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


"Good afternoon. We hope we are not intruding. The children insisted on coming. Master William believes his next clue awaits him here," the nanny explained as they entered the kitchen.

"Not at all Nanny Oswald, you're not intruding," Mrs. Pottridge replied. "Everyone here adores the children, and the cookies are freshly done."

On the table stood cookies labeled "EAT ME." The nanny looked curiously at Mrs. Pottridge, who added, "Her Ladyship requested that we make these."

Elsie, the kitchen maid, added, "She is so wonderfully unusual, her ladyship. I've never worked for a better mistress."

Mrs Pottridge rolled her eyes at Elsie's enthusiasm and then looked at William. "Now, Master William, what you're seeking is hung on the recipe board."

William eagerly hopped over to the board and grabbed the paper. The illustration featured Alice surrounded by playing cards, and to the right there was an unusual mathematical expression where traditional variables were replaced by pictures: snowman, sailboat, two, duck and a crab.

The nanny noticed William staring at the paper in bewilderment.

"What do you think?" She asked curiously.

"Mother definitely made sure it wasn't easy," William replied. "I have no idea what these variables are supposed to represent, or what the solution could be." He then walked over to the table, sat down, and, without looking away from the paper, reached out and grabbed a cookie.

Meanwhile, the twins had climbed up to sit on the table, a liberty Mrs. Pottridge usually allowed when the table was empty and they weren't too busy.

After some time, the nanny decided it was time for them to leave. William, however, chose to stay behind. When the nanny objected, he responded with, "Nanny... I am six years old and can solve multivariable differential equations. I think I can manage myself."

The nanny looked at him in amusement. The entire household knew he was a prodigious child, and as a result, he was treated much differently than that would be afforded to an ordinary child. In short, it meant a lot more freedom.

"It's perfectly fine, Nanny Oswald." Mrs Pottridge said. "He's no trouble to have around here."

The nanny reluctantly agreed and began to usher the twins upstairs. They protested momentarily, wanting to stay with their brother, but she was firm. "Come on, run along now."


William sat at the kitchen table, furrowing in concentration.

"How's it going?" Mrs. Pottridge asked as she passed by, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Not well at all. I don't understand how Mother could think I'd be able to figure out what these variables mean without any context."

"I'm sure something will come to mind soon," Mrs. Pottridge reassured him.

"Let me have a look," Elsie offered.

William handed her the paper, and Mrs. Pottridge chuckled mockingly, "Why do you think a kitchen maid might crack something that this brilliant boy has not?"

"You never know what an ordinary person might notice," Elsie responded wisely.

Just then, Simon, the footman, appeared at the doorway. "What do we have here?"

"We're helping Master William solve a puzzle," Elsie said, handing him the paper as she spoke.

Simon studied the paper for a few moments, then smiled broadly. "Ha, this is easy!"

All eyes turned to Simon, surprised.

Simon looked around at the intrigued faces and explained, "On the left side, we have an illustration of playing cards, and on the right, we have what seem to be folk names for the cards: The snowman is an eight, the sailboat represents a four, the duck is a two and the crab is a three."

"Simon's a big card player, that's why he knows all this." Elsie said.

"Well, I'll be," Mrs. Pottridge murmured, "Who would have thought?"

"Do you play cards, Master William?" Simon asked.

William shook his head. "No, I prefer not to. Card games rely too much on chance for my liking. I much prefer chess."

Simon handed the paper back to William with an encouraging nod. "Well, here you go. I'm sure you can now calculate the exact result."

William scanned the equation quickly. The result was obviously twelve. "It's a Jack! Which nickname does it have?"

"It could be several." Simon replied. "Boy, Johnny, Hector, Lancelot..."

"Lancelot!" William interrupted. "That's it! We just read a book about King Arthur the other day. It's that big one with all the illustrations!"


Marguerite and John were quietly enjoying an intimate moment on the sofa in the grand library. She was sitting in his lap and they were enjoying a beautiful kiss.

Suddenly, William burst into the room.

"Hi!" He shouted as he dashed past them. Marguerite and John barely had time to separate.

"Bye!" William called out as he disappeared through the door.

Marguerite slid off John's lap, settling beside him.

"Well, we truly are improper," she teased.

"What's the harm in a little kiss?" John asked.

"It's not exactly appropriate for the grand library," Marguerite said. "That's why we have the cozy room upstairs. It's practically begging to be used."

