Nest of vipers

THE train was slowing. Augustine Brown looked again at the letter in her hand. Exciting news! her sister Cordelia had written. “An unexpected guest at the hotel: Maria Mironova. Exciting news indeed.

YOU’RE not to touch a single thing in here,” the woman in the kitchen said. She had that look, the look of a servant who thinks herself a cut above the rest. She was all stain-free apron, all hands on

HELLO!” A young woman with red curly hair bounded up as Millicent and Barbara headed to the church, laden with fruit, flowers and foliage. Observing her brightly coloured sweater, hand-knitted chunky

OF course, Edwina imagined seeing him everywhere. It was only natural in the circumstances, she supposed, but surely that was just wishful thinking? After all, it simply couldn’t really be Laurence. S

TESS was completely disorientated when she woke up. Her eyes flickered open and she found herself facing an unfamiliar pale green wall. The room, wherever it was, held a faint hint of the new wallpape

YOUR text message sounded quite urgent,” Jane said. “Nothing wrong at the shop, is there?” She and her daughter had met for coffee at Caravaggio’s. On the other side of the small market square stood t