A Mediterranean mystery

A meticulous vicar in a quiet Sussex parish fancies himself a man of habit, intellectual pursuits, and modest comforts. When a terse telegram announces the arrival of his wayward brother Edmund—who never brings luggage but always brings trouble—he prepares an evening of opulent hospitality, ordering champagne and fine port despite the lingering jealousy and unpaid debts that Edmund leaves in his wake.

The narrative unfolds against a sun‑lit March backdrop: crocuses pushing through the grass, a gentle wind rattling the church’s stone windows, and the distant white‑capped waves of the Channel. While the vicar loses himself in theological debates and the tranquil rhythms of his study, an undercurrent of unease suggests that Edmund’s visit will soon disturb the delicate equilibrium of his ordered life, pulling him into a mystery that stretches far beyond the English coast.