Chapter Fourteen

E lizabeth couldn't believe how big Felix's library was. When he told her he had a lot of books, she never envisioned there being so many. Yes, he had explained the shelves he'd installed, and yes, there were some shelves that went higher than the ladder, but the enormity of the room still shocked her. She didn't think a bookstore or a public library had so many books in one place. Knowing where to start was a bit overwhelming.

Since Felix had given her permission to look through any book she wanted, she went to the ones resting on his desk. She saw two collections of short stories by the Brothers Grimm. A ribbon was tucked into one of them. She opened the book until she found the ribbon and saw the story about the ravens. She read it before it occurred to her that, though he was reading the book, its pages were so well-cared for that the book seemed brand new.

She closed the book and checked the binding. There was a slight crease in it, but it was so small that it would have been invisible had she not searched for it. Her gaze went to the other books on the desk. These weren't new. They were older books, but they had also been loved to the point of seeming new. It was nice to come across someone who treasured books this much. A lot of times people said they loved to read, but one wouldn't know it by the way they treated their books.

She went on to read the titles of the other books and saw they were darker in nature. She supposed someone who was afraid of an owl statue really wouldn't like seeing these. She gave a slight shake of her head then backed away from the desk. It still bothered her that those two gentlemen had tried to get Felix to remove the owl from the drawing room.

If they had any idea how much time and love went into creating that lovely statue, they would be ashamed of themselves. But that was the problem with people who never engraved things; they didn't appreciate the work required to create something that exquisite. Thankfully, Felix could appreciate the owl enough to keep it where she had put it. Perhaps this marriage wasn't going to be so terrible after all.

She turned to the other books in the room. Where would one even start? This was like being a child in a room full of candy. Her heartbeat picked up. All of these books offered a new adventure. That was the best thing about books. One could do anything, go anywhere, or be anyone while reading them. So, what was she in the mood for?

She spent the next hour sorting through books before the butler told her Lady Quinton had come to visit. Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to remember who Lady Quinton was.

"Are you sure Lady Quinton is here to see me?" Elizabeth asked.

The butler's face grew pink. "All Lady Quinton said was that she was here. I assumed you were expecting the visit since Lord Roland isn't here."

"No, I wasn't."

"Should I tell her to come back when Lord Roland returns? Lady Quinton is his sister."

Oh, that was who Lady Quinton was. Perhaps she was here to make another attempt at a friendship. Elizabeth supposed she should speak with the lady. "She may come in here. Do you think she'll want some tea?"

The butler's eyes widened then he shrugged. "I didn't think to ask her. Forgive me, my lady. I'm still new to my position, so I am learning how to best serve this household."

"That's all right. I understand." Elizabeth had never entertained a visitor who had come specifically for her. It had been so long since her brother or parents had visitors that she couldn't remember if everyone drank tea when they had company or not.

"I'll ask her what she wants when I bring her in," the butler said, saving her from having to make what could possibly be the wrong choice.

Relieved, Elizabeth carried two books to the small table in between two chairs. She remained standing and wiped her palms on her gown. She should have paid better attention when her brother rambled on about how to conduct herself in polite society. But he had done that during their dinners, and his mouth was so full of food she was unable to eat her own meal while listening to him. As a result, she usually ignored him. Her brother had been gross. At least Felix took small bites when he ate and was good about waiting until he swallowed the food before speaking.

Lydia entered the room and told the butler she wouldn't need tea. She waited until he shut the door before she directed an uncertain gaze to Elizabeth.

Understanding the reason for Lydia's hesitation, Elizabeth cleared her throat. "I apologize for the way I behaved at the wedding breakfast. I shouldn't have been rude to you. It was just that I was upset about the marriage. I didn't feel like talking to anyone."

Lydia relaxed and then approached her. "Anyone would be upset given the circumstance."

Feeling some of the tension leaving, Elizabeth gestured for Lydia to sit then settled into her own chair. "I've never been anyone's friend before. I'm afraid I don't know what to do."

Surprise crossed Lydia's face, but she hurried to mask it with a smile. "There's nothing to it. You just talk about something you have in common with the other person."

Was that all there was to it? "Do you like to read books or look at engraved art?" she ventured.

"No, I don't."

"Oh." In that case, Elizabeth didn't know what they would have to speak about.

"We have my brother in common," Lydia said.

