Page 24 of Must Love Libraries and Libations (Moonshine Hollow #2)

PRIMROSE

S ometimes a dress is just a dress. But sometimes, a dress radiates your inner spirit and shows the world who you are.

The outside matches the inside, and you feel truly seen.

I swished my long gown. The baby-pink silk shimmered, and the glowing strawberries embroidered thereon twinkled under the soft glow of the lantern lights.

I had set an enchantment on the fabric, giving the gown an iridescent shimmer.

The strawberries glimmered rosy pink. I let my curly hair hang loose and long.

Tonight, my party would sparkle, and so would I.

And it didn’t matter anymore if there was anyone there to see me.

My sparkle was for me.

“Oh, Primrose,” Elder Theodonna said with a gasp, clutching my arm as she joined me before the arched flower entryway that led into the party. “It looks beautiful. You look so beautiful.”

“Thank you, Elder Theodonna.”

“Truly magnificent,” she said. “You’ve transformed the place despite all the difficulties .”

I chuckled softly, trying to pretend that my heart was not twisting. “It was my honor.”

She patted my arm and left me then, joining the others.

I looked out across the party. The cream-colored tent glowed golden, illuminated by the floating lanterns.

Winifred’s flowers sparkled in shades of mauve, pink, gold, and red.

She’d even included night-blooming raspberry rose, which effervesced balls of sparkling ruby-red light into the air.

As well, Winifred had woven paper roses into all of the displays, the paper taking on the appearance of aged manuscripts. It was bookish perfection.

The soft sounds of the harps, cellos, and violins floated across the lawn.

The sound was perfect, not too loud, just audible enough to bring good cheer to everyone.

The spell I had cast let the music reach everyone’s ear at exactly the same volume.

Later, after the wine was flowing, the musicians would adjust the tempo for dancing on the veranda.

Inside the tent, people were beginning to gather at the tall tables.

Zarina stood watch at the towering display of cupcakes, chatting with people as they came by to admire her handiwork.

At the catering table, people helped themselves to canapés and stopped by the donation well to leave coins in donation to the library and for the care of the bookwyrms.

I cast my glance toward the draped library windows once more.

No sign of the bookwyrms either. I thought, perhaps, that Stevenson would be curious about the snacks, but apparently not.

I swallowed hard, trying not to let my feelings show.

“Primrose!” a happy voice called.

I turned, and to my surprise, spotted Rosalyn, the pixie owner of The Sconery, and her new husband, Prince Bjorn of Frostfjord.

“Rosalyn? Rosalyn! I didn’t think you were going to make it!” I said, crossing the lawn to meet her. Rosalyn had been gone from Moonshine Hollow these past weeks. I was so happy to see my dear friend again.

“We encountered a bit of wild weather, but here we are. I told you I’d be back in time,” she said, embracing me.

“Oh, Prim. It looks so beautiful! And so do you. Look at you!” she said, stepping back to look me over.

“Prim, you look… Is this a new dress? No, it’s something else.

Something is different. You look radiant. ”

“I… Well, I…” I said, then turned to Prince Bjorn. “Bjorn, I’m happy to see you again,” I told him.

“And you, Primrose.”

Rosalyn gently took my arm. “Misdirection? You’re not getting away that easily.”

I laughed. “There’s a lot to catch up on. Later,” I whispered to her.

She nodded, her eyes flashing with excitement as she looked around the party.

“Oh, there’s Zarina. Now I see why the shop smells like spice cake,” she said with a laugh.

“Look at all of those cupcakes! I bet she’ll be relieved to see me.

Let’s go say hello,” she told Bjorn, staring adoringly up at the burly rune elf.

“Whatever my wife asks,” he said, offering her his arm.

Rosalyn pointed at me in jest. “You have not escaped. We have catching up to do.”

Chuckling, I nodded, my heart swelling with happiness at her return.

A moment later, I felt someone step beside me. I turned to find Aggie, one of the librarians, there.

“Hello, Aggie. Enjoying the party?

“Yes,” she replied flatly, but I could see she was distracted by something cupped in her hands.

“What do you have there?”

