charge of his newest man, they were intercepted.

"Apologies from the front office, Mister Wescott. They've put in a request for Mister Waverly for an assignment."

The man offered his hand which Waverly took briefly.

"Andrew Harrison. Come along please. Front office hates to be kept waiting."

Wescott was clearly at a loss for words, so Waverly knew this was far outside of normal protocol, but he followed along behind the man. Up the stairs and into offices that Waverly hadn't imagined that he might have been able to get a look inside for another ten years or so. Three men were seated behind a thick oak table. None of them rose or even spoke. They just quietly studied the young clerk for several long moments.

Whatever it was - Waverly's appearance, the steady way that he stood waiting or something else entirely - the men obviously approved and the one in the center simply spoke two words.

"He'll do."

With no further explanation, Mister Harrison escorted him back out of the office and then down into the bowels of the building. As they walked, he began to be briefed on what was expected.

"You speak French passably, I trust?"

"Yes, sir. However, I have been told my accent speaks more of the countryside than the urban settings."

"That may be just as well. You are going to be entrusted with a special package that you are to deliver to the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de L'Annonciation near Avignon."

"Pardon me, sir, but that is a cloistered order, is it not?"

A side glance seemed to indicate that Harrison was impressed that Waverly knew that without being told, but didn't comment otherwise.

"Yes, but the nuns still communicate with the outside world through a grill. They remain in those closed doors until death. Very devote order."

"And the nature of this delivery, sir."

Harrison just gestured for Waverly to keep following. The hallway they turned down was devoid of others wandering through it and they came to a stop at a door that was featureless except for the lock which Harrison pulled out the key for. As the door swung open, two things immediately caught his attention. First, the room behind the door was a cell - a well-appointed cell that looked more like a better quality hotel room, but a cell nonetheless.

Second, the cell was occupied by the reed-thin figure of a girl dressed in pastel pink tones. What skin was visible was porcelain as if rarely out in even the limited London sunshine. Very pale blonde hair was done in thick sausage curls that hung along the back and sides of her heart-shaped face. The bangs were a bit overlong and hid her eyes for a moment until she swept the hair to the side and revealed the frostiest blue eyes he could ever remember seeing - all parts of the young lady that he guessed was likely to be around the age of twelve.

Those blue eyes were focused on Waverly now and he felt as if he were under even more intense scrutiny than the men in the offices above had fixed him with. He'd almost forgotten that Harrison was still there with them until the man spoke again.

"This is the package that you will be taking to Avignon."