Proserpina

Brian and I connected as easily as we had done in the earlier years. It felt to me as though we had not been out of touch all these years. Impulsively, I grabbed his hands and we stood, grinning and speaking. Ria and Piers who had approached warily were thrilled to see him; in particular, Piers who hugged him in abandon.

As I stood with Claude in my arms, listening to Brian speaking in his calm, unaffected manner, I marvelled at his simplicity. I had read about his ...