"That's true... but it would mean every time we want a bit of affection, we'd have to climb all those stairs... and frankly, who needs the exercise?"

William sprinted to the small library. He knew exactly where to go. On the table, just as he had suspected, lay the large book about King Arthur and his knights. He quickly flipped through the pages until he reached the chapter on Lancelot. Tucked neatly between the pages was the next puzzle, just as he had hoped.

On the left side of the sheet was an illustration of Humpty Dumpty. On the right side of the page was the text, written in an elegant hand.

"Humpty Dumpty was sitting with his legs Crossed, like a turk, on the top of a high wall. Such a narrow one that Alice quite wondered how he could keep his Balance... and, as his eyes were steadily fixed in the Opposite Direction, and he didn't take the least notice of her, She thought he must be a stuffed figure after all. 'Exactly like an egg he is!' she said aloud, standing with her hands Ready to catch him, for she was every moment expecting him to fall."

"Finally, some text!" William exclaimed with excitement. The previous two puzzles left him to decipher cryptic symbols and clues. But now, at last, he had something tangible.

William returned to the grand library with a proud grin on his face, the puzzle paper clutched triumphantly in his hand.

Marguerite looked up. "Incredible! I didn't think you'd solve the card puzzle so quickly. I'm genuinely impressed! How did you manage it so fast?"

William, being honest, admitted, "Simon the footman is a big card player."

"Oh, so you had a little help? Isn't that cheating?"

"I prefer to think of it as using my resources wisely." William replied wittily.

Marguerite couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head.

William nestled himself on the sofa between them. "I like this puzzle," he declared.

Marguerite smiled, running her fingers through his hair before placing a gentle kiss on his head.

"What does it say?" John asked.

"It has a lot more text than the previous ones," William explained, "but it could be anything... an anagram, a riddle, a hidden message in the words, or even a cipher."

"What do you think it is, at first glance?" Marguerite asked.

William, studying the text, replied, "I see some capitalized letters that practically jump off the page. Additionally, the word turk is written in lowercase, which I assume is intentional and meant to draw my attention to the letters that are capitalized."

Marguerite beamed with pride. "You are my little genius!"

"Is it really that easy?" William asked, still skeptical.

"Well," Marguerite began, "the previous two puzzles were meant to be more challenging... I didn't anticipate you'd have help. So, I intended this one to be a bit easier, like a sort of intermezzo."

William straightened up, lookin at the paper in his hand. "Alright, that makes sense. Let's see... The letters are: H-D-C-S-A-B-O-D-S-E-R." He shot a suspicious glance at his mother. "Is this an anagram?"

Marguerite smiled knowingly. "Alright, I admit it—it is. I figured you'd find this one easy."

"By the way," William added, "Isabelle hates Humpty Dumpty. She says she wants to smash him and fry him in a pan."

John and Marguerite both laughed at the remark.

"That sounds just like Isabelle," John said. "Any idea why?"

"She says he's incredibly annoying," William replied.

Marguerite nodded. "Well, she's not wrong. Humpty Dumpty is quite an irritating character."

John raised an eyebrow at Marguerite. "You think so too?"

"Oh, absolutely," she said, smiling. "He just sits there on that wall, showing off, knowing full well he's going to fall. Completely irresponsible."

William sank deeper into the sofa, leaning back against the cushions.

Marguerite glanced at him and suggested, "Why don't you grab a piece of paper and try writing the letters down? It might help."

"No need. I can work it out in my head. The answer is a chessboard."

John raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

Marguerite glanced at him with a nod. "Mhm."

With a sigh, William stood up, leaving the previous puzzle on the tea table. He walked over to the chessboard to retrieve the next one. The chessboard was resting on a small side table by the window, between two chairs. He approached it, carefully opened the board, and sure enough, inside was the next puzzle. On the left was an illustration of Alice speaking with the Chess Queen, and on the right, a drawn chessboard with pieces arranged in a specific position, presenting a famous chess problem.

William smirked as soon as he saw it. "Oh, Mum. You've underestimated me here. I recognize this problem. It's A Night at the Opera. Paul Morphy versus Duke Karl, Paris, 1858."

"You really know all these games by heart?" Marguerite asked with a mix of admiration and disbelief. "Who played, when, and where?"

William nodded confidently. "And the exact winning move, too. Yes, I know. But not all of them—just the most important games."

John laughed. "Well, Marguerite, it seems this little one outsmarted you."

