As she nestled on the couch with the book in her hands, a flush of excitement ran through her. It was like the first time she’d opened Jane Eyre: the thrill of hovering on the cusp of a new world. Miki remembered feeling anger as Jane was persecuted by her relatives and the school principal. She recalled the joy of watching Jane’s friendship with Helen develop. Sadness when poor Helen died. The pleasure of travelling to Thornfield Hall when Jane began her job as a governess. Meeting Mr Rochester for the first time. Falling in love with him as his conversations with Jane unfolded. Miki had been inspired by Jane’s strength, the way she stood up for herself, her dignity, the integrity of her beliefs. Racing through the pages, Miki had followed the evolution of Jane’s relationship with Mr Rochester, the awakening of her passion, her horror at discovering Mr Rochester’s secret, her terrible journey of escape across the high moors.

Now Miki was about to delve into a fresh story with new characters. New ideas. Her heart skipped. Kurt could keep her in the shop most of the time, but he couldn’t control where she went in her mind.

She opened the book and flicked through the introduction.

Chapter One, first line: When Farmer Oak smiled …

The walls of the room melted as the story came to life.

Later, she wondered where the hours had gone; they’d slipped by so fast. That was the magic of books, having the secrets of stories buried in their pages. It was just as Geraldine had said: Far from the Madding Crowd was wonderful. Miki liked Gabriel Oak from the start. She admired his steadiness, kindness and loyalty, and she was devastated when his dog herded his sheep over the cliffs. Losing everything had disempowered him; Miki knew how that felt.