Robert LaRoux inched his head around the corner, peering down the darkened hallway looking for any sign of trouble. So far, there was none, but his heart was racing. He was playing with fire, and he knew it. If she found out what was going on…but no. He couldn’t think about that. Outside, the rain was falling steadily, as it had all morning. A clap of thunder made him jump in the empty hall, but he recovered himself quickly. He was used to maintaining his composure. Such decorum was expected of the Comte of Mont-sur-Mer.

Robert smirked. Today wasn’t about responsibilities or appearances. Today was about fun.

The Comte took one more look and nodded to himself. The hall was empty, as it should have been. The Comtesse was visiting Trone on business, and had been gone for four days. She wasn’t due back until the day after tomorrow. Of course, the fact that she often chose to cut her business trips short was not far from Robert’s mind. Still, to him, this needed to be done. He had given the entire servant staff the day off, so the chateau should have been practically empty.

But of course, one could never be too careful.

Moving slowly and quietly, Robert eased himself into the hallway and began to make his way down its silent length. Occasional flashes of lightning were his only light, apart from the barest hint of sunlight strained through the dark gray storm clouds. Every slight noise made him pause, wondering if, perhaps, his wife had come home early. But each time, he pushed himself onward. This was too important to stop now.

Just before he reached the far end, a form emerged from around the corner, nearly running straight into him. Robert gasped, but caught his breath as he saw who it was.

“Brigitte,” he said, smiling down at his daughter. She grinned back up at him.

“We’re all ready, Papa!”

“Good,” he said, tousling her hair slightly. She laughed and moved her head a bit away. “Have you seen any sign of your mother?”

“Nope!” Brigitte said, still grinning. “Margot says she doesn’t think Mama would travel in this weather.”

The Comte nodded. “She’s probably right.” He paused. “Where is Margot, anyway?”

“The stables,” Brigitte said. “She’s getting the carriage ready.”

“By herself?”

“Uh-huh. She said she could do it.”

Robert nodded and smiled. “I’m sure she can. Come on, let’s go get Elise.”

Brigitte nodded emphatically. Together, the Comte and his young daughter started off toward Elise’s room. They walked in silence for several long moments before Robert suddenly sensed a change in Brigitte’s body language.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Brigitte said, unconvincingly. Then, after a long pause, she looked up at him, tugging on his sleeve. “Papa, are you going to get in trouble for this?”

Robert stopped in his tracks, thinking. Finally, he shrugged. “Probably.” He looked down at Brigitte, and grinned at her. Then he dropped down to one knee so he was closer to her height and ran one hand through her hair. “But you know what? I think it’s going to be worth every second, don’t you?”

Brigitte smiled broadly and hugged her father before they both continued. In no time, they made it to Elise’s door. Robert knocked on the thick wooden door once, and it swung open immediately. Elise stepped through, her pink eyes wide. She was wearing a black, long sleeved day dress with a heavy black shawl over her shoulder for the rain. Her black attire made her white skin and hair stand out all the more, and Robert grinned. She looked like an angel.

“Are you ready to go, Elise?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “I am. Papa, are you sure this is alright? I mean, Mama said…”

“Mama is gone for the day, angel,” Robert said quickly. “And Goddess wouldn’t send us a rainstorm like this for no reason, now would She?”

“I guess not,” Elise said, her eyes darting to Brigitte.

Brigitte, sensing her sister’s nervousness, moved in and hugged her. “It will be fine, ‘Lise. Come on, it is going to be so much fun!”

Elise smiled, looked up at her father, and nodded. “Okay, Papa. Let’s go!”

Robert nodded back, and as quickly as he could, led his daughters through the chateau and down to the stables, where Margot was waiting for them. The horses were already bridled and ready, and the carriage door was open for them. Margot smiled broadly as her sisters ran over to join her inside. Robert felt a swell of pride within him. Margot was going to make a wonderful Comtesse someday.

With just a few quick words to make sure his daughters were all set, the Comte wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, pulled up the hood, and swung himself up into the carriage’s driver’s seat. Ordinarily, one of the servants would drive the carriage, but Robert couldn’t afford anyone knowing. Every set of eyes within the chateau belonged to the Comtesse, not to him. Outside the walls, the people of Mont-sur-Mer could be trusted, if only because most would never have the opportunity to speak directly to the Comtesse, especially about the Comte. All Robert had to do was get where he was going.

