I am posting pictures of the puzzles on AO3. They are not my intellectual property. I borrowed and adjusted them.
If William thought the previous puzzle was hard, it was nothing compared to this one. Once again, it followed the standard format. On the left side was the familiar illustration of Absolem the Caterpillar smoking his hookah, while on the right side, there were 18 lines of eight-digit numbers that, at first glance, seemed completely random:
42638579
28465268
64282487
82614924
42865829
24698273
86248261
62846254
48632459
26841375
42689528
24862789
68423561
42864126
86249571
24683269
62847592
46824153
There was also a riddle: With my knowledge of numbers and logic, when I had a wager, I would look for even odds, which gives a desirable mathematical outcome.
At first glance, it might have sounded like a quote from Lewis Carol, but William suspected it was more likely something his mother had come up with. He realized it was a hint. The even and odd numbers were the key. He began by isolating them. Maybe the even numbers are letters, and the odd ones are something else… or maybe they're positions. He tapped his fingers on the first row. If I focus on the even digits, do they spell something? Or are they a code that gives me coordinates? He glanced at the next row, noticing a possible pattern emerging. Wait... what if it's a simple swap? Even positions give me the letters, odd ones give me the order. His excitement built as he began scribbling ideas down, shifting between the even and odd positions, trying to see if the numbers would line up into a meaningful sequence.
But no matter what he tried, he couldn't reach the solution. It felt like he was going in circles. Every approach seemed promising at first, but then led to a dead end. No matter how much William pleaded for another hint, Marguerite's response was always the same: "The numbers and the hint you've already been given say everything."
Then one day, Professor George Challenger and his wife, Jessie Challenger, came for a visit. They were not just close friends of the family, but like a third set of grandparents to the children. Even though the Roxton kids had every toy they could possibly wish for, whenever Jessie and George visited, they always brought something special. It wasn't the most expensive toy, but it was always personal and sentimental, something that hit right at the heart.
This time for the twin girls, Jessie brought hand-sewn dolls, each dressed in miniature versions of traditional explorer outfits. The dolls were unique, with little details and personalized accessories, like tiny satchels filled with miniature maps and journals. "These are for your adventures," Jessie said with a smile, "to remind you that girls can be explorers too."
For William, George had something quite different. He handed him a small, carefully wrapped wooden box. Inside was a beautifully crafted brass sextant—a scientific instrument used for navigation. "This, William, is a tool used by explorers to chart their way across uncharted seas, using the stars. I thought you might want to study it."
Marguerite also adored Jessie. Jessie was the one person in their world with whom Marguerite could have completely transparent conversations, discussing anything and everything—from her thoughts and emotions to intimate matters. Jessie listened without judgment, offering a sense of solidarity and support whenever she was around. She had a deep compassion for women, as she herself had been a fierce advocate for social justice and equality. She was the perfect confidante, and Marguerite treasured her for it.
They settled into the grand library. John and Marguerite were sitting on the sofa together and watchining their children as they eagerly encircled their "third grandparents", eager to update them on everything that had happened since their last visit.
"Jessie, guess what! We've been learning how to write whole words!" Isabelle exclaimed, waving a notebook filled with messy but determined handwriting in front of her.
Jessie smiled warmly, taking the notebook from Isabelle's hands. "Let me see. Oh, darling, this is wonderful! You're doing so well!"
Not to be outdone, Juliette gestured to the doll Jessie had given her earlier. "I named her Jessie! She's going to be a suffra... suffragelly... just like you!"
The attempt at the word came out adorably jumbled, and for a moment, the room was silent before the adults burst into laughter.
"Oh no, darling, I wasn't exactly a suffragette," Jessie corrected. "Although I wholeheartedly supported the movement. Thanks to all the brave women who fought so hard, we finally got the right to vote equally with men."
Marguerite sighed with a playful shake of her head. "I have no idea where they pick up these things. We certainly aren't teaching them about politics at this age."
"They're like sponges at this age." Jessie said. "They absorb everything around them, whether we realize it or not."
William, sitting beside George, held a stack of papers in his hand, "Uncle George, look at these! I've been working on them for days. Mother made them. I've solved most of them, but I'm completely stuck on the last one."
George carefully studied the puzzles, then glanced at Marguerite. "Well, these are... certainly impressive. I'm honestly quite surprised by how detailed they are."
Marguerite looked at him suspiciously. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Yes, yes! Of course! It's a compliment. I just didn't expect them to be quite this challenging. You've clearly set the bar high."
As usual, Marguerite and Jessie had retreated to the drawing room, where they could talk in peace about more personal, women's matters.
"You'll be pleased to know that we've managed to get several key women into positions of influence." Jessie shared proudly. "There's a strong push for more women in local councils, and we've been lobbying hard for reforms in the workplace—equal pay is still a long way off, but we're getting louder."
