Once Upon A Rose First Chapter Sample

It was not unusual for Beatrice Montgomery to be carrying a stack of books taller than she was. 

It was unusual for her to drop them. 

She stared at the pile of books around her feet and sighed. It hadn’t been a good day, and dropping all of the books didn’t make her feel any better about the rest of it. She began picking them up carefully, smoothing out wrinkled pages from books that had fallen open. 

It was a clear sign of how flustered she was. As the first librarian in their tiny town in the Northlands, she took her job seriously, and dropping books was not part of that responsibility. 

Beatrice took a deep breath as she began to stack the books on her desk. She would have to put them away later. It was almost time for her meeting with Lord Alexander Dunham, the local noble who had established the library after his mother passed. Lady Dunham had been a great reader, but, apparently, he was not. At least he had the good sense to share his books with others, rather than keeping them all to himself.

She would walk to Eldenwilde, the Dunham estate, after she stopped for a hot drink.

Lord Dunham didn’t usually ask her to meet with him in winter. Her spring and fall walks to the estate were a welcome, enjoyable activity…but it was cold out, and Beatrice was not looking forward to this trip.

As she grabbed her cloak, pulling it on and tying it around her neck, she snagged her notebook from her desk and slipped it into her bag. She kept track of the number of books that had been checked out of the library and the patrons she had helped recently–because while Lord Dunham may not have been interested in books himself, he was keenly interested in how the library was helping the people of the Northlands.

It was nice that someone besides her cared.

As Beatrice made her way across town, she turned the corner of the tavern and bumped straight into Roan, the often surly owner of the establishment.

"Hello, Beatrice," he said, his voice dropping into a tone that nearly made her wince. "Can I help you with anything?"

Beatrice shook her head and took a step back from him. Roan had been suggesting for several months now that they would make a good match, and she had no interest in becoming his wife. 

Not just because she suspected that he wanted a wife who would work in the tavern with him, and she was far too busy to do so, but because marrying him was entirely unappealing.

"I'm just off to the café," she said, as she took another step back.

"You know, you're always welcome at the tavern," he said.

“I know, thank you,” Beatrice said before scurrying off. “Have a good day,” she called over her shoulder as she made her way across the square.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to lie about her plans this time to spend less time in his company. 

She hurried into the Cozy Cat Café and was immediately greeted by Thea smiling on the other side of the bar. The air was warm and smelled of spices and baked goods, and Beatrice immediately relaxed upon entering. There was something about being here that could make any day better, even one in which she dropped books.

"Good morning!" her friend called as Beatrice made her way to the counter. "What can I get for you?"

"I have to go out to the Dunham estate," Beatrice said with a grimace. "So, something very hot."

Thea frowned. "In this weather? Why is he having you go out now? That's unusual.”

Beatrice shrugged and dropped a few coins on the counter. "I'm not sure, but he sent a messenger this morning and asked me to come over at my earliest convenience, so I assumed I shouldn't make him wait too long."

Thea nodded, already busy preparing a drink for her, and Beatrice wandered over to the fireplace to thoroughly warm herself before she went back out into the cold.

There was a gentle meow, and Beatrice looked over to see the resident café cat, Ginger, looking up at her.

"I'm sorry," she said to the cat. "How could I forget you?"

The orange cat let out a grumble, clearly asking the same question as Beatrice hurried to rectify her wrong and pet the demanding feline.

"I don't suppose you and your long fur want to go to the Dunham estate instead of me?" she asked Ginger, who didn't answer, because she was a cat.

"I didn’t think so," Beatrice said with a grin. 

A moment later, Thea came over with a mug of hot tea and handed it to Beatrice. "Stay warm, and let me know when you're back safely. I'm surprised he didn't send a carriage for you with how cold it is."

Beatrice shrugged. "He knows I like to walk.”

“And yet, you aren’t usually walking all the way there in the snow," Thea pointed out.

Beatrice shook her head. “I’d rather walk than ask for a carriage. I just need a hot drink to warm myself before I leave."

Thea frowned but didn’t say anything else as she bustled away to wait on another customer. Beatrice smiled at her friend’s retreating back. It was sweet of Thea to worry, but all would be well. It was a cold day, but it wasn’t snowing, and she would rather get it over with than wonder what Lord Dunham was so urgently asking to see her for. Because Thea was right—it was unusual for him to ask to see her outside of their usual times.

She sat in a cozy chair by the fire and enjoyed the ambiance of the café while drinking her tea, Ginger purring at her feet. Taking a moment to breathe always helped–and so did visiting the café and spending time with Ginger. After finishing her drink, she brought her empty mug back to the counter, and with a cheerful wave at Thea, set off into the snow. 

Whatever had Lord Dunham in such a rush to speak with her, she was ready to hear it.

~~~

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