Chapter 8 #3
He shook his head, frowning, and then said in exasperation, “Look at my mother, she’s a clever woman, but she never had the kind of education that would have helped her deal with the life she lives and make the best of it.
The poor darling is bored to flinders most of the time, so she’s become a silly chatterbox because she doesn’t know how to be anything else.
She doesn’t think she’s allowed to be anything else and, to be fair, when my father was alive, she’d have been right.
But he’s gone, and she’s stuck. I’ll be honest, Meg, after last night, I had even hoped that meeting you might be an inspiration to her.
But as for marrying such a one, Lord, if a woman needs to look to me for the answers to everything, I’d say we were both sunk,” he said with a laugh.
Meg sighed. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
He sent her a quizzical glance, and she felt a sudden, intense desire to shake him.
“You just gave me an intelligent and thoughtful answer and then made a joke at your own expense. Why do you always undermine yourself like that?”
“It was only a joke,” he replied, looking a little offended.
Meg stopped, turning to look him in the eye. “But if you keep saying it, people believe it, but worse than that, you believe it too. Don’t believe it, Nat, because it is not true. Not at all.”
Nat watched as Meg turned back to rejoin Della and Vinnie, who had almost caught them up. He remained where he was, rooted to the spot and oddly discombobulated.
She had a most disconcerting way of upending a fellow’s world with a few words, and the way she had looked at him, so earnest and sincere.
Nat rubbed his chest where a peculiar sensation had settled about the vicinity of his heart.
Well, she was an odd creature to be sure, but not in the way she had feared.
Not an oddity to be laughed at or reviled, but something out of the ordinary, something rare and lovely of a kind he had never encountered before.
“Come along then, slowcoach, or are you going to stand there all day?” Della called over her shoulder.
Nat realised that the three of them had overtaken him and he hurried to catch up, still feeling slightly off balance.
The bookshop was on the road behind the promenade and had obviously been refurbished.
The new bright blue paint had the shop name emblazoned upon it, announcing Brooks’ Books.
Nat remembered that it had been a stationer’s shop, and whilst it still sold such items on the ground floor, the new owner had transformed the upper floors into the bookshop.
The bell jingled merrily as they entered, and a man of perhaps sixty years looked up from behind the counter.
He was rather stooped and almost as bald as an egg, save for a little fringe of neatly trimmed white hair that encircled his head.
Delicate pince nez sat atop his nose and he removed these and set them carefully aside, smiling at them.
“Good day to you, ladies, sir. How may I help you?”
“We’ve heard a rumour that there is a bookshop in the town,” Della said, and Nat smiled to himself at how the fellow lit up at his cousin’s enthusiasm, not to mention her beauty and the fact her dress told him she was a wealthy young woman. She was any shopkeeper’s dream customer.
“Then, for once, the rumour was quite correct. I am Mr Brooks, and I should be delighted to guide you if you are looking for anything in particular. Or you may browse to your heart’s content, the choice is yours.”
Della looked at Vinnie and said, “I believe we should like to browse awhile first, but we shall return and ask for your advice if we need it. Thank you, Mr Brooks.”
Meg nodded her agreement to this plan and followed Della and Vinnie up the stairs.
Nat did likewise, momentarily mesmerised by the sway of Meg’s hips as she ascended, before forcing himself to look away.
“Oh, he’s labelled each section,” Meg exclaimed happily.
“I wish more bookshops would do that,” Vinnie agreed. “I would waste a good deal less time searching through dreary titles on agriculture when all I require is a good novel.”
“And what about you, Meg? What would you like to read?” Nat asked, once his cousins had buried themselves in the appropriate section.
She coloured slightly and shook her head. “Oh, nothing in particular. I shall just browse.”
Nat didn’t push her, knowing she was too aware of her inability to purchase anything and that any offer to pay for her would be strongly rebuffed.
Though he knew she would scold him dreadfully, he determined to keep an eye on her and see which titles seemed to please her the most and get Mr Brooks to send them to the hall on his account.
Nat sat down in an armchair, one of several Mr Brooks had sensibly provided for the comfort of his clients and heard the doorbell ring again. A few moments later, a young man appeared. He paused on the top step upon seeing Nat and the three ladies.
“Good day,” Nat said politely.
“And to you,” the young man said, returning a swift smile, and hesitating as the small section dedicated to novels was currently filled by Della and Vinnie.
