Page 12 of Whispers of Shadowbrook House
The way she said the word made Pearl’s mouth water. It was a delicious-sounding word, even though she knew better. A big story wasn’t for her. She’d always been meant for a quiet life.
“Sounds wonderful. But I wouldn’t know how to quest. You tell me what to do, and I’ll follow your every suggestion.”
Nanette’s laugh carried up over the stacks of books and circled the ceiling. “That’s called a play, and you’d only be an actor. No. You need to be the driving force. Although, I’ll admit, there was a time I wondered if you’d come to Shadowbrook to fall in love with your employer.”
Now it was Pearl’s turn to laugh. “Mr. Ravenscroft?”
Nanette shrugged. “How was I supposed to know he’s not a darkly handsome recluse, sitting home alone protecting his broken heart, just waiting for the governess of his dreams to carry him away from a lifetime of sadness and regret?”
“You’ve been reading the Brontes again, haven’t you?
” Pearl could laugh about the idea now, but she’d also wondered, when she was hired to care for a child at a large house, if the master of Shadowbrook might turn out to be a Mr. Rochester.
Not that she was particularly attracted to brooding, angry men who kept silent about their very important secrets.
She preferred men who smiled and laughed.
Her own orphaned state might have nudged her toward hope of finding a new family in her employment, but no one could replace her parents and her dear younger brother. Not even someone she adored as much as Maxwell.
Nanette interrupted Pearl’s thoughts by pulling the basket crammed full of sensational little stories across the table and resettling them so they lay in a semblance of order.
“I sell more of these than anything else in the shop,” Nanette mused. “People love thrilling stories.”
Pearl gave an involuntary shudder as she remembered the spider in the cupboard. “I doubt they’d like it if they had to live inside one.”
“But that’s the pleasure of reading. You get all the thrill of excitement, the terror of monsters and frightening creatures, and then you put the book down and go back to your own boring life. But between the pages, you revel in the feeling of lurking danger.”
“You’ve got quite an understanding of books and readers. Maybe you ought to do more than sell them. Maybe you should write them as well.”
Nanette grinned. “How do you know I don’t?”
“I would never assume any accomplishment is out of your reach.”
“A perfect answer. We must both be allowed our secrets, even though we’re such good friends.
” Nanette pushed the basket back to the center of the table.
“But secrets aside, don’t fall in love with your employer’s nephew.
It will end badly, and he’ll break your heart, and I have neither enough feminine gentleness nor enough soppy novels to repair the damage. ”
“I appreciate your concern, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’m armored against heartbreak.” Pearl thumped her chest with her fist as they both laughed.
But even through the laughter, Pearl knew her jest was partly serious. She’d happily accept Mr. Waverley’s casual attentions for the days he stayed at Shadowbrook. It was pleasant to be charmed and smiled at and flirted with, but her whole world revolved around Maxwell’s health and safety.
If only Oliver Waverley didn’t smile so easily or hold her eyes so confidently.
If only he didn’t look exactly like a novel hero with his carefully trimmed hair and his beautifully patterned waistcoat.
But he’d arrived without invitation, and he’d be gone again too soon, back to the city and his life far from Shadowbrook.
He’d leave and never give her another thought, taking with him any temptation for Pearl to act like a novel’s swoony heroine.
Nanette might have seen something of Pearl’s internal struggle, because she dropped the conversation. She stood and picked up a book tucked behind a small box on the floor. “I’ve been saving this one for your boy.”
Pearl loved when Nanette called Maxwell her boy . She opened the book and flipped several of the pages. It was full of word games—rebuses and anagrams.
“Oh, this is perfect. With evenings getting darker, and the inevitable storms coming on, we can keep our minds sharp.” Pearl tapped the side of her head.
Nanette passed her another book. “And this one is for you. A bit silly, but the lady, with her bold heart and her great talents, reminds me of you.”
Pearl felt her eyes sting with the compliment.
She glanced away, but Nanette must have seen, because she went on in a playful tone.
“Of course, she chooses the wrong man. Foolishly swayed by a layer of polish and a boatload of money. She should have married the farmer down the lane. He was perfect for her, and she was at her best when she was with him. But we can’t expect everyone to make the right choices in every story, can we? ”
The words were easy to say, but Pearl knew the truth. Only by carefully making the best decisions could anyone protect the ones they loved. And if they looked away at the wrong moment, a happy life could turn to disaster.