Page 43 of The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop

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Back at Finch’s, Jonathan and Miriam went up into the flat to collect some personal items to take home with them, while Isla wandered off into the back rooms needing some time alone. She walked along the bookshelves, her finger tracing along the spines of the books, her gaze not really taking in their titles, but finding comfort in their solid form. Her mind was abuzz with the news and combined with the hit of alcohol running through her veins, a sense of other worldliness washed over her, as though she was looking at her beloved bookshop from another level entirely. The thought of all the oak wooden bookshelves being dismantled, the old furniture being removed and Jonathan’s huge collection of antiquarian books having to find a new home was almost too much to contemplate. This was more than just a shop; it was an important resource and destination for the local community. Isla thought of Amelia and the other children who gained so much from the experience of simply being given the opportunity to browse the books, and to choose something from the shelves, to sit on a comfy cushion and turn the pages of that book. Not every child had a limitless supply of books at home and coming to a shop like this gave them a window into another world entirely. They certainly wouldn’t get the same experience from any of the discount stores.

‘Isla, I’m going to head off now.’

She turned to see Penny standing behind her and felt a surge of emotion rise in her chest at the sound of her voice.

‘Of course, you go. Thanks so much for covering today. You’re a star!’ She meant it too. They worked so well as a team and it felt to Isla that she was personally letting her colleague down, although she knew Penny’s fate was out of her hands. The one thing she did know was that she and Penny could run the shop perfectly on their own; they’d been doing exactly that for the last few weeks. It was a travesty that the shop should close when it was still doing such good business. Surprising herself and possibly Penny even more, she stepped forward and threw her arms around her in a hug.

‘Hey, what’s that for? I am coming in tomorrow, you know.’

‘I know, I suppose it’s the festive mood that’s got the better of me,’ Isla said brightly.

‘More like the Christmas spirit, I would say! You had a good lunch, I’m guessing?’

‘Yeah, it was great, thank you, and despite appearances, I didn’t really have that much to drink,’ Isla said, trying to match Penny’s cheery tone.

What she most wanted to do was to take Penny to one side and tell her what she’d found out about the shop, but she could never do that. The Finches had confided in her and she’d promised to keep their secret, even if it felt like a heavy burden to bear. Besides, she didn’t want to completely ruin Penny’s Christmas.

‘See you tomorrow,’ she called after Penny as she left through the front door, none the wiser about the precariousness of her job.

‘Excuse me, do you have any books on financial crime?’

Isla was pleased of the interruption, but the question flummoxed her for a couple of moments.

The man in his forties, in a lovely brown cable-knit jumper, gave a friendly tilt of his head.

‘Perhaps, I should clarify. I don’t want a how-to guide. I’m not wanting to come up with my own financial scam, but I’m looking for something for my dad for Christmas. He’s very interested in big business, insider dealing, that sort of thing so I thought I’d see if there’s anything he might enjoy.’

Nothing immediately sprung to Isla’s mind because it wasn’t one of her areas of interest, but they did have some business books in one of the back rooms.

‘Let me show you to where you might find something.’ She led him through into the first room, then into the back room, pointing out the relevant shelves, relieved to discover there were quite a few books that fitted his brief. ‘Have a look along here and you might find something to suit. Anything else you might need, just come and find me. Oh… I’ve had a thought. There was a book that was extremely popular a few years ago.’ Isla scanned the substantial book index of her mind to recall the book she was thinking of. ‘It was about a city trader who made millions but exposed the dark side of working for one of the big banks.’

‘Ah, yes, that’s ringing a bell with me too.’

‘I think it got a lot of press at the time. It was serialised in one of the national newspapers and the guy was a regular on the radio talking about his experiences. Here we go.’ Isla pulled the book of the shelf and handed it to the customer.

‘The Trading Game,’ the customer said, in a moment of recognition. ‘I do remember it now.’

Isla remembered too reading the serialisation and thinking how interesting it was. She’d immediately bought the book, but still had it on her shelf at home, waiting to be read. Her TBR list was long and varied, and sometimes, she needed a reminder of the delights waiting on it, resolving there and then to read the book over the Christmas period.

‘Do you know, this would be perfect for Dad. He’s going to love it. Thanks so much, you’ve been a great help.’

She always felt a swell of pride when she received positive feedback from a customer. It was only a small thing. She wasn’t saving lives or even impacting on people’s lives in a major way, but she’d had often thought it was the little things that made the days better or helped in difficult times. A chat with a stranger, a cup of tea and a slice of cake with a friend, a walk in the countryside or a good book, were all such mood boosters, and Isla knew, especially, about the mental health benefits of reading and how it could reduce stress levels.

‘This is such a brilliant shop, isn’t it?’ said the customer back at the counter as Isla took his payment. He looked all around him at the tall bookshelves, the fire crackling on the hearth, the appearance of Heathcliff, who took that moment to jump up next to the till. ‘It must be a great place to work,’ he added with a smile.

‘It really is,’ she agreed. ‘I love it.’

‘If I had more time, I’d have a longer mooch about, but I’ll definitely be back. Thanks for the recommendation. Another present ticked off my list. See you again soon.’

‘Definitely,’ called Isla, simply going through the motions. She took a moment to sit on the high stool, taking a couple of deep breaths as she ran the flat of her hand over Heathcliff’s back as he padded up and down on her lap. They were definitely good friends now, and that pleased her, knowing that the cat was no longer wary of her. Funny that she had been initially suspicious of Guy too, but she had slowly grown to like him in a similar way. Perhaps it was familiarity, although she had to admit, she liked everything there was to know about him: the way he looked, the way he smelled, his attentiveness in the way he brought her totally inappropriate coffees, the obvious affection and devotion he showed to Lottie, and most of all, the way being in his company made Isla feel. As though she was every bit as beautiful and powerful as he made her feel. What she didn’t like was the way in which he was working to bring about the sale of the bookshop on behalf of Jonathan and Miriam. She knew that she couldn’t really hold that against him, it was his job, but it still hurt her to think that he was striving towards something so diametrically opposed to her own heart’s desires.

Maybe she should cancel their date tomorrow night. What was the point? She would be niggly and in a bad mood, and liable to spoil the evening, when he might have gone to a lot of effort to cook for her. It wasn’t as if they would be likely to continue their relationship once she was back in London. Besides, she would always associate him with the sale of Finch’s and resent him for that.

‘Did you have a good lunch?’

‘Oh, hello, I didn’t realise you were here.’