Fortunately, the Comte’s free schedule around the chateau afforded him a great deal of time, and he spent most of it acquiring and practicing skills that appealed to him. He played music, he read, he even wrote a little poetry. Fortunately for him and his daughters today, he also worked with the horses, and while he was a better rider than carriage driver, this was hardly the first time in the driver’s seat, much to his wife the Comtesse’s dismay. She always maintained that it was undignified for a Comte to drive himself. He always maintained that this was much more fun.

The streets of Mont-sur-Mer were virtually deserted due to the storm, and Robert LaRoux made his way through the town as quickly as conditions would allow. Over the patter of the rain, the clomping of the horse’s hooves, and the complaints of the wheels on the cobblestone, he could hear the occasional bursts of laughter from inside the carriage. The sound brought a massive, goofy grin to the Comte’s handsome face. This was all he had wanted for the day, and there was still more to come.

The gates of Mont-sur-Mer stood open, and Robert drove the carriage through them without pausing, turning immediately onto the Queen’s highway. He was heading south, just a few minutes out of town, where the target of the day was waiting for them. The Comte was still nervous, although his fear of being found out by his wife had diminished somewhat. Now he was nervous about how his daughters would like the carnival. They had never been to one before, and the very rain that allowed them to go could also ruin it.

Fortunately, the rain was beginning to lessen by the time they arrived at the carnival. Equally fortunately, the sky remained thickly overcast, holding back the sun like a dam keeping back the deluge. Robert urged the horses to a nearby post and tied them up, then opened the carriage door for his daughters. Margot exited first, her bearing proper and regal even at her age and in the inclement weather. Brigitte followed, looking like she could barely contain her excitement. Elise came hesitantly and last, her eyes darting first up to the sky above, and then to her father, then her sisters, and then into the carnival itself. Slowly, very slowly, a smile came to her pale lips.

“What shall we do, Papa,” Elise asked.

Robert LaRoux grinned. “We shall have fun, Elise.”

And they did. At first, the four of them stayed together as they progressed through the carnival. The grounds were almost deserted owing to the weather, but the workers still worked, and the showwomen still performed. The girls played the games, watched the demonstrations, and attended the shows, and the minutes slipped by with grins on the LaRoux faces and laughter in their voices. Eventually, they split up. First Margot and Elise went one way while Brigitte stayed with the Comte. Half an hour later, they switched off, and Brigitte and Elise went off while Margot and Robert took in a juggling act. When they met up next, they ate a brief meal before splitting up one more time.

After they had seen nearly everything the carnival had to offer, Robert and Elise were working their way back to the entrance, where the Comte knew Margot and Brigitte would meet them. Robert kept a nervous eye on the sky above them. The rain had been thinning out all day, and unfortunately, so had the clouds. It was still overcast, but it was becoming lighter, and Robert was getting worried about Elise. If the cloud cover broke, and the sun beat down, she was going to be miserable. So, while trying not to worry her, Robert was gently guiding Elise toward the entrance.

As they were walking, though, Elise suddenly caught sight of a sign above a tent, and her excited gasp made the Comte stop in his tracks.

“Oh, can we, Papa? Please?”

“I don’t know, angel. We should really get going.”

“Please, Papa!” She said, turning toward him and looking up. Her pink eyes looked like they were about to fill with tears. “I may never get another chance!”

The truth in her words broke Robert’s heart. So, with one more glance up to the sky, he nodded. “Okay, Elise. Let’s go.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Papa!” Elise wrapped her arms around his legs in a great hug that made the entire day worth it. Knowing their time was short, though, he pulled her gently away and led her into the tent. Inside, there was a single man sitting behind a large table. He wore a bright red shirt with a blue cape, and his hair and short beard were just beginning to gray. He smiled warmly at them.

“Greetings! I take it you have come for an Aubedore reading?”

Elise smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, please!”

The Magician laughed softly. “I would be happy to oblige! Please, mademoiselle, take a seat while I shuffle the deck. Did you perhaps have a question in mind?”

“Um…” Elise said, considering.

“Pardon, Monsieur,” Robert said. “We are in something of a hurry.”

The Magician glanced at Elise, who was lost in thought, and then at the tent flap, where a little light was streaming through from outside. Then he glanced up at Robert. “Of course, Monsieur. And you may call me Nasperge.” He turned back to Elise. “Have you thought of a question?”

Elise was looking sad, and again tears were threatening her eyes. “I cannot think of one,” she said, her voice breaking a little. “Does that mean I cannot have a reading?”

