Chapter 13
***
In a strange twist of fate, he had some business to attend to. And it was a long way off.
But Caius could hardly bear to look at her without a sudden flush of anger.
When he found Elizabeth's old shawl on her, when she averted her gaze with those same eyes, or even when she dared to look up at him.
He drummed his fingers on a stack of children's books. He was tired of calling her over and trying to make small talk.
He grabbed three books and left the room.
He was going to take them to the library, where they would be noticed by the woman, and then toss them somewhere appropriate. The polite woman would come to thank him first.
But as he pushed open the heavy library door, a faint light leaked through.
He quieted his steps, just in case. A kerosene lamp sat on a desk in the center of the room, and a slender woman lay asleep on her stomach at an angle.
The yellow glow of the flickering lamp flickered over the woman's bare cheeks. The thick blanket draped over her shoulders cast a shadow over her back, making her pale face and brilliant blonde hair stand out.
Her light eyelashes glistened like petals, and her long hair hung loosely, a cascade of gold.
Caius slowly shifted his gaze to the desk.
Most of the books she had selected were on history or politics, though he frowned at the occasional imperial tome that slipped in.
A woman without a conscience.
A pathetic woman who didn’t even know what he had or didn’t.
But it was Ermoli.
The Ermoli with the pearl.
That was all the reason he needed to stand by her side.
He set down the few children's books he had brought in plain sight.
She flinched, as if she'd sensed his presence. The blanket she'd been wrapped in fell away, revealing lean shoulders beneath a flimsy robe.
The stark white nape of her neck immediately drew attention. The robe was so thin that the skin underneath could be seen.
Caius stood still for a moment, then bent down and picked up the blanket. It would be a disservice to him to have a woman who was so obviously useful catch a cold, but he was extremely reluctant to take another step closer.
He turned away, leaving the blanket draped over the chair. He was strangely uncomfortable in that position, not being a boy whose lower body would stiffen against the woman's bare skin.
He left the woman sleeping peacefully and left the library. He had just entered the library of the mansion he had lived in for nearly twenty years, and his heart was pounding with surprise.
He clenched his teeth at the absurdity of it all. Calm came quickly, but it didn't last long.
When he got back to his room, he was thirsty and couldn't stop thinking about whiskey. He wasn't an alcoholic, but this morning it was an impossible urge.
He picked up his rifle with an irritated touch. It was going to be another unlucky day for the mountain beasts.
***
Louise lifted her heavy eyelids.
She had been reading in the library since after dinner, and must have fallen asleep at some point.
"Oh, God."
She rolled over and dropped her blanket, and a chill ran down her spine. As she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders to tidy up, she noticed some books she hadn't seen.
"The Fables of Aesop," "Rapunzel," and "Catty the Cat."
"Since when have these books been here................"
While muttering this, Louise woke up in a huff when she saw the thin robe she was wearing.
She must have been too careless because she hadn't seen anyone in the library for days. But how could she have fallen asleep................
She clutched my three children's books and ran toward her room, praying repeatedly that Caius hadn't come to visit.
When she finally reached the door, the butler appeared from the stairwell. He was dressed to the nines, the opposite of her.
"Ah, hello. Mr. Deacon."
Louise greeted him shyly, but also relieved. It was still early, so it was probably the butler who had stopped by the library.
He smiled benevolently and spoke.
"Have you already received the books? You must have been very diligent."
Louise chewed her lip slightly in embarrassment before answering.
"Well, it's in the library..................."
"Ah."
Unfortunately, the butler spoke up.
"The master must have left it there. I delivered it to him last night, but he's quick."
Louise muttered despairingly.
"His Excellency must have gotten up early......."
"Of course."
The butler smiled brightly, oblivious to the pace of others.
"He's out hunting, then."
After he passed, Louise sighed and opened the door. She could almost picture the look of incredulity on the man's face when he saw her asleep in the library.
****
"Shall we read today?"
Miriam's head snapped up as soon as she saw the book, even though she seemed to be in the habit of playing the piano in the morning and evening. Louise naturally opened the book.
"Wow, look at this cat."
She felt Miriam's gaze follow her, but she flipped through the pages anyway.
"Since you're not interested, I'll read it first. It's pretty thick, so you'll have to wait a while."
Miriam gave a little whimper of disappointment.
"Picture..................."
"What?"
"I wanted to see ..................."
"Oh, the picture?"
As if on cue, Louise showed her the illustration from earlier. It was a cat in boots, standing like a human.
Miriam said in a small voice.
"..................It's so cute."
"It really is, isn't it, and your brother gave you a new book."
The girl scratched her head at Louise's adaptation of the story.
"Isn't that your book?" she asked.
"Books with pictures like this are expensive, and I don't have any books like this, not even one."
Miriam closed the book in surprise, felt around the cover, and then asked.
"Then this.................. is mine?"
"Yes! You have two more books, just like this one, with pictures."
"Where...............?"
"That's in your room.................. Miriam's, but I'm keeping it for a while, and when I finish these books, we’ll look at them in order."
Miriam opened the cover and flipped through the pages.
It was a picture book, which shouldn’t be thin, but it was much thinner than the other books on the shelf. The text was slightly larger.
The illustrations in the middle of the book drew her attention.
Louise had a good suggestion for Miriam as she struggled to decide.
"The title says it's about a cat, so maybe we should just read the first two chapters and then we can draw a cat."
"I've never seen a cat............... before."
Miriam hesitated.
Louise flipped back to the illustrations and said cheerfully.
"We can look at this and draw it, and if you want to see a real cat, you can go to the market later. I saw one the other day, and it looks like they have cats in the general store."
"Really? Can I go there?"
As it turned out, she had no idea what Miriam's radius was.
In fact, Miriam's schedule, handed to her by the maid, didn't even include time for her usual walks. When Louise asks about it, the maid explains that the schedule was created by the previous teacher.
If she wanted to change the schedule, she would have to ask Caius.
Louise stepped back and revised her plan.
"If Miriam studies hard enough, maybe your brother will let you go? I'll talk to him."
In this way, she had more and more contact with the man. When she was working at Jazak, she hadn't encountered many men.
Miriam finally opened the first chapter and began to read in a slow voice.
"The owner of the mill.................. has passed away, leaving his entire estate to his three sons."
Louise watched with a wry smile as Miriam stuttered through the book. She looked like a child at times, glancing up and making eye contact with each line.
She would have to visit Caius in the evening to thank him.
Tell him that the book was a gift to Miriam, and get the story right. It would be nice if she could get time for a walk or permission to go out.
***
Same day, Melk.
A carriage pulled up to the side of a hill, far from the city. Pietro, the lord of Melk, alighted, accompanied by a middle-aged man carrying a heavy bag, and they hurried down the muddy ramp.
They arrived in front of an old house with an attached workshop and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
As soon as there was a knock, the door flew open.
“Oh my Lord. Please save my child…………!”
***
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