Maria had been a librarian for most of her working life. It was something that she felt she was born to do. She loved books, everything about them. From their authors, to the way in which early books were actually physically made and bound.
She had worked for several major museums around the world before she had decided that she would like to be in charge of an entire collection, rather than just working on small fragments of other people's libraries. She had posted a very specific advert in one of the specialist book collector monthly publications, and was pleasantly surprised when Lord Dansett had replied to her, in his own hand no less, concerning possible long term employment.
She was just thirty eight when he had taken her on - young for such a prestigious position. She remained self employed, and so didn't benefit from all of the perks that the house staff enjoyed, but that was ok with her. She did still have to sign a non- disclosure agreement concerning her work though, and as Christopher Dansett was a stickler for rules, she did have to agree to the general rules of the house too. Getting used to that was a little strange to start with, but she soon got used to it.
Last month Maria had turned forty, and even though she had no one 'special' to share the occasion with, Christopher had made sure that it was a day she would remember. She had never looked at the library ladder in the same way since. She was presently sat in the middle of her realm of books at the great old oak desk that had been here for several hundred years. A large hand illustrated tome lay open before her which she was studying carefully through the lens of an angle poise magnifier lamp. The phone beside her rang quietly. She picked it up and looked at the small screen. It was Christopher himself.
'Good morning Maria, I hope you are well?' came his soft warm tone. She hesitated, trying to get the memory of last month out of her mind.
'Yes thank you, what can I do for you today?' she asked calmly.
'I have been informed that the book we spoke of from the Bueller collection has arrived. Would you be kind enough to ensure that it is taken care of? The car is at your disposal, and Kyle is free for the rest of the day anyway. It'll be a lovely drive on a sunny day like this.'
She looked out of the great stone mullioned window across towards the lake. It was indeed a beautiful day, and it would be nice to get some fresh air for a few hours.
'Certainly, no problem, it will be nice to get out for a little while.' She replied. She switched off the lamp and dialled Kyle from the intercom system.
'Hello Kyle, I have been tasked with going into town to collect a book for Christopher, and I am told that you and the car are free for the rest of the day?'
'That's no problem, I just need ten minutes to have a shower and I'll be ready to go. Casual ok?'
'Yeah, sure, nothing fancy required for this. I'll meet you at the back in half an hour ok?'
She turned the intercom off, and then proceeded to her own apartment upstairs in one of the converted attics. She thought that she ought to dress a little more smartly bearing in mind where she was going. After twenty minutes she was ready. It was still warm outside, so she wore a pale green silk blouse with a neat black leather skirt that made her look very classy, but would still be cool. She admired her still trim figure in the mirror as she closed the door and headed down to the rear courtyard.
'Nice shoes.' Complimented Kyle as she stepped out onto the flagstones. She smiled at the comment as he opened the rear door of the Bentley for her. The dark green leather heels were a stark contrast against the deep cream carpet inside. She had left her long blonde hair down today, and she felt a little bit like a famous filmstar being driven around in such luxury. She thought that she should be used to it by now, but the novelty just didn't seem to wear off. Kyle obviously didn't really know what casual meant, as he was dressed in slick black trousers and a nice soft cream shirt that still looked very smart to her. The only surrender to casual was the open neck of the shirt. His leather shoes shone as if brand new.