"How's the reception?" Marguerite asked.
"Mixed, as you can imagine. Some of the men in Parliament still think we've had our turn after the vote, and that we should be content with that. But there's a core group of us who refuse to back down. We're especially focused on labor rights for working-class women. That's where the real battle is now. They've been completely overlooked since the war."
Marguerite nodded thoughtfully. "That doesn't surprise me. The middle- and upper-class women gained the most visibility during the suffrage movement, but it's the women in factories and farms who still bear the brunt of inequality."
"Exactly. We've been organizing with women's unions and pushing for more representation in labor reforms. There's even talk of a major demonstration next year—public, visible, and impossible to ignore. But it's tricky, balancing the support we need from politicians without alienating them with demands they think are 'too radical.'"
"As if asking for basic rights is radical." Marguerite replied with a roll of her eyes.
"You know how it is. The moment we ask for more than crumbs, we're labeled as troublemakers. But we've got good momentum now. Even some of the men in Parliament are listening—begrudgingly, of course, but they're starting to see that we're not going away."
Marguerite leaned back, her fingers resting lightly on the edge of the sofa. "It's about time. And you—are you still writing?"
"Always," Jessie replied. "I've been publishing articles under a pseudonym in several papers, pushing for more awareness on labor equality and educational access for women. You'd be amazed at how much of a difference it makes when the words come from an anonymous man of the people."
Marguerite smiled and stood up. She walked over to a nearby drawer, pulling out a small leather-bound notebook and a pen. She returned to Jessie and said, "I must admit, I feel a little guilty for not doing more for women's rights. So, at the very least, let me contribute in the way I can." She opened the checkbook and began writing.
"Marguerite, you don't have to—"
"Nonsense. I may not be in the streets or on the front lines, but I believe in the cause just as much as you do. And if this helps push things forward, it's the least I can do."
Jessie smiled warmly, tucking the check away. "Thank you, Marguerite. Truly. This will go a long way." Then she added teasingly, "Though, I have to say, it's quite amusing. John, a proud Conservative in the House of Lords, and you're not exactly the most liberal yourself. Yet here you are, quietly writing checks for women's rights."
Marguerite laughed. "Oh, you know me. I'm hardly a feminist. I enjoy my freedom, and I certainly appreciate my privileges. But that doesn't mean I'm completely blind to it. I understand the responsibility I carry as a woman of influence, even if I don't always feel the need to be directly involved."
Jessie grinned and teased, "Oh, it wouldn't suit you to be a loud activist anyway. Your real charm shines right where you are—an elegant, refined lady of the manor."
Marguerite laughed. "Jessie, you're such a tease!"
When Marguerite and Jessie returned to the grand library, they found George and William at John's desk, both deep in concentration under the soft glow of the desk lamp. George was hunched over the puzzle, struggling to solve it, while William sat beside him, knees on the chair, leaning forward with his hands on the table and watching George's every move.
John lounged comfortably in his armchair, a cigar in hand, watching them with an amused smirk.
"What's going on here?" Marguerite asked.
"It seems you've gone overboard with the puzzle." John said. "It's so tough that even George can't crack it."
"Nonsense," George retorted. "I refuse to be bested by Marguerite." He paused, then glanced at her with a slightly apologetic smile. "Not that I doubt your abilities, it's just that this is my area of expertise, and I should be able to solve it easily."
Marguerite crossed her arms, a satisfied smile on her face. "Well, perhaps it's time for you to admit that I've finally outsmarted you, George."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." He replied and shifted back to the puzzle.
"No shame in being bested by a woman, George." Jessie grined as they settled into the sofa.
John looked at Marguerite. "I've got to ask—How exactly did you expect a six-year-old boy to solve something that's giving a grown professor this much trouble?"
"It's really not as hard as it seems." Marguerite replied. "The thing is, if you don't know what you're looking for, you'll never find it. But once you know the key, it's actually quite simple. And since I'm feeling particularly generous tonight, I'm going to give them a hint. The problem is binary."
"You know binary numbers?" George turned to her, surprised.
"Oh, George. When you've spent a good part of your past decoding messages in dimly lit rooms, binary becomes second nature. You'd be amazed at what a few ones and zeroes can do when you know how to use them."
"That's impressive," John said, "But still, don't you think that's a bit much for a six-year-old, even for someone as advanced as William?"
Marguerite shook her head. "No. I've gone through William's curriculum and reviewed his materials. He's already been doing conversions between number systems. Trust me, he's perfectly capable of handling this."
George studied the puzzle with renewed focus. "Now it all makes sense. The word wager in the task implies a binary decision. This isn't difficult at all. My initial mistake was underestimating the scope of Marguerite's knowledge. I was thinking in an entirely different direction."
