Chapter 6

Life had been so different once, full of excitement, adventure, love, even…His recollections nudged against that painfully sore spot in his memory, but for once he did not flinch or withdraw, but let the years roll back and the reminiscences fill his mind.

It was at university that life had become so vivid. Before then, his young existence had been somewhat functional and grey. The early loss of both parents, who he could barely remember, resulted in the stewardship of his two elderly great uncles. Despite neither being married, they had taken on the responsibility of the boy without fuss and catered for his practical needs. Jonathan recollected his childhood and adolescence being dominated by similar Spartan routines, both in term time and at home, shuttling between one uncle and the other.

And so, unsurprisingly, his first term at Oxford was a revelation.