The Agreement Made

Outside the Palace of Versailles, Daphne and Francis were inside an automobile, with Francis teaching his little sister how to drive.

"No, you are doing it wrong," Francis corrected gently, his hands poised above the gear stick, ready to intervene if necessary. "You need to synchronize the clutch and the accelerator more smoothly. When you release the clutch too quickly while not giving enough gas, the engine doesn't get enough power to keep running, which causes it to stall."

Francis could see on her face that Daphne was about to tear up. "Why is this so hard?"

"Driving a manual car is about understanding the mechanics," Francis explained. "When you press the clutch, you're disconnecting the engine from the transmission to change gears. You have to balance the clutch and the accelerator to transfer the power back smoothly."