Bonjour

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                     THE MISSING CHAMPAGNE    

 

       Circa 1750 

 

                            Rome, Vatican

 

    She didn’t come to the Vatican very often.  Her father, was never happy to see her. No one lit up when she walked into a room.  She noticed these things. Daphne longed to be seen for who she really was, beyond the shadow of  her father’s sins.  Her purpose for being in the Vatican was selfish, she kept looking for clues about her mother, she needed to find where the secrets were kept, she needed to dive into the Vatican’s secrets, her quest for the truth led her deeper into the Vatican. 

 

  She was enjoying wandering the humongous rooms full of empty space,  the gilded woodwork and hand painted ceilings and Italian marble floors. She knew there were hidden doors in each room, but never knew where they were.  She started pushing and pulling on the walls. Never expecting to find a real hidden door.

  Alas!    

  She felt one give!! 

She kept pushing, this was easier than she thought.  It opened to a hallway.  Quite different from where she came.  Stone walls, stone floors, no decorations anywhere, no paintings, no tile, so cold and drafty, hardly any light adorned the hallway.  She went through, she wound through a few empty halls. She never heard the sound of royal robes coming her way.  

  She rounded a sharp stone corner and came face to face with a royal man!  A British royal! A bit older than her, but a kind face. He looked at her as if he could see all the good in her, all the kind intentions, as well as all the loneliness. 

  Even though liking a Brit was looked down on, she never cared much for social norms.   What she saw was a kind face, strong hands and she could feel a force that comes from blood lines, not a power hungry force, but a power that comes from heredity.  Calm and sure of himself, he walked past her.  She couldn’t let this moment pass her by.  Although she didn’t know what to say either.

   Finally, after a few awkward seconds, he said, “Excuse, mademoiselle, I am terribly late, perhaps….?” He didn’t know how to finish his sentence, so he smiled and took her hand in his to kiss. 

 

     The universe was unfolding.