At Concordia Library, I’ve yet to work a single day.
My heels click on the stone floor as I head toward the back spiral stairs. I pass the circulation desk, waving to old Maud, who’s been volunteering here twenty hours a week since her husband, Melvin, passed away two months ago. Then I spot George at his usual table—he’s a regular, a retiree, and lifelong bachelor. I grab two of the local papers off the stack, sliding them in front of him as I go.
“Good afternoon, George.”
“It is now, darling,” he calls after me.
Along the side wall are a row of computer desks, lined up like soldiers, and I see Timmy Frazier’s bright red head bent over a keyboard, where he’s typing furiously. Timmy’s thirteen years old and a good lad, in the way that good lads still do naughty things. He’s got five younger siblings, a longshoreman dad, and a mum who cleans part-time at the estate on top of the hill.
My mother’s estate.
Castlebrook is a tiny, beautiful town—one of the smallest in Wessco—an old fishing village that’s never thrived, but is just successful enough to keep the inhabitants from leaving in search of greener pastures. We’re about a five-hour drive from the capital, and while most of the folks here don’t venture too far, we often get visitors from the city looking for a quiet weekend at the seaside.
St. Aldwyn’s, where all the local children attend, is just a ten-minute walk away, but I bet Timmy could make it in five.
“Is there a reason you’re not in school, Timmy Frazier?”
He smiles crookedly, but doesn’t take his eyes off the screen or stop typing. “I’m goin’ back but had to ditch fourth and fifth periods to finish this paper due in sixth.”
“Have you ever considered completing your assignment the day—or, God forbid, a few days—before it was actually due?”
Timmy shrugs. “Better last moment than never, Sarah.”
I chuckle, give his fiery head a rub, and continue up the steps to the third floor.
I’m comfortable with people I know—I can be sociable, even funny with them. It’s the new ones and unpredictable situations that tie me up in knots. And I’m about to be bound in a big one.
Damn it to hell.
I stand outside Mr. Haverstrom’s door, staring at the black letters of his name stenciled on the frosted glass, listening to the murmur of voices inside. It’s not that Mr. Haverstrom is a mean boss—he’s a bit like Mr. Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights. Even though he doesn’t get much page time, his presence is strong and consequential.
I take a breath, straighten my spine, and knock on the door firmly and decisively—the way Elizabeth Bennet would. Because she didn’t give a single shit about anything. Then Mr. Haverstrom opens the door, his eyes narrow, his hair and skin pale, his face lined and grouchy—like a squished marshmallow.
On the outside, I nod and breeze into the office, but inside, I cringe and wilt.
Mr. Haverstrom closes the door behind me and I stop short when I see Patrick Nolan in the chair across from Mr. Haverstrom’s desk. Pat is the co-head of the Literature and Fiction department with me. He doesn’t look like the stereotypical librarian—he looks more like an Olympic triathlete, all taut muscles and broad shoulders and hungry competition in his eyes.
Pat isn’t as big of a douche-canoe as Elliot, but close.
I sit down in the unoccupied chair beside Pat while Mr. Haverstrom takes his place behind the desk. “Lady Sarah, I was just explaining to Pat the reason I’ve asked you both for this meeting.”
Don’t mistake the “Lady” before my name as a symbol of respect. It’s just tradition, the equivalent of “Miss” for the daughter of a countess. There’s no real power behind it.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid—that happens—but there’s that tight, heavy feeling in my stomach, as if at any moment the thread that’s holding it in place is going to snap, sending my vital organ to the floor.
I force myself to speak. “Yes?”
“We have been selected to host this year’s Northern District Library Symposium.”
This isn’t just not good—it’s bad. Very, very bad.
“As the host facility, each department is required to give a presentation, and given the size and scope of our Fiction and Literature department, I see no reason why you and Patrick can’t give separate but complementary presentations.”
And splat goes my stomach. And my spleen. I’m fairly certain the liver’s in there somewhere too.
“I’ll need your topic and outline by the end of the week to ensure there’s no overlap.”
My lips open and close, like the mouth of a fish, but there aren’t any words. Breathe! I need to breathe to talk. Idiot.