Chapter 96: I loved a girl

There were no circles in the air now. Just two men, one who knew, and one who wanted to know. Gradually the tension eased from Yanni Stavros; it was easier to talk in her absence. 'Many years ago,' he began, 'in Greece, I loved a girl. I loved her when we were children and I loved her as we grew. She was two years older.' He stopped, and Phil watched the memories float to the surface. 'I was seventeen when my parents contracted a marriage for Christos to this girl. The girl I had asked for. The girl who, with her eyes had given herself to me.'

Phil ended the silence. 'Didn't you tell him?'