Page 4 of Must Love Libraries and Libations
“Too much noise, perhaps,” I replied. “That, I can understand.”
Leaving them, I went to the rail and looked out once more. “Too much noise. That is a sentiment I know well,” I said, my mind going back to the conversation I’d had with Izelda and Elder Theodonna earlier this week. The elders were determined to host some grand party to celebrate the library’s eleventy-first birthday. I had made it very clear that it was not possible. They would have to have the birthday celebration at a community center in town. But not here. Never here. And yet, the elder had been…insistent. And now, apparently, a party planner was coming to talk the matter over.
I frowned.
What was there to talk about?
The library was a place of quiet, peace, and scholarly study, not the place for cake and a brass band.
It wasn’t happening.
Ever.
And that was all there was to that.
I tugged at the cuffs of my jacket, realizing that the stitching had begun to unravel. Well, the garment was three hundred years old, a gift from a past librarian, so I supposed it was natural. The black velvet had faded to gray and was worn in places, but the frock was still comfortable, even if a little outdated. It merely belonged to another time. A bit like its owner.
Alighting from the second floor to the ground floor, using my wings to lower me, I ignored the startled expressions of the patrons—even the knitting needles had stopped to look—and made my way back to my study.
There, my work, and my quiet, waited.
CHAPTER 3
PRIMROSE
I can pull this off.
I can pull this off.
I can pull this off.
With a wicker basket hanging on the crook of my arm, wearing my favorite pink sundress, my hair pulled back with a bow, I left the farmers market and made my way back into town. It was a warm, late summer day. Midsummer was behind us, and all the frolics of Autumn Festival, Barnlight Days, and Hallowmoon were ahead. But before that, Moonshine Hollow’s library turned eleventy-one, and I had been hired by the elders to plan the perfect party. It would be the biggest event for the town this year, and I had to make it flawless, no matter what possible complications came my way…
I blew air through my lips when I thought about the complications.
Master Erasmus, the gargoyle guardian of the library, had already told the elders no.
Firmly.
Resolutely.
With no room for discussion.
Now, it was my job to convince him.
I exhaled deeply to let my anxiety slip away. Instead of worrying, I focused on the world around me…the feel of the sunshine on my brown hair, which shimmered with amber strands in the sunlight, the sounds of the songbirds in the trees, the feel of the floral fabric of my dress blowing in the wind. The feeling of the late summer air delved deep into my bones. But there was a scent on the breeze, the gentle smell of fall and harvest season just around the corner. What was there to be anxious about on such a perfect day? After all, it was a party. Who didn’t love a party? Someone just needed to talk to him, explain the situation. Everyone in town found Master Erasmus intimidating. I was sure he wasn’t that bad. Maybe he just needed…cake samples. Or maybe there was a gargoyle wine he’d like. Or maybe a special dish they prepared in his home city.
Or… Or he was going to be as stubborn as he was rumored to be.
I shook my head, then paused to watch as a pair of wild thimble foxes poked their heads out of a clutch of bright-yellow chrysanthemums growing in a garden. The small creatures were adorable beyond compare. One had caught a grasshopper. It squeaked to the other, its mouth full, then they hurried off together to a nearby patch of woods to share the treat.
Smiling, I opened my basket, seeing my scrolls, notes, and plans therein. I had so many great ideas for the party at the library. Once Master Erasmus saw these, surely, he would agree. With a determined step, I made my way to the library.
I can pull this off.
I can pull this off.
I can pull this off.
