Page 56 of The Missing Pages
I caught the expression of disappointment on her face, before she shook it off.
“These things happen in the book world, as you know.” Her voice resumed its normal tenor. She extended her hand in the direction of the hall. “Come. Let me show you to Mr. Quaritch’s office.”
I found Bernard Alfred at his desk, beside several stacks of leather-bound books. He appeared in a jovial mood, and my plan to convince him to tell Sangorski that he’d found the perfect chaperone for the priceless bejeweled book proved far easier than I expected.
“I’ve already discussed it with him,” Quaritch said, relaxing into the back of his chair. “At first the old chap was resistant, not wanting to entrust the book to a young lady. Despite my claims there was no one in the world I thought was as capable and trustworthy as Ada!”
“Indeed,” I agreed.
“But when he learned you would be keeping an eye out for her and promised to safeguard the book through customs in New York, he acquiesced.” Quaritch folded his pink hands and smiled. “Now Sangorski just needs to go ahead and book Miss Lippoldt’s passage. He’s agreed to pay for a second-class fare, which is hardly cheap, and should afford her both safety and adequate comfort.”
I made a face, my concern apparent. I knew that second-class passengers on theTitanicdidn’t mingle and had separate dining rooms and social spaces. This would effectively prevent Ada and me from ever being alone together on the ship. Quaritch, therefore, had to procure an upgrade for Ada, or else my primary reasons for getting her on board could never come to pass.
“Is Mr. Sangorski taking out insurance for the book?” I asked.
“I believe so, “Quaritch said. “It would be ludicrous not to purchase it for such an expensive item.”
“Well, I’d inquire what arrangements they might stipulate for the transport before you book her passage,” I suggested matter-of-factly.
I, of course, was more concerned with Ada’s comfort and safety than with the book’s, but I could hardly say that without raising suspicion of our budding affection for each other. I knew enough to realize I had to focus on what Quaritch and Sangorski would believe to be the more precious element of the two, namely theRubaiyat.
“Let me have another conversation with him.” Bernard Alfred reached into his desk drawer for a cigar. I’d clearly agitated him sufficiently.
“This bloody book,” he said as he lit the cigar and took a deep puff, “has been nothing but aggravation for everyone who’s touched it. It’s like it’s cursed.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
IHOVERED IN THE LIBRARY WATCHINGVIOLET ANDTHEOstare at the four-letter word I had spelled out for them.
“I knew it,” Violet said.
Theo’s face squinted. “You knew what? That the ghost of Harry Widener is in love with you?”
“No, not at all.” She stared at the board, contemplating how to put her thoughts into words. “I think there’s a missing part of Harry’s story. And for some reason, he’s chosen me to be the one to uncover it.”
“But why do you think that?”
“Well, no one knows really anything beyond the basics about Harry, do they? We know he graduated from Harvard in 1907. We know he loved books and started avidly collecting his junior year, and that a man named A.S.W. Rosenbach helped him acquire a significant part of his collection.”
“Well, actually I knew none of this before you shared it with me,” Theo said, laughing. “But I’m catching up. And I remember from my college tour that he died on theTitanic, supposedly because he went back for a book in his cabin instead of getting into the lifeboat with his mother.”
“Yes. Right. The tour guide version of his life.” Violet shook her head. “But if we stick to the facts, yes, we know that he drowned on theTitanicand his mother later created the Widener Library in his honor.”
“And that’s it?” Theo looked incredulous.
“That’s the nuts and bolts of it. I know Madeline has been combing Rosenbach’s letters to see if she can learn something that’s been overlooked by past scholars. But honestly, there’s almost nothing else to go by. He’s a complete mystery.”
“So strange,” Theo said as he helped Violet fold up the board and put it back in her bag.
“Exactly. So tell me, why would he spell out the word “love” unless he himself had experienced it?”
Theo shrugged. “I have no idea, Vi.”
“I’ll tell you why. Because he wanted us to know that he had, in fact, been in love. And I think it’s important for him that the world finally knew.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
ANY BOOK LOVER WILL TELL YOU THAT TO READ A BOOK ISto open yourself up to a new world. Those who are not curious will never know the delight, the comfort, or the wisdom that is contained within its covers. But my Violet realized this deep within her bones. So I knew that if I attempted to communicate with her, eventually she would choose knowledge over disbelief. That if I persisted, she would soon come to learn that this all came from a sacred place.
