I do love this book, ridiculous authorial iddiness and Portentous Cave and all. And I agree about Hilary/Julian—Renault is so determined on the idea that it's at once Fated to Be and Doomed, in much the same way as some of her other pairings, and yet I can't really accept that it is like that, I just think that Hilary and Julian go well together and they make each other happy and I hope they keep doing so, whatever the doom and caves and dodgy thoughts on gender have to say about it.

Oh dear, I think your 75% suspicion is probably correct.

Aah, I completely agree about Hilary/Lisa! So lovely. But far too sensible a pairing for a Renault novel, I'm afraid :D

(Although, mind you, Sam and James—who are in a scene cut from some editions of this book, did you get them?—are a good one).