“I hope you will forget it soon enough,” Alexander said as they turned the corner and entered the library.
He turned to watch her face, and he had been right to do so, because the emotions that played out there were beautiful to see. Her eyes opened wide in shock and then in wonder as she took in the room with bookshelves along every wall. A sliding ladder adorned the half full bookcases on the western side, and to the north, a wall of windows along the breadth of the room allowed light to flow in and illuminate the whole room in a warm glow. The orange kitten had even joined them, lying stretched out inone particular patch of sunlight, reminding her of Ginger at the café.
“I have never seen so many books in my whole life,” Beatrice breathed in awe.
“And these are the ones that are left after we filled your library,” Alexander reminded her, and she laughed.
“I cannot believe it. Did your mother read all of these?”
“Goodness, no,” Alexander said with a chuckle, “but she loved to collect them. She had more than one bookseller in Riyel who would send her regular packages, and every time my father came back from the city, he would bring even more. Nothing made her happier than when he presented her with a package full of books.”
Beatrice let out a sigh. “I can imagine,” she said, letting go of his arm to twirl around and take in the full sight of his mother's collection. “There must be hundreds of books in here still.”
“Probably,” Alexander admitted. “It wouldn't surprise me if she collected more than a hundred every year.”
Beatrice closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It even smells like books,” she said, contentment filling her voice. “Oh, I could die happy in this room.”
The priest came out of the chair in the corner where he’d been sitting, and Alexander reached for Beatrice’s arm again.
She startled when she saw the priest, apparently so enraptured by the books that she hadn’t noticed him.
“Hello,” she said, smiling warmly at him.
“Hello, Beatrice,” the priest said.
“He will be happy to tell your father you’ll be staying with me when he goes back to the village,” Alexander told Beatrice. “I wouldn’t want him to worry for you.”
Beatrice nodded. “I would appreciate that, although it’s not my father you need to notify—it’s Thea, at the café.”
The priest nodded, but Alexander was confused. “Where is your father?”
“My father runs the trade route to Riyel,” Beatrice explained. “I don’t expect him back for another few days.”
“He just leaves you at home?” Alexander asked, frowning.
“Yes,” Beatrice said with a slight shrug. “He has to provide somehow. And it’s better when he’s not home.”
“I see,” he said, still frowning. There were ways to provide without leaving your daughter home alone for days or weeks at a time, Alexander thought darkly, and your daughter should never think that it’s better without your presence. His opinion of her father was only going downhill the more he learned about him. He’d made inquiries about Beatrice and her father when she first started working for him, but he hadn’t realized just how little time Gerald Montgomery spent at home.
“If you are ready, my lord,” the priest said, looking between the two of them as he broke into Alexander’s thoughts.
“Of course,” Alexander said, turning his full attention to Beatrice. “Please begin.”
The priest turned to Beatrice. “You are willingly entering this marriage?” he asked, a frown creasing between his eyebrows.
“I am,” Beatrice said with a slight smile. “Thank you for your concern.”
The priest nodded and stepped forward. “Then we shall begin,” he said, and he started the shortest marriage ceremony possible, as Alexander had instructed.
Alexander couldn’t help but watch the woman who was soon to be his wife. He could only hope they would be happy for the length of their marriage, however short it might be. His eyes never left hers as the priest spoke. Even the shortest marriage ceremony, apparently, took longer than Alexander remembered.
But at the end of it, she would be his bride and would hopefully stand by his side through thick and thin.
“Beatrice Montgomery,” the priest began, “will you take this man to be your husband?”
Even though Alexander thought he knew the answer, he held his breath as he waited to hear what she would say.
“I will,” Beatrice said, her brown eyes filling with warmth.
