Victoria Abbott

I thought I appreciated books, but this was an alter to the book gods. It was hard not to be impressed. I didn't know what had the most impact: the rosewood shelving, the rolling library ladders, the mezzanine floor with the ornate spiral wrought-iron staircases at each end, the carved moldings, the scent of well-loved books, or the silky Aubusson rugs in a soft faded palette of rose, sage and aqua.

Lance could be trusted with your life. Librarians are like that.

I felt I was sitting in the midst of some surreal movie. Postwar Italian perhaps, only with more food and less sex.