The Librarian and the Beast
S.J. Sanders
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Afterword
About the Author
Other Works by S.J. Sanders
The Librarian and the Beast
A Mintar Romance
S.J. Sanders
©2020 by Samantha Sanders
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission granted in writing from the author.
Editor: LY Publishing
Cover Artist: Sam Griffin
This book is a work of fiction intended for adult audiences only.
Chapter 1
Beni was bored. There was no other way to put it. Either she was at home helping her mother make dresses for the noblewomen of Dunvar Citadel, or stuck in the library for hours on end. She didn’t mind the library so much. She loved the books. It was the entire reason that she learned her father’s trade from his knee, but, by the gods, she wished she could get out and do something.
Carrying an armful of books along the aisles of shelves, she considered the root of her boredom. It was difficult to put a finger on. Even her little dalliances at The Club were starting to get tiring. They were all impatient, clumsy mouths and fumbling hands to go with swollen egos. It had been fun while everything was new, and her status protected her from being a kidnapped bride, as was the custom in Dunvar since her grandmother’s time. Now she couldn’t even dredge up the enthusiasm to meet with any one of her lovers at the establishment—especially not as of late.
Who knew that after seventeen men over the last year since she reached age of majority that she would be tired of it already?
It had been so exciting at first, experimenting with her every fantasy until she realized that every single man in Dunvar failed to live up her expectations. Their pleasure always came first, and if she had fun on the ride then they were all the happier… but it was never a priority. There was never any real passion involved. Just thinking of it made her want to yawn.
To her horror, more than one had even brought up the subject of marriage. And each of them had no fewer than three wives already! If she agreed, she would become yet another wife under the control of her husband, put away until it pleased him to enjoy her company. She would definitely never do anything interesting or fun again if she let some idiot talk her into it. No thank you!
Fortunately, none had pressed a demand yet. She was fortunate enough that she was able to easily rebuff them, but how long would that last? For now, she was safe. For now, everyone respected her father’s memory. Even so, she wasn’t so foolish as to think that it was a guarantee. There was always a chance that someone would lodge a complaint before the council. She was of age. The man would be perfectly within his rights, and then she would become nothing more than property of her husband.
Beni shelved the book in her hand a little harder than she meant to and winced as the sound reverberated in the small library.
Idwina Moss’s head popped from around one of the bookcases, a disapproving frown tugging on her lips. “Really, Benita, do you have to be so loud in the library? If you wish to traipse around, I do believe outdoors would be the better place.”
Beni grimaced. “Sorry, Idwina. I’m a little distracted today, I think.”
The other woman laughed. “I should say so. I suppose you’ve heard the good news.”
“Good news?” Beni hadn’t heard anything.
A thought flickered in the back of her mind, and she couldn’t stop the excitement that followed. Are they finally going to officially make me Dunvar’s transcriber? She had applied numerous times, the last one not even a full month ago.
Her father had trained her on how to care for the books, to sew the bindings, and to meticulously copy every printed page. She’d been trying for years to prove herself on the rare occasions that she was asked to transcribe. It was always with selected pieces that required immediate work due to their condition. The assignments, however, were few and far between, and she otherwise spent much of her time occupied with the duties of a librarian. If she were selected as the transcriber, it would ensure her a protected place among the citizens.
This could be her shining moment! Beni’s eyes fastened on the other woman, waiting for the beautiful pearls of information to come tumbling from her lips.
Idwina nodded with a pleased smile. “I heard that we have a new transcriber coming in, a handsome young man—without a wife, at that. Some of the younger girls are already talking about it. I have no doubt he will be the most eligible young man at this season’s social events,” she tittered. “Ah, the thrill of courtship. Being bride-seized can be such an exciting time with the right young man. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you caught his eye? Oh, you probably won’t be a first or second wife—you haven’t the social graces or beauty for such a coveted position—but a fine third wife who can help him with his work would be something you can strive for.”
Beni’s heart crumbled. The older woman felt genuine excitement for her prospects, while Beni felt like the rug had just been yanked out from beneath her. She kept her composure and smiled at Idwina.
“Well, we can certainly hope.”
Always one to look at the bright side, Beni clung to the fragile hope that maybe the new transcriber would be exactly as everyone was saying. All throughout the day and over the course of the rest of the week, he was the favorite subject among the ladies who visited her mama’s shop to place their orders for the upcoming ball.
The ball was one of the big social events of the year, and because of that Beni assisted her mama with the flood of orders. It helped her work through the impending crisis when she wasn’t at the library. She carried fabric, recorded the measurements her mother shouted out, and even helped with the never-ending stitching.
