"Lindsey, come on!" Beth cried as she hurried in from the side door. "Everyone is gone. We have to get going or there won't be a seat left at the Anchor."

Lindsey glanced from the rose to the stage where Sully had disappeared to the door where Beth was dancing from foot to foot. She had a feeling her life was about to get very complicated.

31.

"Who chose Pride and Prejudice for this week's crafternoon?" Lindsey asked. Although she had read the novel a million times, it had never struck her quite as poignantly as it had this time.

"I did," Mary said. "What's the matter? Didn't you like it?"

"No, it was fine," Lindsey said. "I suppose it was a good transition from Shakespeare."

"It certainly was," Violet La Rue agreed. "Although you must have noticed how they both used the classic love triangle to move their plots forward."

"Yes, I noticed," Lindsey said. Her tone was dry and she watched both Mary and Violet duck their heads back over the cards they were making so as to hide their laughter. The shaking of their shoulders gave them away, but Lindsey opted not to call them on it.

"What's the matter, dear?" Nancy asked. "Is art reflecting life a little bit too closely for you?"

Lindsey could tell by the sparkle in Nancy's blue eyes that she was teasing. Still, she didn't have to enjoy it so much.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lindsey lied.

"Oh, come on," Beth said. "Everyone knows your life has become an isosceles."

She entered the room, wearing different bright-colored sneakers on her hands and feet, cat ears and a long tail, and she had whiskers drawn on her cheeks.

"I Love My White Shoes for story time?" Lindsey asked.

"You just can't beat Pete the Cat," Beth said.

She shook the sneakers off of her hands and took off her ears and tail. She had a canvas tote with her card-making supplies, and she sat down next to Mary at the end of the table.

"So, what did I miss?" she asked. "Have we gotten to the part where we all agree that Colin Firth was the best Darcy ever?"

"We just started, and I thought we were discussing the book, not the film," Lindsey said.

She reached over the card she was working on and took a finger sandwich off of the tray Nancy had brought. She had run with the tea idea, so it was finger sandwiches, hot tea and raspberry petit fours.

"Who do you think would make a better Darcy," Charlene asked, "Sully or Robbie?"

Lindsey, in the middle of an inhale, began to hack and choke. Violet pounded her on the back while the others watched anxiously.

"Neither," Lindsey said. "If one is Darcy then the other would be Wickham, and I don't think that either of them could be- Ugh, did you know that Mark Twain is said to have felt an 'animal repugnance' toward Austen's writing?"

They all looked at her.

"What?" she asked.

"That wasn't even an attempt at a smooth transition," Mary said with a sad shake of her head. "It was pathetic."

"Do you think we'll ever have a book club meeting where my personal life is not a part of the discussion?" Lindsey asked.

The others all exchanged a look and as one they turned back and said, "No."

Lindsey sighed.

"Oh, look," Beth said. She was pointing at the window.

They all glanced out. A floral delivery truck had just arrived, and the driver was carrying a gorgeous bouquet of flowers into the building.

"I wonder who they're for," Mary said.

"My money is on Lindsey," Charlene said.

"Yes, but is it from Sully or Robbie?" Nancy asked.

"I'm betting on Sully," Violet said. "Robbie's flowers are always huge; not necessarily pretty, but definitely huge."

"Other people work here, you know," Lindsey said. "Those could be for anyone."

"Uh-huh," Beth said. "Come on, let's go see."

En masse, they hurried from the crafternoon room, down the hall to the main part of the library.

Ms. Cole was working the checkout desk and she glanced over her glasses at the deliveryman. She was wearing shades of green today, from her vibrant green blouse to her dark-green slacks. As far as her usual color schemes went, this one was actually not too bad.

The crafternoon group peeked around the door frame. Lindsey hung in back. She wasn't sure she was up for the embarrassment of flowers being sent to her at work. She loved her friends, but they would overanalyze and pick apart any note that came with the flowers and probably the meaning of the flowers themselves.

"May I help you?" Ms. Cole asked the deliveryman.

"I hope so," he said. He put the vase on the counter and checked his clipboard. He pushed back his baseball cap and scratched his head. "It says here that these flowers are for a person called Titania?"

Ms. Cole straightened up and blinked at him. "Excuse me?"

"It reads, 'For my Titania. Ever yours, Oberon.' See?"

He turned the clipboard so that she could see it, and Lindsey saw a tiny smile curve the corners of her mouth up.

"I'll sign for those," Ms. Cole said. "I know who they belong to."

"Well, thank goodness one of us does," the man said. He took the clipboard back when she finished and turned and strode out of the building with a wave.

The crafternooners all tiptoed back from the doorway and then hurried back to their room. Lindsey sank into her chair while the others dished about this stunning turn of events. Milton and Ms. Cole; who could have seen that coming?

Lindsey stared down at the card paper in front of her. She felt a smile tip her lips, not only because the group was not talking about her love life for a change but because seeing Ms. Cole get flowers from an admirer gave her hope.

"'Do not be in a hurry; depend upon it, the right Man will come at last . . .'" Nancy said.

Lindsey raised her head and noted that Nancy was reading from a slender volume that did not look like Pride and Prejudice.

"What was that?" Beth asked.

"A letter from Jane Austen to her niece Fanny Knight," Nancy said. "It's sound advice, if you ask me."

As the two single members of the crafternoon group, Lindsey and Beth exchanged a glance.

