Chapter 2 #2
Elena wet her lips to erase any errant crumbs. Why did he have to mention her greatest weakness again? She glanced at him through her spectacles, careful to avoid his eyes, and nodded.
His smile showed his relief. “Very good. When you are finished eating, I will accompany you to the library.”
Never had anyone watched her eat before—let alone a handsome, young earl. This would be more torturous than Bianca’s methods.
“Please…” she said. “Go ahead and I shall join you shortly.”
Lord Crawford’s eyes widened, but he stood and excused himself.
It wasn’t like she couldn’t talk, it was just that she didn’t feel she was allowed to talk.
It seemed ridiculous reasoning with him in her mind, but she wanted to explain herself.
Perhaps with time, he would respect her silence without judging her as rude.
She ate quickly, not wanting to make Lord Crawford wait.
With each step toward the library, she rehearsed her plan of action.
Grab a book, thank Lord Crawford, and make an excuse to leave.
The library door was open, and she could feel the books beckoning her in.
Her father’s library was part of his study, and she only went inside when he left town.
The variety of books at home paled against the sheer number his lordship possessed.
“Ah, you have finished already?” Lord Crawford asked, closing a book in his hand and replacing it on the shelf. “I hope I did not rush you. My mother would not like it if her guest went hungry.”
She supposed she should answer. “I wasn’t very hungry.” Nerves tended to render her a poor appetite. Visiting Banbury Castle was exciting and nerve-wracking all at once. Talking to Lord Crawford only heightened those emotions.
“Well then, what sort of books interest you?”
Elena glanced around. Extending her hand, she gently touched the spines on the row of books closest to her. She knew Lord Crawford awaited an answer, so she said softly, “I could be happy with a book of almost any genre.”
“Really? No preference?”
“I . . . I do enjoy poetry, if well written.” She turned away, as she remembered Lord Crawford liked poetry too. She could almost hear his voice reciting stanzas to Miss Bliss at their house party. Was he still heartbroken over losing Miss Bliss’s hand to his younger brother?
“Do you have a favorite poet?”
“Milton.” With her quick glance, she discovered Lord Crawford’s amused smile.
“Let me guess, Paradise Lost?”
“Why, yes. Do you care for it?” Why was she making conversation? She knew Bianca’s rules.
Lord Crawford took a step toward her. “I find its biblical retelling of Adam and Eve fascinating. I am merely eager to discover a woman’s opinion on the poem.”
She could not stop herself. Her opinion had never been sought after. “You think I should agree that a woman is responsible for the fall from paradise and, therefore, man should be viewed as above reproach?”
Lord Crawford seemed surprised by her again, but he only shrugged. “I am simply curious as to why it is your favorite. Milton was not exactly generous in the way he described the fairer sex.”
She fingered the ridge on the top of a book near her.
“I have not been educated on the theology behind the poem, only what I have learned at church and through my own studies.” He patiently waited for her to finish.
“The poem honors a man’s right to choose.
Almost all injustice stems from the desire to remove agency from man.
Even a misuse of this power tends to limit it.
” Did he think her impertinent? She dared not risk another glance.
“I agree,” he said.
His answer made her look without thinking, but she quickly focused on his cravat. “Truly?”
“Yes, but there is much in the poem I disagree with.”
Her eyes widened behind her spectacles. She wanted to know his opinion more than she wanted to share her own. “I am sure your knowledge is far greater than my own,” she whispered.
“I didn’t mean to imply such a thing.” Lord Crawford turned away from her to face the bookshelf.
It placed him directly beside her, much closer than he was before.
He thumbed through the books and pulled out a few, piling them in his arm.
“Forgive me if I offended you. I just cannot fathom Adam choosing Eve over God. The idea does not sit well with me. The God I know would want Adam to be with Eve and would see the creation of a family as the first step of many leading to their redemption through Christ.”
Elena repressed a smile. She was having her first enlightening conversation, and it was with a man .
. . an earl even! The thought made her greedy enough to speak again.
“I am not offended, Lord Crawford. In fact, I like your view on marriage better than Milton’s.
” Now she had said too much. Heat rushed to her cheeks.
“I . . . please, excuse me.” She ducked her head and hurried from the room.
Why did she have to ruin the moment by telling Lord Crawford she liked his view of marriage?
How presumptuous could she be? And what would Bianca say if she found out?
This was her second day here, and she had already broken so many rules.
Elena twisted her fingers together all the way to her room.
For all her painful efforts at discourse, she did not even have a book in hand to show for it.