A/N: I'm really happy to know that there are other people out there that enjoy historical fiction as much as I do. I just thought I was weird. I hope you like this chapter, and it goes without saying, but please review.

Chapter 3

Blair awoke the morning after the society dinner, her throat was dry, and her eyes were sore from crying herself to sleep. She wondered how she could be so stupid, as to kiss Chuck Bass the way she did, after all, she had always considered herself to be highly intelligent.

As she got ready for the day, she decided, no, became determined, to not let last night's incident ruin her stay at the Van Der Woodsen's. Although, she couldn't help but hope that Chuck would leave soon, so she could finish the summer out in peace.

"Blair," Serena called as she knocked on the door.

"Come in," Blair told her friend.

"Blair, I have the most incredible news for you," Serena stated giddily, entering the room.

"Well, what is it?" she asked, happy to have good news.

"Nate Archibald," Serena cried out with glee. "He's outside. He wants to speak with you."

"My heavens," Blair squealed with excitement.

"Oh, B, I'm so happy for you," Serena said as she clumsily hugged Blair. "He truly is such a fine catch."

-

Blair went out to greet a patiently waiting Nate.

"Good morning Mr. Archibald," she stated with a feminine smile.

"Please, call me Nate," he replied. "And it is a good morning, knowing I get to spend it with you."

"So, Nate, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she questioned flirtatiously.

"Anything," he flashed his dazzling smile. "I just wanted to be in your presence. Shall we take a walk?"

"Of course," she said, and with that she and Nate linked arms and began to stroll across the Van Der Woodsen property.

"It's such a beautiful day," Nate stated gracefully- the way he seemed to do everything.

"I know it really is picturesque, like something out of a Walt Whitman poem."

"Walt who?" Nate asked, a look of confusion etched upon his face.

"Whitman… uh… never mind then," she replied, mystified as to how Nate had never heard of the famous New York poet.

"Oh, well, I'm not really one for poetry," he grinned in a way that made it seem like he was proud of his lack of knowledge. This concerned Blair for she had always thought she could never be with someone who didn't like poetry. As handsome and charming as Nate was, she started to question if there really was a connection between them, seeing as he didn't even know who Walt Whitman, one of her favorite poets, was.

The two continued on their walk, and Blair began to realize that, even though Chuck was just angry when he said it, he might have been right about Nate; he was rather dull. He didn't have much to say about anything other than how lovely the scenery in the Hamptons was, and how pretty he though her to be, but flattery will only get a man so far, and Blair found herself wishing for their time together to end. Vanderbilt or not Nate wasn't right for her at all.

"Well, our time spent together has thus far been wonderful, but I really am exhausted and I think I should head back," Blair claimed with a wide, fake smile.

"Oh, alright, well let me walk you home," Nate jovially stated.

"Uh… it won't be necessary, I'm fine on my own. Thank you though." Blair was worried that her true motives to leave would be made clear by the look on her face, but Nate didn't seem to notice, and cheerfully waved goodbye.

"We shall do this again," he promised as she turned to leave.

"Right. Good day, Mr. Archibald," and with that she quickly hurried back to the Van Der Woodsen home, secretly hoping he wouldn't follow through on his promise.

-

By the time she got back it was nearly one o'clock. Serena would be at her piano lesson for an hour or two, and Blair would spend that time enjoying her favorite activity; reading in the Van Der Woodsen's library. Their library was a sight to behold. It was in a tall circular room with large bay windows that over looked the Long Island shore, and it was decorated with worn-in, oversized, leather chairs, and beautiful antiques from all over the globe. She loved the way it smelled like old books and cinnamon sticks, and she felt like she could spend days in there and never get bored.

As Blair sauntered in through the library's doors, she spotted Chuck, comfortably sitting in one of the chairs, deeply engaged in a book. As soon as he realized that someone had entered he looked up.

"Uh…oh… I'm sorry to disturb you… I'll just… uh…leave," she said in a painfully awkward manner.

"No… um, don't be silly…I'll leave," Chuck stated as he closed his book to stand up.

