“Nonna, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Bernard. Thank you for your letter. And I feel so much better. We’ve just received word Master Clark and Dad will be coming home soon.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
“Yes, it is!”
Bernard adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “I called you here today because I found a book I thought you’d enjoy. It’s an old story from the kingdom of Eagal. A little girl befriends a dragon with the help of—”
“Wait, Mr. Bernard! That’s enough. I want to find out the story myself as I read it,” Nonna said.
“Very well, then. Take it with you.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure not to damage the book. May I take my time returning it?”
“Hmm?” Bernard had intended it as a gift, so he wasn’t sure how to respond. “Oh, you don’t need to return it. It’s yours to keep.”
“But why? You’ve already given me so many expensive books.”
“Why, indeed…?”
For all his intellect and renown as a scholar, Bernard was still too awkward to come right out and say, “Because I love you like a granddaughter, Nonna.”
“Well, it’s perfect for you to practice Eagalian.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you! I’ll read it carefully.”
“That’s good, Nonna. You do that.”
Later, Victoria smiled gently when Nonna shared that story at home.
“That’s wonderful, Nonna. I think Mr. Bernard wanted to make you happy.”
“Me? Why?”
“Well, because he loves you.”
“Hmm. I love Mr. Bernard, too. He’s so kind.”
“You should make sure to tell him that. Feelings don’t reach others unless you put them into words.”
“Okay. Maybe I’ll write him a letter with my thoughts on the book.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. I’m sure that will make him very happy.”
Victoria later recounted this conversation to Eva, who wept upon hearing it.
“Uncle really has changed since you two began visiting him. He used to insist he wasn’t lonely, but I think he just didn’t realize he was. You and Nonna have brought a warmth to his life that he needed so much. I’m so grateful to you both. I couldn’t have done it myself.”
“But you’ve always been so devoted to visiting Mr. Bernard,” Victoria said.
“I know, but…”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Lady Eva. Perhaps it’s just because Nonna is a child.”
“Thank you, Victoria.”
Nonna read the book Bernard had given her multiple times and then wrote her thoughts in a letter.
When she gave him the letter, which began with If I were the protagonist of this story…, he said, “I’ll be sure to read it later,” and slipped it into his pocket.
But the moment Victoria and Nonna returned home, Bernard retrieved the letter and read it right away, oblivious to the gentle look that came to his face.
After going over it several times, he murmured to himself, “Children truly are wonderful. They are our future, full of endless possibilities.”
Of course, the only one who heard him was the portrait of his late wife, Helen.
From then on, Bernard would often look for books he thought Nonna would enjoy and give them to her.
Nonna would read them and write her thoughts in letters at a slow and leisurely pace. But correspondence between the twelve-year-old girl and the elderly historian had become one of his life’s most cherished pleasures.
One day, while Nonna was over at Bernard’s estate having lunch with him and Victoria, she said, “Mr. Bernard, do you know about the Dell Dolgarr series?”
“No, I don’t believe I do.”
“Oh, they’re such great books! I own the entire series and have read every volume so many times. Would you like to give it a try, Mr. Bernard?!”
“Is it really that good? Hmm, perhaps I will.”
“Wonderful! I’ll bring the first volume the next time I visit!”
“Well, I’ll be looking forward to it, then.”
Victoria thought, Mr. Bernard, reading Dell Dolgarr? but decided it would be rude to interrupt such an enjoyable conversation, so she stayed silent and listened.
And to her surprise, Bernard ended up reading the entire first volume, Dell Dolgarr, Messenger from Hell. What was even more surprising was that he said, “This book was very well written!” which made Nonna positively ecstatic.
“There are twenty-three volumes in the Dell Dolgarr series. If you ever want to read the next one, just let me know! I can bring it over right away.”
“All right, then. Would you bring the second volume the next time you come over?”
“Of course!”
Nonna knew the books by heart and eagerly discussed her impressions of Dell Dolgarr with Bernard.
Bernard had been focused on academic and historical texts for so many years now, but reading Dell Dolgarr made him remember how much he used to love adventure novels.
“I completely forgot how entertaining I found them.”
He considered going out and buying the entire Dell Dolgarr series but decided against it.
“I think I’ll enjoy having Nonna bring me them one volume at a time. Now, which book should I give Nonna next? Perhaps something from a different genre would be good for a change.”
Bernard had a pleasant time poring over a catalog the bookseller had brought over.