Chapter 1: Introduction
I stared at the missive in my hands, stupefied. Surely, this must be a hoax! As a farm boy in the middle of rural England, opportunities did not often come my way. But today, I had received one. What's more, it had come from the Palace itself.
My eyes skimmed the contents of the parchment, the flowing ink bequeathing upon me the prestigious honor of being received by Her Majesty, the Queen Elizabeth the Second. The royal seal gleamed gold in the weak sunlight streaming through my window.