"Look, this doesn't have to be so uncomfortable, let's just pretend that last night never happened," Blair stated remembering the decision she made that morning to not let last night's incident ruin her summer. "We'll both stay here," she said plastering on the fake smile she had become so good at recently.

"Right. Deal," Chuck responded, unable to look directly at her, and he sat back down to continue reading his book.

Blair grabbed the novel, Pride and Prejudice, off of the bookshelf and sat in a chair at the opposite end of the library from Chuck. While she read, she continually found herself looking up at him. He looked so studious with his brows flinched, enthralled with whatever he was reading. She couldn't help but notice that the way the light softly hit upon his cheekbones, and accentuated his chiseled jaw line, made him look rather dashing- in a villainous sort of way. What she didn't notice was that every time she would look back down at her book, Chuck would gaze up at her, clearly enchanted.

The two sat in silence for the next hour or so, until Serena came in the room to announce that she was done with her wretched piano lessons, and that she and Blair could spend some much needed quality time together, so Blair got up to leave, and Chuck continued to read.

-

Every morning for the rest of the week, Nate would show up asking for Blair, and Blair would feign an excuse to not spend time with him, finally asking Serena to go out with him instead, to which Serena was happy to oblige, and as it turned out Serena and Nate hit it off, at least on a friendly level; and every afternoon, around one o'clock, Blair would make her usual trip to the library, where, with out fail, Chuck would be sitting, focused on his readings, with a glass of scotch. At first they would barely acknowledge each other's presence, but eventually they got to talking.

"What is it you're reading that's got you so interested?" Blair questioned.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a book with poems, it has a compilation of writers such as Dickenson, Wordsworth, Shelley, Whitman, the like."

"Sounds marvelous," she responded.

Chuck grinned.

"You know, Nate Archibald doesn't even know who Whitman is."

Chuck let out a good-natured laugh, "Ah yes. Don't let my comments made earlier fool you, Nate's a good fellow, but literature doesn't exactly inspire him."

"Oh, and does literature inspire you?" she asked.

"Sometimes," he responded.

"What else?" she questioned curiously .

"I'm not sure, I never really thought about it," he said sincerely, while closing his book. A look of contemplation sprang across his face.

"Well, what about your father? He's a powerful business man. Does he inspire you?"

Chuck looked almost distraught at her question, but he managed to cover it up with a slight smile, "Bart…" Chuck began to say, "My father is a great man, but we've never been very close."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Blair looked down thinking about her own distant father, and how he had left her mother for another man in France. She was never able to talk about it with anyone because it was just so shocking that no one wanted to admit it had happened, but not a day went by that she didn't think about him.

"What inspires you?" Chuck asked wanting to continue their conversation.

"I don't know, a lot of things; art, music, books, learning," she replied.

"Ah, you sound like you would enjoy life at a university. Off to Wellesley or Bernard?"

"No," she stated harshly. "I mean, my mother doesn't think a university education would be proper," she continued in a lighter tone, embarrassed by the way her no came out.

"Why? I think you would fit in wonderfully at an institution of higher learning. I can already tell your terribly smart, and you probably don't want to waste your time with those dreadful society women."

"Yes, well, thank you, but my mother's right, and no one wants to marry a college girl," she responded, a hint of sadness filled her voice.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," he said with a grin.

-

As the next week went on Blair found herself looking more and more forward to her chats with Chuck in the library. They always had great conversations ranging from politics, to music, to their plans for the future. No matter what people said about Chuck Bass, he was never boring.

Two weeks after the incident at the Rockefeller Dinner, Chuck and Blair were engaged in a particularly interesting conversation about the possibility of a "flying automobile", when an obviously distressed, Lily Van Der Woodsen plowed into the room, and with tears in her eyes asked to speak with Chuck.

"What is it?" Chuck questioned with concern.

"Charles, it's… it's," tears began to stream down her face and she seemed incapable of finishing her sentence.

"Bart," she finally breathed out, "he's dead… an automobile accident,"

Chuck stood up in horror.

"What?" he cried in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," was all she managed to squeeze out, and with that Chuck went running from the room, leaving Blair with a distraught look upon her face;

'

A/N: Up next: Chuck's disappearance worries Blair, while Serena tries to comfort her friend.