‘Yes. That!’
He slid off the stool and dragged his feet along the tiled floor, back to where his schoolbag was abandoned. He hefted it up on to his shoulder, as though it held all the worries of the world within it.
‘Teacher says it’s a silly notion.’
‘They’re the best kind to have, if you ask me.’
He gave her a curious look. It was almost as if she was challenging him. Grown-ups hardly ever listened to him, and when they did, they certainly didn’t encourage him to believe in silly notions.
‘The thing about books,’ she said, ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’
With that, the bell rang over the shop door and a tall man with hair falling into his eyes breezed into the shop. He went straight over to Martha and gave her an altogether prolonged smooch on the cheek, which the little boy thought was gross.
‘Who do we have here?’ he asked eventually.
‘Shall we tell him?’ Martha asked the little boy. ‘Shall we tell him who you really are?’
He looked a little uncertain at first, then seemed to gain some confidence and puffed out his chest.
‘I’m a magician!’ he announced.
‘Is that so?’ Henry asked.
‘Yes,’ Martha said. ‘And for his first trick, he is going to make that magic book he’s been reading all morning disappear.’ She nodded her head for him to retrieve it.
‘For free?’ the little boy asked.
‘The first one is always free,’ she replied, and within moments he had it stuffed into his schoolbag before charging out the front door with sparks at his heels and, in the strange morning light, what could have been mistaken for a cape flowing in his wake.
‘You’ve done it again,’ Henry said, sliding his arm around Martha’s waist.
‘Done what, Mr Field?’
‘Made someone, very, very happy, Mrs Field.’
This time they kissed for so long that they had to close the shop.
And that is where the story ends. Although they never did find Emily Bront?’s manuscript. To this day, it lies hidden inside the vault of an Irish bank, just waiting to become a part of someone else’s story.
Acknowledgments
Firstly, I want to thank my editor, Charlotte Ledger. Her enthusiasm for this book brought such a positive energy to the process and she has been a dream to work with. To the entire team at One More Chapter and Harper Collins UK, my continued appreciation for your passion and expertise in making this book a thing of beauty.
Thanks also to Gillian Green, who encouraged the early chapters of this book and to Sophie Hannah for her heartening feedback and coaching.
My deepest gratitude to my family, especially my parents whose love and generosity have been constant and unwavering. And to my sister, who as luck would have it is also a writer, for her inspiring thesis and endless belief in this book.
Finally to you, dear reader, I'm grateful for your belief, for stepping into the world of The Lost Bookshop and letting it come to life in your heart.