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Back The Library
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. THE LIBRARY
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. Questions for your Book Club
  55. Acknowledgements
  56. About the Author
  57. Become an Aria Addict

He scanned the letter to find his place. ‘His mother was a part-time music teacher. Richard is also a dentist and joined his father’s dental practice from university and took over from his father eleven years ago. Richard and I met at university in Sheffield. We married in 1994 and have two children…’ Maggie drew a sharp intake of breath but Tom continued. ‘Rosie who is twenty-three and Oliver who is nineteen. We live in Kent with our two dogs and Rosie’s horses.’ Tom turned the page. ‘I hope this letter has helped to fill in some blanks for you as your last letter did for Richard. With kindest regards, Lisa Haseley.’

Tom handed the letter to Maggie. She took it but the tears blurred her vision too much for her to read it. Tom’s voice was swimming in her mind. Scores of questions she’d held for so long had been answered in a few sentences. The letter had given her much-longed-for information – he had a wife and children. She was a grandmother. And yet… What the letter hadn’t told her, could never tell her, was what her son looked like. Other questions that had built up over the years seemed to breach the dam: Did his hair change from the baby blonde she remembered? What did his voice sound like? His laugh? Was he like her in any way?

‘You okay?’ asked Tom looking full of concern.

She didn’t like being the one who made him look that way. ‘I’m fine, really.’ Maggie tried to pull herself together and blew her nose but the smile she pasted on was obviously fake. She stood up and hastily returned the letter to its envelope.

‘You look like you need a hug,’ said Tom. He didn’t give her a chance to think about it or protest. He wrapped her in a tight embrace and held her. It was like something unravelled within her and she cried.

47

TOM

Maggie called a meeting the day before the library was due to close. It was a last chance to see if we could do anything. She invited the council to attend but she got no reply so we weren’t expecting anyone. The newspaper article had stirred up tons of interest and support. They’d been careful about how they worded it but information from an unnamed source about possible development plans had certainly stirred things up. The builders had unintentionally helped as instead of denying any involvement they had responded saying they were unable to comment on individual projects, which was enough smoke for the newspaper to assume there was a flame somewhere. But the council had refused to comment about the building work and everything had gone quiet. I’d submitted our petition and heard nothing either.