Goatbeard’s Gift
Baron Britpop Blastfurnace • Chapter 70
As the months passed, we all settled into a routine. Maria seemed very happy. Although she suffered a couple of bouts of homesickness, she seemed more than content to remain in Kapri, which pleased me. I did not like the thought of her and Andelbert moving back to France.
I worked every evening, writing down my adventures. I made the decision to write them as a tale for all to read and hoped to one day publish them as a book. Since Maria had excellent penmanship, I enlisted her to copy my scrawling into neat, readable writing. She made two copies of each page and corrected my continual grammar errors. Andelbert read each night’s output. He gave me his recollections when I forgot something important.
Finally, it was complete. It was enjoyable to relive the adventures, but I was glad to be finished with the project. It proved to be a lot of work. Once Maria had made her copies of the last page, I gathered them together and placed them in a satchel so I could present them to Grand Duke Goatbeard.
The following day, I made my way to Goatbeard’s office.
“Good morning, Britpop. To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?”
“Grand Duke, I have completed the writing of my adventures and would like to present it to you as a gift.”
“How wonderful. I am excited to read it. Thank you, Baron.”
“It is my pleasure. I hope you enjoy it. I have written a dedication to you in the beginning.”
“I am honored. And now I have a gift for you.”
“You do?”
“Indeed.”
To my complete surprise, Elise Boissonneau walked into the room.
She smiled and said, “To answer your question from our last conversation. No, I don’t always do what’s expected.”
My heart nearly exploded.
“It appears you are a bit of a pirate also,” I said.
“Indeed.”
Thanks for reading, Matey.
The adventure continues in the sequel, Elise Boissonneau.
Enjoyed reading from beginning to end!