Elizabeth: Part IX

(Story begins here.)

The study was built in a similar manner as the rest of the house, except that it was significantly more stylish. No expenses were spared in furnishing the room. The curtains were of the most luxurious velvet, while the walls were covered with pastel wallpapers that helped in projecting an aura of warmth in the room. The large windows opened out to the expansive back yard, and before it was a large mahogany empire desk, ornately carved and beautifully lacquered in the deepest of brown. Behind it, with its back to the windows was a leather high-backed chair whose colour and sheen matchedthat of the empire desk perfectly, giving the illusion that the two came as a set when they weren't. Below the desk was a large Persian rug that a previous master of the manor had brought back from Cairo whilst travelling in the middle east among the Arabs on business. The textile was intricately woven and soft to the touch, keeping the ground warm during the cold nights and cool during the warm days. It was said that the rug (it was more like a carpet than a rug) had been in the study for the past fifty years, but its colours were still vibrant, though with an aged quality that made it look dignified than worn. Nearer the door were two easy sitting chairs imported from Malaya, their rattan frames betraying their origins.

But these were nothing compared to the main attraction of the study, that is, the books themselves. On all the four walls that bordered the study, they were lined with bookshelves that spanned from floor to ceiling, and on them, rows upon rows of books of all forms of subject matter. Anton had spent some time in the study before, and during one of those times, the housekeeper had pointed out the main sorting criteria for the layout of the bookshelves, remarking that the library of books reflected upon the eclectic taste of many generations of masters of the manor. He had also reflected that not all masters had contributed their own tastes to the library, but even the least literary-inclined had added a book or two to the collection. Among those included some journals and diaries, the very things that Anton was most interested to dive into at this point.

Anton closed the door to the study behind him carefully and looked about him to take his bearings. It wasn't his first time in the study, but its sheer density of information still needed some time for orientation before anything useful could be gleaned. He figured out where the journal section was and made his way there. The journal section of the library spanned three shelves of a single bookshelf, and he groaned at the amount of reading he would have to do just to isolate the useful information. He paused for a moment to consider the best way to go about searching through the trove of information before deciding on working his way from the most recent master's journal back. It was probably more likely to contain information about Elizabeth that he can use anyway due to its close proximity in time. Anton thumbed through the spines of the journals which mercifully had their author's name and time period embossed in it, possibly after the journal was completed. The ordering wasn't quite in chronological order---there were signs that the journals had been searched through before and replaced possibly in a semi-haphazard manner. Anton's suspicions were confirmed when he found the journal of the last master and retrieved the volume.

A small white card fell off the volume and landed in front of Anton.

(Story continues here.)