Toni, not much liking the smell of the elderly woman, took a step away from her and turned her head, craning to see if the bus was about to appear from around the corner. She made a mental note to let the old woman get on the bus first, so she could be sure she would not end up sitting anywhere near her. Toni had no time for people who didn’t take care of themselves, and she prided herself on her own neat appearance. In some ways, it mattered greatly what other people thought of her, but she was known locally as someone who spoke her mind and she often ended up ruffling a few feathers. She was a woman who was sure of herself and thought herself to be above other people; she never questioned how she spoke to others, or conducted herself, much to the dismay of anyone who happened to be in her path.

As the bus appeared, Toni took a step back and signalled for the elderly woman to get on first. She was unable to do this without a look of disgust on her face, which made her look ugly, and the woman shook her head as she waddled towards the steps and onto the bus.

While she searched for her pensioners bus pass, the woman felt saddened by the look she had received from this stranger; she felt she had been judged without good cause. Yes, she was old and she had let herself go, but her husband of sixty-four years had died only six months ago, and she saw no reason why she should pretend to be happy.

When the elderly lady had finally taken a seat near the front of the bus, Toni threw some change at the driver without looking at him, retrieved her ticket and made her way upstairs, putting as much space between her and the woman downstairs as possible.

Adjusting her sunglasses, despite the gloom outside, Toni stared out of the window at the streets and people below.

As the bus took her towards the south-eastern side of the city, Toni felt herself tense. She hated it when it was Marion’s turn to host, because Marion had a more prestigious address than she did: she lived in Cherry Hinton on Gladstone Way.

Marion, whose husband Alfred was an accountant at one of the largest firms in Cambridge, was a sweet natured woman who simply loved reading. She didn’t care about her postcode or worry about buying expensive clothes. What Marion loved most was her husband, two children, her West Highland terrier called Josh, and, of course, reading. She was the opposite of Toni, who used the book club as a way of making friends and a name for herself.