The Personal Librarian

J.P. dies while on a trip to Cairo, Egypt. At his funeral, Anne forces Belle from the family carriage. Jack Morgan, J.P.’s heir, agrees to ride with Belle and insists that Belle is their family as well because of her relationship with J.P.

Belle is relieved as she sees that Jack, who is happily married, doesn’t need her in the same way that J.P. did. She worries that Jack wants to sell off the collection she built, however.

Belle chooses to mourn J.P. later by reading Psalms over his coffin.

Belle catalogues the collection for Jack, who believes that too much of the family’s wealth is tied up in the collection. Her future and that of the collection are up in the air as a result. Bernard sends letters to Belle claiming that he loves her. Eventually, Jack shares the news that J.P. specified in his will that Belle should be kept on as the librarian for at least a year. J.P. has also left Belle $50,000 (the equivalent of over a million dollars in 2022 dollars). This fortune will secure her future and that of her family.

When Belle shares the news with her family, they do not thank her. They instead begin making plans for what they can do with the money.