Adult fiction. Ravenna is no longer young. In fact when she sees her own reflection, she feels as though she is turning into her mother, with whom she lived until the latter’s death. She ekes out a precarious living through the skills in her own hands, forced by ever-incoming bills to be always on the alert for new clients for her drawings and paintings. Edward has also reached his middle years. On the death of his mother he left the house they had shared for so long and moved closer to the university where he lectures in History. He is liked by his students, who refer to him affectionately as "The Prof", although he has not yet reached those giddy heights in his career. Both live alone. And yet . . . someone watches over one of them, unseen.