Page 107 of The Secret Christmas Bookshop
‘And for me,’ she smiled, ‘I’m going to branch out. Look intowidening my stationery offer,’ she added, in a faux-businesslike voice.
‘And the shop?’ Fiona asked. ‘I could be wrong, but it’s possible we might be able to convince the owner of the vacant shops on Perpendicular Street to do you a good deal.’
Sophie looked up at Harry, only to discover he was already gazing at her, a dazed smile on his lips.
‘I’m sure we could sort something out,’ he said. ‘I can’tthink of anything better for the old sweet shop than to become a high-end, artisan notebook shop.’
‘Ye Olde Sweete Shoppe.’ Jazz elongated all the e’s.
‘Luckily, it isn’t ever going to be called that again,’ he said.
‘No,’ Sophie agreed, on the verge of laughter. ‘It’s going to be called Ye Olde Notebooke Emporiume.’
‘You are not,’ Harry said.
‘I am. You told me I could, when we were on the way back from our midnight paddle – you said you’d be more than happy with that name.’
Harry winced. ‘I did, didn’t I?’
Sophie laughed. ‘It has a lovely ring to it. Ye Olde Notebooke Emporiume. Or, if I’m branching out, Ye Olde Stationeree Emporiume.’
‘Fuck’s sake.’ Harry raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘Will I never be free of stupidly quaint shop names?’
‘Small ears,’ Fiona said.
‘Not that small!’ Lucy piped up, without looking up from the pages.
‘If the sweet shop is getting a new lease of life,’ Dexter said, ‘does that mean the bookshop might be, too?’
The silence that followed was loaded. Sophie glanced at May, who gave a tiny shake of her head, then turned her gaze on Fiona, widening her eyes. Her friend seemed to get the message, giving Sophie a short, sharp nod. May had told her earlier that she didn’t want anyone else knowing who was responsible for the freshly bound books, about Harry’s secret hobby and what she had done with it. She said she’d admitted it to Fiona, but was sure she could swear her to secrecy.
‘Why don’t you want anyone knowing?’ Sophie had asked her.
‘Because Harry’s self-conscious about the books, and he’s only finished a few – hardly enough to do anything with – so it’s best if we keep it between us. If that’s OK?’
‘Of course it is,’ Sophie said, then added, ‘and do you have more projects planned, in your self-appointed role as Secret Bookshop Fairy Godmother?’
May had given her a serene smile, which Sophie thought was answer enough.
She had wondered if, now she and Harry were together, and that she was staying, May hadn’t completely given up on the idea of gifting Harry’s beautifully bound books to people, and now she was convinced she was right. May fully believed in the magic of her Secret Bookshop, and, despite her initial surprise, and her disproportionate reaction when she’d discovered the truth, Sophie couldn’t help believing in it a little bit now, too.
She would keep their secret, and she would always treasureJane Eyre, which right now was upstairs in Harry’s bedroom, a floor above where he had transformed it from an old, tatty edition into something special. Nobody else had asked Sophie if she’d unmasked her mystery gifter, and she thought that it had mostly been forgotten in the face of festivals and storms, and the all-consuming nature of Christmas. Neither Winnie nor Simon had seemed intent on solving the conundrum, so she thought that May would be free to do whatever she wanted to – as long as Harry was happy – without anyone else realizing it was her.
‘I’m a long way from resurrecting the bookshop,’ Harry admitted. ‘I’ve got to get this place in order first.’ Sophieknew the annex roof patch-up was a big job, that all the books were temporarily piled up in his study to protect them, as the secret room was now exposed to the elements.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Fiona said, indicating the lounge, ‘even if it’s still a work in progress.’
‘Bernie would have loved what you’ve done so far,’ Ermin added.
Sophie felt Harry stiffen beside her. ‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘I really hope that, after everything, I’m not letting him down. I want the estate to be part of the village again. I’m done hiding.’
‘Well, good,’ Fiona said firmly, but Sophie thought she sounded slightly choked.
‘He’d have loved this, most of all.’ Ermin waved his hand between Sophie and Harry.
‘Yes,’ Jazz added with a smirk, ‘she’s the best thing Harry’s done, for sure.’
‘Jazz!’ Fiona sounded outraged, and Sophie felt her cheeks burn. Harry’s hand slipped to her waist, his fingers sliding under the hem of her jumper to find her bare skin.
