The Secret History

Hagia Sophia. St. Mark's, in Venice. 'What is this place?' I asked him.

'That information is classified, I'm afraid.'

1 looked around curiously. It seemed that I was the only visitor.

'Is it open to the public?' I said.

'Not generally, no.'

I looked at him. There was so much I wanted to ask him, so much I wanted to say; but somehow I knew there wasn't time and even if there was, that it was all, somehow, beside the point.

'Are you happy here?' I said at last.

He considered this for a moment. 'Not particularly,' he said.

'But you're not very happy where you are, either.'

St. Basil's, in Moscow. Chartres. Salisbury and Amiens. He glanced at his watch.

'I hope you'll excuse me,' he said, 'but I'm late for an appointment.'

He turned from me and walked away. I watched his back receding down the long, gleaming hall.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Binky Urban, whose dauntless efforts on behalf of this book leave me speechless; to So

And – despite the risk of sounding like a Homeric catalogue of ships – the following people must all be thanked for their aid, inspiration and love: Russ Dallen, Greta Edwards Anthony, Claude Fredericks, Cheryl Gilman, Edna Golding, Barry Ha

About the Author

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