Nasperge smiled. “Of course not, mademoiselle. Tell me, what is your name?”

“Elise LaRoux!” She said, beaming. Then she restrained herself. “I mean, Elise LaRoux, Monsieur. Pleased to meet you.”

Nasperge smiled wider. “And I am most honored to meet you, Elise LaRoux. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we give you a simple identity pyramid reading? That is a great one for your first time.”

“Okay!” Elise said, grinning.

Moving quickly, Nasperge finished his shuffling and laid out three cards in the shape of a triangle pointed toward Elise. She leaned over the table and stared at the cards as Nasperge spoke.

“The identity pyramid is meant to tell us just a little bit more about who you are. First, we flip over the left-most card.” Nasperge did just that, revealing the Ghost.

“Oh, is that a good thing?” Elise asked.

Nasperge’s hand hovered over the card for a long moment before he answered. “A very good thing,” he said, smiling. “A ghost is an incorporeal being, something that cannot be hurt.” He glanced up at Robert, who was watching the Magician carefully. “You must be a very loved and well-protected little girl.”

Elise nodded, staring intently at the cards. Nasperge reached for the right-hand card and turned it over, revealing the Magician. Robert’s throat clenched slightly at the sight of the card, although he wasn’t entirely sure why. Nasperge nodded, then smiled.

“The Magician card represents ability. You are a very capable person, Elise, and as you grow, I think you will become a very talented woman.”

“Thanks!”

Nasperge nodded, and then flipped over the third card, the one closest to Elise. It was the Dreamer. “The Dreamer is the entry-rank card in the Academy, which means it can represent someone who is interested in pursuits of the mind. Things like reading, and…”

“I like reading!” Elise interrupted, excitedly.

Nasperge grinned. “I can see that. I think you also spend a lot of your time wishing and dreaming, don’t you?”

Elise looked up at him and nodded.

Nasperge nodded back. “Well, Mademoiselle Elise LaRoux, I truly hope your dreams come true.”

Robert gently laid a hand on Elise’s shoulder. “We need to get going, angel.”

“Okay, Papa!”

As they were talking, Nasperge turned over the top card of the Aubedore deck and grimaced. It was the Orphan. He laid the card back on the pile, face down. It was a part of her reading that the little girl didn’t need to hear.

“Thank you, Nasperge,” the Comte said, setting several coins down on the table, far more than the short reading was worth. As he was heading toward the exit, Nasperge called out to him.

“Wait one moment, Monsieur LaRoux.” Robert turned around to see Nasperge digging for something in a chest behind him. When the Comte glanced back at the tent flap, he started when he saw bright sunlight seeping through. The storm must have broken. He was just about to excuse himself and Elise when Nasperge turned around, holding something in each hand. In his left, he held a large masquerade mask complete with a fake wig, popular with the aristocracy. He held it out, offering it to the Comte. “This should protect her on your return home.”

The Comte stared speechlessly at the mask. Both it and the wig were black, and the eye slits were covered with a thin layer of material, enough to allow the wearer to see through it. It looked as though it could have been made specifically for Elise’s outfit.

“I…” Robert managed, then stopped.

“Papa,” Elise said, with fear in her voice. “The sun…”

Robert nodded, then accepted the mask. “I know, sweetheart. Here, put this on. You’ll be okay, I promise.”

Without a word, Elise took the mask and began to work on getting it on. It was a bit big for her, which made it difficult, and she had never worn a mask before, but she made progress. As she was working on it, Nasperge held out his right hand. In it, there was a deck of cards.

“Take this too, Monsieur,” Nasperge said sadly. “I’m sorry I could not have given your daughter a longer reading, so perhaps she would accept this gift from me in its place.”

Robert reached over and took the cards, then looked up into Nasperge’s eyes. “Thank you,” he said in a low whisper. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

Nasperge nodded. “Take care of her, Monsieur LaRoux. She is a very special little girl.”

Robert smiled sadly. “I know. And I will.”

“I got it, Papa!” Elise said proudly. “Can we go now?”

“Of course, angel. Cover your hands with your shawl. Your dress and stockings should protect your legs, so just be sure not to take off that mask, alright?”

“Yes, Papa.”

They moved to the tent flap where Robert took a deep breath to prepare himself. Just before he opened the tent flap, though, Elise turned to Nasperge. “Thank you for everything!”

Nasperge smiled. “You’re welcome, mademoiselle. Goddess bless.”

And without another word, Elise LaRoux and her father strolled out into a bright sunny day for the first and only time.