We crossed the yard in silence. The minute I entered the building, I was struck by its air of ineffable peace. Tonight it had lost the taint of betrayal that lay at its heart like a scar. Forgetting the way they'd been plundered and pillaged, I gazed at the tiers of nest holes and saw them only as emblems of love and fidelity, home to innumerable unions and witness to life-long devotion. Could I ever explain to Alex all that the dovecote meant to me? I was about to try when I felt her hand on my shoulder. I turned towards her and she pulled me close.