Marguerite smiled, "Alright, my little genius. So, where's the next puzzle hidden?"

William knew exactly where. The small library housed an old gramophone and a collection of records. Marguerite had insisted on having as many records as possible, especially those with classical music, believing that a solid understanding of classical music was an essential part of the children's education. Sometimes, she would play them classical or opera pieces, and they affectionately called those evenings "A Night at the Opera."

William extended his hand to her, inviting her to follow him, and she gladly accepted. Just before they left the room, Marguerite turned to John and said, "Please, darling, send someone to bring us some coffee. We'll be in the small library."

Once in the small library, Marguerite picked up the Mozart - The Magic Flute record and set it to play. As the music filled the room, she carefully opened the record sleeve, and there, tucked inside the cardboard, was the next puzzle. She handed it to William.

Marguerite leaned casually against the table as William studied the puzzle before him. The image of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland stared back at him. On the Mad Hatter's hat, a small label read: "In this style 10/6." Alongside the riddle there was a question, "How many tanners?"

William thought for a while longer.

"What's on your mind?" Marguerite asked.

"The answer has to be a number, and it's clearly tied to this 10/6. But when you divide 10 by 6, you don't get the whole number. You just get 1.6666... That doesn't seem to make sense."

Marguerite gave him an encouraging smile. "Oh, come on, darling. It's not a straightforward division. That would be far too simple."

The door opened, and in walked John, followed by the footman carrying a tray of coffee. John glanced around, taking in the soft strains of The Magic Flute playing in the background and the puzzle spread out before William.

"Ah," John remarked with a grin, "Mozart, a riddle, and coffee... You two certainly know how to make an afternoon feel productive."

The footman quietly placed the coffee tray on the table beside them and exited the room. Alongside the coffee for the adults, there was a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a plate of biscuits for William. Marguerite approached, gracefully pouring coffee into two cups, handing one to John and keeping the other for herself.

Marguerite took a slow sip of her coffee, closing her eyes for a brief moment, visibly savoring it. With a contented smile, she remarked, "Now that is a damn fine cup of coffee."

It seemed that neither John nor William even noticed the word damn. They had long since grown used to the fact that their wife and mother wasn't entirely proper and neat as a pin—and they absolutely adored her for it.

William looked frustrated. "I hate puzzles with no context! How am I supposed to figure out what to do with these numbers—10 and 6—if it's not a straightforward division?"

Marguerite smiled patiently and leaned in. "Puzzles are not meant to be straightforward. Think beyond just numbers. Sometimes the answer is hidden in the meaning, not the math."

William walked over to sit by the writing desk. Marguerite and John remained by the gramophone, sipping their coffee and talking in hushed tones.

After a few moments, William looked up from the desk. "It's no use, I give up!"

"I don't accept surrender." Marguerite replied.

William threw up his hands in exasperation. "What am I supposed to do with these numbers then?!"

John walked over to William's desk. "Let me see that."

After glancing at the puzzle, he smiled. "Come on, Will. This one's easy. How many tanners?"

William groaned. "I don't know. Is it 10? Or 6? Or something that comes from combining the two?"

"You're thinking too much. What exactly is a tanner, William?" John asked.

"John, don't give him any hints." Marguerite warned. "If he can't figure this one out by himself, I'll be personally offended."

"A tanner..." William echoed thoughtfully. "Colloquial term for 6 pence. Hmm..." He starred again at the numbers 10 and 6. "How many pence are we dealing with here? I doubt these are pence, since neither 10 nor 16 divides evenly by 6. Could it be shillings? 10 shillings is 120 pence, plus 6 makes 126. Now that divides perfectly!"

His eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at his mother. "Could the final answer be 21?"

Marguerite sighed. "Yes, it is... But I'm not thrilled that you got help again. From now on, I want you to solve everything on your own—including figuring out what location is hidden behind the number 21. That's where the next puzzle is waiting."

William grinned, "I know exactly where it is. The first thing that comes to mind with 21 is blackjack. And who loves blackjack more than anyone? Grandma Elizabeth. The next clue is on her card table."

Marguerite smiled proudly. "Well done."

"Does that mean we're going to visit her?" William asked.

Marguerite nodded. "Yes, we'll go tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?"

"She's invited us for tea tomorrow," Marguerite explained.

William groaned. "But how am I supposed to wait that long?!"

John chuckled from the side. "Patience, my boy. Good things come to those who wait."