“She was afloat in bliss, grateful that she had a woman's body to tell him what words could not.”
“In her heart she longed for this man, dreamed of a life that could never be.”
“The dusty tombs of long-dead exorcist priests lay in the alcoves below, surmounted by stone effigies, the features eroded by the passing of time and the reverent caresses of their grateful parishioners, a reminder, she knew all too well, of the brevity of life.”
“He looked down at her as he eased from the bed. Why such a creature of light and love and life should have come to him, he could not fathom. But he was grateful. Very grateful.”
“She's become a Russian again, he thought. When something works, she's grateful. When it doesn't work, it's life.”