A Daughter's Duty

Chapter 5

That evening, at around teatime, I arrived at one of London's most beautiful parks. The sun was near the horizon, only an hour before sunset – my favorite time of the day. I sat down on one of the benches of the gardens, waiting for my best friend.

She came to me from the other end, walking with quick but quiet steps, as if she was trying not to be seen by whoever she was avoiding.

"Sofia!" I yelled, waving my arm. I saw her take notice of me, but she didn't smile, or wave, or show any kind of recognition. She came to me quietly, walking like a lady, something she never did. My joy deflated into confusion.

"Sofie?" I asked, for some reason getting alarmed.

"I need to ask you a favor." She said, her eyes on my face, but not directly in mine. "The British Library, two o'clock, tomorrow."

"The British Library?"

She nodded. "In the west wing, there is a piece of armor on display. It seems very old, but there is something more to it than just rusted metal. The pedestal on which it stands says, 'Henry Hardinge, 1828'."

"So?" I asked, although surprised. Why would she ask me to go to a building and inspect an set of armor that had once belonged to my ancestor? Did she know that he was related to me?

"So," she said, and suddenly her blazing eyes met mine. "I need to examine it,  Evangeline. I need you to think. I am very sure that you will be able to figure it out.

"Figure it out?" I repeated. "Figure what out? And why me?"

She abruptly lurched forward and gripped my shoulders. "You must." She insisted. "You –" she thought for an entire minute, her grip growing tighter, and then said, "C - Guide – 23 - G.K. - 1,2,3,4 and 5." She let go, turned around and started running away.

I was so shocked I couldn't follow her.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"Yes, Gran,"

"No headache? No cold?"

"No, Gran,"

She looked nervously at the clock above my bedroom door. "But it's two in the morning, sweetheart."

"I know, I'm fine," I muttered. I wished she hadn't reminded me of the time. This meant I had only twelve hours to decode Sofia's message. C - Guide? Whose guide was I supposed to see? And what about G.K. and the numbers?

"You never told me what your friend wanted." Noted Gran. "Can you?"

"I-I'm not supposed to, Gran." I lied to her face. "She said it was supposed to be a secret."

She nodded, hopefully understanding the dilemma I was in.

"Alright, then. Try to sleep, cupcake." She left, closed the door quietly.

I didn't sleep the entire night.

The next morning, as soon as I was ready, I called Michael. I wanted to get to the Library early, just so that I had enough time to make sense of what Sofia said.

"Hello?" came Mrs. Earnest's voice. A smile reached my lips at hearing her. I missed her. She was like a second mother to me, always favoring me over Michael, giving me candy when Gran ran out, and comforting me when I was bullied.

"Mrs. Earnest, it's me, Eve Roberts. I need to talk to Michael. It's extremely important."

"Eve! Oh, my girl, I've missed you so." She said, lovingly. "Hold on a minute, darling," She handed the phone to Michael. "Eve?" he asked. "It's eight in the morning."