They’d stood on the remains of the majestic Viejo bridge, which had defended the town for eight hundred years before twentieth-century man had blown away its heart during the Civil War. It was in the final stages of rebuilding now, and almost restored to its former glory. ...
They had passed Toulouse, and Carcassonne, with its medieval city, and according to Madeleine’s map she should soon be able to see the sea. She had been travelling since dawn, and had become almost part of the rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat of the train’s motion, bracing herself with her fellow passengers ...