Between customer fittings, they diligently worked on Beni’s gown. In the storage room, she eyed the gold dress as excitement bubbled within her—real excitement that no one could steal away from her. Perhaps it was an omen. Her spirits were buoyed by the soft laughter coming from her mama’s workroom on the other side of the wall. The happy atmosphere was contagious. Ladies and gentlemen would be outfitted in the finest clothes, wearing ornate masks for the Midsummer Masque as they tempted one another to enjoy a little fling with a “stranger.”
She giggled at the thought, pinching the gold fabric of the dress in her hand. She dropped the material at the sound of approaching footsteps. She glanced over as her mama swept in, arms laden with the swaths of cloth she’d been showing to her client.
“You certainly are in a good mood. Nice to see you’re no longer sulking about,” her mama noted, her cheeks crea
sed with a pleased grin as she shelved the material.
Beni rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t sulking, Mama. I was having an honest dilemma, and it demanded a time of serious reflection.”
One of Viv’s dark eyebrows arched. “Serious reflection? Is that what you call stomping around here for four days muttering about councils who wouldn’t know a good transcriber if it bit them in the ass?”
“Well, their intelligence is questionable since they went through the trouble to bring someone here when I’ve shown them time and time again my excellent attention to detail and quality work,” Beni said, trying for a disdainful sniff and laughing when it sounded more sickly than dignified. “Alas, I see there’s nothing to be done about it. Mr. Woodiker is arriving today, and I am to show him about.”
“Ah, is that what’s bringing a smile to your face? I have to admit I’ve never seen you get worked up about a man before…” Her mother pursed her lips thoughtfully.
“Well… no,” Beni admitted. “Though it seems I’ll have a leg up on the other ladies since I’ll be meeting him first. I suppose I can put my best foot forward, so he sees me as a positive match for him. I mean, he doesn’t have to be exciting or adventurous… right? I’m sure such a match would provide many pleasant conversations with such a well-read man. Right?” She cast a panicked look to her mama, who cocked an elegant eyebrow.
“If you say so, Beni,” Viv replied.
Not encouraging.
“Now your father—he was exciting and adventurous. Swept me right off my feet, and my clothes right off my…”
Beni groaned. “Eww, Mama, no! I don’t want to hear about you and Daddy and sex! Leave some mystery to it for my delicate ears.”
Her mama’s mischievous laughter filled the room as she waggled a finger. “Mystery… Delicate ears… Ha! Don’t think that I don’t know what you’ve been getting up to in the evenings, Betani Michele Marshall.”
Betani’s cheeks flamed and a helpless giggle escaped her. “Mama, shhhh! Don’t you know you’re supposed to do like other mothers and pretend you don’t notice such things?”
Viv shrugged, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “If you’re looking for your own personal hero, someone who will sweep you off your feet, you won’t find it at that deranged club, nor flirting at the ball—as much fun as the Midsummer Masque is. Not to discourage you, my child, I’m just saying… do not judge a book by its cover. I believe that was your father’s favorite saying,” she added with a nod. “I want you to be happy. You don’t owe it to anyone to force yourself into an unhappy marriage if you don’t meet the right one for you. If we need to smuggle you out of Dunvar to save you from that fate, then we will. You have cousins in the eastern province if things get dodgy here.”
Beni sighed and glanced toward the dress. “I suppose you’re right, Mama. I really don’t want to leave you. What would I do if I couldn’t pop in to see you whenever I wanted?”
“What most families do, I suppose, when people move and have to make new futures for themselves. I would miss you terribly, but we would write, and I would be happy for you. But let’s not put the cart before the horse. You might even like this gentleman. When do you meet the esteemed Mr. Woodiker?”
“I am to meet Mr. Woodiker and Chancellor Rundall in two hours at the library,” Beni said. Her mother made an approving hum under her breath as Beni continued to stare at the dress.
Mama had a point. Beni had been indulging her appetites while looking for Mr. Right in unsuitable places, hoping that the man she yearned for, the one who would thrill her and entice her, could be found in an intimate liaison. Perhaps she would find the perfect man in the unlikeliest place. She wasn’t excited about meeting Mr. Woodiker, but maybe he would be “the one” after all.
Chapter 2
Mr. Woodiker was not “the one.” Beni had never been more certain of anything in her life. Oh, he was attractive enough, possessing a quiet and dignified air, but his condescending attitude when she’d introduced herself as the current transcriber soured any potential pleasantness between them. He had taken one look at her and laughed when she introduced herself as the current transcriber.
