Page 58 of Not Exactly Mr. Darcy
It was. And equally nice to look at the table and see a new face sitting there, hands clasped around the mug that read MYGOODOPINIONONCELOST, ISLOSTFOREVERas she took in the features of the room.
She glanced at him, and he looked away. He didn’t want her creeped out by him watching her.
“So, I’m guessing these rooms used to be the servants’ quarters.”
“Still are, in some ways,” he joked.
“Because of the caretaker role.” She sipped her tea.
That wasn’t what he meant exactly …
“So this was once a kitchen, and—let me guess. A scullery and servants’ hall?”
He nodded and pointed out the double brick dividers that had delineated the rooms before the renovation when he’d been a boy. “There’s a corridor outside that leads to what used to be the steward’s room. Once upon a time it served as another part of the passage to the dining room.”
She took another sip of tea. “Which means the library is there, right?”
He nodded.
“Can I see it?” She placed her cup down. “Please?”
“Uh, sure.”
He gestured for her to follow him to the short corridor that once provided access to the back from a closed-up door that had formed part of the grand staircase.
“There’s not a lot to see. As I said, the library is used nowadays for—”
“Storage, right?”
“Right.”
She grinned. “You do like your storage here.”
He pushed open the door, stopping as she paused. The morning light shafted onto the wooden floor, illuminating bookshelves that were crammed untidily. Hundreds of books lay in boxes and crates, along with miscellaneous pieces of furniture banished from other rooms.
“Oh my goodness. I feel like I’m Belle in the Beast’s library.”
“Thank you.”
Her smile softened to a disarming sweetness. “I didn’t mean you’re a beast. Just that this is such a surprise. Look at that beautiful stained glass!” She pointed to a panel above the central window, the only room in the house with the feature. “Why hasn’t this room been cleaned up and put on show?”
He shrugged. “My father was a reader and wanted to keep his books private. He inherited books and purchased even more, so when he died it was overwhelming. Then I, uh, had my own things to deal with, so it was never a high priority.”
“So your father lived here too.”
“My family has lived here for generations.”
She nodded. “Caring for this legacy for the future generations,” she said softly. “Do you think this room could become part of the public tour again?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. If someone had enough energy to make it happen.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Is that a challenge?”
His head tilted. “Is that an acceptance?”
His heartbeat pulsed as he admired her sparkling eyes. How long since he’d felt alive like this?
George coughed from the door and then smirked at him. “Tobias said you were both in here.”