“Starry-eyed moth,” she said, opening her hands just a crack so I could see. Nestled in her hands was a downy gray moth with eyes that lived up to their names, a sapphire-blue orbs with sparkling golden flecks.

“It’s beautiful.”

“The tent lights drew it in. I will take it back to the forest later.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“Okay. Bye,” she said then drifted away, making her way toward the cupcake display.

Chuckling, I made my way across the grounds to the wine station.

There, the libations were flowing freely.

Mauve-, ruby-, and gold-colored lanterns floated in the air above the bar, casting a wine-inspired glow.

For a moment, it reminded me of the wine cellar.

I had to swallow the emotions that brought up.

Near the bar, the elders of Moonshine Hollow had gathered.

They all greeted me at once. And then, the conversations began.

One after another, I chatted with the elders.

At some point, someone handed me a glass of champagne.

At most parties, I stood in the back and merely watched.

But tonight was different. Tonight, I was the hostess.

Champagne flute in hand, I began making my way around the party, welcoming everyone personally. The whole town was here, or it seemed, and everyone was having fun. So many people stopped to tell me how beautiful the party was or what the library meant to them.

My heart grew both warmer and sadder with each story.

This was what I wanted Erasmus to see.

I wanted him to know how much his work, his library, meant to everyone.

But still, he didn’t come.

I had half a mind to barge inside and drag him out by his stubborn ear. This was larger than whatever it was that was brewing, or not, between him and me. This was about Moonshine Hollow. And he was being ridiculous. If he didn’t show himself…

I sighed, shook off my agitation with that ridiculous gargoyle, then made my way to say hello to Portia, owner of Sir Hootington’s Bookstore, who was talking to Tansy and the dryad guardian of Silver Vale, Kellen.

I smiled when I saw him. It wasn’t so long ago that Kellen was a rare sight in our village.

Now, he was always here at Tansy’s side, his life transformed by love.

“Hello, friends,” I called lightly. “Well, how is it?”

“Beautiful, Primrose,” Tansy said.

I turned to Kellen. “I’m so glad to see you here, Guardian.”

“Thank you, Miss Windsong. I am glad to be here.”

“I was hoping the library would be open,” Portia said, eyeing the closed curtains.

“As was I,” I said. “But, there is a nesting pair of bookwyrms, and Master Erasmus did not want them disturbed.”

“You mean, he did not want to be disturbed,” she replied pertly, pushing up her round spectacles in annoyance.

“Perhaps a bit of that too,” I said with a laugh, trying to keep the sadness from my voice. “I haven’t seen Juniper and Granik yet, have you?”

Tansy shook her head. “Juniper’s been busy all day with something, but I don’t know what. She told me she would see me tonight.”

I nodded then gestured to Rosalyn, Bjorn, and Zarina, who had also been joined by Elder Thornberry’s daughter Emmalyn. “Did you see who is back?” I asked.

“Look,” Tansy said, excited. “It’s Rosalyn and Bjorn! We should go say hello.”

The others nodded.

“I need to get ready to make the opening comments. I’ll talk with you all later,” I told them, then headed off, making my way toward the podium. It had been placed so the library windows served as my backdrop.

I smoothed my dress, downed the last of the champagne for a little more liquid courage, then joined Elder Theodonna, who was lingering nearby.

“Elder,” I said, gently taking her arm. “I think it’s time. The crowd has gathered, and everyone who wanted a drink has one.”

“Oh, of course. Let’s get at it, shall we?”

Together, Elder Theodonna and I went to the podium. I clicked my fingers, sending off a soft melodic chime across the party, to let everyone know we were about to open the festivities. The spell rolled across the lawn, notes drifting along a glimmering golden staff that wavered in the air.

The sweet sound brought the room to silence, and the crowd gathered in.

Elder Theodonna went to the podium. Working her hands, she cast a quick spell to allow her voice to amplify, carrying her words to everyone gathered.

“Friends and family, I am delighted to welcome you all tonight to the eleventy-first birthday celebration of Moonshine Hollow’s beloved library!”

At that, the crowd clapped politely.

