I arrived at the Gustafson estate and was brought out back to the private garden where Sophie was seated in a sheltered gazebo. Tea had been set and we sat and discussed everything that had transpired. She shared her story and that she blamed Karl Knutmudsen for her brother Stephan's death. Indeed, she was fearful that Stephan was considering joining the Artesians as she had accompanied him on several meetings and encounters with Karl and already knew both Oliver and Ingrid were Artesians.
She never saw me at any of those meetings and while Karl and Oliver spoke highly of me, she knew I was not a member of that horrible cult. She confided that she sat in a few of those sermons with Stephan and watched tearfully at how enraptured he was by Karl's preaching. How Stephan's eyes glowed with such delight and he hung on every word. She begged and begged of Ingrid and of Karl to not recruit Stephan, she even offered herself as a willing member if they would agree to reject his membership. They refused.
Her father knows all of this. And he was furious when he learned she offered herself to become an Artesian and in some ways as she sat in on several of those meetings, she should be treated as a suspect Artesian.
Sophie went further and said its against her father's pride and ways to have not turned both Sophie and Stephan in. A Gustafson is always first loyal and a patriot and would do so above family and blood. Everything Wolf probably said was to hide this fact and it was his asking me to see her was his way of trying to further cover up and end the family scandal.
She further knows of our family shared histories and even more so of my great uncle. My older brother and Wolf are dear friends and all the more reason we are meeting today. Wolf had been planning this all along and everything thus far had been his way of testing me. If things do not turn out to Wolf's satisfaction, she would be soon joining Ingrid Glikmann. But that was not why she agreed to meet, she is still as defiant as any Gustafson and wouldn't be afraid of imprisonment.
She felt anger at her father and considered me a fool and worse a pawn and a plaything that Wolf had manipulated for quite some time. She wanted me to stop trying to seek out more about the movement and let it just die. All it has brought was misery and suffering for those involved.
She welcomed and invited me to join her again and that Wolf would likely want the three of them to meet. He very much wanted to speak with me and now that every shred of secrecy and subterfuge could be laid bare, we could have an actual conversation.
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