Yes, that was true, but was it enough? Elizabeth had come across people who knew her brother, but none of them had become her friend. But then, why would she be interested in the kind of people her brother associated with?

"I actually came to speak with Felix," Lydia began. "The butler didn't tell me he wasn't here. I assumed he would be in here with his books. He spends most of his waking hours in here."

"He left about an hour ago. I don't know where he went."

He hadn't said, and it certainly hadn't been her place to ask. Though, she wouldn't have asked even if she had a right to know her husband's whereabouts. She had been relieved their interaction was over. It had been pleasant enough, but she was afraid it would become unpleasant. Keeping the conversation brief had been for the best. Now things might not be so awkward between them the next time they were in the same room.

Lydia's gaze went to the stack of books on his desk. "I see Felix is organizing his books again."

"Does he do that often?"

Lydia nodded. "He can never decide which system works best. I think it disappoints him to no end when the same author writes a book on a different topic. He never knows what to do about that."

"Well, it seems like he wants to organize these books according to the genre that fits them."

"He's done that a couple of times before, but then has trouble remembering exactly where the author he's searching for is among all of the books he owns. Then he'll sort the books by author."

Elizabeth scanned the room, once again marveling at how many books one person could possess. "I love that he has so many. A person could get lost in here." And what better place to get lost in than a library of this size?

Lydia chuckled. "Speaking of getting lost in a library, the one we have at our country estate has a hidden room."

"Really? Was this room there for someone to read a book in?"

The laughter died in Lydia's voice. "No, I'm sorry to say it wasn't, though that would have been a good use for it."

Elizabeth wanted to ask what the room had been used for but noted the discomfort in Lydia's expression, so she refrained.

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Lydia asked, "Would you be willing to give Felix a message for me?"

"Yes." In fact, Elizabeth was more than willing to do it. It would give her something to talk about the next time she saw him. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him that I don't think my husband—Guy—will refuse to talk to him for long."

Surprised, Elizabeth asked, "Why would Guy refuse to talk to him?"

"The owl in the drawing room disturbed him." When Elizabeth frowned, she hurried to add, "I know you have a right to put a statue of an owl in there. I'm not saying you should remove it."

Elizabeth hesitated to speak but finally ventured, "What are you saying?"

"Guy is... Well, he's not like other people. I mean, he's wonderful. It might not seem like he cares, but he does. We all have our faults. Guy's fault just happens to be that he's superstitious. Though I wouldn't call it a fault. Not really."

Considering the fact that Guy reacted the way he did when he saw her owl and the way Guy wanted a bird to poop on her during the wedding, Elizabeth had trouble agreeing with Lydia. Guy's superstitious nature was definitely a fault. But she thought better of voicing her opinion. Lydia was Felix's sister. She should try to get along with her. "If you don't think of it as a fault, then what is it?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's a different way of viewing the world. When it comes down to it, don't we all look at things in different ways? Some people enjoy operas because they view it as a pleasant experience. Other people find operas tedious. It doesn't make the opera bad, does it?"

"I fail to understand the connection between that and a harmless statue of a bird."

"I agree the statue of the owl is harmless. Felix agrees it's harmless, but Guy is uncomfortable with it."

"Yes, I realized that when I saw him panic over it."

Lydia's eyes grew wide. "You were there when the incident happened?"

"Felix didn't tell you?"

Lydia shook her head. "He didn't mention the fact that you were there. He only said that Guy and Algernon were upset by the owl and wanted him to remove it from the drawing room."

That was rather nice of Felix. Elizabeth was touched he had chosen to protect her by not mentioning the fact that she'd been eavesdropping on them. That was something her parents and her brother wouldn't have done.

"I don't want you to remove the owl from the drawing room," Lydia spoke up. "As Felix said, this is your townhouse. You have a right to decorate it however you want."

"So you want me to tell Felix that you agree with him?"

"No. He already knows that. I want you to tell Felix to not be upset with Guy. Guy will talk to him again. He just needs time to overcome his shock."

Elizabeth's skin prickled. Why shouldn't Felix be upset that Guy was choosing to be difficult about the owl? Guy had been unreasonable. And now Guy was the one who refused to speak with Felix. "A grown gentleman ought to have more control of his emotions than to let a harmless statue bother him."

