Page 9

Chapter nine

Beatrice

As they made their way to the first tenant's cottage, Beatrice puzzled over the fact that Lord Alexander wasn’t telling her everything about the fire.

Was it the one that had killed his parents?

Was it a different fire?

Was he silent only because it was a painful memory, or was there something else there?

She couldn’t think long, though, because soon they were drawing near to the first cottage.

She had never visited the tenants as the lady of the estate before, but she knew many of the families from her time in town. They would come to town occasionally to shop or for events put on by the school.

The children walked into town to go to school in the warm months, but in the winter, it wasn't practical for them to come. She was lucky to see them a few times a month when the snow was easier to traverse, and she was hoping to see a few of her favorites here.

She allowed them to take out more books in the winter so that they had something to read if the weather turned, so they might not even know that she was no longer the librarian.

Would the children be sad that she was no longer the one presiding over their books?

She’d always been happy to purchase more children’s books with her salary. She had never told her father just how much she made, so she had plenty to spend on books. She probably shouldn't have kept it from him, but if she hadn't, he would have spent it all himself.

She wanted that money to go toward something other than funding the tavern, so she bought more books with it.

It was well worth it to see the smiles on the children's faces.

“Here we are,” Lord Alexander said as he knocked on the door of the first cottage and it opened almost immediately.

Beatrice was pleasantly surprised to find a large, cheerful home with two bedrooms, judging by the number of doors, and a warm fire. Several children were seated at the table, engrossed in books.

The sight instantly made her smile.

The cheerful woman who opened the door greeted them with a smile and Beatrice grinned. She knew her already. “I was wondering if we’d see you, my lord,” she said to Lord Alexander with a wink.

“Oh, you heard the news already?” Lord Alexander replied, pretending to frown, though Beatrice could see the twinkle in his eyes. He had probably hoped the news would spread.

“I heard she’s a girl from town,” the woman said, turning to Beatrice with a smile. Recognition dawned on her face. “Oh, hello, Miss Beatrice. Are you the new Lady Dunham then?”

“I am,” Beatrice said, smiling at the woman and the baby on her hip. “I see the children are enjoying their books.”

Mrs. Dorman had been one of the first to come to the library and collect books for her children. “They are,” Mrs. Dorman said with a wide smile. “We’re finishing up that adventure novel you gave us, and when I can’t read to them, they’re busy reading their own books.”

Lord Alexander raised his eyebrows. “Adventure novel? I don’t remember that being in the collection I gave you.”

Beatrice shrugged. “I may have expanded the collection on my own a bit.”

“With what funds?” Lord Alexander asked.

“My salary,” Beatrice replied with a grin. “So you can’t reprimand me. Consider it my own personal book collection that I simply shared with everyone.”

“I wasn’t going to reprimand you,” Lord Alexander said with a shake of his head. “I was going to tell you that you should have asked me if you wanted funds to buy more books. I would have paid for them.”

Beatrice widened her eyes. “You would have given me more money for books? My salary was enough to purchase them without any financial strain. I didn’t need more.”

Lord Alexander gave a half-hearted shrug. “They were important to my mother, and they’re important to you. I think that should be rewarded. And I’m sorry that I did not think to offer a fund specifically for helping to expand the library.”

“We can offer it to the next librarian, because you’re right, they’re important.”

“They’re important to me, too,” a tiny voice piped up from the table. Beatrice turned to see the youngest Dorman girl, maybe six or seven years old, who had just begun to read. Finding new books for her was one of Beatrice’s great joys. “This one’s the best one yet,” she said enthusiastically.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Beatrice said with a smile. She had never asked Mrs. Dorman where they lived, and finding them at Eldenwilde was a wonderful surprise.

“We just wanted to stop in and say hello,” Lord Alexander said. “We have a few more stops to make.”

“Of course,” Mrs. Dorman said with a smile. “You’re welcome anytime, especially you, Miss Beatrice—I mean, Lady Dunham.”

Mrs. Dorman bobbed a small curtsy, and Beatrice felt a pang of discomfort. For the first time, becoming Lady Dunham felt like a barrier between her and the people she had known as the librarian.

“Thank you,” Beatrice said with a smile, addressing everyone in the room before allowing Lord Alexander to open the door and lead her toward the next home

Each house was similar—full of cheerful women with happy children, and most of them familiar faces from the library. In fact, nearly all the patrons of her library seemed to be from this estate.

