Free Heir to Greyladies by Anna Jacobs Page A

books you’ve read. Which ones have you enjoyed most?’
    She looked reluctant, so he coaxed her. ‘I can’t find you more books to read if I don’t know what pleases you.’ He gestured around them. ‘As you can see, we have thousands to choose from.’
    ‘I read anything I can get hold of, sir.’
    ‘But what do you
like
most?’
    After a short silence, she said, ‘The ones that teach me something about the world. There was a book about the history of Britain in the schoolroom and one about the Empire. I’d heard some of the stories at school, but when I read the books, I could understand the …’ she waved her right hand in the air, as if seeking words, then came out with, ‘the patterns of history.’
    He was surprised at this perceptive remark. ‘I know exactly what you mean. I felt like that when I read the same books as a child. What else have you enjoyed?’
    Suddenly her reserve seemed to fade and they started chatting like old friends, comparing their favourite books. But the minute he asked her about herself, her answers became monosyllabic and she started to look uncomfortable, so he went back to books.
    He kept an eye on the wall clock, because if she stayed too long it’d upset the housekeeper and possibly his mother. He decided to share that with her. ‘I’d better not keep you too long or Mrs Stuart will be upset.’
    Harriet at once jumped to her feet. ‘I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have talked so much.’
    ‘Please sit down again for a minute or two. You haven’t talked too much. It was me. I’ve enjoyed chatting to you because no one else here is interested in history. Or in finding out what the rest of the world is like. I get lonely sometimes, even in a house full of people.’ He surprised himself with this confidence, but she was so easy to talk to, it had just slipped out.
    ‘So do I.’ She clapped one hand to her mouth, as if afraid of having spoken out.
    ‘Then we have that in common. The second thing I want to say is, I’ll put some books for you on the end shelf.’ He got up and limped across to it, sneaking a glance at her face and seeing no signs of revulsion. But, of course, servants wouldn’t dare let themselves betray such feelings about their employer’s family. ‘You may choose from them and change your books as often as you like. Any that you’ve read, lay on their side at the end, like this, and I’ll put them away again.’
    He turned to a nearby shelf and selected a few morebooks to add to the row. ‘Come and choose your first one.’
    She came as timidly as a wild animal, her eyes on the books. The minute she got to the shelf, he might as well not have existed. After studying every single title, and making little crooning noises of pleasure, she chose a book about Scotland, then stood there with it clasped to her chest. ‘This one, please, Mr Joseph.’
    ‘Better take two. In case you run out and can’t get back in here to change them.’
    ‘Really?’
    This time she chose a novel, then caught sight of the clock and gasped. ‘I’d better get back now, sir. I’ve been here nearly
an hour
.’
    ‘Yes, of course. Perhaps you’ll come again when you’ve read the book and tell me what you think of it, or you could ask me questions if anything isn’t clear?’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘Really and truly.’
    She beamed at him. ‘I do wonder about things sometimes, so if I’m not troubling you, sir, I’ll do that. If Mrs Stuart allows it, of course.’
    ‘I’ll tell her it cheers me up to talk to you about books.’
    She looked at him very solemnly, then said quietly, ‘I didn’t think people with families could get lonely.’
    ‘We can all get lonely. That’s why we need to make friends.’
    It was almost a whisper. ‘I don’t have any friends now.’ She didn’t wait for an answer, but moved towards the door, the books clutched tightly to her chest.
    Half an hour later, the housekeeper came to see him. ‘Am I interrupting, Mr