The Librarian Of Crooked Lane Quotes
"I wouldn’t have been surprised if he reached across the desk to touch my forehead, checking for a fever, but the fear of getting too close held him back."
"He blamed young women for just about every ill that had ever befallen him—or the world in general."
"I’m sure he could find a way to blame us for the war if he put his mind to it."
"In the two months since I’d taken the position of assistant librarian at the London Philosophical Society’s library, I’d been exposed to Mr. Parmiter’s misogyny on a regular basis."
"The style was very modern, but in the few short months I’d known her, I’d come to realize Daisy followed trends like winter follows autumn—inevitably."
"It was quiet. Few members came into the library and when they did, they preferred to speak to Mr. Parmiter rather than me."
"The job didn’t pay particularly well, but I could walk to work, saving myself the cost of transport."
"It was easy and relaxing work. Although the topics didn’t particularly interest me, it was satisfying to know these books would once again be read and valued by the society’s members thanks to my efforts today."
"One of the saddest outcomes of war was that it took young men. Now that we were emerging from the fog, women my age were bemoaning the lack of eligible bachelors."
"I was determined to make a go of it in London. In the two and a half months since my arrival, I’d made a friend in Daisy and found gainful employment. It was a foundation I could build on to help me climb out of the fog, in time."
"We worked for four hours, by which time my crew were growing restless."
"Well, most of us hadn’t; Mr. Allan had taken a ten-minute break to smoke a cigarette."
"I went in search of Mr. Bolton and found him with the packing crew in one of the smaller galleries."
"I caught up to the two packers but had to wait as they maneuvered the large painting through the door."
"The canvas was torn. No, not torn. It had simply come away and folded over."
"Go and see to your men, Miss Ashe. You! Mr. Allan! Don’t just stand there!"
"But what? It ain’t your job to clean up? That’s only because you took a man’s job."
"Please pick up the cigarette butts before you go, Miss Ashe."
"To the storeroom until the artist comes to collect it."
"The address is sixteen Park Street, Mayfair."
"It’s a pleasant morning, so I dispensed with my coat."
"Park Street was one of those London streets that only the wealthy could afford to live on."
"It was everything I expected of a Mayfair drawing room, complete with a lovely clock encased in a glass dome on the mantelpiece."
"I straightened as a man sauntered into the room."
"Most of the men had returned from the war as cigarette smokers."
"I’ve been smoking since I was six. That’s a few years more."
"You can come over. The address is sixteen Park Street, Mayfair."
"He’s not going to give up that easily. Journalists never do."
"She looks as though she’d explode with indignation."
"Even so, providing tea is what a hostess does."
"I telephoned earlier and was told to come here."
"I knew I should have gone with you that day."
"You’re not in the Wild West anymore, Willie."
"I’ve worked many cases with Gabe’s parents, back when they helped the police."
"I thought you’d get here ages ago. You live in Bloomsbury, don’t you?"
"I had Dodson drive me in theirs to Burlington House because I knew parking would be difficult."
"You can’t threaten to shoot people, Willie."
"What else can he possibly want to know? You saved the lad and his father drowned. That’s it."
"That pig ain’t the only one who’s nosy."
"Horatio, please. I have to go to work soon."
"You have far too many male guests, Miss Ashe."
"A policeman is one thing, but an artist is quite another!"
"You seem agitated. Is it because I said I have no interest in you?"
"She has been nothing but polite to me and the men."
"It was a few weeks ago, and it won’t happen again."
"You were there during the first private viewing. Did you notice anyone paying it particular attention?"
"She was friendly towards them and they seemed to like her."
"They can’t afford not to like her, at least to her face."
"I’m not the only artist whose work Lady Stanhope put forward to the selection committee, if you understand my meaning."
"We only have his say-so that the painting contains magic."
"Some persecuted magicians used their spells only rarely, some never did and have gone to their graves leaving no magical items behind."
"Professor Nash explained to me that a magician who doesn’t use a spell still produces better products than an artless craftsperson."
"There’s usually something more compelling about them, it’s true."
"I wanted to keep the job at the library and that meant accepting that Gabe was personally paying my wage until a different arrangement could be made."
"I ought to lecture him about professionalism and remind him again that we were not friends and never could be."
"The fear of being discovered was very real."
"Every part of me became aware of him, of his stare, the tapping thumb and, most of all, his close proximity."
"His green eyes drilled into me with an intensity that warmed my skin but also stretched my already taut nerves."
"If the kidnapping attempt is linked to the investigation, then continuing to investigate is the worst thing you can do."
"It was nice meeting you, I said and walked off toward the library."
"Don’t put me in the same category as her. I have four of my own to worry about, three of them daughters."
"I’ve been following up a lead with Sylvia."
"You shouldn’t leave the house without one of us."
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Detective Bailey."
"The closer you get to finding the thief, the bigger the danger."
"You're mistaken if you think I'm trying to break up their relationship. I'm not. I hardly know him. My interest in Gabe began because he could help me learn about my family's background."
"He looked quite deflated when he realized we'd guessed he was a magician. At the time, he reminded me of a puppet whose strings had been released."
"It was money for doing nothing. How could I refuse?"
"I know now that not all men are the same, just as not all women are either. We are not all like your former fiancée. Some of us would give you a chance if you let us."
"The hopes and dreams of family cast long shadows that weren’t easy to escape."
"Perhaps if you stopped taking cocaine you’d rediscover it."
"This is linked to the other theft, isn’t it?"
"Magician-made paintings are highly sought-after. When this becomes public knowledge, the prices for his pieces will go through the roof."
"I would have if I’d had my stick with me."
"If this was how it felt to defeat a criminal, I could understand the appeal of becoming a policeman or a consultant detective."
"I needed to remember that lives were about to be shattered."
"He wasn’t a big man, but he was big enough and the statue looked solid."
"It’s not my fault. You can’t blame me for his death."
"It was for the best. I’d begun to develop feelings for him, feelings beyond friendship. But he was engaged to be married. He was not free."
"I’m perfectly happy as I am. I don’t need a man in my life."
"You shouldn’t let your fear get in the way of your happiness."
"One’s perception of time alters during a crisis. For some it speeds up, for others it slows down."
"I’m good at understanding people and giving advice. Perhaps I should be a psychotic."
"There needs to be a spell that a magician baker can put on their food that will stop you putting on weight, no matter how much of it you eat."