The Unlikely Lady (Playful Brides #3)(73)

Jane may have squealed. She only guessed as much because the dogs and the butler stared at her with heads cocked to the side. “Oh, I— My, I … didn’t know Mr. Upton had such a big…” She couldn’t stop staring at the rows of books.

The butler cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. What had she been saying? Oh, yes. Books! “I had no idea Mr. Upton had such a vast collection of books.”

“Reading is one of Mr. Upton’s favorite pastimes,” the butler added.

Jane nearly tripped over the thick carpet she’d been traversing in order to get a better look at the contents of the room. Reading was one of Upton’s favorite pastimes? Were they speaking of the same Mr. Upton? She hadn’t stumbled upon the home of one of Garrett’s cousins or … no, Garrett had no living male cousins. Not to mention the portrait on the far wall looked a great deal like Garrett. It must be his father. The man had passed away not very many years ago.

“Mr. Upton enjoys reading?” she asked, strictly for clarification’s sake. Perhaps he was just someone who hoarded books or had become obsessed with collecting things. For all she knew he had a collection of dolls or tin soldiers or something equally odd elsewhere in this town house.

“Yes, miss,” the butler replied. He shook himself as if he realized he’d already said too much about his master’s personal habits. “I’ll leave you to it. Mr. Upton says to inform you everything is alphabetized in the order of the author’s last name. Please ring if you’d like me to bring tea.”

Jane opened her mouth to say, “That won’t be necessary,” but she took another look at the huge collection and changed her mind. She could happily die here. She’d need sustenance. She thought her father had a large collection, but nothing in her house could compare to even one small part of the literary feast in front of her.

“Tea would be lovely, thank you.” She pulled off her gloves and unhooked her pelisse. This was going to involve some serious inspection. She might as well get started.

“Yes, miss.” The butler bowed slightly, gathered her pelisse, and left the room. The dogs stayed with Jane.

“This is Mr. Upton’s library?” she asked the dogs.

The handsome animals blinked back at her.

“Mr. Garrett Upton?”

They merely cocked their heads to the side.

“And you are Mr. Upton’s dogs?” she asked them. “Mr. Garrett Upton’s dogs?”

One of the dogs was kind enough to stick out his tongue and pant a bit, which at least led Jane to believe he was listening. She turned back to the room and clasped her hands. When one was presented with one’s idea of heaven, where exactly did one begin?

The butler returned with a tea tray. He set the elaborate service on the table in the center of the room.

Jane pursed her lips. Only one thing would make this beyond heaven. “You don’t happen to have any teacake, do you?”

“We do, miss. I shall be pleased to fetch some for you.” He left again and Jane had to force herself not to clap her hands. Teacakes and a giant library? She might just stay in here indefinitely and devil take Upton if he tried to forcibly remove her.

Jane set her reticule and gloves on the side of a settee and took a deep breath. Like an athlete preparing for a sport, she needed to ready herself. She marched up to the closest wall and ran her fingers along the titles of the leather bound volumes. Alphabetical by author, he’d said. The book she wanted was written by a fellow named Brandon.

She turned toward the far wall. She’d just pop over there and see how close she was to the Bs.

Fifteen minutes later, Jane had eaten two teacakes and realized that finding a book in the vast expanse of Upton’s library was not nearly as simple a task as one might expect. She’d managed to narrow her search to the BRs and had climbed up a spiral staircase to the third level—third level!—in search of the book. Upton, she thought with some irony, was sorely in need of a librarian. Surely any of his friends or acquaintances who came into this room would require similar assistance. Of course, his affianced bride wouldn’t pose much trouble. The woman didn’t read. Jane doubted Upton had many copies of La Belle Assemblée tucked away in here.

Regardless, a librarian was in order. Perhaps he’d hire Jane. She could spend all day in here sorting and browsing and reading and—

The dogs barked as the door opened. Jane swiveled on the balcony. Had the butler returned with more teacake? What a helpful chap.

“Jane?”

She sucked in her breath.

Upton.

She briefly considered her original plan. Could she hide in this house for the rest of her natural life or was she, indeed, required to declare herself? “We don’t know what became of Jane,” she could hear her mother’s voice saying years from now at a party. “She went out to the library one afternoon and never returned.” Because she had told her mother the library was her destination. She just hadn’t mentioned which library. Mrs. Bunbury, that poor darling, remained in bed with a head cold.

In the end, she decided she must make her presence known. If for no other reason, the idea of the future Mrs. Upton being told that Jane had gone missing in the library would no doubt spur that particular lady into launching an all-out search that would not end until Jane was discovered.

“I’m here,” she called back softly.