Eugene Vesey

Hearts & Crosses Eugene Vesey

Frank Walsh is a young teacher of English to foreign students. While teaching on a summer school in Dublin, he falls in love with one of the students, a French girl called Danielle, and they embark on a passionate affair. Frank lives in London with Rania, a Guyanese girl who was also one of his students in the college where he teaches. They are married, but only in Muslim rites, as she is from a Muslim family. Frank is not religious, though he was once training to be a Catholic priest, and agreed to this only out of love for Rania, just as he agreed to marry his first wife, Mary, in a Catholic ceremony. Now though, he realises it was a big mistake, because Rania is not the girl he thought she was and their relationship is strained to breaking point. He sees Danielle as his escape until he meets Cinzia, his Italian ex, again and falls back in love with her. Which of the three women in his life will Frank choose? He can't quite bring himself to leave Rania and can't quite decide between Danielle and Cinzia. Then one morning a letter arrives from France ...