3
Days passed and still the heat was unrelenting.
Aurelia was due to gather Julia from St. Pancras station the following day and had finally landed on her list of required reading.
She had just cleared off the Recommended Reads table, having said goodbye to another set of characters at dawn, and had her arms full of new books to set out.
These were the same books she wanted Julia to read.
She thought it would be fun to talk to the characters at night and get insight into their worlds that she could then share with Julia (without divulging her sources) during the day.
It was a slight deviation from Aunt Marigold’s old system of selecting books with characters that would get along, but Aurelia hadn’t yet met a character the others didn’t like and was confident that this new batch would be no exception.
Since they only had four weeks together, Aurelia had settled on three books: two shorter ones and one longer one. With Aurelia working in the shop during the day and trying to meet her writing deadline, Julia would need something to occupy her time, so the reading pace seemed manageable.
The first book she put on the table was Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.
Aurelia thought it might be a little heavy for a fourteen-year-old, but she couldn’t resist sharing strong, intelligent Jane with her niece.
She had visions of Julia enjoying the banter between Jane and Mr. Rochester, worrying over what might become of Jane, and learning from the way Jane stuck to her convictions.
Truth be told, Aurelia’s eagerness to share the book with Julia was due in part to her own interest in meeting the characters from Jane Eyre.
She still hadn’t figured out why one character appeared in the shop versus another, but she had her hopes set on meeting Jane that night.
Second was Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.
An obvious choice, maybe, but Aurelia couldn’t help herself; it was a classic for a reason.
She’d confirmed with Antonia that Julia hadn’t been assigned it in school yet, giving Aurelia a chance to be the first to give it to her.
Lizzy Bennet was another strong, intelligent woman, and another good example for Julia to follow.
Aurelia also thought the contrast between Lizzy and her flighty younger sisters might help Julia avoid a few of the pitfalls that came with being a teenager.
Aurelia had put the book on the Recommended Reads table a few times now, and had met Mr. Bennet, Jane, Charlotte Lucas, and Mrs. Gardiner—Lizzy’s aunt.
Aurelia kept hoping to meet Lizzy, but like every other time, she’d just have to wait and see which two characters she would get.
Last was Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell.
The novel was focused on a town populated by strong women.
There was gossip and social scheming, yes, but also women banding together and forming lasting friendships.
Gaskell, like Austen, balanced pathos with humor, teasing her characters for their defects and highlighting their good qualities.
It had been a while since Aurelia had read the book, but she was fairly certain she’d be happy to meet any of its characters.
After arranging the books on the table, Aurelia carried one copy of each upstairs to the flat. She set them on the bedside table in the guest room, just as eager for Julia to make her own appearance the following day.