Did none of the other estates have tenants who enjoyed reading? She had known that not many from the village had visited, but she hadn’t expected nearly all her patrons to come from one estate, especially since Eldenwilde was the farthest from town.

She would have to work with Eugenia to expand the circle of readers to include those from the other estates. Perhaps they should start a library cart to bring books around to people who couldn’t get to town easily. Even if the tenants didn't expect them at first, she didn't think the nobility would have a problem with it, and she knew how important it was for the people of the region to read.

Reading was the thing that had perhaps the single biggest impact on her life, and she wanted the chance to share that with more children and adults.

Books had offered her freedom when she had been old enough to stay at home, but too young to escape her father's attention. While he had never hurt her, he could be a bit cruel at times, and reading had brought her to other worlds, far away from the cutting remarks. She hoped no one else would ever be in the same position she had been in, but she knew all too well that there were other people who needed a distraction, whatever their reason might be.

Beatrice pondered this as they made their way back to the manor. She had met most of the tenants, all of whom had welcomed her warmly, especially those who knew her as Beatrice the librarian.

“I didn’t realize so many of your tenants shared your mother’s love for reading,” Beatrice said to Alexander as they walked toward the front door.

“I encourage them to take time to read,” Alexander said as he opened the front door. “My mother was the one who started it, of course. But when my father realized that our tenants made better decisions about their farming and their households when they read books about those topics, he was on board with my mother’s plan.”

“Do they get the books from the library in town only, or do you have a library here for them as well?” Beatrice asked as Alexander helped her remove her cloak, handing it to Jenkins, who had appeared out of nowhere.

“Yes, we have a few books for them here,” he said, “but the majority come from your library. I wanted the farming books my father had gathered to be available to anyone. Although I have ordered a second copy of some to keep here, since they were in such high demand.”

Beatrice’s mind was whirling, and she accepted his arm automatically as they started walking down the hallway. “And they all enjoy reading?” she asked. It was surprising, given that so few in town seemed to share the same passion.

“Most of them do,” Alexander said, leading her past his study toward the library. “Let me show you their section of the library.”

Beatrice paused inside the door, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

She could live on the estate for the rest of her life and never tire of entering this room.

“I still don’t believe you gave me most of the books,” Beatrice said as she opened her eyes and glanced around at the mostly full shelves.

“I said I gave you a large portion,” Alexander’s voice rumbled beside her. “But this room could not be emptied without ruining its glory. Don’t you think?”

Beatrice could hardly find the words to respond. “I agree,” she finally managed, spinning in a circle to take in the full effect of the room yet again. Even though she’d seen it all before, it was still overwhelming to take in the sheer magnitude of the library.

Alexander chuckled. “And now it’s yours. My mother would be happy to see her books in the hands of someone who clearly loves them.” His voice caught on the last word, and Beatrice turned to him.

“Thank you, my lord,” Beatrice said, offering a smile.

“Alexander,” he reminded her.

Beatrice swallowed.

She was his wife.

She would have to get used to calling him by his name.

“Thank you, Alexander,” she said, putting emphasis on the word.

When she said it, his eyes lit up in a way she hadn’t yet seen. “Thank you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “No one has called me by my name since my parents died. It feels good to hear it again.”

Beatrice stared at him, the weight of what he had just said crashing over her. “Nobody….” she began, her voice trailing off. “How many years?”

His jaw clenched. “Too many. It wasn’t proper for Jenkins or anyone here, and my friends always called me Dunham.”

Beatrice couldn’t imagine. Even without her parents, she’d had Dietrich and his mother, Thea, Sophia, and many others who cared for her.

No wonder he was so disinclined to smile.

He needed someone to love him, and who better to do that than his wife?

Feeling a surge of boldness, she reached for his shirt, stood up on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

His palms came to rest on her waist, holding her loosely, like he was afraid he might break her if he held her with the full strength of his hands. Alexander closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry you were so alone,” she said quietly, looking up at him.

At her words, he released her and took a step back, opening his eyes and clearing his throat. “All is well,” he said, shaking his head as if to dismiss the moment. “I am just glad to hear my name again.”

He would soon become sick of hearing it, because she was going to use it as often as she could.

No one should ever be so alone that they didn’t hear their own name.

And now, he no longer was.