Chapter Seven
David and Henry reached town, the small skeleton staff at the duke’s townhouse welcoming them warmly. Henry had explained that the housekeeper and butler lived at the residence year-round, while a few maids came in to help with cleaning twice a week. A cook was also on staff.
“Your bedchamber has been prepared for you, my lord,” the housekeeper told Henry. “And I’ve placed Mr. Rochester across the hall from you.”
“Will you be needing anything in particular during your stay?” the butler asked.
“No,” Henry told them. “We will only be here for a few days to do some business.” He looked to David. “Can you think of anything?”
“As a matter of fact, I can. Is there an existing inventory for His Grace’s library here?” he asked.
The butler thought a moment. “None has been completed since we have been in service here, and I cannot recall seeing such an inventory, Mr. Rochester.” He looked to Henry. “Perhaps you might look in His Grace’s study for it, Lord Marbury.”
“We will do so.”
David followed Henry to the study, where they searched for a listing of all the books in the library.
“We will want to create one since we haven’t been able to locate one,” he said. “You will want to know what you have in your library, as well as the books I will be claiming. I can create two, separate inventories.”
“Why don’t I show you to the library now?” his friend said, leading David upstairs.
As they moved along the corridor, he could not help but think how lavishly the elegant townhouse was furnished.
One day, Henry and he would be living very separate lives.
He would have to get used to the idea that his friend would be a duke and run in different circles than a humble bookseller.
He knew Henry would not be snobbish in the slightest, but he would have different duties and responsibilities to uphold and societal obligations to meet.
He supposed he should make the most of this time with his friend.
Though the duke seemed to be in good health, one never knew what the future held.
He would enjoy the here and now with Henry, cherishing their friendship, and not worry what would happen in the years to come.
They reached the library, and Henry said, “You are welcome to any volume here, David. Every volume, actually. You know I have never been much of a reader, whereas you buried your nose in a book any chance you got when we were growing up.”
He laughed. “Yes, I did love to throw myself into books and sail away on adventures far and wide.”
“I recall how you always seemed to have a copy of The Odyssey.”
“Yes, I treasured going with Odysseus on his twenty-year voyage.” He paused.
“It was the only book I took to war. I used it in my spy ring, Homer’s work was the key to the cipher I created.
I used other books after that, not wanting our enemy to ever catch on to what would unlock the coded messages my spies passed back and forth. ”
He paused, memories of those years suddenly flooding him. He wondered if Joseph might still be alive, aiding the British in the fight against Bonaparte, and where Marguerite was, having left her with Wellington’s troops when he brought Henry back to England.
“Henry, I cannot take every book on these shelves,” he protested. “You will wed someday. What if your wife is a great reader? Or your children?”
His friend chuckled. “Then I will buy her all the books she wants at that point. Listen, David, there is no need for all these books to sit on these shelves, gathering dust, and that is exactly what is happening now. Books should not go to waste. Papa never enjoys coming to town and does so rarely, so this room sits void of people. No one reads these books. Think of all the pleasure others—such as yourself—might have in having access to them.”
Henry walked to the bookshelves, running his finger along the spines of the books there.
“Of course, many are old. Those might be the ones you wish to put in your lending library and buy more modern, popular books for purchase. Either way, start on your inventory. I am going to go downstairs and write for appointments with Papa’s financial agents and solicitor.
Hopefully, I will receive replies by tomorrow morning.
How long do you believe we might be in town? ”
“Most likely, four or five days,” he responded.
“It depends upon what I find here before I know how many booksellers I must visit. We also need to see about finding a dealer for Lady Justina’s paintings.
” He paused. “I have had second thoughts about accompanying you to your appointments on your father’s behalf.
I will never have the funds to invest in anything other than my shop.
The merchandise and books. Go about His Grace’s business, and then you can help me once that is done. ”
Henry left, and David took the pencil and paper he had brought from the duke’s study and set it down.
He decided to peruse the shelves first to get an idea of the collection at hand before he began his task.
His friend was right. Many of these volumes had been standing on these shelves for decades.
While a good many of them could be put into circulation through his lending library, he would not take all of them.
He knew even the members of the lending library would want access to current publications.
Especially being located in the Lake District, he should carry volumes of the Lake Poets, as well as guidebooks to the area, which had grown in popularity since the start of Bonaparte’s war.
The Lake District offered a safe haven and scenic beauty for those wishing to go on holiday, as well as substituting for gentlemen on their Grand Tours.
If any tourists came through Kidsgrove, it would be a good investment to have a number of guidebooks available for purchase.
After a quarter-hour of skimming the titles on every shelf, he had a firm idea of the books he would take and which ones he would leave.
He began arranging the shelves accordingly, moving books he wished to bring back to Kidsgrove to shelves on the right side of the room and books which would remain behind on different shelves on the left.
He still intended to make an inventory of the books which would stay in this library.
It was the least he could do, especially with His Grace’s generosity.
Henry joined him, and they worked steadily until dinner, getting quite a bit accomplished. They dined in the winter parlor and then lingered over port and cigars. They retired early, having had a few long days of travel.
The next morning at breakfast, Henry received replies to his inquiries, and said he would be gone most of today and tomorrow, but that he should wrap up his business in town after those appointments.
“What will your plans entail, David?”
“Since I am losing my assistant,” he teased, “I shall go out to visit various booksellers today.”
Over the next two days, he visited five different bookshops, three large ones and two on the smaller side for town.
He looked to see how books were arranged and talked to customers, asking them about their reading tastes.
He approached the owner of each of these bookshops, explaining that he was about to open his own bookshop in a small village in Cumberland.
Three of the owners dismissed him, treating him as competition, while two proved to be most helpful to him.
Both gave him advice upon how and when to order books and provided him with direct addresses and names to contact when he placed orders.
Once he began ordering from various publishing houses, he would be placed upon a mailing list and receive notices of various books which would soon be available.
He was grateful for what he learned from these two, generous men, and he promised to stay in touch and let them know how his venture went.
He made certain to purchase two dozen books for children of varying ages and hoped Justina would be pleased that he had thought of her cousin’s children.
Their third day in town was devoted to going through the remaining books in the duke’s library, and David presented Henry with the inventory he had taken of the books which would remain in town, as well as the ones he planned to place in his bookshop.
“Look at the list I created for those books I am taking and see if there are any you wish to keep.”
“No, David, I will not do so. I told you that anything I need to buy in the future for my wife or children, I will do so at that time.”
“That is the second time you have mentioned a wife, Henry. Are your thoughts turning toward attending the Season and finding your marchioness on the Marriage Mart?”
Henry grew contemplative. “There were times during the war when I thought I would never return to England. I thought then how much I had given up by going to war. I was determined once I returned to Norwood that I would seek a wife and have a large family.” He smiled.
“Who knows? I might even wish to pursue the lovely Lady Justina Fulton.”
David stiffened, hearing her name and his friend’s interest in her.
While he had not formulated thoughts of how and if he wished to pursue Lady Justina, he had taken for granted that she would be available so that he might do that very thing.
Of course, she would much prefer to wed a duke’s heir apparent over a lowly shopkeeper.
It had been wishful thinking to believe that someone such as Lady Justina might be interested in marriage with him.
Ever attuned to his friend’s moods, Henry asked, “What is wrong, old friend? Do you not wish to see me wed?”
“No,” he said quickly. “It is not that.”
Henry studied him. “Then is it Lady Justina you do not approve of?”
When he did not answer, he saw understanding fill Henry’s eyes.
“You are interested in her, aren’t you?”