Laughed!
She’d managed to suppress the anger that boiled up in her to meet it with a pleasant smile, but she was still shaking with fury when she unlocked the library. Stepping back to allow the men to enter first, she followed them in and turned on the lights. Woodiker immediately brought a scented cloth over his mouth and nose. He glanced over at her, his eyes crinkling slightly with what was assuredly a smile beneath the handkerchief.
“My apologies. Libraries are terrible places. All the dust in the air and the smell of old musty books is quite unpleasant. It’s bad enough to deal with the volumes one at a time, but to work around all of this is dreadful. I don’t understand why a transcriber cannot have the books that require work brought to him rather than work in such a hellish abode.” The last he directed to the chancellor as she stared at him.
The chancellor shook his head with a small smile. “Unfortunately, it is not practical to force a librarian to run books from the library to your quarters. But you will have our librarians on hand to help make things as comfortable for you as possible.”
Woodiker inclined his head and sighed. “True enough. You certainly have a most attractive librarian who will doubtlessly make it far more endurable.” He slanted her an obvious look, but her brain was still stuck on his previous statement.
“Hellish abode?” Beni squawked. A small giggle erupted from her. Oh, he was joking! Library humor. An odd joke, but she wouldn’t make him feel bad about just how terrible it was, especially when she and Idwina had poked fun about the terrible dust before. She laughed again and waved a hand. “Oh, I see! It can be quite hellish with the strong temptation to stop and read. It can be quite distracting. This library has so many wonderful volumes. You will never find yourself lacking in anything to read.”
His brow knit together in a puzzled frown. “I assure you I have no such difficulties. I loathe reading, and books in general. However, being a transcriber pays well and is an esteemed position, which makes me tolerate them.”
“You don’t like books?” she asked, unable to disguise the shock in her voice. The man was hired as a transcriber—and he didn’t like books!
He chuckled as he looked over what had been, until that day, her workstation. Drawers were opened and rifled through; her ledgers flipped through. Every place he touched felt like an invasion of her personal space and the dearest memories of her father.
“What is there to like about them?” he asked. “Reading nonsense for pleasure is not only a waste of time, but encourages unrealistic ideas about life. I shudder every time I must transcribe some romantic drivel. Books should be economized to the essentials only that pertain to learning something useful. If I had my way, fiction should be relegated to books for children, and all else taken away and used for fuel in the poor district.”
Beni’s mouth dropped open, her eyes widening with every word. She wanted to clasp every book in the library against her breast. The man was a book-hating monster!
“I have to agree, Woodiker, up to a point. I believe that a library would benefit from a good pruning to remove much of the drivel, though I must object that there are fantastic works of literary fiction that have been handed down to us. Gentlemen of fine minds. Unfortunately, you would be hard pressed to get the city council to officially agree to such a thing.”
Woodiker sighed, keeping in step with the chancellor as they headed back toward the exit. “So I discovered at my last post. I do appreciate you offering me this position. I’m afraid that the council was less than understanding when I took it upon myself to thin out their selections.”
“Just be sure to do so discreetly, and in small numbers. Our populace could do with less distractions from their duties,” the chancellor said with a chuckle as the heavy door swung shut behind them.
Beni stood transfixed at the closed door until it open
ed again and Idwina stepped through.
“Was that the new transcriber, and leaving already?” Idwina asked as she slid off her coat and carried it to the coat closet. “I expected to see him to be buried in books when I arrived, not parading down the street with the chancellor like gentlemen on a leisurely stroll.”
Wrestling with her mounting distress, Beni nodded. “He doesn’t like books,” she said in a near whisper.
“Come again?” Idwina replied.
“He was fired from his last position for getting rid of books he considers nonessential,” Beni said. Her entire body shook as the full ramifications hit her. “Idwina, he’s going to kill our books!”
The librarian jerked in surprise. “I am sure you are exaggerating—and killing? Really, Beni.”
“He said any fiction that’s not for the education and betterment of the people should be destroyed, and he has done it! It is why he was fired from his last position. He’s a book murderer! He is going to come through here and destroy books little by little, and with the chancellor’s blessing!”
Idwina’s mouth fell open. “Surely not… What are you doing, Benita?”
Beni raced to the coat closet, pulling out her long coat and throwing it on. “I need to go. I have to get supplies and make some sort of plan. I cannot let him kill my books. I have to hide them.”
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