“I’m afraid they’ll be an age if you’re hoping for a novel,” Nat replied dryly. “You’d best make yourself comfortable.”
The young man laughed and set his hat and gloves down on the table beside Nat’s. “Thank you, I will. I came to find a book for my sister,” he said with a smile.
Nat looked at him curiously. He was a slender fellow, with thick dark hair and grey eyes and at first glance looked to be in his mid-twenties, but his skin was so fine Nat could not believe he’d begun shaving yet and wondered if he was younger than that.
“I’m Marwick,” he said, offering his hand. “Alfred Marwick. Are you visiting our lovely town?”
“Nathaniel Ashford,” Nat replied, shaking the fellow’s hand. “And yes, staying with my grandmother.”
The young man’s eyes darted swiftly over Nat and his companions. “At the hall?” he guessed.
“Yes.” Nat nodded, and saw the fellow make the connection almost at once.
“Aha, so the formidable dowager duchess is your grandmother,” he said, grinning now.
“You’ve met her?” Nat asked, rather surprised.
Whilst he was a well-dressed young man, it was clear by his accent, which was pleasant but certainly not from the upper ranks, that he was not of her world or even close.
“Or does her reputation precede her? Not that I’m surprised,” he added, in case the fellow should think he’d taken umbrage.
“No, and yes, but my sister has had the pleasure. Alice liked her very much, I know, but then she’s rather an outspoken young woman herself.”
Nat chuckled. “She’ll get along with Della, then.”
“They’ve met,” Marwick said. “And yes, Alice was very taken with her too. She was at the Ladies Club when Lady Della played and told me she was quite sublime. The best she had ever heard.”
“Ah, yes, the infamous Venturesome Ladies Club, and Della is quite exceptional,” Nat agreed, understanding why Hawkney disapproved so strongly.
It would put Della in the way of people like this man’s sister, and thus Mr Marwick as well.
Not that Nat minded. Della was a sensible girl, and he couldn’t help but think the Hawkney line was a deal too stuffy.
Some fresh blood would do it the world of good.
“Was that a compliment, Nat? Surely not? Are you feeling quite well?”
Nat looked up to discover Della before them, clutching several books against her chest. Both he and Marwick stood up. “It was, and don’t make out like you’ve heard none from me before. This is Mr Marwick, cousin. You know his sister, Miss Alice Marwick, I believe?”
“Oh, indeed,” Della replied warmly. “Not very well yet, but we met at the Venturesome Ladies Club meeting and have plans to further our acquaintance. I liked her very much, and I am pleased to meet you, Mr Marwick.”
“Likewise, my lady,” Marwick said politely.
There was silence for a moment, and Nat noticed Della had turned a little pink.
“H-Have you lived in the town for very long?” she asked somewhat diffidently, which was unusual for Della, who had never been shy.
“Not long, no. A few years. I travel a good deal, and I wanted somewhere my sister could feel safe, but with enough society where she could find friends and things to occupy her. A friend of mine recommended Little Valentine, and here we are.”
“I am discovering it for myself too,” Della said, appearing to clutch the books tighter still. “I have not been here since I was a little girl and don’t remember the town at all, but now Grandmama has decided to settle here, I hope to be a frequent visitor.”
“Then we shall all count ourselves fortunate,” Mr Marwick said with a smile, but looked past Della to see that, as Vinnie had drifted off elsewhere, the novel section was now unattended.
“If you would excuse me, I promised my sister I would treat her to a book. She’s wanted to read the latest Maria Edgeworth for an age now. ”
“Oh, The Absentee, I’ve read that. I wish I’d brought it with me, I could have lent it to her,” Della exclaimed.
“Did you enjoy it?” Marwick asked.
Della hesitated. “I did, but… well, I don’t wish to spoil the plot.”
“You won’t,” Marwick said cheerfully. “If there’s something you didn’t like, you can bet Alice won’t either, so I’ll choose her something else.”
“Well, it’s just the hero discovers the heroine—who is a lovely and virtuous girl—is illegitimate and decides he can never marry her because of it, and it isn’t until he discovers she isn’t illegitimate after all, and just happens to be an heiress, that it all ends happily ever after.
I’m afraid I thought that made him a shabby sort of hero, for if he really loved her, he should marry her no matter her circumstances,” Della said hotly, and then blushed a deeper shade of pink.
“Well said,” Marwick said, clearly approving this sentiment. “Dash it. I shall have to choose another, then. Any suggestions?”