Page 82 of The Missing Pages
She looked around his office. The paintings on the wall. The shelves lined with books. The solid wooden furniture. It warmed her heart to see the similarity with Quaritch’s office.
Rosenbach soon returned. “I apologize I don’t have more help at the store, so you’ll have to make do with my bachelor kitchen skills. This might be the worst cup of tea you’ve ever had!” He chuckled as he sat down.
Ada took a sip and smiled. “It’s delicious, thank you.”
“So, you’ve made the trip down to see me. What can I do to help, Miss Lippoldt?”
She put her cup and saucer down on the small table beside her.
“Well, as I mentioned, I was able to spend a considerable amount of time with Mr. Widener while he was in London. And from the moment I met him, it felt like I was with an old friend.”
“He was certainly like that,” Rosenbach agreed. “He refused to rest on his family’s wealth or laurels. He was humble and only wanted to leave his mark on this world through his books.”
Ada nodded. “That was the feeling Mr. Quaritch and I had as well. I’m not sure if you’re aware that Harry had provided us with a rather lengthy list of books he hoped to add to his library. There were some we didn’t yet have in our possession, and we promised to be on the lookout for them with our various contacts and during the next rounds of auctions.” She took another sip of tea. “He also was keen on several volumes we already had at the store that he indicated he would likely buy at a later date.”
Rosenbach knew my purchasing habits well. “Yes, despite Harry’s enormous familial wealth, he never went above his budget. That’s not to say his mother or grandfather didn’t sometimes surprise him with books that were on his most coveted wish list.”
She smiled. “He was so excited to hear his grandfather had purchased the Mazarin Bible for him! He told me how much he was looking forward to seeing it when he returned home.”
“Indeed. It’s another part of the tragedy that he never got that opportunity.”
Ada swallowed hard. “After my experiences, I find I am taking that concept of not rueing lost opportunities to heart. So one of the reasons I’m here today is to share a possible new one with you.”
“And what is that?” Rosenbach asked.
“I wanted to explore whether you might want to work with Mr. Quaritch to see if the Widener family has any interest in completing the library Harry had envisioned. We’re sure you also have similar lists of what he wanted to ultimately add to his bookshelves.”
“Yes, I certainly do. But Mrs. Widener is still so raw in her grief. It would hardly be right to broach this subject with her until she’s had time to mourn.”
“Of course. Mr. Quaritch just thought it wise to mention it to you now since I am here for two more weeks.”
She paused and looked down at her lap, blinking away her tears.
“Why do I feel you’re holding back about something else, Miss Lippoldt?”
Ada knew she could not confess the real reason why she was so upset, so she shared something with Rosenbach that was also true. “As you can imagine, though London is my home, I’m in no great hurry to be on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic to get there.”
“That is quite understandable,” Rosenbach said, his voice full of compassion.
Every part of Ada was focused now on trying to win Rosenbach over to her cause of staying near Lynnewood Hall. “I also feel I might be of assistance to you, personally, in developing a new market of antiquarian book buyers. An untapped opportunity, here in America, if I might be so bold to suggest.”
“I’m intrigued. Go on…”
“I was chatting with Miss Belle da Costa Greene the other day, and she shared her belief that America has several young women with ample means who are interested in expanding theirpersonal libraries. She mentioned Sara McMaster Hunt and Sarah Gildersleeve Fife, for example. They are probably close to the age Mr. Widener was when you first met him.” Ada paused. “I was thinking perhaps I could work privately with them to build their collections here.”
Rosenbach let out a little laugh. “You have quite the entrepreneurial spirit. And if you were to pursue that, Miss Lippoldt, would that mean you would no longer be working for Mr. Quaritch?”
“I believe if I explained to him that I needed more time in America to recover from what happened on theTitanic, he would understand. Particularly if the two of you could come to an arrangement for dividing the responsibilities,” Ada explained. “For example, you might be in charge of buying on these women’s behalf at the New York auctions, and he could be in charge of the London ones. And I would be the one who met directly with the women to safeguard their need for privacy.”
“I must admit this strikes me as a rather enterprising idea.” Rosenbach appeared delighted. “Why, the Countess of Pembroke was an incredible book collector! Harry acquired a rare copy of Sir Philip Sidney’sArcadiafrom her.” He mused. “Let me think about this for a few days. Have you brought this up with Bernard Alfred yet?”
“No,” she said. “I wanted to first see whether you were keen.”
“Perhaps I should speak to him about it. If we can come to an arrangement, one of us will let you know.”
“Of course.”
Rosenbach reached into his drawer and withdrew a pipe. He took a tin of tobacco and added a pinch to the well, then lit it aflame, sucking in his cheeks before blowing out a large plume of smoke.
