I am posting pictures of the puzzles on AO3. They are not my intellectual property. I borrowed and adjusted them.


The puzzles were complete. On the left side of each page, there was an illustration with a title, and on the right side, was the puzzle itself. Each puzzle was laid out on a separate sheet of paper, hidden strategically around the house and the estate. They were in the grand library when Marguerite presented the children with their task.

The first puzzle featured an image of the White Rabbit in a coat, looking at a watch.

"The first puzzle is specifically for the girls." Marguerite said. "William, please read the text aloud, but remember, do not help them. It's their task to recall the word and write it down on paper."

"But we don't know how to write yet," Isabelle admitted.

"Then what better time to start learning than now?" Marguerite asked encouragingly.

William nodded and began, "The White Rabbit took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on. Alice had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it. He seemed rushed, and in a big hurry. The question is WHY?"

The girls exchanged confused looks.

Seeing their hesitation, William encouraged, "Come on, it's easy!"

Juliette's face suddenly lit up with realization. "He was late!"

"Very good, Juliette." Marguerite said. "Now, let's see if you can write that down."

While the girls sat at the table, Marguerite pulled a primer from the shelf nearby. She opened it to a page where the letters L, A, T, and E were prominently displayed in large, clear print.

"Look here, girls," Marguerite said, pointing to each letter in turn. "This is how you write L," she traced the letter with her finger, then moved to the next. "And this is A, followed by T, and then E."

Isabelle and Juliette leaned in closer, their eyes following her finger as it moved across the page. Marguerite's voice was soothing, her manner patient, as she repeated the names of the letters, ensuring the girls were attentive and engaged.

"Your turn now," she encouraged, handing the primer to them. "Just copy these letters onto your paper. You can do it."

The twins nodded, Isabelle taking the lead. She carefully positioned the primer beside her paper and began to mimic the strokes she had just been shown. Juliette watched her sister for a moment before doing the same, her tongue peeking out slightly at the corner of her mouth as she concentrated.

Then William received his own puzzle. On the left side, there was an illustration of Alice looking through the looking glass, and on the right side, there was text:

In this old room Alice finds an old scrap of paper with some odd symbols.

She wonders what it could possibly mean?

In between the text, there was an image of dots arranged in a specific pattern.

William's eyes narrowed as he studied the page. He had solved so many puzzles before, but this one seemed different, more abstract. He traced a finger along the lines of Alice's figure and then paused at the dots, trying to discern a pattern or meaning.

"Okay," he finally admitted. "this is tricky. You've caught me off guard with this one."

Marguerite crossed her arms with a satisfied smile. "Good. It's meant to challenge you."

Soon, the butler appeared with a tray of coffee, setting it down on a nearby table so they could serve themselves. Marguerite gracefully moved to the sofa, and John, ever the gentleman, handed her a cup.

"Thank you, darling," she said, as she accepted the cup, inhaling deeply, savoring the scent. "Mmm… it smells divine."

"A good puzzle requires good coffee," John replied, settling into the seat across from her.

Before the butler left the room William addressed him, "Goodwin, could you please get me that book over there, on the left side of the third shelf?" He pointed with his finger.

"Immediately, Master William."

Marguerite watched with a contented smile as William figured out the meaning behind the dots—they were in Braille, the tactile writing system used by the visually impaired, made up of raised dots for touch reading. While no one in their family had vision issues, their library was simply well-stocked with a wide variety of texts. Braille was also used in espionage as well, a fact Marguerite knew all too well from her own past. It was a discreet way of passing messages, and she had learned to read it during her more clandestine adventures.

Meanwhile, the girls would rush over to Marguerite each time they wrote a single letter, eager for her approval.

"You don't need to come for every letter," she said, "Write the whole word, then bring it to me so I can check it."

William approached Marguerite and said, "I figured it was Braille and I decoded it. But it doesn't make any sense. The letters don't form a word."

Marguerite took a slow sip of her coffee before replying. "Sorry, darling. I can't help you with that one. That puzzle is entirely yours to solve."

William huffed lightly, glancing at the paper again. He knew better than to expect a straightforward answer from his mother.

"Perhaps you made a mistake with the dots..." he suggested.

"Son, your mother was designing and cracking codes long before you were even a thought." John said.

"I'm just saying," William continued. "It could happen."

"Could it now?" John asked. "If I were you, I'd spend more time figuring it out and less time questioning your sources."

"Fine, I'll crack it. But if this turns out to be gibberish…"

"It won't." Marguerite said. "Just because it's Braille doesn't mean it's as straightforward as you think. The dots don't lie."

When the girls finally finished their task, Isabelle proudly presented her work. She had done a fine job, each letter neatly in place. Juliette, however, had written her letters with a bit less precision. The letter 'E' had ended up upside down, giving her word a charmingly crooked touch.