"There's more to that owl statue than you realize. I'm not sure I'm at liberty to explain what happened at the estate. It seems like that should be something Felix tells you."

Elizabeth's frown deepened. "Regardless of what happened, it has nothing to do with me or the owl I purchased with my own money. Certainly, Guy is intelligent enough to realize that."

"Guy is intelligent. Immensely so, in fact. It's not his fault people don't understand him."

Elizabeth was struggling to remain pleasant, but it was getting increasingly harder to do in light of how eager Lydia was to defend someone who acted like a child. "Maybe they do understand him and realize he's unreasonable to deal with."

Lydia stared at her in bewilderment for a long moment. Elizabeth thought she was going to keep arguing with her, but then she said, "Forgive me, Elizabeth. I am not trying to be contrary."

Elizabeth felt the strain between them ease. Lydia, at least, was more reasonable than Guy, and she could respect that. "I don't want to argue with you. I just think Felix had every right to act the way he did." She paused then added, "He not only told me I could decorate the drawing room any way I wanted, but when I did, he supported me. Your brother surprised me today."

Lydia nodded and folded her hands in her lap. "Felix is a good gentleman. It's only when he drinks alcohol that he acts inappropriately. From what I know, he hasn't had any alcohol since that evening he went to Marco's and said those things about..." She glanced at Elizabeth then blushed. "I hope you understand that it was the alcohol making him act the way he did that evening. I assure you he wouldn't have started those rumors about you otherwise."

In a small way, that did make Elizabeth feel better.

The two fell into silence, but things weren't as awkward as they'd been before. Elizabeth had no idea what to say to get the conversation going again. Her focus during her Season was on making herself as attractive as possible. She hadn't thought about what to say to people. Not that she ever expected people to take an interest in anything she had to say. She assumed they would do all the talking. She took another look at the books. It was a shame Lydia had no interest in them.

"It's a nice day," Lydia spoke up. "Do you enjoy walking through Hyde Park?"

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably in the chair. Did she really want to go outside where people would glance at her and whisper rumors about her? The longer they did it, the worse her reputation seemed to get. "Given the circumstances, I would rather not go to Hyde Park."

"Oh, people can't still be talking about you. Why, the headline this morning in the Tittletattle said that the Earl of Jenkins was caught stealing money from the Duke of Hamilton."

Elizabeth had no idea who the two gentlemen were, but she'd trade places with the Earl of Jenkins right now if she could. It was much better to be a thief than a lady who swapped gentlemen in her bed when she wasn't casting spells. Lydia had no idea just how deep the rumors about her went, or how much they hurt.

Lydia's hopeful expression dimmed. "Well, I suppose people delight more in ruining a lady's reputation than a gentleman's." She tapped her lap a couple of times and glanced around the room.

"You don't have to stay here. I don't know when Felix will return. I will pass on the message that Guy will speak with him once he overcomes his shock at seeing the owl statue."

Lydia almost seemed as if she was going to leave but then shot her a sly grin. "I bet you enjoy something sweet to eat."

Not expecting this, Elizabeth said, "Doesn't everyone?"

"Yes, but not everyone knows about my secret hiding place. The chocolate I have isn't something you can get from the market. This is from France. My friend gave me some when her brother returned from a visit there. I forgot all about it until now. I believe there are still some pieces left."

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. "I would be lying if I didn't say I'm intrigued. I never had chocolate from France."

"It's made by a chef who uses real sugar, not the sweet ingredients meant to imitate sugar."

"That's expensive, isn't it?" Her family never allowed real sugar into their home because of the cost.

"Yes, and that's why this chocolate is special. I haven't told Felix or Oscar about it. I'm sure Felix would leave it alone, but Oscar would gobble it all down as soon as he saw it. I don't know if you've noticed the lack of control Oscar has when it comes to food."

Recalling how much Oscar put on his plate during mealtime, Elizabeth believed he would make the chocolate disappear in an instant. Lips curling up into a smile, she said, "I noticed his enthusiasm for food."

Lydia snorted. "I suppose ‘enthusiasm' is one way of describing it." She rose from the chair and motioned for Elizabeth to join her. "I don't think anyone has cleaned out my bedchamber yet. Even if they have, I doubt they found my hiding place."

Not sure if it was the promise of eating chocolate or sharing a secret with someone, but, in excitement, Elizabeth decided to join her.