"Oh, excuses, excuses." Marguerite said.
Turning to William, George asked, "Do you know how to turn this sequence into ones and zeros?"
William nodded confidently. "Even numbers will give zeros, and odd numbers will give ones."
"Yes, that's most likely the case," George said approvingly. "And you know how to convert those into the decimal system?"
William nodded again with determination, grabbed a pencil, and immediately set to work. Once William completed the necessary transformations, the binary sequences turned into the following decimal numbers:
00010111 ➔ 23
00001000 ➔ 8
00000001 ➔ 1
00010100 ➔ 20
00001001 ➔ 9
00010011 ➔ 19
00000001 ➔ 1
00000010 ➔ 2
00010011 ➔ 19
00001111 ➔ 15
00001100 ➔ 12
00000101 ➔ 5
00001101 ➔ 13
00000100 ➔ 4
00001111 ➔ 15
00001001 ➔ 9
00001110 ➔ 14
00000111 ➔ 7
He realized the decimal numbers corresponded to letters in the alphabet. After decoding them, they revealed the message: "What is Absolem doing?"
"Smoking!" William finally shouted.
Marguerite clapped her hands in delight. "Well done!"
Without wasting a moment, William dashed off to John's smoking room—a space filled with his father's hunting rifles, trophies, and, most importantly for William's mission, the box of cigars and on John's desk. Sure enough, tucked underneath the cigar box, he found the next puzzle.
Returning to the library, William placed the puzzle on the table and said tiredly, "I'll leave it for tomorrow. I had enough puzzles for today..."
"Of course, you've done a lot today," Marguerite said, opening her arms invitingly.
William jumped into her lap and she wrapped her arms around him.
As the evening wore on, the adults shifted to other topics.
Jessie mentioned a possible trip to Scotland, where she and George had been invited to stay with an old friend who owned a grand estate by the loch.
"Perhaps you all could join us," Jessie suggested. "The children would love it there. Plenty of open space, and who knows? Maybe William could learn how to navigate by the stars for real, with that sextant George gave him."
"A trip to Scotland, hmm?" John contemplated. "That does sound tempting. What do you think, Marguerite?"
"It sounds lovely," she admitted. "And I'm sure the children would enjoy it. But let's see how things unfold over the next few weeks. We might have a few commitments we can't easily escape."
"Always commitments," Jessie sighed, leaning back. "But you'll make time for a little adventure, won't you? After all, it's in your blood."
"Perhaps." Marguerite half-agreed.
"We'll have a special guest joining us as well." Challenger added. "A colleague of mine—Sir Arthur Eddington, you may have heard of him?"
"Eddington..." John echoed. "I know a lot of Eddingtons. But I can't say I've had the pleasure of meeting Sir Arthur."
"He's the astrophysicist!" William exclaimed.
Marguerite tilted her head to look at William proudly.
"Yes, the very same," George confirmed with the smile. "We've been corresponding about some rather intriguing experiments regarding the bending of light. He'll be staying at the estate during our visit, and I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the newer discoveries in the field of astrophysics."
William looked up at Marguerite with eager eyes. "Can we go?"
"We'll do our best, William. But you know how things are—there's always something demanding our attention."
Noticing the late hour, George and Jessie realized they needed to leave if they were going to catch the last train back to London. Rising from their seats, they exchanged goodbyes. Jessie leaned down to kiss Marguerite's cheek. "Thank you again for the donation," she said warmly.
"What donation?" John asked, catching the end of the conversation.
"Your wife has been very generous toward the women's rights movement." Jessie explained.
John paused for a moment, clearly considering his words. Then, with a grin, he said, "I have my thoughts on that, but I've learned the smartest thing I can do is keep them to myself. Saves me from getting into trouble."
"A rare display of wisdom, indeed." Marguerite teased.
"I've learned my lessons well." John added with a wink.
Jessie laughed softly. "Well, John, if more men followed that example, the world might be a little easier for all of us."
After seeing George and Jessie off, John returned to the library. William was sound asleep in Marguerite's lap.
"Out like a light, I see." John said.
"He's exhausted." Marguerite replied, caressing his hair. "The nanny says he's been resisting his naps the past few days."
"You've got him too intrigued with the puzzles." John noticed.
"Yes, and why not? He's brilliant at them, and I'm sure it'll serve him well one day."
"Oh, I don't doubt that. But now it's downtime. Let's head upstairs—it's been a long day. Time for everyone to get some sleep."
Marguerite gently let John take William from her lap. As John lifted him, William murmured something unintelligible but remained asleep, his head resting on John's shoulder, as they quietly made their way upstairs.