February 5, 1687, the outside temperatures are very low, I observe the street by the skylight of my room. I don't know what time it is, but I think the sun has risen less than an hour ago. In spite of the penumbra, passersby are hurrying down the street, opening their shops, clerks running around. White wisps of smoke were escaping from their heads. The weather must be bitter cold. I slept only three hours last night, I was immersed in my medicine and herbology's books. I studied as much as I could, but with my job as a valet, I unfortunately don't have enough time to dedicate to my studies. I arrived in Paris two years ago. I managed to find work in a minor noble house owned by Baron Mautopan and his family. Working there was hard but the conditions were great : I was lodged, fed and paid. This allows me to save money for my medical studies. I want to be a doctor like my late father.

A great man, second son of a noble family, he had inherited a small cottage in Sussex, which was not enough to support our family: my mother, two younger sisters and my older brother, he became a doctor after brief studies. I learned to speak French with my nanny and it was due to this that I was able to come to France after my father's death.  Not being the eldest, I had no right of inheritance. Penniless and idle, that's how I ended up in this noble house, located near the left shore city wall, a few minutes away from the medical school of Paris, which I am trying to enter.

The sudden death of my father precipitated everything, I intended to leave to attend Cambridge University, but my possessive, egotistical and wicked brother viewed my dreams of studying and becoming a doctor in a very bad light.  He made me understand with big gestures and many shouts that if I stayed under his roof or within range, it was out of the question that I undertake studies. It was in this tense context that I left, in the spring of 1685, when I was only 17 years old.  I "borrowed" a horse from our family stables, and I left for the coast in the hope of finding a smuggler who would take me to France. My only luggage was the outfit I was wearing which was : a clean shirt, socks, a pair of riding pants, a jacket and my winter coat, my bag contained some spare underwear, a shirt, medicinal herbs, bandages, my three most precious books, a letter from my father and my entire fortune (a few gold coins and jewelries entrusted by my mother). In France, I was sure that he would not come to get me.

Crossing the sea was tough, but the hardest part was getting to Paris. I couldn't call myself as an Englishman due to the tension between our two countries. Also, I couldn't expect any sympathy from bystenders as the French ports was already full of young men waiting for opportunities. I had left my horse in England unable to take him on board with me. It took me nine whole days on foot to reach Rouen, and it was only after spending two weeks in the city that I managed to get on a carriage heading to the capital. 

March 12, 1687, night frosts were becoming rare, the entrance exam for the faculty was approaching, after two years of hard training to perfectly master French and the required knowledge to attempt the exam, I believed I was ready. I've been saving everything I can for the last two years, which should cover the first year's expenses, and I've made a deal with my employers : if I pass the first year, they'll pay me the rest and I'll be their regular doctor for the next ten years. It's actually not a bad deal, just restrictive. But I don't have another choice if I want to achieve my dream and it wouldn't prevent me from working on the side.  

May 8, 1687, spring started to show up, my birthday has passed, I am now 19 years old and I can finally participate in the entrance exam which will be held on June 26. Thomas gave me a necklace with a drawing of him and the university. I don't want to know where he got it but I take good care of his gift and I always have it around my neck. He found out my secret last week, as the nice weather was coming back I didn't cover up enough. He let me know but that did not change anything in our relationship. He promised to help me if the situation requires it. I don't know what he will be able to do if other people find out, but I'm glad I can count on him.

The youngest was born yesterday, the baron is over the moon and the baroness is recuperating. The whole household is in turmoil and I don't know where to start. Family and friends must be notified, the baptism and welcome ceremony must be organized. I won't be able to study for at least the next two weeks.

June 26, 1687, it's D-day.

I didn't slep at all. I am ready to go to the faculty since five o'clock this morning. I wait for sunrise to go. I signed up a week ago with Thomas. I had butterflies in my heart. I arrived on the front steps of the university, holding my breath. The building was majestic, standing before me, with its immaculate white stones and its coat of arms enthroned on the parvis. I blended in with the other candidates. There were a lot of people that day. Probably more than fifty people. The exam took place in the refectory, a huge room with many tables and benches. The first part was a written test that I passed rather well if I may say so. The second part was a practical test, it was a preparation of a simple decoction against the cold. The day concluded with an interview with one of the teachers. This was the most difficult and the most nerve-wracking. I don't know if what I said was accurate because I was so nervous. The results would be announced three weeks later. I had to get in. The whole household had given me their support, whether it was the employees or the masters. Thomas was relying on me. That night I went to bed unable to realize it.

July 19, 1687, the summer was here, temperatures were high, one could almost suffocate in the streets of the French capital. The smell of human life and its rejects was omnipresent, decaying in the heat. The masters didn't have a residence in the countryside but had left to join their maternal family outside the city in Fontainebleau in order to protect themselves from the heat. Only the servants remained in the Paris mansion.

I was waiting for the results with impatience, we were getting closer to the deadline. I was torn between joy, fear of failing, anticipation and many other feelings when the doorbell rang around 5:00 pm. My heart skipped a beat. The butler called for Mathys, that's me. It could only be the faculty's answer. I was in a turmoil of emotion as I walked down the three floors of the house. If they had come it was only because I was accepted. My problems were finally going to be solved! I was finally going to be recognized.

My body and my heart froze as I reached the door. It wasn't the medical school clerks, it was the constabulary. My mind went blank. I thought of Thomas. Maybe he was dead and they had come to tell me. But they couldn't know that I was close to him. The necklace, perhaps? Why do they need me?  I walked backwards, wondering what was going to happen. I stopped at the doorstep next to the butler. He was looking at me with an ominous grin. The man who appeared to be the captain looked me up and down. He seemed confused about what he was seeing but so sure of what he was doing there. I couldn't understand. After what seemed like an interminable minute, he cleared his throat in a provocative tone and said,

"Mathilde Mayhorth, I am arresting you for impersonation, fraud and moral outrage."