Marguerite inspected both papers. "Isabelle, well done, Juliette, I think your E is going on an adventure of its own."

"Oops!" Juliette giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"No worries. It's still wonderful work for a first try."

"Do we have to write some more?" Isabelle asked.

"No, you don't have to," Marguerite replied gently.

"But I want to!" Isabelle exclaimed. "Give me the next word!"

"Alright, how about this—write Mama and Papa. Bring me the primer so I can open it to the right page for you."

"No need, I know those letters!" Isabelle chirped excitedly before darting back to the table.

Meanwhile, Juliette stayed by Marguerite's side, clearly not as enthused about continuing.

"You've had enough writing for today, haven't you?" Marguerite asked.

Juliette nodded with a little sigh. Without a word, Marguerite opened her arms wide, and Juliette hopped onto her lap.

William approached and sat down on the sofa beside them.

"I got the letters E-D-I-J-C-O-U-E-K," He said, holding up the decoded page. "They definitely don't form a word. I tried rearranging them, but it's not an anagram. Are they perhaps encrypted? If that's the case, it would be impossible to crack it without a key."

Marguerite looked at him, her fingers lightly brushing through Juliette's hair.

"Everything you need is right there on the paper."

William glanced at the page once more.

Juliette, resting against Marguerite's chest, peeked at the drawing. She pointed at the image and exclaimed, "She's going through the looking glass!"

Suddenly, it clicked for William. "The looking glass! Of course, that's it! How didn't I see it before? These dots... They represent their own reflection in the mirror! I need a mirror to see the correct order!"

"Now you're thinking." Marguerite replied proudly.

Isabelle suddenly appeared, proudly holding up a sheet of paper on which she had successfully written the words "Mama" and "Papa." Without hesitation, she thrust the paper right into Marguerite's face.

Marguerite blinked in surprise but quickly smiled, taking the paper gently from Isabelle's hands. "Well done, Isabelle!"

John, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but grin. In that moment, all three children had gathered around Marguerite, fighting for her attention, each pulling her in different directions. She was effortlessly balancing it all—one hand holding Isabelle's paper, the other wrapped around Juliette, while William bounced ideas off her.

John loved seeing her in this role, surrounded by their children, nurturing and guiding them with such ease. She was in her element, and it filled him with pride.

"Girls, do you remember the little mirror I gave you to play with?" Marguerite asked. "The one you promised to keep safe and not break?"

"We didn't break it, I promise!" Isabelle exclaimed.

"I'm glad to hear that. Your brother needs it now to solve his puzzle. Why don't you head up to the nursery and find it for him?"

Isabelle hesitated. "But if we go up, Nanny won't let us come back!"

"You've had plenty of time downstairs today. Besides, take a look at your sister—she's clearly very sleepy."

Juliette stirred at the mention of her name. "I'm not sleepy!"

"You almost fell asleep in my lap, little one."

William stood up and stretched. "Alright. Let's go. You two can help me crack the code."

Reluctantly, Juliette allowed Marguerite to gently place her back on the ground, still half-heartedly protesting.

"Come on now, up you go," Marguerite said, smoothing Juliette's dress and giving her a reassuring pat.

Once Marguerite was certain the children had gone and there was no one else in sight, she moved with a playful grace towards John. She jumped daringly into his lap and wrapped arms around his neck.

"Those three are truly fortunate to have you as their mother." John said.

"I'm the one who's fortunate," Marguerite replied.

"No… I am." John insisted.

They gazed into each other's eyes adoringly, before sharing a soft kiss.

In the nursery, the nanny was busy with the twins, ensuring they had everything they needed for a cozy afternoon. After serving them a light snack, she gently guided them to their beds for a nap.

Meanwhile, William was deep in his own world at a small table set up in the corner of the room. With the use of the mirror he wrote the down correct order of the dots. After a few moments, he exclaimed, "Nanny, I've solved the puzzle! The correct answer is kitchen!"

"Well done, William! I had no doubt you would."

William stood up from his chair and rushed towards the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" Nanny asked.

"To the kitchen, to find the next clue."

"You can't go down there right now. They're all tied up with dinner preparations. We shall speak with Mrs. Pottridge to find an opportune time to visit. Then we'll all go down together."

"But Nanny! I'm eager to see what the next clue is."

"Patience is a virtue. Perhaps you could spend this time on your math assignments. Your math tutor gave you plenty to do."

"I finished those already. Why do you think Mother has come up with these puzzles? I'm bored."

"Alright, then. Why don't you read your book in the meantime? You've just started Huckleberry Finn. Surely you haven't finished it yet?"

"I haven't…"

"See, there you go. Read that for a little while."

With a reluctant nod, William picked up his book and settled into his armchair by the window, opening it to his bookmark. Though his mind still raced with anticipation for the next clue, he began to lose himself in the adventures of Huck Finn.