“On behalf of all the elders of Moonshine Hollow, I thank you all for coming. Tonight, we gather to eat, drink, be merry, and leave our donations before we depart,” she added with a laugh, gesturing to the donations well.

“But now, I turn the podium over to the young woman who was the mastermind behind this event, none other than our own Primrose Windsong!”

The crowd clapped loudly, Rosalyn whistling as I stepped to the podium.

I cleared my throat and smiled at the assembled guests.

“My dearest fellow citizens, I welcome you tonight to this celebration of our beloved Moonshine Hollow Library. For eleventy-one years, this magnificent structure behind us has offered our community so much. From young wizards and witches learning from spellbooks to historians looking for lost facts to…” My eyes drifted across the party to my parents.

“To garden-loving elves looking for guides to rare fungi or mothers searching for something to occupy aimless children, the library has always been a resource to us. It started as nothing more than a cart full of books, which gathered the attention of our scholarly friends, the bookwyrms, who planted the Wyrmwood tree they now call home. Ever guarded by its faithful gargoyle, our library is an integral part of our community. It is magic made of wood, stone, love, and decades of care. Tonight, I am honored to celebrate the birthday of this beloved institution. Let’s thank her for her care,” I said, turning back toward the library.

I snapped my fingers in an attempt to trigger the spell I had laid at the foundation of the library, an enchantment that was intended to light up the entire library for a brief moment in colorful light, but the spell did not discharge.

It was almost like it was tangled or defused.

Frowning, I chuckled lightly. “Let’s try this one more time,” I told the audience with a laugh. “Let’s thank her for her care,” I said again, this time making my snap obvious. The gesture made the crowd, who had no doubt suffered through their own misfiring spells, chuckle.

But this time…

This time when I snapped, the unexpected happened.

The spell triggered the magical light engulfing the building.

But there was more, so much more.

The curtains that had blocked the windows were not the real curtains at all but an enchantment.

At the sound of my snap, they, too, began to fizzle away.

Sparks of golden light snapped as the curtains disappeared to reveal a fully illuminated library…

and the glowing red blossoms of the Wyrmwood tree.

There, sitting in the window, was Stevenson, who had pressed his paws against the glass and was staring at the cupcake display with a sparkle in his eyes. When he could finally see, he jumped up and down in excitement.

As charming as he was, my breath was taken away by the sound of beating wings as Erasmus dropped from the roof of the library where he must have been sitting in shadowed darkness.

Taking a moment to shake his wings, he tucked them in once more then smoothed his tuxedo jacket.

He stepped forward, a single sunflower in his hand.

When he reached me, he handed me the flower then met my gaze and held it.

He held it too long before the crowd.

So long that I knew they would see.

Winifred would see.

My mother would see.

He held it long enough for me to see.

He was sorry.

And…

And this man loved me.

What?

How?

What is happening?

He turned to the crowd and in a deep voice said, “Citizens, I welcome you this night to Moonshine Hollow Library. I am honored to have you here. Miss Windsong has delighted you outside thus far, but she’s also arranged a special tour for you.

Within, the bookwyrms and I have many delights and treasures to share: items of rare antiquity, pieces of Moonshine Hollow history, forgotten magical tomes, and the blooming Wyrmwood tree.

Tonight, I will share with you the lore of Moonshine Hollow, and the bookwyrms and I will be your guides, if you will have us. ”

At that, the crowd cheered.

Erasmus turned to me. “Will you have us, Miss Windsong?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Primrose,” I replied, my voice shaking, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Will you have us? Boorish and difficult as we may be? Will you have me , Primrose? I’m stone-hearted, peevish, often very wrong, but also, very, very sorry.

As old as I am, I still have a few more lessons to learn.

Who better to teach me than a strong-willed and sparkly half-elf? So, will you? Will you have me?”

I was suddenly aware that everyone in Moonshine Hollow was staring at us. The crowd whispered in amazement, and my mother’s gasp was audible over the crowd. But somehow, that didn’t matter. He was here, in front of everyone, a man who would rather hide in darkness, to claim me.

He was here for me.

He had done all this for me .

“Yes,” I replied. “With all my heart, yes.”