Welcome to my perfumed garden

Don't say schmuck! :o) You know, I think Simon was just terminally disappointed; he'd such high hopes for the partnership and so much belief in Blair and - the way he saw it - Blair let them all down. Simon was one character I really did feel I should have gone back and dealt with but it was getting so long and there were too many loose ends to tie them all up satisfactorily so I just concentrated on Jim and Blair and their part of the story.

As for Jim - gosh, not a schmuck at all I hope. If you think that then I failed utterly! Jim was just as wounded as Blair in his way, it just wasn't so visible because of his professional success, and that he'd healed his relationships with his dad and brother, but inside, he was as broken as Blair. The hints are all over the earlier chapters and very much so in the last letter to Blair and what comes after.

Owl was a very strong image for me the whole time I was writing. He really is based on L'Hibou. I watched a French TV drama about L'Hibou and the French Revolution years ago that I loved and that character has always stayed with me. I wanted to write a story with Blair as Owl for a long time and that image was the germ of the whole thing.

I'm glad you liked it - hope you liked it(?) The angst is pretty fierce, I know. I didn't plan it that way, it just kinda happened :o)

Thanks so much for reading (and so quickly, because that thing is long!)