“Speaking of things that I can’t control…” Nathaniel sighed, shaking his head.
“You left the gathering quite quickly after our game.”
“I saw no reason to stay. I had a feeling Edmund was going to try to find some other game to play with me. I did not wish to bruise his ego by beating him over and over again.”
“The bigger an ego one has, the easier it is to bruise. Have you ever been afraid of that?”
“I can’t say that I have. I know you must think of me as a man of great pride, but that is not the case.”
“No?”
“No.”
“So, you just enjoy ordering other people about then?”
Nathaniel formed a steeple with his hands and gazed at her with an intrigued look on his face.
“I enjoy upholding the laws of legality and morality.”
“Is that all you enjoy?”
“Riding Bastion.”
“And social gatherings?”
Nathaniel tilted his head from side to side. “I assume the same is true of you, since you are no longer with the others.”
“There was a dispute about the rules of whist. A rulebook had to be hunted down. Things were getting quite animated. I thought I would search for some peace. Mary mentioned the library to me.”
Nathaniel allowed a brief smirk.
“I can imagine the dispute was a heated one. Mother can be quite a stickler for the rules.”
“It must be a family trait.”
Nathaniel arched an eyebrow. He studied her face, trying to gauge whether this was a subtle slight or just an observation.
“It should be a trait of every moral person. Rules offer a structure through which we can measure our behavior. We can judge ourselves by how well we adhere to the rules. Don’t you agree?”
Charlotte tilted her head. “I do,” she replied, although there was a begrudging tone to her voice.
“What use is a game where one person cheats? Playing by the rules is the only way to determine who is the deserved winner. It is the same way in life.”
“So you believe bad things happen to people who deserve it?”
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. Charlotte furrowed her brow slightly and took a heavy breath. There was a shadow in her eyes, and for a moment it looked as though she was about to say something more, but she hesitated and instead looked around at the vast library.
“You have an impressive collection, Your Grace.”
“Thank you. I have worked hard to curate a varied collection of books from all over the world.”
“What is your most prized possession?”
“A copy of Homer’sOdysseyin the original Greek. The man who sold it to me demanded a hefty price, but it’s worth it.”
“Can you read Greek?”
“I can read many things. Yourself?”
