Page 53 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
“He is going to one day pass on the title of duke to me. I know he would not want anything to mar the family name and give people something to talk about,” James said.
“You think that owning up to the fact that you are a successful author and that all of your stories are based off of your own perilous travels is something that would…mar your name?”
Jame faltered for a moment. In the way that Abigail had asked the question, it made him sound as though he was just being sensitive about his reputation.
“I am not sure my father sees the work as credible,” he elaborated. “He sees them as cheap novels that will not hold any value in time.”
“Well, then I would ask him to read one,” Abigail countered with a small smile growing on her face. “Because you sure have a talent for storytelling, young man.”
James took the compliment graciously, though he was not sure how to feel about it.
“Thank you, that is very kind of you to say.” He smiled. “But I really cannot have it being public information. I just cannot.”
“And that is what is stopping you from going to Andrea. Instead, you are using my friend here as a post woman to get your point across?”
“I have told Bella many times that she does not have to do this, but she has been incredibly helpful to both Andrea and me,” James said before bowing his head politely in Bella’s direction.
“I am more than happy to do it. But we have to do something more if we are going to get her out of this situation,” Bella spoke up.
“Hopefully, this letter will give her something more to go on,” James said, as he gestured to the letter near Bella.
“I am going to trust you when you say that.” Bella nodded.
James rose from his seat after checking his pocket watch. He was on a tight schedule since he had to get the manuscript to his publisher in enough time before the printing date. His next story was going to be slightly rushed, but it was all for the cause of proving to Andrea that he really was Dean Morris. The story was written to show her this, and it was going to highlight to her that Cecil had been lying to her the entire time.
“All right, and thank you again for making sure that she gets it.”
“Leaving so soon?” Bella cocked an eyebrow.
“I have a lot to do,” James explained briefly as he headed for the door out of the room. “But I will return tomorrow and hope she has written back to me by then.”
*
Dearest Andrea,
I wanted to explain why I was so reluctant to talk about some of my travels with you when we were courting. You were eager to hear about the first part of my travels, the part when I was sent off to fight in the war. However, this is a part of my life that I deem horrific and terrifying.
It appears in my nightmares and in the dark shadows of my room. It was the kind of experience that would give even the stoutest man nightmares, and yet I somehow survived it all.
Sometimes, I feel like the terror I feel in the night is my penance for being able to walk away from it all pretty much unscathed.
The only people that I have spoken in length about those experiences with are other soldiers who survived. Of course, this is another reason why Cecil and I became friends. We were both survivors of something indescribable. But whilst I was part of the group that stayed and fought, Cecil was a deserter who just happened to stumble upon us when the fighting was over.
My stories are my way of coping with what happened out there. Some of them brush on my real experiences, but I have embellished the stories with the kind of themes that war does not afford men. There is romance and justice, and the endings are more satisfactory for reader than the realities would have ever been.
I am of course at your disposal to tell you stories of my travels once the war was over. Those are much more pleasant. I know that I have already told you a few of those stories, but I would be willing to dive into them with you.
But for the moment, I am spending most of my time working on the proof versions of the manuscript. It is nearly ready for publication, and Dean Morris is incredibly excited for his biggest fan to see his newest piece of work.
I hope soon to be able to speak with you in person. Until then, I wait hopefully for your response.
Yours,
James/Dean
Andrea could not stop herself from smiling as she leant against the windowsill and thought about the prospect of finally receiving a new story to read. Hearing that James was working hard on a manuscript for her was rather thrilling.
“What have you got there?”
