'Yes I've heard the same, I guess you also had as much say in the matter as I did?' he said turning and sitting in a chair at the edge of the room.

He took out his notebook again, this time turning to the back of the book, here there were a number of sketches. All sorts of things were sketched there, bridges over half frozen rivers, experimental apparatus, people here and there. As he flicked to a fresh page he took a pencil from inside his coat pocket and began to sketch as he talked.

'You know it's funny' he paused biting the end of the pencil before he continued. 'From what I understood of things marriage was originally meant to symbolise a choice' he paused again looking at Anastasiya 'A covenant that one made with god. How strange that now it too has become little more than a business arrangement'.

He kept sketching away in his little book whilst he waited for Anastasiya to reply.