Gentleman's Library Novels & Stories

"Rebecca, just like you, the last day a young gentleman man came here and spent the whole day drinking coffee and sitting just in your place. He is also staring at the library and when I asked him who was there. He just told me a family." Rebecca paused and put the cup back on the table. "The gentleman?" As she already guesses, she is talking about Edwin. "Yes, he is a very handsome and polite guy. With his appearance, he looked rich and never belonged to this type of area." Rebecca only awkwardly smiled. "So, did he tell you his name?" "No, he just told me. He is a businessman. But I was amazed to watch him never leave his seat until the library was almost closed…" Rebecca just nodded.

Evelyn confirms. Della nodded. "Among other things. He’s more than the businessman you see." That answer left a strange ache in my chest. Was I too quick to judge him? How come I didn't know so many things about him, all Rhea had told me was that he was a dangerous man. Did Rhea get to see this side of him? We moved next into a small library, more intimate than the grand one I’d peeked into on my first day. This one had a chaise lounge, thick Persian rugs, and a tea table set for two.

Her hand trembled slightly as she pushed one door open, its hinges mercifully silent. The library beyond was a cathedral of knowledge bathed in moonlight and the gentle glow of a few scattered candles. Tall windows lined one wall, their leaded panes casting latticework shadows across polished oak floors. Books lined every other surface, from floor to impossibly high ceiling, with elegant ladders positioned strategically around the room’s perimeter. A massive fireplace dominated the far wall, a low fire casting a warm circle of light before it. And there, silhouetted against that firelight, stood a man.

By 6pm, the Sterling Manor was packed. The air inside the grand library was thick with the scent of expensive cigars and the heavy, suffocating weight of a family that lived only for power. Lord Sterling sat at the head of the long dark-wood table, his face a mask of cold determination.

Elena urged, then turned and scurried away as if the room itself were cursed. Mary pushed the door open. The library was a two-story room filled with thousands of books, but the only light came from the fireplace, casting long, dancing orange shadows against the walls. A man was standing by the window, his back to her. He was tall, his shoulders broad under a black sweater, his presence so intense that the room felt smaller just by him being in it. He didn't turn around. He held a crystal glass of amber liquid, swirling it slowly.

Purple velvet curtains concealed the towering windows that lined the hall, shutting out the daylight and draping the room in perpetual twilight. The grandeur of the amber lights illuminating the place gave it an air of serenity and warmth. “This is a library." I tried to correct what Butler Greay had said, but he objected almost immediately. “In plain language, yes, but here it is called the hall of knowledge.” He retorted, and my head moved concurrently as I nodded; being agreeable was the right choice. How could I begin to argue with a man whose very presence irked me? I had wanted nothing to do with Butler Grey.

Today, the library was insanely quiet as most people were getting out of the palace’s walls and enjoying the warmth of the spring sun, happy that spring had sprung, and I had even gone for my own lonely stroll through the palace gardens earlier; Rolling my eyes, I gripped the top of his book and quickly pulled it out of his hands before he could register my actions. “Arrow!” “Shush!” A cranky old man hushed me loudly from the front desk, his old and almost dead eyes squinting at us as if he could light our hair on fire or something; Arrow’s soft laugh pulled at my attention and after smiling an apology to the librarian, I turned back around and smacked Arrow on his shoulder with book,

He dropped his hand reluctantly and let me go; I gave him a small reassuring smile and headed to the door to see who was there. “We are closed, sirs,” I said with a weak smile to the three bulky men who were looking around suspiciously. “Oh, I see. Did a man come here, or did you see him pass by?” the tallest one asked. “This is a library, sir; a lot of men come here to read books.” “This one is no ordinary man. Well built, 6.5 foot, tan skin, dark hair, amber eyes, stabbed, bleeding,” He said, smirking.

Annie would be coming to see her at 7am, she couldn’t wait for that long so she called one of the maids to help her have a wash and informed them about the three guests. The library is situated on the second storey above the ground floor. The four men walk fast but quietly. They pass some close doors and the three men are wondering as to how many people live in this huge house. The dim light in the hallway is enough for them to see where they are going. Francois stops in front of a polished old oak door. He pulls a hanging switch and an old antique lamp lights up. Then he takes out a key from his pocket. The three men saw this and had the same thoughts as to why put a lock on a library door?