Dearest Sophia,
Knowing how you love ciphers and cryptic crosswords, I've come up with a little puzzle, just for you.
You will need to draw upon your knowledge of cryptic clues to set up the grid of letters. Once you've solved the clues you will be able to decipher the message and find a hidden item.
Remember last month when we were talking about various less common ciphers, and you remarked about how the name of one of the ciphers reminded you of certain races?
Well, that's the cipher that I've used, with a small modification - using letters instead of numbers along the top and down the left side.
Here is the down clue that will you will need to order the internal across clues:
Did Ed Coe read your pithy tale in ninth grade - "Initially revealing plaintext"?
Here is the horizontal and external across clue:
Tearful Cary Holmes, distraught.
Here is the external down clue:
Tripped up knight or analytical blunder.
And finally the internal across clues:
Peaceful north in flower after finback operational.
Eject from competition or take away degree?
Old currency ruined rich makers.
All thumbs, crewing that section. It's gonna make me scream.
Hymn audit, bottomless tank, in Anglican Primate.
Steffi sounds discriminatory against 12" sections tagging vandal.
Aye, Ms Hatcher mentioned otic device long ago.
Pulp melaleucas shed eighth for canopy top.
Former stops TNT and C-4, say.
Popular confluence directive.
The cipher:
OHKOI AHCNE UARYN AOMGM PLIMH
EPONM ROOEP CKYRA UYILR AKHIS
GRPER LNMPA NHTHI ERRNL HSNCG
ANSPR HLGET RNYHM TSTE
Yours sincerely,
Xavier