‘Now. Do you see the level of support we have here?’ Maggie splayed her hand out and waved it in a circular motion and the man’s eyes followed it. ‘This library is the very heart of Compton Mallow. It is essential for the elderly.’ She pointed at the nursing home residents and wished two of them hadn’t fallen asleep. She quickly moved on. ‘Some people don’t see anyone from one week to the next apart from at the library. This is a lifeline for those people. It is vital for the young. An early love of reading has been proven to affect an individual’s job prospects.’ She had no idea if this was accurate but she knew the essence of it was true. ‘Those on lower incomes rely on the library for their reading material. To deny them that is to deny them a basic human right. Whatever hurdle you put in our way we’ll clear it. Whatever is on your agenda, we’ll oppose it. In short this community needs this space and we’re prepared to fight for it every step of the way.’

Farah appeared with the coffee and cake. ‘Ooh, thank you,’ said the man, his eyes widening at the large slice of cake.

Maggie stared at him, awaiting a response to her impassioned speech. He seemed to become suddenly aware of her gaze. ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ he said.

‘You don’t know what?’ asked Maggie, mild irritation obvious in her tone.

‘I don’t know that anything you do changes the plans.’ He munched his cake. ‘The closure date is set.’

Maggie was flummoxed. The library door opened and in walked a scruffy-looking man with hair that was once a comb-over but was now more like a cockerel’s comb. He flattened it down. ‘Press,’ he said, checking three pockets before pulling out a credit-card-sized badge.

‘Excellent!’ said Maggie. ‘Come and meet Mr…’ She turned back to the man from the council who was looking more than uncomfortable.

‘Tilley but I’m not here in an official capacity.’

‘Mr Tilley is a council representative and I think it’s fair to say he’s surprised by the level of community support shown here this evening…’ began Maggie. The reporter whipped out a notebook and started to scribble as the colour drained from Mr Tilley’s face.

*