Agh! I get so angry at Laurie sometimes. When I first read the book, I was highly sympathetic the Laurie's plight, but after a second reading, discovered that my loyalties lay almost entirely with Ralph. This is *exactly* the story I would expect to see in some extended version of the book, true to Renault's tone and characters, but still frustrating to me because poor Ralph continues to have to compete for Laurie's affection... and you're right: competing with a ghost is no easy task.

Poor Ralph. Poor Laurie. Poor Andrew. Well done.