"Works for me," Beth said.

"Me, too," Lindsey agreed. "After all, if you can't trust Jane Austen in matters of the heart, who can you trust?"

The Briar Creek Library Guide to Crafternoons A crafternoon is simply a book club that does a craft while enjoying some good food and discussing the latest book of their choosing. To give you a starting point for your own crafternoon, here is a reader's guide to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a sample card-making project and a recipe for petit fours, which go nicely with Jane Austen and a hot cup of tea.

Readers Guide for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Despite being published two hundred years ago, in 1813, Pride and Prejudice continues to captivate readers. Why do you suppose this is? Because Austen captures a specific place and time so well? Or because her characters are still accessible?

Pride and prejudice are the flaws that the lead characters exemplify. Who is proud in this story and how does it manifest? Which character demonstrates prejudice? How does it impact the story?

The appeal of the heroine Elizabeth Bennet is frequently considered to be her strong personality, demonstrated by her sharp intelligence and fierce loyalty. Even though her sister Jane Bennet is described as being more beautiful and of an easier disposition than Elizabeth, it is Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy loves. If this were a modern novel, given that society is more obsessed by appearances these days, would it be Jane that Mr. Darcy fell for? Why or why not?

Mr. Darcy attempts to break up the romance between his friend Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet. Was he right to interfere if he genuinely believed that Jane did not love Bingley? Why or why not?

At the initial meeting of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, they take an immediate dislike to one another but naturally end up falling in love. What modern-day books, novels and television shows use this same story arc? Why does it work so well? What is it that makes it so appealing?

Bonus (could be used for a door prize): Mr. Darcy's first name is only mentioned twice in the novel. What is it? (Fitzwilliam) Card-Making Idea A simple but pretty collage card to make for the holidays.

Supplies:

Card stock or pre-folded blank cards in the color of your choice and envelopes

A variety of decorative papers from wrapping papers to magazine clippings or photographs Acid-free glue stick or hot glue gun or adhesive spray Scissors Any embellishments you want to add-raffia, ribbons, stamps, buttons-be creative How to: Lindsey is not a natural-born crafter, so she does a lot of trial and error on her cards. In making a card for her parents, she printed several copies of the most recent family photograph that included her parents, her brother Jack and herself. She decided to use a red card for the base then she chose a piece of green paper that she crumpled up into a tight ball and then smoothed out to give it texture. She trimmed the green paper so that it was a quarter of an inch smaller than the red card and then centered it on the cover of the card and used the glue stick to fasten it in place. Next she took her photograph and glued it to a red piece of card stock. She then trimmed the red card stock so that it framed the photograph by a quarter of an inch. Then she glued the photo on top of the green paper on the front of the card, making it just a little off center. In the extra space on the cover she made a bow of natural-colored raffia and used a glue gun to fasten it in place. To finish it, she put a shiny green button in the center of the raffia bow. Once dried, the card was ready to send to her parents.

Recipe NANCY'S RASPBERRY PETIT FOURS

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 11/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup of milk 3 egg whites Seedless raspberry jam Glaze:

32 ounces confectioner's sugar

2/3 cup of water 2 teaspoons orange extract Garnish with candy beads or frosting rosebuds Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and extract until fluffy. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; slowly add to the wet mixture, alternately adding with the milk until well blended. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks then gently fold into the batter. Pour batter into the baking dish and bake for 2025 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Once cake is completely cooled, cut the cake into 11/2-inch squares. Remove the squares from the baking dish and set on a large cookie sheet about two inches apart. Once on the cookie sheet, slice each square into two layers and put a teaspoon of raspberry jam between the two layers.

In a large bowl, combine the glaze ingredients. Beat until glaze is a smooth consistency. Now pour the glaze evenly over the tops and sides of each cake square. Make sure they are coated completely. Garnish the top with candy beads or frosting rosebuds or the garnish of your choice. Allow to dry. Makes 3 dozen.

Turn the page for a preview of Jenn McKinlay's next Library Lover's Mystery . . .

ON BORROWED TIME.

Coming soon from Berkley Prime Crime!

Lindsey Norris, director of the Briar Creek Public Library, strode across the library with her keys in hand. It was lunch hour on Thursday, which meant book talk, crafts and snacks, as their weekly crafternoon book club gathered in a meeting room on the far side of the building.

Out of all the activities the library hosted, this was by far Lindsey's favorite. She figured it was the book nerd in her that loved it so, but truthfully, these ladies had become her dearest friends since she'd moved to Briar Creek a few years ago and any moments she shared with them was time well spent.

"Lindsey, wait up!" a voice called to her from the children's department. She spun around to see an aviator charging toward her.

Lindsey squinted. Beneath the leather cap and goggles, well, she couldn't make out much, but she was pretty sure she recognized the upturned nose and stubborn chin as belonging to her children's librarian, Beth Stanley. But it was hard to say, as the rest of her was dressed in a white scarf, leather bomber jacket, black pants and boots. Not the typical wardrobe for a woman who spent most of her time doing finger plays, felt boards and story times.

"What do you think?" the aviator asked. She planted her hands on her hips and stood like she was posing for a photo.

"I'm not sure," Lindsey said. "Who are you?"

"What? Oh!" The woman wrestled her goggles up onto her head. "It's me-Beth. What do you think of my steampunk outfit?"