The library seemed different now – of course it wasn’t at all. It had been the same way, pretty much, since it was built in the nineteenth century but the thought of losing it made Maggie pay more attention each time she was there. Nowadays she noticed the detail of the brickwork around the entrance. She saw the twentieth-century additions of metal brackets that supported the giant beams that criss-crossed their way above her head. The slight warp in the glass of the windows. It was like she was holding up a magnifying glass and the building was revealing its secrets.

Tom was comfortable here. She loved the sight of him talking to Farah. She was good for him. He managed to make eye contact with her now, which was a huge improvement. And she was sure he was standing straighter when he wore the clothes she’d got him.

This week Tom had read the book club offering and Maggie was delighted when he dragged over a chair and joined the group for the discussion. They had some other new members too and Christine had to pull up another table to accommodate everyone. The discussion was detailed and lively and, while he was quiet at first, Tom made a couple of insightful points about the plot.

After book club they convened the meeting. Christine hovered nervously nearby.

‘Christine, you can sit down,’ said Maggie pulling out a chair.

‘No, I can’t. They sent out another email to all the affected libraries. Instant dismissal if you’re found to be colluding.’

‘Okay,’ said Maggie, rolling her eyes. ‘How many signed the petition?’

‘Forty-eight,’ said Tom.

‘How many do we need?’ asked Farah.

‘A thousand if it’s to be taken seriously,’ said Maggie. ‘We’ll have to go door-to-door.’

‘Have we got people’s email addresses?’ asked Tom.

‘I can’t give you those,’ said Christine, her voice hitting a new octave.

‘Great idea,’ said Farah and Tom straightened his shoulders. ‘We’ll send out the petition from my laptop,’ she added.

‘Ooh, I’m not sure about that.’ Christine was fidgeting with her name badge.

‘Nobody needs to know how we got the email addresses,’ said Tom.

‘Excellent,’ said Maggie. ‘How are the footfall numbers looking?’

‘Twenty-one per cent increase,’ said Christine.

‘That’s not enough. We need more people through the door,’ said Maggie. ‘Anything on the list, Farah, that could up our numbers?’

Farah consulted her notes and Tom gazed at her adoringly. ‘Reading challenge but that’s not until school holidays.’

‘That’ll be too late,’ said Maggie. Christine blew her nose. She remained quite emotional about it all.

‘The primary school are planning their visit. They need consent forms and it’s taking a while to sort out,’ said Farah. ‘I guess we could ask local nurseries and toddler groups but they’d need an incentive.’

Tom pressed his lips into a flat line. ‘How about we do a reward scheme?’